HCILH Ch. 54

Chapter 54: Ancestors

Sui Houyu particularly looked down on Gu Libo and equally disliked Tang Yao, so he had a poor attitude towards them whenever they met.

In Sui Houyu’s mind, concepts like “friendship first, competition second” could go to hell. He simply found them displeasing and didn’t even want to put on a façade; he just turned away with a straight face.

However, Tang Yao couldn’t help but run his mouth. After losing the match, he had to say a few more words, actively striking up a conversation with Sui Houyu: “When it’s just the two of you against us, there’s room for negotiation, but when it comes to Brother Wei and his team, you won’t even have room to struggle.”

Sui Houyu paused, turned around, and raised an eyebrow at Tang Yao: “You always talk so much. The last time I saw you, you wouldn’t stop talking. What did you say again?”

The first time they met, Tang Yao had said that Sui Houyu’s physique wasn’t suitable for playing tennis and that he definitely lacked stamina.

Now the facts showed that Sui Houyu’s stamina was not only fine but quite good; he had been so active on the court that he hadn’t even been out of breath.

Tang Yao looked displeased and silently stared at Sui Houyu.

Sui Houyu suddenly seemed to remember something and said, “Looks like what Wang Xuefu taught you can still beat you, and it’s just a one-month crash course. You? Not that impressive. As for the Brother Wei that you mentioned…”

After finishing, Sui Houyu shrugged, appearing indifferent.

Tang Yao, feeling disgruntled, continued, “You can go check out Wei Ge and their doubles strength; this isn’t just us bragging. Plus, I admit we lost this match, but next time might be different. Let’s just say you got lucky today.”

“Yeah, losing was just bad luck; I see you’ve learned that phrase.”

Tang Yao, feeling agitated, blurted out, “You and Hou Mo both look down on others in such ridiculous ways—one of you looking up through your nostrils, and the other rolling your eyes while looking down. Standing together, you look just like the Washington brothers^[1], thinking you’re so cool?!”

Sui Houyu was taken aback.

He didn’t know what the Huafu brothers were.

Seeing Tang Yao start to talk recklessly, Gu Libo reached out to push Tang Yao, preparing to take him away.

Hou Mo noticed Sui Houyu’s daze and chimed in, “I don’t like being called Brother Hou, but Jiang Wei doesn’t mind being called Brother Wei. Well… next time we meet Brother Wei, we’ll compete properly, goodbye.”

When Hou Mo said “Brother Wei” it sounded like “Vi*gra^[2],” which made Tang Yao stare in anger, and before he could respond, he was dragged away.

Hou Mo also pulled Sui Houyu away.

As they were leaving, Sui Houyu still pondered: “What are the Washington brothers?”

Hou Mo looked down and replied: “Characters from a movie.” “What are they like?”

“Uh…” Hou Mo didn’t know how to answer.

After completing the urine test and taking a quick shower, it was time to rest. Sui Houyu checked his phone and got so angry after watching a video clip that he rolled his eyes.

Sui Houyu was indeed used to slightly raising his chin and pursing his lips when looking at others, giving off an air of arrogance mixed with a hint of disdain.

Hou Mo occasionally looked down while raising his eyes to look at others, with a teasing smile.

Putting these together really…

Sui Houyu put down his phone and was about to go find Tang Yao when Hou Mo, who had been observing him, quickly stopped him, saying, “Brother Yu! Brother Yu! Don’t act impulsively; fighting will get you disqualified!”

“No way! I didn’t know what the Washington brothers were like at the time, and I didn’t get to fight back! I’m going to confront him now.”

“Don’t, don’t, don’t; there are more people from Dongti Affiliated High School than us.”

“Am I afraid of them?!”

“You’re not afraid, definitely not afraid; it’s illegal to kill someone. Can we let them go this time?”

Sui Houyu was infuriated but tried to adjust his breathing to calm down.

Hou Mo wiped his sweat with lingering fear.

Deng Yiheng brought an ice pack to Hou Mo, who leaned against it to rest in the lounge.

After being angry for a while, Sui Houyu still came over to help Hou Mo hold the ice pack.

After applying it for a while, he helped Hou Mo massage a bit.

Ran Shu and Sang Xian quickly returned to the lounge. As soon as Ran Shu entered, he started dancing: “W-we won again! I made progress today, hitting the ball seven times, three of which were effective.”

Which meant, once again, Sang Xian took on two opponents while Ran Shu occasionally helped out but most likely didn’t contribute much.

It was truly outrageous that such a team could win.

Ran Shu soon noticed that something was off with Sui Houyu and walked over to ask: “Brother Yu, what’s wrong?”

Hou Mo explained: “We just had an argument with the opponents, and there was one thing he didn’t get to retort, so he got angry.”

“Oh…” Ran Shu understood, “If you don’t fight back, Brother Yu won’t let this go, whether it’s ten years or eight years later, Brother Yu will definitely hold a grudge. It’s just a matter of when he’ll get back at them.”

Hou Mo widened his eyes in disbelief: “Is it that bad?”

Ran Shu nodded firmly: “My Brother Yu i-is a man who repays grudges!”

Repaying grudges could also be called being trustworthy.

Such a devoted fan was truly commendable.

Sui Houyu was still very angry, not chatting with them, focused on helping Hou Mo massage while simmering in frustration, gradually leaning over.

Hou Mo noticed this and supported Sui Houyu’s body, letting him lean against him, and his head rested on Hou Mo’s shoulder as he fell asleep.

After Sui Houyu fell asleep, the others in the lounge instinctively quieted down; now Sui Houyu had become the person everyone in the team dared not wake.

Hou Mo quietly asked the others: “What’s the arrangement for the upcoming matches?”

“You have your singles match tomorrow morning in the second round, and the doubles might be in the afternoon. The opponent hasn’t been confirmed yet.”

A tennis player can register for multiple events, such as singles, doubles, and mixed doubles.

But this should also be done according to one’s capacity; if the matches are too intensive, one might not be able to handle it physically.

This tournament will finish in five days, with many teams and a very tight schedule. It’s even possible that the doubles finals will be on the last morning, followed by the singles finals in the afternoon.

Hou Mo made an “ok” gesture and then lay down on the spring bed with Sui Houyu, taking off his sports jacket and covering it over Sui Houyu before snuggling up together for a nap.

Their teammates didn’t disturb them.

Sang Xian packed his things and asked Ran Shu: “Are we heading back to the hotel?”

“Well, the hotel is at least more comfortable than here.”

Some teammates went to watch the matches, while others went to rest.

Su Anyi initially came in with a form to distribute to everyone but saw only two people sleeping in the lounge and eventually closed the door and left.

The door of the lounge had excellent soundproofing; the moment it closed, it cut off the noise from the outside world.

There were no curtains in the lounge, and the midday sun poured in through the narrow horizontal windows, bringing a touch of warmth.

In the undisturbed afternoon, with leisurely and relaxed time, it was a rare moment of tranquility.

The silence in the room brought comfort, composing a lazy tune, evoking gentle feelings and a spoonful of joy.

The two sleeping boys were very quiet.

They seemed to have long been accustomed to sharing a bed with someone else; despite the narrow bed, they still slept soundly.

Sui Houyu’s head was buried in Hou Mo’s embrace.

With each breath of Hou Mo, it would blow into Sui Houyu’s hair, making his soft and curly hair sway gently.

Comfortable and beautiful.

*

In the evening.

Hou Mo was chatting with Deng Yiheng on his phone about the opponent he and Sui Houyu were going to face next, occasionally looking up to see Sui Houyu anxiously pacing around the room.

He cleared his throat and patted the spot beside him: “Why don’t you come sit next to me for a while?”

“I should have retorted back then; who cares what the Washington brothers mean? It definitely wasn’t a compliment; I should’ve cursed him right then and there.”

Because he hadn’t performed well in the argument, Sui Houyu was still brooding over it.

“Well, don’t let them off next time,” Hou Mo nodded in agreement, patting the quilt beside him again.

Sui Houyu continued pacing and ignored Hou Mo.

Hou Mo used his trump card: “Help me massage my hand; I need my other hand to hold my phone.”

Sui Houyu finally walked over and sat next to Hou Mo to help him massage his hand.

Just when Hou Mo thought Sui Houyu wouldn’t be angry anymore, Sui Houyu suddenly jumped up, saying: “I should have called him a big gorilla! An orangutan!”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Hou Mo was startled by Sui Houyu’s outburst. As Sui Houyu jumped, he also bounced up and down on the same bed, looking terrified as he nodded repeatedly at Sui Houyu.

“Is he even qualified to criticize others? Doesn’t he look in the mirror?!”

“Exactly! He’s so shameless!” Hou Mo seemed even angrier than Sui Houyu, cursing and then spitting out a “tui.”

Sui Houyu was still angry but remained rational. He sat back down and started to massage Hou Mo’s hand.

After putting down his phone, Hou Mo poked Sui Houyu’s face with his other hand and asked softly: “Were you like this when you were competing with me?”

“When we were in school, if it weren’t for the fear of dragging others down, I could have gone to your dorm to beat you up!” Sui Houyu admitted boldly.

“It’s not easy to have me delivered to your doorstep. You finally get a chance to pick a fight; you must be very happy, right?”

“Yeah.”

“If I hadn’t happened to go clean up your guesthouse, how long could you have held it in?”

“I don’t know, maybe until Monday.”

So it seemed like ending the battle early was a good thing.

Otherwise, it would really be hard to settle things if a commotion started at school.

Hou Mo suddenly felt it was particularly tricky. In this situation, as a partner and Sui Houyu’s long-lost “father,” how should he handle it?

He took out his phone and opened a chat with Ran Shu, typing for help: “Brother Yu is so angry he’s about to flip; come quick and save the day.”

Ran Shu quickly replied: “I’m not going. I have a survival instinct, and I wouldn’t go near him at a time like this.”

Hou Mo secretly cursed as he looked at his phone. Ran Shu really wasn’t a qualified friend.

Then, he copied the message and sent it to Su Anyi.

Su Anyi also replied quickly: “Let me check Tang Yao’s room number, and then I’ll go help Brother Yu beat him up.”

Hou Mo was so scared he typed faster: “Don’t! How can a girl be all about fighting and killing every day?”

Su Anyi: “Then I’ll just scold Tang Yao; I won’t lose when it comes to insulting people.”

Financial Blessings: “Tang Yao actually didn’t come out unscathed; he just didn’t let Brother Yu gain the upper hand. What I need is to solve Brother Yu’s pent-up frustration. I’m really anxious about him staying this way.”

Su Anyi: “I think handling others is much simpler than dealing with Brother Yu. He’s really hard to please; I can’t help you. You’re on your own. I can only wish you good luck”

Hou Mo sighed in disappointment, put down his phone, and planned to come up with a solution himself.

After thinking for a long time without any ideas, he could only change the subject: “Let me tell you about Jiang Wei and Lu Qinghui from Dongti Affiliated High School. To be honest, I don’t think we can beat them.”

Sui Houyu finally had his attention diverted.

Hou Mo continued, “These two can be described as control players; they can also be seen as power hitters, or net rushers.”

“Are they all-rounders with strong overall abilities?”

“You can’t say that; all-rounders players rely on tactical accumulation, but they purely rely on technique, and their skills are so solid that they don’t need tactics.”

Although Hou Mo had a good personality, he also had a sense of pride deep down.

Not many people could be evaluated this way by Hou Mo, but Jiang Wei and Lu Qinghui were two of them.

Moreover, Hou Mo was intelligent and could analyze things rationally.

He knew the weight of their combination and could predict who could compete with whom.

They probably weren’t a match for this top seed duo.

Sui Houyu asked: “What are our chances of winning?”

“Twenty percent. If they are in terrible shape that day and we are in excellent form, it might…”

Sui Houyu, after hearing this, lay back on the pillow and stopped talking.

Hou Mo immediately halted, raising his hand to rub his head. He had taken Sui Houyu from one bad mood to another.

Hou Mo didn’t know much about manic episodes and didn’t know Sui Houyu’s tolerance level. He fell back into anxiety, unsure of what to do.

“I don’t want to lose.” Sui Houyu suddenly spoke up.

“Me neither. No one wants to lose. If we continue training and build our chemistry, I’m confident I can help you win the championship.”

“Is this time truly helpless?”

“I’ll think of a way.”

“Will it be hard on you? Am I… a burden to you?”

Hou Mo lay down beside Sui Houyu and said in a low voice: “No, I’m grateful to you for giving me a different experience. That’s why I want to progress with you and defeat all those seemingly unbeatable opponents.”

“All of them? There are more formidable ones?”

“Hey! With so many people in our country, do you really think we’re invincible?” Hou Mo, someone who had been first in the nation, wouldn’t dare to be so arrogant; after all, he could be easily beaten any day.

“You’re the national youth singles champion. I’m not too bad either. Why are there still so many opponents?”

Here it came—the overconfidence of the manic phase.

Hou Mo extended his hand, holding up four fingers: “Today we defeated the fifth, so we still have four sets of opponents worth competing against. Once we beat all four sets, we’ll break out of China and head for the world. There will be even more opponents, especially from countries strong in tennis.”

Sui Houyu glanced at Hou Mo’s hand, then reached over to help him massage his hand, flipping over in annoyance: “Sleep!”

Hou Mo sighed in relief and happily turned off the light.

In the darkness, Sui Houyu lay next to Hou Mo, still massaging his hand.

Hou Mo was thinking about the match, wondering if he could raise their 20% chance to 30% or 40%. Even if they lost, he didn’t want to lose too miserably; he feared that with Sui Houyu’s tolerance level, he wouldn’t be able to handle it.

As he pondered, Sui Houyu gradually fell asleep, still holding his hand. Holding hands with a boy while sleeping made Hou Mo a little uncomfortable; after all, he wasn’t Liu Xiahui^[3].

He reached out with his left hand to grasp Sui Houyu’s wrist, separating their hands.

Sui Houyu, who was sleeping, sensed this and discontentedly swatted his outstretched left hand away, then gripped Hou Mo’s injured hand again, unconsciously rubbing it a few times. His actions gradually slowed down until he continued to hold it and fell back into a deep sleep.

The left hand that had been rejected felt somewhat humble and awkwardly retreated.

Just hold it then…

You’re the ancestor here^[4].