The Prince(ss) Of Tennis

Something strange

It was another regular day of training in Yu Qing high's tennis club. But today especially, the tension was palpable. Main players and trainees alike practiced diligently, in preparation for the qualifying, which will determine if they'll compete in the upcoming tournaments. With the main players not wanting to be benched, and the trainees striving for a chance to prove themselves. The clock is ticking, and every single player was preparing to give their all. The pressure was specifically high on aifang, everyone had high expectations for her. She had to learn how to deal with it, while also coping with her low self-esteem.
Her conversation with siyang yesterday, might have helped quell her fears a bit, but you can't possibly build up confidence overnight. It's a long and arduous journey, and aifang trudged towards it with baby steps.

Aifang fetched her cracked racket, the strings had come loose from wear. The consequence of her relentless training. She fiddled with the loose strings - "ugh, I forgot to get it fixed" she murmured to herself. Having recently moved to this town, she was still unfamiliar with the area. She didn't know any nearby sports equipment stores. Her friends quickly took notice of the worn-out state of her racket. Huang jing observed out loud - "woah, it looks like it's been run over by a truck"
- "don't you have another racket?" Xuiwen asked her.
She said scratching her head - "actually, I have 2 more but they're all cracked the same way, I totally forgot to fix them"
- "senior, I know somewhere you can get your rackets fixed, I can take you there after school" mu chimed in.
- "sure thing, let's go get some ice cream after, my treat" she half whispered to him.
After this small chit-chat, practice was resumed. Backhand and forehand swinging routines for the trainees took place. Aifang swung with all her might, despite there not being any balls to return. Sweat beaded on her forehead from the effort. But little did she know, someone kept a close eye on her the entire time.

< siyang's POV >
- "I want you to keep an eye on him" were the coach's words to me regarding our new recruit liu aifang. This boy has made quite a reputation for himself. That even the coach was intrigued to find out more about him. However there's something strange about him, but I can't seem to put my finger on it. In the meantime, as the captain, it was my task to closely monitor him. Upon watching him, I noticed he executed powerful forehand and backhand drives. It distinguished him from the other trainees. I decided to change my position for a change of perspective, and I realized I was right. I went over to where yan zhiming stood, his brows creased in concentration as he jotted down notes, while closely observing dayong. He glanced over when I joined him - "how is dayong doing?"
- "dayong needs to work on his speed, I'll prepare a personalized training plan for him" he grabbed the end-piece of his glasses to adjust it - "you seem to be paying particular attention to liu aifang" he said.
- "the coach asked me to keep an eye on him" I answered.
- "he has incredible abilities, he could've easily defeated qiao chen in the first qualifying, if it wasn't for his hesitation" yan zhiming's words had some truth in them.
Burying my hands in my pockets I said - "it's because he doesn't think he's good enough to go against a main player, that's why"
- "that's too bad, with his abilities, it's a surprise he hasn't made it to the team yet" he paused then added - "what if I offer him so yan juice to boost his confidence?"
I didn't want him to drive the trainee away with his bitter yan juice. I cleared my throat - "that won't be necessary, I have a plan"
< end of POV >

The duo of aifang and mu or should I say the trio, since liqin was tagging along for free ice cream, headed for the equipment store.
- "how could you exclude me out of your plans, especially when it involves free food" liqin nagged at aifang.
Aifang rolled her eyes - "well, you're here now"
Liqin pinched aifang's cheeks - "that's only because I caught up to you at the entrance, or else you would've gone without me" aifang swatted her hand away - "stop it"
Liqin turned to mu - "you should've told me instead"
- "sorry, I didn't know you wanted to come"
- "shoo, stop pestering him or I'll put you in a chokehold" aifang flexed her toned arms.
- "what are those?!!" Liqin exclaimed in awe "I see you've been weightlifting behind my back"
Aifang smirked, and with a wink said - "I do a lot of things behind your back MOM"
- "we're here" mu announced.
The place looked more like a bookstore than a sports equipment store. Mu lead them inside and headed for a door in the far corner of the store. He rapped on it twice. They were instantly greeted by a middle-aged man in glasses - "how can I help you?" He smiled broadly.
- "my friend here wants to get his rackets fixed" mu pointed in aifang's direction.
- "come in" the man opened the door widely, inviting them in.
Aifang handed him the rackets - " hmm 3 rackets, this might take a while"
- "guys, let's browse through the store until it's over" aifang suggested to her friends.
Aifang wandered to the self-help section. Her eyes scanned the book shelves, she picked up a yellow-covered book that attracted her attention. It was about building up confidence. Her thumb brushed across the cover - "would this really help?"
Liqin tapped her shoulder and said in a hushed tone - "look who's here"
Aifang turned around to see a simpering Zhou Zhi with his arm around another boy's shoulder.

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This chapter is a complete mess 👺
100 READERS, thank you so much 💗💗 I don't know how you put up with my awful writing, but I want to send you all virtual hugs and kisses 😘❤️ love you lots.