Dragon King's Son-In-Law

by Dragon King

  Others got excited as soon as Zhao Jiayi started the bet.

  “I bet 100-yuan on Hao Ren getting the last place!”

  “I bet 50-yuan on Hao Ren getting the second last place!”

  “I’ll bet on the second last place too. He can’t be so weak that he will get the last place, right?”

  “I bet 10-yuan on him getting the last place. 10-yuan profit is still profit!”

  As they were making bets at full blast, Hao Ren and Xie Yujia sat down in their old spots; they had no clue as to what the guys were doing.

  Ling also sat back down as she quietly enjoying her drink. Her appearance was average. She wasn’t good-looking but wasn’t ugly either. She went back home with Zhao Yanzi after school every day, and they skipped class together today. It was obvious that she was Zhao Yanzi’s best friend at school.

  “Aside from Zi’s special status, she is just a normal middle school girl who has her best friend, her own hobbies, and her own temper…” Hao Ren thought.

  Following the 400-meter hurdle, there were a few female games. The 400-meter relay race, the 1600-meter relay race, and 800-meter race…

  The appearance of female students dressed in tight tops and shorts instantly heated up the field that was silent and dull.

  Eastern Ocean University was a comprehensive university. Every major possessed comparative teaching resources and research abilities. The feature that made it most popular was probably the number of beautiful female students it had.

  The eyes of all the guys on the spectator stand lit up, and the binoculars laying beside their feet were picked up again.

  It was finally showtime for the majors that had more girls than guys. Majors such as Liberal Arts, Film and Television, and Fine Arts were going to demonstrate their athletic abilities.

  Seeing Hao Ren stare at the track with sharp interest, Xie Yujia seized the chance to tease him. “There are so many pretty girls at Easter Ocean University, and you still don’t have a girlfriend?”

  “There is a pretty girl in my class, is it necessary for me to find one somewhere else?” Hao Ren said casually without even looking back.

  Xie Yujia froze for a moment. Then she looked at the calm expression on Hao Ren’s face, making sure he didn’t have any other special meaning, She then asked after thinking for a while, “Do you have a girlfriend already?”

  Following the start line on the track, Hao Ren “reviewed” the beautiful and well-built girls one by one and didn’t even hear Xie Yujia’s question.

  Xie Yujia’s face turned red. She had planned on taking the opportunity to ask Hao Ren more about Su Han. However, after giving it a few more thoughts, she held back as she felt she had been too gossipy recently.

  Bang! Eight beautiful girls started running as soon as the starting pistol fired.

  Although their speed couldn’t be bracketed with that of the guys, their slim and gorgeous figures were the most wonderful scene for the guys on the stand.

  The fluttering black silky hair, the flying long and slim legs, the waving soft and tender arms, and the blushing cheeks; they were all showing the charm of sports.

  “Eh-hem!” Two coughs sounded behind Hao Ren.

  Hao Ren looked back and saw Zhao Yanzi standing behind him; he didn’t know when she came back.

  He moved a bit to the left, leaving some space for her. Then he asked, “How was it?”

  “Not that good! You seem so happy staring at the beautiful girls; your drools almost dripped down your mouth,” Zhao Yanzi sat down and said in a jealous tone.

  Hao Ren then realized that he was so focused on looking at the race of the beautiful girls that he didn’t even hear anything Xie Yujia had said. However, he was too embarrassed to ask her what she had said earlier.

  Though he can’t be blamed. No guys would be able to stay calm while seeing so many beautiful girls. Didn’t the other guys’ eyeballs almost pop out?

  Obviously, Hao Ren wouldn’t explain this to his “fiancee”. He pretended to look back seriously at Zhao Yanzi. He tried to say something but didn’t end up saying a word.

  Actually, he really would like to know what Su Han and Zhao Yanzi talked about, but he couldn’t ask because Xie Yujia was there.

  “The next event will be the 1500-meter race for men. All participants, please enter the field and get ready!” The radio announcement on the field went off again.

  “It’s your turn!” Xie Yujia reminded Hao Ren.

  “Eh!” Hao Ren stood up and was about to walk down from the stand.

  Xie Yujia grabbed him immediately and took out a number tag from her bag. “Here, put it on!”

  She stood up and was going to put it on Hao Ren’s chest, but she seemed to have remembered something. In the end, she just handed it to Hao Ren. “Put it on yourself,” she said.

  Hao Ren nodded, pulled off the plastic, and stuck the tag with the number eight onto his chest.

  “All participants, please enter the field…” The announcement continued on the radio.

  All of a sudden, Hao Ren felt a bit nervous.

  Xie Yujia gave him an encouraging smile, clenched her fist, and made a cheering gesture to him.

  Hao Ren smiled back at her as he took a deep breath and walked down the spectator stand.

  “You have to get the first place!” Zhao Yanzi urged him.

  Hao Ren didn’t look back. Instead, he waved his hand and walked to the track firmly.

  No matter if it were the first place or last, there wouldn’t be any regrets as long as he tried his best. This was Hao Ren belief ever since elementary and middle school. This also explained how Hao Ren could get to the finish line successfully when everyone else collapsed.

  Number eight corresponded with the most-outer track on the field. It was the most disadvantageous position for long distance races.

  Huang Xujie, dressed in golden sportswear, was doing some stretches; he didn’t even have a number tag on him. Then, he walked towards Hao Ren.

  Hao Ren took a look at him but didn’t say anything.

  “Get in position…” The starter made his command.

  Hao Ren got ready as he got on all fours and stay on his knees with his butt on his heels.

  Huang Xujie was behind him. His position was on the second most-outer track; he was only half a meter away from Hao Ren.

  “Sophmore, I’ll let you know today what our difference is,” he whispered to Hao Ren.

  Hao Ren looked over his shoulder slightly and saw Huang Xujie’s golden Nike running shoes and tight leg muscles.

  “Ready! Set!”

  Bang!

  The starting pistol fired.

  38 The Sticky Candy Strategy

  The eight contestants including Hao Ren shot off almost at the same time.

  Hao Ren’s starting point looked to be the foremost, but he was, in fact, farthest from the inner track. Since runners would cut into the inner track as soon as they start in the 1500-meter races, Hao Ren had to do so. When he cut into the inner track, he was the second last while the runners who started from the tracks closer to the inner track were all running ahead of him.

  As for Huang Xujie, due to his superior explosiveness, he had successfully grabbed the leading position even though his starting point in the seventh track. The situation was such that Hao Ren had to overtake six of the seven runners before he could run against Huang Xujie and win the race. During the process, he had to make sure that he wouldn’t be overtaken by those who he passed.

  On the spectator stand, Xie Yujia frowned slightly when she saw the disadvantageous starting point Hao Ren had taken. Zhao Yanzi was also staring at the race track anxiously as if she was concerned about Hao Ren’s performance as well.

  Meanwhile, the eight runners had lined up on the inner track with Hao Ren close to the tail. He didn’t look eager to overtake any runners, and the others were also content with their current positions as they reserved their strength and tried to pass others at the right time.

  Now, Huan
g Xujie was leading the race while the others followed closely. Just by looking at them, it seemed like they were training for a long-distance marathon.

  “Go! Go! Huang Xujie! Go! Go! Huang Xujie!”

  The girls’ cheers got louder.

  Some of them even rushed down from the stands and got into the field to cheer for Huang Xujie.

  Due to their large numbers, the volunteers responsible for maintaining order couldn’t keep them all out and thus tolerated them as long as they didn’t interfere with the race.

  As if they were watching a race car event, they formed a circle around the tracks as they cheered Huang Xujie on up close.

  After some consideration, Xie Yujia also got down from the stand and walked into the field to cheer for Hao Ren.

  By now, the runners had finished one lap which was 400 meters. They began to show some fatigue as their steps were not as swift as they had been at the beginning of the race.

  The competition for stamina had begun.

  Hao Ren was the first to start overtaking his competitors.

  From his original seventh position, he overtook two runners in one go.

  “Keep it up!” Standing by the field, Xie Yujia raised both of her hands to cheer for him.

  Hao Ren’s overtaking didn’t attract much attention since he was still at the rear end of the line. More attention was focused on the repeated passing between the second-place and the third-place runners.

  Huang Xujie, on the other hand, was now so far ahead of everyone that no one could threaten his leading position.

  After overtaking two runners, Hao Ren steadied his pace and adjusted his breathing before speeding up and passing another runner.

  The former fourth-place runner purposefully stepped to the right as he tried to block Hao Ren’s path. However, Hao Ren easily dodged his blocking and successfully overtook him!

  Xie Yujia was amazed at his smooth movements.

  Sitting on the stand, Zhao Yanzi’s eyes lit up as well since Hao Ren’s movement contained the steps of life and death originating from the Eight Trigrams. It was not a movement that he had learned and copied; it was natural.

  “Is it possible that he had unintentionally reached the first level of the Spirit Concentration Scroll and understood the makeup of the world?” Zhao Yanzi wondered.

  She wanted to go down to the field and take a closer look, but she gave up on the idea knowing that she wouldn’t see much due to her small size. Resigned, she stayed on the stand.

  After taking the fourth place, Hao Ren gradually gained speed and moved closer to the second-place and third-place runners who had been repeatedly overtaking each other.

  Now people’s attention finally turned to Hao Ren.

  On the stand, Zhao Jiayi and the guys had been concerned with the race since the beginning. They were actually worried because of the bets they made.

  Seeing Hao Ren overtook runners before him one by one, Zhao Jiayi grinned with joy since most of the guys in the class had bet on Hao Ren ending with either the last place, the second last place, or the sixth-place. If Hao Ren won the fourth place, he the banker would be rich with all the gains.

  “It’s no use. He is running fast now, but he will be passed later,” Yu Rong who had bet 100-yuan on Hao Ren getting the second last place said firmly.

  “Yeah, if he doesn’t save his energy, he won’t keep his place on the last lap.” The others agreed with him.

  “Hao Ren, good boy! You could take the fourth place in this highly competitive Athletic Games. Even though you are only temporarily fourth, it is a great achievement,” Zhao Jiayi thought to himself.

  Zhao Jiayi knew how great the runners competing on the tracks were. He was even familiar with some of them as he had played basketball with them; they were either local municipal champions or got placed first or second in provincial races. If the gamblers on the stands had been on the track racing against them, they would have been left behind by at least more than half a lap now. That was why Hao Ren’s fourth position was a great feat.

  Zhao Jiayi caught a glimpse of Xie Yujia who had been rooting for Hao Ren while jogging along with him. Gazing at Xie Yujia’s vibrant and young figure, Zhao Jiayi lamented silently at Hao Ren’s luck for having such the support and encouragement of such a beauty.

  Thud! Thud!

  Hao Ren’s feet stepped firmly on the synthetic tracks while his arms swung rhythmically.

  His steps looked heavy, but a fresh breeze went with him when he passed by the speculators. After Hao Ren took the fourth position, the students both on the stands and around the field began to notice the normal number eight runner. With a red face, he had been advancing steadily without showing too much fatigue.

  “Who is this guy…”

  “Is he from the Mechatronic Engineering Major?”

  “He was taking the rear at the beginning of the race…”

  People began to talk about Hao Ren because they found that this runner with the number eight tag on his chest was running steadily and even speeding up slowly while others began to slow down.

  Xie Yujia watched Hao Ren as he passed the curve in front of her and saw the drops of sweat on Hao Ren’s face clearly. She was touched by his decisive expression.

  He looked at the ground ahead of him and was oblivious to the fact that many pretty girls were cheering on Huang Xujie.

  Xie Yujia felt an extraordinary attraction while she looked at his earnest and persistent expression. Just a moment ago when the girls were competing, Hao Ren looked like every other guy around as he watched the performance of the pretty girls on the tracks enthusiastically.

  However, when real responsibility fell on his shoulders…

  Sweat dripped down from his chin. Some of it soaked his shirt while the rest dropped onto the track and shattered in pieces before sinking into the ground.

  While the other girls were still cheering for Huang Xujie due to his handsome face and dashing figure, Xie Yujia was attracted to Hao Ren.

  On the spectator stand, Zhao Yanzi had her eyes locked on Hao Ren and gradually understood his movement. Each of Hao Ren’s steps seemed to contain Daoist principles and thus were extraordinarily steady and firm. A unique aura seemed to have surrounded him while nature’s essence flowed through him; his aura was gradually transforming because of all this.

  Zhao Yanzi couldn’t get to the bottom of it. She wished Su Han had been here since she would have been able to tell her what level Hao Ren was on.

  She didn’t realize that the most important thing for cultivation was the one-mindedness between one’s mind and one’s spirit; Hao Ren did much better than her in this field.

  On the rooftop of the stadium nearby, Su Han in a blue dress stood against the blue sky and watched the race intently. She nodded with appreciation and soon disappeared with a flash.

  While the second-place and the third-place runners were still trying to overtake each other, like a floating ghost, Hao Ren passed both of them with ease.

  They were astonished and tried to overtake him, but Hao Ren just left them in the dust!

  In their panic, they didn’t notice Hao Ren’s light steps. His steps were silent, and his breathing was quiet. It felt like he was talking a walk! It was impossible for the other runners to race against him. It seemed like he was flying!

  “No way!” In the spectator stand designated to Hao Ren’s class, all the guys stood up as they were stunned.

  In the blink of an eye, Hao Ren’s ranking had turned from the original seventh to second!

  No one knew how it happened even though Hao Ren had overtaken his rivals one after another before their eyes!

  Hearing the crowd’s gasps of astonishment, Huang Xujie who had been leading with ease turned his head. He found in shock that the second-placed runner was gaining on him!

  This second-placed runner was no other than the “sophomore” whom he regarded with disdain.

  Distracted, he stumbled and almost fell. This precarious movement caused a wav
e of alarming shrieks among the girls.

  Huang Xujie didn’t regard the shrieks as the girls’ concern for him. Instead, he was humiliated by the sound. He gritted his teeth and was determined to not allow Hao Ren to go near him.

  Huang Xujie sped up abruptly, and the girls’ cheering got louder with his acceleration.

  “Go! Go! Huang Xujie!” A crisp voice appeared among the others.

  Hao Ren turned his head slightly and saw the so-called most popular girl of the university Lin Li cheering for Huang Xujie beside the track.

  “Damn it! The woman is so blatant!” Zhao Jiayi stood up in fury when he saw Lin Li cheering for Huang Xujie.

  Even though Lin Li was not in their class, she was in the same major and as Zhao Jiayi and Hao Ren. Zhao Jiayi would understand if Lin Li didn’t cheer Hao Ren on since they weren’t in the same class, but Lin Li was now cheering for Huang Xujie who was Hao Ren’s competitor from another major! This was unacceptable to Zhao Jiayi.

  In fact, the other guys from Hao Ren’s class and some of the guys from Class Three were also enraged. After all, it was ok for one to not participate in the events, but one must guard one’s major’s honor.

  On the track, Huang Xujie thought he had pulled away from Hao Ren and relaxed a bit. However, when he looked back, he found that Hao Ren was catching up again steadily.

  He sped up again. When he looked back, Hao Ren was still gaining on him at a steady pace.

  “This guys is like a sticky candy… Last time when I watched him practice at night, he didn’t look like he could be my rival…”

  Huang Xujie felt threatened for the first time. He turned his head around to glance at Hao Ren, and he found his rival looking calm and breathing evenly. His rival was running with perfect form!

  “Is it possible that he doesn’t even regard me as his rival? Is he just trying to surpass himself? Is it possible that in his eyes, I’m nothing?”