Calm Yet Flustered

In reality, Officer Guo was not as stern as her uniform suggested. As they walked down, she didn’t look around at the high-pitched shrieks of the mostly female crowd. Instead, she turned slightly and whispered, “Your girlfriend didn’t come?”

Bai Haonan had nearly forgotten the lie he’d told back then and was momentarily stunned. The policewoman quickly explained, “The girl with the terminal illness—I was hoping to meet her. She’s very strong.” She was tall, and only needed to tilt her head slightly to speak to Bai Haonan, without having to lean in or stand on tiptoe. Yet, from behind, they looked as if they were whispering intimately. Since the steps were narrow, their shoulders brushed, and their heights seemed less obvious, making them appear much like an ordinary close couple. The shrieks grew louder still, the nurses apparently egging them on.

Reminded of his lie, Bai Haonan admitted it with little hesitation: “It wasn’t real. Just a nurse from work, neurosurgery. Having a brain tumor diagnosis in the car is nothing unusual. I’d been caught drunk driving then and blurted out the lie to try and get away with it. Sorry about that, I know it was wrong. I won’t do it again.”

The policewoman didn’t laugh. Instead, she covered her mouth in surprise. “You’d lie about something like that?” Her eyes, now clearly visible, were rather large, and her raised brows gave her a dignified air.

Bai Haonan found it perfectly normal. “You get detained for drunk driving; anyone would try to get out of it. But it’s just something I said in the heat of the moment. Okay, just don’t report me. I need to get ready for the game.”

What had struck Bai Haonan most during this period was that one lie always needed another to cover it. The identity of Liu Hao had already led to a tangled web of truth and fabrication, and it was exhausting. Just now, in a flash, he realized that if he had to drag someone else into his lies to cover for himself, it would only lead to more falsehoods. If he were to involve someone as unpredictable as Xiu’er as an accomplice, the situation would become even more riddled with holes.

Officer Guo merely hummed, perhaps digesting the lie, and casually found an empty seat in the front row. Bai Haonan didn’t look at her again, put down the bouquet, picked up his small whistle, and jumped onto the field. On his way past the players’ bench, he grabbed someone’s baseball cap and put it on.

At the end of August, the sunlight was still harsh. Wearing a cap was commonplace, but Bai Haonan did so mainly to avoid the telephoto lenses in the stands. Though his beard had grown thick enough over the past month to often add playfulness during his flirtations, he still felt a bit self-conscious. So, after stepping onto the field, he mostly avoided the ball, acting as both coach and referee.

The fun of this match lay in the fact that each team’s coach was the same person—and he had the right to swap players at any time. It was as if one man was pitting his two hands against each other.

Of course, only Bai Haonan felt this way. Most others—especially those in the stands—couldn’t tell the difference. Many didn’t even understand the game, just there for the excitement. The leaders watching on saw nothing more than a novelty: that usually reserved and taciturn so-and-so was suddenly vigorous and bold on the field, while the astute and capable one at work now quietly toiled away like a conscientious janitor, focused solely on defending his area.

The nurses and the leaders each saw something different in these physician-players, their perspectives and interpretations unique.

But anyone with some knowledge of football could tell these two teams played with impressive fluidity.

That’s the charm of football: even with limited skills, two ragtag teams could play an exhilarating match if they truly loved the sport. But to play fluidly required actual technique and tactical awareness. A group of greenhorns could never achieve such smooth play; a team without cohesion would see chaos on the pitch. In amateur teams, it’s common to have two or three skilled players among a group of fillers. The skilled ones distrust their teammates, reluctant to pass, trying to do everything themselves. The less skilled are anxious and avoid responsibility, passing the ball away as soon as they get it. The opposing team quickly identifies these weak links and attacks relentlessly, causing the whole formation to collapse.

If an amateur team managed to be balanced, with no obvious weak spots, they’d already reached a higher level.

At the very least, both teams on the field today demonstrated this. Their offense and defense were measured, with moments of intricate, beautiful passing. Even after mistakes, they didn’t panic, holding their formation and maintaining teamwork. There were captains shouting instructions, and Bai Haonan simply wandered the field, hands behind his back, whistle between his lips, acting as referee.

The uninitiated watched for spectacle; those who understood saw the nuances. Only true football lovers could detect the changes in these two amateur teams. Unfortunately, the college students who once lingered at the sidelines were now on summer break, and the football enthusiasts among the staff were all on the field. So, in the stands—especially among the dignitaries on the platform—people only noticed how well-drilled the teams seemed, crediting the coach for a job well done. When Bai Haonan stopped the match for the first time, the leaders quickly left en masse, leaving behind only the cheerleaders’ shrieks.

A standard football match lasts two forty-five minute halves, but Bai Haonan’s training game was structured as twenty-minute quarters. He planned to play two quarters before merging them into a second half, using the early part for in-game adjustments.

The young doctors on both sides were excited. After a month of hard training and only internal practice games, this external match was a chance to test their progress. The difference from their old, casual eleven-a-side kickabouts was palpable. At the first break, the captain led everyone in saluting the departing leaders, after which the group eagerly gulped down water and listened to the coach’s analysis. Bai Haonan was just as eager for the leaders to leave. “Now, pay attention to your physical limits. In these matches, most people hit their physiological peak at fifteen or twenty minutes. But after training, doesn’t it feel a bit better? The key is your mind—do you have a clear overview? Good, drink some water and get ready to start…”

Both sides quickly returned to their positions, but someone murmured, “That police beauty hasn’t taken her eyes off you…”

Bai Haonan glanced over discreetly and found it was true. Officer Guo hadn’t left; she was sitting with her legs crossed at the sideline, still watching, her police cap untouched. Following the line of her blue-and-black uniform, Bai Haonan noticed that another row of police higher up in the stands hadn’t left either. His heart sank. He dared not touch the ball now, worried that the police might grow curious about him, look into Liu Hao’s identity, and expose everything.

He had been looking forward to testing his team’s training results, but now all he wanted was to get through the game as quickly as possible. For the rest of the match, he stayed silent, acting only as referee.

Unexpectedly, the Affiliated First Hospital team lost the training match five to seven. The players didn’t care about the score, more surprised by how differently the game felt. Bai Haonan didn’t offer any critique, simply declared, “We’ll go over everything in tomorrow’s training. After all, both teams have different objectives.”

For the young doctors, this was a rare occasion. Except for a few who had night shifts, over forty people remained. After a quick discussion, they invited Bai Haonan out to dinner. No matter what, even with their pay, Coach Liu had worked hard, and everyone had enjoyed themselves. With girlfriends home for the holidays, he’d been here alone with them. Usually, they took turns inviting Bai Haonan to dinner, but today, with so many people—some experts whom it was usually impossible to invite—the occasion was special.

This played right into Bai Haonan’s hands; as long as he could shake the police, he was satisfied.

But in all fairness, he still had to say something to Officer Guo. Having learned from his previous mistake, he didn’t offer any options this time. Pretending to drink water, sweating profusely, he approached her: “Even though you’re not in the sun up in the stands, it’s still tiring. Sorry, I need to go shower and change with the team, so I’ll head off first.”

Up close, the policewoman looked a bit dazed, her attention seemingly elsewhere. Only when Bai Haonan spoke did her expression shift, but before she could reply, the group of police in the stands jumped down, delighted. “Coach Liu! Your team’s great. Any interest in a match against our precinct team?”

No way!

Bai Haonan wanted nothing more than to stay clear of the police. “We’re in closed training right now…”

He should have kept quiet; the police took several steps forward. “Maybe we could train together then? There’s no big secret, right? Our police system has teams at every level. It’s obvious you have a knack for coaching. We’d love to learn from you. Officer Guo, help us convince him!”

They were so enthusiastic, they seemed to have adopted Bai Haonan as one of their own.

Haonan could have cried.

There was no way he could get any closer to the police.

If he’d known, he’d have just run off, social skills be damned!