A perfect life begins with changing the timeline.

Chapter 243 Violent Forward Hand

Li Mu felt he really needed a good workout; lately he'd been drinking almost every day, which was making him feel extremely uncomfortable.

I no longer wake up feeling refreshed and energetic, but rather exhausted and listless.

Furthermore, the weather in Yanjing at the end of April, not yet May, was indeed quite cool. The warmth and blossoming of spring in the north left behind the most wonderful lingering taste of youth before the arrival of high summer.

This makes him hardly sweat at all.

But the more I did this, the stronger my body's urge to sweat profusely became.

This is also the main reason why he agreed to this match, which was clearly arranged by the Commerce Bureau.

I feel really unwell.

He was even quite looking forward to it. He changed his original plan to go to the Golden Ring Hotel after leaving the Kempinski Hotel, instead heading to the mall. Waving a shopping card, he swiped it for over two thousand yuan, buying a pair of tennis shoes, a racket, and a brand-new tennis bag.

I arrived at the Golden Ring Hotel right around noon.

After seeing Sui Kuan, I immediately booked the Santana car I needed for the afternoon.

Seeing his excited expression, Fatty Sui instinctively assumed he was going on a date with someone…

After all, he looked a little too radiant.

Currently, there aren't as many people at the Golden Ring Hotel.

Firstly, it's almost May Day, and everyone needs a break. Some people finished their work and returned to their respective workplaces.

Secondly, the case materials for Liu Xiaoqing have been largely collected over the past two weeks. The next step is review, verifying the facts of the crime, and finally approving the arrest.

There's not much to it at this stage.

It all comes down to time and meticulousness.

So for the two reporters, the job was quite easy. They could even have chosen not to come... but considering that if they didn't come, they'd have to go to the office, and once there, Wu Han would take them to the Commerce Bureau... it was more comfortable to stay here.

He's the boss of the commerce bureau he set up. But if he goes out with Wu Han, he'll be the grandson.

Even Sui Kuan felt it was unnecessary.

After staying at the Jin Huan Hotel for a while, Li Mu left Sui Kuan behind and, carrying his tennis bag, headed excitedly towards the Tianli Tennis Club, where they had agreed to meet.

He didn't know where the place was, but he knew the Capital Indoor Stadium.

Judging from the address Liu Baoteng posted, it's in that vicinity.

After driving to the stadium, he saw a sign for "Tianli Tennis Club" and, following the directions, finally arrived at... what appeared to be a parking lot inside the stadium.

Then I saw several tennis courts, and some people were training inside.

This place... um.

It truly lives up to its name as the Capital Indoor Stadium.

The venue alone looks very high-end.

It's so much better than the patch of ground in my own neighborhood, which is already worn and scratched.

He parked his car, and immediately a staff member came over:

"Welcome, esteemed guest. Do we have a reservation?"

"Liu Baoteng."

After Li Mu gave his name, the staff member immediately nodded:

"Please come this way, to indoor area number three."

"Do you have indoor facilities?"

"certainly."\

The staff smiled with unusual politeness:

"Our club currently has eight tournament-standard outdoor courts and six indoor courts. Although tennis is an outdoor sport, we can ensure our members can continue training even in bad weather."

Upon hearing this, Li Mu thought to himself, "Isn't this perfect?"

So, out of curiosity, I asked:

"What about privacy?"

"We are a members-only tennis club, and we place great importance on our clients' privacy. Furthermore, this is inside the Capital Indoor Stadium, which is not normally open to the public. There's one barrier from the outside in, and another barrier after you enter, from other clubs to ours. Moreover, our members have very harmonious relationships; everyone seems to have come together because of their love of tennis. To be frank, our members include political and business figures, but have you ever heard of any of our members, or any celebrities, who like to play here?"

The staff member's words clearly had a sales pitch connotation.

Even though Li Mu was driving a Santana, a car that could be seen everywhere in Yanjing City...

But Li Mu had to admit that, according to his explanation, his girlfriend's long-cherished dream of playing doubles might actually come true.

So he smiled and nodded:

"This is my first time here... I'll just look around first."

"No problem, please come this way, this is our indoor stadium..."

Li Mu was led into a building, which should be the auxiliary building of the stadium. The Capital Gymnasium was built in 68 and now has a main competition hall, three training venues, two supporting venues, and an office building.

This tennis court had clearly taken over a training hall, and Li Mu also saw a sign on the first floor indicating that the second floor was for badminton.

This place... is okay.

Looking at the several courts in the vast venue, Li Mu knew from the feedback of stepping on the ground that the location was good. Moreover, each court had a net in the middle to prevent the ball from flying out of bounds; although the net let in light, you absolutely couldn't see the players unless you looked very closely.

Upon closer inspection, he discovered it was actually a three-layered net.

No wonder I could only see a shadow.

When he arrived at venue number three, he was taken aback.

There are already people in the venue.

Dressed all in white.

It's a woman.

He was sitting on a bench reading a book, with a large tennis bag at his feet, and coincidentally, the tennis bag seemed to be the same model as his.

The same.

However… Li Mu couldn't see her face clearly because her hat was covering it.

But what's the deal with coming to the tennis court to read a book?

Curious, he picked up his tennis bag and walked over.

As the footsteps drew closer, the woman who had been looking down at her book finally raised her head.

When she looked up, Li Mu was stunned.

It looks familiar...

Isn't this the actor from "Postmen in the Mountains"... Chen?

Yes, it's her.

Li Mu looked at her, and Chen Yi was also looking at Li Mu.

After exchanging a glance, Chen was the first to smile:

"Hello, Reporter Li, I'm Chen [name omitted], it's a pleasure to meet you."

As she spoke, she placed the book on the table next to her, where a fruit plate lay, and stood up.

To be honest... Chen is really pretty.

The reason Li Mu recognized him at a glance was because the school had organized a viewing of the film "Postmen in the Mountains."

That movie won an award, didn't it?

When he went to the auditorium, Chen, who played the mountain girl, appeared for the first time, wearing a straw hat and a floral dress, smiling at the camera in the sunset...

Okay, let's say that.

That one scene caused an uproar among all the male students in the school.

Li Mu politely extended his hand:

"Hello, Ms. Chen, I'm Li Mu. Nice to meet you... Do you... know Manager Liu?"

Hearing this, Chen smiled and nodded:

"My agency is Asia Pacific. Mr. Liu invited me to play basketball today, so I came."

"I see."\

Now, Li Mu understood Chen's purpose in coming.

This is my playing buddy for today.

Then he laughed and said:

"Then Teacher Chen, you'll have to go easy on me this time; I've only been learning for a short while."

"What a coincidence, me too... I've only been involved for less than a year."

"Hmm, I'm about the same."

The two exchanged pleasantries, and Li Mu began to tidy himself up.

He had already changed his clothes before he arrived, so all he needed to do now was take off his long-sleeved shirt and trousers.

"Has Teacher Chen warmed up yet?"

"without."\

"Then... together?"

"OK."\

After accepting Li Mu's invitation with a smile, the two began jogging slowly around the area.

They didn't chat during this time, just ran side by side at a steady pace.

To be fair, Chen is indeed beautiful, possessing a natural allure in every smile and gesture. However, her outfit today was actually quite conservative—just a simple set of sweatpants and a loose T-shirt, certainly not anything overtly revealing.

Li Muxin wasn't that dirty.

After the two ran ten laps around the track as planned, Li Mu began practicing crossover steps according to his own habits.

Chen, who had been flexing his wrists, paused... After thinking for a moment, he followed.

After a few laps of cross-stepping to touch the line, she was already a little out of breath.

Li Mu was also a little out of breath, but his body was becoming increasingly excited.

"I'm all set, Li Ji, shall we play some rallies?"

"Well……"\

Upon hearing Chen's words, Li Muxin said, "You're done already? He was planning to stretch his muscles."

But since that's what they said, he had no choice but to give up and nod.

"OK."\

Since it was their first time playing together and neither of them knew each other well, Li Mu obediently handed over the serve to his opponent and stood ready at the baseline with his racket.

To be honest, those guys at Mingyayuan play basketball... pretty freakishly.

There's a saying in tennis: "Don't play against someone who's been training since childhood."

We absolutely cannot win.

"We don't play with eccentric old men." This means that while these older men might not have the correct form, their ball control and shot selection are incredibly unpredictable.

It was a very painful experience.

The last point is that players with exceptional physical fitness shouldn't play tennis. Tennis is a sport that demands a high level of physical endurance, and an average enthusiast playing against someone with superhuman stamina might only last for 10-20 rallies before their stamina collapses.

Try not to hit them.

In the neighborhood, Li Mu mostly encountered strange old men and physically imposing monsters.

So I'm always drenched in sweat.

He'd only been playing for less than a year, and every match against these classmates was quite exciting. So, looking at Chen across from him, he instinctively prepared himself thoroughly.

Chen then served a low cross, returning the ball to Chen, who assumed the other side was being polite before taking action.

So, adopting the same "go for it" playing style he used when playing against other classmates, he unleashed his biggest advantage: his powerful forehand.

"Bang!"

"Thump."

"..."\

Chen was bewildered.

He was also bewildered.

Chen was bewildered... Okay, okay, Liu Baoteng, this is what you meant by accompanying a reporter to play ball, right?

Is this playing ball?

Isn't this going to kill me?

This guy's forehand is like a cannonball, how am I supposed to receive it?

Listen to the sound of the ball hitting the wall!

How do you even play? This person's skill level is that high?

Li Mu was also stunned...