Father-Son Match

For some inexplicable reason, more and more people came to watch the badminton match.

Huang X Lin joining the school badminton team was common knowledge in Class 12.

So no one would have thought that Huang X Lin couldn’t play badminton.

But against all expectations, Huang X Lin had already lost three points in a row.

Truly an unnamed side character who didn’t deserve a full name—the crowd of onlookers, originally from Classes 8 and 12, suddenly grew to include Class 15.

However, Zhou Ming and Wang Zhenji watched from a distance, keeping far away from the badminton court.

Neither of them dared to say a word, silently observing as Lin Mo toyed with the guy who could only rage helplessly.

With just a single glance at each other, their thoughts were already communicated wordlessly.

"This guy is not to be messed with."

"Agreed."

Without uttering a single word, they retreated even further away.

It might not have made much difference, but putting more distance between them and Lin Mo at least gave them a sliver of security.

As for Huang X Lin in the middle of the court, he was already fuming.

He pointed at Lin Mo.

"You! Just got lucky, that’s all. I don’t believe your luck will hold forever. Serve!"

Lin Mo tilted his neck left and right, cracking it lightly. "If that’s how it is, then I’ll play seriously with you."

With that, he switched to a backhand serve stance.

With just a light flick, the shuttlecock arced diagonally across the court.

Huang X Lin barely managed to lift the low-falling shuttlecock.

Then he saw Lin Mo assume a textbook smash position.

Whoosh!

The sound of the shuttle slicing through the air.

Before Huang X Lin could react, it had already landed on the ground.

Huang X Lin looked up at Lin Mo.

Lin Mo stared back at him with cold indifference.

At that moment, a cold sweat broke out on Huang X Lin’s back.

"Come on."

Only then did Huang X Lin realize—Lin Mo’s three serves had strictly followed the rules, switching sides each time.

He… was being played with?!

Like poor Tom the Cat, completely at the mercy of someone else’s whims.

Another serve.

This time, Lin Mo gave him a chance—a high lob.

Huang X Lin gritted his teeth, leaped up, and smashed it down with all his might.

A surefire kill!

Smack!

The powerful smash was effortlessly caught and returned with a delicate drop shot right at the net.

Huang X Lin had barely landed.

"Foolish. Jumping for a smash without certainty just gives your opponent an opening."

Lin Mo’s voice rang out.

Huang X Lin was on the verge of breaking down.

What followed was a one-sided beatdown—though one could argue it was a teaching match.

After all, wasn’t it a father’s duty to teach his son how to behave?

Huang X Lin didn’t score a single point, utterly humiliated.

Among the three classes present, Jiang Yunlu and Huang X Lin weren’t the only ones on the badminton team.

But after witnessing Lin Mo’s terrifying performance, none of them believed they could score against him either.

Even Jiang Yunlu felt her throat go dry, swallowing hard despite how unladylike the gesture might seem.

It just proved one thing—Lin Mo had gone easy on her before.

She rushed forward. "Lin Mo, why don’t you sign up for men’s singles? You’re so good, you could definitely win the school tournament—no, even the city or provincial championships!"

Her words weren’t baseless. Jiang Yunlu had seen her fair share of matches, and Lin Mo’s explosive power and reflexes surpassed even the national athletes she’d watched.

But Lin Mo simply set down his racket and said to Huang X Lin, "Remember our class’s red horse. Don’t try to weasel out of it."

With that, he turned and walked back to Class 8’s side.

Even An Yuexin, who had been busy flirting during P.E. class, couldn’t resist approaching.

"Lin Mo, you’re really not joining the badminton competition?"

Jiang Yunlu followed, looking at him with hopeful eyes.

But Lin Mo shook his head, taking a sip from the water fountain.

"I already said—I’m not taking that path. I have many options, so I’ll choose the one I like."

At that moment, Jiang Yunlu suddenly remembered what Lin Mo had told her before—trained martial artists couldn’t participate in national sports.

That must be why he refused to compete.

"What about mixed doubles…?" she asked cautiously.

"That… I can do. It’s just a school tournament, after all. But men’s singles would be a problem for me."

Several students from other classes overheard Lin Mo’s words.

Hearing that he wouldn’t compete in men’s singles, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

They didn’t know the reason, but his absence was good news.

Who knew what would happen if they pressed further and he suddenly changed his mind?

So they simply watched as Lin Mo walked away.

Aside from badminton, basketball and soccer were also class-based competitions.

With fifty students per class, forming a "Lightning Eleven" soccer team or a "Phantom Sixth Man" basketball lineup was no issue.

But Lin Mo hadn’t signed up for either—not that he needed to. The sports enthusiasts and athletes would naturally take the lead.

......

Stretching lazily, Lin Mo scribbled in his homework while watching Jiang Yunlu sweat it out on the badminton court.

Badminton, basketball, and soccer weren’t part of the school sports festival.

Since the matches couldn’t be finished in just a day or two, Guangba Middle School’s solution was to gather the participants during evening self-study sessions and hold the competitions then.

Jiang Yunlu’s women’s singles matches had begun a few days after that P.E. class.

Lin Mo had been dragged along to spectate—under the guise of "familiarizing himself with his teammate’s playstyle."

So he settled for multitasking: doing homework while half-watching Jiang Yunlu play.

Jiang Yunlu’s skills were formidable. So far, Lin Mo hadn’t seen anyone who could threaten her.

The women’s singles qualifiers were best-of-one, first to 21 points.

Jiang Yunlu breezed through with a 21-10 victory.

She didn’t even break a sweat.

Still, Lin Mo handed her a bottle of Blue Scream as she came off the court.

Though the taste was questionable, it was an excellent electrolyte replenisher after exercise.

Seeing the drink in Lin Mo’s hand, Jiang Yunlu smiled genuinely.

"Thank you."

After registering with the referee, she hurried back.

"Lin Mo, tomorrow’s the mixed doubles preliminaries. Are you nervous?"

Lin Mo kept writing without looking up. "Why would I be nervous? It’s just going to be a slaughter."

"If we win the mixed doubles championship, I’ll give you a reward!"

Lin Mo paused his pen and finally lifted his head to look at her.

"Now that you mention it, maybe I should throw the match so we don’t win."

"Lin Mo!" Jiang Yunlu stomped her foot in frustration.

"Just kidding. Just don’t disguise your own reward as something for me."

Jiang Yunlu pouted at his words.

In old-fashioned terms, her lips were puckered enough to hang an oil bottle.

On anyone else, the expression might have seemed forced, but on Jiang Yunlu, it was genuinely adorable.

The wind today was harsh, and my cough worsened. My family gave me loquats, but it only made things worse—cold-induced coughs are the worst.