Chapter 133: Two Became One…
Translator: Noodletown Translated Editor: Noodletown Translated
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 1 ! 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!
