Chapter 161: Badminton Match 1
Xia Chenge’s gaze swept over Liu Li, and she saw Liu Li exchange a look with a contestant from the vocational high school.
The person from the vocational high school immediately nodded with satisfaction, a smug smile appearing on his face.
Xia Chenge remained unfazed. After returning to her seat, she picked up her water bottle and twisted the cap. Liu Li stared intently at her. Seeing her take a sip, Liu Li finally relaxed and stopped watching her.
The competition had already begun. Xia Chenge focused on the court. In reality, she hadn’t drunk any water; she was just pretending to reassure Liu Li.
Xia Chenge hadn’t expected that Liu Li would resort to such a despicable tactic for revenge simply because Ling Hanmu had humiliated him during the first day of training.
Once a scandal of using stimulants in a competition broke out, it would be impossible to ever whitewash it!
For an athlete, it would essentially mean the end of their professional career.
Even though she and Ling Hanmu weren’t real athletes, they absolutely couldn’t be entangled in such negative news!
Soon, it was Ling Hanmu’s turn to compete.
Xia Chenge put her thoughts aside and watched Ling Hanmu’s match seriously.
Ling Hanmu didn’t display his full strength, merely winning his match against his opponent and advancing.
When it was Xia Chenge’s turn, she did the same.
Conversely, Liu Li’s performance was quite dazzling, winning his match with an absolute advantage.
The contestant from the vocational high school also performed exceptionally well, finishing quickly and decisively, eliminating two favored contestants for the championship.
This led to even more people mocking Xia Chenge and Ling Hanmu. Weibo was completely dominated by controlled comments:
That bit of luck worked out well, managing to advance to the top 16.
Hahaha, they have connections, so of course, they’d be arranged to play against weak opponents. It’s clearly a black curtain!
The comment above is correct. After all, Yan Sheng High School is backed by the Ling family. It’s easy for the Ling family to want them to win the championship, isn’t it?
The City Games, which should have been fair, were ruined by two rotten apples. What happened to fair competition? Black curtains are everywhere. The word “fairness” is truly ironic! Even the most basic spirit of competition is gone!
…
While waiting for her second match, Xia Chenge specifically went to post on Weibo.
Queen Xia Chenge: Yay, advanced to the top 16, the championship, here I come!
Since everyone was already saying her winning the championship would be a black curtain, she might as well lead the narrative. Others would be blackening her name anyway, so why let them gain popularity from it?
Just as she expected, after her Weibo post, the comments below became even more mocking:
Holy crap, I’ve seen arrogant people, but never this arrogant. Is she admitting that the City Games are rigged?
I’ve lived long enough to see this. Xia Chenge is a typical example of someone who gets ahead and becomes arrogant. Is she fearless now that she’s latched onto the Ling family?
I hope to see the day Xia Chenge is dumped by Ling Hanmu. Let’s see how smug she is then!
Let me tell you a joke: the City Games are fair competition.
…
Facing the increasingly unsightly comments, Xia Chenge didn’t argue. She put down her mobile phone and calmly waited for the match to advance to the top 8.
Ling Hanmu sat beside Xia Chenge and said with a smile, “Being slandered again?”
“If I’m not being slandered, I wouldn’t be used to it,” Xia Chenge replied calmly, completely unfazed.
Ling Hanmu turned his head, “I love seeing you slap them in the face the most!”
“I love it too. So please, slander me to your heart’s content. Seeing their faces swell up like steamed buns makes me especially happy,” Xia Chenge turned back.
“Little rascal,” Ling Hanmu pinched her cheek.
“You two should withdraw from the competition as soon as possible. Winning the championship isn’t about luck. There’s so much news slandering our school now. You are also members of Yan Sheng, you can’t just stand by and watch others insult the school, can you?” At this moment, Liu Li walked over and righteously asked the two to withdraw from the competition.
“If we’re slandered, we have to withdraw?” Ling Hanmu asked indifferently.
Liu Li choked. He instinctively flinched in front of Ling Hanmu, but thinking of how badly he was humiliated that day, he straightened his back. “Even if you win the championship, people will just say it’s a black curtain. It’s better to withdraw to prove your innocence.”
“What you’re saying is ridiculous. Just because others say we won with a black curtain, does that mean we did?” Xia Chenge said coldly. “Or are you genuinely afraid of us, and worried that we’ll snatch the men’s singles and mixed doubles championships?”
“Hmph, I’m just kindly advising you. Whether you listen or not, don’t regret it!” Liu Li’s sore spot was hit, and he turned and walked away angrily.
“Don’t be so sanctimonious. Don’t hide your little schemes from this Young Master. Learn from this Young Master and go for the championship openly!” Ling Hanmu said sarcastically.
If it weren’t for his good mood today, he would have kicked this guy away long ago, and he wouldn’t be babbling here.
Liu Li trembled at the words, inexplicably recalling the events at the training ground that day, and his hands and feet turned cold. Which was Ling Hanmu’s true strength? He dared not be sure.
The mixed doubles match also arrived quickly. When Xia Chenge and Ling Hanmu stepped onto the court together, it caused a stir.
Their outstanding appearances became a striking landscape on the court.
However, almost no one was optimistic about them.
Even their opponents looked down on the two.
“Young Master Ling, the court relies on strength. I hope Young Master Ling will forgive me,” said the male contestant from Third Middle School contemptuously to Ling Hanmu before the match began, seemingly certain that Ling Hanmu and his partner would lose.
Ling Hanmu narrowed his peach blossom eyes, “I hope you don’t regret saying that later!”
“We’ll see,” the person snorted coldly.
Ling Hanmu looked at Xia Chenge, who smiled lightly, “It’s up to you, Big Pig Ling!”
Ling Hanmu, feeling wronged and wanting to protest Xia Chenge’s address, was interrupted as the referee signaled them to take their positions.
Their interaction was seen by the audience, drawing an even larger wave of mockery:
“Can’t they just play the match properly? Why are they showing off their affection? Are they here to compete or to date?”
“This is the most eye-watering mixed doubles match I’ve ever seen. What is this? We came to watch a competition, who the hell wants to see you two exchanging loving glances?”
“Still saying there’s no black curtain? Just look at their attitude towards the match. It’s obvious the championship is theirs, that’s why they’re so arrogant!”
…
Xia Chenge had excellent hearing, and every word of their comments reached her ears.
Xia Chenge looked up, a smile on her lips as she swept her gaze over them.
Upon meeting Xia Chenge’s gaze, those people involuntarily trembled in their hearts.
Xia Chenge then withdrew her gaze, the killing intent erupting from her eyes making everyone on the court feel her sharp aura!
As soon as the match began, the opposing side played with a cat-and-mouse mentality, toying with Xia Chenge and Ling Hanmu.
However, their control over the badminton was only evident in the instant they served!
Xia Chenge and Ling Hanmu abandoned the careless playing style they had in the singles matches. Their coordination was incredibly tacit, their attacks fast and fierce, completely controlling the rhythm of the match.
Yan Sheng High School scores 1 point.
Yan Sheng High School scores 2 points.
Yan Sheng High School scores 3 points.
…
The first game ended unexpectedly.
Xia Chenge and Ling Hanmu won the game with a score of 21:0.
