“The third round? We’ve directly advanced to the top sixteen, right?” Qin Yu asked her Maid.
“Yes, Your Highness. You had byes in the earlier rounds and have already made it to the top sixteen. I drew your next opponent for you—it’s Team 27, supposedly a pair of young sisters who aren’t very strong,” the Maid replied.
“But I just finished swimming. I’m all wet, and my clothes are soaked. How can I compete like this?” Qin Yu was a little worried.
“That’s not a problem.” Luo Shangyu took out her Magic Staff and manipulated the Elemental Power to draw the water off Qin Yu’s clothes.
Instantly, Qin Yu felt dry and comfortable again.
The Maid took Qin Yu’s shoes and socks from the side and helped her put them back on, then draped a coat over her shoulders—everything was ready.
Qin Yu, dressed and prepared, strode with Luo Shangyu toward the Beach Volleyball Court.
After two rounds of elimination, only sixteen teams remained, totaling thirty-two players.
Many courts had been packed up, leaving just nine courts arranged in a 3×3 grid.
The stands around the courts were more crowded than ever.
The final rounds were their last chance to place bets and make money!
After the previous matches, the spectators had a clearer idea of each team’s chances, so they kept increasing their bets.
Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu arrived at their assigned court and saw their opponents—Team 27.
Just as the Maid had said, Team 27 was two young sisters, only about eleven or twelve years old.
They were about the same height, just barely reaching Qin Yu’s chest.
The taller sister stepped forward and called out loudly to Qin Yu, “Hello, sisters! I’m Yun Nan, and this is my older sister, Yun Bei! Please go easy on us…”
By the end, Yun Nan’s voice dropped softly.
Qin Yu carefully sized up the two sisters.
They had jet-black hair and deep black eyes, petite and adorable, dressed in matching athletic tracksuits.
Their faces were nearly identical—obviously twins.
Yun Bei and Yun Nan blinked their big, clear eyes, hoping for a response from Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu.
“Hello. I’m Qin Yu, and this is Luo Shangyu. We’ll try to… go easy on you… I guess?” Qin Yu wasn’t even sure if they really would, so she dodged the question.
The match was about to start when the Referee entered the court to verify both teams’ identities.
This time, Qin Yu’s team got to choose the court, and the Yun sisters opted to serve first.
Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu stepped onto their side of the court and glanced at the scoreboard nearby.
There were no bets placed on this match—viewers seemed confident in the outcome, expecting no surprises.
Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu stood in formation, ready.
Across the net, Yun Nan stood close, with Yun Bei behind her, serving first.
But Yun Nan and Yun Bei were really just kids.
Making it to the top sixteen had been a stroke of luck—they won their first match by narrowly defeating a weaker opponent and then skipped the second round by default.
They weren’t likely to get lucky again, especially facing Qin Yu’s team so early.
Yun Nan served with an underhand toss.
The ball didn’t even clear the net…
Point lost.
Yun Nan served again—tossed, hit—but the ball still didn’t clear the net.
After four consecutive lost points, the score stood at 4-0 before Yun Nan finally managed a serve over the net.
Luo Shangyu, standing near the net, wanted to give the Yun sisters a better experience.
She softly set the ball high over the net, “feeding” it right to Yun Bei so she could easily receive and rally.
Yun Bei moved quickly and touched the ball.
She carefully passed it back over the net with tentative technique.
‘That’s more like it,’ Luo Shangyu thought.
‘At least this way, the Yun sisters get a decent game and don’t lose too quickly.’
Luo Shangyu set the ball back, “feeding” it again to Yun Bei.
Yun Bei stretched her crossed arms to receive, but maybe due to the angle, the ball flew straight out of bounds…
The score reached 5-0, and it was the Yun sisters’ serve again.
Unsurprisingly, Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu won the match 7-0.
It wasn’t that they didn’t go easy—the sisters only scored that one point because Yun Nan kept missing her serves.
With this victory, Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu advanced to the quarterfinals.
“Just one more win and we’re in the semifinals,” Qin Yu said in disbelief.
She had never imagined the beach volleyball matches would go so smoothly.
“It’s noon now. The morning schedule is basically over, right?” Luo Shangyu asked the Maid standing nearby.
“Yes, the morning matches have ended. The afternoon games start at 3 PM,” the Maid replied.
Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu returned to the Hotel and went to the dining hall for lunch.
Guided by the Maid, they approached a table piled with delicious dishes.
“This is the lunch ordered for both Your Highnesses. I hope it meets your satisfaction?”
Qin Yu looked at the feast—more food than the two of them could eat—and said hurriedly, “We’re very satisfied, but this might be a bit too much…”
Qin Yu sat down and looked over the dishes: cheese-baked lobster, various shellfish, fresh sashimi including red-and-white salmon, slippery-looking octopus slices, and a nourishing Buddha Jumps Over the Wall soup.
She eagerly began savoring these rare fresh seafood delicacies.
Just as they were eating, Qin Yu’s two bodyguards appeared unexpectedly, which caught her off guard.
“What’s going on?” Qin Yu asked.
The two wore beach shorts and tank tops, showing off their muscular builds and casual looks.
One bodyguard answered, “Your Highness, the draw for your next match is out—you’re up against Team 19.”
The other chimed in, “We signed up to play as well… We are Team 19…”
‘Oh, so that’s why!’ Qin Yu thought.
‘Not only are my bodyguards magicians, they’re also melee fighters, so their beach volleyball skills must be solid. Facing them in a serious match would be really exciting.’
“Please give your best in the match. Take it seriously,” Qin Yu said to the two bodyguards.
They exchanged a glance and seemed to understand her meaning, responding, “Understood!”
***
The morning matches had taken a toll on Qin Yu.
She ate more lunch than usual and felt a bit sleepy afterward.
“Let’s rest on the beach loungers!” Luo Shangyu suggested.
“Sounds good!” Qin Yu happily agreed.
But reality was harsh—people filled the beach, and only one lounger was available.
“We’ll have to squeeze together,” Luo Shangyu muttered.
Qin Yu eyed the narrow lounger, hesitating: “It’s so narrow. Should we just go back and sleep?”
“If we go back, we’d have to shower before bed, which is too much hassle. Let’s just make do and squeeze,” Luo Shangyu said, settling on the edge of the lounger.
Qin Yu took off her coat and sat close beside Luo Shangyu and said, “I’m sweaty. You might have to bear with it…”
“That’s fine. Qin Yu is so cute; your sweat probably smells nice too,” Luo Shangyu smiled, turning to look at her.
“Don’t joke around!” Qin Yu said helplessly.
She tried lying down on the lounger.
It was long enough for her, though a bit narrow.
Luo Shangyu lay down as well.
With armrests on each side, they had to lean against each other.
Though narrow, they were both slim, so it wasn’t uncomfortable.
Lying flat, Qin Yu felt Luo Shangyu’s warm body beside her and the shade from the beach umbrella overhead, slowly drifting off to sleep.
***
When Qin Yu opened her eyes, it was already past two o’clock, nearly time for the fourth round of matches.
Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu hurried to the Beach Volleyball Court and checked in.
Only four courts remained.
They reached their assigned court and looked across.
The two bodyguards were already there, standing somewhat awkwardly.
It was understandable—they’d be a little shy facing their mistress in a game.
The Referee had both sides play rock-paper-scissors to decide who’d choose the serve and court side.
Of course, the bodyguards “politely” let Qin Yu’s team pick both.
Qin Yu chose the court and decided to serve first.
Before the match started, one bodyguard stepped forward and said, “Your Highness, I’m Li Kai, and this is Wang Hao. It’s our honor to play with you!”
He even winked.
Qin Yu instantly got the message: “So you want me to take you under my wing, huh?”
She nodded and smiled, silently memorizing their names.
Qin Yu served first, jumping to send the ball over with pressure.
Li Kai moved to receive, Wang Hao followed up, and then set the ball for Li Kai’s spike.
Luo Shangyu instructed Qin Yu to adopt a defensive position and began moving to prepare for the spike.
But the ball came too fast, catching Luo Shangyu off guard and crashing into the sand.
Qin Yu: “…”
Luo Shangyu: “…”
“Not satisfied? Let’s go again!” Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu shouted.
The team that lost the point served next.
Qin Yu positioned herself, jumped, and hit the ball seamlessly.
Li Kai made a block at the net, sending the ball back.
Luo Shangyu moved to receive, but unexpectedly, Li Kai’s powerful block forced the ball out of bounds as Luo Shangyu miscontrolled her return.
***
The score quickly reached 0-5, no matter how hard Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu tried, they couldn’t score a point.
“They really are strong,” Qin Yu sighed softly.
At the sixth point, Li Kai made an unforced error on a crucial ball.
Then at the seventh, Wang Hao’s serve went out.
These consecutive “mistakes” allowed Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu to gradually catch up, even overtaking them 7-5.
After two powerful spikes from Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu, the opponents’ lost points highlighted the tremendous killing power in their attacks.
“What a thrilling match!” Qin Yu exclaimed as they successfully advanced to the semifinals.