Chapter 8

Fan Ju stood at the tennis court, looking at the racket in his hand. To appear more stylish on the court, he had come to the tennis court early in the morning to practice his serve. However, this was clearly not something that could be mastered in a day or two. In double-speed mode, after sending out more than ten serves, only two or three managed to go in, and their speed was all below 100 kilometers per hour. After his rebirth, Comrade Xiao Fan developed a good habit: whenever he encountered a problem, his first thought was to seek professional help. Just like when he bought a house for investment, at the age of less than fifteen, he had found a professional law firm. Learning tennis, of course, also required professional guidance. Fan Ju had almost figured out the limits of his accelerated speed in double-speed mode, but the duration and recovery time still needed to be verified. However, so far, playing a match at normal speed and double speed did not seem to have a significant impact. Although he slept a bit longer on the first day due to overloading, he felt about the same as usual after waking up yesterday without any additional acceleration. Fan Ju had a not-so-good habit: once he started thinking, he would often space out regardless of the situation. At that moment, he was standing alone on the service line of the tennis court, his eyes unfocused, lost in thought. The young men and women who were exercising early in the morning and passing by the tennis court couldn't help but glance at him a few times. Of course, if Yan Ximu saw him, she would immediately know that her little husband was up to no good. There was a difference between Fan Ju's spacing out and his thinking. When he was spacing out, his mouth would be open, and he might even drool a bit, which would definitely earn him a hard time from Yan Ximu if she caught him, using the excuse that he was thinking about beautiful women. When he was thinking, however, his mouth would be tightly closed, and he would occasionally twitch, a difference that was indeed hard to distinguish from the outside, just like those early exercisers and the tennis club president. Yesterday, while Fan Ju was feasting with the group of female bandits, a group of idle teenagers were plotting to avenge their little junior sister. The tennis club president, as the top seed in this tournament and a frequent participant in city-wide junior tennis competitions, was also preparing enthusiastically in advance. To leave a good impression on his junior sister, win the match decisively, and then show off in front of his junior brothers, the tennis club president, driven by such a "naive and innocent" dream, came to the tennis court very early in the morning to warm up, ready to give it his all in the afternoon and completely dominate his opponent. "Friend, do you play tennis? Want to practice together?" The school's tennis court was usually locked, and only the sports department, the student council, and the tennis club had keys. However, because of the upcoming competition, the court had been left unlocked for the past few days. The tennis club president was not surprised to see someone on the court; instead, he approached and greeted him, as it wasn't easy to find a practice partner early in the morning. Fan Ju was thinking about how to measure the limits of his ability when he was startled by a tap on his shoulder. Coming to his senses, he found a tall, thin, and refined young man standing behind him. "Oh, sure! I'm not very good, so you'll have to go easy on me." Fan Ju didn't mind practicing with someone. Honestly, hitting the ball against the wall all day would get boring, and on the court, he could only practice serving. Having no practice partner was indeed inconvenient. The refined young man was quite tall, a bit taller than Fan Ju, standing at 185 cm with shoes on. Although he didn't have to look down at Fan Ju, Fan Ju felt that the young man's posture suddenly became much higher when he said he wasn't very good. However, seeing the young man agree readily, he thought he might be overthinking things, wondering if using his ability too much could cause hallucinations. The two of them went to opposite ends of the court. "You look new! You're a first-year, right?" The refined young man didn't know who he was facing, just that he looked very young. Although his height was similar to his own, he seemed more like a high school student than a college student. Although Fan Ju often participated in various sports club matches, most of his opponents were first-year students, and his reputation as a prodigy was limited to his department. Not many people knew him, and he didn't even know the tennis club president, let alone where the club's door was. He was also unaware that the tennis girl he had defeated with his "Great Peng Spreading Wings" technique yesterday was a member of the tennis club. The two, destined to face each other today, were casually rallying the ball back and forth on the court. After a few shots, the refined young man realized that Fan Ju wasn't exaggerating. The accuracy of his shots clearly showed that he had not received professional training. His grip on the racket and the point of contact were not standard, which even the amateur tennis club president found hard to tolerate. He decided to correct the younger student's technique. "Hold on, did you see how I grip the racket? This is called the Eastern forehand grip. It's best for flat and fast passing shots. From what I can see, you're just starting to learn tennis. The angle and height at which you grip the racket are incorrect. Try using this grip when you hit the ball." The refined young man placed the racket on the ground, then pressed his hand about 3-4 centimeters above the top of the racket and gripped it. He then swung the racket a few times to demonstrate to the dazed Fan Ju. Fan Ju looked at the young man's grip and then at his own, realizing that his grip was indeed not standard, and the height at which he held the racket varied. It was more like he was grabbing the racket and hitting the ball rather than properly gripping it. Seeing the younger student learning earnestly, the refined young man was very pleased. Although the tennis club looked high-end, it often faced the problem of not attracting new members. When students occasionally inquired, it was usually just for fun. If this were a regular university tennis club, even the president might be like that. However, the refined young man had studied tennis for a few years at a professional tennis school and had participated in major competitions, so he had high standards for club members. Even if they hadn't learned tennis, those who joined just for fun were not welcome. The younger student in front of him was different. He listened very attentively while the young man explained, and when he got excited, he taught Fan Ju several different grips, such as the Continental grip for overhead and serve, the semi-Western forehand grip commonly used by amateurs, and the Western forehand grip for topspin shots. He explained and demonstrated all the grips he knew. "Watch carefully. This is the ultra-Eastern backhand grip. It's great for handling high balls like the ones you were hitting back, but it's not suitable for switching to the Continental grip for net play. So, use it cautiously. When you want to approach the net, it's best to use the forehand grip. Professional players on the court may seem to hit the ball easily, but they subconsciously adjust to the best grip for each shot. This way, when they hit the ball in the optimal hitting zone, the ball will have more power, speed, and accuracy." Fan Ju nodded repeatedly as he listened, feeling that the young man's explanations were far more helpful than practicing against the wall for ten or fifteen days. He never realized that something as simple as a grip could have so many nuances. No wonder his speed didn't improve much even with the double-speed ability. Indeed, this kind of thing required professional help! The two of them spent almost two hours on the court, alternating between talking and demonstrating. As the morning classes were about to start, they reluctantly decided to part ways, even agreeing to practice together again the next day. The refined young man clearly wanted to recruit the somewhat athletic Fan Ju into the tennis club. "By the way, Xiao Fan, do you have time this afternoon? If you're free, come to the court at 3 PM. I have a school-organized tennis match, and I can introduce you to a few senior sisters." The refined young man suddenly remembered his afternoon match and extended an invitation to watch. "Tennis match... Could it be that coincidental?" Fan Ju's heart sank as he thought. He didn't know how to respond, and his face showed his hesitation. The refined young man was good at reading people and was much more approachable than the bureaucratic glasses-wearing man who had forced him to participate in the match. Seeing the younger student's hesitation, he didn't push further. After all, everyone had things to do, and he couldn't expect someone to accept an invitation on the spot. The refined young man waved goodbye to Fan Ju, who was still on the court. Fan Ju, however, stood there dumbfounded. Since they were just practicing, he hadn't used his double-speed ability while playing. If the senior realized that the person he met on the court was completely different from the one he was playing with, would he come at him with a racket?