The Boy Seeking a Challenge

"Kevin, you're making me more and more satisfied. If things go smoothly, maybe in half a year I can finally go open that milk tea shop without worries."

Tony Teacher was extremely satisfied with Wang Chao. He had even specially given Wang Chao a fancy name just like his own: Kevin.

So now Huimin Barber Shop had two teachers.

Tony Teacher and Kevin Teacher. Just hearing the names, you could tell they had a proper international flair.

The former specialized in all kinds of edgy, non-mainstream hairstyles and mainstream wash-cut-blow styles.

The latter only knew how to cut crew cuts. He just needed clippers.

As for the young woman who washed hair, although she had been there longer than Wang Chao, she lacked talent and liked to slack off, so the boss had never bestowed a name upon her.

One noon, Wang Chao and Tony Teacher were squatting at the entrance, eating boxed lunches, when a visitor arrived.

It was a teenager.

"Hey, you're Wang Chao, right? Let me introduce myself. I'm Jiang Shan. You should have seen me before."

The teenager looked underage, around thirteen or fourteen. He had a childish face, but spoke with his nose in the air, acting extremely cocky. "Mingyue Stadium, that night..."

Wang Chao suddenly understood. "I remember now. You were the one who came first in the internal assessment."

Jiang Shan chuckled, looking very pleased with himself. "That's right, it was me. I came to play you."

Wang Chao was stunned.

"You don't need to be surprised. Our coach had been asking around for your name because he wanted to invite you for a trial. I eavesdropped on his phone call outside and came to find you first."

Wang Chao gave an "Oh." "Why do you want to play me?"

"Because you're not bad."

Jiang Shan said arrogantly, "You're qualified to make me step in."

Just then, a customer entered the barbershop for a crew cut. That should have been Wang Chao's job, but Tony Teacher thoughtfully took it on himself and told Wang Chao to entertain the guest properly.

Wang Chao asked again, "If you wanted to play me, why didn't you step forward directly at Mingyue Stadium that day?"

Jiang Shan snorted disdainfully. "Gorilla was clearly the one at fault. Why should I stand up for him?"

He raised his little face, looking smug as anything. "I, Jiang Shan, don't do things like bullying people!"

At first, Wang Chao smiled knowingly at his mention of "Gorilla." Tian Zhengguang's face full of beard did indeed make him look a little like an ape. But then Wang Chao's expression became strange.

"You mean... I can't beat you?"

Today was overcast. It wasn't hot, just a little humid, and there wasn't a trace of wind in the air. It was a good day for table tennis.

School was already out, and the students were all busy preparing for exams. There wasn't a single person by the outdoor concrete tables.

Several red bricks stacked in the middle of the concrete table served as a "net," lower than a standard net.

The conditions were somewhat shabby, but for this spur-of-the-moment match, they were good enough.

Standing on one side of the table, Wang Chao felt rather speechless.

He was clearly Kevin Teacher, diligently studying beauty and hairdressing. How had he let that brat provoke him with just a few words into taking leave and coming here for a one-on-one match?

Perhaps...

It was because the brat had spoken as if it were only natural, stirring up Wang Chao's rebellious streak?

Or perhaps...

He also wanted to see what level the number one player in the city reserve team truly possessed?

That was what the brat had said.

"You're an amateur. I'm a professional. How could an amateur possibly beat a professional?"

"You use penhold, while I use shakehand. How could penhold possibly beat shakehand?"

"Penhold Backhand Loop may be rare, but it's really just a backhand attacking technique. It's not that frightening."

"I recorded that match of yours on my phone. After going back, I watched it dozens of times. I'm sure your fundamentals aren't as good as mine."

"Though you play cleverly, it's not as if I'm brainless. Your feints don't work on me."

"So I came to find you before the coach did out of kindness."

"I want you to understand that you absolutely can't let your guard down during the trial."

Wang Chao's teeth itched.

That little brat was far too arrogant!

What was more, the brat went on to poke at one of his sore spots.

"What? You don't have a paddle?"

Jiang Shan's eyes widened, his expression one of utter disbelief.

"As a table tennis player, you don't even have your own paddle?"

"Don't you know that if you want to become an expert, you must have your own dedicated paddle?"

"It's like a soldier going into battle. He must have a weapon he's familiar with."

"If you haven't used the same paddle year after year, how could you possibly fully understand all of its technical characteristics?"

"These are basic theoretical principles. You really don't know them?"

"I'm starting to wonder whether I overestimated you."

Wang Chao endured it with great difficulty.

I just transmigrated here, damn it. I inherited the body of a complete hack, my family's so poor the wind blows through every wall—where the hell was I supposed to get a paddle?

Little brat, since you're acting so high and mighty, don't blame me if I don't hold back... Wang Chao thought.

In the end, he used the spare paddle Jiang Shan had brought.

Wang Chao held it and tested it. It was much better than Han Feng's paddle that cost over a thousand yuan. The rubber had exceptional bounce, and when he pressed it with his fingers, it gave him a strange sensation of being both springy and smooth.

For the time being, he wasn't picky about paddles. His body's extreme sensitivity allowed him to grasp most of a paddle's characteristics in the shortest possible time and instinctively adjust himself accordingly.

Today's match was not a single-game decider like at Mingyue Stadium, but a more standardized best-of-seven format.

Jiang Shan served, brimming with confidence. He was certain he had thoroughly studied Wang Chao, so his main purpose in coming today was actually to verify whether his analysis was correct.

Then came a sharp smack.

Wang Chao stepped around and drove the ball, scoring directly.

"Huh?" Jiang Shan was surprised. He tilted his head and thought for a moment. "Again."

He served again, changing his approach.

Then came another smack, and Wang Chao once again attacked first and scored.

Two consecutive points, both killed with a single stroke—clean and decisive.

"That's not right." Jiang Shan scratched his head. "There's nothing wrong with my serves. How can you just attack right away...?"

Wang Chao said nothing. He went to the side of the table to pick up the ball. Now it was his turn to serve.

He tossed the ball three meters into the air.

Seeing this, Jiang Shan immediately made his judgment.

A high toss is usually meant to create stronger spin. But judging from the earlier video, Wang Chao deliberately served a no-spin ball against Long Tao, so I need to watch his wrist closely and be careful of his feints.

Body movements can be faked, but the path of the wrist can't be faked.

Jiang Shan's response was highly professional. His eyes were fixed on Wang Chao's right hand holding the paddle, and he instinctively stepped back half a step. From the details of Wang Chao's movement, he judged it would be a long serve, so he prepared to attack directly.

But this ball was extremely short. Falling from such a height, the combined force of gravity and the paddle's friction did not make the ping-pong ball faster. Instead, it looked soft and weak, barely grazing the net before landing on the table.

It looked like a serving mistake, yet it hadn't gone straight into the net. That mistake threw Jiang Shan's prediction off.

Jiang Shan hurriedly stepped forward to save the ball, but it popped up high. After it flew over, Wang Chao stepped forward and killed it directly with one stroke.

"What the hell!" The little brat looked utterly unconvinced and shouted, "Again!"

Wang Chao continued serving. His motion looked completely ordinary. The moment his arm moved, Jiang Shan made his judgment. This is a standard serve. Looks like he wants to test fundamentals against me.

But... he was wrong again.

The ball looked completely ordinary when it hit the paddle, but at the last moment, Wang Chao suddenly snapped his wrist, turning a short backspin serve into a surprise long serve that shot straight at Jiang Shan's chest.

Jiang Shan had never expected to step back. He was completely jammed, and in his rush, he swung to receive it. The ball struck the handle and flew high into the sky.

The confident little brat had lost all four points, making it 4:0.