Chapter 163 – There’s nowhere to turn for help Arabic. Arabic? Seriously, it was Arabic? The man clearly couldn’t understand a word. He searched all over the phone, but had no clue what anything meant. With no other choice, he tried making a call—except he couldn’t remember any phone numbers. He patted around in his pockets: his wallet had been emptied, nothing left inside; all he had were some peanut shells, a pill bottle, and…
Chapter 162 – The premiere of Buried There was a restless stir inside the theatre. Even though the lights had already dimmed, the rustling and murmuring still hadn’t faded. For the audience, no one had expected the premiere of Buried to be this lively, nor had they expected the theatre to be packed—there were even a few people left standing outside, unable to get in. For an independent film with almost no marketing or gimmicks,…
Chapter 161 – The premiere is about to happen Rodrigo wiped his sweaty palms again, took a deep breath, and tried to relax the stiff muscles in his face—but it was anything but easy. He had been worried that today’s screening would be too quiet, but the turnout was overwhelming. He hadn’t even had a moment to catch his breath. So… was all of this arranged by Andy Rogers? Entering the theatre, he followed the…
Chapter 20 – Extreme catch Damn! The moment Gao Wen saw Giron quickly adjust his footwork and forcefully step around to hit a forehand, he realized exactly what was coming—a body-rotation forehand for a lethal strike. Before his brain could even finish processing it, his feet were already reacting, launching him laterally from his forehand side toward his backhand side to cover the court. By anticipating early, he tried to buy himself precious time. Why?…
Chapter 19 – Deadlocked “40–0.” In Gao Wen’s service game, Giron hadn’t found a single opening; the entire match was firmly in Gao Wen’s grasp. But the service game wasn’t over yet. Giron hopped lightly in place, trying to clear his head. All three previous points had ended within three shots. In other words, the rallies hadn’t even had time to unfold before the point was decided. It was obvious that Gao Wen was attacking…
Chapter 18 – Serve and attack Damn it! Alarms blared in Giron’s head. His judgment had slipped again—his read on the spin and the power was off, and in the final instant his hands scrambled in panic. The ball clearly wasn’t fast, yet it hid a tricky twist. Giron misjudged it, reacted a beat too late, and he was already losing the exchange before he’d even made contact. That was not a good sign. But…
Chapter 17 – Chess match Clap. Clap. Clap. The sound of a tennis racket striking the court echoed through the empty stadium in steady rhythm. A gentle breeze swept across the court as if keeping time, and golden sunlight poured through the cloudless blue sky. A faint heat shimmered on the skin, even the air itself seemed to slow. Bend the knees! Push off! Toss! Gao Wen’s body stretched like a fully drawn bow, arms…
Chapter 16 – Mini Duel Tennis has the most unique scoring system among all ball sports. But once you understand it, it’s actually not that complicated—there are only three concepts you need to grasp: a match, a set, and a game. First, the match. As the name suggests, this refers to the final winning condition. In most tennis competitions, matches are played in a best-of-three format, but in men’s Grand Slam events, the long-standing tradition…
Chapter 15 – Highly motivated “Ho ho ho! Little prince! Little prince!” Amid the cheering, Giron looked a bit helpless. He had felt that Gao Wen seemed especially energised today—full of drive and courage. He could sense that enthusiasm, feel the heat of it, and even found himself itching to join in. The dull, monotonous daily training suddenly seemed a little more enjoyable. But once everyone started egging them on like that, the mood shifted.…
Chapter 14 – Season goals “Hey, guys. Good morning.” Head coach Billy Martin of the Bruins stepped onto the court, dressed in a simple short-sleeved training shirt and shorts, wearing the team’s signature dark blue tennis cap. His cheeks were slightly flushed, his eyebrows almost invisible, giving him a kind and approachable look. Though he had put on a bit of weight, he was still in good shape for his age. In his younger days,…
