Chapter 158: Pre-Competition Preparations 3
“Hahaha, waiting for you to get beaten again.”
“You’re clearly not good at it but still trying to save face, it’s going to be a show soon!”
“Young Master Ling, if you don’t know how, just admit it. Why put yourself through this humiliation?”
“Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. You should save your energy, lest you lose and take it out on others. Liu Li is determined to break the zero score for the school, so don’t cause trouble. After all, Yan Sheng High School is also your Ling family’s!”
……
The onlookers made no effort to hide the excitement and disdain in their eyes, convinced that under these circumstances, even if Ling Hanmu got angry, he wouldn’t dare do anything.
After all, they had a point! The Ling family couldn’t possibly be protective to the extent of alienating their students, could they?
Ling Hanmu swept them a half-smile and said, “Is that so? It’s only the second match, how can you be so sure this Young Master will lose?”
“You’ve already been beaten so badly, do you still need to continue playing?”
“Please, Young Master Ling, be magnanimous and don’t hold grudges against us who are just speaking the truth.”
“Since Young Master Ling is unwilling to admit defeat, we naturally have to wait and see, to witness Young Master Ling’s counterattack!”
……
“Young Master Ling, are you still continuing?” After everyone had finished speaking, Liu Li looked at Ling Hanmu indifferently. Clearly, like them, he was confident of victory and didn’t take Ling Hanmu seriously at all.
“Play, why wouldn’t I play?” Ling Hanmu slung the racquet over his shoulder and casually walked onto the court. “Continue!”
Liu Li sneered, “Then I hope Young Master Ling will be fair and square.”
Upon hearing this, Xia Chenge’s gaze deepened. Before the match even began, he was already implying that Ling Hanmu was a scoundrel.
A player with such arrogance wouldn’t achieve much in terms of grades, no matter how high his talent.
“I hope you can still say that later!” Ling Hanmu curved his lips. “The last match was just a warm-up!”
With that, Ling Hanmu gripped his racquet, his entire aura becoming imposing. Even before the match began, it felt as though he had already controlled the outcome, sending a chill down Liu Li and the others’ spines.
Impossible! Liu Li frowned. Ling Hanmu was just a young master who didn’t know how to play badminton. He had been playing since he was a child and had won so many awards. How could he possibly be afraid of Ling Hanmu? And even less likely to lose to him!
With this thought, Liu Li resolved to make Ling Hanmu lose even more miserably.
Both sides took their positions, and with the referee’s signal, the second match officially began.
Liu Li started with tricky shots, dictating the pace of the match.
However, the rhythm he set only lasted for the moment of the serve.
After that, it completely became Ling Hanmu’s domain.
The first point, everyone thought it was a fluke.
The second point, everyone thought he was just lucky.
The third point, everyone believed Liu Li was deliberately letting him win.
By the fourth, fifth, and sixth points… until Liu Li lost the match with zero points, everyone’s rationality returned, and they were horrified to discover that it was Liu Li who was being beaten!
Liu Li stood there petrified, unable to believe that Ling Hanmu, whom he had easily dominated earlier, had so effortlessly won this match, and even shut him out!
“Impossible, impossible!” Liu Li kept shaking his head, staring blankly at a point somewhere, unable to accept this outcome no matter what!
Ling Hanmu simply smiled calmly, without the pride of a victor, nor the biting sarcasm towards the defeated.
He just walked over to Xia Chenge to take the water, tilted his head back, and drank. Sweat trickled down his long neck to his collarbone, highlighting his masculine charm.
Xia Chenge took a dry towel and gently wiped the sweat from him, her eyes filled with a sweet smile, her gaze reflecting only Ling Hanmu.
After finishing the water, Ling Hanmu smiled and ruffled Xia Chenge’s hair. The moment they looked at each other, the whole world seemed to be filled with pink bubbles.
“You’ve really surprised me,” Xia Chenge said with a smile. “Playing the pig to eat the tiger?”
“It’s just playing badminton. After playing one match, I knew how to play.” Ling Hanmu looked relaxed. “Learning it isn’t as hard as you think. Best of three, I’ll win another game for you to see!”
The people nearby almost vomited blood upon hearing this.
Being beaten by someone who had just learned to play badminton was, for Liu Li, the greatest humiliation in history.
He gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and stared intently at Ling Hanmu. He refused to believe he couldn’t win against Ling Hanmu! He had been careless earlier; Ling Hanmu must have been playing the pig to eat the tiger. This time, he would absolutely not lose to Ling Hanmu!
“Alright, I’m going on court!” As soon as the break was over, Ling Hanmu was the first to walk onto the court.
Ling Hanmu stood under the scorching sun, dripping with sweat, exuding an indescribable masculine aura that made it impossible to look away.
He winked at Xia Chenge, and the next moment his expression turned serious.
On the court, he showed respect to every opponent, even if their strength was far inferior to his own.
However, in Liu Li’s eyes, this only made him feel more that Ling Hanmu was deliberately humiliating him!
As the third match began, Liu Li went all out, leaving no room for error, aiming for a quick victory to avenge his shame.
Ling Hanmu noticed Liu Li’s agitated state and couldn’t help but smirk: How can someone who gets angry so easily maintain a calm mindset to face a match?
In this match, Liu Li lost even more miserably, almost every point being a result of his impatience, gifting points to Ling Hanmu.
Let alone beating Ling Hanmu, he was completely dominated by Ling Hanmu, and at a faster pace than the previous match, losing with a score of 0:21.
When Ling Hanmu was announced the winner, Liu Li stood there dumbfounded, not even reacting when his racquet clattered to the ground.
Those who were certain Ling Hanmu would lose were equally stunned, their mouths agape for a long time, unable to believe that Ling Hanmu had so easily defeated Liu Li.
After a while, they came back to their senses and looked at Ling Hanmu with complex expressions.
Was this a human? This was simply not human!
“Did you take banned substances?” Liu Li suddenly shouted, his face agitated. “You must have taken stimulants; I don’t believe you could beat me in such a short time. In the first match, your reactions clearly showed you had never played badminton before!”
Upon hearing this, everyone’s gaze fell on Ling Hanmu, with a hint of suspicion: Yes, he clearly didn’t know how to play before, and now he’s so skilled. Could he have really taken stimulants?
Xia Chenge’s brow furrowed, clearly displeased.
The smile in Ling Hanmu’s eyes suddenly vanished, replaced by a chilling, terrifying coldness: “This Young Master hates people who resort to dirty tricks when they are outmatched the most!”
Liu Li shivered upon hearing this and took a few steps back in fear.
But thinking about the match just now, he regained his confidence and pointed at Ling Hanmu: “You clearly didn’t know how to play badminton, yet you exploded with such terrifying skill in such a short time. How else can it be explained other than taking stimulants? Do you dare to play me again?”
Ling Hanmu sneered, “Taking stimulants during routine training? Are you out of your mind? Admit it when you’re outmatched. You’re not convinced? This Young Master will play until you are!”
I’m not feeling well today, only one update. Good night everyone.
