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    Chapter 7: Tennis

    In the evening, the tennis coach came to gather the team members.

    At this point, the drill instructor didn’t dare let anyone go without Ouyang Ge coming personally to speak with him.

    This was all because of Hou Mo’s earlier antics.

    After learning about Hou Mo, Coach Wang even gave him a little scolding.

    The tennis team members were standing in a group, waiting, when they saw another group of girls—about seven or eight of them—approaching.

    As soon as the girls arrived, they started waving at Ran Shu, calling out, “Ran Shu, Ran Shu! Come here for a second.”

    Deng Yiheng, seeing this, felt unbalanced again and muttered, “Even the stutterer is this popular?”

    Hou Mo glanced over and replied indifferently, “Have you looked at what he looks like?”

    Ran Shu was very handsome and had distinctive features.

    He had a small face with large features—big eyes, a big nose, and a big mouth, plus slightly protruding ears, all on a small face.

    This combination made him look like he was wearing a beauty filter on a live broadcasr, but that was just his natural appearance. The only thing that stood out was his small face and sharp chin, making his big mouth even more noticeable, especially when he smiled.

    Ran Shu’s look was like a famous “big-mouthed” internet heartthrob. Although his personality could be annoying at times, once you got used to him, he was quite likable.

    Being around Ran Shu meant not worrying about hidden agendas; he was always upfront.

    Ran Shu approached the group of girls, looking annoyed, and asked, “What do you want?”

    When he spoke briefly, he didn’t stutter.

    Sui Houyu was also pulled over by Ran Shu to listen, but his expression remained cold. The girls were already used to this and didn’t mind.

    One girl sneakily pulled Ran Shu aside, using his body as cover, and pointed, “What’s the name of that guy in your class?”

    She pointed carefully, but Ran Shu turned his head dramatically, staring straight at Hou Mo.

    Sui Houyu also followed the gaze, locking eyes with Hou Mo.

    The girls panicked for a moment, as it was the ultimate “betrayal” from their supposed ally.

    “Hou, I—I’m not sure exactly which one, but it’s something that sounds like that,” Ran Shu answered boldly.

    Still a bit irritated, Ran Shu thought to himself how this pale-faced guy was pretty good. He was already getting attention from girls after just one day of military training.

    He wanted to tell the girls how annoying Hou Mo could be, but he had no idea where to start.

    It seemed…that there wasn’t much to complain about.

    A girl asked: “Do you have his WeChat?”

    Ran Shu shook his head: “No.”

    “What about the class group chat?”

    Ran Shu was surprised: “You guys have that? We’re lucky not to be fighting; a group chat is out of the question.”

    “The class monitor usually sets it up!”

    Ran Shu pointed at Sui Houyu: “Our class president is right here.”

    The girls all looked at Sui Houyu, who glanced at them coldly, causing them to sigh, “Got it, your class isn’t going to be united this semester.”

    Ran Shu laughed with a “hehe” after hearing those words, fully agreeing.

    Another girl asked: “What about that really tall guy? What’s his name?”

    Ran Shu glanced over. Once he saw Sang Xian, he fell into a knowledge gap. He turned to Sui Houyu, who also shook his head—he couldn’t remember either.

    The girl whispered, “He’s pretty handsome, looks quite imposing.”

    Ran Shu smirked, “He’s got the face of a CEO despite being so young, what a waste.”

    “Don’t CEO faces look good?” the girl asked.

    Ran Shu shook his head, “He looks old, like he’s in his late twenties.”

    After the girls left, Coach Wang suddenly started talking to Sui Houyu, “You guys are from Qingyu High School, right? Do they train tennis there? Any good tennis players?”

    Ran Shu, acting like Sui Houyu’s assistant, answered before Sui Houyu could, “We don’t train tennis specifically, just play during gym class, along with basketball and volleyball. But he’s good at tennis.”

    He pointed at Sui Houyu.

    Coach Wang looked at Sui Houyu—his height was good.

    For male tennis players, the ideal height was between 185 to 190 cm, which was the most common height range for Grand Slam champions.

    Sui Houyu’s height seemed to meet that standard, but he looked a bit too skinny, which might mean he lacked stamina and could easily be overpowered. He probably wouldn’t make it to a Grand Slam level.

    Coach Wang was a bit disappointed and decided to ask Qingyu’s PE teacher about it later.

    At that moment, Ran Shu asked: “Can playing tennis get us out of military training?”

    Coach Wang replied: “Yeah, I’ll take them for practice.”

    Ran Shu eagerly pushed Sui Houyu forward: “He can—can take on your entire team.”

    Coach Wang chuckled, and right then, Ouyang Ge arrived, so Coach Wang took Sui Houyu along to the tennis court.

    As they left, Deng Yiheng kept looking back, mumbling: “What’s going on?”

    Hou Mo, knowing Coach Wang’s intentions, replied: “Coach Wang wants to recruit talent from Qingyu.”

    “But we’re not short on people, right? There are plenty of substitutes.”

    “We’re short of doubles partners for me and Sang Xian.”

    “They still haven’t given up on your doubles team?”

    Once at the tennis court, Sui Houyu was told to warm up with the student athletes, following at the back of the line.

    Sui Houyu was utterly confused—how did he end up here?

    After warming up, Coach Wang handed him a racket and said, “Let’s play a match and see.”

    He then looked around, and Deng Yiheng immediately volunteered: “I’ll play!”

    Deng Yiheng had always wanted to get back at Sui Houyu after losing to him before. Tennis was something Deng Yiheng had practiced for years; surely he could win this time, right? He wasn’t going to waste this chance.

    The two of them stepped onto the tennis court, and Deng Yiheng courteously let Sui Houyu serve first.

    It was well known that serving gave players an advantage. It allows them to control the pace and set the tone for the match.

    Sui Houyu didn’t hesitate. He weighed the racket, then walked to his position, ready to serve. His serving form looked quite professional.

    Hou Mo sat lazily on a bench, stretching out his legs as he watched the match.

    His friends started betting on how many points Deng Yiheng could win.

    Hou Mo found it amusing. If Sui Houyu really had some kind of mania, despite his slim appearance, his physical strength would be exceptional, and his power likely very impressive.

    Sui Houyu served smoothly, aiming the ball directly at Deng Yiheng, an aggressive playing style.

    Deng Yiheng, quick in both thought and movement, returned the serve. But the moment he received the ball, his heart suddenly trembled.

    The force behind that serve was something he’d only felt from Hou Mo and Sang Xian, and the speed was incredible.

    Power.

    Speed.

    The combination of the two.

    The record for the fastest tennis serve was 253 kilometers per hour.

    For comparison, a decent serve from a male tennis player would clock in at around 200 kilometers per hour or higher.

    Sui Houyu’s serve probably reached about 170 kilometers per hour, and this was just a casual serve by an unprofessional player.

    As the two rallied back and forth, the exchanges grew longer. Although Deng Yiheng appeared to be holding his own with Sui Houyu, he was slowly falling behind.

    Sui Houyu’s returns were high quality, with precise anticipation, and his footwork was quick.

    His mind made the decisions, and his racket followed.

    His movements were eerily flexible, almost weightless.

    Yes, weightless.

    Maybe it was due to his slender build, but there was no heaviness in his body. He moved freely, adapting to the flow of the game, seamlessly switching between various techniques according to the changes of the ball path.

    It almost looked like… dancing?

    It was a bizarre sight.

    As the night wind picked up, it lifted Sui Houyu’s slightly curly hair, layer by layer, as though there was no end to it.

    During his movements, his hair swayed, giving his actions a dynamic flair. It was astonishing how much hair he had.

    His slim, seemingly fragile body, with his clothes billowing in the wind like a flag, revealed something unexpected.

    As the hem of his camouflage shirt flipped up, Hou Mo happened to glance at Sui Houyu, noticing defined abs on his slender waist. It was a bizarre contrast.

    He was like a character out of a satirical cartoon, except he wasn’t overly muscular—he was lean but not lacking in muscle, paired with a stunning face.

    The team members began whispering, “He’s pretty good.”

    Hou Mo agreed: “His shot variations are excellent. Deng Yiheng’s getting overwhelmed.”

    Coach Wang seemed pleased; he hadn’t expected Qingyu High School to have such a promising tennis player.

    The final point was a sharp, angled return from Sui Houyu, just grazing the sideline. It was beautifully executed.

    Deng Yiheng was stunned as the ball zipped past him, unable to react in time. He had lost the match against Sui Houyu.

    After the game ended, Sui Houyu paced around a bit, quickly recovering and not feeling particularly tired.

    Then he walked over to Coach Wang and asked, “Is there no one here who can really challenge me?”

    Deng Yiheng happened to walk over, and when he heard that, he let out a loud wail and started crying, hugging another team member as he bawled.

    He just couldn’t handle the humiliation.

    Deng Yiheng wasn’t particularly strong in singles within the team; his strength was in doubles.

    Their team’s weak point was doubles, something that weighed heavily on Coach Wang. The combination of Deng Yiheng and Shen Junjing was already their best pairing.

    At this moment, Hou Mo stood up and said, “Wait a second, I’ll go get my racket.”

    Once Hou Mo spoke, Deng Yiheng immediately stopped crying. He turned around, and surprisingly, there wasn’t a single tear on his face. Instead, he looked at Hou Mo and said, “Senior Brother, I knew you were the best.”

    Everyone believed that as long as Hou Mo played, he could turn the match around instantly.

    Even Coach Wang said, “Hou Mo, this student just finished a match.”

    Hou Mo replied in a low voice, “Mm, I know.”

    Looking at the situation and hearing the coach’s tone, Sui Houyu felt a bit irritated. He furrowed his brow slightly and said in a low voice, “You don’t need to go easy on me.”

    After saying that, he headed to the court to wait.

    Hou Mo still had that lazy demeanor, looking uninterested, as if nothing could really get him excited.

    After fetching his racket and doing a few simple stretches, he stepped onto the court, still letting Sui Houyu serve first.

    Hou Mo’s tennis game was a blend of physical fitness and intellect.

    He played the “calculation” style. In his mind, there was a massive simulation space where, in the moment the ball was hit, he could calculate and predict the outcome. Based on that, he made his move.

    His calculations only took a split second, allowing him to react in ways that often caught his opponents off guard.

    His playing style could be summarized as: cunning.

    For example, after a few rallies, Hou Mo suddenly moved, only to drop a delicate shot over the net.

    Sui Houyu was surprised for a moment and hurried to the net, but the ball lightly dropped, making it impossible to return.

    Hou Mo had long been used to playing this way, but what shocked him was what he saw on the other side of the net.

    Sui Houyu had rushed forward too quickly and lost his footing, executing a perfect full split, the kind that was impressively straight.

    Sui Houyu got up right away, his legs seemingly fine, and simply dusted off his pants.

    Hou Mo hesitated and asked: “Doing a split like that, doesn’t it, you know, hurt… down there?”Sui Houyu immediately turned around and glared at him.

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