Cheng Che activated [ Fade into the Bustle ].
From the moment I boarded the subway, that familiar feeling returned.
People's gazes swept over him, like passing a roadside sign—they saw him, but didn't remember him.
Su Miaoyin walked beside him, occasionally glancing at him, as if she felt something was amiss, but couldn't quite put her finger on it.
Tokyo Tower is near Akabanebashi Station.
The two exited the subway and walked uphill along the path next to Zōjō-ji.
The road was quiet, lined with low-rise residential buildings and a few neatly trimmed pine trees.
The tower gradually emerged from the gaps in the tree canopy, its orange-red steel frame glowing warmly in the night. The closer you got, the taller it seemed.
Su Miaoyin looked up at it for a while.
"Higher than I expected."
Cheng Che nodded.
He recalled that the tower was built in 1958, stood at 333 meters, and was once the tallest building in Tokyo.
It was later replaced by the Tokyo Skytree, but the tower still stands here, like an old man who has aged but remains steadfast.
The two bought tickets and took the elevator up to the main observation deck.
As the elevator doors opened, the entire city's night view unfolded before us.
The direction of Tokyo Bay was dark, the sea surface blended into the night, with only a sparse patch of lights in the distant Odaiba.
Looking in another direction, Shinjuku's skyscrapers resemble a cluster of tombstones studded with light, densely packed against the black ground.
Traffic moved along the street, red and white taillights forming two slowly flowing rivers.
Su Miaoyin pressed her face against the glass, watched for a while, and then remained silent.
Cheng Che stood beside her, his gaze fixed on the distance.
He thought of " Dragon Raja ".
Lu Mingfei and Erii.
Cheng Che looked down at the city below.
Lu Mingfei and Erii came to Tokyo Skytree, not Tokyo Tower.
But when you stand at this height and look down, the feeling is probably the same.
The city lights resembled a jewel guarded by a group of snakes.
It was far away, very bright, and very dangerous.
He remembered another sentence Erii had written in her notebook, "The world is gentle."
But in the end, she kept nothing.
Su Miaoyin turned her head and saw him lost in thought. "What are you thinking about?"
"It's nothing," Cheng Che said, looking away. "I was just thinking about a novel."
What novel?
"In the anime/manga series * Dragon Raja *, there's a couple who visited Tokyo and saw the night view from the tower."
Su Miaoyin hadn't read the book, but seeing the expression on his face, she didn't press him for details.
She tugged at his sleeve and pointed to the souvenir shop next door. "Let's go buy something."
The two walked around the store.
Su Miaoyin bought a small Tokyo Tower keychain, silver in color, with a tiny star hanging from the top of the tower.
Cheng Che picked out two postcards: one with a night view of Tokyo Tower and the other with a silhouette of Mount Fuji in the distance.
As Su Miaoyin came out of the store, she saw a girl holding up her phone and said in Chinese, "Could you take a picture for us?"
The girl glanced at her, then at Cheng Che, and nodded.
Cheng Che handed over the camera and stood side by side with Su Miaoyin in front of the glass of the observation deck.
He was half a head taller than Su Miaoyin. The two stood together, with the city lights shining behind them.
The girl took two photos, and when she returned the camera, she said, "You two look so good together."
Su Miaoyin took the camera without saying a word, but a smile played on her lips.
She didn't notice that the girl didn't glance at Cheng Che even once from beginning to end.
[ Fade into the Bustle ] is still running.
The next morning, at Tokyo Ariake Tennis Forest Park, the first round of the main draw took place.
Cheng Che stood behind the baseline, opposite France player Jean- Pierre Moreau.
Ranked 97th in the world.
This is the strongest opponent Cheng Che has faced so far, a level above Nakamura Takuma and Inoue Kenta in the qualifiers.
Moreau has a very consistent serve, solid baseline technique, and a very threatening forehand side attack.
In the first six games of the first set, both players held serve.
3 to 3.
In the seventh game, Cheng Che forced two break points in Moreau's serve. On the second break point, he hit a backhand down-the-line passing shot and broke serve successfully.
4 to 3.
In the ninth game, Cheng Che held serve and won the first set 6-4.
Moreau did not collapse.
In the second game, he adjusted his tactics and started going online more often.
This tactic worked in the third game, where he scored with a volley, breaking Cheng Che's serve.
2 to 1.
Cheng Che remained calm.
He broke back in the fourth game and broke serve again in the sixth game, bringing the score to 4-2.
They ultimately won the second set 6-3.
The entire audience was Total Concentration.
[ Champion ] and [ Star of the Court ] are running automatically. With 76 stamina points and 80 skill level, it's enough to handle the first round of the main tournament.
In the domestic live broadcast room, Lin Yan's voice was much calmer than during the qualifiers, but the emotion was still there.
Cheng Che defeated France Moreau 6-4, 6-3 in straight sets to advance to the second round of the main draw. Moreau, ranked 197th in the world, is his toughest opponent so far. However, Cheng Che maintained control of the game.
The comments section exploded with messages.
[We won the first round of the main tournament! And our opponent was ranked 197th!]
[He probably didn't go all out today, right? I saw he wasn't even out of breath after he finished.]
[Two shutouts in the qualifiers, and a straight-sets victory in the first round of the main draw. With this form, winning the championship is truly a possibility.]
Who will be our next opponent?
[No matter who it is, I think he can win.]
[Don't jinx it, don't jinx it. The opponents in the later stages of the main competition are getting stronger and stronger. This is just the beginning.]
[But look at his serve and baseline game, it's completely different from the qualifiers. It seems like he's improved again.]
What exactly is his ceiling?
There were also a few calm voices.
[ Moreau isn't too strong; the real test will be in the third round and the semi-finals.]
He certainly played well, but don't rush to say he'll win the championship; there are still seeded players to come.
Although the Tokyo Open is not a top-tier tournament, it still boasts a number of top-level players.
These comments were quickly buried, but Lin Yan saw them.
He paused for a moment in the commentary booth, then said:
"The opponents ahead will indeed get stronger. But the performance Cheng Che showed today makes me feel... he has the ability to handle them."
On the court, Cheng Che put away his racket and glanced at the stands.
Su Miaoyin, sitting in the third row, nodded to him.
She didn't shout or wave; she just smiled quietly.
When Cheng Che walked out of the player tunnel, Qin Lie was already waiting.
He held a printed signature sheet in his hand, and his expression was much more relaxed than in the morning.
"The next opponent has been determined."
Cheng Che glanced at the name.
"Good."
He didn't ask too many questions. Whoever it is, just hit them.