HCILH Ch. 8

Chapter 8: Dancing

After Hou Mo asked his question, everyone watching the game started laughing.

Sang Xian, who always looked half-asleep, unexpectedly joined in the laughter, too.

Sui Houyu shot the group an irritated glance, and from his posture, it seemed like if they kept laughing, he might start a fight.

Coach Wang immediately scolded: “Hou Mo, stop with the nonsense and focus on the game.”

Hou Mo returned to his position to continue playing.

The previous match between Sui Houyu and Deng Yiheng could still be considered a normal game.

But once Hou Mo faced off against Sui Houyu, the atmosphere shifted. It was no longer a regular match—it felt more like teasing. Hou Mo seemed to be toying with his opponent under the guise of a match.

In official competitions, Hou Mo didn’t act this way, but today it was as if he was deliberately provoking the other side.

Sure enough, the more Sui Houyu played, the worse his expression became, frustrated as if he was being mocked.

Hou Mo’s ball control was impressive. After several exchanges, he had the ball’s speed and trajectory fully under his control. Sui Houyu’s serves became useless.

Playing against Hou Mo felt uncertain—every step was unsteady, unpredictable.

For instance, at one point, Hou Mo deliberately slowed the ball down with a high lob, only to smash it back.

After a few rounds, Sui Houyu realized his disadvantage. It was clear that Hou Mo was playing with ease; otherwise, how could he exude such a teasing air?

The truth was that Hou Mo had received professional tennis training and had participated in numerous competitions, gaining extensive experience. He had faced opponents far more skilled than Sui Houyu, so defeating him was no challenge.

Sui Houyu played well for an amateur, having only trained during class and treated the game as a hobby.

For an amateur, Sui Houyu’s skill level was impressive. 

But against a professional like Hou Mo, the gap was obvious.

Hou Mo excelled at combining short and long shots, moving his opponent across the court, and utilizing quick thinking. He had a mental map of the entire court and could dominate by using every inch of space.

He could predict all of Sui Houyu’s returns, never missing a beat.

A top-spin shot followed by a back-spin, and Sui Houyu couldn’t return it. The game ended.

Hou Mo won.

The other team members cheered, though not too excited—they had expected Hou Mo to win all along.

They were just satisfied that Hou Mo had crushed the other side’s arrogance.

Sui Houyu, feeling somewhat indignant after losing, gripped his racket and called out to Hou Mo, who was about to leave: “One more round.”

Hou Mo turned, smiled with a slight tilt of his chin, and replied playfully: “Sure.”

His tone was flippant, even a bit cocky, but that broad smile made it more charming than arrogant.

The two started playing again.

Coach Wang didn’t make the other players watch any longer and sent them to do other drills while he stood at the sidelines, observing the match between Sui Houyu and Hou Mo.

After two rounds, Coach Wang noticed some issues with Sui Houyu’s play and suddenly called out, “Stop trying to use curve shots for now. Your spin isn’t right, and it’s not doing you any favors.”

Sui Houyu, recognizing that Coach Wang was offering guidance, followed his advice.

Winning was all that mattered.

Curve shots were Sui Houyu’s weak point, yet he kept trying to use them, failing to control the ball as he wanted.

It wasn’t helping him, so he decided to abandon that technique and try something else.

Hou Mo didn’t mind Coach Wang advising Sui Houyu; he kept playing, sending the ball in the opposite direction of Sui Houyu’s predictions.

For an ordinary player, this would have been impossible to counter.

However, Sui Houyu’s flexibility and agility were astonishing. He quickly spun around, blocked the ball with his racket, and adjusted his position instantly.

For a moment, Hou Mo’s previously calm expression cracked, revealing a hint of surprise.

Sui Houyu’s wild, unpredictable style made him hard to read, and his ball sense was strong—even when his predictions were wrong, he could still make the play.

Where had this kid trained? How was he so flexible?

Despite that brief surprise, Sui Houyu still couldn’t beat Hou Mo.

He lost again.

Frustrated, Sui Houyu spat out: “One more!”

His tone was already laced with determination and anger.

Stubborn as ever, clearly not willing to accept defeat.

Hou Mo, now fully engaged, continued playing and went along with Sui Houyu for a third round.

Tennis is a sport that demands a lot of stamina, and during training, they often played best-of-three sets. In official matches, a best-of-five can turn into an endurance battle.

So, tennis players need strict stamina requirements. Both Hou Mo and Sang Xian were the most physically fit members of the tennis team.

Sui Houyu, being an amateur and with his slim build, surprisingly kept giving his all after multiple rounds as if he would never get tired.

Watching this, Coach Wang was deeply impressed, with only one thought in his mind: “I need to recruit this player.”

This kid was made for tennis.

After this game, the tennis team’s training wrapped up, and even Ran Shu, who had been watching from outside the fence, seemed to be done with military drills.

Sui Houyu lost again, and as he was about to ask for another match, Hou Mo interrupted: “Not playing anymore, I’m off-duty.”

“Off-duty?”

“Yeah, not working anymore.” Hou Mo said, heading to the locker room without sparing Sui Houyu another glance.

Deng Yiheng, who had been secretly watching the games, swaggered over, feeling like the team had redeemed themselves after Hou Mo’s winning streak. He smugly commented to Sui Houyu, “For Hou Mo, tennis is just something he does as a job.”

“What do you mean?” Sui Houyu asked, his face darkening as he gripped his racket.

“Our school gives student athletes discounts on tuition; otherwise, Senior Brother wouldn’t even be a student athlete. Plus, our tennis team is strong, with brand sponsorships providing free gear, which is why he joined. He only competes for prize money. Even the provincial team wanted him, but he didn’t go. That’s just how he is. If there’s no scholarship for exams, he wouldn’t be motivated either, which is why he’s in Class Seventeen.”

Sui Houyu didn’t say anything more. After putting his racket away and preparing to leave, Coach Wang stopped him and asked: “Hey, kid, what’s your name? Interested in joining the tennis team?”

Sui Houyu wasn’t interested and casually replied: “No, I’m not.”

“Don’t you want to try and beat him?” Coach Wang said, nodding toward Hou Mo, who had just walked out.

Sui Houyu glanced over at Hou Mo.

Hou Mo, wiping sweat from his brow with a towel, noticed the gaze and nonchalantly walked over to Coach Wang: “He’s still lacking some skills. Beating me will be tough.”

Sui Houyu clenched his lips as Hou Mo walked past him.

Coach Wang watched Hou Mo leave and continued to look at Sui Houyu with a smile: “So? Want to give it a shot?”

Deng Yiheng looked over and then whispered to Sang Xian, “Coach Wang only looks this kindly when he’s trying to dig little white rabbits.^[1]”

Sang Xian, slinging his bag over his shoulder, remarked: “The kid has potential. Coach Wang won’t give up on him easily.”

After a moment of hesitation, Sui Houyu said: “I’ll think about it.”

Coach Wang beamed even more warmly: “Great! What’s your name?”

“Sui Houyu.”

By the time Ran Shu came over, Sui Houyu was already stomping back toward the dorm, clearly frustrated.

Ran Shu kept glancing back as he followed Sui Houyu to the dormitory, but didn’t dare ask anything.

Back in the dorm, the tension in the air around Sui Houyu was palpable.

His roommates sensed it too and kept quiet, not daring to breathe too loudly.

Ran Shu, avoiding the topic, laid a woven mat on the floor, probably borrowed from someone.

He then took his old blanket, fitted the cover on it, and neatly folded it. He sprinkled some water on it to dampen it and began slapping the blanket, trying to create sharp, neat corners.

That way, in the morning, he could stash his own blanket in the locker and place the folded one on the bed.

Still stewing over his tennis losses, Sui Houyu was irritated. Losing three matches in a row really upset him.

He had once represented a training institute in a dance competition and even won in the professional category. Tennis wasn’t his main focus but losing still annoyed him.

As he was brooding, he heard a “papapa” sound. So he turned around to see Ran Shu patting the blanked like he was building a wall. He couldn’t help but comment, “This is probably the loudest ‘papa’ you’ll ever make in your life.”

Ran Shu squatted by the edge of the blanket, pondering for a while before complaining: “W-why did it suddenly start moving?”

Finally, Sui Houyu burst out laughing.

It was only in front of Ran Shu that he could act like this.

Sui Houyu didn’t have many close friends. Aside from Ran Shu, his relationships with the others in the dorm were average.

They weren’t particularly close, but if Sui Houyu needed them, they’d show up.

They were willing to listen to Sui Houyu, but the relationship… still wasn’t quite there.

After all, Sui Houyu and Ran Shu were childhood friends who grew up together, so their bond was different.

Ran Shu knew that Sui Houyu had another childhood friend when he was younger, someone Sui Houyu was even closer to, though Ran Shu had never met that kid.

However, Ran Shu had heard that this child was a foreigner who had now returned to their home country, and since then, Sui Houyu had lost contact with them.

From that point on, Ran Shu became the one and only in Sui Houyu’s life.

*

By the fourth day of military training, the drills weren’t as intense, and by the evening, they started organizing singing competitions among the students, with Class Seventeen of the second year becoming the focus of attention.

One reason was that Hou Mo’s group of athletes was popular, and another was that Ran Shu was well-liked too.

Not to mention, this class had high “visual appeal,” and within just a few days, they’d become famous throughout the school.

Sometimes, when they marched past another class during a break, they’d hear whispered comments: “Class Seventeen! It’s Class Seventeen!”

“Hou Mo’s class?”

“Is that Sui Houyu?”

“Ran Shu’s face is so small.”

“But Sang Xian is more manly.”

The instructor for Class Seventeen had sharp taste, and the songs he taught them were all bold and spirited, like The Great Knife March^[2], which the students sang with resounding energy.

After being met with this song for two days, the other students were starting to get fed up.

Today, six classes were seated together, with some others nearby watching and cheering them on.

The students from the other classes seemed to have teamed up, and they began chanting one name: “Ran Shu, do one! Ran Shu, do one!”

They even threw in comments like: “Stop being so shy, acting like a delicate young lady.”

Ran Shu, leaning over to Sui Houyu, muttered, “T-this line, I’ve been hearing it since middle school. So unoriginal.”

After saying that, he stood up and headed to the center, completely unfazed by the crowd.

Someone had brought a speaker today, but when the volume was cranked up, the sound quality became awful—crackling and buzzing.

Still, for this occasion, the speaker was more than adequate.

Ran Shu walked over and said: “G-give me some, some macho music.”

Ran Shu had been learning dance since he was a child and had even participated in group dance competitions for youth, where he often took center stage, showing his talent.

For songs he was familiar with, he could easily dance to them. After all, aside from original choreography, many dances had choreography that could be replicated. With a little practice, he’d master them quickly.

At this point, Ran Shu was confident that no matter what music they played, he could handle it.

After years of dancing, improvising wasn’t a problem.

The person in charge of the music gave him an “OK” hand gesture and then played a girl group’s song.

Ran Shu, irritated after hearing it, put his hands on his hips and walked back to Class Seventeen.

Everyone thought he was heading back to sit down, but to their surprise, Ran Shu returned, pulling Sui Houyu up to join him for a dance.

Sui Houyu, extremely reluctant, was dragged to his feet but sat back down right away. In the end, Ran Shu had to forcibly pull him up by the waist.

Sui Houyu didn’t like being touched, not even by Ran Shu. He pushed Ran Shu away, keeping a good distance, and decided to go to the center on his own, just to stop the pestering.

When Sui Houyu got serious, Ran Shu was no match.

However, the way they interacted was always the same: Ran Shu would fool around, and Sui Houyu would smile and indulge him.

In the end, the two stood in the center, drawing screams from the girls.

Those who knew Sui Houyu well were aware of his personality, so they didn’t dare tease him. But since Ran Shu had dragged him into it, the girls were excited, and their screams were the loudest of the day.

The person playing the music had great timing. As soon as the two were in position, they restarted the song.

As the music began, Ran Shu danced along. Despite his slender build, he danced with great strength, showing both tension and balance, his movements coordinated and fluid.

Sui Houyu, still somewhat embarrassed, hesitated for a moment before finally joining in.

When the two stood in the center together, the girls screamed again, overwhelmed with excitement.

Anyone familiar with Sui Houyu knew what his personality was like and didn’t dare to tease him. But since Ran Shu had pulled Sui Houyu up, they were naturally thrilled, and their cheers became the loudest of the day.

The person playing the music had a good sense of timing; once the two were in place, they replayed the song.

As soon as the music started, Ran Shu jumped up and danced along. Despite his slender figure, he danced with great energy, displaying both tension and excellent balance, with very coordinated movements.

Sui Houyu felt a bit shy; after hesitating for a moment, he finally joined in and danced.

As soon as he moved, the girls began to scream again, overwhelmed with excitement.

Nowadays, girls didn’t care about gender when it came to admiring beauty; they liked good-looking boys and girls alike.

And someone as attractive as Sui Houyu, crossing the boundaries of typical beauty, was adored even more.

They were dancing to a girl group routine, and the characteristic moves involved exaggerated hip twists and some rather feminine gestures.

However, a skilled male dancer could easily overcome these, transforming the sensuality into a carefree style, dancing with a natural grace that exuded charm.

While the two were dancing, some girls from another class suddenly approached Class Seventeen and gathered around Hou Mo: “Hou Mo!”

Hou Mo turned to look at them—it was the same girls who had chatted with Sui Houyu and Ran Shu earlier, though he didn’t know them.

He casually asked: “What is it?”

“Can you give me your WeChat? My friend wants it—she’s a beauty!”

Hou Mo looked at the group of girls with a smile and asked: “You like guys like me?”

“Of course!”

“Well, that’s funny, because I like guys like me too.”

“So, you’re not giving it, huh? What a cliché line.”

Hou Mo chuckled and chatted with the girls for a bit, asking: “Are you familiar with Sui Houyu?”

One girl nodded: “We used to be in the same class.”

“What on earth is Sui Houyu studying? It seems like he can do anything.”

He could fight, play tennis, and now he could even street dance.

The girl squatted beside Hou Mo and explained: “Brother Yu is kind of a mystery. None of us really know everything he’s capable of; it seems like he can do anything.”

“Gifted?”

“Not exactly.” the girl sighed. “Brother Yu was a VIP at a training institution since he was little. How VIP, you ask? Well, after school, the teachers from the institution would personally pick him up.”

Hou Mo responded with an “Oh,” training classes?

The girl continued: “Since he was a child, his weekends, evenings after school, and summer and winter breaks were all spent at that institution. Whatever courses they had, he took them. The teachers even stayed late to teach him one-on-one until 1 AM.”

“Why so late?”

“Brother Yu had special circumstances—he couldn’t sleep and would cause trouble when he had nothing to do, so they just kept him in class the whole time to keep him occupied.”

Hou Mo was now convinced that Sui Houyu had some kind of mania.

The symptoms matched.

But Hou Mo was curious and asked, “What about his parents?”

“His situation is because of his parents. They divorced shortly after he was born. He was never soothed to sleep by anyone—he’d just cry himself to exhaustion. As he grew older and became more troubled, his parents disliked him even more. Each of them remarried and didn’t care about him; they just gave him money and sent him to the training center to fend for himself.”

After hearing this, Hou Mo was silent for a moment before raising his eyebrow: “You seem to know a lot.”

“Handsome people are always the talk of the town. Everyone knows a little, and when we piece it together, the full story comes out. Plus, Ran Shu and Brother Yu are childhood friends, and Ran Shu has shared some things too. They even learned street dance together.”

“Oh…”

The girl suddenly got a bit frustrated and asked: “After all this talking, you’re still not giving me your WeChat?”

Hou Mo suddenly lowered his voice and asked: “Want Sang Xian’s instead?”

The girl immediately lit up with excitement: “Yes!”

Without hesitation, Hou Mo gave her Sang Xian’s WeChat, and the girls around her cheered.

Once the girls left, Hou Mo asked Deng Yiheng: “You always talk about girls, but now that they’re here, you’re staying quiet?”

Deng Yiheng watched the girls walking away and sighed: “Don’t mention it. The more girls there are, the more nervous I get.”

“You’re a real piece of work.”

At that moment, the center of the field became lively again as some students from another class came to challenge them to a dance-off. They were from Fenghua, and Hou Mo recognized a few of the guys.

It seemed they were unhappy with Qingyu High’s boys getting all the attention and had come to crash the party.

After watching for a while, Deng Yiheng commented: “As much as I want to root for our side, I have to admit that our two class monitors are the best dancers. You can tell they’re professionals. Those three guys just keep rolling around on the ground—there aren’t many moves; it’s all flips.”

Hou Mo laughed and replied: “In street dance, that’s called showing off.”

“I have a feeling they’re about to be slapped in the face. That kid I’ve fought with a few times; he’s not afraid of a direct confrontation, but he’s scared of being coddled privately.” Deng Yiheng seemed to suddenly become the person who understood Sui Houyu the best.

Hou Mo, resting his chin on his hand, continued watching with interest but didn’t reply.

At this moment, Sui Houyu had them play a piece of music that wasn’t too intense, just an ancient-style song.

He then walked to the center of the dance floor and waited for the familiar rhythm before starting to dance. His movements were smooth and gentle, lacking the sharpness of street dance but filled with a refreshing sense of freedom.

Surprisingly, this dance exuded a sense of exhilaration.

Chinese dance.

Without the basic skills from childhood, it’s difficult to perform this type of dance well.

As the music played, Sui Houyu lifted one leg, drawing a gasp from the crowd.

His leg swung like a pendulum, gracefully coming down after a full rotation, spinning elegantly and then lightly leaping back to the ground, each movement exhibiting a comfortable strength and effortless control.

In a flash, it was like a butterfly dancing in the air.

The control and coordination of his body were astonishing.

No wonder Sui Houyu’s body was so flexible and light; it turned out he had practiced dancing.

Afterward, Sui Houyu performed the moves that the boys had done earlier, supporting himself on one hand and spinning his body. However, his version was in slow motion, his body bending gracefully, turning with ease and fluidity.

In fact, the one-handed spin that the boys had done earlier could be achieved with enough practice and flexibility using inertia.

But Sui Houyu’s spinning required a solid foundation.

If anyone dared to challenge Sui Houyu at that moment, they would only end up twisting around awkwardly. The next moment, Sui Houyu switched gears, repeating the dance moves of a few boys from Fenghua earlier, executing coach-level dance moves with even higher precision.

To steal their dance, Sui Houyu only needed to watch once and performed it more accurately than they did.

Don’t try to show off with him, or you’ll easily find yourself in an embarrassing position.

After watching, Ran Shu burst into laughter and said, “How awkward!”

The boys, now embarrassed, left the floor with their heads hung low.

Ran Shu and Sui Houyu went down together, still laughing as they walked, stammering about something.