Chapter 8 Contemptuous "You're such a tyrant, whether I go along with you or go against you..."
The short video's popularity is still rising. Someone left a comment, and the number of likes skyrocketed, spreading like wildfire.
Now, not only Xilai High School, but also the junior high school and the neighboring public school, all the well-informed students in the neighborhood know that Qin Man and Jiang Xuchi will be at the tennis court after school tonight.
Although they were just training, it didn't stop busybodies from coming to watch.
Half of the tennis court in Xilai is shaded by trees, and the other half is separated from the commercial street by a wire fence. It's not time for school to let out yet, but there are already quite a few students in various school uniforms gathered there.
Some people came specifically to watch the viral video of the tennis princess, Cilless, while others came for the handsome guy mentioned in the comments.
With men and women split equally, the number of people increased dramatically.
Qin Man braced herself and went into the changing room, not daring to look at the spectacle outside the iron fence.
She sat on the bench and watched Pei Shiyu quickly change her dress, and her heart sank.
"Let's call Duan Kexin over." Qin Man wanted to back down; being a coward was better than losing face in public.
"Qin Man, what's wrong?" Pei Shiyu looked in the mirror, her hair in a ponytail, her tone gentle and seemingly concerned, but actually probing. "You seem to have been in a bad mood lately. Why are you making such a fuss about this?"
"..."
“If it were you in the past, you would be overjoyed to be trending on social media,” Pei Shiyu said, looking at her in the mirror. She keenly noticed the subtle signs of inferiority in Qin Man’s behavior. She was so familiar with this kind of emotion that she couldn’t help but have some doubts. “Are you afraid to show your face in public now? Is something bothering you?”
Qin Man immediately became annoyed: "What can I be afraid of? The noise online is too loud and annoying."
Pei Shiyu turned around and smiled at her: "Everyone is praising you. You are now our goddess in Xilai."
After Pei Shiyu left, Qin Man sat on the bench for a while longer. Her phone vibrated twice, and she knew without looking who was urging her to leave.
She walked to the mirror, looked at her face with light makeup, and her eyes weren't too lifeless.
I took a couple of sips of water, mustered my courage, and went out the door.
People stood outside the iron fence, holding up all sorts of mobile phones and pointing them at the area inside.
In this era where traffic is paramount and personal privacy is easily lost, everyone will have such a "highlight" moment, and be in the spotlight of people from different classes and with different views.
Qin Man thought she would soon be overwhelmed by these gazes, but she didn't expect that she would be stronger than she thought.
Perhaps it was because she had once enjoyed the envious and admiring gazes of others, and was used to being born at the top and receiving the attention of everyone, that at this moment, the gazes of others made her heart race.
She was certain that she felt not only fear, but also a strange excitement.
Qin Man walked onto the court with her racket and looked at Jiang Xuchi on the opposite side.
To be honest, she definitely couldn't beat him.
Jiang Xuchi clearly practices a lot, just like her brother Qin Chen. She practices every night, either playing ball or training her physical fitness. Qin Man can't compare to her in terms of physical fitness alone.
Not to mention the skill gap between Xi Yue and Pei Shiyu. Xi Yue is a player who is bad at the game but addicted to it, and he loves to steal the ball. He is completely unreliable.
Not to mention there's a champion on the other side; she's definitely going to lose face today.
Qin Man took a deep breath and waited for him to serve.
When she lost the first point, she remained relatively calm and unfazed.
Boos rose from the crowd, followed by screams from the girls, but Qin Man pretended not to hear them.
But the way she gripped the tennis racket handle revealed her inner thoughts.
She unexpectedly scored on the next ball.
The moment the opponent missed, Qin Man immediately looked at Jiang Xuchi's expression, trying to glean something from his flawless eyes.
Even Pei Shiyu turned her head to look at Jiang Xuchi.
Xi Yue, who was standing next to him, whistled softly and glanced at the two of them with an ambiguous expression.
A small murmur of cheers rang out around them; Qin Man's score was exactly what they wanted to see.
Later, boos and cheers alternated as Qin Man sometimes lost points and sometimes scored, keeping the score tied. The intense back-and-forth continued until the final match point.
Qin Man stared at the ball, raising her racket in preparation, when she suddenly noticed Jiang Xuchi's movement. It was an unnatural movement; Jiang Xuchi had clearly withdrawn some of his force.
Having sparred with Jiang Xuchi before, Qin Man knew some of his habits and attack methods, even if she couldn't beat him. This was the perfect opportunity for him to attack, but Jiang Xuchi didn't. He even reduced the force in his hand and changed the direction of the ball.
Jiang Xuchi actually intended to give her the ball and let her win.
The ball flew towards her.
Qin Man stared intently at the trajectory of the ball, then gripped her racket without making any move; she had no intention of catching the ball at all.
The moment the ball landed, Jiang Xuchi was seen to slightly open his mouth in surprise.
Qin Man met his gaze calmly.
In the final match, Jiang Xuchi still won.
But to everyone else, it seemed like she threw the last game.
Across the net, Xi Yue and Pei Shiyu high-fived, and Xi Yue dramatically exclaimed, "You've worked hard today!"
Pei Shiyu withdrew her hand, which had gone numb from being slapped, and frowned as she glanced at Qin Man.
Inside the locker room, Pei Shiyu asked her, "What did you mean by that last shot?"
The entire match was ruined by Qin Man's passive action. Despite playing so brilliantly, she received an extremely perfunctory ending, which would satisfy no viewer.
The thought that Jiang Xuchi's victory was conceded by Qin Man made Pei Shiyu breathless.
“It doesn’t mean anything,” Qin Man said, putting her school uniform back on and slinging her tennis racket behind her back. “I just don’t like him.”
Jiang Xuchi was actually letting him win the last ball; you could tell from his hitting motion.
Qin Man, however, refused to accept this gesture and watched helplessly as the ball landed, bounced, and then passed right by her.
"You're insulting me, don't you know that?!" Pei Shiyu yelled from behind her.
Qin Man pursed her lips, her hands trembling as she pulled on the suspenders.
...
The campus was almost empty, and it was getting late. The moon and the setting sun were set together on the horizon.
Qin Man walked out wearing a mask.
A series of footsteps sounded behind him, and looking up, he saw Xi Yue dressed in sportswear.
He combed his bangs, whistled at Qin Man, and said with a mischievous smile, "Our tennis princess has the pride of a princess, huh?"
Qin Man: "Can you please stop calling me that?"
"Isn't it a nice sound?" Xi Yue exclaimed enthusiastically, "Princess, princess!"
Qin Man quickened her pace.
Xi Yue easily caught up with her. He had long strides and was not only fast at walking, but he could also walk backwards faster than her.
"Princess, I have a serious question for you."
Qin Man: "..."
Xi Yue took it as a yes and said, "How about we play tennis together from now on?"
Qin Man's face clearly showed her refusal.
"You can play games even if you don't play tennis. I can help you rank up. I'm super good at mobile games and can help you reach Star Master."
"I can also take you for a drive. I have a driver's license, I'm an adult, so I can go anywhere I want. Do you like the sea? My family has a villa by the sea, you can go and enjoy it on weekends."
This was going to be a long, endless rant, so Qin Man interrupted him: "What exactly are you trying to say?"
"Want to date, Qin Man?" Xi Yue's eyebrows curved, his tone unusually serious.
Qin Man glared at him, telling him to watch his step.
Unexpectedly, Xi Yue's expression became even more serious. "Qin Man, you're really attractive to me. I'm most susceptible to your charm."
He wasn't looking where he was going, his eyes were practically glued to Qin Man, until he bumped into someone on the back with a thud.
Jiang Xuchi's calm voice rang out: "How serious are you?"
Once Xi Yue realized who he had bumped into, he jumped to the side with a wide smile, "Of course it was just a joke, haha..."
Jiang Xuchi suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He probably heard Xi Yue's loud voice all the way through. With one hand in his pocket, he lazily asked Xi Yue, "Want to continue?"
It was obvious that Jiang Xuchi wanted to find Qin Man, and Xi Yue, seeing the atmosphere between the two, naturally decided to slip away.
Before leaving, he reminded Qin Man, "Even if it's a joke, you can consider it. Brother Xi Yue is waiting for you!"
He vanished quickly, replaced by Jiang Xuchi's presence.
"You've really made something of yourself." He had no expression, his eyes drooping lazily, making him hard to read.
"Thank you for the compliment," Qin Man said in a good mood. "It's only right that I let you win a point."
At least with so many people watching, she dragged Jiang Xuchi down with her in the humiliation. It was a "what's the use" approach, yet it gave her an immense sense of satisfaction.
Jiang Xuchi chuckled briefly. "It seems you know me well and know how to go even further."
Qin Man tilted her head back triumphantly, her eyes sparkling, and asked with utter nonchalance, "Am I being unreasonable? Do you think constantly letting me win makes me happier?"
"So serious?"
The disdain in his eyes made her heart skip a beat.
Qin Man forced herself to look him in the eye. "I'm talking to you seriously. If you keep letting me win the game, I'd rather give up."
Qin Man knew he was throwing the game the moment he scored, but she couldn't tell whether he wanted her to win or lose until the very last point. She was certain that Jiang Xuchi really wanted her to win.
But she didn't accept it.
She knew that even if she won, she wouldn't be able to enjoy it, so she preferred to lose and still be able to turn the tables.
As for what others think, to hell with it.
"So arrogant, refusing to accept even the slightest favor. Doesn't he know that this personality will cause him a lot of trouble?"
Jiang Xuchi turned his face to meet her gaze, looking into her defiant eyes as if he could see right through her.
"You think this is a favor?!" Qin Man found it absurd.
"It seems that his pride was hurt."
Her nonchalant tone made it seem as if she didn't value her self-respect.
Qin Man's heart began to pound. She controlled her speaking speed, trying her best not to sound so insecure.
She said earnestly, "I don't care about this fake concern. I can afford to lose. I don't owe you anything!"
The wind ruffled Jiang Xuchi's bangs slightly, and his collar fluttered as he tilted his head, asking only one question: "Can you afford to lose?"
This tone startled Qin Man, and then she became even angrier.
"Jiang Xuchi!" Qin Man said, suppressing her anger. "Why didn't we just not fight today? Did we have to go this far?"
They had already walked out of the school gate. Cars were constantly rushing past, and people were casting curious glances at them.
Jiang Xuchi remained calm and composed, while Qin Man's forehead was covered in a fine layer of sweat.
Jiang Xuchi chuckled lightly, "You're such a tyrant, I can't go along with you or go against you."
"Jiang Xuchi!!" Qin Man was on the verge of exploding.
"Ultimately, who's on whose side now?"
Qin Man immediately fell silent, her face pale. She wanted to say something, but her throat felt blocked. She could only watch helplessly as he approached, his expression so cold that it was as if the emotions she had just felt did not exist.
The conversation between the two a few days ago was still vivid in his mind. Jiang Xuchi had something on her and demanded that she accompany him to practice tennis.
Jiang Xuchi lowered his head and pressed his fingers against her brow. The pressure was light, but it carried an undeniable chill.
The moment his fingertips touched her, she almost reflexively wanted to pull away, but he pressed closer and spoke in a low voice, every word seeming to be etched into her bones.
"Once you're in my hands, you have no choice but to be obedient."
His tone was sharp, and his fingertips were as cold as ice.
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