HCILH Ch. 46

Chapter 46: First Round Match (Part 1)

After choosing the venue, there was a photo session upon entering.

Hou Mo stood next to Yang Hong and muttered quietly: “Don’t we look like the Black and White Impermanence^[1] standing together?”

Yang Hong looked at the camera with a forced smile, grinding his teeth in annoyance: “Can you not brag about your skin tone? Tonight, we’ll see just how white you really are.”

“Heh, tonight all you’ll see is a black dog running wild.” Hou Mo smiled sweetly, speaking through clenched teeth. His smile was so charming that you couldn’t tell he was trying to irritate anyone.

The captain of the Provincial Sports team was named Liu Mo, known by the nickname “Black Tibetan Mastiff.”

That nickname suited him well, as Liu Mo was genuinely dark-skinned, muscular, and fierce-looking.

The Provincial Sports team had different schedules than regular schools, with fewer academic classes, and they never had classes in the afternoon. The tennis players were wild and carefree, all tanned to a charcoal black, to the point where outsiders might mistake them for African athletes.

As they entered the court to prepare, Yang Hong observed Hou Mo’s posture and couldn’t help but laugh:  “What on earth have you been through?”

When your partner serves, it’s common for doubles players to crouch low, but Hou Mo crouched like a prisoner—head almost buried.

Hou Mo smirked: “Haven’t you gone through this too?”

Yang Hong chuckled twice: “Not in a long time. I’m too experienced for that now.”

Hou Mo remained silent.

Once the game began, both Yang Hong and Hu Qingxu quickly noticed a change in Hou Mo’s behavior.

It could only be described as compromise.

From initially rejecting doubles, refusing to cooperate or train with a partner, Hou Mo now actively sought synergy with Sui Houyu. Sometimes, he even willingly played a supporting role—an incredible transformation.

In doubles, tactical coordination fills individual gaps, allowing players to complement each other.

Hou Mo, already strong on his own, began silently accommodating Sui Houyu, dimming his own brilliance, refraining from fighting over shots, and working harmoniously with his partner.

The pace of men’s doubles is much faster than singles, with fewer long rallies. It demands quick reflexes—miss an opportunity, and the point is lost.

After receiving Sui Houyu’s serve, the opponents were visibly surprised.

Despite his slender and weak looking frame, Sui Houyu’s serves were unexpectedly fast and spun impressively.

Yang Hong’s specialty lies in controlling the net, but when intercepting Sui Houyu’s shots, the ball naturally carries a sidespin, making it extremely difficult for him to return.

As a result, Yang Hong decides to target Sui Houyu’s body.

They figured that as long as the ball didn’t land in Hou Mo’s hands, they could secure the point. Thus, they aimed most of their shots at Sui Houyu, whom they saw as the weak link.

Sui Houyu was the team’s biggest vulnerability—and the opponents biggest flaw.

He must be taken down!

Sui Houyu and Hou Mo had anticipated this long ago. So, even with Sui Houyu being relentlessly targeted, the two remained unfazed and continued to play in an orderly manner.

Their emotions didn’t waver in the slightest.

At the net, Yang Hong sent a short ball aimed at Sui Houyu’s chest.

Sui Houyu recognized it but didn’t have enough time to back away, so he arched his body, using his racket to brush the ball off his chest and send it back over the net.

The ball skimmed the net and floated toward Yang Hong.

Yang Hong couldn’t react in time—the ball dropped right in front of him, and he missed it.

Standing upright, Yang Hong turned to Hou Mo in disbelief: “Your partner… is he made of liquid?”

Hou Mo grinned, standing ready for the next point: “When he plays, it’s like watching a liquid cat dancing.”

Yang Hong adjusted his stance, visibly impressed. This was beyond anything he’d encountered before.

A few more exchanges later, Yang Hong noticed something strange: Sui Houyu’s serves were low, skimming the top of the net. When Yang Hong prepared to return one, he glanced up and found Sui Houyu already at the net.

Yang Hong quickly changed his shot, aiming for a corner.

To his surprise, it was all a decoy—Hou Mo had retreated to the baseline, adding spin to the return.

When the spinning ball reached Yang Hong, he barely managed to slice it back over the net, only to have Sui Houyu return it with a high lob.

This style of play—constantly keeping opponents running around—was a hallmark of Hou Mo’s game. 

His favorite tactic was to watch opponents scramble all over the court, only to lose points because they couldn’t keep up.

Playing against Hou Mo always felt like being toyed with. His unpredictable shots left no room for patterns, forcing opponents to dash left and right, back and forth, endlessly chasing after the ball.

Meanwhile, Hou Mo remained calm and collected, as if everything were under his control.

Now, with Sui Houyu as his partner—a player with equally sharp instincts—Yang Hong and Hu Qingxu were struggling. 

They found themselves running in circles, barely able to keep up with the pace.

One of the two, Hu Qingxu, ended up stuck at the baseline, dashing left and right, while Yang Hong was trapped at the net, trying to manage both front and back plays.

It was like they were being flown like kites—Hou Mo holding the string, and Sui Houyu controlling the spool, making their opponents run wild.

In the stands, Liu Mo , who wasn’t playing at the moment, watched the match with a dark expression.

Other players around him couldn’t help but ask: “Yang Hong and Hu Qingxu are being controlled, aren’t they?” 

“What’s up with that newcomer? How is he giving Yang Hong so much trouble with his serves? He’s got more stamina than most people.”

“That’s not the worst part. What’s with his movements? It’s like his body has no bones—how is anyone supposed to keep up with that? Is he even human?”

Liu Mo, though annoyed, had to admit, “They’ve mastered their serve game to perfection. Everything is within their expectations—rhythm, strategy, even Yang Hong and Hu Qingxu’s positioning are under their control.”

Who would’ve thought that Hou Mo, known for refusing to cooperate in doubles, would be so in sync this time?

And who would’ve thought that Sui Houyu, who looked like a delicate boy, could play like this?

This wasn’t just an easy match—it was a death sentence.

Where did Fengyu find this talent? How was he hidden so well before? Could he really be a rookie with only a month of training?

If this goes on, it’s likely to leave some psychological trauma for Yang Hong.

A teammate exhaled and said: “Why isn’t Hou Mo focusing on taking the Hua University entrance exam? What’s he doing playing tennis? Bullying people?”

Having played against Hou Mo before, Liu Mo knew the suffocating, helpless feeling of facing him. It was very depressing.

He wasn’t even worried about the bet anymore—he was concerned about the psychological impact this match would leave on Yang Hong and Hu Qingxu.

*

Not far from the court, Tang Yao and Gu Libo were also watching.

Tang Yao had been humiliated the last time he taunted Hou Mo, ending with Sui Houyu slamming a return shot into his own face.

Sitting beside him, Gu Libo, a quiet and composed boy, watched the match intently.

Tang Yao saw that Hou Mo and Sui Houyu had already won a set, and turned to ask Gu Libo:“That bamboo pole has only been playing for a month?”

The screenshot of Hou Mo’s bet with Liu Mo had already been shared in the public group, so Tang Yao naturally knew about it. Taking advantage of the fact that he had no matches for now, he came over to see how this pair played and why they were so arrogant.

What he saw left him stunned—Hou Mo and Sui Houyu’s miraculous coordination was beyond anything he expected.

Tang Yao bit his lip in frustration. He used to think Sui Houyu was too thin and lacked stamina.

Now, though, his cheeks felt slightly warm with embarrassment.

Gu Libo rested his chin on one hand, watching the court attentively.

He had a distinct physique—small face, large hands—so with that posture, his face looked even smaller.

He had a habit of using the tip of his tongue to part his lips before speaking—a little personal quirk. Then, he said: “I watched Hou Mo warming up the other day. His partner clearly wasn’t feeding him proper shots. It was the first time I’ve seen someone helping with warm-ups while still showing a bit of competitiveness.”

Gu Libo’s voice was soft, and with the noise of the match, Tang Yao had to lean in to hear him clearly.

“They’ve made decent progress in just a month.” Tang Yao admitted grudgingly.

Gu Libo said indifferently: “There are still flaws.” 

“Where?”

“Their teamwork isn’t perfect. They rely too much on eye contact, and Hou Mo has to direct the entire game. If we face them, I’m confident we can win.”

Gu Libo was a master of predictive play, almost like a walking calculator.

He had calculation abilities on par with Hou Mo’s, and he wasn’t short on clever tricks. However, he could only play doubles, as his weaknesses lay in stamina and strength, falling short of elite players.

Despite Tang Yao’s impulsive nature and tendency to cause trouble, Gu Libo still chose him as a permanent partner. Tang Yao’s powerful hitting style perfectly compensated for Gu Libo’s shortcomings, making them an ideal match.

And, most importantly, Tang Yao listened well.

Together, their best achievement was fifth place in the national youth tournament.

*

On the court.

Yang Hong’s expression had turned incredibly sour.

When he first saw the draw results, he had been ecstatic—running into Hou Mo? This had to be an easy win, right?

But now, his heart was pounding. He had never been eliminated in the first round before, and it looked like that might happen today!

According to the tournament rules, it was a best-of-three match. Hou Mo and Sui Houyu had already secured the first set, and they were still dominating the second. This was making Yang Hong anxious.

Hu Qingxu hesitated too long during his serve, earning a time violation warning from the referee, forcing him to reset.

Just then, Liu Mo’s booming voice echoed: “What are you thinking?! Just do it!”

The shout carried the momentum of swallowing mountains and rivers that it drew laughter from the crowd.

Hou Mo couldn’t help but mumble: “This black Tibetan mastiff…”

Meanwhile, Sui Houyu’s gaze drifted toward the audience, catching something unusual. He looked twice, unable to suppress his curiosity.

This tournament featured multiple matches happening simultaneously, but Coach Wang was particularly interested in Hou Mo and Sui Houyu’s first doubles game, so he was watching from their court.

Suddenly, Sui Houyu saw Su Anyi running toward Coach Wang, whispering something in his ear.

After hearing her, Coach Wang’s expression turned furious. He tossed what he was holding to Su Anyi and rushed toward the rest area.

Su Anyi followed closely behind, clutching the items as she ran.

This surprised Sui Houyu. In his impression, Coach Wang avoided running whenever possible, due to his age and an old injury. 

Su Anyi, typically calm and composed, wouldn’t act so anxiously unless something serious had happened.

Did something happen?

Hou Mo noticed this slight distraction.

Sui Houyu had a habit of zoning out—it was beyond his control. His thoughts tended to scatter, which explained why he sometimes read books in bizarre positions, like doing handstands.

Hou Mo knew this a long time ago.

Keeping his focus on the opponent, Hou Mo returned a shot and then called out to Sui Houyu: “Take two steps forward, swing towards 4 o’clock!”

Without hesitation, Sui Houyu snapped back to attention. He followed Hou Mo’s instructions, stepping forward and swinging his racket precisely at the right angle. He felt the impact of the ball meeting the racket perfectly.

This was Hou Mo’s absolute predictive ability at play.

After returning the shot, Sui Houyu quickly readjusted his position on the court.

With another successful point, Sui Houyu retreated several steps, still riding the momentum from earlier.

He leaped and swung mid-air—if he waited until landing, he would’ve missed the ball. However, this left him stopping awkwardly after landing.

Hou Mo walked over, extending a hand to steady Sui Houyu by the back. “Just focus on our game. Stop looking around.”

“Mm.”

Hou Mo didn’t immediately return to his position. Instead, he flicked Sui Houyu’s forehead lightly with his finger: “If you make me streak naked because of this, I’ll strip you and shave you bald when we get back.”

“…” Sui Houyu rolled his eyes at him.

Hou Mo chuckled, then returned to his spot to prepare for the next rally.

The sun was rising higher, casting dazzling rays through the perforated roof and illuminating the court.

In the sunlight, Sui Houyu caught a glimpse of Hou Mo’s figure—wearing a sports uniform with black and red accents, his lean frame radiating strength and power. His arms and legs were brimming with explosive energy, making him look both solid and dependable.

Perhaps, partnering with him was the only thing that gave Sui Houyu peace of mind.

Fully refocused, Sui Houyu prepared to dive back into the match.

Time to keep playing.

Omake:

Hou Mo: “If we win, just pulling down your pants will do.”