I'm Really Just a Substitute

Ning Zhou made becoming the national team's starting setter his lifelong goal, but even by the time he retired, he was still no more than a replaceable backup.

After enduring days of relentless pain and injury, he finally understood:

If you work yourself sick, nobody will take your place. The secret to life is to slack off.

Isn't happy volleyball much better?

When he opened his eyes again, Ning Zhou was back at twenty, in perfect physical condition and at the turning point of his athletic career...

Ning Zhou: I'm done pushing myself. I'll do whatever I want!

*

A young backup setter joined the national team.

His teammates talked among themselves: "A setter who's only 1.78 meters tall? Putting him on the court is just giving the other side a free point."

After spiking a ball Ning Zhou had set, they all rushed to him: "Zhouzhou, please, set me another one!"

Later, the backup setter went on a sports variety show and became a hit.

His teammates practically wanted to put Ning Zhou on a pedestal: "So many sponsors followed Zhouzhou. He's a genius!"

Ning Zhou: ?

He'd just heard there was money in it and gone along...

Later still, on the international court, Ning Zhou was called in during a crisis. His team was far behind, but when he came on as a substitute, his volleyball IQ went through the roof, sending the opposing blockers scrambling all over the court.

The fans and coaches from every country were left completely stunned.

But before Ning Zhou could celebrate, the team's powerful outside hitter, a cold-faced warrior on the court who had helped usher in the era of "superhuman men's volleyball" with his ferocious spikes, whined and clung to him:

"Why do you set the opposite less than the others? Am I not the hitter you trust most anymore, Zhouzhou?"

*

The slack-off version:

Ning Zhou holds the Olympic trophy, looking bewildered. I was only a backup!

Everyone: What kind of backup do you think you are!? You know exactly what level you're at!

PS: A healing, laid-back shou who keeps carrying the team despite wanting to slack off, paired with a cold-faced warrior on the court who sticks close to Zhouzhou off the court. The outside hitter is the gong.

Please note before reading:

This is a fictional world. None of the characters are based on real people, and the competition and selection systems are all original worldbuilding.

The protagonist's team isn't at its peak from the start. They'll grow along the way, so if you want nonstop triumphs, this isn't for you.

Check out my author page to follow me and save my upcoming novels. Thank you!

My next novel, Hi, Master! Your Little Mermaid Will Stream to Support You, has the following blurb:

Mermaid No. 55 was abandoned by his owner.

Just before he starved to death, a fishmonger finally sold him off at an unbelievably low price.

The fishmonger told him that his second owner had a severely damaged mental sea and was a penniless poor soul who could only afford a secondhand mermaid with weak soothing abilities, like No. 55.

No. 55: Oh no, I'm going to starve again. Boohoo...

But this owner not only gave him a lovely name, Mumu, but fed him premium nutritional fish food at every meal and rubbed his tail with top-brand mermaid lotion.

Mumu grew plump and rosy, but he never saw his new owner enjoy a delicious meal. To raise him, his new owner even worked as a wage slave around the clock, seven days a week...

Mumu made up his mind: He would use his talents to earn money and support the family!

*

Human language and mermaid language are impossible to understand across species. This is an unsolvable problem that has plagued humanity across the stars.

Only mermaids can soothe humans' rampaging mental seas. Even if your own mermaid grabs you and bites you for no apparent reason, you have to put up with it. How can you do anything else when you can't understand their complaints?

Then one day, the first "mermaid simultaneous translation" livestream room appeared across the stars...

The streamer was a clear-eyed young man with fair skin and a uniquely captivating voice. "For just one little gift, I'll connect to your call and translate in real time. It's a bargain!"

The comments scoffed: [What kind of scammer streamer is this? Such a low-level trick to beg for gifts. Only a sucker would try it!]

Then a "sucker" decided to give it a go. The streamer listened to his mermaid shrieking and translated accurately:

"She says she's afraid of cockroaches. She saw one and clawed you twice to vent her anger. She recommends a thorough pest extermination at home."

[Holy crap! After I got the bugs exterminated, my mermaid really did stop scratching me!]

[What!? I'll send a yacht. Connect to me first, streamer!]

[Is he a god? The whole interstellar community is finally saved!]

Mumu closed the livestream and switched back to his mermaid form. He counted his earnings in the livestream dashboard and happily flicked the tip of his tail.

I can afford to support my owner now!

*

After failing to soothe his mental sea, a certain general was forced to leave the battlefield and start a new career. He built the largest mermaid product chain across the stars.

He didn't care how many digits were in his bank account. All he cared about was whether his obedient little mermaid liked the company's products.

One day, an anonymous account suddenly transferred money to him, with a message: Have a nice meal today!

The filthy-rich General: ?

Theme: Keep a positive attitude.