Chapter 100

Song District Chief came and went quickly. This campus held no special memories for her, and her visit today was a spur-of-the-moment decision. She still had a meeting in the city in the afternoon, so after a brief tour, she left.

She didn't speak much, but her attitude was clear: the school football team's performance must be maintained, and they should strive for better results in the national competitions! After seeing off this beautiful deputy district chief, Principal Qi, with a sweaty forehead, rushed to the sports department to have a face-to-face talk with the football team coach, Zhang Guangda.

To be honest, Principal Qi wasn't very clear about the team's current performance. During his tenure, he had mainly focused on the students' academic achievements. After listening to Coach Zhang's introduction about the team's current league performance and the difficulties they faced, Principal Qi immediately became anxious.

The team was 6 points behind the first place, and there were only 3 matches left. How could they possibly catch up? If they lost the championship, it would mean that Principal Qi hadn't fully implemented the leadership's instructions, and District Chief Song would definitely be dissatisfied. If she was dissatisfied, Principal Qi's position might be at risk. He didn't want to have to beg his former students for another chance. He understood the principle that it's better to rely on oneself than on others.

"Why has the performance declined so quickly? Has the team identified the reasons?" Principal Qi asked, his inner panic masked by a stern exterior.

Zhang Guangda explained the team's lack of depth, the limitations of their tactics, and other issues, wondering why the principal had suddenly taken an interest in the team. He quickly came up with a plan and took the opportunity to mention that the key player, Lei Hu, was absent due to certain reasons. He had also seen the news over the weekend and guessed that the team was trying to help Lei Hu get his suspension lifted early, so he reported Lei Hu's contributions to the principal.

Principal Qi didn't understand much about team composition, bench depth, or tactics, but he understood that the key player couldn't play. If the key player couldn't play, how could the team perform well? This problem had to be solved immediately. No matter what, they had to treat it as a last-ditch effort, hoping for a miracle.

"I don't want to hear more. I just want to ask you one thing: if Lei Hu returns to the team, can you guarantee that the team will win all the remaining matches?"

He knew the coach couldn't guarantee the championship, so he lowered the standard. If they could win all the remaining matches, at least it would show that they had tried their best after the leadership's concern. He hoped that District Chief Song would appreciate his efforts and not be angry.

"I can guarantee it! The school football team will win all the remaining matches. If we fail, please remove me from my position as the team coach, and I will have no complaints," Zhang Guangda said confidently. With Wang Bai's addition and the recent victory over Yimin Middle School, he saw this as a great opportunity to help Lei Hu return early.

"Good!" Principal Qi nodded. He would need to confirm Lei Hu's contributions, but if they were true, it would make things easier.

"I will pay attention to Lei Hu's situation. You focus on your work and lead the football team well. If we can ultimately win the championship, I will give you a bonus! I will also allocate a special scholarship to the football team members to reward them. You need to boost their morale and ensure they don't falter. Do you understand?"

"I understand!" Zhang Guangda was overjoyed. With the principal's attention, Lei Hu's early return would face no obstacles, and the team's overall strength would improve.

"By the way," Principal Qi thought of something as he was about to leave, "who is the number 19 on your team?"

"Number 19? That's Wang Bai from Class 7, Grade 2."

"Wang Bai..." Principal Qi remembered the name mentioned by District Chief Song and nodded, thinking that her mention of number 19 must have some significance. He guessed that her concern for the football team's development might be related to number 19.

In reality, he had no idea that District Chief Song didn't even know Wang Bai. She had only seen him play during an inspection at the sports center. Her comment was just a casual remark to show her concern and understanding of the team, which is why she emphasized their performance.

Back in his office, Principal Qi instructed his assistant to search for the "Today's Chat" program broadcast the night before to confirm that Lei Hu had indeed been featured for his act of bravery. He then called the head of the guidance office to his office and asked if he was aware of the situation.

Director Liu felt relieved when questioned by the principal. He took out the proposal he had prepared that morning, saying he was about to suggest to the school leadership that Lei Hu's disciplinary action be lifted early.

Seeing this, Principal Qi's expression softened. He praised Liu for his responsibility, read the proposal, and placed it on the table. "There's no need to bring it to the office meeting. I'll make the decision. Lift Lei Hu's disciplinary action and announce it today. You're responsible for notifying him to return to the team immediately."

"Yes, I'll take care of it right away." Flushed with pride after being praised by the principal, Liu was very satisfied with his daughter's timely reminder the previous day and happily went to handle the procedures.

Before lunch, he went to Class 3, Grade 1, and called Lei Hu after class. "Lei Hu, I'm giving you a heads-up. The school leadership has decided to lift your disciplinary action early and allow you to play for the team. The announcement will be made this afternoon. You need to perform well and not disappoint the leadership."

Lei Hu was taken aback by the sudden good news. After confirming that Director Liu wasn't joking, he grabbed his hand excitedly. "Thank you, Director Liu! Thank you so much! I will do my best, please rest assured, thank you!"

Director Liu's arm ached from the grip, but he could see that the student was genuinely happy. He didn't hold it against him and pulled his hand back. "Alright, just understand. Don't cause any more trouble. Go have lunch!"

Lei Hu bid him farewell and then went to have lunch with Xue Zhichao, chatting and laughing. From now on, he could play and compete with his teammates again, all thanks to Wang Bai's selfless help. Lei Hu's gratitude towards Wang Bai was beyond words.

At lunchtime, Wang Bai was eating with Yu Jia and others in the cafeteria when a junior suddenly found him and whispered something in his ear.

The junior was his teammate, Yan Weiming, a substitute forward from Grade 1. He told Wang Bai that an old classmate had asked him to pass on a message, warning him that Jiang Ping and his gang from Guanglin Technical School's Grade 3 were planning to attack him and to be careful.

Wang Bai's eyes narrowed. He had never even heard of Jiang Ping. If it were Li Xing from Grade 2 of the technical school, he could understand, but why this unknown Jiang Ping? Was the warning genuine, or was someone just trying to mess with him?

With his current skills and abilities, he didn't take such thugs seriously, but he wouldn't tolerate constant provocations. He asked Yan Weiming who had given him the message.

"Brother Bai, don't make it hard for me. The person was well-intentioned. He's a student at the technical school and was afraid that revealing his identity would lead to retaliation from Jiang Ping's gang. He asked me not to tell you his name. But he said Jiang Ping will definitely make a move soon. If you want to find him after the incident, you can contact him through me."

Wang Bai understood the informant's concerns. It was better for fewer people to know about such matters, and the informant had left a way for Wang Bai to contact him if needed. Since the incident hadn't happened yet, Wang Bai naturally had his doubts. He didn't want to cause unnecessary trouble, so keeping his identity hidden was reasonable.

"Alright," Wang Bai patted Yan Weiming's shoulder. "Thank you for passing the message. I appreciate it."

"No problem, I'll be off. Brother Bai, be careful... try not to end up like Lei Hu," Yan Weiming said, carrying his lunch tray away. He was genuinely worried that the team's recent progress might be affected by this incident, so he had warned Wang Bai as soon as he received the message.

Although he was a bit skeptical about the source of the information—his classmate was just a small-time thug in Grade 2 of the technical school and wouldn't know about the actions of Grade 3 students—he believed it was better to be safe than sorry.