Returning to the Field with My Coach [Sports]

[Completed and ready to read! Previews: An Assistant Who Had No Plans to Fall in Love and He's Just My Sugar Daddy. Please add them to your reading list!]

[Younger seme / hitting rock bottom / comeback and counterattack / campus volleyball]

[You and I: meeting at the summit]

At the end of last season, captain Ying Zhijin led S University's volleyball team to win the league championship for the second year in a row.

At the start of the new season, the team underwent a major shake-up. Jiang Yihang returned from overseas, arriving with countless accolades to become the new coach of S University's volleyball team.

Although he had been away from the league for an entire year, his reputation still shone so brightly that some people couldn't help but hope he'd return to the court. But there was only one answer.

"I won't play on the court again."

Jiang Yihang's voice was steady and calm, like the coolest breeze on a summer day.

.

Ying Zhijin had long regarded the league's gold-medal opposite hitter from back then as a god, someone he yearned to surpass again and again.

Until one day, that person stood beside him and said quietly that he would never play again.

The volleyball struck the ground with a solid thud. Ying Zhijin couldn't bear to let someone like him leave.

.

Jiang Yihang became the new coach, taking over a team that seemed to be brimming with talent but was, in truth, short on experienced players.

Losing once was fine. A win or a loss was all part of the game. Losing twice was fine, too. S University had just won the championship and needed time to adjust. But what about losing three, four, or five times?

"Hey, I think S University's medals were all hollow. They just got lucky. Their skill isn't all that great after all."

One remark stirred up a storm. The sarcastic, the indifferent, and the people who just wanted to watch the spectacle gathered in ever-growing numbers day after day.

Everyone knew the coach was new, and that he'd made a huge splash when he first joined the team. The captain was the one carrying the team, already hailed as "the league's top opposite hitter of this generation."

And whenever those two were at a match, crowds of fans who cared more about their looks than the game would hold up banners and pack the stands.

"Looking at it that way, they're both pretty faces with nothing between the ears."

Their rivals summed it up with brutal accuracy.

.

Later, when the new season's official matches began, though, it was someone else who appeared on the court.

They had been biding their time for a long while.

The coach, who should have been standing by the sidelines, had changed into a brand-new team uniform. After high-fiving the assistant coach at the edge of the court, he took his place in position one.

S University's starting setter: Jiang Yihang.

The whole arena was stunned.

Some remembered Jiang Yihang as the former gold-medal opposite hitter. Some remembered that when he joined the team as coach, he had clearly said he wouldn't play again. And some turned their eyes to the opposite hitter now on the court: captain Ying Zhijin.

"We've got a new gold-medal opposite hitter now." Ying Zhijin smiled, his confidence filling the arena.

Jiang Yihang took his place at the service line, spinning the ball in his hands. His voice was understated and restrained. "And we'll have another gold-medal setter, too."

A perfect arc sailed over the net. In an instant, the yellow-and-blue volleyball dropped straight to the ground.

ACE!

They had waited until this day, with their sights set on the championship.

1. Younger seme, with a one-year age gap.

2. The rules and format are entirely fictional. The author isn't an expert. I've done some research, but there are bound to be mistakes, so please don't scrutinize the details too closely. Polite corrections are welcome. Thank you all!

3. In the author's opinion, neither the romance nor the plot is too heavy or too light.

Blurb revised on 2024.1.1 and saved as a screenshot.

Next book: Preview for An Assistant Who Had No Plans to Fall in Love. Please add it to your reading list!

An Ning transmigrated into a book about a wealthy family, becoming the background-character assistant to the doomed CEO.

Even a background character has secrets.

In the book, the original owner of his body had always been secretly in love with his boss.

But he considered himself unworthy. Seeing his boss surrounded by wealthy potential marriage partners, he never dared to reveal his feelings to the CEO.

So the original owner was content to remain an unassuming, considerate, and loyal shadow, staying by his side for the rest of his life.

When the CEO nearly got into a car accident, the original owner risked his life to save him, suffering serious injuries and lying unconscious in the hospital for fifteen days before finally waking up.

After transmigrating into the book, An Ning opened his eyes in a daze.

This hospital is really quite nice.

Ding-dong!

His monthly salary had arrived. Seeing the amount deposited, An Ning's eyes widened.

What a windfall.

-

A month after transmigrating, An Ning had settled in nicely.

The job was a little busy, but the pay was extremely generous, better than any job he'd ever had before, and he could even save a large sum on top of that.

It was true that Yu Xiuming was tall, long-legged, and handsome, exactly An Ning's type in every way. But... secretly loving someone and pining for them all your life without being loved back? No, thanks.

He wasn't a masochist. Why should he take on the original owner's miserable, self-effacing love story?

Besides, Yu Xiuming treated him really well, raising his salary and bonuses again and again. He was a good boss.

Seeing the balance in his account grow, An Ning beamed.

Before transmigrating into the book, he'd never seen so much money.

So he resolved to help Yu Xiuming avoid the doomed fate he had in the original story.

An Assistant acted swiftly, driving away awful relatives, cleaning house at the company, and exposing the mole.

Frowning as he corrected Yu Xiuming's habit of drinking coffee late at night and working himself to exhaustion, and fetching him an extra coat in winter, Assistant An considered himself thoughtful.

It was only right, given the salary that landed in his account month after month.

-

Once everything had settled down, An Ning had bought a huge villa and found himself surrounded by friends and family. At last, he felt he could start a new life in this new world.

He planned to resign as he'd intended.

He had already cleared away every obstacle in Yu Xiuming's path from the original story. Yu Xiuming was also about to get engaged to a marriage partner chosen by their families. It was time for An Ning to bow out after completing his mission.

An Ning went to Yu Xiuming's villa, a carefully written resignation letter tucked against his chest.

But... something felt off.

In the dim light, Yu Xiuming unhurriedly undid his suit jacket, then his silk tie. When he took off the silver tie clip, it glimmered faintly.

What was going on? Was a background character about to be forced into something before he could even quit?

An Ning's eyes went wide with shock.

-

Yu Xiuming knew his assistant had a crush on him. He'd always known.

Ever since An Ning woke up after the car accident, every move he made had seemed like a confession of love.

On their way into a venue, An Ning took Yu Xiuming's long coat and draped it over his arm. Walking half a step behind and to the side, eyes lowered, he followed Yu Xiuming toward the meeting room. He felt the thin fabric of the coat and gave it a disapproving look.

Yu Xiuming's gaze darkened, and his Adam's apple moved slightly beneath his collared shirt and tie.

"An Ning, don't get distracted."

An Ning's dewy, fawn-like eyes were so clear they were downright unfair. When they lingered on someone, they could set off a blaze of desire.

But later, Yu Xiuming discovered that this little liar seemed to have been misleading him all along.

Just as Yu Xiuming pinned him against the glass door of the bathroom, the warm, damp air carried An Ning's icy, trembling voice.

It was both determined and bewildered.

"Mr. Yu, actually... I came here today to resign."

[Reading Guide]

Dedicated, wooden little Pixiu assistant shou x scheming CEO gong who plays the long game

Both are virgins // sweet romance // 1v1 // happy ending

Theme: Time cannot dim one's radiance