Love is as simple as badminton.

Chapter 52 "It's necessary."

"Oh? You're Lin Xiang?"

"Um."

"Wow! It's the real Lin Xiang!"

As Lin Xiang emerged from the waiting area, he was quickly recognized by several classmates.

He's handsome, plays basketball well, and has delivered memorable moments of "playing well," making it hard for him not to leave a deep impression.

"Master, can I take a picture with you?"

"I want one too!"

"Mr. Lin, could you please sign your autograph?"

Lin Xiang nodded knowingly: "Okay."

As Wang Tianmao said, he is indeed somewhat famous now.

Players are not isolated from the world; the audience is also an indispensable part of the game. Learning how to handle everything that comes with fame is a required course for players.

One should neither ignore those who support them, nor neglect to maintain proper boundaries.

"alright."

Lin Xiang finished what he was doing and properly entertained the young audience.

"Wow! Thank you so much, expert!"

"Go Lin Shen! We believe in you, you'll definitely win the gold!"

"That's right, let's take our little shabby courtyard flying!"

"We're leaving now, we'll watch your final match tonight!"

Lin Xiang smiled politely, watched the enthusiastic audience members leave, and then quickly composed himself.

Before the Freshman Cup began, he was an unknown contestant from a small, underdeveloped college, easily defeated by the traditionally strong college groups.

Now he has transformed into a dark horse, a rising star, and despite not even playing in the semifinals, many viewers are already hoping he will advance to the finals or even win gold.

But he himself understood that there are no eternal victories or eternal defeats on the field.

In a sense, winning and losing are both inevitable.

Of course, the audience's support was not wrong either; it was precisely because of their support that these simple and genuine emotions were revealed.

Perhaps all a player can do is appreciate the support while maintaining their own prudence and rationality.

"Junior! What are you thinking about?"

While I was thinking, I was patted on the shoulder.

Lin Xiang turned around at the sound and was greeted by the girl's bright and sparkling peach blossom eyes.

"Something came up at the organizing committee earlier, and I had to help out briefly. How are you feeling now?"

As Shi Yuqi took off her employee badge, she asked hurriedly.

"It's okay, but I'm a little tired."

Lin Xiang smiled in relief.

"You idiot junior, you need to replenish your energy right after the match! If you delay too long, the recovery effect will be reduced!"

Shi Yuqi quickly took out a bunch of bananas and stuffed them into his hands. "Here, have some to tide you over. If that's not enough, I have bread and chocolate here too."

By the way, why don't you come with us for lunch later to avoid the rush? Your show starts earlier this afternoon, so eating lunch earlier will help with digestion.

Your opponent in the semifinals should be Liu Jingle, who is considered the second best player in the reserve team after Wang Luo. His strengths are following and attacking.

I'll try my best to collect as many valuable game records as possible for you, and I'll show them to you during lunch later.

Although you've been on a winning streak against Wang, you're playing consecutive matches today, and everyone else is playing very well, so don't underestimate your opponent!

"Thank you for reminding me, senior. I will be extra careful."

Faced with the girl's earnest guidance, Lin Xiang replied in the same earnest tone.

"Do I have words on my face?"

Seeing the corners of his mouth turn up, Shi Yuqi asked with amusement, "What are you laughing at?"

She wanted to see if Lin Xiang could pick up on this joke and reply, "I remembered something happy..."

"There were no words on the senior's face."

Lin Xiang shook his head seriously, "I just think my senior looks cute right now."

"What did you say?"

The girl froze on the spot. It was an ordinary compliment, but when he said it, it struck her heart like a 500 km/h shot, catching her completely off guard.

"I said I think my senior looks very cute right now."

"I heard you! No need to repeat myself... I'm going to get busy now, see you at noon!"

The girl's face flushed, and she quickly jumped around, turned around, lowered her head, and ran away.

See you at noon...

Lin Xiang tilted his head in confusion.

He only repeated it because the senior asked him, so what's wrong with that?

Well, speaking of which, her turn just now was pretty quick; it seems her starting step training has been very effective.

·

noon--

The usually bustling cafeteria was unusually quiet today because it's the weekend; most people who could afford it had ordered takeout to improve their meals.

Deng Ziyang carried his tray and sat down at an empty table.

Before long, Ling Ye also sat down diagonally opposite.

The two ate separately: Deng Ziyang wolfed down his rice, while Ling Ye silently picked up food with his chopsticks, a stark contrast like a rushing torrent and a tranquil lake.

However, Ling Ye was faster. By the time Ling Ye had finished eating, Deng Ziyang still had half a bowl left to finish.

"The men's singles semifinalists have been confirmed: Lin Xiang and Liu Jingle are in the upper half, and Zhao Jianlei and Wang Luo are in the lower half."

Without looking up, Deng Ziyang asked, "What do you think?"

"Lin Xiang and Wang Luo. They'll be the two in the finals."

Ling Ye looked into the distance. "How's that reserve team member doing?"

"It's nothing serious, he just cried for a while and he's fine now. I passed by their table just now and he seemed to have a good appetite."

Deng Ziyang scraped the last spoonful of rice clean. "What about Liu Jingle and Zhao Jianlei? I think they both train very hard, and they played quite well in the previous few games."

"Effort is just the threshold; talent is the limitation."

Ling Ye said calmly, "Making it to the semifinals is already an extraordinary performance for the two of them. You should know that too."

"Yes! Of course I know."

Deng Ziyang gave a soft snort.

"Isn't the basketball court a stage for geniuses? Even those who can't make the school team are geniuses."

No matter how hard you try, no matter how much sweat you shed, it's all no match for the instant genius of a single flick of the wrist. I know that better than anyone!

Ha, in the end it's all just good luck. What's so great about it? The advantages gained from winning the lottery allow one to ignore all the hard work. If you ask me, geniuses are all bastards…”

"You know that's not what I meant." Ling Ye silently cleared away the plates.

"I know. Don't worry about me, I'm an idiot."

Deng Ziyang muttered as he collected the plates, "Where are you going? The door's over there."

"You can also recycle your plates here, it's closer."

"Alright, alright."

Deng Ziyang didn't want to carry the messy plates for dozens of meters, so he simply followed Ling Ye to the other side of the cafeteria.

However, after returning the plate, he spotted two familiar figures.

At a dining table by the window, the culture student from that dilapidated courtyard—or rather, the scoundrel genius—was earnestly eating his rice.

Before long, the pretty young girl returned with two plates, one containing oatmeal porridge and the other salmon.

"The core of pre-competition nutrition is easy absorption, energy replenishment, and stabilizing performance, which requires a high intake of carbohydrates. That's all I can think of. Do you need anything else to add, junior?"

"That's enough for now. Could you please get me two more hard-boiled eggs?"

"Okay!"

The two then sat side by side. Shi Yuqi handed her phone horizontally to Lin Xiang, who looked at it with an expression more serious than if he were eating.

"Liu Jingle excels at tracking and attacking, but he's also well-rounded in other areas, a truly versatile player with few weaknesses. Tsk, he's tough to deal with!"

"That's true. The only way to break through is to increase the frequency and intensity of our attacks."

"But won't your energy levels increase? There's still the finals coming up!"

"But if that's the case, then how can you win a match without expending energy?"

"That's true..."

The two discussed it seriously for a while.

Until the trio of 456 passed by carrying their trays.

"hiss."

Xu Yue was boasting about his high school romances, and at the height of his brilliance, a joyful smile appeared on his face; but when he turned his head and saw the two people sitting in a row, his smile vanished instantly.

"No way, why are you everywhere!"

"We've always been here."

Lin Xiang didn't understand why Xu Yue was petrified again, since he hadn't done anything.

"what……"

Upon hearing the word "we" uttered so smoothly, Xu Yue felt as if he had been struck by a heavy blow and died on the spot.

"Teacher Lin, are you devising a strategy?"

Jin Xin leaned closer with a curious look. "You're so strong, do you really need to go through all that trouble? Just crush them, right?"

Zhao Hao, who also has formal training, didn't understand either. "Yeah, it's really unnecessary for you, isn't it?"

"It is necessary."

Lin Xiang answered without hesitation.

Even the strongest opponent has weaknesses that can be exploited, and even the weakest opponent has strengths that can be learned from. Regardless of the strength of the opponent, we should prepare seriously for every match.

Deng Ziyang was somewhat dazed as he listened.

"We should go."

Ling Ye gently patted his shoulder.

Deng Ziyang pursed his lips and followed him out of the cafeteria, turning back every few steps.

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