I wish for you to set sail, carried by the wind.

These past few days, Qiao Yingna had been using exam preparation as an excuse to stay out, barely turning her phone on, living a reckless and chaotic life. So, when she finally returned to the dorm, her roommate told her the department counselor had been trying to get in touch with her through various channels. Already feeling frazzled, she didn’t care much to ask what it was about, and only bumped into the counselor later that afternoon in the study room. After several rounds of inquiries, it turned out that the First Affiliated Hospital of the Medical University wanted Bai Haonan to coach their staff football team. There was an annual citywide healthcare football tournament in October, and many young staff members had strongly requested this! The pay was negotiable, and they even asked Qiao Yingna if she’d like to visit the hospital.

The girl who sang for a living felt an almost incredulous excitement.

To be honest, Bai Haonan had never considered getting involved with a government-affiliated football team—not out of disdain, but because he never thought there was much prospect in it. In his mind, football was only worth it if you were earning hundreds of thousands or even millions a year; what could a workplace team possibly offer? But as luck would have it, he’d been troubled by that slab of pork belly these days, and compared to working as an entertainer, he sighed and accepted the offer over the phone—figuring he could at least earn some money for rice porridge. Mainly, it was Qiao Yingna’s enthusiasm and eagerness that swayed him—after all, she had practiced with him so many times recently.

He truly didn’t have the desperate sense of hardship of a penniless man.

Still, he didn’t quite understand how large the Medical University—recently annexed by the Provincial University—really was. If it hadn’t been for Ministry of Education policies a few years back, the Provincial University would never have had the clout to absorb this venerable, massive medical school. The campus itself seemed ordinary enough, but among the many affiliated hospitals, the so-called First Affiliated Hospital was actually the largest single-site hospital in the world, sprawling over more than a thousand acres—a giant in the field, the academic hub for Southwest China’s medical community, with a history stretching back over a century!

Even undergraduates like Qiao Yingna weren’t qualified to intern at this top-ranked hospital. The doctors inside were mostly graduates of the university’s own master’s or doctoral programs, or had overseas exchange experience; many young physicians had studied in Western countries. Among them were two or three who regularly played football with Bai Haonan on his turf!

It was all quite simple: within a month, Bai Haonan had already made a name for himself on the Medical University’s pitch. Students and young faculty flocked to watch; even some department heads or administrative staff who liked to stroll by in the evenings had taken note, commenting on the packed crowds—three or four rows deep—surrounding the best field to watch the spectacle.

The First Affiliated Hospital had never cared much for winning healthcare championships. After all, it wasn’t really a doctor’s job to win football trophies; their participation was mostly perfunctory. But among the young staff, many enjoyed football—and with over four thousand hospital beds, just imagine how many employees that meant. Each year, fresh blood from the university swelled their numbers; it was only natural that dozens of die-hard football fans could be found.

In the past, with no great ambitions, nothing came of it. But in the past month, these enthusiasts had all heard talk of a “street football god” on the university field. The key wasn’t just that this man played well himself, but that he loved to organize and orchestrate others—whipping a ragtag crew into a disciplined, cohesive team. That was truly fascinating. So, once someone had come to watch, they couldn’t resist calling everyone else to see this “almighty one” in action!

Soon, people came to watch every day, even arranging their hospital shifts so as not to miss it!

It was perfectly normal—any fan would be thrilled to watch a professional footballer lead matches right outside their home day after day, treating it like binge-watching a favorite series, only lacking a bottle of wine and a platter of pork.

So, when Bai Haonan was striving to be an outstanding “duck,” and suddenly lost his usual gig, he was absolutely miserable! But the street games continued, and the difference became striking: those who’d been coached by Bai Haonan now dominated, trouncing other teams as if they were slicing melons. Their morale and spirit were completely different—they swaggered about, brimming with confidence, boasting that when the new semester started, they’d challenge other departments of the Provincial University. Maybe they wouldn’t take on the sports majors, but as for the ordinary schools that had long lorded over them, those would have to reconsider!

That’s the charm of sports, especially football. Many say football is war in peacetime, and it’s easy to see why: once you’ve recruited and drilled your troops, your confidence swells and you itch to test your mettle—without any of the collateral damage of real war. You can battle whenever you like; what could be better?

That same attitude spread among the young doctors—maybe over beers late at night, maybe chatting during surgery. They admired this “Hao Bro” as a paragon of skill. Since the students had improved so much, why not ask Hao Bro to whip them into shape too? As high-income young experts, most of them leading national projects and research, even if the hospital didn’t pay, they could easily pool together a fee. Wasn’t his girlfriend a senior in clinical medicine? If it came to it, they could offer academic support in return—what a personal favor that would be.

Professionals are like that: they believe in hiring experts for expert work, and the higher the level, the greater the reward.

So even as Bai Haonan drowsily drove over for the meeting, he didn’t realize that the first team he would coach would be made up of players whose average annual income was in the hundreds of thousands or even millions—a team of millionaires!

The meeting was set at the First Affiliated Hospital. Qiao Yingna hadn’t had time to explain the full significance to him, and Haonan was rather lackadaisical about it all.

This fit his “Hao Bro” image. Even to the two young doctors who came to greet him, he seemed a bit arrogant. They were exceedingly polite—one of them, whom Bai Haonan often scolded for lazy defense, even bustled about helping him park his car.

You had to know: one was a leading academic in targeted pharmaceuticals returned from the UK, the other a US exchange scholar—far higher status than a mere footballer. Yet, in the world of football, they looked up to the “almighty one.”

It was just like in martial arts novels, where even emperors, high officials, and wealthy merchants couldn’t compare to a single toe of a grandmaster.

It all depends on the world you’re in.

Apart from the occasional indulgence, Bai Haonan rarely left the football world, and he sat in their conference room with a swagger. “You want to play full eleven-a-side matches? What about your shuttle runs, twelve-minute runs, your exercise hemoglobin, body fat percentage, lactate levels—can you keep those under control? Are you kidding me?”

The young men filing in all held doctorates, some even double doctorates or more impressive titles. Yet, each of them stood by the wall, holding their breath, far more respectful than they would be to the dean. The first to speak was a renowned rising star in the field of human disease enzymes. Even he chuckled awkwardly before the “glasses-wearing football god”: “We wouldn’t dare compare with you. We’re just amateurs, and it’s not about intense training or changing technique at our age—we’re not going to improve that much, and there’s no time. It’s just, during this summer break, with less teaching to do, we can gather every afternoon after our clinical and research duties for some football. It would be great if you could coach us, especially with your talent for organizing people—help us sort out our positions, tweak the little details. Our main goal is to turn this loose sand into a solid team. There are no targets—just want to see if we can improve and enjoy ourselves more, instead of always getting beaten so badly we doubt our existence!”

Others quickly chimed in with their own tales of woe.

These young scholars and doctors, joking and laughing, were hardly different from those aimless college students in internet cafes. Bai Haonan couldn’t help but feel a bit skeptical—he nearly asked if they liked to frequent brothels too. But when the older, more serious faces entered, he held his tongue, sitting up straighter as if meeting a club owner in the past. Then he learned that this leader was actually the Party Secretary—highly concerned about the leisure activities of young experts, promising that the hospital would cover all expenses and expressing gratitude to Coach Liu for taking the time to guide these young experts.

It was only then that Bai Haonan remembered the fake name he’d casually given: Liu Hao. He found it odd that this high-ranking official was so approachable, so cheerful—no different from an old man on the street. Especially as he wrapped up his remarks and left to applause, he shook Bai Haonan’s hand and earnestly said, “Coach Liu, you were recommended for this important role. Please look after these national treasures, make sure they stay healthy and happy, and enable them to serve the people on the frontlines of healthcare with even more vigor!”

Bai Haonan couldn’t help thinking this old man really knew how to spout nonsense—after all, it was just a game of street football, but he could dress it up in such grandiose terms. Turning back to the young scholars, only a few years older than himself, he continued to act superior, paying them little mind.

Yet the others still called him “Hao Bro” with utmost respect.

It was sincere.

So it was impossible for Bai Haonan’s pride to be humbled; he could never settle for ordinary work, and even the job of a “duck” was a poor fit for him.