Picking Nine Lotus Flowers

Lin Mo's sarcastic remarks had long been honed through intense training by Douyin netizens.

Of course, he could have been even more sarcastic, but it wasn’t necessary—this level of intensity was enough to make the young boy in front of him flush with anger.

Clearly, the boy was already losing his temper.

He raised his badminton racket and pointed it at Lin Mo.

"Lin Mo, do you dare to play a match against me?"

Lin Mo raised an eyebrow and casually spread his hands. "Why should I? There’s no benefit for me."

The boy grew even more agitated, furrowing his brows as he pointed at Lin Mo.

"You... you... Fine! What do you want to make it happen? Name your terms!"

This kid was too young—easily provoked into recklessness.

Lin Mo glanced at Jiang Yunlu.

She was practically glowing with excitement, her eyes shining as she looked at Lin Mo, clearly hoping he would agree.

She had been itching to see Lin Mo humiliate those arrogant school team players.

As for Lin Mo’s skills, she was absolutely certain he could defeat this boy.

Lin Mo stroked his chin, eyeing the expensive racket in the boy’s hand, then said, "Alright, if you lose, you’ll have to deliver a crate of Red Horse to our class during the school sports festival."

Without hesitation, the boy agreed. "Fine! And if you lose, you’ll have to give our class Red Horse too!"

Lin Mo immediately waved him off.

"Never mind, then. It’s not like I’m begging you to play. And if I lose, I have to give you Red Horse? If you go around challenging every class like this, you’d have a year’s supply of Red Horse in no time."

Lin Mo’s dismissive attitude only reinforced the boy’s belief that he was all talk.

Clenching his fists, the boy finally snorted.

"Fine, I accept."

With just a little provocation, Lin Mo could walk away without any consequences even if he lost.

Of course, in the boy’s mind, once he defeated Lin Mo, he’d get to rub it in his face.

Meanwhile, Jiang Yunlu stifled a laugh and handed her racket to Lin Mo.

"Here, use mine."

But Lin Mo simply walked over to the equipment room and picked out a metal racket instead.

This kind of racket was like a beginner’s weapon in a game—usable at level 0, but far from ideal.

Seeing the school-issued racket in Lin Mo’s hand, the boy burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! You’re seriously going to use that thing against me? You must really know nothing about badminton."

With that, he pulled out a tube of high-quality shuttlecocks from his bag.

"I can’t stand using the school’s garbage equipment. You can keep that trash racket, but we’re using my shuttlecocks—I won’t settle for anything less."

It was obvious this guy was desperate to show off.

And if he could do it by stomping on Lin Mo’s pride, even better.

Jiang Yunlu had initially wanted to persuade Lin Mo to use her racket, but remembering how effortlessly he had beaten her with the school’s equipment before, she decided against it.

Still, if Lin Mo really lost because of the gear gap, she’d make him switch rackets immediately.

The two stood on the outdoor badminton court, the boy raising his racket with a flourish.

"I’m Huang X Lin from Class 12—"

Before he could finish, Lin Mo cut him off.

"Sorry, not interested in your name. The author couldn’t be bothered to give a full name to a character who’s only appearing once."

Huang X Lin froze. "What?! Why?!"

Furious, he took a deep breath and served without another word.

Normally, they should’ve played in the indoor badminton hall, but both were confident they could crush the other quickly, so they settled for the outdoor court.

Huang X Lin served with a backhand—a short, fast serve that was hard to smash and set up opportunities for his own attacks.

This was the standard serve in professional matches.

But Lin Mo didn’t even move to receive it.

A strong gust of wind blew from behind him, causing the shuttlecock—which should’ve landed just inside the line—to reverse midair and drop short of the service line.

According to badminton rules, a serve must land beyond the service line, or the point goes to the opponent.

So without lifting a finger, Lin Mo scored.

"No way! That was the wind’s fault!" Huang X Lin protested.

Lin Mo raised an eyebrow, feigning nonchalance. "Wow, the school team star is being extra cautious against little old me, huh? Arguing over a single point? Fine, let’s move to the indoor court. Otherwise, if the wind keeps messing things up, we’ll be here all day."

Another sarcastic jab.

Lin Mo had effectively cornered him.

Huang X Lin wasn’t without an audience—his classmates had gathered, eager to see him take on Lin Mo.

"Come on, Huang X Lin, you’re the school team ace! Let him have a point or two. We believe in you—you’ll smash him into the ground!"

Encouraged, Huang X Lin decided not to push the issue. "Fine, that point’s yours. But you won’t get another one."

Lin Mo shrugged, bending down to pick up the shuttlecock.

Huang X Lin sneered. "Can’t even scoop the shuttlecock with your racket? Total amateur."

He was now convinced Lin Mo had just gotten lucky.

Now it was Lin Mo’s turn to serve.

He went for a straightforward high serve.

Huang X Lin grinned—this was his chance for a brutal smash.

As the shuttlecock descended, he lined up his shot perfectly.

Then another gust of wind swept through.

The shuttlecock missed his racket by a hair’s breadth and landed right at his feet.

Plop.

Huang X Lin’s face stiffened as he stared at Lin Mo.

Lin Mo, meanwhile, frowned at him with mock concern.

"Maybe... we should just call it quits? If you can’t even play badminton, this is just wasting my time."

Huang X Lin’s blood pressure spiked.

Who’s the one who can’t play here?!

He flicked the shuttlecock back to Lin Mo with his racket.

"Again!"

Lin Mo caught it, smoothing out the ruffled feathers.

"Your skills are lacking, but you sure know how to put on a show. Honestly, badminton should be about returning to the basics."

Huang X Lin took a deep breath, refusing to engage. This time, he’d shut Lin Mo up for good.

Lin Mo served high again.

This time, Huang X Lin played it safe—no smash, just a gentle tap forward.

The shuttlecock barely cleared the net, destined to drop just out of Lin Mo’s reach.

Huang X Lin’s lips curled in triumph.

Then, another gust of wind blew from behind him, nudging the shuttlecock straight onto Lin Mo’s racket.

Lin Mo gave it a light flick.

The shuttlecock rolled along the net before dropping onto Huang X Lin’s side.

Huang X Lin exploded. "What the actual—?!"

Lin Mo shook his head. "Huang, in a pond of ten lotuses, I only pick one. So you take the other nine." (Credit to Wei Feng for the crowdfunded roast.)

And just like that, Huang X Lin’s mentality shattered.