Chapter Ten: Your Ambition Unsettles Me!

At noon, Wang Shijie had just finished teaching and returned home. As soon as he opened his computer, he saw his forum notifications flashing nonstop.

Logging in, he was surprised to see that boy named Jiang Hong had posted again.

This kid had left quite an impression on him—last time, he casually mentioned a training plan, and Jiang Hong actually followed through and practiced it seriously.

Wang Shijie was a little amazed. After all, most of his trainees would slack off when no one was watching, but here was Jiang Hong, working so hard entirely on his own. Just from this perseverance alone, it was clear he truly loved tennis.

Clicking on the video link Jiang Hong shared, Wang Shijie watched silently for a long while.

The training intensity was absolutely insane. For an ordinary trainee, their arm would probably be useless the next day—likely needing a cast or splint.

As for the lively Jiang Hong, Wang Shijie could only conclude that this boy was extraordinarily gifted; his lactic acid cleared faster than most.

Anyone else would probably be in the hospital by now.

But this wasn’t even the most surprising part for Wang Shijie.

Watching Jiang Hong’s serve technique, he was dumbfounded.

An outsider might see it as ordinary, but an expert could instantly tell the depth—such explosive power, such precise placement control; even provincial team players wouldn’t reach this level.

Yet, Wang Shijie could also tell Jiang Hong hadn’t undergone systematic training. His finesse with drop shots and other skills still felt rough, like raw power forged through unconventional practice.

After pondering for some time, Wang Shijie typed out his advice: “Your serve is already excellent, nothing to improve there. But your forehand and backhand need strengthening. I suggest hitting 1,000 forehand shots and 1,000 backhand shots against a wall every day to build a solid foundation.”

After sending the message, he leaned back in his chair with a sigh. Talent like this could be truly frustrating.

Good thing he never stubbornly chased a professional tennis career himself.

...

Jiang Hong was scrolling through the forum in his dorm when he spotted the “Tennis Kid’s” comment. He quickly opened the system panel:

[Notification! Received suggestion: 1,000 forehand hits daily. Reward: +2 forehand skill points. (Accept?)]
[Notification! Received suggestion: 1,000 backhand hits daily. Reward: +2 backhand skill points. (Accept?)]

“Accept!” Jiang Hong’s eyes lit up. Finally, a new task to grind.

The Tennis Kid was genuinely a good person, providing plenty of advice.

Looking out the window, the sunset was perfect, the breeze gentle—such a beautiful day would be a waste not to practice.

He grabbed his racket and pulled a bucket of balls from the cabinet.

“Old Jiang, where are you going? Isn’t training over for today?” Li Hua pulled off his headphones, baffled by Jiang Hong’s determined expression.

“Extra practice on two new skills,” Jiang Hong waved him off and slipped out the door like a flash.

...

“Great, this guy’s totally obsessed now!” Li Hua muttered, watching Jiang Hong’s retreating figure. He put on his headphones again to continue gaming but kept getting distracted.

Watching Jiang Hong charge forward with single-minded focus made him uneasy, a strange kind of anxiety stirring inside.

In the end, he even rifled through his drawer for textbooks—he couldn’t let Jiang Hong burn out all alone.

...

Jiang Hong knew nothing of Li Hua’s thoughts. For him, even the toughest training was just a test of willpower. With the repair potion as a safety net, a good night’s sleep would restore him to full strength.

Heading downstairs, he didn’t go to the tennis court—it was surely crowded at this hour. The lecture hall was out too; he didn’t want to end up on the “crazy person” headlines again.

He wandered to the northeast corner of the campus and found a small grove of trees by the fence, usually deserted—just the right spot.

He started hitting balls against the wall. The system was strict: no half-hearted swings or standing still; it counted only if he mimicked a real rally.

At first, after just three or five hits, the balls would fly off wildly. He’d thought he could finish in two hours, but half the time was spent just retrieving balls.

“No way, I need to get Su Cheng to help tomorrow!”

Whether Su Cheng agreed or not was another matter—money talked.

[Forehand hits (350/1000)]
[Backhand hits (470/1000)]

Watching the progress bars creep upward, Jiang Hong gritted his teeth and swung relentlessly. His arms ached as if filled with lead, but he wouldn’t stop—these were skill points!

[Notification! Host has completed the suggested task.]

The system’s prompt sounded, and Jiang Hong almost cried.

“Finally done!”

Just as he was about to leave, he noticed two figures embracing not far off.

Ah, the grove really was a hotspot for “academic exchanges.” He tiptoed around to avoid disturbing them.

But it seemed the others weren’t so keen on being avoided.

“Ghost!” a shriek pierced the air. The boy suddenly shoved the girl away and bolted, running faster than Usain Bolt.

The girl froze for two seconds, then looked in the direction he ran, only to see a shadowy figure holding an “axe” approaching, screaming as she fled.

Jiang Hong was stunned: “Where on earth did this ghost come from?”

He glanced down at his racket, mouth twitching. Could it be they mistook him for a ghost?

What a ridiculous thought.

Without much more thought, he tucked the racket away and headed back to the dorm, utterly exhausted and eager to sleep so the potion could take effect.

As soon as he entered, he saw Li Hua and Gao Sen huddled around a computer. He approached.

“What are you guys looking at?”

They jumped, startled. Li Hua patted his chest.

“Jiang Ge, you’re so quiet! You scared us to death!”

“I only know this: if you have a clear conscience, you needn’t fear ghosts knocking at your door,” Jiang Hong quirked an eyebrow.

Li Hua leaned in conspiratorially. “Jiang Ge, the school’s haunted!”

Jiang Hong’s heart skipped a beat. Thinking of the couple in the grove, did he somehow cross into a supernatural world?

Before he could ponder further, Li Hua dragged him to the screen.

The campus forum homepage displayed a new post: “Terrifying! Axe-wielding monster spotted in the grove—couple scared out of their wits. Human prank or something else...?”

Reading the description of “tree chopping sounds” and someone “carrying an axe,” Jiang Hong’s mouth twitched. So the sound of hitting tennis balls was mistaken for chopping trees, and his racket was seen as an axe?

This was truly a case of ruining a couple’s romance!

But when disaster strikes, everyone flies their separate ways. Maybe this couple was better off apart—perhaps Jiang Hong even earned some merit points for it?

At the same time, Jiang Hong suspected there was a paparazzi group on campus. Otherwise, how else could there always be so many news stories?

“Old Jiang, do you really think the grove is haunted?” Li Hua nervously glanced around.

“Haunted my foot!” Jiang Hong rolled his eyes.

“How do you know it’s not?” Li Hua objected.

Nearby, Gao Hu sighed and pointed at Li Hua’s feet.

Li Hua looked down at Jiang Hong’s shoes for a long moment, then said earnestly, “New shoes? Pretty nice.”

Gao Hu’s mouth twitched. “There’s mud on Jiang’s shoes, and the only muddy place on campus is the grove. So that ‘ghost’ was probably Jiang Ge himself.”

Li Hua suddenly understood and laughed. “Jiang Ge, you really have a flair for making headlines! Practiced twice, trending twice—it’s like you’re more famous than a superstar!”

Jiang Hong shot him a sideways glance. “Jealous? Want me to take you up once?”

Li Hua immediately backed down, waving his hands like a rattle drum. “No, no, I’m afraid I’ll be mistaken for the ghost’s accomplice. If someone tries to exorcise me, that’d be a terrible injustice!”