Chapter Twenty-One: I Feel Like I Am in His Shadow!
“How is this possible?” A shadow of doubt crept into Lin Yu’s heart, for he had never imagined that even his most prized serve could not trouble his opponent.
He exhaled deeply, struggling to maintain his composure.
Opening his eyes, Lin Yu served again.
“Bang!”
He aimed for the outer corner of the second zone, hoping for an ace.
But his serving skills were clearly not at that level.
The ball sailed directly out beyond the sideline.
“Out!”
Frustration filled Lin Yu’s heart—the harder he tried to play well, the worse his shots became.
“He’s just an ordinary student. How could he possibly be my match? It’s just luck!” Though somewhat self-delusional, this thought gradually steadied his mindset.
He prepared for a second serve, more conservative this time, successfully landing the ball in the service box.
Jiang Hong immediately seized the opportunity, and after the bounce, struck a forehand topspin.
Lin Yu was about to return the shot when his expression suddenly changed.
“This is bad!”
The spin and bounce of the ball were unusually high.
He hastily adjusted his posture. As a provincial team player, Lin Yu managed to send the ball over the net.
But due to the rushed effort, the shot lacked power and landed right on the service line.
Footsteps sounded as Jiang Hong quickly charged forward.
His speed attribute came into play.
Before the ball’s second bounce, Jiang Hong had already reached position and prepared to strike.
Honestly, a drop shot would have been the wisest choice here.
But recalling his 30-point attribute, Jiang Hong suppressed his urge for trickery.
Instead, he chose a forehand flat drive.
He sent the ball toward Lin Yu’s right open space.
The flat drive’s characteristics—high speed and power—made it impossible for Lin Yu to catch in time.
After two quick steps, Lin Yu gave up, letting the ball fly past the baseline.
“0–30.”
As the umpire announced the score, Jiang Hong clenched his fist.
This point finally got him moving.
The thrill of winning was intoxicating.
When one focuses intently and achieves success, the brain’s feedback is addictive.
Tennis constantly stimulated Jiang Hong’s nerves.
Win, after win, after win.
Most points today ended quickly with serves and returns.
This kind of tactical variation between Jiang Hong and Lin Yu was unprecedented.
The stands immediately erupted.
“Well played!”
“So cool!”
“What’s his name? I want to follow him!”
Su Cheng looked up at the girl vying to chase after Jiang Hong.
After a quick glance, she thought, “Not as pretty as me!”
She shook her head, thinking, “Why compare myself to her?”
She then turned her attention back to the court.
Winning such long rallies certainly boosted morale, but losing them was just as disheartening.
Many players have had matches collapse simply because of this.
“I can’t lose like this.”
Though a provincial team member, Lin Yu alone understood the pressure he bore.
Tennis was a niche sport, receiving scant funding.
Yet its nature demanded heavy financial investment early on.
As a second-tier player, Lin Yu only had one or two hopeful tournaments each year.
Without results, future chances would dwindle.
“If an amateur can beat me, how am I supposed to continue on this tennis path?”
Lin Yu unleashed every trick he had—wide shots, tight angles.
Though shot quality improved, errors rose in tandem.
“Bang!”
“Out!”
The umpire called the ball out, ending the game.
2–0.
The third game was Jiang Hong’s service game.
Four aces!
At the interval, Lin Yu sighed in relief.
A sense of release washed over him.
He sat on the bench, face covered by a towel.
Meanwhile, Jiang Hong felt relaxed.
Returning to his seat, he drank some electrolyte water Su Cheng had prepared.
Though he wasn’t sweating, he didn’t want to waste her kindness.
The spectators were stunned.
Lin Yu was a provincial team player, while Jiang Hong was merely an ordinary university student.
Everyone had expected Lin Yu to sweep Jiang Hong.
But now, it seemed the reverse was true.
Had Jiang Hong truly taken this match?
The 90-second break passed in the blink of an eye.
The two players switched sides.
The fourth game was Lin Yu’s service.
Jiang Hong noticed a change in Lin Yu’s tactics—the tricky shots were gone.
Instead, Lin Yu chose powerful serves he could rely on.
“Bang!”
Even the sound of the racquet striking the ball was louder.
Lin Yu knew his baseline rallies were inferior to Jiang Hong’s, so he opted for aggressive serving to wear down his opponent and reduce his own errors.
But clearly, Lin Yu miscalculated.
He was unaware that Jiang Hong’s stamina was nearing 70 points.
In a standard three-set match, Jiang Hong’s endurance was more than sufficient.
Several points later, Lin Yu’s face was etched with despair.
He felt as if living in Jiang Hong’s shadow.
Forehand, backhand, serve, speed, stamina—Lin Yu was outmatched in every aspect.
In the first game, Lin Yu had fought hard; by the second, he had lost heart.
Now, he only wished for the match to end.
“The match winner: Jiang Hong, 6–0, 6–1.”
As the umpire’s voice rang out, the stands erupted.
“Lin Yu lost? The Lin Yu who’s always loomed over us was defeated?”
“Am I seeing things?”
“Who is this Jiang Hong? Did the School of Information Sciences hire a pro?”
Hearing this, those nearby gave incredulous looks.
“Lin Yu is a provincial team player. If he were a pro, wouldn’t Lin Yu know?”
...
Jiang Hong paid no mind to the chatter as he approached the net and shook the umpire’s hand.
He then waited for Lin Yu.
At that moment, Lin Yu had tossed his racquet aside and knelt on the court.
After a minute or two, he mustered his strength to stand and shake hands with Jiang Hong and the umpire.
If it weren’t for tennis etiquette requiring players to shake hands after a match, Lin Yu wouldn’t have wanted to face Jiang Hong.
Jiang Hong said nothing—any words now might be misinterpreted as mockery.
After the handshake, Jiang Hong turned and left.
“Wait!”
Lin Yu hesitated, then spoke.
“Hm?”
Jiang Hong paused and turned, puzzled.
“Are you a professional player?”
In this match, Lin Yu found Jiang Hong more terrifying than any player with professional ranking points on his team.
“No,” Jiang Hong shook his head with confident eyes, “but I will be.”
Having said that, Jiang Hong left the court.
Lin Yu stood rooted in place.
He had thought the gap between himself and professionals wasn’t so vast.
He never imagined someone as strong as Jiang Hong wasn’t yet a pro.
Did he still have hope?
He remained there, suddenly filled with uncertainty.