Chapter 62: That Song

By now, most of the crowd had already left the court, and along the way, people were still talking about the game and Ming Han’s sudden breakout. Especially after hearing that just five months ago, Ming Han didn’t even know how to play basketball, they were even more astonished. His 20-point single quarter performance was destined to be a hot topic for a long time.

There were only a few people left on the court. Both Class Thirteen and Class Seven’s teams had packed up and gone home. Only Qiang was still sitting in the middle of the court, gulping for air. Despite giving his all in the last quarter, he still couldn’t turn the tide, which left him full of regret.

Ming Han walked over and handed Qiang a bottle of water. “Qiang, what’s with that expression? Don’t take it so hard just because you lost a game!”

Qiang shot Ming Han a look but didn’t retort. Last semester, it was against this class, this very person, that his own class’s championship dreams were dashed by one of Ming Han’s mid-range shots. This semester was even more hopeless—they’d been completely destroyed by Ming Han. Though he was frustrated, he had to admit, this guy had improved tremendously. Qiang had witnessed Ming Han’s dedication to practice and couldn’t help but respect him. In this world, those who press forward relentlessly are the most terrifying.

Next, after the midterms, it would be time to consider the county’s junior high basketball tournament. That level of competition meant stronger opponents, bigger audiences, and, of course, even better teammates.

“Ming Han,” Qiang said with a hint of bitterness, “if you’re not as fierce at the county tournament, I swear I’ll wipe the floor with you. Every time you play against our class, you act like you’ve taken some miracle drug.”

Ming Han pulled a face. “Qiang, you can’t do me like this! I didn’t want this either! You know I’ll always have your back.”

Qiang snorted, “Next week, you and Yuhang are facing Lin Wei and Lin Shan. I’m curious to see if the two of you together can take down those two arrogant brothers.”

Ming Han smiled. He knew very well the strength of Lin Wei and Lin Shan—unstoppable scorers. Plus, the rest of their class wasn’t bad either. Overall, they were indeed a notch above Class Thirteen.

“We’ll do our best.”

…

Class Thirteen had made the finals for two years in a row, once again proving their strength in the year group.

Zheng Yuan suggested that the class should have a gathering that night to celebrate their brilliance, both in mind and in action.

Some were timid. “If our homeroom teacher finds out the whole class went out, won’t we be doomed?”

Da Xu rapped the hesitant classmate on the head. “What’s this, you scared? I always thought you were the fearless type. Tsk…”

Egged on by Da Xu, the class started shouting, “Party! Party!”

Da Xu was satisfied to see the class in such high spirits. “Even if you’re a top student, you should still know how to enjoy life!”

Zheng Yuan started booking a private room—a large suite big enough for everyone—at the Tianhe Grand Hotel.

…

Everyone chipped in a hundred yuan, eating and drinking to their fill. Zheng Yuan clearly came from a good family; with one phone call, everything was settled. “I’ve got VIP status, so we get a discount.”

Forty people from Class Thirteen came, filling five tables. Everyone chatted happily, enjoying a rare break from the usual academic pressure.

Some of the boys went straight to the karaoke machine. Da Xu took the lead, singing four songs in a row—his dominance of the microphone was obvious.

Ming Han shot Da Xu a sidelong glance—this guy, I’m never going to karaoke with him again.

Many people pushed Ming Han to sing, since his singing was legendary in the class.

Ming Han wanted to refuse—he was tired and not really in the mood. Yuhang coaxed him, “Just sing something, liven things up!”

Unable to refuse, Ming Han went up, his mind blank, not knowing what to sing. Almost instinctively, he started humming a song:

Sitting back-to-back on the carpet,
Listening to music and talking about dreams,
You hope I grow gentler and gentler,
I hope you’ll keep me in your heart…

When Ming Han finished, thunderous applause erupted from the crowd. Many of the girls had tears in their eyes—he’d clearly struck a chord.

Ming Han himself didn’t know why he sang that particular song.

“Ming Han, my favorite song is ‘The Most Romantic Thing.’ Will you sing it for me?”

“No, no, no… I want to hear a song by Mr. Wang Feng!” …

That exchange felt like it happened just yesterday, but that person was already a world away.

Huang Ying had been chatting animatedly with Yuhang, but as soon as Ming Han began to sing, she quietly set down her chopsticks and watched him, eyes closed, lost in the music.

I thought you’d forgotten her, she thought. But it turns out you’ve just hidden her away in your heart.

That night, after returning home, Huang Ying told Chen Li about it on QQ. Far away in America, Chen Li was silent the whole night.

…

After that, many others took to the stage to show off their singing. Some were so off-key that Ming Han felt like he was ascending to the heavens.

Then, a brave girl spoke up, “Ming Han, I want to sing a song for you.”

She sang a love song. Her technique was average, but at least she stayed in tune. When she finished, Ming Han stood and thanked her politely.

Da Xu tugged Ming Han’s sleeve and whispered, “Are you stupid? That girl just confessed to you! And you just said thank you?”

Hearing his words, the girl was a bit disappointed, but she still nodded at Ming Han.

Huang Ying leaned over to Yuhang and whispered, “Ming Han is really smart. He didn’t accept her feelings, but he at least gave her a graceful way down, so neither of them would feel awkward.”

After what Huang Ying said, Da Xu felt embarrassed.

Huang Ying shot Da Xu a look of pure disdain, as if she were looking at a pig being fattened at home.

Da Xu couldn’t handle that look. He turned to Yuhang, “Can’t you do something about your Iron Lady? Her eyes are destroying my soul.”

At that moment, a waiter entered and greeted Zheng Yuan politely, “Excuse me, are you students from Grade Nine at Jinhua Middle School?”

Zheng Yuan nodded, unsure what the waiter wanted.

The waiter smiled, “My young lady said she’s your classmate and would like to come in and offer a toast. Is that alright?”

Everyone was stunned! The daughter of the Tianhe Hotel’s owner was their classmate? When did they have such a rich classmate?

“Well, if she’s a classmate, of course she’s welcome!”

As everyone wondered who it could be, the door slid open and a figure appeared.

She had light reddish hair, which set off her sparkling, jet-black eyes. Her skin was as white as snow. She wore denim shorts, revealing a pair of long, slender legs. Her aura, her figure, her looks—she was perfection.

Deng Qingqing!

Number one on the forum’s beauty ranking—a true queen.

Many of the boys were transfixed, especially Da Xu, who hurriedly wiped the grease from his mouth with a napkin.

Ming Han, on the other hand, remained calm. At least in his eyes, someone else was still more beautiful.

“Hello, everyone from Class Thirteen.”