The referee, Ke Hong, tossed a coin to decide who would serve first: Deng Da and Meng Yue with the ponytail, or Qin Tian.
The two girls stood in the front near the center line, while Deng Da and Qin Tian were positioned at the back baseline.
Deng Da served first. He tossed the tennis ball high into the air and swung his racket with great force.
The tennis ball flew directly towards Qin Tian. Qin Tian accurately tracked the ball's trajectory and returned it with a backhand swing.
The ball was hit, but unfortunately, the power was misjudged, and it sailed out of bounds past the baseline.
"Out! 15-0, Deng Da and Meng Yue lead!"
Ke Hong raised his hand to signal the two and announced loudly.
"Yeah! Senior, well played!"
Meng Yue turned to Deng Da, her smile bright as she offered praise.
"Heh heh…"
Deng Da chuckled happily, his mood very pleasant.
If he could defeat the school's popular figure on this court, his own spring might just be arriving!
Not only Meng Yue, but many single and pretty junior girls were watching from the sidelines.
He was determined to win this match today!
"A bit too much power!"
Qin Tian lightly swung the racket in his hand, trying to find his rhythm.
He hadn't played tennis much and lacked experience. Even with the perfect physical conditioning bonus, he still needed to adapt.
"Brother, it's okay, let's keep going!"
Xia Nuannuan's sweet smile offered encouragement.
Qin Tian smiled and nodded.
Deng Da continued to serve. Perhaps feeling a bit overconfident, he missed this serve, hitting the net in the middle.
Fortunately, there were two service attempts allowed; only a double fault would result in a point for the opponent.
"Cough cough… fault, fault."
Deng Da chuckled sheepishly, composing himself before tossing the ball high again for his serve.
This time, the ball landed behind Xia Nuannuan and flew towards the other side where Qin Tian was standing.
"Good shot!"
Ke Hong couldn't help but murmur to himself.
The ball was very fast. Even if he were standing where Qin Tian was, it would be difficult to reach it.
However, what happened next shocked everyone present.
Qin Tian suddenly accelerated at the baseline with incredible speed, managing to reach the ball and return it.
"He runs so fast!"
A girl from the sidelines exclaimed.
"Junior, it's your chance!"
Deng Da quickly recovered and called out urgently.
"Got it!"
Meng Yue responded loudly, raising her racket for a smash.
Xia Nuannuan naturally couldn't return such a fast ball, so they lost another point.
"What a shame, 30-0!"
Ke Hong said with a smile.
Xia Nuannuan turned her head, casting an apologetic glance at Qin Tian.
"Don't worry about it. I couldn't have returned that one either. We can come back from this, let's go!"
Qin Tian encouraged her with a smile.
"Mhm mhm!"
Xia Nuannuan nodded vigorously, then looked back at the celebrating duo on the opposite side, her eyes becoming more determined.
She had lost two points already without even touching the ball, and this wouldn't do.
"Nuannuan, think about how it felt when we played together that day. Just pretend I'm the one playing opposite."
Qin Tian's steady voice came from behind her.
"Okay, I understand."
Xia Nuannuan nodded in response.
The match continued, and Qin Tian and Xia Nuannuan gradually found their rhythm.
Although they narrowly lost this game, they managed to win one point at the end.
"Are you okay? Do you want to take a break?"
Ke Hong asked with a smile.
"No, we're fine!"
Deng Da responded first.
He felt that the opposing pair was playing better and better, with good coordination. If this continued, it might not be easy. It was best to press their advantage and secure the victory.
"We're fine too."
Qin Tian also replied.
"Alright then, both sides switch courts, and the match continues!"
Ke Hong directed.
"Brother, I'm sorry, I'm too clumsy."
As they walked to the opposite court, Xia Nuannuan said with some guilt.
In her opinion, Qin Tian was already playing very well, and she was holding him back.
"What are you talking about!"
Qin Tian raised his hand and placed it on top of her head, ruffling her small head with a doting smile to comfort her. "It's just for fun, play relaxed. I've got everything under control, don't worry!"
"Mm!"
Xia Nuannuan narrowed her eyes slightly, a happy and sweet smile gracing her beautiful face.
Looking at this scene, many onlookers turned into jealous fans.
"Ahhh… they're at it again!"
"Didn't they just lose a game? Why does it feel like they won?"
"In every sense, they've already won at life, haven't they?"
"Bro, stop talking, or I'll shatter."
…
Some girls, however, were charmed by the sweet interaction between the two, their faces showing the indulgent smiles of viewers watching a romantic drama. Some even held their faces and let out shrieks like a distressed marmot.
"Senior, I suddenly feel like I have no fighting spirit. Winning feels meaningless!"
Meng Yue said in a low voice with a bitter expression.
Deng Da opened his mouth, then hesitated.
To be honest, he felt similarly.
"No, junior, you can't think that way. The world shouldn't be so narrow; there should be a place for us single nobles. Today, this court is our home ground, and we must win!"
Deng Da's voice was loud and resonant as he declared.
Meng Yue looked at him with astonishment, not understanding why her senior was suddenly so passionate, with flames seeming to burn in his eyes.
She didn't know that this was a desperate cry to fate from a pitiful soul who had been single his entire life and had spent two years of college also single.
He wanted to win, to defeat this popular figure on their home ground, and thus win the favor of a certain junior girl.
"Okay, senior, we've already lost this point, but we must win the match!"
Meng Yue was also infected by the passion, gritting her teeth and agreeing.
After switching courts, Qin Tian and Xia Nuannuan clearly noticed a completely different atmosphere from the opposing duo.
Putting aside the technical skill, to exaggerate a bit, their serious and focused expressions and the atmosphere were as if they were playing in the Olympics.
The two exchanged a perplexed glance, completely bewildered.
"Qin Tian, it's your serve!"
Ke Hong reminded them with a smile.
"Okay!"
Qin Tian nodded, took a tennis ball from a boy beside him, and prepared to serve.
In the previous game, his body had gradually adapted to the sport.
He still lacked technique and experience, of course, but for this amateur and relatively low-level match, it was no longer a problem.
Mimicking Deng Da's previous serve, Qin Tian tossed the tennis ball above his head. As the ball fell to the appropriate position, he swung his racket powerfully.
Since he had two service attempts, he didn't deliberately control the power on this first serve.
As a result, this serve was extremely fast.
Everyone only heard a "bang," the sound of the tennis ball hitting the racket exploding.
By the time they reacted, the tennis ball had already landed on the baseline behind Deng Da, bouncing backward and hitting the fence behind him with a thud.
Deng Da, who hadn't even had time to move, turned his head in shock to look at the ball on the ground, then looked back at Qin Tian with disbelief.
"Good shot! 15-0, Qin Tian and Xia Nuannuan lead!"
Ke Hong also recovered from his shock and announced that the shot was in bounds and valid.
The surroundings were utterly silent. Whether it was the new students or the old members of the tennis club, everyone was astonished without exception.