Hang City's morning mist had yet to clear when Cheng Che returned from his five-kilometer run.
He took a shower and used the last two drops of the [Perfect Eye Drops].
When he opened his eyes again, the person in the mirror stunned even him for half a second.
The whites of his eyes were so clear they seemed blue, his pupils so black they seemed to hold shattered stars.
"Bro, you're too handsome." He chuckled to himself.
When he came out, Qin Lie was sitting at the table munching on a steamed bun. He glanced up and held a mouthful without swallowing for ages. "When the fuck did you hire a personal trainer?"
The young man was bare-chested, with only a bath towel wrapped around him.
Water dripped from his wet hair, sliding down the side of his neck, over his collarbone, then winding its way down his chest.
His shoulders were broad, but he didn't look bulky.
His waist was narrow, its lines tapering cleanly on either side.
The real killer was his abs, lined up in neat rows, looking less like something he had trained for than something that had naturally grown exactly where it belonged.
His V-lines dipped faintly beneath the edge of his pajama pants, disappearing just enough.
"When would I have had time in my senior year? I was born like this!"
Qin Lie scanned him up and down and took a vicious bite of his bun. "You could make a living as a model even if you quit tennis."
"Thanks for the compliment, but I'd only be a male model at a shady establishment. Not a legit one." Cheng Che pulled on his match uniform. "Let's go. Don't want to be late."
After breakfast, the two hurried to the Hang City Sports Center Tennis Center, where the qualifiers were already underway.
Matches were being fought on sixteen courts at once, with the entire first round to be completed that day.
Cheng Che's match was scheduled for the second slot.
Qin Lie took out his phone and opened the livestream. On-screen, Zhou Kaiyue's match had just ended.
6-1, 6-2. An easy win.
A reporter stopped him. "Who would you like to face in the next round?"
Zhou Kaiyue laughed, still catching his breath. "Cheng Che, of course. I want him to experience firsthand what the true charm of tennis is."
The comments flew across the screen.
Qin Lie closed the livestream and turned to Cheng Che. "Any thoughts?"
Cheng Che took his racket out of his bag and tested his grip. "He's pretty good with words, but I'll show him what the charm of tennis is."
Court Three.
With ten minutes left before the match, a sparse scattering of people sat in the stands.
Then Cheng Che entered.
Wearing a light-blue tennis outfit, his racket on his back, he emerged from the passageway.
The wind had tousled his hair a little, and he casually ran a hand through it.
Sunlight fell directly on him.
The whole of Court Three went quiet for a second.
Then a buzz rose.
"Holy shit, who's that..."
"That's him! The top scorer on the college entrance exam!"
"He looks even more... in person than in the videos. Oh my God."
People who had been looking down at their phones raised their heads one after another.
Some stood up. Others raised their phones.
[Stars Surrounding the Moon] activated.
His presence seemed to expand under some force. Though he was merely standing courtside adjusting his wristbands, he drew more attention than the players competing on the court.
[Star of the Court] lit up next.
He took a deep breath, the light in his eyes settling into their depths as his aura turned extremely dangerous.
Sitting in a corner of the back row, Xiao Zhou nudged Yan Ruanning beside her with an elbow:
"Ruanning, our boy's all grown up. That body, that face... Even a diehard career fan like me can barely take it."
Yan Ruanning ignored her, busy glaring at several girls diagonally ahead who were whispering to one another, their faces red from looking at him.
Down on the court, Zhang Hao had already taken his position.
He looked at Cheng Che across from him, then at all the excited faces in the stands, his heart a jumble of flavors.
You can have the looks. I'll take the score.
He tightened his grip on his racket, making up his mind.
Meanwhile, the online livestream's popularity was soaring at a speed even the organizers hadn't anticipated.
"Who's Cheng Che? Why is every comment about him?"
"Top scorer on the college entrance exam! 732 points! First in Caiyun Province!"
"Oh my God, that entrance made my knees go weak."
"Sisters, hold the line in the comments! Don't embarrass us!"
At the commentary desk, the two commentators were drinking water.
"Player number 91 is very popular."
"Yes, he topped the college entrance exam and drew plenty of attention before the tournament. But matches still come down to skill-"
Before he finished speaking, Cheng Che tossed the ball.
His body arched back like a bow drawn taut. Then he swung.
The ball shot out like a bullet, tracing an almost invisible straight line through the air.
Pop.
The ball landed in the service box on Zhang Hao's backhand side, bounced, and flew beyond the court.
Zhang Hao didn't move a muscle.
The whole court was so quiet the wind could be heard.
The commentator looked down at the number on his screen and opened his mouth. "Great serve..."
Zhang Hao stood where he was, staring at the spot where the ball had landed for two seconds before slowly walking back to the baseline.
When they changed ends, he passed Cheng Che and lowered his voice until only the two of them could hear:
"Fast, I'll give you that. But tennis isn't played with just one shot."
The corner of Cheng Che's mouth twitched. He didn't reply.
Zhang Hao picked up a ball and walked to the other end.
The livestream comments exploded.
"Holy shit, how fast was that serve??"
"That look on Zhang Hao's face. His mental game's collapsed, hasn't it?"
"Hold on, it's only the first point. Zhang Hao's from the city sports school. There's plenty of tough fighting ahead."
"Top Scorer Bro, that serve has won me over."
Cheng Che held his racket, his thumb rubbing the textured grip.
[Total Concentration] activated.
The world fell silent, leaving only the ball and his opponent's breathing.