HCILH Ch. 130

Chapter 130: Conflict

To Sui Houyu, tennis could be treated as an amateur hobby, and it wasn’t that important. 

However, temporarily putting aside tennis for the college entrance exam and being banned from playing were two completely different things.

Hou Mo and Sui Houyu had planned to continue playing doubles in university, but now with the ban, their prime years were passing by.

How many three-year periods does one have in a lifetime?

Thinking further, would their previous match results be annulled?

Manic episodes were like performance-enhancing drugs, as if all their previous victories were obtained through cheating.

If the public wanted to deny or slander them, no explanation would be accepted.

Whether they achieved success through their own efforts, or whether Sui Houyu’s condition was under control, they wouldn’t care.

From now on, whenever Sui Houyu was mentioned in this circle, people would think of: manic episodes, cheating.

Moreover, Sui Houyu had made many enemies in his previous arguments, so those people might use this as an opportunity to attack him.

Let’s set that aside for now.

The real question was whether Sui Houyu could handle it himself.

He was someone who couldn’t tolerate any injustice, so would this incident cause his manic episodes to flare up again?

Manic episodes were a condition with a high recurrence rate.

The worst part was that there was no effective way to prevent it.

Hou Mo felt terrible just thinking about it. His voice trembled as he asked: “Is there no way to fix this?”

Ouyang Ge also felt troubled: “I overheard a bit earlier. Coach Wang is trying to negotiate, but the other side is firm. If they don’t punish him severely, Ran Shu’s father will escalate things, so it’s hard to change the outcome.”

“But Coach Wang had already inquired and reported this before!”

“Yes, they were informed, but they insisted there was no written document to support it, so it doesn’t count. They’re still hiding the medical history. Moreover, Ran Shu’s father is influential, and in just two days, he got the paperwork through. With Coach Wang having already mentioned the manic episodes, the punishment was quickly finalized. It’ll be difficult to resolve.”

Hou Mo pulled out his phone to contact Sui Houyu but hesitated and asked: “Does Brother Yu already know?”

Ouyang Ge nodded gloomily and replied: “I just told him to come over, but he doesn’t know the details yet.”

Hou Mo was overwhelmed with discomfort. His eyes red, he paced the corridor alone before leaning against the railing to calm himself. His grip tightened, veins bulging on the back of his hand, his fingertips turning red.

Sang Xian glanced at Hou Mo and then at the office. He whispered: “Ran Shu must feel guilty, right?”

Ouyang Ge answered heavily: “Yes, he was trying to help during the conversation with Coach Wang, but… his father is unreasonable.”

Sang Xian had noticed too—Ran Shu’s eyes were so swollen from crying that he couldn’t open them properly.

Ran Shu’s eyes used to be so big and bright. 

Ran Shu had always been very protective of Sui Houyu, but now, because of his own actions, he had harmed Sui Houyu. It was no surprise that Ran Shu was in such agony.

In fact, the one who might suffer the most from this situation wasn’t necessarily Sui Houyu—it might be Ran Shu.

Because he had hurt the person he cared about most, the guilt would torment Ran Shu for a long time.

At that moment, a staff member came out of the office, glanced at the people in the hallway, and walked out.

Coach Wang was still trying to salvage the situation, chasing after the staff member and saying: “He’s really a promising player. This could ruin a young talent’s future… Please reconsider. The team hasn’t arrived yet, just look at the kid, he’s smart.”

Coach Wang glanced at Hou Mo and the others, signaling them to stay quiet, before following the staff member outside.

At that moment, shouts from Ran Shu’s father could be heard from inside the office: “What do you mean, I’m satisfied? That little beast was already sick, participating in the competition was unfair to the others, he wouldn’t even feel tired! What’s the difference from taking performance-enhancing drugs? Ha, if I hadn’t asked Xiao Zong, I wouldn’t have known how well you were doing at school!”

Xiao Zong was a relative of the Ran family, a classmate of Ran Shu’s.

However, Ran Shu didn’t think much of Xiao Zong, and they didn’t interact often.

This time, Xiao Zong had revealed a lot of things happening at school to Ran Shu’s father, who quickly came up with a plan to report Sui Houyu.

Ran Shu was furious, crying and yelling: “What does it have to do with him?! He didn’t do anything! He didn’t want to be sick, he and his mother don’t even talk, why drag him into this?”

“Ha, just sever ties with that kid completely, you’re my son, you need to completely cut ties with him. I’m helping you remove this hidden trouble. If you continue being friends with that little beast, I’ll make sure to cause trouble every day, I don’t care anymore, no one’s going to be happy!”

The paternity test had already been completed, confirming that Ran Shu was his biological son, but that didn’t mean Ran Shu’s father would calm down.

Ran Shu was so angry that he even insulted his own father, losing control of his words: “You’re the one who’s sick, I don’t even feel sorry for you being cheated on!”

He stopped in shock after realizing what he’d said.

“How do you talk to your father? I haven’t even settled the scores you’ve hidden from me all these years, damn it!”

Ran Shu’s father kicked him hard, sending him crashing into a shelf.

Coach Wang didn’t have his own desk, just a small shelf piled with items, including some equipment.

A wooden box containing a fascia gun was knocked off and hit Ran Shu on the head, causing a bloody wound.

Seeing that Ran Shu was injured, Ran Shu’s father froze for a moment, wanting to check on him. But before he could get close, someone grabbed his collar and spun him around, followed by a fist smashing into his face.

The punch made his vision go black, and he staggered, but the person didn’t let go, following up with a series of kicks.

“Who… who are you? Stop… ah, a student? Do you have any manners, attacking your elders?” Ran Shu’s father squinted, seeing only athletic clothes and shoes, and shouted.

The response was a deep voice, the standard bass: “Thia elder is your grandfather! I’m teaching you a lesson for your own good.”

Ran Shu’s father seemed to recognize the voice and asked: “Sang Xian?”

The response was another kick.

Ouyang Ge, as a teacher, should intervene, but he knew if it were up to him, he could separate a group of students fighting.

Now, seeing Sang Xian beating Ran Shu’s father, he only tugged at Sang Xian’s sleeve, saying: “Don’t fight, stop it, stop it.”

Sang Xian wasn’t about to stop.

Hou Mo wanted to join in and kick a few times, but Sang Xian was already enraged. He had to check on Ran Shu first.

At least he still had some clarity; Ran Shu’s condition didn’t look good.

“Sh*t, losing this much blood? Let me see where the wound is, does it need stitches? The hospital’s too far, waiting for the ambulance would take too long, I’ll get a car and take you.” Hou Mo said as he took out his phone to contact someone, but then saw someone else entering the office, standing at the door watching them.

Sui Houyu, suddenly called to the Fenghua campus, had thought of many possibilities on the way, and none of them were good.

He had met Coach Wang and another staff member downstairs, exchanged a few words, and then was told to wait in the office. He came upstairs alone, and when he arrived, he saw this scene.

Sang Xian had already been pulled aside by Ouyang Ge, still looking like a furious beast.

Hou Mo was helping Ran Shu, quickly trying to contact a car.

Ran Shu was probably in the worst condition of all. He was clutching his wound with one hand, blood spilling out between his fingers, dripping all over his hand, and spreading across his sleeve. The scene was horrific.

But when they saw Sui Houyu, they panicked even more.

Ran Shu could only open one eye and said to Hou Mo: “You contact yours.”

Then he walked towards Sui Houyu, saying: “Brother Yu, you…”

“I’ll go with you to the hospital.” Sui Houyu said, his voice steady.

“Mm.”

Sui Houyu glanced at Ran Shu’s father, his fists clenched tightly, trying to control his anger, but still trembling with rage.

Such a violent father, treating his own son this way!

Sui Houyu could never tolerate seeing Ran Shu harmed.

Ran Shu was on the verge of tears again: “Brother Yu, let’s go, I’m begging you…”

He was afraid that if Sui Houyu got too angry, his condition would worsen.

Sui Houyu felt his throat tighten, and his voice became a little strained: “Your head…”

Ran Shu fought back tears and replied: “I’m fine.”

In truth, the pain was unbearable…

Damn, please don’t let his face get ruined.

Sang Xian was pulled away, wanting to check on Ran Shu, but Ouyang Ge stopped him: “Don’t touch him yet, wait for the car to arrive.”

Ran Shu’s father’s eyes were bloodshot, completely from being beaten by Sang Xian, but he still smiled fiercely: “None of you will have it easy, none of you. Little beast, let me tell you, you’re finished. As long as you keep being friends with him, I’ll make sure you can’t have a peaceful day. That bitch Yang Xiangyu’s son, what could you be good for? Aren’t you just a gay? Disgusting.”

Hou Mo had finished contacting the car, put his phone in his pocket, and kicked toward Ran Shu’s father’s face: “Shut up.”

The kick was heavy, and Ran Shu’s father’s body crashed to the ground, almost falling into a semi-conscious state.

Seeing that Ouyang Ge was about to intervene, Hou Mo hurriedly said: “Teacher, stop Sang Xian, this kid’s too ruthless.”

He then walked over to Ran Shu’s father and kicked him in the crotch, a hard revenge for where he had kicked Sui Houyu.

Afterward, he casually walked to Sang Xian’s side: “I told you not to go too hard.”

Sang Xian looked at Hou Mo and said: “Alright, I’ll take the blame, I’m the one who hit him.”

“Mm.” Hou Mo nodded.

This way, Hou Mo could still keep his scholarship.

Ouyang Ge watched the scene, rubbing his face in frustration, and said: “I’ll take Ran Shu to the hospital. You contact your people to send his father to the hospital. Keep the two parties separate to avoid more conflict.”

When Hou Mo saw that everyone had left with Ran Shu, leaving him alone with Ran Shu’s father, he couldn’t help but feel a bit angry.

In the end, he still had to be the one to send this guy to the hospital?

Thankfully, other teachers arrived soon to help Hou Mo take Ran Shu’s father to the hospital.

*

At the hospital, while watching, Hou Mo contacted someone he knew, hoping they could help with a favor.

Even if they couldn’t cancel the punishment, they could at least try to not make it public. Worst case scenario, they could just say that Sui Houyu no longer wanted to play tennis.

The college entrance exam was a dividing line. Only half of the youth group who continued tennis after graduation could make it.

Before, it was for a good university, but once in college, they might not be as driven as in high school.

Hou Mo contacted Coach Huang from the training camp, who had a lot of connections and was friendly with many people. He had noticed Hou Mo’s talent and recommended him to the national team.

He hadn’t even made the provincial team.

After learning the situation, Coach Huang was also furious: “Such a good seedling, and they’re squashing it like this? Don’t worry, I’ll make a call.”

Ran Shu’s father slowly regained consciousness and froze when he saw Hou Mo. He then looked around and immediately began cursing: “Bastard! Hitting people?! I’m calling the police right now! I’ll make sure you all don’t graduate!”

Hou Mo glanced at him, a little helpless: “Ran Shu likes to curse too, but now I kind of think it’s cute when he does. Look at you, a textbook example of impotent rage.”

“What did you say?”

“Think about it yourself. You were beaten, and your son didn’t stop it. Now you’re lying here, your son is in the same hospital, but hasn’t come to see you. You’re already abandoned. You didn’t handle your relationship with your son well, and now he’s frustrated with you. What are you trying to do? Do you realize that you did the thing that hurt your son the most? You and your son can never reconcile.”

Ran Shu’s father was stunned for a moment when he heard Hou Mo’s words, but still cursed viciously: “It’s none of your business! That bastard kid helped his mother hide things from me, is this something a person should do?”

“As far as I know, he was hiding things from you when he was only five or six years old. A kid that small made decisions like that, it wasn’t as malicious as you think. Later, when he grew up, he understood things better. So many years have passed, and he really couldn’t say anything anymore,” Hou Mo was too lazy to continue, packed his things, and stood up to leave. “If you want to call the police, go ahead. The Sang family’s legal team will be here soon. You deal with it. I’m going back to class.”

Ran Shu’s decision could be understood, but it was still wrong.

Ran Shu’s father was originally a pitiful figure, but his extreme actions made him hateful too.

It was family matters. No one else had the right to speak on it.

Hou Mo stood up to leave; he didn’t want to stay longer.

Ran Shu’s father gritted his teeth and glared at Hou Mo as he left, lying on the bed, furious and gasping for breath.

He picked up his phone and started contacting people, sending photos of Yang Xiangyu’s husband on a date with another man to industry groups. He just wanted to rub salt in Yang Xiangyu’s wounds.

*

Hou Mo walked into Ran Shu’s hospital room, saying loudly: “His father’s going to report us to the police.”

Sang Xian, sitting on the bed, responded: “It’s fine, my dad’s secretary can handle it.”

“He doesn’t seem to be short of money. Can your family settle this with money?” Hou Mo looked around; there were no extra chairs in the room, so he stood next to Sui Houyu and pinched his shoulder.

Ran Shu’s head had been stitched up, and he was crying.

The stitches were on the scalp, so even if there was a scar, no one would see it through the hair.

But Ran Shu was still crying, feeling like the world was collapsing around him.

An eighteen-year-old with a receding hairline.

Hearing Hou Mo’s question, Ran Shu also spoke up: “My dad’s really good at making trouble, his character isn’t great.”

Ran Shu’s father was a typical rich, spoiled second-generation, always causing trouble and nearly getting into serious trouble several times.

Sang Xian glanced at Ran Shu, lightly coughed, and said something even he found awkward: “Let’s make the Ran family go bankrupt.”

Very much like a domineering CEO.

Ran Shu, who had been frowning, heard this and both cried and laughed, the pain from the stitches still making his scalp hurt, feeling conflicted.

Sang Xian was really trying his best to cheer him up.

Sui Houyu glanced at Ran Shu, seeing that he was in a better mood, and felt somewhat reassured.

But he still remained silent, not saying anything.

Hou Mo said to Sui Houyu: “I asked Coach Huang from the training camp for help. He’s going to make a call, hopefully it’ll have some effect.”

“It doesn’t matter, it’s not that important,” Sui Houyu responded quietly.

Hou Mo immediately followed up: “Yeah, it’s no big deal, don’t worry about it. I’ll handle it.”

At this point, Sui Houyu’s phone suddenly vibrated.

He was a bit surprised to see that it was from his long-lost father.

After picking up the call, he heard his father Sui Lin’s particularly “bright” voice: “That stepdad your mom found for you. Is he a gay?”

“Uh? How did you know?”

“Oh… really? Heh, uh…” Sui Lin forcibly stopped laughing, then continued, “It’s causing quite a scene. I even heard the news. Ran Shu’s dad is making a fuss. It’s embarrassing, all this biting and clawing.”

Sui Houyu didn’t know about this yet, and was a bit shocked, but quickly calmed down: “Oh…”

“Hehe…” Sui Lin couldn’t help but laugh again.

Sui Houyu was already done with his father, who wasn’t much better.

Sui Lin quickly turned to his usual way of talking: “Don’t worry about it. You’re almost an adult, right? I’ll buy you a house when you’re older. Don’t worry, you still have a real dad. Even if your mom goes bankrupt, I can still support you.”

“Dad, I’ve been an adult for more than half a year.”

“Ah? Really? Oh…” Sui Lin lightly coughed twice. “No worries, as compensation, I’ll buy you two houses, next to each other. When you start dating, you can transfer one to your partner as a gift. If you fight, you can still live separately, and it’s close.”

“Oh, okay.”

Sui Lin seemed particularly happy today, even willing to talk more with Sui Houyu: “Son, are you dating anyone?”

“Yes.”

“Oh? Good-looking, huh? We, the Sui family, are all good-looking, nothing to worry about. Is your partner good-looking? How tall?”

“Pretty good-looking, 188 cm.”

“Oh, uh… is that a bit too tall? A model?”

“Male.”

“Male?!” Sui Lin’s volume immediately shot up. “Sui Houyu, don’t go too far! Even if you have some issues in your genes and can’t have children, you shouldn’t be with a man! Are you… really…?”

Sui Lin was hit with a huge shock, feeling as though his son had suddenly become his daughter.

Sui Houyu’s head hurt, and he didn’t want to chat with Sui Lin, only responding casually: “I know what I’m doing.”

“Don’t be an idiot! I won’t approve even if you’re with the King of Heaven! You can forget about the house!”

“Who? An… Brother An’s son? Have you seen Brother An? He’s been doing well recently?” Sui Lin’s attitude instantly changed.

“He sacrificed his life saving others a few years ago, which is why I couldn’t contact him. Now, I’m with An Nanxi.”

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a while, and then Sui Lin’s crying could be heard.

The shift in emotion was sudden—just a few minutes ago, he had been laughing, then furious, and now he was crying.

Sui Houyu was also getting frustrated and had to comfort his father to stop crying.

His headache was getting worse.

“Is An Nanxi with you?” Sui Lin asked.

“Yeah, he’s here.”

“Give him the phone.”

Hou Mo hesitantly took the phone and quietly asked: “Uncle Sui?”

“Yes.”

Hou Mo quickly answered: “Hello, Uncle Sui.”

“Nanxi, how did Brother An pass away? Tell me about it.”

“Oh, it happened a few years ago when he was on a cruise. He was saving someone when it happened…” Hou Mo moved to a corner, patiently continuing the conversation with Sui Lin.

The two talked for a while, with Sui Lin crying and wailing so loudly that it could be heard through the phone.

Hou Mo felt awkward but could only patiently continue to console him.

Sui Lin suddenly said: “Nanxi, you should break up with my son.”

Hou Mo’s heart tightened, and he quickly said: “Uncle, I really like him. I won’t leave him.”

“My son isn’t fit for you! Don’t ruin Brother An’s son! He has genetic problems. He’s carrying a sickness.”

“Uncle, don’t worry. We can’t have children together, so genetics won’t affect us.”

“Oh… right… I see…” Sui Lin was taken aback, as if he truly believed Hou Mo was his daughter, “Well, you two stay together, but if he treats you badly, I’ll deal with him. I’ll buy you a house to make up for it. It must be hard for you, being with my useless son.”

“Thank you, Uncle, but you can skip the house…”

“I’ll calm down, and we can talk more when we meet.” Sui Lin said before hanging up.

Hou Mo returned the phone and said to Sui Houyu: “Uncle cried quite a lot.”

“Well, Uncle An saved his life before, so he’s always remembered it. He’s a jerk in relationships, but when it comes to loyalty among brothers, he’s not bad.” This was the only thing Sui Houyu acknowledged about Sui Lin.

Sui Houyu set his phone aside and said to Ran Shu: “Your dad is spreading rumors about my mom’s second husband being gay, and it’s causing a big mess.”

Ran Shu smirked coldly: “He’s not wasting any time.”

Hou Mo stood aside and said: “I warned her a long time ago, and now she had to find out the truth in such an embarrassing way.”

Sui Houyu’s expression grew numb: “My mom won’t let this slide. She’s no saint either.”

Ran Shu nodded. “Hmm, it’s best if they keep fighting among themselves and don’t interfere with us.”

Sui Houyu looked at him: “Is your stutter gone?”

Ran Shu snapped out of it and smiled: “I’ve had a lot on my mind, and I kept hiding things, so I felt guilty and stuttered. But now that everything’s out in the open, I suddenly don’t stutter anymore.”

The stutter had been partly to hide things and partly due to guilt.

“Well, that’s good. You can take the performing arts exam normally now.”

“Is it that easy? I’ve wasted time… If I really want to take the exam, I might have to repeat the year…” Ran Shu sounded a bit discouraged.

“Then repeat the year.” Sui Houyu said briefly.

Ran Shu froze for a moment and nodded.

At that moment, Hou Mo’s phone vibrated. He quickly picked it up, saw it was Coach Wang calling, and answered right away: “Hello?”

“Why is Sui Houyu’s phone always busy?”

“He just got a call from his dad.”

“Are you with him? Have Sui Houyu come to the provincial sports center.” Coach Wang’s voice sounded urgent.

“Why there?”

“I managed to secure a chance with Coach Huang. If he performs well, we can change the result, but it’s not a doubles match—it’s a singles one. Of course, there are conditions, and we’ll discuss them later, but first, we need to win this match.”

Hou Mo was so excited he almost cried: “Okay, understood! Who’s the opponent?”

“Liu Mo.”

After hanging up, Hou Mo quickly grabbed his things and said to Sui Houyu: “Let’s go back to get the equipment, then head to the provincial sports center. If you beat Liu Mo, maybe we can change the punishment. I’ll go with you. Let’s go!”

Sui Houyu was surprised by this turn of events, but he quickly stood up and followed.

Ran Shu’s eyes lit up upon hearing the news. He eagerly cheered: “Brother Yu, go for it!”

Once they left, Ran Shu asked San Xian: “Is Liu Mo easy to beat?”

“Don’t let his constant defeat by Hou Mo fool you—his strength isn’t weak. Without Hou Mo, he’d be one of the top contenders for first place in the country. The provincial team captain didn’t earn that position by luck.”

“Do you think he’ll let Houyu win? Maybe he’ll help by asking Hou Mo for a favor. Aren’t you guys close?”

“If his school pressures him, or if winning means getting into the provincial or national team, do you think Liu Mo will back off?”

Ran Shu nervously clenched the blanket.

San Xian could only comfort him: “At least there’s a chance.”

“Yeah…”