Dragon King's Son-In-Law

by Dragon King

  Hao Ren stared at the bracelets in shock. Then, he looked at Zhao Yanzi in surprise. He didn’t know anything about the background of these bracelets, and he didn’t expect Zhao Yanzi to get more and more gentle with him.

  Zhao Yanzi was wearing a set of orange pajamas since she was just staying in her own room. The orange pajamas matched with her youthful face, making her as refreshing as a glass of fresh orange juice.

  Seeing Hao Ren staring at her in surprise, Zhao Yanzi changed the look on her face and yelled, “Don’t give me that look. After all, these two bracelets are dharma treasures. It is your honor that Sister Su gave them to you.”

  “Fine, fine…” Hao Ren turned around to the desk, trying to refocus on the questions.

  “Su Han must know about the fight I had on the basketball court. Putting them on me is probably some kind of punishment for me,” Hao Ren wondered at the same time.

  Hao Ren and Zhao Yanzi were soon immersed in the questions and didn’t even realize it was time for dinner. Zhao Hongyu went upstairs in person to tell them, and both of them left the desk and walked downstairs with Zhao Hongyu side by side.

  While walking downstairs, Zhao Hongyu looked back and saw Zhao Yanzi grabbing onto Hao Ren’s sleeve while walking downstairs carefully, and this mother showed a glad smile immediately.

  “Mom, what are you smiling about?” Zhao Yanzi yelled.

  “Hehe, nothing!” Zhao Hongyu walked to the dining room.

  Zhao Guang and Grandma had already sat beside the dinner table, and they were talking about something. They waved at Hao Ren and Zhao Yanzi when they saw them walking downstairs together.

  The five people started having dinner joyfully like a real family.

  During dinner, Zhao Guang unexpectedly brought up a topic. “Ren, your grandma said that your parents would be back this Thursday. How about having dinner together this Thursday night so that we can get to know more about each other?” he asked.

  “Huh?” Hao Ren froze for a second. He had expected that both families would meet each other in some way, but he didn’t think it would be this quick and sudden.

  “Yeah, Hongyu and her family took such good care of me, and I really hope that your parents could invite them to dinner and meet them as soon as possible,” Grandma followed.

  “Em…” Hao Ren looked at Zhao Guang then at Zhao Hongyu, feeling like something extraordinary would happen at the gathering.

  Zhao Yanzi stopped eating as well. She stared blankly at the people around the dinner table, waiting for the result. She definitely would have yelled and turned down the family meeting if it was before. However, she had to maintain her “lady” image in front of Grandma.

  “Zi will have her midterm exams at school this Friday. So, it will be better for her just to focus on reviewing. We can wait until the weekend and then talk about the meeting,” after thinking for a while, Hao Ren suggested.

  “Alright, if that’s what it is…” Grandma felt really puzzled just now. She was wondering why Hao Ren was so hesitant when it was time for him to show his appreciation to Zi’s parents. Now, she knew it was all because he was concerned about Zhao Yanzi’s midterm exams.

  “Yeah! Yeah!” Zhao Yanzi nodded in agreement instantly as she didn’t want to go to the next so-called parents-meeting stage so quickly.

  “You had never taken exams so seriously before. You even went out during the final exams last time. How come you are so serious about it this time? We’ll see what grades you get,” Zhao Guang said to Zhao Yanzi.

  Hearing Zhao Guang’s words, Zhao Yanzi pouted discontentedly.

  “Zi has been work really hard on reviewing recently,” Hao Ren interrupted.

  “Hum! I don’t need you to put in a good word for me!” Zhao Yanzi suddenly got mad for no reason.

  “Fine, fine, there is no rush. Then we will discuss this matter on the weekend,” Grandma tried to mediate the dispute.

  After dinner, Zhao Yanzi decided that she didn’t need Hao Ren’s help reviewing. Therefore, Hao Ren had to go back to the university helplessly.

  It was really hard to guess what the girl was thinking about. It wouldn’t work out either way if Hao Ren went along or against her.

  As a consequence, Hao Ren went back to the dorm earlier than before. Zhao Jiayi, who just got away from a tragedy, was playing cards with Zhou Liren and Cao Ronghua.

  Hao Ren put the materials away on his desk and was about to get on his bed to have some rest. However, Zhao Jiayi suddenly grabbed his wrist. “What the hell, where did you get these bracelets?” he asked.

  “From some booth on the side of the road, just for fun,” Hao Ren answered exhaustedly.

  “Bracelets, are you a girl?” Zhou Liren said immediately.

  Hao Ren didn’t know what to say. He knew that if Zhou Liren ever found out that these bracelets were from Su Han, this man would be willing to wear them all over his body.

  “But they are nice bracelets,” Cao Ronghua got closer and took a better look at the two bracelets on Hao Ren’s wrist as he commented.

  “Seems like they match your necklace,” Zhao Jiayi’s eyes lit up, “don’t tell me they are from Su Han again?”

  “They do seem to match!” Zhou Liren finally found out this secret and started screaming.

  “Don’t be so gossipy!” pushing Zhou Liren’s face away, Hao Ren jumped onto his bed to rest. However, the bed was bending so much that it almost broke.

  “Be mild, be mild!” Zhao Jiayi yelled.

  “How can it be mild when you are wearing bracelets that weigh 50 kilograms…” Hao Ren sighed in his mind as he picked up the book beside his pillow.

  The Wednesday was as ordinary as usual. What the students talked about most was the discipline announcement posted in the Administrative Building. However, this matter didn’t have any influence on Hao Ren anymore.

  He had to tutor Zhao Yanzi at night, and her attitude wasn’t reckless nor passionate; Hao Ren had no idea if he did something that offended her.

  Hence, in a flash, it was Thursday again.

  Ting! The signal light for text messages lit up on his cell phone.

  Hao Ren sleepily opened his phone during class and found out that the message was from Xie Yujia.

  “Academician Hao and Academician Yue will be giving lectures on science at eight o’clock tonight. Would you like to go with me?”

  68 The Arrival of Bigwigs

  “Huh? Why me?” after thinking for a while, Hao Ren replied to her message. Shortly afterward, he got another message from Xie Yujia, “I’m inviting you so that you can appreciate real scientists’ elegant demeanor!”

  “Well… it’s ok; I have enjoyed that quite often…” Hao Ren sent back another message languidly.

  Based on his experience, Xie Yujia won’t reply messages frequently. Moreover, it was during class time; a good student like her would never waste her note-taking time on texting.

  However, beyond Hao Ren’s expectations, Xie Yujia pursued hotly this time. She texted a message back immediately, “Don’t be so glib-tongued! You should be respectful towards the great scientists! Just because you don’t have respect for them, I have to take you to experience it!”

  On top of texting Hao Ren back, Xie Yujia, who was sitting in the front row, turned around and stared at Hao Ren from a distance. It was obvious that she was monitoring him.

  “Who is Xie Yujia looking back at? She seems angry,” Zhou Liren, who sat beside Hao Ren, asked him.

  “Em, I have no idea,” Hao Ren answered while acting innocent.

  He looked down at his phone and found that another message had come in, “A lot of people want to go to the lecture, but the admission is limited. I was only able to get two tickets through my connections at the Student Council! That’s it; I have to focus on class now!”

  “Uh…” Hao Ren sighed slightly.

  “This Class President takes things too seriously. I was just saying casually last time, but she insists that I have to go with her,” he
thought as he rubbed his sore arms, laid them back on the desk, and went back to napping. However, the desk was making crunching noises due to the weight of the bracelets. It wasn’t a good feeling carrying at least 50 kilograms around.

  The afternoon was filled with mostly easy courses like English, and Hao Ren didn’t take the same classes as Xie Yujia.

  Ever since Su Han gave him the little gifts, Hao Ren had been too scared to go to her. The closer he got to Su Han, the more terrifying she seemed.

  Therefore, after four o’clock, Hao Ren killed some time in his dorm until six o’clock. Then, he went to the cafeteria for dinner with Zhao Jiayi and the other two guys, and they went to Philosophy class next.

  The course was scheduled from six to seven forty-five. When the class ended, there was a flood of people trying to get out because the classroom was packed.

  Hao Ren and the other three guys usually sat in the last row. Thus, they were at the end of the crowd when class ended.

  “Zhao Jiayi, let’s go for some midnight snacks! It is on you since you survived the tragedy!” Zhou Liren said as he tried to push forward in the crowd.

  “Damn! You have been saying that from Tuesday to Thursday, and I have treated you so many times already!” Zhao Jiayi punched Zhou Liren’s back.

  Zhou Liren giggled as he turned around and said, “Cao Ronghua, how about you treat us this time?”

  The four of them walked out of the classroom while pushing each other around.

  All of a sudden, Xie Yujia, who was dressed in a royal blue skirt, appeared in front of them.

  Zhao Jiayi and the other guys froze for a second; even Hao Ren was surprised as he didn’t expect that Xie Yujia would be waiting for him here.

  The skirt Xie Yujia wore couldn’t be considered as a fancy party gown, but it was still beautiful. Her pretty face and the gorgeous figure had made her temperament above others, and it looked like she was dressed up for a date.

  Hao Ren and the other three guys stood at the door blankly. Other guys who had just walked out were also looking back at this pretty girl and lingering on without any thought of leaving.

  “Hao Ren, let’s go,” Xie Yujia smiled at Hao Ren.

  “Ok, ok.” Hao Ren nodded. He then turned around and said to Zhao Jiayi, “I’m going to a lecture with the Class President.”

  Zhao Jiayi and the other two guys stared at him in shock.

  “Hurry up, or we will be late,” Xie Yujia pulled on Hao Ren’s sleeve and rushed him.

  Hence, Hao Ren walked out of Academic Building D with Xie Yujia. He pushed Xie Yujia’s bike away from the parking spot and hopped on. Xie Yujia then jumped on the back seat deftly and held onto Hao Ren’s waist.

  The bike bumpily rode across campus in the dim light of the night.

  Zhao Jiayi and the others continued to stare at the scene as if they got fossilized together.

  After a while, Zhou Liren stretched his stiff neck and asked, “Is Ren… really dating the Class President?”

  Meanwhile, on the road, Hao Ren asked while riding the bike, “Class President, did you come to get me because you were afraid that I would skip it?”

  “Yeah, who knows if you would go for midnight snacks with Zhao Jiayi and other guys and stand me up?” Xie Yujia said brightly as she sat in the back and grabbed onto Hao Ren’s waist tightly.

  Hao Ren laughed and paddled even faster; he felt like he was getting closer with the Class President even though he barely had any chance to get to know her before.

  For Xie Yujia, she started noticing Hao Ren since the time he got picked up by the Mercedes. At first, she was concerned that there was something wrong with this guy in the class. Slowly, she found out that although Hao Ren wasn’t special, he was different from the other unambitious guys. When he trained at night for the Athletic Games, it made him unique in Xie Yujia’s eyes.

  They went to Academic Building E but found that the parking lot outside the building was already full of bikes, e-bikes, and many flashy cars.

  Xie Yujia parked her bike further away and then entered the glass hall with Hao Ren. Xie Yujia was worried that others might take her seats, so she started walking at a faster pace and pulled on Hao Ren’s arm to ensure that he kept up.

  The architectural design of the hall was based on the Roman Colosseum. It had a round structure, and the interior decorations were high-end and bright.

  Outside the marble hall, reporters from various media channels surrounded a couple of people with microphones and cameras held high in their hands. Xie Yujia was quite curious, so she slowed down and pulled Hao Ren to have a look together.

  “Huh, huh. Mayor Sun, I know you are very busy, but you are still coming for my lecture,” a crisp and bright male voice said.

  “Academician Hao, I’m your loyal fan! I have to come to your lecture no matter how busy I am!” a man dressed in a plain shirt said.

  Hao Ren recognized him; he was the Mayor of East Ocean City who was on the news all the time.

  The Deputy Mayor, who was in charge of the economic development and was also Huang Xujie’s father, was standing beside the Mayor. He had a smile on his face and didn’t say anything out of the norm as he was in the company of his higher-up.

  “Academician Yue is getting younger and younger,” after chatting with the tall and mighty Academician Hao, the Mayor turned around to respectfully talk to the lady who was dressed in a plain suit and stood beside Academician Hao.

  “You are flattering me, Mayor,” the lady with impressive appearance lowered her head and smiled.

  “Academician Yue acquired another high-valued scientific award from Europe. You are indeed an honor of the East Ocean City as well as the Chinese scientific community!” the Mayor laughed and continued talking.

  Accompanying the Academicians and the Mayor were a lot of university officials, college officials, and senior professors who were rarely seen. They were just smiling and staying quiet in front of the media.

  “Those two are Academician Hao and Academician Yue. Did you see that? That is the temperament of world-class scientists!” Xie Yujia pointed secretly at the academician couples and moved closer to Hao Ren as she whispered with great respect.

  “It is about time. Don’t let the students wait too long. Let’s go inside,” Academician Hao, who could be described as handsome and highly esteemed, looked at his watch and suggested.

  “Alright, alright, alright…” numerous university officials agreed repeatedly. The mayor and Deputy Mayor started walking respectfully with Academician Hao and Academician Yue to the lecture hall.

  However, Academician Hao, who seemed conspicuous in the crowd because of his tall figure, took a look around and paused for a second when he saw Hao Ren and Xie Yujia before he walked into the lecture hall.

  “Let’s hurry up as well!” Xie Yujia pulled on Hao Ren’s arm in a hurry and almost dragged Hao Ren into the lecture hall.

  69 The Super Fan

  The lecture hall was packed with a large crowd of people. Although there were hundreds of seats in the biggest room in Academic Building E, they didn’t seem to be enough.

  Worrying about losing their seats, Xie Yujia held onto Hao Ren and rushed to the seats she reserved.

  Finally, she found the seats according to the numbers on her tickets. She walked in while grabbing onto Hao Ren’s hand and then sat down as she uttered a sigh of relief.

  When she sat down, she realized she had been holding onto Hao Ren’s hand the entire time. Her face turned red instantly, and she let his hand go hastily. Her palm was a little slippery and a little wet; she was so nervous.

  Hao Ren took his hand back awkwardly and wiped his slightly wet hand on his clothes. He felt embarrassed to ask the Class President to release his hand while she was grabbing onto it, so he had to let her do it.

  With the appearance of Hao Zhonghua on the podium, the noisy and excited lecture hall went silent immediately.

  “Ah, I forgot to get some water,” Xie Yujia said suddenly.r />
  “I’ll go get it,” Hao Ren stood up and replied.

  “Forget it!” Xie Yujia grabbed his arm and stopped him hastily, “The lecture is going to start soon.”

  Hao Ren looked back at her, and Xie Yujia blushed and took her hand back immediately.

  “I must be too excited today, otherwise why do I keep touching him so much…” Xie Yujia thought to herself secretly while her face was still red.

  “Ok…” Hao Ren sat back down without noticing the look on Xie Yujia’s face.

  The lecture hall was divided into three areas specifically for today’s lectures.

  The two front rows were for the officials of the city and university, the senior professors, and the most authoritative scientists in the East Ocean area.

  Many master and doctoral students in related majors from various famous universities in East Ocean City were attracted to the lecture by the fame of the couple, and many of them were also the favorite students of the professors who sat in the front. The university had arranged six to seven rows in the middle based on the number of these students.

  The area furthest back was left for the undergraduates of East Ocean University. However, as Xie Yujia said, there was only a limited amount of tickets available. She tried hard and only got two tickets through the Student Council. Other students who didn’t get seats had to stand throughout the whole lecture.

  The seats Xie Yujia reserved were in a pretty good spot. They were in the front row of the third area, which enabled them to see Hao Zhonghua and his wife on the podium clearly.

  The entire lecture hall was fully packed. Even the hallways were full of students. Many of them were standing on tiptoes worrying they wouldn’t be able to see the appearance of the two famous scientists.

  This lecture was a unique and grand occasion in the university.

  “On such a lively day like today, it is our great honor to have a world-famous couple in the science community, Academician Hao Zhonghua, and Academician Yue Yang, give us a lecture on their scientific research. Academician Hao Zhonghua and Academician Yue Yang are from Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering respectively. They have come here to give this lecture as soon as they landed in China from their trip to Europe; it is indeed an honor for our university! Academician Hao Zhonghua had just won the most prestigious award in the biomedical scientific community abroad, Gairdner Award! And Academician Yue Yang, her recent climate research had won the Graff Award, which is also known as the “Nobel Prize in Ecology” in the science community.”