Dragon King's Son-In-Law

by Dragon King

  “Zhao Yanzi is the most popular student in our LingZhao Middle School. She is the fastest runner, and many boys have a crush on her. She receives several love letters daily, and some of the boys even show up in her class to look for her. It’s a terrible influence!” Luo Ying kept talking with a stern face.

  Hao Ren felt a bit jealous when he learned about how popular Zhao Yanzi was at school. He thought about the guys who tried to pursue her from all grades and all classes and asked hesitantly, “But did she…do anything with those guys?”

  The Class Advisor answered with her arms crossed, “Not yet, but you have to keep in mind how fast girls’ minds change. Especially at this age, it’s hard to keep on rejecting if there is a cute boy after her. Plus, Zhao Yanzi is an outgoing and playful girl…”

  Hao Ren’s heart sank as Luo Ying kept talking; he was as worried about this situation as her parents if they had known about this.

  Zhao Yanzi was lively, pretty, and excellent at sports in school, and all these made her a popular girl.

  “Even the high-schoolers are after her. No wonder her grades were always bad; there are too many distractions,” Hao Ren thought.

  “Therefore, you have to let her parents keep an eye on their daughter. Her grades are finally picking up, and they can’t let this kind of thing get in the way of her studies,” Luo Ying continued.

  “Ms. Luo, can I ask one more thing? How did Zhao Yanzi deal with all those love letters?” Hao Ren asked as his heartbeat sped up.

  “She was pretty straightforward with them; she always throws them directly into the garbage can without even reading them,” Luo Ying answered.

  “But some of the guys won’t give up. They would come to our class during the breaks or find her on the sports field during her PE class. The high-schoolers would even go straight to ask her out in person, and there isn’t much that, we, as teachers in the Middle School Department, could do. Their high school teachers are the only ones who could discipline them after all,” Luo Ying continued.

  Hao Ren got more and more mad at how annoying those guys were.

  “They wouldn’t let go even though Zhao Yanzi had shown that she wasn’t interested in them at all. Do they really think that no one could discipline them since they are in high school already? Do they really believe that they can make pretty girls in middle school go on dates with them just because they are from wealthy families?” Hao Ren thought.

  Then, Hao Ren thought back to the topics that were discussed during dinner at Zhao Yanzi’s home, and he realized that she must have never mentioned these things to her parents; she probably didn’t want them to worry.

  “That’s all that I wanted to say. I still need to speak with other parents individually, and I shouldn’t keep them waiting. To conclude, I’m glad about Zhao Yanzi’s improvement in her grades, but we still need to watch out for her romantic life. Guys in this age are immature, and they are mostly just fooling around pursuing girls. Although Zhao Yanzi is not the most well-behaved student in the class, we still need to make sure that she doesn’t get bullied by the boys, right?” Luo Ren added.

  “Um…I see,” Hao Ren nodded seriously.

  He was still worried about her even though he didn’t really see her as his girlfriend. Hao Ren wasn’t happy to find that the boys at her school were harassing her.

  Luo Ying nodded to him and walked back into the classroom; she called out another parent.

  It was already dark outside when Hao Ren walked downstairs.

  He reached the school’s front gate along the quiet path and got on the last bus for that day. It would take him straight to his home by the beach.

  Hao Ren gave Zhao Hongyu a call on the way back to tell her about Zhao Yanzi’s midterm results.

  He knew that Zhao Hongyu must have been waiting for his call. Sure enough, she was thrilled after learning about her grades. She invited Hao Ren over the next day for dinner after making sure that she heard the grades and ranks right; she wanted to thank Hao Ren for his patience and thorough tutoring over a nice meal.

  Hao Ren could overhear Zhao Yanzi’s voice through the phone; she was saying things like “It’s all my own hard work!” and “It has nothing to do with him!”

  It seemed like Zhao Yanzi was waiting for this phone call since she was worried about her exam results as well. Her grades had improved by a large degree this time, so she might act snobbishly when he goes over.

  However, Hao Ren had decided not to let Zhao Hongyu know about the love letters after some consideration. It wasn’t Zhao Hongyu he was worried about but Zhao Yanzi’s Third Uncle. If he were to find out about it, he would probably blow the school down impulsively. Therefore, Hao Ren kept this information from her parents.

  He breathed out in relief after hanging up the phone.

  He looked up at the dark sky and thought to himself, “Should I teach those persistent boys a lesson when I get the chance?”

  103 Still Keeping It from Me?

  It was already nine o’clock when Hao Ren returned home. His grandma was very happy since she didn’t expect him to be back on a Tuesday.

  Yue Yang was busy working in the room when she heard Hao Ren’s voice. She came out of the room and asked, “Why are you back today?”

  “I went to Zi’s Parent-Teacher Meeting on behalf of her parents. So, I decided to come back directly,” Hao Ren looked around and asked, “Where’s Dad?”

  “He took a flight to the States earlier today, so he’s probably still on the plane,” Yue Yang said.

  “Ah…” Hao Ren sighed secretly and thought, “Sure enough, no one could stop him from going abroad.”

  “How come you went for Zi’s parents to the meeting?” Grandma immediately asked when she heard the keyword ‘Zi’.

  “It was for the midterm report, and her parents are too busy. Therefore, I went instead.”

  “Oh, how did Zi do this time?” Yue Yang asked in concern as well.

  “Not bad, she is ranked 17th in her class and 43rd in her grade,” Hao Ren said.

  Yue Yang nodded and replied, “Yes, LingZhao Middle School is one of the best Middle Schools in East Ocean City. It’s pretty impressive to get a ranking like that.”

  “Zi is sweet and smart, and I’ve always known that she must be a good student,” Grandma said proudly as if Zi was her own granddaughter.

  Hao Ren was surprised at how great of a show Zhao Yanzi had been putting up for Grandma. She was such a playful girl with bad grades who didn’t like studying much.

  “I think she is brilliant, so her grades can’t be too bad. Zi is definitely a good kid, and I’m sure she is a better student than Ren when Ren was in middle school,” Yue Yang said.

  Hao Ren was utterly speechless. He ignored their assumptions and praises and opened the fridge to look for something to eat.

  “I’ll give you a ride to school tomorrow?” Yue Yang walked over and asked Hao Ren.

  “Um…early in the morning because I’ve been practicing basketball lately,” Hao Ren said after taking a sip of milk.

  “You are practicing basketball?” Yue Yang looked at Hao Ren suspiciously.

  “I might be playing in a game next week. It’s East Ocean University against Jinghua University.” Hao Ren took a piece of bread out of the fridge and took a bite.

  “I’ve heard about Jinghua University’s Basketball Team; they are fairly famous. I was invited to see one of their games when I visited there before, and they can play pretty well,” Yue Yang looked at him with even more suspicion as she asked, “You can play against them? I’ve never seen you play basketball before.”

  “Yeah, just for fun.” Hao Ren waved impatiently

  Yue Yang realized she had been neglecting her son lately. She thought for a bit and said, “The game is next week…how about I ask your dad to try and come back earlier for the game?”

  “Forget about it,” Hao Ren put the rest of the bread and milk into the fridge and said, “My school would go crazy if the two of you showed u
p.”

  Yue Yang curled her lips and said in an upset tone, “How could you say that… Mom means no harm at all. I have never seen you play so I thought it would be nice to see it next week. I’ll make sure that the school won’t advertise it.”

  “I might not even get to play. Also, it’s going to be a waste of time since something might come up in your schedule again.” Hao Ren closed the fridge and went back into the living room.

  “Why is this kid resisting us so much… Sigh… We have neglected him too much…” Yue Yang thought to herself as she followed Hao Ren back to the living room.

  “Ren, I miss little Zi a lot these days. Invite her to the beach sometime, and she can spend some time here with me,” Grandma said to Hao Ren.

  Hao Ren thought, “Zhao Yanzi’s hometown is in the ocean… So she probably won’t care much about the beach. However, Grandma does miss her…”

  He answered, “I am going over to her house for dinner tomorrow. I could call and ask if we can all go together?”

  “Wouldn’t it be too much trouble if our entire family showed up?” Yue Yang asked.

  However, Grandma shouted, “It’s fine! Go ahead and ask!”

  Then, Hao Ren took out his phone and told Zhao Hongyu about this idea. She agreed to it immediately and welcomed Hao Ren’s family over.

  Hao Ren gave the phone to his grandma so that she could chat for a bit with Zhao Hongyu; they had missed each other since they haven’t seen each other for a few days.

  Yue Yang was still thinking about the basketball game in a week; she had decided to make time for it no matter what. She had been pretty loose on Hao Ren since he was little. However, after she and Hao Zhonghua got scolded at Zhao Yanzi’s house by Grandma last time, there had been some changes in her thoughts. She realized that they needed to pay more attention to Hao Ren as parents.

  “I’ll go with Zhonghua without notifying the school… It’s just a basketball game; we shouldn’t get much attention…” she thought to herself.

  Hao Ren went back to his room after Grandma had gotten off the phone with Zhao Hongyu. He came back hoping to spend some time with his parents today, but his dad had gone to the States without a word, which made him a bit upset.

  Hao Ren never felt anything special because of his great parents; there were too many busy parents in the world as it was the same for Zhao Yanzi’s parents.

  However, although Yue Yang and Hao Zhonghua were dedicated to their science career and had won a lot of prizes, they haven’t made a lot of money, not even as much as a business owner in a medium-sized city. They only sold their place downtown at a good price to purchase this house by the beach when the economy was not doing well.

  The good thing was that their jobs were somewhat stable despite the low pay; it was just enough to support this family.

  Hao Ren returned to his room and opened the window facing the beach. He cultivated the Spirit Concentration Scroll for two hours under the moonlight as he absorbed the relatively heavy water elements nearby. He was able to smooth out his meridians with Su Han’s instruction and speed up his absorption rate.

  The night went by quietly accompanied by the sound of the waves. Yue Yang drove Hao Ren to school at five in the morning when it was barely bright outside.

  She was driving Hao Zhonghua’s white Ford which fit her very well.

  Even so, she was still driving timidly under 60 km/h. When making turns, she would cut her speed in half.

  The speed she was going at was even slower than the ladies on their motorbikes who were going grocery shopping.

  Hao Ren got impatient seeing it was already almost six o’clock and said, “Let me drive, Mom!”

  “It’s ok…I’m driving safer…” Yue Yang found herself an excuse.

  “Safe from what? There aren’t any other cars on the streets at this hour. Alright, just pull over.” Hao Ren said.

  Yue Yang pulled over to the roadside slowly. A world-class scientist like herself wouldn’t even dare to drive over 60 km/h.

  Hao Ren got out of the passenger seat and went in the driver seat while Yue Yang switched over to the passenger seat.

  Ka, ka! Hao Ren shifted the gear smoothly and stepped on the gas peddle, and the car accelerated immediately. It reached 80 km/h in no time on the empty morning street.

  The engine made a deep and powerful sound.

  “Ren…” Yue Yang thought for a few seconds and offered, “Should Mom buy you a car? I got some money from this award I just won…”

  “Nah, Nah. Why do I need a car? It wasn’t easy for you to win that award. Researches like that would take you three to six years,” Hao Ren rejected her offer immediately.

  “Grandma and I will go straight to Zi’s house for dinner today. You can come after your classes,” Yue Yang said.

  “Okay,” Hao Ren nodded while driving.

  Yue Yang suddenly realized that her son had grown up as she watched him drive calmly in the morning sunshine.

  “But Mom still thinks Zi is too young to be a daughter-in-law,” she looked at her son and said, “The Class President who came for my signature, however, looked pretty good.”

  “Ah…” Hao Ren almost stepped on the break at her remark.

  “Honestly, I think that girl was really gentle. Looks aside, Mom thinks she makes people feel comfortable…” Yue Yang continued.

  “That was not…” Hao Ren immediately explained.

  “I’m just saying. You are the one who knows if she is a good fit. I will keep it a secret on Zi’s side. But Mom has good eyes, and that girl could be a really good match for you,” Yue Yang said.

  “Good eyes…You also said a bad student like Zhao Yanzi is a top student,” Hao Ren thought to himself.

  The car arrived at the front gate of East Ocean University. Hao Ren drove straight in since he knew there wouldn’t be too many students on campus at such an early hour. He headed towards the basketball court in Zone B along the campus road.

  The car drove steadily in the quiet campus, and Hao Ren stopped the vehicle in a corner that was about 100 meters away from the court.

  “We are stopping here?” Yue Yang asked.

  “Um, here is fine. Drive safe on the way back, Mom. I’m going to go for training,” Hao Ren said as he opened the door and hopped out.

  Of course, he parked a bit far from the court. If Xie Yujia were to see her “idol” Yue Yang dropping him off, she would be astonished to death!

  One saw the other as her idol, and one thought the other as the potential daughter-in-law… Who knew what would happen if these two were to meet in person?

  He headed to the basketball court while Yue Yang switched back into the driver seat and slowly made a U-turn. She kept going back and forth on that 2-meter-wide street; a simple U-turn took her over a minute!

  Hao Ren stepped into the basketball court in Zone B, and Xie Yujia waved at him in her white sportswear, “Hao Ren! You are two minutes late today!”

  Hao Ren smiled in embarrassment. He jogged over and said, “I’m sorry, Class President. I got up late today.”

  “It’s ok, but there can’t be a second time. Did you have breakfast?” She asked.

  Her white tennis gear was not as lively as yesterday’s outfit. However, it made her look more professional. Her healthy and fit body could still be seen in the sportswear.

  In the distance, a white Ford secretly approached the basketball court under the shades of the trees. Through the window, Yue Yang saw Xie Yujia and Hao Ren chatting. She pushed up her glasses and smiled.

  “This boy, keeping it from me…”

  104 Goodperson Card?!

  The white Ford slowly backed up as Hao Ren was under Xie Yujia’s care; he was listening to her speech about how important it was to be punctual as he ate the baozi she bought for him.

  After eating, Xie Yujia’s lecture came to an end. She stretched her body and picked up the basketball from the ground.

  “We have practiced dribbling quite a bit yesterday. Today
, we are focusing on passing.”

  “Yes! Yes!” Hao Ren wiped his mouth and nodded.

  “The key to passing is the judgment of direction and the usage of your fingers. A standard pass is made by your fingers, not of your palm. Your wrist must be quick and flexible during this process…”

  Xie Yujia demonstrated with the ball in her hand as she spoke.

  She looked even more energetic and beautiful than yesterday in her white tennis gear. As she demonstrated passing, her body moved back and forth. Her hair was blown up by the wind, and it looked as refreshing as the wind.

  Her petite body under the refreshing tennis sportswear was a pleasant view as the trees behind her were the background.

  Xie Yujia stopped her demonstration when she noticed Hao Ren’s stare. She waved the ball in front of Hao Ren and asked, “Did you see how I passed the ball? Did you keep it in mind?”

  “Oh, oh…” Hao Ren looked up from Xie Yujia’s smooth neck and said, “I need to use my fingers. I think I got the most of it.”

  “Ok, give it a try then,” Xie Yujia put the basketball into Hao Ren’s hand and backed up a few steps while saying, “Pass it to me.”

  Hao Ren threw the ball to her and she caught is successful. She passed it back to him after a couple of dribbles.

  “There are techniques to catching as well. You only need to learn how to catch it with both hands because we don’t have enough time for other variations. In fact, when it’s your ball during a game, it’s usually better to catch it behind your back since it’s harder to predict,” Xie Yujia explained as she practiced passing with Hao Ren.

  Hao Ren could tell that she was 100% focused on the basketball. He blamed himself for getting distracted and started to pay attention as well.

  “And there is the bounce pass, meaning that the ball will be passed to your teammate after a bounce. This isn’t hard at all as long as you keep in mind not to pass it straightforwardly.

  Xie Yujia looked exactly like a little coach, instructing Hao Ren carefully.

  “Then there is the cross-shoulder pass, which is for longer distances. I won’t teach you about the hop step and jump stop since they are more complicated, and you probably won’t be able to grasp it in such a short time…”