Hi! Young Basketball Player

A young boy walked past the basketball court, carrying his backpack. His hair was cropped short, his head lowered, eyes fixed on the shadow cast beneath him by the sunlight. Today’s homework had been troublesome, but as one of the top ten academic stars of Class 13, he had managed it smoothly. The monthly exam results had been released too: thirty-sixth in the grade, seventh in his class. Not bad; his spot among the top ten was secure. The only thing that irked him was his Chinese score—125. He wasn’t satisfied.

Our protagonist is Ming Han, a student in Class 13, Grade 8, at Jinhua Middle School. He is an academic powerhouse, with little interest in anything aside from reading. Of course, after class, watching the senior girls and younger students pass by in the corridor was his only source of entertainment.

Standing at 181 centimeters tall, he towered above his peers—a “crane among chickens” at his age. But his height was solely a matter of genetics. He disliked sports and was a true homebody.

Passing by the basketball court now, he heard the shouts and cheers as many ran and played.

“Pass it… pass it!”

“Shoot, hurry up!”

He didn’t pause. Basketball held no appeal for him, despite the frequent comments: “With your height, you’d have a real advantage!” Ming Han never understood the logic. If he was tall, must he play basketball? If he were more handsome, should he become a duckling?

At that moment, a chubby boy ran over, panting. “Hey, we’re short one player—want to join us?”

Ming Han felt a touch awkward. He rubbed his hea