"Senior~ let's go practice too."

"Then please go easy on me, junior Xiaoyi."

They headed to the tennis court. Xiaoyi tossed the ball up, swung her racket to cut through the air, and delivered a perfect serve. Yichen, already prepared, dashed to the spot and returned it smoothly.

They exchanged over twenty rallies. Yichen felt Xiaoyi’s skills weren’t yet on Shiyue’s level, but her shots were tricky—always aiming for the corners whenever possible. It left him scrambling hard to keep up.

A barely noticeable smile flickered on Xiaoyi’s lips.

She swung her racket dramatically, as if for a powerful smash. Yichen instinctively stepped back two paces. But just before hitting the ball, her swing slowed abruptly. The tennis ball floated gently over a small arc, landing near Yichen’s front court. He rushed forward but was too late. The ball bounced a few times on the ground. Yichen lost the point.

The next round began immediately with Yichen serving. After a few exchanges, he saw Xiaoyi feint toward the left backcourt and hurried over. But her racket changed trajectory mid-swing, sending the ball to the left frontcourt instead. Yichen tripped over his own feet while rushing forward and face-planted hard.

"Senior Yichen! Are you okay?" Xiaoyi gasped.

Yichen stood up, brushing dust off his clothes.

"Haha, I’m fine. Let’s keep going."

As Yichen kept falling for Xiaoyi’s feints, he slowly started spotting them. He managed to win a few points back now and then. But due to his severe lack of experience, he still couldn’t beat Xiaoyi.

It was Yichen’s turn to serve again. He held the tennis ball, pondering his next move. Suddenly, he wondered how Shiyue was doing and glanced toward her court diagonally opposite. Shiyue tossed the ball high and smashed it hard. The ball spun rapidly, tracing a sharp curve through the air.

*Beautiful!* Yichen thought—then instantly realized something was wrong. The trajectory… why was it flying straight at him?

Survival instinct kicked in. Yichen tensed his whole body and arched backward sharply. The tennis ball whistled past where his head had been, slamming into the fence mesh. It spun there for a moment before stopping. Smoke seemed to rise from the ball.

A chill ran down Yichen’s spine.

"Shiyue, were you trying to kill me!?" he yelled desperately.

Shiyue glanced at him coldly.

"Mistake."

"How could a mistake be that accurate?"

Ignoring him, Shiyue prepared her next serve. Yichen broke into a cold sweat, wondering if he’d make it out of this court alive.

After more practice, Yichen and Xiaoyi took a break. Shiyue and Lingfei were still playing.

"Hey, Shiyue, they’re resting. Should we take a break too?"

"Continue!" Shiyue snapped, her face tight with irritation as she served forcefully.

Lingfei gave a wry smile and got ready to return the ball.

***

"Hey, senior, how’s my tennis?" Xiaoyi beamed proudly from the bench.

Yichen forced a smile—he’d been thoroughly outplayed by this girl.

"Haha, you’re way better than me. Playing you is way more exhausting than playing Shiyue."

"Hehe, so you’re saying I’m better than senior Shiyue? I’m so happy~ But how could I ever compare to her? She’s our ace now." Xiaoyi stressed "ace," squinting at Shiyue still on the court.

Yichen noticed her gaze. She was chasing after Shiyue, but he knew Xiaoyi still lagged far behind, especially in fundamentals.

"You’ll get there. I think Shiyue believes in you too."

"Eh? Really?" Xiaoyi’s eyes widened instantly, a bright, joyful smile spreading across her face.

***

"Shiyue, your accuracy’s dropped a lot," Lingfei said. She and Shiyue had played nonstop for an hour and a half. The cloudless sky blazed with mid-autumn heat. Both were drenched in sweat.

"Just… a slip-up. Mistake!"

"But you’ve been like this since earlier."

"None of your business!"

Shiyue suddenly hit the ball out of bounds. She leaned on her racket, gasping for breath.

"Let’s rest. You look exhausted."

"We’ll… continue."

Shiyue’s grip on her racket loosened. She collapsed to the ground.

"Shiyue!" Yichen rushed over. Her face was flushed, lips parched, breathing heavily in ragged gasps.

Xiaoyi and Lingfei sprinted to her side. Lingfei propped up Shiyue’s upper body.

"I sensed something off during our match. Xiaoyi, grab her water bottle."

"Got it!"

Xiaoyi pressed her palm to Shiyue’s forehead—no fever. She sighed in relief.

"Senior Lingfei, here’s the water."

Lingfei took the bottle, staring at its full contents.

"Is this Shiyue’s water?"

"Yeah, it was by her bag."

"She hasn’t drunk a drop! How can she not hydrate in this heat? She’s dehydrated!" Lingfei held the bottle to Shiyue’s lips, helping her sip.

"Shiyue, how do you feel?" Lingfei asked gently.

"Mm… better." Shiyue’s voice was weak. Her eyes met Yichen’s briefly before darting away.

"Yichen, carry Shiyue to the bench. We can’t stay here."

"Okay."

With Lingfei’s help, Yichen hoisted Shiyue onto his back and walked toward the seats.

"Yi… chen." Her voice was faint.

"Shiyue, what is it?"

"Th… thanks."

"It’s nothing."

"After she rests a bit, let’s take Shiyue home. She needs proper rest," Lingfei suggested once Shiyue lay on the bench.

"I’ll take her to my place. It’s closer to school than her house."

"Eh? Senior Yichen, you’re not planning something… indecent with senior Shiyue, are you?" Xiaoyi’s face flushed red.

"Of course not! Just to let her rest properly!" Yichen protested fiercely.

"Yichen, I’ll come with you. Xiaoyi, sorry to cut today short. We’ll practice again next time."

"Okay, senior Lingfei." Xiaoyi nodded obediently.