Love is as simple as badminton.

Chapter 2 Can even badminton masters get lost?

"........."

On the other side of the net, the girl remained motionless.

The brain cannot process so much information at once and crashes.

What just happened?

I was beaten 21 to 1?

Was the only point a gift from a friend?

Shi Yuqi is completely bewildered, utterly bewildered.

"it's over."

Seeing that his senior sister did not respond, Lin Xiang walked to the net and reminded her.

"Oh, I'm sorry!"

Shi Yuqi seemed to shut down and restart, quickly leaning on her racket to get up and running to the net to give him a high five.

— A high-five after a match is basic etiquette for badminton players; ignoring your opponent after the game is very impolite.

More importantly, be careful not to press down on the net, otherwise you might have to fight a free-fighting match after the game.

"Junior, you're amazing! You must have been practicing for a long time, right?"

Shi Yuqi looked up at him, and unconsciously shrank her neck as she spoke.

At 168cm, she's not short for a girl, but standing in front of Lin Xiang, she only reaches his shoulder.

From this angle, his collarbone and Adam's apple are clearly defined by light and shadow, giving them a strong three-dimensional effect.

The sweat-soaked jersey clung to his body, clearly outlining the armor-like contours of his chest muscles, making one want to touch them.

"It's good that you know."

Lin Xiang nodded expressionlessly.

Although he won easily today, to be honest, he didn't feel much joy.

I was prepared for a three-game battle, but my opponent was a bit underwhelming.

Their offense is weak, their defense is leaky, they lack both ball movement and stamina, and they are full of weaknesses.

Whether it's a proper form or not, whether it's meaningful or not, you still want to compete with him?

"Let's go back and practice some more."

He added.

Regardless, this spirit of daring to take on challenges is still commendable.

"Yes, yes!"

The girl nodded hastily, and seeing him pack his racket into his bag, she asked curiously, "Junior, are you leaving?"

"Um."

Lin Xiang glanced back at her, his expression saying, "If you still want to spar, I'm happy to oblige."

After staring at each other for a moment, seeing that she didn't seem to have the energy to gesture anymore, he slung his ball bag over his shoulder.

"I'm going back now, goodbye senior."

"Oh, see you later! Let's meet up next time!"

·

7 PM.

At the entrance of the stadium, Lin Xiang stood motionless, his basketball bag slung across his shoulder.

He seemed like a great emperor standing with a sword in hand, his back to all living beings, fishing alone for eternity.

Then, looking at the tranquil and peaceful night scene before him, his brows gradually furrowed.

How do I get back to the dorm?

Xiangzhou University is built on a mountain with complex terrain, and is known as the most beautiful valley university in Asia.

In order to explore the interaction between humans and nature, the road was built in a winding and secluded way; but there were not many streetlights, so it was dark at night.

Even during the day, it took Lin Xiang a long time to find the badminton hall, even with navigation on.

However, he was focused on fighting at the time and didn't bother to remember the route, mainly because he couldn't remember it anyway...

The problem is not big.

Just import it back.

Thinking of this, Lin Xiang's brows relaxed, and he calmly took out his phone.

Then, looking at his phone, which had just shut down due to low battery, Lin Xiang opened his mouth, his relaxed brows furrowing again.

The problem seems to be getting serious.

He usually keeps his phone with a low battery, only charging it briefly before bed, and he doesn't carry a charging cable or power bank with him, so that he won't be distracted while studying or training.

The downside is... forgetting to charge it would be a huge problem...

"You're here, Xiao Xiang?"

Just as Lin Xiang was pondering whether to ask someone for directions, a familiar figure flashed into his peripheral vision.

Shi Yuqi carried a racket cover and a ball tube on her back, her slender fingers hooking a plastic bag, her little ponytail swaying in the evening breeze.

"I couldn't find you earlier, I thought you had already left."

She respectfully handed over a plastic bag containing two bottles of hydrating lotion.

"Hey! Thank you for the lesson, expert!"

Badminton is a sport with a strict hierarchy, and having the opportunity to play against a master is jokingly referred to as "taking a class".

On the one hand, the gap in strength between the two sides is comparable to that between students and teachers; on the other hand, this experience of cross-level combat is very valuable, and although painful, it can greatly improve one's skills.

Not to mention he's a top-tier player who invited you to play high-level matches; he's practically your father!

"Thank you, senior."

Lin Xiang did not refuse and chose his favorite lime flavor.

"You're too kind, your ball is much more expensive than these two bottles of water!"

Shi Yuqi unscrewed another lychee-flavored bottle and her eyes lit up when she saw "One Yuan Enjoyment" on the cap.

Seeing this, Lin Xiang checked his bottle cap and found it said "Thank you for your patronage," which was a bit of a pity. But since someone else had treated him, he couldn't really say he lost out.

"Um, senior."

Lin Xiang thought for a moment, then casually asked, "Do you know how to get to Building 5 of Jinghua Garden? Um, I need to deliver some materials there."

"Yes, I know!"

Shi Yuqi stopped drinking water, blinked, and said, "But I remember you guys live in Jinghua, right?"

"..."

Lin Xiang's lips twitched.

I was careless; I forgot she was my senior from the same department.

The girl's eyes narrowed, as if she had guessed something, and a suppressed laugh curled at the corners of her mouth.

Can even badminton pros get lost?

"Ahem, maybe I remembered it wrong."

She waved her hand and turned away.

"I'm also going to deliver some materials to the Jing Si highway next door. Since it's on the way, why don't you come with me?"

"Then I'll have to trouble you, senior."

Lin Xiang breathed a sigh of relief and followed in her footsteps.

·

As night deepened, the sun set.

The evening breeze was like a tide, the chirping of insects was like a song, and tiny stardust shimmered in the curtain-like sky.

The bushes swayed by the roadside, casting dappled shadows under the streetlights, mingling with the passing figures.

"That's the Lijiao Building, the teaching area closest to the gym. Our department is lucky; we usually have our classes here. We can play basketball right after that!"

"The swimming pool in front is open-air, and it gets very crowded every night; it's really popular. Some people in my class even wear their swimsuits inside to class."

"However, general education classes and English classes are in the Leyu Building, which is super far away, almost to the school gate. See that building with the pointed top? That's the one."

On the way, Shi Yuqi introduced Xiangda University to her junior as if it were a treasure trove of knowledge.

Lin Xiang followed obediently behind, trying to remember the route while also trying to restart his phone.

Actually, using my phone to record the information would be the best approach, but my phone is out of battery. And if my phone had battery, I could use navigation, so it seems like I wouldn't need to record anything… This is a paradox.

However, thanks to the senior student's lecturing-style introduction, Lin Xiang got a general impression:

The campus of Xiangda University is a long and narrow parallelogram, nestled in a valley, running from southeast to northwest.

From the outside in, there are four teaching buildings: Liyun, Leyu, Lizhe, and Lijiao. There are also functional facilities such as the science and engineering building, but as a liberal arts student, Lin Xiang didn't have many opportunities to go in.

The dormitory areas are named Yuehua Garden, Haihua Garden, Yanhua Garden, and Jinghua Garden in that order.

Unfortunately, the freshmen of the Academy were assigned to Jinghua Garden, which was the most remote, had the fewest shops, the most hills to climb, and was the farthest from the badminton hall.

However, Jinghua Garden is a newly renovated dormitory with the latest facilities, so you will hardly see the Cantonese double ponytail hairstyle, which has its advantages and disadvantages.

In older dormitories like Haihua Garden, the ecology is very diverse, and it's easy to get close to nature without a mosquito net.

Rumor has it that there's a chance they might even refresh the menu to include the spicy snacks that the honey badger loves.

The badminton hall is located at the junction of the dormitory area and the teaching area. There are also facilities such as canteen, playground, and swimming pool nearby. The commercial streets nearby are also very prosperous, and the roads are well connected. It can be said to be the heart of the entire school.

Overall, the Hong Kong University campus is actually quite simple, just a bit complicated.

Because the school's location is so unusual—with a mountain here, a lake there, and many rivers of varying sizes—knowing only the general direction is useless; you often find yourself lost along the way...

Never mind, it's not important. Just focus on playing well.

"Hey, Kiki?"

As Shi Yuqi passed by Building 3 of Haihua Garden, the old man in the armchair by the entrance put down his newspaper, adjusted his reading glasses, and asked, "Finished with your work?"

"Yeah, I even played some ball!"

Shi Yuqi waved and replied with a grin, "I'm taking our freshmen to Jing Si to submit some materials!"

The old man's eyes crinkled into a smile: "Then you'd better hurry up, or they'll be off work soon."

Lin Xiang's gaze lingered on the old man's shiny forehead for a moment.

He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt like the old man was staring at him.

"That's Grandpa Wang, the dorm manager of Haisan. He's also a veteran sports fan and often talks to us about various matches. Sometimes he even posts on social media in the stadium! But he's too old to play anymore, he can only watch us play at most."

Shi Yuqi patiently explained, seemingly knowing everything about Xiangda University.

"What's his full name?"

Lin Xiang felt that the old man looked familiar, but he couldn't see him clearly because of the mask on.

"...I don't know, we've always called him Grandpa Wang or Uncle Wang."

Shi Yuqi chuckled awkwardly.

Lin Xiang nodded, not taking it to heart.

After all, Hai San is built right at the entrance of Jinghua Garden, so it's normal that the dormitory manager looks familiar.

We're here.

As she spoke, Shi Yuqi stopped in her tracks; ahead lay the tall buildings of Jingwu.

It was before the official start of the semester, and most of the dormitories were occupied by newly enrolled freshmen. Seeing such a beautiful girl arrive at the men's dormitory, the passing guys all cast "What's going on...?" glances.

Some people glanced at Lin Xiang from afar, their eyes seeming to say, "I'm so jealous!"

"Hey junior, wanna add each other on WeChat? You can contact me if you get lost again."

Shi Yuqi smiled and pulled out her phone, revealing her true intentions: "You can also call me to play ball!"

"it is good."

Lin Xiang did not refuse.

After all, he was new to the area, and getting to know an older student would make things much easier, not just for finding his way around.

Moreover, she's a senior from my direct department, and we'll be seeing each other all the time in the future, so there's even less reason not to add her.

"But my phone's dead... uh?"

Before Lin Xiang could finish speaking, the phone, which had been dead the whole way, suddenly turned on as if it had been given a final burst of energy.

Although it only had 2% battery left, it actually lasted long enough to open the WeChat QR code.

"By the spirit of the machine! Hang in there a little longer!"

By calming the phone down, Shi Yuqi managed to add Lin Xiang back without any major problems.

"puff!"

Then she laughed out loud, "Shoko Toyokawa?"

"Um."

Lin Xiang nodded without changing his expression, but almost couldn't hold back when he saw her nickname, "Chang Qi Su Shi?"

"So you are too..."

“…………”

The two stared at each other for a moment, and silence spoke volumes.

"I'm off to deliver the materials to the Badminton Association! Goodbye, Xiao Xiang!"

"Okay... goodbye, senior."

Shi Yuqi walked towards the Youth League Committee office located on the first floor of Jing 4.

Lin Xiang didn't stop walking, putting aside his thoughts and going upstairs.

When I get back... I need to memorize the way to this school!

·

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