HCILH Ch. 47

Chapter 47: First Round Match (Part 2)

Another wave of cheers erupted throughout the court.

The players from Fengyu High School, who were watching the match, shook their school flags excitedly and waved them in rhythm.

Moments earlier, Hou Mo had faked a shot at the net, creating an opening. The opponents reacted too late, and he scored beautifully.

Both Hou Mo and Sui Houyu were incredibly smart players.

Their probing strategy at the start worked, giving them more confidence in their style. They even improved their tactics mid-match.

Just when the opponents thought they had figured out their playstyle, the two suddenly switched tactics—like a surprise ambush after a sudden stop—catching the opponents off guard.

Hu Qingxu instinctively retreated to the baseline to defend, only to find a gap opening up ahead.

Hou Mo’s shots were tricky and unpredictable.

In doubles, Hou Mo’s shots became even more varied, thanks to the way his partner supported his cunning style.

The most frustrating part for the opponents was that they couldn’t predict Hou Mo’s next move, yet Hou Mo could read their reactions perfectly.

No wonder Liu Mo always referred to Hou Mo as a “Cheap Monkey” whenever he mentioned him.

Hou Mo turned back to high-five Sui Houyu, celebrating the point.

“We’re close to winning.” Hou Mo reminded him.

“Yeah,” Sui Houyu responded with a nasal hum, pressing his lips together.

“Keep steady.”

“Got it.”

“Why aren’t you glaring at me yet?”

“Huh?!”

Annoyed, Sui Houyu shot him a glare, and Hou Mo grinned: “There it is! That’s the energy we need.”

“Are you a masochist?” Sui Houyu couldn’t help but laugh at how infuriating Hou Mo was.

“Your face was stiff just now.”

“When we lost that point, I tilted my body too much and stood too close to the net.”

“Don’t think about that now. Now is not the time to think about it. Focus on the game.” As Hou Mo leaned in closer, he suddenly asked, “Or are you hoping to get shaved bald?”

“Get lost.”

“Got it!” Hou Mo replied playfully, his tone deliberately teasing as he walked to the service line. “I’ll serve. Get ready.”

Their practice time together had been short, and most of it was spent focusing on positioning after Sui Houyu’s serves, so Hou Mo hadn’t practiced serving as much.

Letting them compete under these conditions felt a bit of a rush.

Sui Houyu gave a nod and crouched near the net, ready to intercept.

Hou Mo weighed the ball in his hand for a moment, then served.

Sui Houyu focused intensely on the other side, ready to return the ball, when suddenly he heard the loudest cheer of the match—possibly the loudest outburst of the entire event.

The atmosphere hit its peak!

Sui Houyu turned to look at Hou Mo.

Hou Mo smiled back at him and even made a silly peace sign.

Ace!

They had scored directly with his serve.

The ball landed perfectly within bounds, catching both opponents off guard. Even though they tried desperately to save it, neither touched the ball.

This kind of serve was like a lost martial arts technique from a wuxia novel or a rare treasure from a fantasy realm—something that could only be encountered by chance.

It required tremendous speed, pinpoint control, and most importantly—strategy!

Hou Mo excelled in singles matches, standing out among the best.

One reason he hadn’t practiced serving formations much was that his serves were already so precise that they often didn’t need follow-ups. He could score directly.

Yang Hong and Hu Qingxu had heard of Hou Mo’s fearsome serves, but this was their first time experiencing one firsthand.

They never imagined that, in a doubles match, with two opponents on the court, someone could still score an ace.

This was just a provincial youth competition—not a Grand Slam or Masters tournament. And yet their opponent was just a high schooler!

How was he so incredible?

Were they too weak, or was Hou Mo just too good?

For a moment, the two opponents were utterly bewildered.

Hou Mo grabbed another ball from his pocket and prepared to serve again.

Yang Hong gritted his teeth and stationed himself at the net, glaring at Hou Mo without blinking.

A moment ago, Yang Hong had mentally prepared himself for defeat, but he didn’t want to lose so badly—or be shown up like this!

Yet as soon as their eyes met, Hou Mo gave him a sly smile, a mischievous glint flashing in his eyes.

Then, Hou Mo served again.

The previous ace had stunned the crowd.

This time, the ace sent the audience into a frenzy.

It was as if the ground had suddenly turned scorching hot or money had started raining from the sky—nothing else could explain the crowd’s wild enthusiasm.

Two consecutive aces in a doubles match—it felt like a joke, like an impossible legend come true.

And yet, it had happened, right in front of their eyes.

Yang Hong, a straightforward guy, completely lost his composure. In frustration, he cursed: “F*ck!”

He felt a surge of rage, as if fire were rising in his throat. If he didn’t clench his teeth, he might spit blood out of sheer frustration.

Hu Qingxu patted Yang Hong on the shoulder, trying to calm him: “It’s fine. That’s just how Hou Mo is.”

Yes, that was how Hou Mo always was.

Playing against him was like being trampled, as if he wanted to show the difference between talent and mediocrity.

And he never spared his opponents’ faces.

It was like a chasm between heaven and earth, how could anyone bridge such a vast gap?

Sui Houyu glanced at Hou Mo, realizing that Hou Mo must have held back during their singles match.

If Hou Mo had played like this back then, they would’ve ended up fighting on the spot.

Although the following serves were returned, Hou Mo and Sui Houyu still held the upper hand.

Hou Mo’s serves were controlled with precision, matching their preferred spin and power.

The pressure on their opponents mounted, leading to more mistakes.

In the end, Hou Mo and Sui Houyu won both sets. 

They won their first victory.

Sui Houyu was eager to leave, concerned about Coach Wang and Su Anyi’s situation.

Hou Mo had planned to taunt Liu Mo but, seeing Sui Houyu in a hurry, merely gestured to Liu Mo to call him later and followed Sui Houyu off the court.

As they left, Hou Mo reminded him: “Don’t forget we have to do a urine test later.”

“Yeah, I know. I just want to check on things. I’m worried something happened.”

Sui Houyu called Ran Shu, who stammered on the other end, unable to explain the situation clearly. Frustrated, Sui Houyu headed to the lounge.

When they entered the lounge, their teammates looked dejected, and to Sui Houyu’s surprise, Lu Yanxin was there too.

She was massaging Deng Yiheng’s wrist vigorously, scolding him as she did: “You think you’re so tough, like a real man huh? Playing the hero saving the princess? What if you got yourself killed? Do I look like I need saving?”

Sui Houyu walked in and asked: “What happened?” 

Before answering, Deng Yiheng looked up and asked: “Lose or win?”

“Win.” Hou Mo answered lazily.

He opened his bag to grab a towel, only to find it missing. Looking around again, his towel was wrapped around an ice pack on Deng Yiheng’s wrist.

Hou Mo looked at Deng Yiheng and asked: “Are you hurt?”

Deng Yiheng gave a bitter smile.

Before they could figure out what had happened, Coach Wang burst through the door, fuming. “Ran Shu, have you been following your diet restrictions?”

Ran Shu was startled by Coach Wang and answered stupidly, “No…”

“Brilliant!” Coach Wang smacked his own forehead in frustration. After a moment, he ordered Ran Shu, “Go do a urine test. Right now. Skip the line if you have to!”

Ran Shu, confused, asked, “Why?”

“You’re a substitute; didn’t you know? The registration form needs to indicate special circumstances for substitutes; otherwise, the opponent wins without a fight, and the audience shows up to watch a match that isn’t happening. I put you and Sang Xian on the list.”

Ran Shu’s eyes widened and asked in horror: “What… I-I have to compete?”

“Yes! You! Now go compete!”  Coach Wang said, pointing at Sang Xian. “Take him over there.”

Sang Xian quickly led Ran Shu out.

Ran Shu was still struggling, looking to Sui Houyu for help. Sui Houyu was equally at a loss; he didn’t even know what had happened.

At this moment, he asked, “What about Su Anyi?”

“She went to give a statement.” Coach Wang replied.

“Give a statement?!” Sui Houyu was taken aback, asking slowly.

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing. She’s just cooperating with the investigation. The organizers will also clarify that she acted in self-defense.”

Coach Wang was still worried and followed Sang Xian and Ran Shu to wait for the results, without offering any further explanations.

Hou Mo and Sui Houyu went for a urine test, with Shen Junqing following them and explaining what had just happened, leaving Lu Yanxin to take care of Deng Yiheng.

Deng Yiheng knew Lü Yanxin was coming to the match and had brought Shen Junqing and Lu Yanxin to chat in the lobby on the first floor the night before. Recently, Deng Yiheng and Lu Yanxin had been chatting quite well on WeChat and had become friends.

During this time, Su Anyi came over to remind them about the doubles match. Lu Yanxin immediately took a liking to Su Anyi and asked for her WeChat ID, seemingly wanting to be friends.

Lü Yanxin was a true aesthetic enthusiast, unable to take her eyes off Su Anyi.

After the tennis tournament began, the men’s doubles match was first, while the women’s matches were scheduled for later. Lu Yanxin took the opportunity to chat with Su Anyi.

When two pretty, tall girls with great figures gathered together, they always attracted attention.

While they were chatting and planning to watch Hou Mo and Sui Houyu’s match, they encountered some spectators heading to the restroom who asked for their WeChat IDs.

They didn’t give them, and one guy actually hurled insults, claiming they didn’t look like decent women, so why were they pretending to be modest? He even obnoxiously suggested they set a price for a threes*me.

Coincidentally, Deng Yiheng and Shen Junqing were warming up not far away and heard the commotion. They came over to intervene and ended up arguing with the spectators.

After the conflict, Deng Yiheng stood in front of them, letting Su Anyi and Lu Yanxin leave first.

As a result, Deng Yiheng was pushed down by a spectator and fell, injuring his wrist.

Su Anyi had been quite indifferent, not saying a word throughout, but when she saw Deng Yiheng get hurt, she became anxious and taught a few people a lesson.

Su Anyi took on three men and made them scream for mercy. This didn’t shock Shen Junqing; what really stunned him was Su Anyi’s swearing skills. She was truly vulgar—so much so that Shen Junqing felt like he wanted to censor her.

If she had been muted, her swearing would have sounded like a continuous “beep beep beep—.”

Even while recounting it, Shen Junqing still felt uneasy and asked: “So Sister Su is that fierce when she swears?”

At this moment, Sui Houyu let out a sigh of relief and replied, “Actually, she was a foul-mouthed girl in her first year of high school, stringing together all sorts of curses, and got reprimanded by the school. Teacher Li told her to curse less, and if she couldn’t help it, to just not speak. Since then, she’s rarely spoken up, fearing she might accidentally curse.”

“So that’s how it is?” Shen Junqing was shocked.