Chapter 60: Match Ends

Hou Mo’s serves were always at a high standard.

In men’s singles matches, his serves were undoubtedly a headache for opponents.

Jiang Wei’s serving style was generally consistent: aggressive and stable, which contrasted completely with Hou Mo’s style.

Hou Mo’s serves had many variations and were full of deceptive angles.

He was also a player who could adjust his state at any time during the match, adapting his strategies to counter different opponents.

One could say he was a naturally gifted player with strength, talent, and excellent self-skills.

Hou Mo’s serves came with a touch of cunning; even if his opponents managed to receive them, it was already a feat. Changing the trajectory of his serves or employing tricks was quite difficult.

With such a clear advantage in serving, it mitigated Sui Houyu’s weaknesses in interception.

Even if Sui Houyu struggled to defend, he still had Hou Mo supporting him.

They easily secured the service game.

In the stands, Lu Yanxin arrived with a racket tucked under her arm, her hair still wet.

This state clearly indicated that she had just finished her own match, quickly showered, and come to watch. Once seated, she asked, “Did the match finish?”

“Now we’re in the third set,” Deng Yiheng replied, taking a towel from his bag to help wrap it around Lu Yanxin’s hair, propping it up so her clothes wouldn’t get damp.

Lu Yanxin grinned widely: “Thanks.”

Afterward, she turned her attention to the match and exclaimed: “The pace of men’s doubles is just so fast! I played three sets over there and only finished half an hour ago. Here, the second match is already in the third set. Looks like the men’s doubles will be the first to have champion again.”

Deng Yiheng expressed his concerns: “It’s a bit precarious for Sui Houyu and Senior Brother. They caught Jiang Wei off guard to win one set, but now Jiang Wei is getting the hang of it, and they can’t intimidate him anymore. It’s going to be hard to break serve again in the third set.”

“Don’t you think that just being able to push Jiang Wei and the others this far is already a win? Even if Hou Mo is a singles genius, doubles and singles are different games. Their coordination is clearly insufficient; Brother Yu is still a bit inexperienced, and they’ve made it to the finals anyway. Isn’t that impressive?”

“Yeah, they’re already better than me and Shen Junqing.”

Lu Yanxin took the towel from Deng Yiheng and started drying her hair, continuing, “Houyu and Senior Brother have caught the attention of the pair from Nanyun; they’re going back to watch the match footage.”

Deng Yiheng was still bragging foolishly: “Hehe, Houyu and Senior Brother really are impressive.” “You should hurry up and work hard too. You’re lagging in your studies, and your sports skills aren’t at a very high level. Aren’t you thinking about your future since you’re in your last year of high school?”

Deng Yiheng remained silent for a moment, biting his lip, then nodded: “Got it.”

Sang Xian was also watching the game. When he heard what Lu Yanxin said, he turned his head and said: “Hou Mo’s match footage is the least valuable for reference.”

Lu Yanxin laughed immediately: “I’ve heard that Hou Mo never repeats his tactics.”

Sang Xian nodded: “Not only that. Their doubles combination isn’t fully formed yet; they haven’t practiced many of their plays. If they go through traditional training for a while, it’s uncertain what kind of combination they’ll become, and Sui Houyu’s potential is limitless.”

Ran Shu finally found Sang Xian a bit more agreeable: “M-My Brother Yu is awesome.”

Lu Yanxin leaned closer to Ran Shu and asked: “Little Sculpture, are you going to continue competing?”

Ran Shu rolled his eyes: “I-I want to switch to logistics; playing is too exhausting.”

Sang Xian sighed, still a bit traumatized: “I don’t want to try anymore.”

Ran Shu felt that Sang Xian was looking down on him and insisted: “Next time I’ll take you to play games, let you experience the thrill of a win without doing anything, and we’ll call it even, alright? You have a sullen face every day, as if I forced a good woman into prostitution.”

Lu Yanxin clapped her hands: “What a talent! You don’t even stutter when you’re cursing!”

Ran Shu wasn’t angry; instead, he raised his chin proudly: “O-One must not lose their momentum.”

Sang Xian looked at Ran Shu helplessly but ultimately said nothing.

The score had tied again at 4:4 and then 5:5.

No team had successfully broken serve.

The third set felt like a contest to see whose serve was steadier.

Hou Mo knew that their feinting strategies might not be effective anymore; using them too much could lead to more errors.

At this stage, it was all about who could perform more steadily, waiting for the opponent to make mistakes.

As both sides focused on stability, it gradually turned into a contest between Hou Mo and Jiang Wei.

During the match, Sui Houyu’s interception skills were also improving.

He backhanded a very fast short ball at the net, managing to raise his racket to add spin.

Jiang Wei actually received the ball but lost control, failing to return it and instead sending it out of bounds.

Jiang Wei glanced back before walking towards Lu Qinghui, standing beside him and whispering tactics behind his hand.

In truth, both Jiang Wei and Lu Qinghui were strong players who looked down on tactics.

However, for the sake of victory, they altered their strategy, following Gu Libo’s pre-match suggestion.

In the decisive moments of the final set, they began to aggressively target Sui Houyu, trying to find a breakthrough with him.

In doubles matches, it’s common to focus on the weaker player.

As the match progressed, Sui Houyu realized he was being targeted.

His interception was weaker, and he relied on his body’s instinctive reactions; as he became aware, his body followed suit.

When Jiang Wei and Lu Qinghui attacked him together, his exceptional reflexes were put on display.

Both Jiang Wei and Lu Qinghui were at the net, engaging Sui Houyu in a short ball exchange.

If it were a one-on-one, it wouldn’t be surprising.

But in a one-versus-two short ball rally, under intense speed and proximity, Sui Houyu managed to rally twelve shots before eventually losing the point because he couldn’t reach the ball. This drew applause from the audience.

In a doubles match, this was undoubtedly an incredibly exciting moment.

If it were being televised, this segment would surely be replayed and highlighted.

Hou Mo watched nervously from the side; he wanted to help, but the two opponents were deliberately avoiding him, focusing solely on attacking Sui Houyu.

If Hou Mo got too close, it would create openings or hinder Sui Houyu’s movements.

In a doubles match, watching your partner being singled out is quite frustrating.

After being targeted, Sui Houyu’s small flaws began to show.

A player who had only practiced for a month was still no match for two who had undergone professional training from a young age.

Ultimately, the score was Dongti Affiliated High School 7, Fengyu High School 5.

When the match ended, Sui Houyu stood on the court with his racket, motionless for a long time.

He noticed Lu Qinghui walking over to shake hands with him, but he didn’t immediately approach. Instead, Hou Mo walked over on his own to represent him.

As Hou Mo returned, Sui Houyu lowered his head slightly and remained silent.

Hou Mo noticed that Sui Houyu’s eyes were a bit red, but thankfully he hadn’t cried.

Just because he spoke openly didn’t mean he truly didn’t care; he still felt a sense of reluctance when losing.

Hou Mo reached up and tugged on the headband on Sui Houyu’s head, adjusting it to cover his eyes: “You performed really well; this match exceeded my expectations.”

Sui Houyu pressed his lips tightly together; when he responded, his voice was choked, and his lips trembled slightly: “Mm.”

Hearing that “Mm,” Hou Mo’s heart tightened. He reached out to press Sui Houyu’s head down to rest on his shoulder and whispered: “I’m sorry; I promise I won’t let you lose again.”

Sui Houyu leaned against Hou Mo’s shoulder for a moment before responding with another “Mm.” The men’s doubles rankings were released, and during the awards ceremony, several team members gathered in one place.

Hou Mo stood with Sui Houyu under the awning, quietly comforting him, while Sui Houyu remained silent.

When the third-place team arrived, Hou Mo suddenly struck up a conversation with Jiang Wei and Lu Qinghui, “Hey, third place is also from your school; your school’s doubles are pretty good!”

“Yeah, they’re okay,” Jiang Wei replied somewhat modestly.

“Why is your singles not as good then?” Hou Mo continued to press, “Is it that Liu Mo and I are too strong and didn’t leave any room for your school’s students?”

Lu Qinghui had already heard about Hou Mo’s sharp tongue but hadn’t had any opportunities to clash before.

Now he finally understood why they called Hou Mo the “Cheap Monkey.” Lu Qinghui gritted his teeth in anger, his voice strained as he replied, “Yes, you’re amazing!”

“Ah, I don’t want to be so outstanding either. We trained for a month and almost matched you, and now there’s no chance for us to be number one in doubles. Where will you put the face of Dongti Affiliated High School?” Hou Mo surprisingly felt that Lu Qinghui’s words were sincere and even became modest.

But his modesty was also quite annoying.

“Don’t worry, we’ll work hard,” Lu Qinghui replied, puffing up in anger.

Hou Mo nodded seriously, “Right, you should have your juniors work hard. By the time we’re no longer teenagers, they might still have a chance.”

Lu Qinghui suddenly leaned over to look at Sui Houyu and said: “Hey, little guy, playing doubles is like living together as a couple. If you end up with a partner like this, it’s just like encountering a scumbag in a relationship. If it really doesn’t work out, just break up, you know?”

Hou Mo was anxious when he heard that: “What, are you trying to sow discord? Are you afraid we’ll grow up and overshadow you? Are you and Gu Libo on the same wavelength? Trying to attack the heart, huh?”

“I’m just a senior advising the newcomers. This little guy looks innocent and could easily be deceived by you.”

“Still calling him a little guy!” Hou Mo pulled Sui Houyu to stand beside Lu Qinghui, making them stand side by side. “You’re just tall because of your long neck and face, making you look taller. My Brother Yu’s legs are long enough to reach your waist; that’s called an inherent proportional advantage.”

As he said that, he compared their leg lengths.

Sui Houyu’s body proportions were quite exaggerated; his legs were especially long. Even though he was seven centimeters shorter than Lu Qinghui, his legs were actually a bit longer.

After the comparison, Lu Qinghui stepped back several paces and pointed at Hou Mo, cursing: “Why are you so annoying? What’s so great about having long legs?”

Hou Mo retorted confidently, “They are indeed impressive. We won’t lose in arm span either; anyone whose arms can hang down to this position has long legs.”

As he spoke, he gestured around Sui Houyu.

Jiang Wei glanced over and said: “Alright, enough with the noise.”

Lu Qinghui, feeling wronged, returned to Jiang Wei’s side, and the tall figure of nearly two meters even let out a “hmph.”

Jiang Wei suddenly turned to the puppet-like Sui Houyu and asked: “Are you interested in being directly recruited? If you transfer to our Dongti Affiliated High School, you can be directly admitted to Dongti University and also train with the provincial team while studying at university.”

It was an overt attempt to poach talent.

Sui Houyu shook his head: “Not interested.”

Lu Qinghui asked in confusion: “Why not? Our Dongti is also a 211 university^[1].”

“They’re all 211, but I can go to a top-tier one.”

Lu Qinghui immediately fell silent, his eyes wide open as he looked at Hou Mo, his gaze questioning.

Hou Mo smiled again, “Yeah, academic achiever, Tsinghua and Peking University seedlings.”

Lu Qinghui silently raised his hand and gave a thumbs-up: “Academic achiever duo, impressive.”

As they walked back after the awards ceremony, Lu Qinghui seemed eager to chat with Sui Houyu, overly talkative.

He seemed quite curious about Sui Houyu, chasing after him to ask, “How do you train your jumping ability? How can you jump so high and so far?”

Hou Mo quickly stopped him and said: “If you want to chat, just talk to me. My partner isn’t in a good mood right now; he’s sulking by himself!”

“Sulking?” Lu Qinghui was shocked, “Is it really that bad?”

Hou Mo nodded continuously, “It is, it’s his first time competing; give him some understanding.”

After saying that, he pulled Sui Houyu back to their lounge.

There were only the two of them in the lounge, and it was surprisingly quiet after they closed the door.

Hou Mo opened the locker, took out some items, and asked: “Do you want to wash up here?”

Sui Houyu said sullenly: “I want to go back to the hotel.”

“Okay, I’ll accompany you.”

“You have a match in the afternoon, and you still need to warm up based on the previous match’s situation. Don’t tire yourself out.”

“The singles match takes a long time, plus, you don’t need to come see me in my finals, right?”

Sui Houyu hung his head and said nothing.

Hou Mo walked over, yanked the headband off Sui Houyu’s head, and casually glanced at the wound above his eyebrow.

Then he took out a towel and carefully wiped the sweat from Sui Houyu’s forehead, saying, “I’ll go get you a few of those special waterproof band-aids so you can take a shower.”

“Mm.”

The two fell into silence.

Sui Houyu stood there, and Hou Mo stayed in front of him, watching without leaving.

Finally, Sui Houyu was willing to lift his head and look at Hou Mo. In that moment of eye contact, it felt like he was pierced by Hou Mo’s intense gaze, making him want to look away for a moment.

“Your intercepts are indeed too weak,” Hou Mo suddenly said.

Sui Houyu was taken aback.

Hou Mo continued, “You see, you’re the weak link in our team. They say you’re an all-around combination, but the strategy relies solely on me. Your serve is good, but it doesn’t reach the level of me and Jiang Wei, and your net intercepts are still lacking. Other than being fast and flexible with a quick learning speed, you currently have nothing to showcase.”

“Mm, I know,” Sui Houyu replied softly.

“With your style, shouldn’t you be pushing yourself harder? The next time you meet them, shouldn’t you want them to see you in a new light? Why are you feeling defeated? Didn’t you never have such feelings before?”

Sui Houyu felt a bit upset at the questioning and finally retorted angrily: “I think I’m dragging you down.”

“It’s not about dragging anyone down! I chose to be your partner, knowing your level. That’s my choice! If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be playing doubles; getting second place is pretty good; I think it’s great.”

“I’m still too weak…” Sui Houyu muttered.

“Yeah, weak. So let’s train together after the season ends. I’ll accompany you.”

Sui Houyu looked at Hou Mo, his eyes filled with reluctance, as if he were glaring at Hou Mo.

Hou Mo was not backing down either, not comforting him, just calmly meeting his gaze.

Then Sui Houyu sniffled, held back tears, and softly said, “Mm.”

Hou Mo raised his hand to ruffle Sui Houyu’s hair, rubbed it a couple of times, then withdrew his hand, looking at his fingertips: “There’s sweat all over.”

Sui Houyu ignored him and quickly packed his things: “I’m going back to the hotel to shower.”

“I’ll ask Su Anyi to send lunch to our room.” Hou Mo took out his phone and typed, messaging Su Anyi.

“Okay.”

“Should I take this time to lull you to sleep?”

“No need, I’ll watch your match in the afternoon.”

Hou Mo laughed, following Sui Houyu to pack: “Alright, I’ll let you see Dad take first place.”

“Scram.”

After they finished packing and were about to leave, Ran Shu suddenly burst into the lounge, holding up his phone to show Sui Houyu: “Brother Yu, I invested in a match; I’ve already set you up for first!”

Sui Houyu looked at Ran Shu: “…”

Hou Mo quietly applauded behind Sui Houyu.

Ran Shu noticed Sui Houyu’s expression looked a bit anxious and asked, “What’s wrong? Don’t you like it?”

“No need, just take a break; I’m going back to the hotel,” Sui Houyu said as he shouldered his bag and walked out.

Ran Shu looked at Hou Mo and saw Hou Mo’s smug expression, whispering, “I comforted him.”

Ran Shu didn’t like Hou Mo and irritably said, “Y-You should wash your face with detergent to strongly remove oil and dirt; otherwise, you’re just releasing your greasiness everywhere!”

After saying that, he turned and chased after Sui Houyu.

Hou Mo stood there, bewildered by the scolding, watching Ran Shu and Sui Houyu leave. He asked Deng Yiheng, who was waiting at the door, “What’s wrong with him?”

Deng Yiheng shrugged, indicating he didn’t know either.

However, Deng Yiheng was willing to help Hou Mo analyze: “It’s quite easy to understand. To Ran Shu, you seem like the guy who intercepted his childhood friend. It’s like a scumbag who doesn’t want to raise his child, only to suddenly show up wanting to reconnect when the child has grown up and turned out fine. The one who grew up alongside Brother Yu was Ran Shu, and now Brother Yu has grown up and is your partner, so how could Ran Shu like you?”

Hou Mo felt quite wronged: “Is it really that serious not wanting to play with a kid when you were young?”

“It’s not that serious. It’s just that all those years, it was Ran Shu who accompanied Brother Yu. If one day you and Ran Shu ask Brother Yu to choose, he will definitely choose Ran Shu, not you. Just wait and see.”