Peninsula: Aiming for a Grand Slam

It was another massacre.

A one-sided massacre.

6-0, 6-0.

The referee cleared his throat, and the loudspeaker announced:

"Game, set and match, Chen."

He lowered his eyes to look at the scorecard in his hand, paused, then looked up again and announced the cruel score:

"Six love, six love."

The scoreboard freezes.

The numbers in the second set were exactly the same as in the first set.

Ye Haoran turned off the camera.

He came here to learn a skill, but unexpectedly discovered something different.

"Chen Jixian's movements have become more aesthetically pleasing?"

He lost the game yesterday, but he still made excuses for himself by saying, "This guy is handsome, but his playing style is terrible. He seems like a complete novice."

But today, the same flat serve had an indescribable beauty when it was swung out. At the follow-through, not a single extra flicker of the wrist was visible.

"It's not an illusion."

"Not only are the movements beautiful, but more importantly... they're very clean?"

He closed the lens cap, and after the second game, he hardly pressed the shutter anymore.

Lee Dong-hoon across the street has also reduced his internet usage. It's not that he doesn't want to, but that he's afraid to.

His serves became increasingly soft, his footwork increasingly heavy, and when changing sides, he kept his head down, stopped saying "Come on," and didn't look at anyone.

By the second set, he wasn't playing the match anymore; he was just waiting for it to end.

After 2-0,

It's all wasted time.

……

……

After announcing the score, the referee began collecting the scorecards. Chen Jixian stood at the baseline, his racket dangling beside his legs.

I don't want to go there.

I don't want to shake hands!

The moment he saw that face, he seemed to smell a nauseating sweetness and hear filth whispered in his ear.

Now, should he walk over, reach out, and touch that hand? After grasping that hand, he wasn't sure what would happen.

but,

"I can't refuse."

Refusing to shake hands will lead to more than just "being kept" on the forum tomorrow; it will also be seen as "ill-mannered."

She will see.

She will be involved.

"If you back down at this point, you will fall into his trap."

"Besides, I am the victor!"

The only thing he can do for her now is to make every aspect of this competition spotless.

Including handshakes.

He walked over.

Lee Dong-hoon was already standing in front of the net, waiting.

Chen Jixian had once predicted what his expression would be—a sour face, a low curse, or simply ignoring him.

But Lee Dong-hoon smiled.

It wasn't the kind of knowing smile you shared.

A sincere, generous, and resilient laugh.

He reached out and grasped Chen Jixian's right hand, patting the back of his hand with his other hand.

"Good match."

His tone was calm, and his expression was sincere, like that of an athlete who could truly accept defeat.

It was as if he wasn't the one who smashed the racket.

Chen Jixian was stunned for a moment.

He was not moved.

In that instant, he realized that someone who had lost two sets 6-0 shouldn't have that expression.

Or perhaps, this expression itself is a ticket to another match.

"Decent".

"Tennis players must maintain their dignity."

This is also part of professional tennis.

Chen Jixian didn't expose him, but simply nodded and withdrew his hand. He turned and walked towards his chair.

There were already people waiting at the entrance.

They were not a legitimate media outlet; they had no station logo or microphone, and no press pass hanging around their necks.

Two young people were holding up their phones, one shooting horizontally and the other shooting vertically. A girl wearing glasses was standing next to them, holding a voice recorder.

Their eyes lit up when they saw Chen Jixian come out.

"J.Chen! Congratulations on advancing!" The person holding the phone horizontally spoke first. "Could you say a few words? Two 6-0 scores today, how was your form?"

Chen Jixian kept his head down and didn't stop walking.

He's a bit resistant to being in front of the camera now.

"good."

"Did you practice specifically before the match for the first 'Love Game'?"

"no."

"How did you recover from being down 0-30 in the second game?"

"Play normally."

He answered as he walked forward. The passage was narrow, and the group of people were blocking the way.

The girl with glasses didn't move; she simply moved the recorder forward a little.

"Your expression was off when we were choosing sides..." She paused, "Did your opponent say something?"

Chen Jixian paused for a moment.

It was just a very brief moment.

The steps continued forward, but the rhythm faltered.

The images flashed through his mind—the way he leaned close to her ear, the voice with a slightly nauseatingly sweet tone, and the words, "Smash her legs open."

Chen Jixian tightened his grip on the strap of his golf bag.

"He's not feeling well today," he said.

The girl with glasses didn't put down the recorder: "What did he say that made you look so upset?"

Chen Jixian looked at her.

The passageway was quiet, the phone camera was still recording, and the red light was blinking.

He could say "it's nothing," but he doesn't want to.

He could say, "Go ask him," but he didn't want to repeat that person's name again.

He didn't want the media to dig any deeper. If they kept digging, they'd end up digging into her again.

"It's not convenient to repeat myself."

After he finished speaking, he squeezed past the girl.

She didn't ask any more questions, nor did she pursue the matter. The recording pen was still held up, and the red light was still flashing.

The girl with glasses glanced down at the recorder and pressed the stop button. She looked up at her companion next to her, who was holding her phone upright.

Her companions were also watching her.

"It's inconvenient to repeat myself," she repeated, then said, "This is more useful than anything else."

……

……

Swipe your card to enter.

The golf bag was placed aside.

Chen Jixian entered the bathroom; the sound of water was brief. Three minutes was just enough to wash the sweat off his neck.

When he came out, his hair was still wet. He fell onto the bed, and a small water stain appeared on the pillow.

He stared at the ceiling.

Open the system panel.

[User: Chen Jixian]

【Height: 184】

[Technical Attributes]

Serve: 2

Serving return: 1

Forehand: 1

Backhand: 2

Chop shot: 0

Stable: 1

"Cut shot is still 0."

"Stability is still 1."

"Normal... my ass!"

Chen Jixian got up.

He stared at the system UI, at the "Stable: 1" indicator.

If he remembers correctly, the [Burning Heart (1/2)] did not offer any rewards.

Just one word:

【none】

Therefore, this "Stability: 1" is not a system reward, but something Chen Jixian earned by hitting each ball himself.

In the first round of qualifying, the referee mistakenly called a shot that landed on the line. He almost went up and attacked, but finally took a deep breath and tossed the ball again.

In the second round, FILA's eyes swept over him, and he left with the last words, "I don't know him."

And then there were the words Lee Dong-hoon whispered in his ear today. He took a step forward, then pulled back, tied his shoelaces, and finished with two more 6-0s.

These ones,

None of these were provided by the system.

Chen Jixian continued to swipe down, his finger hovering in mid-air.

[Streamlined shape]

Effect 1: Activates visual coefficient correction, improving posture score.

Effect 2: Reduce redundant frames in basic actions.

Effect 3: ? ? ?

"Redundant frames?"

Today, when I served, there was less excessive wrist shaking when I followed the racket back.

When backswinging with a forehand, my elbow used to be raised a bit higher, and while it hasn't completely disappeared today, it has improved considerably.

The initial movement was lighter and the landing faster than before. It was as if someone had used a small knife to cut away the excess.

"So, maybe FILA is actually a good person?"

"If he hadn't angered the system, this amazing thing, the [Streamlined Design], would have been hidden away for who knows how long."

"Oh right, he told me to keep up the good work this morning..."

Chen Jixian smiled.

This is one of the few pieces of good news today.

Incidentally, due to long-term training and competition, my upper body strength is now also at level 1.

My phone vibrated.

The screen lights up—Wang Hao.

He answered the phone, but didn't have time to "feed" the baby.

"Chen Jixian," Wang Hao said in a low voice, "you're famous now!"

"Hilarious, I became famous yesterday."

Wang Hao's voice suddenly rose:

"Did you want to hit someone again during today's match?! A bunch of people want you to withdraw from the competition; they've even gone to the Blue House to petition!"