TOUCHING THE BUTT

Anton Kusuma directed the smash towards Lin Zhu, and the smash was too strong and too low that Lin Zhu was unable to save the ball from falling to the ground.

Lin Zhu was speechless. How could he and Ye Quan lose the first point just like that? It was such an easy way to snatch a point from them. Were they that weak compared to the number 1 athletes?

Lin Zhu looked blank as he stared at the shuttlecock on the ground, but he suddenly felt a light tap on the butt. He winced in surprise. 'Who the hell was touching my butt in this situation?' He wondered in his heart.

The brown-haired man looked up to the side and found Ye Quan staring at him with an unreadable gaze. It turned out Ye Quan was the one who tapped his butt using his racket. It was a racket, not Ye Quan's hand!

Lin Zhu cursed himself in the heart for his stupid thought.

"It's only the beginning. You want me to stop teasing you, right? You better work harder after this."

Lin Zhu was stunned, and he only gazed blankly at Ye Quan's hand in front of him. It seemed like the older athlete was waiting for him for a high five, and he subconsciously raised his hand to tap Ye Quan's sweaty palm.

Ye Quan's palm was covered with sweat. It seemed that the taller man was nervous as well.

Even so, Lin Zhu appreciated Ye Quan for giving him motivation in this kind of situation.

Lin Zhu sighed and nodded his head. He told himself that it was only the beginning, and he shouldn't give up easily.

The pair was getting ready for the continuation of the match. Leo Christian once again serve, but this time, he directed the ball towards Ye Quan.

Leo Christian seemed to get ready to serve another service flick, but it turned out the Indonesian only serve a low ball. The Chinese pair was a bit surprised by it. Ye Quan was a bit out of position, but he still managed to save the ball.

He lifted the ball so high and was anticipating a smash, but Anton Kusuma just gave them a drop shot. Both Lin Zhu and Ye Quan were standing quietly at the back as they were expecting a smash, and both of them failed to save the ball. The shuttlecock once again fell on their area.

Both men could only glare at each other as they sighed. They could hear their coach shouting "It's okay," and both men turned their heads toward their coach who was sitting at the back.

The coach muttered some words while giving them some hand gestures, and they nodded in understanding. Once again, they high-fived to encourage each other.

They were 2 points behind the Indonesian pair, and up until now, they weren't able to play in their top performance. The Chinese pair was under pressure, and it was shown on their faces.

Leo Christian serves again thrice in a row. This time, Lin Zhu was the one who received the service. It was a low ball again, and the brown-haired athlete was able to return the ball perfectly.

The two pairs continued playing with their strategies. Lin Zhu and Ye Quan were still trying to find their best form, while the Indonesian pair looked comfortable during the match. They were able to put the Chinese pair under control.

The Indonesian pair managed to get the most points, and the Chinese ones could only snatch some points. In the end, the Chinese pair was 7 points behind the Indonesian pair during the interval. The current score was 11-4 for the Indonesian.

Lin Zhu and Ye Quan walked towards their bags with their heads hanging low. Without uttering any words, they took their water bottles and began to gulp down the content.

Coach Cheng approached them and stood in between the two athletes.

"Your opponent defended and attacked so well in the first interval, but that doesn't mean they don't have any weakness," Coach Cheng tried to encourage his athletes, and the athletes just listened to him while wiping their sweats with a towel.

"It's only the first round, and we have nothing to lose. Just keep attacking them with strong smashes to the corner of their defending area. I saw it was a little hard for them to control the ball in that position."

The two athletes remained silent as they try to stabilize their breaths. They just nodded their heads without a word.

"Let's work harder, alright! I believe in you two!"

The coach gave them the last encouragement while patting the two athletes' backs. He then left the two athletes when the umpire announced that the interval time was only 20 seconds remaining.

Lin Zhu and Ye Quan glanced at each other without saying anything. Lin Zhu couldn't read the other man at all, but he assumed that Ye Quan wanted to encourage him as well. He ended up nodding his head before patting Ye Quan's butt with his racket.

He then went back to the court while Ye Quan looked a bit stunned on the side of the court.

Thankfully, Ye Quan was able to regain his composure in no time, and the tall man hurriedly entered the court once again.

The umpire then announced the continuation of the first game of the match.

The shuttlecock was in the Indonesian pair's hands again, and this time, Anton Kusuma was the one to serve. He served toward Ye Quan, and the ball was just a normal ball that was easily returned by the Chinese.

After the interval, Lin Zhu and Ye Quan's pair became bolder as they tried to follow their coach's instructions. They were more aggressive now as they kept smashing the ball to the back corner of the opponent's defending area.

Their coach was right. The Indonesian pair was a bit frustrated when they tried to save the ball. Lin Zhu and Ye Quan finally saw the light. Would they be able to win?