Translator: 549690339
The next day.
At the Qin Continent Sports Centre, before the start of a tennis match sponsored by a certain sports brand, Han Qi in professional sports gear yawned with a barely noticeable dark circle under his eyes.
âTerrible.â
He felt a twinge of sleepiness.
Although Han Qi had managed to force himself to turn off the lights and sleep the previous night, to his displeasure, after turning off the lights, his mind was filled with imagined plot lines of âKing of the Netâ, making it even harder for him to fall asleep, until he finally slipped into a fitful slumber after who knows how long.
âGet ready.â
The coachâs voice echoed.
Han Qi finally took the court after warming up.
This was a medium-scale tennis match within the Qin Continent. Although the importance of winning or losing was not high, Han Qi didnât want to lose at all today, as he had friends among the spectators. He didnât want to lose face in front of his friends.
Amidst the cheers of the audience below.
The tennis match began!
Han Qi was faced with a veteran opponent who wasnât short of skills, thus creating an early lead in the score. This was also due to Han Qiâs lack of good rest and thus impaired concentration.
âCalm down.â
Han Qi reminded himself internally.
Sports rely on both strength and physical stamina. Although the veteran had ample experience, exactly because his opponent was such a seasoned player, his physical stamina couldnât keep up with the young Han Qi, and the strength of his tennis strokes gradually decreased.
After regaining concentration.
Han Qi managed to even the score.
Both sides gradually entered a tense situation.
When the overall level isnât significantly different, the latter part of the match tests the will and mindset of the players. This is different from the various flashy and cool descriptions in âKing of the Netâ â
I must be insane!
Why am I thinking about the novel again!
Iâm playing a match!
Suppressing his weird thoughts forcibly, Han Qi fiercely contested his opponent, making it a suspenseful match that won the intense interest of the audience. The commentators were also guessing enthusiastically about the possible turn of the match.
âThis is so unpredictable.â
The commentator exclaimed with excitement: âHan Qi didnât appear to be in good shape at the beginning, but as the match progressed, heâs gradually got back into his rhythm. Han Qiâs opponent is a veteran, we could all see how the veteran played tennis with his experience and wisdom while exhaustedâ¦â
Out of breath.
The match reached its half-hour mark.
The sixth and decisive game, the outcome of the match would likely depend on this game. As the score was a tie previously, both sides played conservatively, not daring to risk attacking recklessly. The risks were too high.
âPat.â
Han Qi lost a point.
His disadvantage was instantly magnified.
Despite sheer exhaustion, his opponent couldnât hide a triumphant grin. The outcome of the game became evident as Han Qi lost the point.
âGoing to lose?â
At this moment, Han Qi thought of âKing of the Netâ once again. There were many similar scenarios described in it. âWhat would Long Ma do in this situation?â
Han Qi felt as if he was going crazy.
There were many ideal scenarios in the novel, and most maneuvers werenât practical. But crazier still, Han Qi unexpectedly shouted out loud during his upcoming serve:
âSliced Serve!â
Instead of a regular front serve, Han Qi opted for a side serve as described in âKing of the Netâ. His racquet cut across the ball swiftly and he served by suddenly exerting force through the inward rotation of his forearm.
The opponent was caught off guard.
As the ball bounced off the ground and into the out-court, Han Qi scored a big point. The whole arena exploded in cheers. The commentatorâs voice was filled with excitement and shock: âBeautiful spin ball, ACE!â
In a tennis match.
An âACEâ refers to a serve where the ball lands in the valid area but the opponent does not touch the ball, resulting in an automatic scoring for the server. If the opponent touches the ball but causes it to go out or hit the net, it is referred to as a service score, not an ACE.
âWe won!â
Amid countless cheers.
Han Qiâs face turned beet red; he had actually shouted out loud. It was like two kids fighting and one of them suddenly striking a painfully embarrassing pose and shouting âKamehamehaâ.
His behavior was off the charts!
Luckily, the crowd around didnât hear his shout; everyone was busy cheering for the serve. Probably only the referee heard it or else the opponent wouldnât be looking at him so strangely.
His teammates all came over to celebrate.
Back in the locker room, the coach looked at Han Qi with a stunned and surprised look: âWhen did you start practicing spin serves? And your serving style is quite peculiar too, the other side had no clue where your ball was going.â
âYou probably wonât believe me if I tell you.â
Han Qi spoke sheepishly: âI learned it from a novel.â
Everyone burst into laughter, taking Han Qiâs words as a joke.
But when it came to the interview session, when the reporter asked Han Qi about his thoughts on that final point, Han Qi once again mentioned the book on live television: âIâve recently been reading a tennis novel called âKing of the Netâ which is written very professionally, so I guess I was inspired during the match. Of course, there was some luck involved in that point too, my opponent deserves respect.â
Reporter:ââ¦â
Teammates:ââ¦â
The sports journalists looked somewhat flustered on the spot, Han Qiâs teammates even suspected Han Qi of accepting advertising fees from âKing of the Netâ.
But the sharp-witted arts journalists would not let go of this great scoop.
The next day, one of the hot news in the arts section of the Qin Continentâs newspapers was:
âRenowned professional tennis player Han Qi declares himself to be a fan of âKing of the Netâ and claims that he has derived a lot of inspiration for playing tennis from this book.â
Upon the news release, readers of âKing of the Netâ were astounded!
âIs that real?â
âSo even professional tennis players say that âKing of the Netâ is written professionally. 1 used to think that all the tennis moves described in this book were made up by the author Chu Kuang, which is a rarity indeed.â
âI like âKing of the Netâ even more now.â
âIsnât it more surprising that Han Qi is actually learning moves from âKing of the Netâ?â
âHa ha, heâs definitely joking.â
âNot entirely a joke. During yesterdayâs tennis match at Qin Continent Sports Centre, Han Qiâs winning ball was definitely a replica of the sliced serve, the only difference being that Long Ma is left-handed, and Han Qi is right-handed!â claimed a reader who watched yesterdayâs tennis match.
Then.
Many readers who were familiar with tennis also verified through various channels that the tennis knowledge involved in âKing of the Netâ is indeed very professional.
In fact, this point has been made before.
Yet it wasnât highly regarded before. It wasnât until a professional tennis player personally authenticated it that everyone started paying real attention.
No one in the novel industry could have imagined.
That a professional tennis player from the Qin Continent would have such an almost breaking-the-fourth-wall kind of relationship with âKing of the Netâ, thereby producing a dream-come-true collaboration!
On this day, the sales of âKing of the Netâ once again soared!