Lin Hao kicked pebbles on the playground, unable to fathom Qin Mohan’s expression from earlier.
"Ah, no more thinking, it's too taxing. He might have twitchy eyes," he mused. "I wonder what his father would look like if he knew his precious son had twitchy eyes. He'd probably be scared to death."
A smile crept onto Lin Hao's lips as he thought about it. He put his hands behind his head and walked with a leisurely, splayed-out gait, his steps taking on a swagger that seemed to defy recognition. Looking up, he saw the playground filled with groups of three and pairs of two. For a moment, he didn't know where to go. A trace of confusion flickered in his usually unrestrained eyes.
If they hadn't found him, where would he have gone?
If he hadn't met her, would his life be incomplete?
Fortunately, he met her. The thought of her brought a look of happiness to Lin Hao's face.
As Lin Hao was lost in thought about someone, he spotted Hu Tu playing basketball, taking on five people single-handedly.
"Yo, this kid's got some guts, taking on five!"
Lin Hao stopped thinking about her, as the more he thought, the more unattainable she seemed. Instead, he focused his attention on the young man on the basketball court. He watched as the young man skillfully dodged two players while dribbling the ball. Upon closer inspection, the tallest of the opponents seemed to be the center.
"This center's no good either, can't even stop a monkey."
Hu Tu on the court was already in position for a three-pointer. However, for some reason, his nose itched. The angle he had calculated went slightly awry at the moment of his shot.
The five players facing Hu Tu were from the school basketball team. They had been in training when a "monkey" came to provoke them. Initially, they ignored him, but this monkey was too much. He proposed a one-on-five challenge. How could they tolerate that? As representatives of the school's honor, they naturally couldn't back down.
However, after a few rounds against the current opponent, the center, Han Gengyao, realized this person was not easily dealt with. Han Gengyao abandoned his initial underestimation and began to go all out, treating him seriously. Yet, he still couldn't touch the ball; it remained in the monkey's hands.
The other teammates were defeated by the current opponent. It would be too shameful to admit they couldn't defend against one person.
The game quickly spread across the campus network. Posts like #Shocked! Someone dares to challenge the school basketball team##One versus five and still at ease?# proliferated. Soon, the entire playground was packed with spectators.
As the ball slipped from Hu Tu's hands, Han Gengyao didn't miss the flicker of surprise in Hu Tu's eyes. He immediately sprinted back to defend. As expected, the shot missed.
Han Gengyao leaped up to grab the rebound. Just as his hand brushed against it, a white figure appeared before him, snatching the ball a step ahead of him.
Han Gengyao stared at Hu Tu, who held the ball, in shock. "Impossible, this is impossible. He was outside the three-point line just now, how did he instantly get inside to grab the ball?"
Hu Tu, having known the shot wouldn't go in the moment the ball left his hands, sighed. "Ah, that girl is thinking about this great me again. So troublesome. If it weren't for my quick reflexes, I would have been humiliated."
Recovering his senses, Hu Tu sprinted rapidly, quickly reaching the inside court to secure the ball.
"Sorry, Captain, I don't want to give you the ball just yet," Hu Tu said to Han Gengyao, twirling the ball with an exceptionally smug expression.
Han Gengyao's face turned red with anger at the sight of the bouncing monkey before him.
The school basketball team teammates quickly gathered around Han Gengyao.
"Captain, don't be angry. We'll definitely make this turtle son call us dad later."
"Yeah, he's not worth getting angry over."
"Right."
"Right."
The playground was now completely swamped, with many girls coming to watch the game. Han Gengyao's fans, seeing their idol's face flushed with anger by a monkey, began to curse loudly.
"Damn, who is this monkey? Why is he making my brother so angry?" a girl with a drumstick in her hand said.
"Yeah, he just didn't get the ball, this monkey is so brave," another woman, applying makeup, chimed in.
"Does anyone know who this guy is?" a boy asked.
"Don't know."
"He looks like Hu Tu," a gentle voice sounded.
"Heh, Hu Tu? I'm La Ta then," a female voice retorted.
Hahahaha, everyone burst into laughter at the woman's remark.
Lin Hao, amidst the crowd, laughed so hard his stomach hurt. "Hahaha, alright, my son has a new name from now on, La Ta. I must say, the name suits that monkey quite well."
Lin Hao laughed while leaning on the person next to him, almost falling into their arms with laughter. Yet, he remained oblivious, and the person next to him didn't say anything, simply holding him half-embrace.
After a while, the laughter gradually subsided.
"Hu Tu? Was he the second strongest when they divided classes in the second year of high school?" a boy suddenly asked.
"I seem to remember, the legitimate son of the Hu family."
"Is it *that* Hu family?"
"Which other Hu family could it be?"
"Isn't he always the runner-up? What's there to be proud of," a female voice echoed from the crowd.
Lin Hao's eyes welled up with tears from laughing. He steadied himself and slowly stood up, turning to the person beside him. "Brother, sorry for leaning on you for so long." When Lin Hao looked up, he realized he had been leaning on an acquaintance.
"Ah, Brother Qin, how is it you? How did you end up in the crowd? Don't you hate crowds the most? Why are you here all of a sudden? You're not here to find me, are you?" Lin Hao couldn't help but tease Qin Mohan, a habit he'd developed, always wanting to see a different expression in his cold eyes.
Seeing the person beside him stand up, Qin Mohan ignored Lin Hao's words and turned to leave.
"Ah, so boring."
Lin Hao pouted, watching Qin Mohan's retreating back.
Hu Tu, on the court, could naturally hear their conversation and shouted, "Damn, I'm not the eternal runner-up! I'll definitely make that old brat Lin Hao call me dad someday."
A voice, imbued with a hint of spiritual energy, entered everyone's ears. The previously bustling crowd instantly fell silent.
"That day will never come," a voice said in the quiet environment.
"Who said that?" Hu Tu, hearing someone contradict him, loudly retorted.
"Your dad, me," Lin Hao emerged from the crowd and walked up to Hu Tu.
Everyone respectfully made way for Lin Hao.
"Why are you here?"
"Damn, this gay guy is here. He's not here to block me, is he?"
"It's our class's physical education. Where else would I be?" Lin Hao rolled his eyes at the impolite question.
Han Gengyao and the others nearby had already learned of Hu Tu's identity. They were just surprised that this monkey before them was the legitimate son of the Hu family, showing none of the demeanor of an heir.
"Hu Tu," Han Gengyao approached Hu Tu.
Hu Tu looked up at the tall figure who had suddenly appeared before him, his eyes asking, "What's up?"
"Next time, I will definitely defeat you convincingly."
"Heh, there won't be a next time," Hu Tu had expected the other person to say something else. To hear only this was truly uninteresting. He simply uttered this.
"This guy is so arrogant. Big shot Han, just teach him a lesson next time."
"I've never seen anyone so arrogant."
Hearing this, Han Gengyao's expression didn't change much, but his fans couldn't contain themselves.
"You're so arrogant, son." Lin Hao, who had never seen anyone more arrogant than himself, immediately interjected. If he didn't say something, his江湖地位 (jianghu status) would be at stake.
Hu Tu stopped looking at Han Gengyao and turned to face Lin Hao, saying, "Wanna compete?"
"I couldn't ask for anything more."
As soon as they finished speaking, everyone instinctively made way.
Lin Hao took the ball and walked towards Han Gengyao, saying, "Excuse me, classmate, could you pass us the ball?"