210 Volleyball Practice

Jiang Xue felt that her team would win today’s practice. If they won, they would not need to run those penalty laps, and she could save her energy for the date she had with Xiang Cheng later that night. Moreover, Jiang Xue rather liked the idea of making Shen Xi lose. Even though this was just a small practice session between classes, the thought of gaining the upper hand over Shen Xi was enough to delight her.

Shen Xi regarded Jiang Xue’s smug confidence stoically, feeling that the latter was childish. It was just volleyball practice. Even if Jiang Xue won, so what?

Still, since Jiang Xue wanted to win, Shen Xi vowed she would not let her get what she wanted so easily.

A smile tugged at Shen Xi’s mouth. She had decided to accept Jiang Xue’s unspoken challenge.

“Teacher, isn’t it unfair that they have one more person on their team than we do? They should ask someone to sit out for the rest of the match or allow us to find a substitute,” said Zhao Yuan before their instructor could call the match to continue.

“Teacher, every student has a right to attend classes. It isn’t right to ask us to exclude someone just because they don’t have the same number of players, is it?” Jiang Xue disagreed with a frown.

“That’s right! No matter who leaves, the point is that it is not fair to them. You’d be depriving a student of their right to education. That’s discrimination!” Liu Cheng chimed in.

“Teacher, let me join! I’ll join Shen Xi’s team.” A sweet female voice cut through the chatter.

Everyone turned their attention to a sweet-looking petite figure, who skipped her way towards them with a smile.

“Li Jin?” Zhao Yuan looked at Li Jin in confusion, not knowing why a student of Class 8 was on the field at this time.

Liu Cheng eyed Li Jin unkindly and said, “This is Classes 2 and 4’s physical education lesson. Outsiders shouldn’t be here, should they?”

“I transferred from Class 8 to Class 2. I just received my new timetable and discovered this period was for physical education, so I came looking for everyone.” Li Jin answered with a smile; she appeared shy yet serious in her explanation.

“Impossible. How could a student from Class 8 transfer to Class 2?” Liu Cheng remained skeptical of Li Jin’s claims.

“I took the advancement test and passed. Naturally, I have the right to join a better class.” Li Jin continued, showing her new nametag with her designation to the teacher in charge.

Seeing the name Li Jin of Grade 12, Class 2, written on the nametag, everyone was left speechless.

No one expected Li Jin to be so academically inclined.

Zhuo Ying High School’s classes were arranged according to one’s grades. They usually had a test every semester. Usually, if one wanted to transfer from their class to another, they would need to pass an advancement test for each subject, and only if they met the requisite grade could they formally seek the school’s approval for a reassignment of one’s class.

“Alright. Since you’ve transferred into Class 2, hurry up and join your classmates.” The instructor heaved a sigh of relief. Li Jin was a godsend. Now, he did not need to wrestle with a difficult decision; he did not need to offend anyone.

Jiang Xue and her teammates laughed in disdain. They did not think Li Jin’s petite form, resembling that of a short radish, would increase the chances of victory for Shen Xi’s team.

A whistle sounded, and practice resumed. Jiang Xue’s team did not last long under the onslaught of Shen Xi’s team.

All eyes were fixed on Shen Xi and Li Jin, shock being their foremost emotion.

Shen Xi had never been outstanding in their physical education lessons. She looked like a weakling who could not lift a ball, let alone toss or set up plays so quickly that no one could react in time. Yet, she dominated the field, catching them off guard with several tricky plays. Few could keep up with her string of attacks.

Li Jin, whom everyone thought would not be able to catch any balls due to her short stature, was actually like a rubber ball, capable of jumping to impressive heights. She hardly ever missed her shots or failed to catch the ball on its rebounds. Li Jin was skilled, and her counters were not easy to defend against, flustering Jiang Xue’s team.

Shen Xi and Li Jin’s eyes met, and the two smiled.

On the other hand, Jiang Xue and her team gritted their teeth, facing their opponents seriously.

However, Shen Xi and Li Jin’s cooperation was too great, and Jiang Xue’s team lost.

Looking at Jiang Xue’s team running around the field, gasping for breath, Zhao Yuan felt particularly relieved.

“Li Jin, I didn’t know you were so good at volleyball.” Zhao Yuan nudged Li Jin on her shoulder, praising her.

Embarrassed by the praise, Li Jin said, “My aunt used to be a volleyball player, so I used to practice with her when I was young.”

“No wonder you’re so good,” said Zhao Yuan with a nod, “So you had someone to guide you.”

Zhao Yuan turned to look at Shen Xi and became puzzled. “Xixi, I don’t remember you having such a great physique.”