New UP Master

In February, the chill of early spring lingered in Hangzhou.

The wind along the Qiantang River carried a hint of coolness, blowing across the outdoor courts of the Hangzhou Sports Center, but it couldn't dispel the tense atmosphere in the air.

The China League Three (South Division 1) matches of this year will kick off here.

However, there was none of the hustle and bustle of a Chinese Super League stadium, none of the immense attention of a Champions League final, and not even a proper entrance ceremony.

There was only a simple balloon arch at the entrance of the stadium, with a banner that read "2017 China League Three South Division 1", which looked rather rudimentary.

As a China League Three level competition, its influence is limited, and even in a big city like Hangzhou, there are very few spectators coming to watch the game.

The stadium stands were sparsely populated, with only a few dozen people scattered around, including a few local sports reporters carrying cameras, making it seem particularly deserted.

The list of participating teams was played on a loop over the loudspeaker on the sidelines. The sound was monotonous and mechanical. Occasionally, the shouts of the audience could be heard, but they were quickly blown away by the wind and drowned out by the silence of the stadium.

In a corner of the stadium, away from the playing area and near the fence, a different kind of lively scene unfolded.

A young woman who looked to be around 20 years old stood on the sidelines wearing a cute dress.

Behind her was a live-streaming setup, and she was dancing energetically to upbeat music, a sweet smile on her face, her voice lively.

"Family members, today Xin Xiaomeng is taking you to the Hangzhou Sports Center. I was originally planning to dance a few new dances I learned, but it turns out there's a football match here! But judging from the audience, it doesn't seem very exciting~"

In her live stream, the chat wasn't very busy; most of the comments were from fans praising her dancing, with a few occasionally making fun of the lackluster competition.

As Xin Xiaomeng danced, she would occasionally glance at the basketball court not far away, her eyes filled with curiosity, but she didn't pay much attention to it.

For her, this unknown football match was just a minor episode during the live broadcast, not as captivating as her dance performance.

"Alright everyone, that's enough dancing for now!" Xin Xiaomeng stopped, wiped the sweat from her forehead, winked at the camera, and said, "I'm going to watch that football match over there, just for fun. Maybe there'll be a surprise?"

Xin Xiaomeng is a new UP (content creator) on Bilibili. She has only uploaded a few videos and has only a few thousand followers.

Of course, this is also related to the fact that she is not a full-time content creator yet.

At that time, she was a second-year student majoring in Radio and Television Studies at Nankai University.

During her winter break, she came to Hangzhou to have fun and also to do live streams to build up her popularity.

Now that I see there's a ball game, I'm naturally very curious.

Holding her phone, she slowly walked to the fence, her gaze sweeping over the field, where she saw the Fujian Tianxin players warming up.

Wearing the team's blue training uniform, Wu Bin was practicing passing and positioning with his teammates. Occasionally, he would stop to stretch his joints, his eyes focused and calm.

After the Spring Festival holiday and the experience of Champions League practice, his aura has become more composed, and even on the quiet field, he still exudes a tenacity that cannot be ignored.

Xin Xiaomeng glanced casually at the players' team uniforms, her gaze suddenly stopping, then her eyes lit up as she excitedly exclaimed to the camera, "Family! Wait a minute! Am I seeing things? That's a Fujian team?!"

She quickly moved closer to the fence, carefully examined the match schedule hanging on the sidelines, and exclaimed with increasing excitement, "It really is Fujian Tianxin! My hometown is Fujian! I never expected to see my hometown team playing in Hangzhou, what a surprise!"

The live stream chat instantly became lively:

"??? Xiaomeng's hometown is Fujian? I've never heard of that before!"

"Where is Xin Xiaomeng from? I'm from Xiamen, can we meet up?"

"Fujian Tianxin? What kind of team is that? Never heard of it! Is it in China League Two or China League Three?"

"Haha, Xiao Meng bumped into her hometown team, it feels so familiar!"

"Any handsome players? Zoom in with the fast-forward!"

"Even though there are upsets in the China League Three matches, we must support our hometown team!"

As Xin Xiaomeng watched the comments, her smile widened. She quickly adjusted the camera, focusing on the Fujian Tianxin players on the court, her tone lively and enthusiastic:

"Family, no dancing today! I'm live-streaming my hometown team's game – Fujian Tianxin! Their first match is against Wuxi Jinyang, so we have to cheer them on!"

As she spoke, she unconsciously pointed the camera at Wu Bin, who was warming up.

There's no way around it; judging from the looks of this group of players, Wu Bin is indeed quite outstanding.

This was actually one of the main reasons why Fujian Tianxin wanted to bring Wu Bin into the team.

Wu Bin isn't the only one who plays well in the Fuzhou amateur league, but Xiao Wu is younger and more energetic, making him a more suitable mascot for the team...

The camera zoomed in, clearly capturing Wu Bin's focused warm-up – his slightly tanned skin, upright posture, and determined gaze exuded a professional aura, even in simple passing and running.

"Look at this player, everyone! He looks so composed, even during warm-up he's so focused, so cool!"

The comments section was also buzzing:

"Tsk, she's a girl after all, so she'll focus on handsome guys first."

"Ha, women."

"I'm a football fan, so let me explain: good-looking guys usually play well too."

"Haha, just like my girlfriend, she only watches the games for the handsome guys."

"Hey you, you have a girlfriend and you still watch Xin Xiaomeng dance? Aren't you afraid of domestic violence?"

"I don't like it..."

"Okay, they've been dragged away."

The Fujian Tianxin players, who were actively warming up at the time, were of course unaware of the behind-the-scenes stories happening on the sidelines.

Even if they see it, they won't pay much attention to it.

After warming up, head coach Zhao Qiang gathered everyone together and stood on the sidelines to give instructions on tactics, his tone serious:

"Today is the first match of the South Zone 1 finals, everyone must be fully focused!"

"There are only three teams in a group, and only the group winner advances, so you have to win every single game. If you lose one, you're basically out, understand?"

"Although our opponent, Wuxi Jinyang, isn't top-tier, they have a strong defense and are good at counter-attacks, so we must not underestimate them."

"Wu Bin, you will still be the starting defensive midfielder. You need to connect the attack and defense in midfield. Of course, the first priority is to stabilize our defense, understand? Especially the opponent's number 9 striker Zhang Shuo, you must mark him tightly."

Finally, Zhao Qiang gave Wu Bin some special instructions, which shows Wu Bin's current status in his heart.

"Understood!" Wu Bin replied loudly, his eyes resolute.

He is now confident in his defensive abilities and understands the importance of this game.

Only by defeating Wuxi Jinyang can they take the initiative in advancing from the group stage and get one step closer to their professional dream.

Meanwhile, Xin Xiaomeng, standing on the sidelines, was live-streaming the entire scene on her phone, providing commentary to the camera:

"Family, the head coach is giving instructions on tactics. That handsome guy in the number 18 jersey seems to be very important to the team. The coach even spoke to him about something."

The live stream chat was getting increasingly busy, with not only Xin Xiaomeng's fans but also some local Fujian fans watching their hometown team's live stream.

"Haha, I couldn't find a live stream of this match anywhere, but this streamer has it."

"A beautiful female sports commentator? I've followed her."

"Go, hometown team! Defeat Wuxi Jinyang and advance as group winners!"

"Ha, our Fujian team is very weak. I think we'll just go through the motions."

"Who said that? I've been following this newly formed Fujian Tianxin team. They even drew with a China League Two team in their pre-holiday warm-up match."

"Yes, it's number 18, he performed exceptionally well."

"That's him! I saw the report about that game, they said his defense was exceptional! I think his name is Wu Bin."

"That's right, I checked, that's the name."

"Xiao Meng, take more pictures of Wu Bin. He seems very reliable. I hope he performs well today and helps us defeat Wuxi!"

"People from Wuxi passed by in a state of panic..."

Xin Xiaomeng, watching the live chat, was also infected by everyone's enthusiasm and vigorously waved her fist at the camera:

"Family members, let's cheer for Fujian Tianxin! Let's cheer for Wu Bin! We hope they can win the game today!"

The match is about to begin.

The players from both sides lined up to enter the field, and the referee, holding his whistle, slowly walked to the center of the field.

The originally quiet arena became much more lively because of Xin Xiaomeng's live stream.

Wu Bin stood in the middle of the team, his gaze calmly fixed on the Wuxi Jinyang players opposite him. He quickly recalled the techniques that the various experts had taught him, silently adjusting his emotions.

He didn't notice the internet celebrity on the sidelines livestreaming on his phone, nor did he know he was being watched by a group of strangers online. At that moment, only one thought occupied his mind—

Control the midfield, win the game, and steadily move towards advancing from the group stage to a higher stage!