Dragon King's Son-In-Law

by Dragon King

  “Un…Uncle!” she gathered her thoughts and greeted Hao Zhonghua.

  Meanwhile, Hao Zhonghua was still confused. He wondered what the relationship was between the pretty Xie Yujia and Hao Ren.

  “Had they known each other or… ” he thought.

  Xie Yujia’s eyes looked distracted, but her mind was turning furiously fast. “Hao Zhonghua is Dad’s old classmate and Little Older Brother’s dad? Little Older Brother is the son of Hao Zhonghua and Yue Yang, two influential international scientists!”

  “Dad called to ask me if Little Older Brother has visited me or not, which means he has known about me. Maybe he didn’t show up because he is so excellent that he thinks I, the childhood playmate, am not worthy of a reunion.”

  “Hey! What’s wrong with you?” Xie Ming patted his daughter’s cheek.

  “Oh, nothing. Why are you here?” Xie Yujia shook her head and regained her composure before asking.

  “I’m here to visit you and the school with my old classmate,” Xie Ming said. He asked again, “Did your Little Older Brother come to see you?”

  “No.” Xie Yujia shook her head.

  She looked at Xie Zhonghua with complicated feelings.

  “Time is almost up. Let’s go to the stadium,” Hao Zhonghua checked his watch and said. He was a bit confused, but he decided to wait until he called Hao Ren and questioned him before saying anything.

  With a blank mind, Xie Yujia got off her bike and walked with them toward the stadium. As smart as she was, she was so confused right now that she didn’t think to ask them why they wanted to go to the stadium.

  Hao Zhonghua was her most admired scientist, and her Little Older Brother was his son.

  But for some reason, she didn’t feel happy about it. Although she always thought that her Little Older Brother would be excellent, it was still a shocker for her to suddenly found that he was so far above her……

  “As the son of world-famous scientists, he must have a girlfriend who is also excellent…”

  The three of them entered the stadium and looked for Yue Yang and Grandma in the stands.

  The match was about to begin shortly, and the stands were now full of students; t was difficult for the three to find them.

  Hao Zhonghua had no choice but to take out his cell phone and call Yue Yang.

  After receiving the call, Yue Yang immediately took Grandma to look for Hao Zhonghua. Grandma had wanted to keep Zhao Yanzi company, but she followed Yue Yang since she wanted to meet Little Carrot whom she had not seen for so long.

  When they met, Xie Yujia was less surprised than Yue Yang who froze on the spot.

  Xie Ming didn’t know why the couple and Xie Yujia reacted so weirdly when seeing each other.

  However, Xie Yujia recovered quickly and greeted them, “Auntie! Grandma!”

  Grandma was very pleased with Xie Yujia who was both pretty and considerate. She held Xie Yujia’s smooth and soft hand and said, “I can’t believe you’ve grown so much! Little Carrot! Grandma has never forgotten you…”

  In her faint childhood memories, except for the ever stronger image of her beloved Little Older Brother, the other distinct impression was Little Older Brother’s grandma who had been very good to her. Whenever she went to their home, Grandma would take out her precious snacks……

  Somehow, Xie Yujia was struck with a sudden sense of sadness. While she looked at Grandma who almost hadn’t changed, tears rushed into her eyes. “Grandma…”

  “Well, kid. Why are you crying?” Grandma’s heart ached when she saw that Little Carrot was about to cry. She took her into arms and patted her back to comfort her.

  At this moment, Xie Yujia’s tears dropped like pearls falling from a broken string.

  Yue Yang and Hao Zhonghua exchanged a look, knowing that something was wrong. They thought for a moment and reached the same conclusion, “Hao Ren, the despicable boy, must have dumped her after making her his girlfriend.”

  Grandma was not troubled by these thoughts. She thought Little Carrot cried because she was too excited after about a dozen years of separation. She quickly found Xie Yujia a seat, thinking that Little Carrot was still prone to crying just like when she was little.

  In the past, she used to cry when Little Older Brother ‘bullied’ her, but now it seemed like no one would do that.

  “Well, well. Don’t cry. You should be happy about our reunion today.” Grandma consoled Xie Yujia.

  When Xie Yujia was little, Grandma treated Xie Yujia as her own granddaughter. Although she was grown up now, Grandma’s affection toward her remained the same.

  Xie Yujia sniffed, trying to calm down. She knew she had been in a mess recently with her feelings divided between Hao Ren and Little Older Brother.

  She dried her tears and forced out a smile, which looked like a blooming magnolia and brightened Grandma’s mood.

  “Good girl! Good girl!”

  Standing beside them, Hao Zhonghua and Yue Yang exchanged a look uneasily, thinking that Hao Ren must have something to do with Xie Yujia’s tears.

  “Grandma, how come you are here to watch the basketball match?” Xie Yujia calmed herself down before asking.

  “Yeah, I’m here to watch Ren play the match. Oh, Ren is your Little Older Brother when you were little, and we used to call him Maomao as a nickname.” Grandma nodded before asking abruptly, “Well, hasn’t Ren met you yet?”

  “Ren? Hao Zhonghua?”

  Xie Yujia’s slightly numb brain suddenly made a connection between those two names.

  Baffled, she glanced at the amiable Grandma who was holding her before turning her gaze toward the court.

  133 Two Became One…

  The game was about to start after the warm-up period.

  Hao Ren high-fived all of his team members in his jersey that had ‘8’ on it. He was a little nervous since this was his first formal basketball game ever.

  On the stands, Xie Yujia turned back and asked grandma, “Is my Little Older Brother…Hao Ren?”

  Grandma looked at her kindly and answered, “Yeah! See that No.8? I’ll ask him to come up here and meet you after the game. You guys can talk for a bit.”

  The group found a spot to sit before the game, and Hao Zhonghua, Yue Yang, and Xie Ming all sat beside Grandma.

  Xie Yujia felt a little dizzy when she heard Grandma’s calm answer. It turned out that the Little Older Brother she had always cared about was this classmate of hers who she could see every single day!

  The seemingly ordinary Hao Ren, who was running around on the court amongst the giants, was actually Hao Zhonghua and Yue Yang’s son!

  “He… Had been hiding it so well,” Xie Yujia suddenly flushed as she remembered the time when she dragged him to the guest lectures and told him about her admiration for the two outstanding scientists.

  Her dad owned a company in the States, and his annual earning was at least USD$300,000. Although the company had been expanding over the years, she had always had a low profile. She never put on lots of makeup or purchased high-end products. Instead, she focused on her studies and self-improvement. Some people even thought that she came from a low-income family.

  Hao Ren’s parents, on the other hand, were world-famous scientists who had won tons of global rewards and prizes. The bonuses they received would be over a few hundred thousand each year, yet Hao Ren had never advocated it.

  He would pay the bill when he needed to and go out when he wanted to. However, he never spent his money lavishly and never purchased clothes and shoes from luxury brands. His appearance was even more low-key than Xie Yujia.

  She thought her Little Older Brother must have gone through top-ranked schools and stuck out as an extremely outstanding person amongst his peers; she could never have guessed that he would be just another ordinary student.

  The Little Older Brother turned out to be Hao Ren! No wonder the more time she spent with him, the closer she felt towards him. Xie Yujia’s emotion changed from astonished to emotional and
then to confused.

  Peng! The game started as the basketball was thrown high into the air.

  Hao Ren was in his new basketball shoes, and he jumped up immediately as if there were springs installed under his feet. He easily flipped the ball away from Chen Dali, the Captain of Jinghua University’s Basketball Team who was in his No.1 Jersey.

  Boom!

  Chen Dali looked at the shorty in the No.8 Jersey in surprise; he couldn’t believe what just happened because even Xie Wanjun couldn’t jump as high as him.

  Boom! Hao Ren landed steadily and dashed into the other half for the court without stopping.

  Xie Wanjun noticed how surprised Chen Dali was. He caught the basketball with one hand and dribbled quickly ahead. He dodged the defense of two players from Jinghua University and came to the basket.

  Then, he jumped up like a mountain in the sky!

  Bang! An excellent dunk won East Ocean University the first two points!

  On the stands to the east side, Zhao Yanzi proudly turned to Zhao Hongyu and said, “See, it’s all because of those new basketball shoes!”

  Zhao Hongyu smiled speechlessly; it was her who bought Hao Ren those shoes, but it was all Zhao Yanzi’s idea now.

  “Um? How come Grandma isn’t back yet?” Zhao Yanzi looked around and asked.

  “Looks like she saw an acquaintance from before, and she went to say hi with Ren’s dad,” Zhao Hongyu answered.

  “Oh…,” Zhao Yanzi looked back at the game without any more questions.

  Chen Dali glimpsed at the scoreboard and saw a ‘2’ light up; it was on East Ocean University’s side, and he was still surprised.

  Everyone on East Ocean University’s side burst into cheers at the impressive dunk.

  Since they were hosting the game, this first score was a huge hit for Jinghua University.

  Xie Wanjun walked to Hao Ren and patted his shoulder. “Well done!”

  He asked Hao Ren to do the jump ball and played supportive himself. It turned out that Hao Ren really wasn’t a disappointment since he got the ball.

  Therefore, Xie Wanjun was able to cut into the other half of the court unexpectedly and earn those two points.

  Chen Dali realized that he underestimated this ‘shorty army’ after the first two points were taken. He shouted at his teammates madly, “Six! Shuan! Keep an eye on Xie Wanjun!”

  Pa! Pa! Pa!

  Jinghua University’s team did a few smooth passes; it could be seen that they were very skilled as well.

  The player with the No.5 Jersey on Jinghua University’s side made a shot after he had gotten a good chance.

  Xie Wanjun instantly raised his hand to block the ball!

  Its trajectory was shifted, and it smashed onto the backboard before bouncing off!

  Miss! Rebound!

  About five or six players jumped up at the same time!

  Hao Ren, who was in the middle, jumped the highest as if he was shot up from a volcano. He grasped the ball with one hand and hugged it in his arms.

  He kept Xie Yujia’s words with him at all times. “The priority of a Power Forward is to get the rebound!”

  Xie Wanjun was guarded tightly by two players of the other team, and Hao Ren found an excellent opportunity to pass the ball on to his buddy, Zhao Jiayi, through a gap.

  Zhao Jiayi was under no defense. He got the ball with excitement and dashed to the opposite basket like a bomb.

  “Defense! Defense!” Chen Dali, who didn’t get the rebound, shouted.

  “A shorty like him shouldn’t be able to do much!” he shouted out what he was secretly thinking in panic.

  Zhao Jiayi was the shortest on the court; even shorter than Hao Ren. However, because of his height, his lower center of gravity allowed him to run fast with a smooth dribble.

  A smooth turn, a cross-leg dribble, and a fake move! He was able to leave everyone behind.

  He ‘swam’ through all the giants from Jinghua University like a fish and made a standard yet accurate layup!

  Three ‘giant walls’ jumped up to block his shot at the same time! It felt like a huge wave was coming towards him while he was surfing in the ocean!

  Zhao Jiayi suddenly threw a behind-the-back pass!

  Hao Ren was standing still as he saw the basketball landing perfectly in his hands! What an excellent pass!

  “He is a Power Forward! Ignore him and defend Xie Wanjun!” Chen Dali shouted with his arms open.

  “Do it!” Xie Wanjun commanded while he was guarded tightly by three players.

  Hao Ren held the ball with both hands, and the time around him suddenly froze.

  All the eyes in the stadium were on Hao Ren’s hands including the players on the court.

  Everything was so clear and in slow motion in Hao Ren’s eyes, and even the slightest movement was clear to him.

  There were dripping sweat, intense stares, the touching of arms under the basket…

  Boom! Hao Ren made a shot.

  The ball drew a curved trajectory over those three players from Jinghua University who had just jumped into the air.

  Hao Ren could see the spinning of the ball in the air.

  Whoosh!

  He scored!Six, in this case, is a nickname.

  134 What a Shame…

  “Woah…” everyone in the stadium cheered loudly.

  Xie Yujia, the crazy basketball fan, jumped out of her seat immediately!

  Although Grandma didn’t know much about basketball, she could still tell that Hao Ren just scored. Therefore, she also stood up with the nearby students in excitement.

  Hao Zhonghua and Yue Yang looked at each other in surprise; they had no idea that Hao Ren got so good at basketball after he had gone to university.

  Can Ronghua, Yu Rong, and the guys on the other side of the stadium were all shocked; they wondered if the person in the No. 8 Jersey was actually Hao Ren.

  East Ocean University was hosting the game after all. Therefore, the cheer for the straight four points lead took place for a long time before it stopped.

  Afterward, Xie Yujia held Grandma’s arm as they sat down. Grandma asked Xie Yujia proudly, still excited, “Our Ren is quite handsome, isn’t he?”

  “Yeah.” Xie Yujia nodded.

  “Little Carrot, Oh, I should probably call you Yujia now,” Grandma held Xie Yujia’s hands as she looked at her blushing smooth cheeks, “We couldn’t do much since we have lost contact with your family. Since we have finally met again, our two families need to stay in touch. I know that your parents are still in the States; it must not be easy for you to be on your own. Come to spend some time with me whenever you are free!”

  “Okay.” Xie Yujia nodded again.

  Grandma looked at the shy girl who was so pretty that it looked like she was carved out of jade. She remembered how Little Carrot and Ren played together as kids and wondered how nice it would have been if they had grown up together.

  The game continued on the court below them.

  The Captain of Jinghua University, Chen Dali, looked extremely mad. He underestimated Hao Ren and Zhao Jiayi, and that caused him four points in a roll.

  Hao Ren and Zhao Jiayi were the shortest players on the court. To his utmost surprise, they messed up the entire plan he made before the game.

  Currently, Jinghua University was still at zero points; four points behind. Their team was going hard and tried to take two points back in order to boost their morale.

  Pa! Zhao Jiayi suddenly dashed crossways and cut off their pass successfully.

  “Good job!” Xie Wanjun couldn’t help but shout out.

  Zhao Jiayi dribbled quickly and passed it on to his team member Bear, and Bear found a great position and passed it on to Xie Wanjun. When two players went over to defend him, Xie Wanjun passed it back to Zhao Jiayi.

  Chen Dali noticed that two of his team members were going for Zhao Jiayi and shouted, “Watch Xie Wanjun!”

  Two Jinghua University players blocked Xie Wanjun, so he didn’t have a chan
ce at all. However, Xie Wanjun secretly praised Chen Dali as this Captain could accurately determine Hao Ren’s Power Forward position and Zhao Jiayi’s Point Guard position through the way they played so far.

  Neither of these positions was the leading score getters in the game. As long as Jinghua University kept an eye on Xie Wanjun who was the Center and Little Fatty who was the Small Forward, they shouldn’t need to worry about East Ocean University winning the game. After all, the two teams played against each other last year, and they all knew about the old players’ abilities.

  When Zhao Jiayi saw that Hao Ren had been guarded, he made a quick decision and hopped up with both hands on the ball.

  Pa! Pa!

  Two players from Jinghua University reached out to block him.

  “Watch out for his pass!” Chen Dali shouted.

  However, Zhao Jiayi didn’t pass the ball this time.

  Fadeaway shot!

  His body leaned backward as he made the shot. The ball passed through those two players and shot towards the basket.

  Peng! Peng!

  The ball bounced on the basket before it went in!

  Woah! There was another wave of cheers on the stands.

  6:0!

  “What the hell!” Chen Dali shook his head.

  Zhao Jiayi suddenly became the hero, and he turned to the audience with his arms up.

  “F*ck, now Zhao Jiayi will be famous, and there will be lots of girls interested in him!” Zhou Liren cried out on the stands.

  Bai Zhixiong and a few other suspended players were surprised; they had no idea that this ‘shorty’ whom they looked down upon was actually so good at basketball!

  6:0! East Ocean University was in the lead even though the game had just started. The entire basketball hall was cheering crazily.

  As the game went on, Hao Ren, the Power Forward, kept Xie Yujia’s words in mind: rebound and defense.

  Hao Ren kept up the good teamwork with Xie Wanjun, the Center. They worked together on getting the rebounds, blocking in the restricted area, defending for each other, and controlling the tempo. On top of that, the Point Guard Zhao Jiayi succeeded in stealing the ball several times with his agile movements. East Ocean University kept scoring, and they maintained a lead of over ten points!