HCILH Ch. 17

Chapter 17: Doubles

Hou Mo sighed deeply after hearing the coach and went over to join the warm-up, too lazy to resist anymore.

He knew Coach Wang wasn’t going to let him off the hook.

In the tournament they were participating in, players could sign up for both singles and doubles.

Both Hou Mo and Sang Xian were excellent players, but their strong individualism made them unwilling to accept a partner, which was undoubtedly a disadvantage.

Even though the prize money for doubles was much lower than for singles, it wasn’t a reason to give up.

Moreover, playing doubles could help them improve.

Doubles was a weak spot for their team.

Their best doubles players, Deng Yiheng and Shen Junjing, had grown up together and had excellent teamwork, making them the most cooperative players on the team.

However, their skills were limited. The best they had achieved was ninth place nationally, and more often, they ranked outside the top ten.

In contrast, Hou Mo had once taken first place in the national youth singles tournament. 

Sang Xian was ranked fourth in the country.

Before long, Sui Houyu joined Hou Mo in a doubles match against some other team members—Coach Wang hadn’t sent in Deng Yiheng and Shen Junjing just yet.

Watching their positioning, Deng Yiheng asked Shen Junjing, “A double baseline formation?”

But before Shen Junjing could respond, Hou Mo and Sui Houyu crashed into each other while trying to hit the same ball.

Deng Yiheng was speechless, and Shen Junjing didn’t even need to answer.

After the collision, Sui Houyu gave Hou Mo an annoyed glare.

Hou Mo rubbed his arm, returned to his position without a word, and showed no intention of discussing tactics with Sui Houyu.

Ran Shu tilted his head toward Deng Yiheng and asked: “Aren’t doubles usually one player at the net and one at the baseline?”

Deng Yiheng, who knew a lot about doubles, shook his head. “Not always. There’s also the double baseline formation, where both players stay at the baseline. The opposing team used an Australian formation to counter it, but it was unnecessary—Brother Yu and Hou Mo aren’t even trying to coordinate.”

Sui Houyu, accustomed to a baseline style, naturally stayed at the back.

Hou Mo didn’t give in either, standing at the baseline with him.

Several times, they crashed into each other, and Sui Houyu was visibly frustrated by the collisions. On the last one, he finally snapped: “Can’t you play properly?”

Hou Mo grinned lazily. “This is how I play.”

That only made things worse.

After playing a little longer, Ran Shu noticed that Sui Houyu was running all over the court while Hou Mo seemed to be deliberately avoiding him, even strolling leisurely to the other side of the court.

He did deliberately avoid Sui Houyu, but it was obvious that he was just slacking off.

Baffled, Ran Shu asked: “What kind of play is this?”

Deng Yiheng was equally confused.

Sang Xian, in a low voice, replied: “Bleh, this is blatant bullying.”

Ran Shu glanced at Sang Xian.

He usually avoided Sang Xian—his strikingly handsome but sinister appearance, complete with dark circles, gave him the look of someone who had indulged too much. He always seemed like a shady character, the type who might run a loan shark business.

He always felt that Sang Xian probably had a personality of a criminal and didn’t look like a good person. He should be a loan shark!

Adding to his discomfort, Sang Xian was 12 cm taller than Ran Shu, making their interactions awkward.

This was the first time Sang Xian had spoken to Ran Shu, and Ran Shu could only mumble a vague, “Oh.”

Coach Wang couldn’t bear it any longer and shouted at Hou Mo: “Hou Mo, get to the net!”

Hou Mo obediently jogged forward.

But even as he moved, he ignored the ball flying past him, making it clear he wasn’t taking things seriously.

A gasp of surprise followed.

Hou Mo looked back in confusion, only to see Sui Houyu, who had just regained his footing.

Coach Wang immediately scolded: “Why are you looking back, Hou Mo?!”

Hou Mo quickly turned back, still bewildered.

Moments earlier, Sui Houyu had been distracted by Hou Mo’s careless movement, misjudging the ball’s trajectory. But just as the ball headed in the opposite direction, Sui Houyu pivoted on his toe, twisted his body, and hit a backhand shot.

His control over his body and quick reflexes left everyone watching stunned.

If this had been a real match with video recording, that move would have been a highlight replay, destined to become a classic.

It wasn’t just technical skill—it was pure instinct.

Sui Houyu’s flexibility and agility made the seemingly impossible possible.

This was talent.

As the match went on, Hou Mo noticed that whenever he missed a shot, Sui Houyu’s returns would consistently draw gasps from their teammates.

What was going on?!

What exactly was happening?!

Hou Mo was dying to turn around and see what was causing all the commotion.

After finishing two sets, Coach Wang called Hou Mo and Sui Houyu over for a talk.

The other players resumed their regular training.

Since Ran Shu didn’t know many people on the team, he eagerly followed along to eavesdrop on the conversation.

Coach Wang looked at the three of them and said seriously: “If you two are willing to be partners, I’m confident I can turn you into an all-around doubles team.”

Hou Mo inhaled sharply, finding it hard to believe. His smile was a bit forced.

Then he chuckled softly: “It’s good to have dreams, I guess.”

Coach Wang snapped: “Shut up.”

An all-around doubles pair excels at utilizing tactics while combining them with refined shot-making skills.

All-around comes from the accumulation of strategies, leaving very few weaknesses. However, the only notable downside is that having too many tactics can sometimes create confusion between the partners.

But what if both partners were highly intelligent?

Hou Mo’s skills were top-notch, and his analytical approach to singles made him perfect for such a combination.

With Sui Houyu’s incredible agility, specialized training could unlock his full potential. Furthermore, Sui Houyu was known to excel academically, proving his intelligence.

The idea of these two forming an all-around team wasn’t entirely unrealistic.

Hou Mo, however, wasn’t interested. “I’m going back to training,” he said in a lazy tone.

Coach Wang gave him a meaningful look: “Hou Mo, don’t blame me for meddling, but it’s time for you to move on.”

Hou Mo hesitated for a moment but then left without a word.

That statement caught Sui Houyu’s attention. He watched Hou Mo’s retreating figure, intrigued, but stayed silent.

Later, Coach Wang took Sui Houyu aside for individual training, ignoring Hou Mo entirely.

Hou Mo merely glanced in their direction before starting his own practice without saying anything.

*

After dinner, Sui Houyu and Ran Shu didn’t return to the training ground. 

With the weather still warm, they took showers at the bathhouse, bought milk tea, and walked back to their dorm. On the way, they ran into Hou Mo and a few others returning from practice.

Sui Houyu wore a loose white t-shirt and shorts, revealing his fair slender legs. Whether it was the oversized clothes or his naturally slim frame, the clothes hung loosely on him.

He shuffled along in flip-flops, the sound of his footsteps irregular, reflecting his lazy gait.

Noticing Hou Mo’s group, Sui Houyu glanced back at them repeatedly while sipping his milk tea.

The cool night and a bright moon.

The cool breeze carried the scent of grass, ruffling his sleeves.

The campus streetlights cast light and shadow over his curly hair, with strands illuminated like a halo.

Half of his face was bathed in light, the other half hidden in darkness, accentuating the contours of his features.

Hou Mo, still in his workout gear, slung his cylindrical bag over one shoulder and glanced at Sui Houyu. Their eyes met briefly.

Hou Mo couldn’t understand why Sui Houyu kept looking back. Was he trying to pick a fight?

Annoyed by their poor coordination, did Sui Houyu want to settle things with a brawl?

But then Sui Houyu’s gaze shifted to Deng Yiheng and called out to him: “Deng Yiheng.”

“What’s up?” Deng Yiheng asked.

“Come here.” Sui Houyu gestured with a nod.

Deng Yiheng actually went over.

Hou Mo watched as Deng Yiheng ran past him to join Sui Houyu, feeling puzzled. When did these two become so familiar with each other?

Once Deng Yiheng reached him, Sui Houyu pulled out his phone. “Where’s the best place to get crayfish nearby?”

Deng Yiheng asked in disbelief: “You’re having a midnight feast?” 

“Just had a craving,” Sui Houyu replied.

Sui Houyu and Ran Shu were really craving crayfish but didn’t know where to find the best ones, so they called over Deng Yiheng to help them choose.

Deng Yiheng mentioned a restaurant and enthusiastically recommended it: “We went there once when we didn’t have a match, and it was incredibly flavorful and delicious.”

While they were talking, Hou Mo said to Deng Yiheng, “We’re going to take a shower.”

Then he turned and headed towards the bathhouse.

“I’ll catch up!” Deng Yiheng shouted after them.

 Standing under the streetlight, Sui Houyu was choosing items from the store while pretending to be indifferent as he asked Deng Yiheng, “Why is Coach Wang so obsessed with doubles?”

Deng Yiheng sighed and replied, “Coach Wang comes from a doubles background. He almost won the championship back in the day, but his partner got injured, which left him with a lifelong regret. He always wants to cultivate a pair of doubles players. Shen Junqing and I work hard, but we still can’t reach the top. Coach Wang realizes that we’re the only two viable doubles players on the team, which puts a lot of pressure on us, so he wants to train another pair. Plus, Hou Mo is really suited for doubles.”

“Isn’t Sang Xian pretty strong? Why aren’t they partnering up?”

“Sang Xian…” Deng Yiheng tilted his head in thought and then said, “The last person Senior Brother would choose as a partner is Sang Xian. Even for this class assignment, Senior Brother came to Class Seventeen just to avoid Sang Xian, but who would have thought Sang Xian followed him here.”

Hou Mo didn’t say anything about it, but those close to him could guess the situation.

They couldn’t openly discuss it, which made it quite awkward.

“The relationship between those two…” Sui Houyu seemed to think too much.

Deng Yiheng waved his hands repeatedly: “No, no, there’s not even a hint of romance. There are just some other things, but I can’t say what. However, Senior Brother seems nice, but he’s actually quite independent and doesn’t want to form attachments with anyone. Sang Xian is the person he’s most averse to and would never choose.”

“Sang Xian can team up with someone else, though.”

“Sang Xian has always rejected partners because he wants to pair with Senior Brother.”

“…” What kind of weird relationship is this?