HCILH Ch. 76

Chapter 76: Resuming Training

The off-season relaxation period flew by in the blink of an eye.

They experienced such relaxation periods several times each year. Prolonged high-pressure training could lead to issues like unilateral muscle or organ development limitations, biochemical imbalances, and even potential sports injuries.

Long-term high-intensity training and repetitive, monotonous routines could also cause young athletes to abandon their sports careers before reaching psychological maturity.

Before resuming training, Coach Wang called over Sui Houyu and Ran Shu.

On the way to the office, Coach Wang casually asked: “Ran Shu, are you planning to keep competing? If not, you might not be able to enjoy the benefits of being an athlete.”

Ran Shu shook his head vigorously: “I’m just here for the practice, really. If you need the gear back, feel free to take it.”

“Training is fine, no need to return the uniform. But you’ll have to pay for your meals and the uniform fees separately. Otherwise, you’ll have the same benefits as the new freshmen.”

Ran Shu thought for a moment, looked at Sui Houyu, and then nodded: “Alright.”

Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t hesitate.

However, given his current situation, he hesitated briefly. In order for Sui Houyu not to notice anything unusual, he agreed.

Fortunately, Sui Houyu didn’t pick up on it.

When the three of them entered the office, they found Ouyang Ge rummaging through the fridge for something to eat.

Seeing Coach Wang enter with his students, Ouyang Ge hesitated for a moment before continuing his search, asking Coach Wang: “Old Wang, want an ice cream?”

“From the students?” Coach Wang chuckled.

Being fellow physical education teachers, Coach Wang and Ouyang Ge knew each other well.

Ouyang Ge replied confidently: “Yeah, they left it here, so they know what to expect.”

Coach Wang waved his hand: “I’ll have some after I talk to them.”

Ouyang Ge was holding a tub of chocolate malt balls while stood by to listen in while munching, making Sui Houyu glance at him several times with greed.

In the office, Coach Wang didn’t have a proper desk—just a chair, a cabinet, and a small shelf on top for his notebook and other essentials.

That was it.

Coach Wang took out his notebook and asked Sui Houyu and Ran Shu: “We’re about to start specialized training. You’ve been training before, but that was during the season, with lower intensity. The upcoming training will be much more intense, so I want to ask if you’re both ready.”

Sui Houyu immediately replied: “I’m ready.”

Ran Shu nodded: “I’ll do my best.”

Coach Wang handed them each a form with their names on it: “You’re in a unique situation since you joined the team in sophomore year. Freshmen and sophomores train separately, with different intensity levels. Hou Mo and his group went through foundational training before; you two haven’t, so jumping into high-intensity training might be tough.”

During his initial sports training, Sui Houyu had spent time at a cram school, and in the formative phase, he practiced primarily in Sanda and dance.

Directly entering specialized training didn’t feel like a problem for him, but he looked to Ran Shu for input.

Ran Shu quickly said: “I’ll manage!”

Coach Wang added: “In fact, I can offer an alternative. During specialized training, you could train with the freshmen and join the sophomores later when we need to pair up Sui Houyu with Hou Mo. This would give you a transitional period with lower intensity.”

Sui Houyu suggested to Ran Shu: “Why don’t you go train with the freshmen?”

“I’ll stick with you. Why else would I be here?”

Coach Wang reassured them: “This isn’t a rushed decision. Try it out first, and if it’s too much, you can switch. The rest of the team will understand, so don’t let pride hold you back.”

They both nodded.

Coach Wang continued: “In the meantime, focus on training your primary muscle groups, especially the agonists. Sui Houyu, you’ll have tactical accumulation courses alongside cardio. Tennis requires high endurance, so we’ll include swimming classes to minimize joint stress.”

Munching on his chocolate balls, Ouyang Ge commented: “You don’t need to go into so much detail. Just give them the training plan and have them brace themselves.”

Coach Wang hesitated but agreed: “Good point.”

“You could sit Hou Mo down here, and he’d chat with you for half a day, figuring everything out down to the smallest detail. But Sui Houyu and Ran Shu are practically beginners when it comes to tennis; they have no idea what specialized training entails, so talking about it won’t help. Let them get a feel for it first, then ask for their input—it’ll be more effective than discussing it now.”

Coach Wang laughed, nodding in agreement. “You’re right.”

Then he looked back at Sui Houyu. “One more thing—I want you to be the team captain.”

Sui Houyu was startled. “Captain? I don’t know much about tennis. I don’t think I can handle that.”

“Tennis isn’t like volleyball, where you need to direct the team. The tennis team captain just needs to keep the rowdy ones in line. I had Hou Mo in mind, but he didn’t want the hassle and always looked reluctant. Sang Xian isn’t a good fit either, and the younger ones aren’t ready. You’re the best option.”

“You think I can keep them in check?”

“No need. As long as you manage Hou Mo, he’ll handle the rest.”

“…”

Sui Houyu felt like he was only holding a title, just like when he became class monitor, relying on others for actual work. Now, as the tennis captain, it seemed the same.

Ran Shu grinned: “Nice going, Brother Yu! All these titles lately!”

Sui Houyu opened his mouth to refuse, but before he could say anything, Coach Wang quickly added: “Then it’s settled.”

Thus, Sui Houyu, the last one to join the tennis team, inexplicably became its captain.

After giving them each a training form, Coach Wang said: “Tell Su Anyi to come by later. She’s got work to do.”

“Got it.” Sui Houyu took his form and left, glancing at the list of exercises, still uncertain about the training specifics.

For example, “complex spatial positioning” and “predictive ability improvement.”

He figured he’d understand them during the training itself.

*

After a full day of training, Ran Shu sneakily followed Sang Xian into the locker room.

There were still a few people in the locker room chatting with Sang Xian, so Ran Shu felt a bit awkward and stood to the side, waiting for them to leave.

Sang Xian had already noticed that Ran Shu seemed to want to talk to him, so he told the others: “You guys go shower first. I’ll rest here a bit before going.”

“Alright, see you.” The others quickly left.

Once they were gone, Sang Xian looked at Ran Shu and asked: “What’s up?”

Ran Shu glanced around, opened the door to peek outside, and noticed that Sui Houyu and Hou Mo were still practicing. He quickly closed the door again and locked it.

Sang Xian looked at him, puzzled.

Ran Shu felt a bit embarrassed. After exchanging a glance with Sang Xian, he gave a silly grin. Despite his sharp features, his smile had a touch of innocence, leaving him momentarily speechless.

Sang Xian didn’t rush him. He opened his locker, took off his workout clothes, and wiped his sweat with a towel.

Ran Shu immediately complimented: “Your muscles are impressive.”

“You don’t find it over-the-top?”

“To be honest, a-anyone other than Brother Yu, I usually find handsome guys greasy.”

“Oh…”

“Um…” Ran Shu hesitated, circling Sang Xian before asking from another angle: “Do you want me to help you wipe off?”

“No need.”

“Then…”

“If you have something to say, just say it.”

“Could you lend me some money?” Ran Shu blurted out, then explained with a pitiful expression: “I-I was helping Brother Yu fend off my mom and his mom, and my mom got mad and cut off my allowance. I-I can’t tell Brother Yu, though, or he’ll feel obligated to go home for my sake, and I don’t want him to feel bad. And I can’t tell Su Anyi, either, or she’ll definitely tell Brother Yu.”

Sang Xian put on his clothes, turned to him, and was about to speak when Ran Shu quickly added: “And, well, joining the team was supposed to be self-funded, right? I’m suddenly out of cash. I’ll pay you back as soon as I have the money.”

In Ran Shu’s mind, Sang Xian was the wealthiest person he knew and could probably spare some.

“How much do you need?” Sang Xian asked in his usual deep voice.

Ran Shu often thought Sang Xian was deliberately lowering his voice, but those three words made him change his impression in an instant—his voice was practically heavenly.

“Let’s start with 100,000 yuan; that should be enough for a month or two.”

“Okay, where should I transfer it?” Sang Xian asked, taking out his phone and looking at the screen, as if without a hint of hesitation.

Ran Shu hurriedly sent him his account details. Sang Xian copied it, forwarded it to someone, typed a few words, and then put his phone away, continuing to pack his bag.

Ran Shu kept his eyes on Sang Xian, and within three minutes, he got a notification that the money was transferred.

So quick.

It was the first time Ran Shu had borrowed money from someone. He thought for a moment and then asked: “Should I…write an IOU for you?”

Without looking at him, Sang Xian slung his bag over his shoulder, unlocked the door, and said: “I’ll send you a contact to work with on this. I can’t be bothered with the details.”

To Sang Xian, that amount wasn’t worth the time it took to deal with; he’d rather just go shower.

Ran Shu was short of money, so felt grateful.

After Sang Xian left, Ran Shu stared at his phone, exclaiming: “This—this is true CEO behavior! Not only does he have the face of a CEO, but he’s also got that confident style.”

In high spirits now that he had money, Ran Shu felt at ease; he could keep blocking for Sui Houyu a bit longer.

Back in the dorm, Ran Shu accompanied Sui Houyu to the washroom to wash socks.

Their building didn’t have coin-operated washing machines; the facilities were harsh, and staying here was a form of training.

Ran Shu, ever indulgent, was sucking on a lollipop, standing beside Sui Houyu and looking at the washroom mirror, where he saw Sang Xian and Hou Mo talking in the hallway.

After watching for a while, he took out the lollipop, pointed at the mirror with it, and said: “Look at him—three parts aloof, three parts mocking, and four parts indifferent…”

Sui Houyu glanced over, saw Hou Mo first, and didn’t find anything unusual in his expression, so he asked: “What do you mean?”

“I mean, doesn’t Sang Xian seem to be playing a role? How does he pull off that CEO vibe so perfectly?”

Oh, he wasn’t talking about Hou Mo, so Sui Houyu looked at Sang Xian but didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary.

Sui Houyu watched for a bit longer, frowning slightly.

What were Hou Mo and Sang Xian talking about, looking so cheerful?

The two seemed close and had a lot of unexplained connections. He still hadn’t figured out their relationship.

Seeing them chatting there suddenly made him feel annoyed.

So he returned to washing his socks. “I don’t know.”

*

Meanwhile…

Hou Mo was cheerfully boasting to Sang Xian: “Coach Wang wants Brother Yu to be the captain. He must be counting on me; everyone knows I’m close to Brother Yu, so they probably want me to help out, too. Coach Wang’s really clever…”

Sang Xian couldn’t help but laugh at his enthusiasm: “You’re actually happy about it?”

“Of course! It shows they recognize my relationship with Brother Yu! Being a stand-in captain is no big deal.” Hou Mo accepted it gladly.

“Alright, then. Good luck.”