Chapter 40  : Fell Down Kneeling

No one made a sound on the vast tennis court.

 All the people stood there, their mouths open and their eyes bulging round and wide. Their faces displayed utter shock and confusion.

 “What… what happened just now?”

 “That… that shot earlier. How did the ball bounce and smack Fu Renjie?”

 Many people in the crowd cried out in surprise and puzzlement.

 More people stood on the spot, their eyes displaying a look of extreme disbelief.

 Coach Xu also stood there, slack-jawed.

 Suddenly, he remembered something and his face changed into a panicked expression.

 “That… don’t tell me that was… the twist serve?” His voice was trembling. He swallowed hard.

The twist serve was a legendary technique. In real life, not many professional players were able to pull it off. It could be said that it was almost like a fantasy.

 Those who mastered this technique were the best of the best tennis players. You would not see this technique being used in an everyday match.

 This fantasy technique had appeared in front of his eyes. Also, it was delivered by a teenager of seventeen or eighteen.

 Coach Xu was dumbfounded. He even found it a little ridiculous.

 His face turned red out of embarrassment. He had thought this kid was a total newbie earlier. Now that he saw him serve, he found that the kid was a scarily powerful player!

 “What? Twist serve?”

 Coach Xu’s cry sent the whole tennis court in an uproar.

 “How is that possible? Isn’t the kid a newbie? How does he know such a super-advanced technique?”

 “Did someone say he’s a newbie? Have you ever seen such a powerful newbie?”

 “What the hell? How old is this kid again? How can he be so powerful? This isn’t a f*cking comic book!”

The atmosphere became tenser and tenser.

 Wu Xiaomo and the others stood on the spot. Her petite mouth was stretched into a big O shape and did not close for a long while.

 “Oh my god, a twist serve? Is he a monster? Xiangyi, why didn’t you say that he was an expert player?” Wu Xiaomo complained.

 Qin Xiangyi was dumbfounded and did not know what to say.

 Meanwhile, Fu Renjie was lying face up on the ground. He was clutching onto his jaw while his face was blank. At this moment, he could not think of anything, and he could not believe the earlier scene that happened.

 “Twist serve? No… that’s impossible! He’s a total newbie, isn’t it? How does he know such a technique? Right, it must be a coincidence!”

 He pushed himself off the ground. His eyes were bulging and his expression was contorted.

 “Again!” He roared. He picked up the ball and threw it across the net.

 “I don’t believe that you can pull it off one more time!” He mumbled hatefully through gritted teeth.

 Tang Hao picked up the ball and stood at the serving position. He tossed the ball into the air again, then swung his racket fiercely.

 Thwack!

 A crisp detonation. The ball flew across the net once again, its speed and intensity like a cannonball. It struck heavily on the ground.

 The ball spun at an incredible speed. It bounced off the ground, then flew toward Fu Renjie.

 Though Fu Renjie could see the ball coming, he could not dodge the ball in time and was hit on the cheek.

 He cried out in pain, then fell once again.

 “Whoa!” The crowd roared again.

 “Another blow. Oh my god! He’s a real pro!”

 The crowd was excited, and some were close to fanatic. Their gazes toward the boy were not condescending anymore but were replaced with total admiration. Some girls even squealed with excitement.

 In their eyes, this boy dressed in a plain white button-down shirt was so cool and charming.

 Qin Xiangyi was spellbound. Something occasionally flashed in her eyes.

 “Cough cough!” Fu Renjie stood up while pressing his cheek. His face became more contorted.

 “How could this be…”

 He trembled. In his heart, he could not come to terms with the fact that this country bumpkin, this poor loser, this kid of a lower social class could be a pro of this caliber.

 “I don’t believe it. Again!” He roared, almost close to hysterics.

 Thwack!

 Another explosive detonation. The ball whizzed past the net, and when it hit the ground, spun wildly, then bounced straight at him.

 Fu Renjie’s eyes were wide open to look at the trajectory of the ball. He knew when to dodge but still failed to dodge in time. He was hit by the ball once again, this time knocking out a front tooth.

“I don’t believe it!” He roared.

 Thwack!

 Another ball flew past the net and bounced. This time, it struck him in the face. His nose was crooked and his glasses flew away.

 He felt dizzy in the head as he stumbled a few backward steps. He felt weak in his feet and fell kneeling.

 His face was as pale as a sheet, as though someone sucked the soul out of his body. His face was terribly swollen. It was a pathetic sight.

 Qian Wei and the others were already shivering with fear. Each of their breaths sucked in cold air.

 Their gazes toward Tang Hao were of pure fear.

 This kid to them was a monster in human form. He had only served several balls and had utterly defeated his opponent.

 “Shall we continue?” Tang Hao said coldly without any expression on his face.

 Fu Renjie coughed violently. He struggled off the ground, stumbled a few steps, then fell once again.

 “Don’t! Don’t continue. There’ll be casualties if you push on!”Coach Xu shouted urgently.

 Tang Hao gave him a side-eye, then turned to look at Qian Wei and the other men. “Now it’s your turn!”

 Qian Wei shuddered. He almost pissed his pants.

 “No, no, no… Tang… Brother Tang, we… well, don’t mind us. You’re a great player. We surrender!” Qian Wei’s voice was trembling.

 Tang Hao frowned and said coldly. “Are you a real man?”

 “Right! Qian Wei, didn’t you say earlier, you should accept the challenge if you’re a real man? Don’t tell me you’re not?” Wu Xiaomo laughed and shouted excitedly.

 “I…” Qian Wei looked like he was on the verge of tears.

 At that moment, he found that taunting the kid was the worst mistake in his entire life. This was like digging a grave then jumping into it.

 “Hey! Are you a real man? You’re a coward!” The crowd around him also shouted.

 Qian Wei walked miserably and reluctantly onto the court.

 “I’ll serve this time!”

 “Alright!”Tang Hao said nonchalantly.

 Qian Wei breathed a sigh of relief. The kid did not seem as scary without that horrific twist serve.

 He calmed himself down as he picked up the ball. He took a deep breath, tossed the ball then served it with a powerful show.

 Tang Hao narrowed his eyes. When the ball was struck, he had clearly discerned the future trajectory of this ball. He shifted his feet and reached his intended destination.

 Bam! An explosive detonation.

 The ball flew as fast as lightning across the net and struck violently on the ground. Then, under Qian Wei’s fearful eyes, it bounced off the ground and flew directly at his face.

 “F*ck, this is the end of me!”

 That was his single thought right before he fell.