Chapter 97: Badminton

The figures on the court moved like the wind.

Whether it was Wang Jing or Mu Nanqiu, both were outstanding in terms of athletic ability.

After watching a few exchanges, it was obvious that Wang Jing was the type who relied on strength.

Although she wasn’t lacking in agility, she mainly used power to compensate for skill.

In contrast, Mu Nanqiu seemed more relaxed and at ease.

This made Wang Jing look like she was competing, while Mu Nanqiu appeared to be simply playing for fun.

Of course, Wang Jing was still leading on the scoreboard.

“Look, is that Senior Wang Jing?”

“Seems like it.”

“I haven’t seen her around much lately.”

“Definitely. I heard some class assistants from other classes just show up during military training once and then disappear. Compared to Senior Wang Jing, they’re worlds apart.”

Hearing this, Wang Jing seemed pretty responsible after all…

Su Yao caught the conversation from nearby classmates.

Her gaze briefly shifted from Mu Nanqiu to the half-court across the net where Wang Jing was playing.

After watching for a moment, she quickly turned back to Mu Nanqiu.

Seeing Mu Nanqiu elegantly moving her racket on the court reminded Su Yao that she was a member of the dance club.

It had to be said, having a dance background really helped Mu Nanqiu with body coordination, and it made her posture during running and jumping look graceful and charming, which made Su Yao envious.

It seemed they were both tired, as the two paused and walked off the court.

Su Yao followed their movements with her eyes, only to see Mu Nanqiu receiving a jacket from Gu Qin.

She frowned.

“Is that the person?”

She didn’t know Gu Qin’s name yet, but she wouldn’t forget that figure—definitely the person she had seen with Mu Nanqiu before.

“Aren’t those all senior schoolmates? Wang Jing’s classmates.”

“Probably.”

Listening to the girls chatting noisily, Su Yao gripped the net fence tightly, staring fixedly at the opposite side where Gu Qin smiled broadly, seemingly saying something to Mu Nanqiu.

They were too far apart to hear, and she couldn’t even make out their lips clearly, so she had no idea what was being said, but irritation was already brewing in her heart.

“Su Yao?”

Luo Yu noticed her odd expression and called her name with concern.

Su Yao took a moment before responding, and even before Luo Yu could ask what was wrong, she said first, “I’m fine.”

“That should be Senior Mu’s classmates then.”

Luo Yu’s gaze also drifted toward Mu Nanqiu and Gu Qin, surrounded by groups of girls.

Even grandmas would still have moments like this.

Su Yao withdrew her gaze, lowering her head slightly and muttered gloomily in reply.

After some thought, she decided to trust Mu Nanqiu.

Though she desperately wanted to run over now and just fall into her arms, that was impossible with so many people around—and Mu Nanqiu’s acquaintances too.

Their relationship hadn’t been made public.

Though things had become more open these days, coming out still required great courage and ability.

Besides, whether they were public or not wouldn’t fundamentally change their lives; it was an unnecessary step.

Moreover, if there were any troubles from coming out, it wouldn’t be Mu Nanqiu who’d suffer, but Su Yao, who had a more special identity.

To protect Su Yao’s peaceful life, Mu Nanqiu felt it was better to keep things hidden.

Before leaving, Su Yao glanced once more in that direction.

Mu Nanqiu was now sitting on a chair, resting and playing on her phone.

Seeing this, Su Yao quickly pulled out her own phone from her jacket pocket, unlocked it skillfully, and opened QQ.

After setting Special Attention for Mu Nanqiu, her chat was pinned to the top.

She tapped into it and typed a message.

“What are you doing?”

Following behind Luo Yu, she waited for Mu Nanqiu’s reply.

In less than five seconds, the response came.

“Playing ball in the gym.”

“Oh, oh.”

“Still meeting at the usual spot in the library this afternoon?”

“Zhang Fei Panda, cute wink.jpg”

Su Yao was a little startled by the emoji Mu Nanqiu used.

She opened her mouth as if to say something, then closed it again.

Several girls with her had already started playing on the court—playing badminton.

After closing her phone, Su Yao looked on.

Luo Yu was among them.

Having seen the senior’s excellent skills, she couldn’t help but want to show off herself.

Unfortunately, they had greatly overestimated their athletic ability and underestimated the two seniors.

Not to mention lasting more than a few rallies, even receiving the first shot was difficult.

They could barely manage two or three successful returns out of ten attempts, which was painful to watch.

Someone soon lost patience and dashed over to snatch the racket from the girl who was rolling on the ground laughing at herself.

She tossed the shuttlecock out, but even her serve failed.

That showed just how useless they were, Su Yao chuckled quietly from the sidelines.

Fortunately, there were some who had practiced before.

Although it wasn’t as spectacular as what she’d seen earlier, at least they could keep the shuttlecock flying through seven or eight volleys.

They were just out of shape, not lacking in ability.

After warming up a bit, they could barely keep up, even if it was just basic high serves and returns—but that was much better than at the start.

When they reached their tenth rally, Su Yao felt a faint stir of excitement.

By the fifteenth rally, even she couldn’t help but be moved, watching the shuttlecock draw a beautiful arc in the air before dropping rapidly.

Luo Yu sadly missed the powerful smash, bending forward with her hands on her knees, panting softly.

It looked like her stamina had given out, causing the miss.

On the other side, Ji Yun’s face was only flushed, showing she had trained regularly.

Su Yao didn’t know much about her, but she knew a little about Luo Yu, who often stayed up late.

That she had lasted this long was already impressive.

“Su Yao, want to give it a try?”

“Come on, Su Yao, you should try!”

“I believe in you!”

Before Su Yao could finish analyzing everything, a racket was already placed in her hands and she was pushed onto the court.

Seeing the hopeful faces around her, she had already dampened the mood once before.

If she disappointed them again, they probably wouldn’t invite her to play anymore.

Social relationships were such a headache, Su Yao sighed.

But she actually liked this feeling.

She hadn’t played much with boys before.

At first, people invited her, but she often refused, so no one asked anymore, and she ended up alone.

So loneliness was really self-inflicted, right?

Su Yao weighed the shuttlecock in her hand.

She thought it would be very light—after all, it was called a featherball—but holding it, she could feel its weight.

She tossed it up.

“Not bad.”

She nodded to herself, took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled, relaxing both body and mind.

She wasn’t the same as before, and after watching so much, she already had some experience.

There was no way she’d have trouble getting started now!

I can do this!

Mentally affirming herself, Su Yao looked straight at Ji Yun, who was ready to receive the serve.

She threw the shuttlecock high into the air, her professional motion drawing admiring gasps.

Ji Yun adjusted her stance, preparing to show respect to her opponent with her full strength.

“Come on, Su Yao, show me what you’ve got!

Watch closely—the power of ten minutes’ observation!”

As the shuttlecock soared, Su Yao’s mindset shifted slightly.

Her body, still trembling faintly, steadied.

Everything seemed to become quiet in that moment, time slowed, and the world around her faded away—the sounds, the temperature, even her breath seemed to pause.

When it reached its peak, her senses suddenly returned to normal.

Like awakening from a morning dream, Su Yao inhaled a cold breath, exhaling a misty white.

From her legs to her waist, then shoulders, and finally her arms swinging the racket—a muffled thud told her she had hit the shuttlecock.

It smashed the top of the net with great speed.

Seeing the shuttlecock land on her side, Su Yao didn’t feel disappointed.

Instead, she felt a long-missed sense of release.

She smiled, about to walk over to pick it up, only to see Ji Yun had already grabbed it and threw it back to her.

Back in position, Su Yao tried again.

This time, she succeeded in getting it over the net.

Then… she got worn out and collapsed.

Receiving shots was already hard enough, but Ji Yun was a tough opponent, hitting wide angles left and right, making her struggle to defend, unable to attack, and ending in a miserable defeat.

Still, she was lucky enough to place second to last in this small group.

Not being last wasn’t so bad.

Wiping sweat from her forehead, Su Yao stepped aside to rest.

She felt uncomfortable with her damp clothes and wanted to go home to shower quickly, but she had agreed with Mu Nanqiu to study together after class.

Thinking it over, she decided to endure and finish reviewing first.

Playing badminton made Su Yao realize how much her physical fitness had declined.

She was determined to start exercising regularly.

How exactly?

She hadn’t figured that out yet, but there was always a way.

Ji Yun stepped off the court.

Without her, there was no real match.

Even in a rotation, she hadn’t lost stamina once.

Su Yao curiously watched her.

Ji Yun seemed to notice and walked over to Su Yao.

“Your movements aren’t wrong, but they’re a bit stiff and uncoordinated. If you have time, try yoga or gymnastics. Watching alone won’t teach you—you have to practice.”

“Okay, I’ll try those.”

Su Yao nodded, jotting down what she said.

Then she suddenly remembered the fantasy she had backstage during the performance.

Mu Nanqiu playing the piano, and she dancing… Ah! So embarrassing!