“You?” Xu Yan looked at Dong Xuebing from top to toe. Dong Xuebing had average height. “Are you sure?”
Dong Xuebing replied. “I will try my best.”
Li Qing, who was standing beside, was relieved. He knew that at times like this, Dong Xuebing would surely step forward to help. This was no longer whether if the penalty kick could be saved or not. It’s an attitude. Li Qing was lucky to have a subordinate which will offer to share his burden. This was also why Li Qing did not wish for Xiao Dong to play in this match. That no.21 will not miss this penalty kick. Li Qing did not want Xiao Dong to be responsible for their loss. “Chief Xu, this is Dong Xuebing. He is from our General Affairs Office. He is the one who ran into the burning office to retrieve the documents. He was injured by the fire and had just been discharged from the hospital a few days ago. Can we don’t let him……”
Xu Yan frowned and remembered about that incident: “He is the firefighter?”
Li Qing smiled. “Yes, that’s him.”
Xu Yan turned and look at Dong Xuebing in his eyes. “This penalty will affect our Western District Branch Bureau’s image. We cannot afford to lose this match. Are you sure you will be able to save this penalty?” Xu Yan paused and then continued in a firm tone. “I don’t want you to try your best! You must save it! Can you do it?”
Li Qing immediately interrupts: “Chief Xu, Xiao Dong does not know how to play football. He……”
Dong Xuebing knew Li Qing was trying to protect him. He replied: “Chief Xu, I will definitely save this penalty!”
“Good!” Xu Yan nodded. “Get on the field!”
Dong Xuebing quickly ran to the sidelines. “Brother Gao, can I borrow your gloves?”
The injured goalkeeper, Xiao Gao, looked at him and passed him his gloves. “Please do your best!”
Guo Shunjie’s uneasy feelings were gone. He thought Xu Yan would order him to be the goalkeeper. But when Dong Xuebing had volunteered, he almost cried out in joy. Foolish! What a stupid person! You are not even 1.8m tall, yet you want to be a goalkeeper? If that player kicked the ball slightly higher, you can’t even touch it! Hah! You are just finding trouble for yourself. Once this penalty was scored, the whole Western District will put the blame on you! You really think you are a firefighter?
Dong Xuebing was not tall and strong enough, but he walked calmly towards the goal. Everyone from the Western District was covering their faces or rubbing their temples. They looked like they had already lost the match. 7 losses in a row!
Guo Panwei also felt they had already lost. He walked over and said: “Xiao Dong, are you confident? Why not let someone take over?” He was the one who had knocked into another player, no. 21 would not be able to break through their defense and be awarded the penalty. He did not want this penalty to be scored. Everyone will pin the blame on him too.
Tan Limei, Zhuang Zhi, and Changjuan also move closer.
Zhuang Zhi asked: “Bing Zhi, have you played goalkeeper before?”
“Errr…… No……” Dong Xuebing was also not very confident.
Tan Limei stared at him and shouted: “You have never played as a goalkeeper? Then why did you volunteer? Are you crazy?”
Changjuan added: “That’s right. It is not easy to be a goalkeeper. Did you even see how that no. 21 play? He is on a different level!”
Dong Xuebinng also knew about this. But he does not want to miss this opportunity.
“Hurry up! Stop wasting time!”
“Hurry up! We are waiting for more than 10 minutes!”
“Are we still playing?”
Chaoyang District Bureau team shouted impatiently.
The referee points at the goal post, indicating Dong Xuebing to get over there immediately.
Seeing that they could not change Dong Xuebing’s mind, Tan Limei, Changjuan and the rest walked off the pitch. “Bing Zhi! Just dive with all your might!”
Zhuang Zhi also cheered: “Bing Zhi! You can do it!”
But other than the few colleagues from the General Affairs Office, no one cheered for Dong Xuebing. All of them were listless. It was as if they had already lost the match.
Dong Xuebing was pissed. Damn! How come no one else cheered for me? Do I look like a loser?
In front of the goal post, Dong Xuebing stretched both his arms out. He was trying to imitate the professional goalkeepers he watched from the English Premier League on TV. He was jumping lightly and waving his arms. After some simple warmup, he stood on the line and bend forward slightly. He was staring at no. 21.
No. 21 had placed the ball on the spot and had moved a few steps back.
Beep! The referee blew his whistle, signaling them to start.
Everyone was watching quietly.
It was tense. Dong Xuebing swallowed his saliva and prayed in his heart. Please shoot off target! Please kick the ball over the post!
Ta……. Ta…… Ta…… No. 21 had started his run up to the ball!
1 step……
5 steps……
10 steps……
Dong Xuebing was concentrating on the ball. It’s here!
Bang!
No. 21 kicked the ball, and the ball was curved towards the top left corner!
Dong Xuebing did not gamble by choosing a direction to dive. He waited until after the ball was kicked and made an ugly save attempt.
“Ah!” Dong Xuebing shouted as he jumped and stretched out his hand!
But before his arm was fully stretched, Zoom! The ball entered the net!
It was a goal!
It was a beautiful goal……. Maybe even a professional goalkeeper could not save it!
It was curved, and the ball had entered at an angle.
“Yay!!!! We won!!!”
“Hahahaha! 1:0!”
Beep, beeeeeep, beeeep! The referee blew the full-time whistle!
Xu Yan and everyone from the western district was pale. 7 losses in a row! Shame!
Dong Xuebing took a few deep breaths and was deep in thoughts. Seems like it was impossible for him to miss this penalty. He was outstanding!
2 seconds later, Dong Xuebing had a firm look in his eyes. “BACK!”
……
The scenes changed! The cheers were gone!
It was dead silent.
Almost 90% of the people in the stadium felt it was impossible for Dong Xuebing to save this penalty kick. But Xu Yan and everyone from the Western District was looking at Dong Xuebing nervously.
Beep! The referee blew his whistle, signaling them to start.
1 second……
2 seconds……
No. 21 looked at Dong Xuebing and thought in his heart. I had been playing since young and had got into the youth team. I am still practicing now. No one in this City Public Security can match my skills. If you all switched to a tall and big size goalkeeper, you all might still have a chance to save it. But this goalkeeper is short and small in size. How can he block my shot?! Are you all looking down on me?!
Dong Xuebing did not move an inch. He was still in the same position as before. He was worried that if he made any movements, that No. 21 would kick the ball to another direction.
No. 21 took his eyes off Dong Xuebing and slowly ran up to the ball.
1 step……
2 steps……
3 steps……
No. 21 was getter closer and closer to the ball!
Bang!
No. 21 gave a hard kick!
The ball flew towards the goalpost. No. 21 and the rest of Chaoyang District team were relieved. There was no mistake! No one would be able to save this ball! No even professional players!
Xu Yan and the Western District team were shocked. That’s it!
But when everyone felt the ball was surely a goal, they realized Dong Xuebing was no longer in his previous spot. He had moved before the kick. No. 21, Xu Yan and everyone else stared disbelievingly. Xiao Dong seems to be able to know the direction of the ball. Dong Xuebing did not have a bit of hesitation and stretched out both his arms and dived towards the top left corner of the goalpost!
Dong!!!
The ball hit Dong Xuebing’s gloves!
The ball was stopped by Dong Xuebing and dropped onto the ground!
Dong Xuebing shouted and dived again to stop and hug the ball tightly under his body. He did not give the other team any chances to shoot again!
Saved!
The penalty kick was saved!
Guo Shunjie, Tan Limei, and Changjuan could not believe their eyes!
No. 21 was standing there in a daze. Cannot be…… How come he knows I am aiming for the top left corner?
The whole stadium was dead quiet for a moment. Xu Yan was the first to recover from the shock. She shouted: “Terrific! What a terrific save!”
“Good diving save! Hahahaha! He saved that penalty kick!”
“Xiao Dong! You are the best!”
“Yay!!!!!!”
The Western District Team were celebrating!
