Who would study psychology if they didn't have some kind of problem?

Chapter 353 Losing control
Not only Wang Rui, but all the physical education teachers and coaches also received the notification.

However, compared to the other teams, Lin Junkai, Zhang Zihao, Xu Pengcheng and their group seemed somewhat lost.

There were more than just a few people training in the gymnasium, and cheers erupted from them.

Everyone started packing their things, laughing and joking.

The basketball team, dressed in shiny, flashy sneakers, discussed the progress of the NBA game while tidying up. The less honest other group talked about whether they should sneak out to get some late-night snacks or spend the night at an internet cafe.

Only the corner where Lin Junkai and the others were located was the most silent.

They were like a small rock on the edge of a raging torrent, a stark contrast to the other students around them. While the others flowed by with boundless energy, they remained silent and still, as if they had grown up in the same spot.

After all the other students had left, they were still standing there, hands on their hips, panting heavily, staring at each other, seemingly unsure of what to do next.

"Hey, hey, hey, why aren't you leaving yet? Dismissed."

The teacher who had just informed them waved to them.

Glancing at his classmates, Zhang Zihao suddenly said, "Teacher, let's... stretch and relax a bit, then we'll leave right away."

The male teacher looked at them, unscrewed his thermos, and took a sip.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "Alright, remember to put the equipment back in its place later. Don't worry about the windows for now, but remember to turn off all the lights."

"Good teacher."

The middle-aged physical education teacher, dressed in sportswear and carrying a thermos, slowly went out like an old man taking a stroll.

The physical education teachers in middle schools are quite diverse. Although they all come from a "sports" background, there are retired competitive athletes like Wang Rui, middle-aged teachers who are focused on "sports science" like an old man and have an educational focus, and visual teachers with a muscular build who look like bodybuilders.

I watched as the middle-aged man disappeared from sight.

Zhang Zihao turned around and shouted, "Keep practicing!"

Some of the students who were at a loss breathed a sigh of relief.

……

Xu Pengcheng's face was even paler than a few days ago. From his appearance, his clothes seemed to have become a size too big and were starting to hang loosely.

However, his skin had an incongruous puffiness, which, combined with his tall stature and broad frame, made him look anything but "thin".

He didn't seem to sleep very well either; he probably stayed up late doing homework, as he had faint dark circles under his eyes.

At that moment, they heard Zhang Zihao's instruction to "continue training".

Lin Junkai frowned and glanced at Zhang Zihao: "Today's training plan has been completed, and the coach just said that we can dismiss everyone..."

"Did our Coach Wang say 'disband'?" Zhang Zihao interrupted Lin Junkai directly.

Lin Junkai clicked his tongue. Ever since Wang Rui talked to the two of them that day and gave the title of captain to Zhang Zihao, Zhang Zihao had become aggressive.

No, perhaps it's not that he "became" aggressive, but rather that he had reason to be "aggressive."

"Everyone's gone, something must have happened at school..."

"So that's not it then?" Zhang Zihao interrupted Lin Junkai again. "You just listened to Coach Wang?"

"Other teachers might say a few words, and we'll just disperse. What if the coach comes back and sees we haven't trained?"

"If everyone gets punished and has to train extra because of this, will you take the punishment for them?"

Lin Junkai gritted his teeth, not wanting to pay any attention to the guy in front of him.

Zhang Zihao went on and on: "Besides, just because the coach tells us to disband, does that mean we're just here to train the coach?"

"No, we're practicing for ourselves!"

“Even if the school has something to do and disbands our formal training, we can still do extra training after the regular training because our grades aren’t good enough. What’s wrong with that?” He turned around, no longer looking at Lin Junkai, but facing the other students.

It's like an ultimatum has been issued: "If anyone thinks they've passed the physical test and have enough points—then go ahead and leave."

Will I have enough points?

"Keep practicing," a student sighed, seemingly resigned.

"Yeah, let's keep practicing." Once someone started, another person naturally chimed in.

"Let's practice, let's practice." "Let's practice." Then everyone echoed and agreed with the decision.

Xu Pengcheng's expression was somewhat dazed, as if he hadn't yet recovered from the training he had just finished, and he echoed, "Let's train..."

"What business is it of yours, Big Smart?" Unexpectedly, Zhang Zihao suddenly turned his head and accurately locked onto Xu Pengcheng in the crowd.

"Others can choose whether or not to do extra practice, but you have that option? Can you pass?"

"When have we ever not had everyone help you with extra practice?"

Zhang Zihao looked around, grabbed a basketball and threw it: "Ready for push-ups—someone else sit on Da Congming's back as a weight!"

Lin Junkai reminded him, "Xu Pengcheng needs to work on his stamina—"

Zhang Zihao turned around abruptly: "Then you'll train him?"

Lin Junkai let out a heavy sigh through his nose, gritted his teeth, and turned his neck away, refusing to look anymore.

The students scattered.

However, people don't seem to care much about these "spontaneous extra training" sessions after formal training; they just try to reach the standard of "extra training for an hour" or "extra training until mealtime."

There is a time standard, but no standard for training volume.

"Huff, huff—"

The rhythmic sound of breathing filled the empty stadium.

Sit-ups, barbell raises, weighted squats—everyone was doing all the exercises, but their rest intervals between sets were unusually long.

Or rather, everyone unconsciously focuses their attention on the few people who are 'really training'.

--"Bang"

The basketball flew out of Zhang Zihao's hands like a cannonball and slammed into Xu Pengcheng.

"Proper form: your chest should touch the mat when you do push-ups!"

"The coach will be checking at the end of the month. Do you think you'll pass if you keep cutting corners like this?"

Xu Pengcheng was exhausted from being hit. He panted on the mat for a couple of seconds, said nothing, and slowly tried to get up.

The classmate sitting on his back refused to get up and echoed Zhang Zihao: "Big Smart, if you don't improve, we'll all be in trouble!"

Many of the other people taking a break nearby also showed expressions of shared indignation upon hearing this.

"Whoever finishes practicing, take his place." Zhang Zihao pointed to the student sitting on Xu Pengcheng's back as a weight, and didn't forget to scold Xu Pengcheng again.

"Look at you, so clever! Look how much trouble you've caused everyone!"

Several students stopped their group breaks and began to practice more over time, one stroke at a time.
Two others, however, seemed to have been waiting for a long time and were eager to step up and take over, "helping" their teammates with extra training.

Lin Junkai frowned deeply, finally unable to hold back any longer.

(End of this chapter)