HCILH Ch. 122

Chapter 122: Conflict

During the second half of the match, an unexpected issue arose among the players.

The incident even implicated Sui Houyu.

*

That night, Liu Mo knocked on Hou Mo’s room door, carrying a water bottle. Hou Mo, towel in hand, walked over and asked: “What do you want?”

He was quite annoyed—Liu Mo had interrupted him and Sui Houyu during their shower.

Liu Mo held up the bottle and asked: “Did you notice anything wrong with your water?”

“Water?” Hou Mo found this very strange.

“Yeah, damn it. Someone tampered with the bottles. You can’t see anything at first, but when you squeeze it…” Liu Mo demonstrated by squeezing the bottle, revealing several small holes from which water sprayed out like a showerhead.

“What the—? What’s going on?” Hou Mo hurried back to check their water bottles, squeezing each one to make sure. None had been tampered with.

Liu Mo came in and looked around, still swearing: “Two whole cases of ours had holes punched in them. The outer row of bottles had all been sabotaged. If it hadn’t been for one bottle being hard to unscrew, and someone squeezing it hard, we wouldn’t have known. The holes aren’t the scary part—the scary part is not knowing if anything was added to the water.”

Their water was delivered in shrink-wrapped packs, not cardboard boxes, each pack containing 12 bottles. The plastic was thinner than the bottles themselves, making it easy to pierce with a needle.

If it was just a prank, that would be one thing. But if something had been added that could affect the competition, it was a serious issue.

Hou Mo asked: “Did you report this to the organizers?”

“Yeah, our coach went to report it. We’re going around asking each team now. You check with your teammates, and I’ll go ask Dongti High.”

“Got it, I’ll ask around too.”

After seeing Liu Mo off, Hou Mo put away his relaxed demeanor and quickly pulled out his phone to message the team group chat.

Everyone in the team was soon in a state of panic, some even refilling old bottles with water to test them, fearing they had also been targeted.

Before long, Ran Shu spoke up.

Ran Shu: “We should be fine.”

Hou Mo: “Why?”

Ran Shu’s confident tone made Hou Mo nervous. Did someone insult Sui Houyu, and Ran Shu retaliated by sabotaging bottles? But he quickly relaxed.

Ran Shu: “You guys had me go get water from the warehouse, but I thought it was too heavy, so I bought a few cases of the same brand myself, and the delivery guy brought them up.”

Ran Shu: “The water you’re drinking isn’t from the warehouse; it’s from the ones I bought.”

Deng Yiheng: “Wow… I was just freaking out, thinking it might have been spiked with something like stimulants.”

Shen Junjing: “Ran Shu, you’re like a lucky charm, always keeping us safe.”

Sui Houyu, wearing a bathrobe, walked out and looked at Hou Mo’s phone, asking: “If we’re the only ones who privately bought water and it takes time to find out who tampered with the bottles, will they suspect us? We know Ran Shu wouldn’t do that, but others don’t.”

Given that Sui Houyu had previously been targeted online and Ran Shu’s unusual decision to buy water himself, the situation did look suspicious.

Hou Mo also felt concerned and decided to inform Coach Wang in advance to avoid being falsely accused.

Sui Houyu frowned, then picked up his phone and started typing quickly, seemingly contacting someone.

It was best to take precautions.

Hou Mo kept monitoring the situation and checked in with Liu Mo.

Two hours later, conspiracy theories began surfacing in the tennis group chat, just as Sui Houyu had feared.

Team XX’s A: “I saw people from Fengyu High ordering water, and it was delivered to them.”

Team XX’s B: “Isn’t that suspicious? Did they know something ahead of time?”

Team XX’s C: “I heard one of their curly-haired guys was insulted and they’re seeking revenge.”

Team XX’s D: “Are they nuts? If they’re so cunning, they should go back to ancient palace dramas instead of playing tennis. They’re ugly and vile.”

More than one team had been affected, and the chat quickly turned into a mob blaming Fengyu High.

Fengyu High remained silent, which only fueled the others’ certainty and made the insults worse.

Nanyun Affiliated Team’s Xiao Qi: “@Fengyu High’s Sui Houyu, I was the one who insulted you online. I’m the guy in the red hat. You’re weak, a cheater, and you’ll be banned sooner or later. Get out of tennis and use your looks to survive, you fool.”

Nanyun Affiliated Team’s Liu Xiang: “@Fengyu High’s Sui Houyu, don’t pretend you didn’t see this. Stop acting like a coward. It’s disgusting. Scared you’ll lose on the court, so you resort to tricks?”

Deng Yiheng, who had been watching the chat, finally snapped and posted a screenshot of their conversation.

Fengyu High’s Deng Yiheng: “We didn’t know about this either and checked as soon as we found out. The water was bought by a teammate because they didn’t want to carry the warehouse supply.”

Nanyun Affiliated Team’s Xiao Qi: “Yeah, right. I could whip up that chat record in three minutes. Isn’t it convenient how the water issue only happened after you refused to carry the warehouse supply?”

Team XX’s E: “Fengyu High, just tell us what was put in the water so we can stop worrying.”

Team XX’s G: “Is this even necessary? We don’t watch sports news, and now we’re caught up in this too? Why play tennis at all? Just get banned already.”

The chat continued with heated arguments for over ten minutes, with Fengyu High remaining silent.

Liu Mo, unable to believe that Hou Mo’s team would do such a thing, rushed downstairs to his room and asked: “What’s going on? Why is everyone targeting you? Do you have a plan? I heard some teams are already pushing the organizers to disqualify you.”

Hou Mo stood to the side, watching, and said: “Just wait. We’re handling it.”

“How?” Liu Mo couldn’t think of any way to respond.

Hou Mo pointed at Sui Houyu, who was sitting with a laptop, scanning surveillance footage: “He guessed this would happen after you left and had Su Anyi get a copy of the surveillance footage. The footage from the warehouse entrance only showed someone in a hat and black clothes, so our teammates are buying surveillance footage from nearby stores. We’re checking that now.”

“Damn, that’s impressive…” Liu Mo peered at the screen.

“Yeah, but it’s tough on the eyes, so we’re taking turns.”

“It’s mainly because you’re loaded—money solves everything.”

At that moment, Su Anyi rushed in, saying: “I saw a car in the parking lot with a dashcam running. I called the number left for moving the car and bought the footage. Here, take a look.”

“Alright.” Sui Houyu reached out, took the USB drive, and plugged it into the laptop.

After another ten minutes, Sui Houyu, who had been tagged repeatedly and cursed in the tennis group, finally spoke up.

Fengyu High’s Sui Houyu: “Sorry for the delay. We just finished checking the surveillance footage and edited the video. Whoever paid an outside contact, own up now.”

Fengyu High’s Sui Houyu: [Video] x3.

Fengyu High’s Sui Houyu: “Human brains, developed over millennia, are for thinking, not spewing nonsense.”

Fengyu High’s Sui Houyu: “@Nanyun Affiliated Team’s Xiao Qi, I believe you’re not only ugly and a poor tennis player, but also brainless, just a keyboard warrior. I suggest a reboot. As for your chat records, I recorded them. I have the money and time to take legal action against each of you. Be ready.”

The chat went silent for a minute before people began analyzing the footage to identify who was responsible.

Eventually, they recognized the culprit as a player from another team, who was then taken in for investigation by the competition organizers.

Half an hour later, the results were posted in the group.

The player, upset over what they felt was an unfair call—an in-bounds shot ruled out—decided to retaliate by hiring someone to puncture the bottles.

He also knew that doping was a serious matter, so he only added something that might cause diarrhea. However, feeling guilty, he feared the cloudy water would be noticed, so he used only a small amount. Once diluted in the water, the effect was less potent than a detox supplement.

After the investigation concluded, a few people in the group chat apologized to Sui Houyu, but most stayed silent, pretending nothing happened.

However, Sui Houyu was not one to let things slide. Any slight against him would stay in his heart for a long time, and he had to retaliate to feel satisfied. This led him to wield his financial power and call in a team of lawyers to pressure the organizers.

Soon, all the players who had insulted him in the group chat were summoned to an office.

These individuals had to apologize to Sui Houyu in writing and issue a public apology on a platform for three consecutive days, with no selective visibility settings allowed.

If they refused, they might not be able to participate in future matches and could face detention for up to five days, as Sui Houyu was not interested in monetary compensation.

Sui Houyu sat in the office with one leg crossed over the other, enjoying the sight of those who had insulted him now before him in real life.

Previously, he couldn’t catch those who subtly insulted him in news articles.

But in the group chat, where names and team affiliations were displayed, he could easily identify them one by one.

Those who hurled insults online so boldly couldn’t even meet his eyes in person—what an amusing group.

Some people gain fame through tennis matches.

Some people become famous through a dramatic turnaround in online disputes.

Sui Houyu was apparently the latter.

Among the players participating in the tennis matches that year, many were left with a deep impression of Sui Houyu.

He was likely the only one in recent years who could single-handedly make dozens of people gather to write apology letters.

When he saw Xiao Qi, Sui Houyu picked up the apology letter and scrutinized him, glancing him up and down with a sympathetic look that seemed to say: “You’re so ugly, I can’t even be bothered to argue with you.”

Xiao Qi, already humiliated, now stood on display, trembling slightly as he tried to control his temper.

“You—you insulted me too in the end.” Xiao Qi said angrily, but without confidence, sounding like a child in an argument.

“Oh, then sue me.” Sui Houyu replied.

Xiao Qi’s face flushed with rage, his cheeks quivering.

Not everyone had Sui Houyu’s financial power to hire a team of lawyers and create such a big scene.

The organizers were at their wit’s end trying to mediate, fearing the issue would blow up and spread publicly.

In the end, the scene of the mass public apology was quite a spectacle.

The group chat was similar; after a flood of apology messages, no one spoke again.

Rumor had it they created a private group chat afterward, which Sui Houyu couldn’t care less about.

By the time everything was settled, it was already 2 a.m. He returned to his room and collapsed on the bed.

Hou Mo soon came in, holding a bowl of noodles: “Come on, have a midnight snack.”

Sui Houyu sat up quickly, surprised: “Where did you get this?”

“I made it myself in the hotel kitchen while you were arguing. Eat something warm before sleeping.”

Finally satisfied, Sui Houyu picked up the chopsticks and took a few bites.

Hou Mo sat next to him, watching with an expression like a doting father: “Feel better now?”

“Pretty much. If I weren’t worried about being accused of insulting them back, I really wanted to curse at them on the spot.”

“You already took on dozens by yourself.”

“No, only about forty people…”

“Yeah, and you spared those who had already apologized earlier. Soft-hearted Brother Yu.”

“…” Sui Houyu kept eating quietly.

Hou Mo checked his phone and chuckled. “He Shibi and Chu You also had to write apology letters.”

Sui Houyu was surprised: “I didn’t see them insulting me.”

“They didn’t, but their coach called the whole team for a scolding session about the insults, and those two didn’t show up. Turns out, they had sneaked out to visit Kuanzhai Alley. Just the two of them…”

The rules stated that players were not allowed to go out on their own during tournaments, partly for safety reasons and partly to prevent them from eating something inappropriate.

“Aren’t they from the Huoguo province?”

“But not from this city.”

Sui Houyu took a few more bites before asking: “Just the two of them?”

“Yep.”

“Did they go to fight?”

“To fight and go to Kuanzhai Alley? Do they need a cheer squad for support? Wouldn’t a fight with no audience make them feel lonely?”

Sui Houyu’s worldview was shaken.

Even in doubles, it shouldn’t be like this, right?

*

Sui Houyu and Hou Mo’s doubles team, despite the widespread criticism, advanced smoothly to the finals.

After their match with Jiang Wei and Lu Qinghui’s team, they didn’t face any greater challenges, proving their skill and showing that they weren’t just pretty faces. That curly-haired guy had impressive strength, too.

Gradually, the critics fell silent.

Once their story made the headlines, match tickets began to sell well, and many people who wanted to see them play couldn’t find seats. If it weren’t for the reserved seating for teammates, Coach Wang would probably have to stand on the sidelines.

Hou Mo and Sui Houyu garnered significant attention, even attracting sponsors who contacted Coach Wang, hoping the two would film a promotional ad. The offered fee was quite high, almost on par with new celebrities.

Sponsors loved high-profile players like them.

Coach Wang accepted the job for them.

Soon, it was August 29th, the day of the finals.

The schedule remained the same, with the doubles final in the morning, where Hou Mo and Sui Houyu faced off against Chu You and He Shibi.

The singles final, featuring Hou Mo against Mo Xike, was in the afternoon.

The first match in the morning was the battle for third place, with Hou Mo and Sui Houyu’s match immediately after.

During warm-up, He Shibi and Chu You arrived. He Shibi approached Sui Houyu and spoke: “I didn’t know about what happened before. Sorry for my teammate’s malicious slander.”

“Oh, it’s fine. My teammate has my back too, but they’re classier and don’t slander others.”

He Shibi, realizing Sui Houyu’s tactful statement still criticized his teammate, stayed silent.

Chu You, standing by, sensed the awkwardness between the two sides and knew He Shibi wasn’t good with words. He pulled He Shibi away: “See you on the court.”

“Yeah, see you. Bye.” Sui Houyu waved at them.

Hou Mo stared at them for a while and mumbled: “Who do you think is the top between those two?”

Sui Houyu: “…”

He couldn’t guess either.