By the time the second game began, Zhou Kaiyue could no longer shout the way he had in the first.
He returned to the rest area and took a sip of water. His hands shook badly as he wiped away his sweat.
His coach crouched beside him, wanting to say something. He opened his mouth, but in the end, he only patted his knee. "Don't overthink it. Just get the return in first."
Zhou Kaiyue nodded and went back onto the court.
But some things couldn't be controlled just by "not overthinking it."
In the second game, it was Cheng Che's turn to serve.
Standing behind the baseline, Zhou Kaiyue watched the boy across from him bounce the ball twice.
The movements were light, the rhythm steady.
Then Cheng Che tossed the ball and swung.
"Smack!"
A first serve down the T, its speed an estimated 180 kilometers per hour.
Zhou Kaiyue didn't move.
"Fifteen-love."
The second ball went wide.
Zhou Kaiyue moved, but he had only taken one step before the ball bounced beyond the baseline.
"Thirty-love."
The third was a body serve.
The ball came flying right at his body. He hurriedly held his racket across himself to block it, sending the ball high into the air.
Cheng Che came to the net and delivered an overhead smash.
"Forty-love."
The fourth ball.
Gritting his teeth, Zhou Kaiyue lowered his center of gravity.
He knew Cheng Che was going to serve wide.
He moved early, reaching his racket out as far as it would go. This time, he touched it.
He blocked the ball back, barely clearing the net, with no power behind it.
Cheng Che was already waiting at the net.
With a light backhand touch, he sent the ball rolling over the net cord.
Zhou Kaiyue rushed forward, almost dropping to his knees as he scooped his racket upward from below.
The ball rose, slowly clearing the net.
Cheng Che didn't retreat.
He leaped like a blade leaving its sheath and slammed the ball down with his forehand!
"Smack!"
The ball crashed down behind Zhou Kaiyue.
"Two-love. Cheng Che leads."
Zhou Kaiyue was still kneeling on the ground. He hadn't gotten up.
His knees burned, the skin on his palms was scraped, and his forehead was covered in sweat.
But none of that compared to the cold in his heart, slowly creeping through his entire body.
In the second game, Cheng Che hadn't given him a single point.
Two service games, eight balls, zero points.
The spectators in the stands had mostly stopped shouting.
Not because they weren't excited, but because they were too stunned.
So stunned that everyone felt a dazed sense of, "What am I watching?"
"Holy shit... this is like beating up a kid."
"Zhou Kaiyue is a professional junior player, isn't he? How come he can't even touch the ball?"
"Still haven't figured it out? Cheng Che was testing him in the first game. He only started playing for real in the second."
"Cheng Che is terrifying."
At the commentary desk, the two commentators had already fallen silent three times.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I'll be honest. In all my years commentating on matches, this is the first time I've seen anything like this in a qualifier. Zhou Kaiyue has been completely smothered. All his strokes have lost their form. He can't even produce his first serve, his strongest weapon."
"I noticed one statistic. Since the second game began, Zhou Kaiyue's first-serve percentage has been just thirty percent. That figure is almost unheard of for a professional player. It shows that his psychological defenses have already been breached."
"Yes. The score can lie, but touch can't. Today, Zhou Kaiyue has run into the hardest wall of his career."
The third game began.
Standing behind the baseline, Zhou Kaiyue looked like a different person.
His face was terribly pale, his lips pressed into a thin line. Even the fingers gripping his racket had turned slightly blue.
He didn't look at Cheng Che across the court.
He didn't look at anyone.
He only stared at the ball beside his feet.
That little yellow-green ball lay quietly on the ground, waiting for him to pick it up.
He bent down, picked up the ball, and walked behind the service line.
The entire venue suddenly went quiet.
Three thousand people, as if by agreement, didn't say a word.
It was the kind of silence that came before a storm, the air heavy with pressure.
Cheng Che stood opposite him, his center of gravity slightly lowered, his eyes fixed on the ball in Zhou Kaiyue's hand.
"Begin."
Zhou Kaiyue served.
The ball wasn't fast.
The angle wasn't sharp, either.
It flew over like someone using the last of his strength to throw something into a bottomless sea.
Cheng Che stepped into it and drove a forehand.
"Bang!"
The ball landed at Zhou Kaiyue's feet, bounced up, and struck his knee.
The umpire didn't call the score.
Because Zhou Kaiyue hadn't stayed on his feet.
With a thud, he dropped to one knee.
His racket fell beside his feet.
His head hung low, his shoulders trembling slightly.
At first, the commentator thought he was exhausted.
"Zhou Kaiyue appears to be suffering from cramp. Let's see whether he can..."
Before he could finish, Zhou Kaiyue suddenly raised his head, squeezing out words in a frighteningly hoarse voice.
"I'm done."
The entire crowd erupted.
"What did he say?"
"He's done? Is he forfeiting?"
"Surely it's not bad enough that he has to retire yet? He can call a medical timeout for leg cramps!"
"My God, he's completely broken mentally."
At the commentary desk, the two commentators exchanged a look, each seeing the shock in the other's eyes.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Zhou Kaiyue just seemed to indicate... that he wants to give up the match. Honestly, this decision is very unexpected. Although there's a wide gap in the score, the match isn't over yet. In professional competition, players usually fight to the very last point. Forfeiting..."
"This decision may subject him to considerable public pressure after the match. But we can also see that Zhou Kaiyue really is in no condition to continue playing."
At courtside, Zhou Kaiyue's coach rushed over, holding his shoulders and saying something loudly.
Zhou Kaiyue shook his head hard, then pointed at his right leg.
The coach froze.
The umpire came over as well and crouched to check.
Then he beckoned toward the sidelines, signaling for medical personnel to enter the court.
The venue doctor jogged over and examined Zhou Kaiyue's leg. After a few maneuvers, the doctor raised his head and looked at him.
Zhou Kaiyue looked back at him.
It was impossible to tell whether that look was a plea or resignation.
The doctor stood and told the umpire, "A muscle strain in his right leg. He can't continue playing."
The umpire nodded and turned to address the crowd.
"Due to Zhou Kaiyue's retirement through injury, Cheng Che wins this match. Cheng Che advances to the main draw."
The venue fell silent for two seconds.
Then applause broke out.
Cheng Che walked to the net.
Zhou Kaiyue was still sitting on the ground, his coach massaging his right leg.
Cheng Che crouched and held out a hand to Zhou Kaiyue.
Zhou Kaiyue raised his head and looked at him.
"I'm not faking it," Zhou Kaiyue explained hoarsely.
"I know." Cheng Che didn't mind.
Zhou Kaiyue hesitated, then took Cheng Che's hand and used it to pull himself up.
Across the net, the two quietly shook hands.
Zhou Kaiyue said softly, "You're strong. Strong enough to scare me."
Cheng Che said nothing, only patting his arm.
Then he turned and bowed to the stands.
The livestream's barrage of comments had already exploded.
"He really retired? Is he really injured? Why do I feel like..."
"Quit with the conspiracy theories. Look, he can't even hold the ball anymore. How could he be faking it?"
"Whatever the case, Cheng Che's performance today beat respect into Zhou Kaiyue."
"Didn't you see Zhou Kaiyue's last ball? His hand was shaking when he served. He really couldn't keep playing."
"The way Cheng Che crouched to help him up was pretty gracious."
"People with real ability really are different."
"All that tough talk Zhou Kaiyue put out before the match has turned into a joke."
"Can't really blame him. He probably never expected to run into a monster."
Meanwhile, the comments section on Zhou Kaiyue's Weibo had already fallen.
"Brother Zhou, what happened to 'wish me luck'?"
"You were so 'lucky' you retired outright."
"Didn't you say you'd let Cheng Che experience the charm of tennis? Did he experience it?"
"That charm of yours sure is powerful. You even played yourself out of existence."
"Stop flaming him. Didn't you see that Cheng Che himself has already forgiven him?"
"He was saving him face. Face is earned through your own efforts, not your mouth."
Supported by his coach, Zhou Kaiyue limped off the court.
His retreating figure looked thin, a size smaller than when he had arrived.
He didn't look at anyone, nor did he turn back again.
Qin Lie stood at courtside, watching until Zhou Kaiyue's figure disappeared into the passageway. Only then did he turn and say quietly:
"His psychological defenses have shattered. He might never want to touch tennis again."
Cheng Che said nothing.
Standing in the middle of the court, he looked toward the spot where that figure had disappeared and suddenly felt a little empty inside.
The level of competition in the qualifiers had disappointed him far too much.
"Let's go."
He bent down and picked up his tennis bag.
The instant he turned, a ding sounded in his mind.
[Stamina Trial · Stage Two: Breakthrough. Objective: Pass the qualifiers of a professional tournament, advance to the main draw, and secure at least one victory. Completed!] [Congratulations! You have obtained the passive talent "Form Moves as the Mind Wills."] [Form Moves as the Mind Wills: Physical coordination and movement control far exceed those of ordinary people. When learning new skills, muscle memory forms extremely quickly; often, observing just once is enough to reproduce seventy to eighty percent of their essence. Whether in sports, dance, or everyday gestures, all movements are fluid and natural, without the slightest awkwardness.] [Congratulations! You have obtained the item "Perfect Skin Quality Body Wash."] [Perfect Skin Quality Body Wash: With regular use, skin texture, feel, and luster gradually approach perfection.]
Cheng Che smiled with delight at the sight.
The quest had remained unfinished for so long that completing it now almost felt like recovering something he had lost.
And this talent was excellent. It wasn't limited to sports; he could dance, too.
But him dancing...
Cheng Che shuddered and cast the strange image out of his mind.
Stage two, complete.
Next came the main draw.
As long as he won the championship in the main draw, the Stamina Trial would be over for good. Then he would be an Intermediate Incubus.
He was getting closer and closer to that goal.
"Cheng Che!"
A voice came from the stands.
Cheng Che looked up.
At the very top of the stands, a woman in a bucket hat and sunglasses was waving vigorously at him.
The wind lifted her hat brim slightly, revealing a few wisps of hair and a strip of forehead so fair it seemed to glow.
Yan Ruanning.
Cheng Che raised his hand too and waved back at her.
In the stands, several girls had been filming him with their phones raised. Seeing his gesture, they thought he was greeting them and let out shrieks.
"He waved! He waved at me!"
"Bullshit, that was at me!"
"Stop arguing! He's waving at everyone!"
Cheng Che shook his head with a smile, slung his tennis bag over his shoulder, and headed toward the passage.
His phone suddenly vibrated.
He took it out. It was a message from Yan Ruanning.
[Yan Ruanning: Something urgent came up with the production team. I have to leave now. Sorry I can't celebrate with you today. #pitiful]
As Cheng Che read the message, his expression immediately returned to calm.
He replied, "Okay."
He understood.
Yan Ruanning was a celebrity. When the show called, she had to go.
Her coming to watch his match was already an unexpected delight.
But...
If the mountain won't come to me, I'll go to the mountain.
Cheng Che stuffed his phone back into his pocket and turned to ask Qin Lie, "Old Qin, the main draw doesn't start for another five days, right?"
Qin Lie did the math.
"Yeah. All the qualifying matches have to finish first, then they draw up the schedule. Five days at the earliest."
Cheng Che nodded, his eyes slowly lighting up.
"So I've got nothing to do these next few days?"
"What are you planning?"
Cheng Che didn't answer.
He took his phone out again, opened his WeChat chat with Xiao Zhou, and quickly typed a message:
[Sis Xiao Zhou, send me the exact location where you're filming the show. Don't tell Sis Ruanning.]