In an instant, the passive talent [ Flash of Inspiration ], which had been acquired but had not been triggered, finally activated!
Cheng Che's brain seemed to have evolved.
He finally pieced the fragments together!
Lu Yunxiao's serving habits, return trajectory, positioning choices under pressure, and running direction.
Everything was as clear as a blueprint illuminated by a lamp.
He doesn't change lanes voluntarily.
All of his returns point to a logical endpoint:
He'll push you deep into the middle lane, forcing you to make mistakes. He's betting on your patience, your stamina, and your error rate. He's not betting on whether he can land the winning shot.
Because his ability to score winning points is not strong.
This is what "almost" means.
Cheng Che finally caught up.
Qin Lie was taken aback when he saw his smile, "What are you laughing at?"
"It's nothing." Cheng Che stood up and placed the towel on the chair. "I just feel like it's my turn."
The third game begins.
The first game, Lu Yunxiao's serve.
Cheng Che created two break points, but Lu Yunxiao saved them with two high-quality serves and held serve.
Zero to one.
The second game, Cheng Che's serve.
He lost four points in a row.
Zero to two.
The comments section went completely crazy.
What is he doing? Did it suddenly collapse?
[The first two games were at least back and forth, but now they've completely lost their way?]
[It seems my previous prediction was correct; he was indeed overestimated.]
From the commentary booth, Lin Yan's tone was somewhat regretful:
" Cheng Che Che's performance clearly declined in the third set. He failed to hold his serve in two consecutive games, falling behind 0-2. If this continues, the match may be over soon."
Zhou Zhou chimed in, "Perhaps the first two games were too taxing, causing a fluctuation in their mentality."
In the stands, the female fans' voices were much quieter.
Some people started looking down at their phones, while others wore expressions of disappointment.
But Yan Ruanning looked at the boy on the field and suddenly felt something was wrong.
He was actually laughing.
The third game, Lu Yunxiao's serve.
Cheng Che stood at the receiving position, his center of gravity very low.
His eyes were fixed on Lu Yunxiao's hand.
It's not a ball, it's a hand.
Lu Yunxiao tossed the ball, jumped, and swung his racket.
The ball flew out. Cheng Che moved. He moved half a step ahead.
The ball landed deep in the middle and bounced up.
Cheng Che's clapping face was already waiting there.
He unleashed a single-handed backhand shot, not at a wide angle, not straight, but a highly penetrating flat shot that smashed straight at Lu Yunxiao's backhand.
Lu Yunxiao didn't move.
The ball landed, bounced, and flew out of bounds.
"Fifteen to zero."
There was a moment of silence in the stands.
Lu Yunxiao frowned.
Cheng Che hit this ball to his backhand side, but the landing point was very tricky, right on the line.
He doesn't usually catch those kinds of balls.
He knew that his opponents would find it difficult to maintain that level of precision under pressure.
But Cheng Che managed to score.
On the second ball, Lu Yunxiao served an outside serve.
Cheng Che moved two steps to the side and then struck out with his forehand.
This time he hit a cross-court shot at a very high angle, landing in the shallow area of Lu Yunxiao's forehand side.
Lu Yunxiao ran over and managed to block the ball back.
The ball is too shallow.
Cheng Che rushed online and intercepted the attack.
The ball hit Lu Yunxiao behind him.
"Thirty to zero."
The live chat was quiet for two seconds, then it started spamming like crazy.
[??? what happened?]
[He seems to suddenly know where Lu Yunxiao is going to attack!]
[Wait, he moved those two balls before they were even released!]
[He's anticipating! He's anticipating every single return from Lu Yunxiao!]
In the stands, Father Su suddenly sat up straight.
"This kid..." he muttered, "He's reading Lu Yunxiao's playing style."
Su Qingyue tilted her head to look at him. "What do you mean?"
" Lu Yunxiao's habit is to return the ball deep into the middle, forcing his opponent to make mistakes. But this also means that his return route is fixed. Cheng Che has been observing him for the first two sets, and now he has figured out Lu Yunxiao's habits completely."
Father Su's voice trembled slightly. "Those two mistakes at the start of the third game were intentional. He was testing his judgment."
Su Qingyue's eyes widened.
On the court, Cheng Che won another point.
In the third game, Cheng Che forced three break points against Lu Yunxiao, making it 0-40.
On the next ball, Cheng Che hit a winner with his forehand, breaking serve successfully!
The score went from 0-2 to 1-2.
Lu Yunxiao called a pause.
His coach crouched down beside him, his voice low. "He's reading your game. You can't keep playing down the middle; you have to vary."
Lu Yunxiao nodded.
He placed the towel on the chair and, as he walked back to the baseline, made a decision.
He wants to change lanes.
This is the thing he's worst at after playing basketball for ten years.
But if he doesn't do it, Cheng Che will literally read him to death.
In the fourth game, Lu Yunxiao began to actively change lanes.
He hit a forehand down the line; the angle wasn't particularly tricky, but at least it wasn't in the middle.
Cheng Che moved to the side, hit the ball with a backhand stroke, and the ball landed on the sideline of Lu Yunxiao's backhand side.
Lu Yunxiao lunged forward, but couldn't reach it.
"Fifteen to zero."
Lu Yunxiao tried another backhand cross-court shot, but Cheng Che reacted first, hitting a forehand straight shot that landed on the sideline.
"Thirty to zero."
Lu Yunxiao's lane change was not of high quality.
He wasn't good at changing direction proactively to begin with, and now that Cheng Che was forcing him to, his shots weren't angled well enough, and Cheng Che seized the opportunity to hit the ball back.
He tried twice, and lost both times.
He could only revert to his old strategy and continue playing mid lane. But Cheng Che was no longer afraid.
In the fourth game, Cheng Che held serve, bringing the score to 2-2.
In the fifth game, Lu Yunxiao held serve, making it 2-3.
In the sixth game, Cheng Che held serve, tying the score at 3-3.
With each game Cheng Che won, the cheers from the stands grew louder.
Those fans who had been looking down at their phones looked up again, their eyes shining like lamps.
Lu Yunxiao's breathing became heavier and heavier.
His pace slowed, and the quality of his returns decreased. It wasn't that he didn't want to run; his legs just wouldn't obey him.
Cheng Che hit the ball at a wide angle, and Lu Yunxiao moved two steps to the side. His third step was noticeably shorter than the first two. The ball flew past his racket.
His coach shouted something from the sidelines, but he didn't hear it.
In the seventh game, Lu Yunxiao held serve, making it 3-4.
In the eighth inning, Cheng Che held serve, tying the score at 4-4.
In the ninth game, Lu Yunxiao served. Cheng Che broke serve again, making it 5-4.
In the tenth game, Cheng Che served for the set. He won four consecutive points to hold serve.
Six to four.
Cheng Che won the third game.
The entire audience erupted in uproar.
Lin Yan's voice changed in the commentary booth.
He seemed to suddenly understand something, and stood up abruptly, his voice hoarse with excitement.
"Wait a minute! Cheng Che's movement suddenly sped up by half a beat! He's anticipating! He seems to know where Lu Yunxiao will hit the ball!"
Zhou Zhou's voice also changed:
"This is unbelievable. He was on the defensive for the first two sets, but suddenly he was like a completely different player in the third set. Has he... figured out Lu Yunxiao's playing style?"
Lin Yan chimed in, "If that's the case, then the passivity in the first two games might not just be passivity."
The comments section went crazy.
[They've tied it at 3-3? That can't be... Did Lu Yunxiao throw the game?]
[Why are you letting him out? Look at Lu Yunxiao's expression, he's practically gasping for breath.]
[ Cheng Che's shots were truly outrageous; it's as if he knew in advance where Lu Yunxiao was going to hit them.]
[If this is true... then it's terrifying.]
[I'm a fan of Lu Yunxiao, but to be honest, Cheng Che seemed like a completely different person in the third set.]
[It's not that he's changed people; it's that he's seen through Lu Yunxiao.]
In the stands, Yan Ruanning finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She glanced down and saw that her palms were sweaty.
She leaned back as if a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
Su Jianqiu looked at her and smiled, "Can you breathe a sigh of relief now?"
Yan Ruanning didn't say anything, but the corners of her mouth finally turned up.
In the stands not far away, Su Qingyue stood up and clapped, her hands turning red from clapping.
Father Su sat beside his daughter, looked at her, smiled helplessly, and clapped his hands.
On the court, Cheng Che walked back to the rest area.
Qin Lie handed him the towel, looking at him with a complicated expression. "You did that on purpose just now?"
Cheng Che wiped his sweat and took a sip of water.
"He's too steady," Cheng Che said. "So steady he has no weaknesses. But his steadiness is his weakness."
Qin Lie didn't reply, but just looked at him for several seconds before whispering, "Are you really only eighteen?"
Cheng Che smiled.
He looked up and glanced at the other side.
Lu Yunxiao was sitting on a lounge chair, a towel draped around his neck, his chest heaving.
He'd been playing basketball for ten years, and this was the first time someone had seen right through him like this.
He looked up at Cheng Che, and their eyes met across the court.
For the first time, Lu Yunxiao's eyes lost that composed "senior looking at junior" demeanor.
He stared at Cheng Che as if he were looking at someone he couldn't understand.
He looked away and wiped the sweat from his brow.
After playing for ten years, this was the first time he realized that experience can be deceiving.
Then he turned and walked towards the baseline.
Cheng Che nodded slightly at him.
He placed the towel on the chair, turned, and walked towards the finish line.
The fourth game is about to begin.