HCILH Ch. 102

Chapter 102: Learning Secretly

Excuse me, can any of you knock someone out in five minutes?

Hou Mo could.

He pulled Sui Houyu’s hand out of his clothes, helped the sleeping Sui Houyu onto the bed, took off his shoes, and covered him with a blanket. Then he reached out, wiped the dampness from Sui Houyu’s lips, and sat on the edge of the bed with a sigh.

Based on what he had figured out, once Sui Houyu fell asleep, he didn’t need to stay by his side all the time. However, he needed to check in every two hours for some physical contact; otherwise, Sui Houyu would wake up quickly.

Right now, Sui Houyu had just fallen asleep, and Hou Mo couldn’t bring himself to wake him, so he took it upon himself to push their two beds together.

On an ordinary day, the light-sleeping Sui Houyu would have woken up at the sound. But when he was asleep beside Hou Mo, he was like a “dead pig”—completely unbothered by any movement or even conversations right by his ear.

After pushing the beds together, Hou Mo considered whether sleeping on a single bed would allow for a tighter embrace. He hesitated but left them as they were, primarily because the dorm was quite cold. Whether the bed was wide or not, Sui Houyu would always move closer on his own.

After setting up the beds, Hou Mo was about to lift the blanket and join him when he heard a knock at the door.

He responded, and the people outside pushed the door open and came in. In their dormitory, doors couldn’t be locked since teachers did random inspections, so any “mischief” he and Sui Houyu did had to be done against the door.

The visitors were Deng Yiheng, Shen Junjing, Liu Mo, and Yang Hong.

This group was an unusual combination.

Liu Mo spoke up as soon as he entered: “I’m here to talk strategic cooperation.”

Hou Mo smirked: “What? Want me to go easy on you during practice?”

Earlier, Coach Huang had called him in as a “training aid” to spar with Liu Mo. The coach provided live commentary on their strengths and flaws, breaking down each move and making them repeat plays according to his guidance to assess the effects.

Liu Mo had spent the entire afternoon getting beaten by Hou Mo and serving as a negative example, but he didn’t seem to mind. He said: “No, can we share the phone?”

Feigning ignorance, Hou Mo asked: “What phone?”

Liu Mo, getting irritated at Hou Mo’s act, retorted: “Don’t pretend with me! I know you too well. You’ve probably kept something for yourself. Why not share? We’re in a tight spot, all our phones are confiscated.”

Hou Mo asked: “This…What’s in it for me?”

“We’ll cover the phone bill and any data overages. One of our guys managed to sneak in a foldable dryer through a relative—interested?” Liu Mo raised an eyebrow.

The phone bill didn’t matter, but the dryer was a big temptation.

Laundry here would take forever to dry. They had packed extra clothes, but Hou Mo couldn’t stand having a pile of dirty laundry lying around.

Besides, a quick spin in the dryer would make the clothes feel more comfortable to wear.

Hou Mo agreed: “Fine, but if we’re going for strategic cooperation, your side has to send someone to fetch it and try to bring it in.”

Liu Mo nodded in agreement: “Deal.”

“I’m not going. My partner’s asleep. If he wakes up and I’m not here, he’ll be unhappy.”

“Damn! That’s some next-level PDA.”

“It’s true. I’ll tell you where to go. Walk a few steps for me, just normally.”

Liu Mo was baffled: “I have to walk for this?”

“Hurry up.”

With limited space in the dorm, Liu Mo had to do a quick lap.

After observing, Hou Mo estimated: “At the southeast corner of the field’s fence, take twelve steps north from there. With your arm span, bring a clothes hanger to hook it. I left a spot for that when I taped it up.”

Liu Mo stared at Hou Mo for a while before turning to Deng Yiheng: “Your captain isn’t lying to me, is he?”

Deng Yiheng motioned with his chin: “Captain’s asleep. This guy is, at most, the captain’s ‘plus one.’”

“Serious, crazy monkey?”

“Seems like it.”

“He’s really that good at calculations?”

“You, his longtime rival, should know best.”

Liu Mo said nothing more, taking Yang Hong with him, presumably to find a hanger with a hook.

Deng Yiheng and Shen Junjing followed them out, saying: “We’ll come back when the we found the phone.”

Hou Mo made an “OK” gesture.

Hou Mo deliberately stayed awake to avoid gossip about him and Sui Houyu if Liu Mo saw them being too close. He didn’t care personally, but he knew Sui Houyu would be annoyed.

Twenty minutes later, they returned. Liu Mo pulled something out of his jacket and handed it to Hou Mo: “We get odd-numbered days, you get even. No saving passwords on apps. We don’t know who will use it, so clear it after each use.”

Hou Mo nodded: “Okay. Bring the dryer over today, and tomorrow I’ll send the phone to your side.”

“Deal!” Liu Mo agreed and left.

The dryer was delivered to their room, and soon, Sang Xian and the others came to drop off clothes.

This meant their dorm would become a temporary meeting place for the Fengyu High School boys.

As Hou Mo lay down, he worried. The dorm couldn’t lock its door, and there were no bed curtains. What if someone barged in while they were kissing?

Would they have to keep using the door as a barrier?

Thinking about it, he rubbed his chest.

Damn, Sui Houyu’s little hand pinched hard.

*

At lunch the next day, Lu Yanxin had successfully infiltrated the Fengyu High group, sitting next to Deng Yiheng and at the same table as Sui Houyu, Hou Mo, and the others. She blended in as if they were longtime friends.

During lunch, Lu Yanxin took out a measuring tape and said: “I’ve lost weight since coming here. I really can’t get used to the rice here. Look, my waist is only 68 centimeters now. It’s the first time I’ve been this thin with my frame.”

She demonstrated, measuring herself in front of them.

Female tennis players often stood over 165 cm, and many, like Lu Yanxin, were taller than 170 cm.

Lu Yanxin already had a striking figure, with a relatively broad frame.

None of the guys, whether straight or not, could tell she had lost weight.

Hou Mo glanced at her and remarked: “Then you haven’t seen my Brother Yu’s waist. Definitely thinner than yours.”

Lu Yanxin was indignant: “Impossible! I may have a large frame, but I’m a girl. He may be lean, but he’s still a guy. And with those right-angled shoulders, I don’t believe his frame is small.”

“Does waist size have to do with frame? It’s not like we’re comparing chest sizes. Come on, Brother Yu, show her.” Hou Mo said, pulling out the soft measuring tape.

Sui Houyu tried to dodge: “Who would want to compare this?”

Hou Mo ignored him and turned to Lu Yanxin: “Would Brother Yu ever lose in waist size? No way! It’s definitely thinner.”

The competitive spirit gradually pushed intelligence aside, eventually taking the high ground. To everyone’s surprise, Sui Houyu stood up to cooperate, leaving Lu Yanxin dumbfounded.

While helping measure, Hou Mo told him: “Brother Yu, inhale. Yeah, hold it. Let me see, 66 centimeters.”

Lu Yanxin glanced at his waist, sat back down, and muttered as she looked at her food tray: “I don’t feel like eating anymore. I can’t eat. I feel unwell.”

Deng Yiheng quickly consoled her: “You should still eat. Brother Yu drinks herbal medicine, after all.”

Lu Yanxin was instantly cheered up: “Let’s play a match later.”

Deng Yiheng, after thinking for a moment, agreed: “Alright.”

The two found a court, preparing for their first proper match since meeting.

After their meal, Sui Houyu and Hou Mo joined the others to watch the singles match. After a while, Hou Mo leaned over and whispered to Sui Houyu: “Deng Yiheng is going to lose.”

Sui Houyu continued watching the court and replied: “Deng Yiheng should be stronger than Lu Yanxin. His powerful serve alone should be enough to compete, right? Plus, he has advantages in height, arm span, and stamina…”

“Lu Yanxin is really skilled. Even our school’s girls’ team captain isn’t on her level. She only switched to tennis recently and already took third place in a provincial competition. Pretty impressive.”

Lu Yanxin had once said that she wasn’t good at academics. Hearing that playing tennis could earn her a spot in college, she had impulsively switched from badminton to tennis.

To her surprise, she was scouted by Dongti High School.

Among girls, Lu Yanxin was considered a natural talent, improving rapidly and possessing exceptional fitness.

In terms of height, physical fitness, and overall abilities, Lu Yanxin was outstanding, the kind of player coaches favored most.

A female player like her could even hold her own against male opponents.

As the match continued, Deng Yiheng realized he was outmatched and started making excuses: “This isn’t fair; I’m not good at singles. I’ve only practiced doubles.”

Lu Yanxin didn’t think much of it and asked: “Then shall we play doubles?”

Deng Yiheng agreed, convinced that he wouldn’t lose this time.

Lu Yanxin specialized in singles.

Deng Yiheng specialized in doubles.

Each had their forte.

Shen Junjing, trying to help his friend, said: “I’ll go grab a racquet.”

With that, he turned and left to fetch one.

When Deng Yiheng came back, Hou Mo quietly comforted him: “Lu Yanxin hasn’t trained for doubles. The strategies are different. And as long as she doesn’t pick someone with a strong competitive streak, like Brother Yu, who wouldn’t care who you are as an opponent, she’ll probably go easy on you, especially since she knows you like her. She won’t embarrass you.”

Deng Yiheng nodded, agreeing with Hou Mo.

Hou Mo was already prepared to step in as Lu Yanxin’s partner. In his mind, with his experience, he had a good chance of being chosen. He even gave Sang Xian a meaningful glance, signaling that if Sang Xian was chosen, he should cooperate.

Sang Xian looked off to the side with disinterest.

Unexpectedly, Lu Yanxin walked over and said: “Brother Yu, play doubles with me.”

Everyone present: “…”

She really knew how to choose a partner.

Sui Houyu, oblivious to Deng Yiheng’s pleading eyes, responded: “I’m afraid I can’t. What you’re not good at, I’m not good at either.”

Hearing this, Deng Yiheng breathed a sigh of relief.

But Sui Houyu spoke with complete seriousness.

Both he and Lu Yanxin had only ever played singles.

Singles players had no need for net play or net play awareness. If he partnered with Lu Yanxin, they’d have to use a double baseline formation and might not even coordinate well.

Then he added something that made Deng Yiheng feel utterly defeated: “But I can find you a partner.”

Lu Yanxin smiled and asked: “Who? Are you lending me Hou Mo?”

“He Shibi.”

“Brought by Lin Xiangru? I heard Brother Lin’s got a bit of a temper.”

“No.” Sui Houyu finished, scanned the practice area, and called over He Shibi. Introducing him, he said, “This is He Shibi. He’s quite skilled in doubles. You can try partnering with him.”

Deng Yiheng’s face turned pale upon seeing He Shibi.

Hou Mo tugged at Sui Houyu’s sleeve and muttered: “Is this how you act as a ‘father’?”

“I’ll explain later.” Sui Houyu replied.

Seeing everyone’s expressions, Lu Yanxin knew that He Shibi must be formidable. She agreed with delight and exchanged a few words with him about strategy.

Lu Yanxin was truly something else. Faced with someone like He Shibi, she showed no fear. She also trusted Sui Houyu blindly, assuming anyone he picked would be reliable.

As the match was about to start, Hou Mo finally asked: “What are you doing? Is Deng Yiheng’s path to love coming to an end?”

Sui Houyu smiled and replied: “Actually, I want to see how He Shibi coordinates. Think of it as stealing a lesson. I want to know how he manages silent communication—whether he looks at his partner or predicts their movements. Aren’t you curious?”

Hou Mo immediately understood. Sui Houyu was doing it on purpose.

Watching He Shibi during official training might be too obvious and could make people uncomfortable.

But a casual match among friends was a perfect opportunity for Sui Houyu and Hou Mo to observe openly and learn from He Shibi’s adaptability.

Hou Mo joined Sui Houyu in watching He Shibi intently. If the two of them could analyze his strengths together, they’d certainly extract every valuable detail—an ability sharpened by their academically gifted knack for pinpointing key takeaways.

After a while, Hou Mo remarked: “Our boy is in a tough spot.”

“Our boy?” Sui Houyu questioned.

“My son is your son too.”

“Oh…” Sui Houyu’s lips curled into a sly smile. “A father sends his son to battle, and the son has no choice but to fight.”

Hou Mo laughed for a long time.

Omake: 

A cheeky dad will tease one, and a cheeky mom will tease the whole family.

Deng Yiheng: Suddenly, I think Lu Yanxin and Brother Yu make a good pair.