Chapter 21: The Campus Singing Competition

On the way to the classroom building, Ming Han was consumed with grief and anger! The goddess Zhang Xiaozhen barely paid him any attention, hadn’t even attended his last two matches. That pretty much spelled out her lack of interest in him.

To make matters worse, that little witch Chen Li continued to torment him—not only did he have to deliver the love letters and chocolates given to her by the boys, he also had to tutor her for free.

When he arrived at the classroom, it was Saturday and there were hardly any people around! Aside from a few top students from the front ranks, only Chen Li was there.

Chen Li smiled when she saw Ming Han, took a test paper out of her backpack, and said, “Explain it to me!”

Ming Han glanced at her sideways; he’d finished this test yesterday. He couldn't fathom why Chen Li struggled with such simple questions. Was her head filled with cotton?

He picked up a pen and began to explain, pausing often to boast:

“Wasn’t my buzzer-beater today really cool?”

“Did any girls scream?”

“I’m such a genius! I solved even the toughest problems.”

…

Once he finished explaining the test, Chen Li said, “I’m heading back to the dorm!”

Ming Han nodded, “I need to head back too! It’s so late, there might be trouble on the way.”

Chen Li rolled her eyes at him, “You’re six feet tall and afraid of trouble? Walk me back!”

Ming Han thought, You’re ordering me around! Forget it, a real man doesn’t quarrel with women.

Walking along the campus path, Chen Li said, “Ming Han, the campus singer competition is starting soon. Are you joining this year?”

Ming Han was most famous for winning first prize in the campus singer competition last year, when he was in seventh grade.

That night, he sang “Drunken Red Cliff” by JJ Lin, impressing many people. Yu Hang even patted his shoulder and said, “I never expected someone who looks so ordinary to have such a great voice!”

That was why Chen Li asked him tonight if he would participate again.

Ming Han thought for a moment, “Maybe.”

“What song will you sing? My favorite is ‘The Most Romantic Thing’.”

Ming Han waved his hand, “No, no, I don’t like those saccharine love songs. I want to sing a song by Mr. Wang Feng, fire up the whole audience, and let your souls be baptized by my voice.”

Chen Li pouted in dissatisfaction.

The next day, the competition officially began!

To be exact, it was utterly hopeless.

The opposing team’s lineup was almost like two centers who could both handle the ball.

The score in the first quarter was 21 to 9.

Everyone was severely restricted in this match.

Yu Hang scored 14 points.

Last game’s superstar Da Xu became a complete flop, missing all seven shots and scoring just one point from a free throw.

Ming Han made three out of five, earning six points—not bad, but it made no real difference to the outcome.

In the end, they lost by 25 points!

Yet after the loss, everyone seemed unconcerned, still chatting and laughing.

Da Xu asked, “Let’s go to the internet café tonight! I’ll carry you all to victory…”

Many agreed; after all, it was Sunday, and classes resumed tomorrow, so a bit of relaxation was in order.

The hottest online games at the time were “Dungeon Fighter Online” and “CrossFire”—one a fighting game, the other a shooter.

It was Ming Han’s first time at an internet café, and he couldn’t deny his nervousness. He knew the school prohibited students from gaming in such places.

After charging ten yuan to a temporary card, Ming Han followed Da Xu to run dungeons.

First came the character selection—Ming Han chose Ghost Swordsman.

Da Xu already had a level sixty maxed character, and helped Ming Han through the levels with ease.

Everyone laughed and joked, playing until ten o’clock before heading home satisfied.

“Tomorrow, we have classes again! Studying is hard, it’s tiring, and we even have to pay tuition!” someone complained.