Chapter 25: Fierce Battle

Monday morning.

The glaring sunlight filtered through the towering glass windows of the gymnasium, casting massive patches of light on the floor.

Though autumn had already arrived, this damned weather still felt stiflingly hot.

The air was filled with the unique scent of the synthetic sports field, mingled with sweat and the faint fragrance from the girls.

Honestly, the mix of perfume and sweat was not something most people could handle.

Yu Qing walked into the gymnasium alone, carrying a black Badminton Racket Bag.

There were a lot of people inside.

Several Classes were in session, and quite a few badminton enthusiasts were playing matches.

Actually, he had an Elective Course scheduled this morning, but the teacher had something to attend to and was replaced by a new Substitute Teacher.

Normally, they wouldn’t call roll, so he decided to skip and use the free time to handle important business.

It had already been since last Saturday that he stayed overnight at Mei Xue’s house.

To calm his mind, Yu Qing spent the whole day yesterday in the dormitory, watching videos out of boredom or sleeping when tired, trying to distract himself from that incident.

Although the effect was mediocre, the desire to replace Fu Yi didn’t die out—on the contrary, it burned even stronger, like smoldering charcoal pressed deep within his heart.

But at least he no longer got PTSD just seeing Mei Xue, which was progress.

After all, such thoughts were rooted in his own flaws.

Yu Qing couldn’t eradicate them, so all he could do was keep watering and fertilizing them until they grew into a towering tree in his heart, completely becoming a part of him.

Just as he had told himself countless times before—

If you can’t succeed, then die trying.

Today’s objective was clear.

Yu Qing’s gaze cut through the crowd and locked onto the busty girl within.

If you want to gather intel, you naturally start with the purest and least guarded person.

He remembered Lin Wei complaining to her that night about how boring badminton was—either the girls in her Project Group played half-heartedly for credits and then went off to play on their phones, or they were too professional for her to keep up as a newbie.

Through that, he subtly probed Lin Wei’s class schedule and location.

He had a feeling it would come in handy, so he memorized it, not expecting the opportunity would come so soon.

With Mei Xue and Zhou Min busy with other projects and unable to look after Lin Wei, it was a chance too good to miss.

The gymnasium was bustling, athletes moving on every court.

Yu Qing quietly walked to the edge of a badminton court and spotted Lin Wei from afar.

Today she wore a fresh sports skirt and T-shirt, practicing with several other girls.

Her moves weren’t standard, but she radiated youthful energy.

She seemed more reserved than when they first met, probably holding back in front of strangers.

Even so, she was popular—pretty and cheerful like a walking good luck charm, always surrounded by others.

Yu Qing stood aside, not approaching immediately.

He wasn’t close with Lin Wei, so he needed a natural opportunity to make his appearance seem reasonable.

Glancing around, he quickly found an empty spot at the edge of a court, set down his Racket Bag, took out his racket, and began bouncing a shuttlecock by himself.

After a few minutes, just as he expected, a boy who had also arrived alone spotted him.

Carrying a white Racket Bag, he walked straight over.

“Hey,”

The boy stopped in front of Yu Qing, his voice loud and cheerful—a sunny, outgoing guy.

“Alone? Want to play a round?”

Yu Qing turned, sized him up, suppressed his mild social anxiety, and nodded as if naturally.

“Sure.”

Step one of the plan, complete.

All preparations were now in place.

All that remained was to wait for the fish to take the bait.

Yu Qing had taken badminton as an elective in First Year and Second Year and had some talent for it.

He trained seriously for two years, and the basics were still there.

At first, they just warmed up with standard rallies, testing each other’s skills.

Yu Qing quickly recalled techniques long buried in his mind.

But soon, the other boy got fired up, increasing power and angle.

Yu Qing struggled to keep up at first but was spurred into competitiveness, focusing intensely.

Gradually, the ordinary practice turned intense.

High clears, drop shots, net duels…

The exchange was evenly matched.

But…

His body felt… strange?

In the midst of the match, Yu Qing realized something subtle had changed physically.

From a few stretches to retrieve the shuttle, his flexibility had clearly improved.

Shots that once required full extension were now easy.

But not all changes were positive.

Most noticeably, his strength had dropped, and so had his stamina.

When not exerting himself, he hadn’t noticed, but now his weak smashes kept getting countered.

On defense, he could receive strong shots but couldn’t return them effectively—many floated weakly back.

Even so, Yu Qing held his ground, using odd saves to catch his opponent off guard.

As time passed, both players heated up, firing off tricky shots from all angles.

Several PE teachers resting nearby glanced over, ending their conversation to watch.

One nodded in approval.

“Is he from your Class? His moves are relaxed, not stiff like the kids in my Class—scared of the ball, can’t even swing right.”

He shook his head, thinking of his Class’s troublemakers and the headaches of end-of-term assessments.

“Don’t know him. He’s skilled, not a beginner, but his strength is lacking—a shame.”

A female teacher beside him sighed regretfully.

“What’s there to regret? You can’t expect perfection.”

Another male teacher joined in, clutching a thermal mug, his thinning hair glistening as he sipped tea.

“Look at that backbend. My daughter does yoga and isn’t that flexible—impressive.”

With the teachers’ attention, a crowd of students gathered.

Yu Qing glanced over and spotted a familiar figure.

Lin Wei had squeezed to the front, standing beside the female teacher, wide-eyed as she watched the match.

So you like joining crowds too, huh?

He chuckled inwardly, but his focus didn’t waver.

The match reached its peak.

Yu Qing used his flexibility and defense to block attack after attack, but stamina was an issue.

His breathing grew heavy, sweat beading on his forehead, arms aching with each swing.

No good—time for a surprise move!

He gritted his teeth.

He’d gotten competitive and was determined to win.

The plan was forgotten.

His opponent sensed Yu Qing’s exhaustion and pressed the attack, having held back power from the start.

Gradually, the match turned one-sided.

Yu Qing’s returns weakened, his stance unsteady, his smashes feeble, easily countered.

Defeat seemed certain.

“Senior…”

Lin Wei watched anxiously from the sidelines.

After several encounters, she recognized Yu Qing as the quiet genius in their Project Group.

As someone she knew, she subconsciously hoped he’d win.

“You know that guy?”

The female teacher beside her looked over with interest.

“Yes, he’s my Junior Group Senior—he’s helped us solve many problems and is very humble.”

Lin Wei nodded, explaining their connection.

“I see.”

The teacher smiled knowingly, then asked,

“Who do you think will win?”

“Probably the other guy? Senior Yu Qing is out of strength—he can’t last much longer.”

Lin Wei glanced at the court.

It was true.

Yu Qing’s defense was collapsing.

“Is that so?”

The teacher chuckled softly, patting Lin Wei’s head, then asked another question.

“If he’s out of strength, how does your Senior Yu Qing always manage to return those smashes ‘just right’?”

She looked at the match, her lips curving.

“Xiao Wei, your Senior looks honest, but he’s clever inside.”

As if to confirm her words, the opposing boy, frustrated by repeated defenses, started hitting wild shots, abandoning caution.

Yu Qing’s stamina was almost gone.

He hung on by sheer will.

He wasn’t even sure why he persisted—whether for pride, to prove something, or because he saw his opponent as Mei Xue and turned the duel into a personal battle.

“……”

Damn, where did all these reasons come from?!

With so many people watching, getting crushed was humiliating.

Someone might upload the match to the Forum, and then he’d be branded as the guy who got beaten like a dog in badminton.

If that happened, Yu Qing might as well dig a hole and jump in.

Moreover…

“……”

“TM, get back here already!”

Yu Qing roared, leaping forward.

He swung his racket with all his might, the shuttle slicing through the air with a sonic boom.

Multiple powerful smashes had drained his opponent, and this time the return was weak, floating over without force or spin.

Yu Qing’s sudden burst caught him off guard.

He tried to defend but was too far forward.

The shuttle soared over his head, lost momentum, and landed neatly just inside the white line.

“Great shot!”

Cheers and applause erupted around them.

Yu Qing braced himself on the floor, gasping for breath as sweat dripped from his chin.

His body was utterly exhausted, but his spirit soared.

The final cheer of victory filled him with immense satisfaction, pushing aside fatigue and letting him stand tall.

He’d won, and it looked damn cool!

Even screaming his inner thoughts at the end didn’t feel embarrassing!

“……”

Ugh, why can’t I control my mouth…?