Love Tennis and Yumiko Miura

The two took great pains to make both parents understand that this was just a tactic of unscrupulous media to attract attention, that it was completely groundless and had no factual basis, and that it was very normal to win and lose in a game.

So the two resorted to a roundabout strategy, casually displaying affection on Twitter—something Yumiko was very adept at, having already mastered posting selfies and other things on Twitter in middle school. Now that she's become a professional gamer and her popularity has increased, Yumiko enjoys interacting with her Twitter followers, either explicitly or implicitly demonstrating the closeness of their relationship.

For example, she would occasionally use Zhixian’s Twitter to post her own selfies, or secretly take photos of Zhixian’s daily life.

These actions often make the rumors self-defeating.

What's more, it was not a big deal in the first place, and it was not a big deal at all. Even the pictures accompanying it were completely inconsistent with the situation.

Extra: Tsurumi Rumi's Personal Opinion (XI)

The Madrid Open went on as scheduled, and this clay court tournament became star-studded with the participation of players like Maria, who studied in the United States - after all, with the French Open approaching, everyone needed some warm-up.

Liu Mei met Yumiko in the second round, and this match, which seemed to be a foregone conclusion to the outside world, ended with Yumiko's victory.

The score of 2:1 is not too bad, and Yumiko did win with great difficulty.

Although it was a bit of an upset, on the one hand, Yumiko's record in clay court tournaments in the United States was indeed lower than her average level, and on the other hand, she was in a strong momentum, so such an outcome was not completely impossible.

Maria was also competing at the same time as Rumi and Yumiko's match, so she didn't get to see it in person. However, Zhixian, who didn't have a match scheduled, watched the entire match.

In the footage captured by the media, Zhixian did not show the slightest fluctuation. No matter whether his apprentice or his wife scored, he was as steady as a rock, and looked unperturbed by praise or criticism.

After the match, Zhixian did not accept any interviews, but quietly left the audience. His expression was described by the media as "thoughtful."

But in the final analysis, it is just an ordinary game, and there are many seeded players' games to go, so it will probably only be mentioned in news reports.

However, the local media in Japan will focus on reporting this. After all, the two most famous local players met on the court, and the master's wife defeated the apprentice unexpectedly. This is quite interesting news for tennis fans in Japan.

However, Miss Maria Sara was not like ordinary people who just laughed it off. Her first reaction to the news was that she even suspected it was an April Fool's joke.

After successfully advancing, Maria went to Zhixian to inquire about the competition between Rumi and Yumiko.

"Sit down." Zhixian said.

In addition to the two of them, their coach was also present - but he was sitting at a table next to them.

This combination of two groups of coaches and athletes can directly shut up some tabloid reporters, preventing them from finding an angle to take a sneak shot and saying it was a private rendezvous.

After the four of them ordered coffee, Zhixian spoke first.

"I have a rough idea of ​​your purpose."

"Huh?" Maria was a little surprised.

"You want to know why Rumi lost to Yumiko." Zhixian raised his eyes and looked directly at Maria. "You were also competing at that time."

"..."

"Coffee for you two." The waiter brought the coffee and handed over a pen and a notebook. "Could you please sign your names for me?"

"of course."

So Zhixian and Maria signed for the waiter.

"Thank you very much, and I wish you all the best in your next competition."

After the waiter left satisfied, Zhixian spoke again.

"I've known Liumei for almost ten years. I can say I know her best, besides Mr. Tsurumi." Zhixian took a sip of his coffee. "Her current state has a lot to do with me."

"It's clear that Rumi has always trusted Tachibana-senpai, and most of her social circles are related to you."

"That's exactly what I was worried about. She never established her own social circle in the tennis world while studying in the United States. It's not that this is a bad thing, but athletes like us don't have many opportunities to meet ordinary friends after all. So I'm happy to see that she has a friend like you."

"Liumei is a very worthwhile person to associate with, and I am very happy to be her friend."

"None of Liumei's former friends have gone on to become professional tennis players, so she's feeling a bit lonely, and Yumiko and I can't always be there for her."

"what do you mean?"

"I really need a friend like you in the US. I've always felt that she's a bit too obsessed with things."

"Being too picky?" Maria was puzzled.

"French Open." Zhixian said the word calmly, "Why do you think her French Open record is so poor?"

"Of course it's because of her ball control..." Maria said halfway and seemed to realize something.

"It seems you've realized it, too. I can say I watched her grow up. How could I not know what she's thinking? Giving up the French Open just because it's too much trouble isn't something you'd do if you stayed in the US."

There is no reason why Liumei cannot do what Zhixian can do, especially when Zhixian has rich experience on clay courts, there is no reason for him not to teach Liumei.

"There's no reason why Rumei, who can play the Phantom of the Domain as perfectly as Senior Tachibana, can't handle the Zero-style slice on the clay." Maria murmured to herself.

"Besides tournaments like the French Open, which she can't miss, she rarely competes in clay court tournaments, right?" Zhixian sighed. "When she first debuted, everyone was comparing her to me. Some even said that if I played doubles with Liumei, we might have better results."

Maria's eyes were wide open, somewhat incredulous.

"So she is too smart to deal with it in this most extreme way." Zhixian sighed again.

"Isn't this totally unnecessary?" Maria didn't quite understand, although she was more or less aware that Liumei might have some feelings for Zhixian beyond friendship.

"Maybe it's to convince myself." Zhixian shook his head, picked up the cup and took a sip of coffee.

"...You still care about studying in the United States."

"I'm only five or six years older than her. Even though calling her a daughter is a bit excessive, I've always viewed her that way."

"Uh..." Maria had seen the photos of Liumei's family.

To be honest, it does look like it.

However, as she grew up more and more beautiful while studying in the United States, the photos of them looked more and more like siblings or friends, and the sense of being a family of three gradually disappeared.

"Losing to Yumiko this time shows that she's wavering. Otherwise, she wouldn't have lost even on clay. I think she might be willing to tell you the specific reason." Zhixian drank the coffee in his cup. "I have a match tomorrow, so I'll take my leave now."

Zhixian then called his coach, exchanged a few words with Maria's coach, and then left.

"What did Judu tell you?" the coach asked.

"Ah...we talked about the French Open." Maria replied. The two of them were indeed talking about the French Open, so it wasn't really a lie.

"Tachibana is on a roll now and he's still very competitive in this year's French Open," the coach said with emotion.

"Indeed..." Maria looked at Zhixian's departing back thoughtfully.

Maria never thought of herself as a smart person, so she was thinking about what Zhixian said. She felt that Zhixian might know about her idea of ​​studying in the United States, but was forced to speak frankly because of his situation.

Extra: Tsurumi Rumi's Personal Opinion (12)

"Liumei, are you there?" Maria knocked on the door of Liumei's room.

"Maria?" The door opened, revealing Liu Mei's face. Because there was no competition, her long hair was casually draped over her shoulders. "Please come in."

Maria raised the two packed bags in her hand and said, "I bought paella and Iberian ham. Come and try them."

"It looks delicious." Liu Mei smiled. "You must have been so hardworking that you even packed it up for me."

"It's not hard. I just happened to see it and bought it. Besides, I also want to eat it with Liumei."

The two of them laid out the Spanish paella and Iberian ham, and found that there was only food but no drinks, and there was only water in the room.

"Shouldn't I use a goblet with a glass of red wine at a time like this?" Maria blinked. "Swirl the glass, then inhale the aroma with rapt attention, and finally take a small sip."

"To be honest, it's a bit contrived." Liu Mei laughed, "Where did you see that?"

"My father and grandfather were both like this, pretending to be true gentlemen." Maria curled her lips, "They didn't even know which way the Cambridge Gate opened."

"Don't say that." Liu Mei couldn't hide her smile. After all, Maria's family had spent as much time in Japan as they had in Britain.

"Try this ham, it's delicious!" Maria reached out and picked up a piece of ham and put it to Liumei's mouth, "Here, ah——"

"......" The meat was delivered to her mouth, and Liu Mei had no choice but to open her mouth and eat it, "Hmm, it's really good."

"Not bad, right?" Maria said complacently. "The production of authentic Liberian ham is very demanding. The raw material is a specially raised pig with black skin and red meat. They only eat a local fruit and are slaughtered at the age of two to ensure the tenderness of the meat. Then, add some secret seasonings and air-dry the legs, and it's done!"

"The search engine is quite useful?" Liu Mei said with a smile.

"Of course not!" Maria gave a thumbs-up. "If you don't understand something, search for it."

"You're quite eager to learn." Liu Mei picked up the spoon and scooped a spoonful of mixed seafood rice into her mouth. "This is delicious too."

"I want Liumei too, ah——" Maria ignored the spoon that was centimeters away from her and opened her mouth towards Liumei.

"There's a spoon, take it yourself." Liu Mei was unmoved and took another bite herself.

"Didn't we say there should be give and take? You've already eaten the ham I fed you, and now it's your turn you're cheating again." Maria pouted in dissatisfaction.

"Okay, okay, it's a give-and-take." Liu Mei was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, and had to feed Maria a spoonful as well.

"It's delicious." Maria said with satisfaction, then she picked up the spoon and started to deal with her own portion of mixed seafood rice.

"...Don't you have hands too?"

"I feel bad for bothering Liumei all the time, so I'll just do it myself."

"...Who was that shameless person just now?"

"Maybe it's someone from Java." Maria ate another piece of ham with an innocent look on her face, as if nothing had happened.

"Okay, from now on you will be called Maria Java."

"Wooooow, that sounds terrible!"

"Apologize to the people of Java!"

......

"Would you like to try the special breakfast here tomorrow morning?" Maria asked mysteriously.

"Sure, but what is the special breakfast?" Liumei did not refuse.

"Hot chocolate churros." Maria said this seemingly unrelated term.

"???" Liu Mei's expression instantly turned into shock. "Hot chocolate churros???"

"Look, how can I lie to you?" Maria raised her mobile phone and showed the searched pictures in front of Liumei.

"...It really exists?" Liu Mei was even more shocked.

"The rich desserts show the influence of Arab food culture. Almost every festival is accompanied by specific sweets, and hot chocolate churros are breakfast that can be enjoyed all year round." Maria read the description under the picture.

"Although it's very strange, I actually became interested in it for some reason." Liu Mei said.

"So, do you want to go?" Maria tapped her phone a few times. "Here are some recommended shops."

"Go!" Although this dessert is strange and bizarre, it is still very attractive to women. "But what about your competition?"

"It's not like I'm competing early in the morning, and my competition is in the afternoon."

"That's fine, eat eat eat!"

"Eat, eat, eat!"

----split line----

On the other side, Zhixian and Youmiko were also enjoying Spanish food.

In front of them was a pot of Madrid stew.

"This thing is a bit like a hodgepodge." Youmeizi said.

"This is a hodgepodge, right? It's so easy to cook. Just throw all the vegetables into the pot." Zhixian picked up a piece of potato and put it into his mouth.

This is a juicy dish made by stewing vegetables such as peas, carrots, celery, potatoes and other miscellaneous meats such as beef and pork over fire. It is not only delicious but also highly nutritious.

"By the way, can we not invite Rumi and Maria?" Yumiko suddenly asked.

"Okay, but it's not necessary." Zhixian put a piece of meat on Youmiko's plate.

"Why?"

"They also have their own activities. Maria would feel awkward being with me."

"Okay then." Yumiko had no choice but to give up. "But it should be okay to stay in the United States, right? I didn't even think I could win..."

"Losing means there's something wrong with her form. How she adjusts is up to her."

"I always feel that she is a little shaken, and I don't know why." Youmiko was a little depressed. She was more concerned about her mentality of staying in the United States than her future schedule.