Chapter 36: Fighting for Her

Chen Li was stunned for a long time after hearing Ming Han’s words, then whispered, “Ming Han, I’m sorry.” Ming Han mischievously messed up Chen Li’s hair. “Chen Li, don’t worry! From tomorrow on, I’ll be your guardian angel. If any of these ill-intentioned suitors comes after you, I’ll deal with them one by one…”

That night, after walking Chen Li home, Ming Han went to Da Xu’s dormitory to sleep. When he arrived, Da Xu was snoring loudly. Ming Han curled up on the bed of Da Xu’s roommate, who had already gone home, grimacing in pain. Damn it, these people really aren’t civilized—when they fight, they only target the face. Don’t they know my face is my livelihood?

The next day, everyone saw Ming Han’s bruises and immediately became furious. They rushed downstairs to the entrance of Fang Hui Jian’s dormitory. “Get your so-called king of the grade out here.”

Fang Hui Jian and his two companions had just returned from pulling an all-nighter and looked groggy. Hearing someone was causing trouble outside, they were annoyed. “Who are you? What do you want?”

Zheng Yuan, tall and imposing, grabbed Fang Hui Jian by the collar. “If you hit my brother and don’t give a proper explanation, I’ll show you that being king of the grade isn’t so impressive after all.”

Zheng Yuan was usually low-key within the grade, but he was well connected, especially with many high school students.

Fang Hui Jian didn’t want to appear cowardly in front of his followers, so he pushed Zheng Yuan away. “That kid tried to get close to the girl I like. Let me tell you, I’ve been pursuing Chen Li since elementary school. No one’s going to take her from me.”

As it turned out, Fang Hui Jian had idolized Chen Li since elementary school, but Chen Li had never shown any interest in him.

Ming Han was secretly shocked: Crushing on a girl since elementary school! This guy matured way too early. Back then, I thought girls were just creatures who played handkerchief games.

“Feelings are about mutual consent. Do you think it’s still feudal times?” Yu Hang spoke sensibly.

Fang Hui Jian snorted and said nothing. He was feeling miserable inside. He considered himself attractive—wealthy, decent-looking—but Chen Li had never looked at him twice. It was stifling.

Da Xu grinned slyly. “Oh my, another rival. I’m taller, better-looking, and funnier than you. Even I got rejected by Chen Li. What chance do you have? In Chen Li’s eyes, you probably rank lower than me!”

Da Xu’s taunt made Fang Hui Jian’s composure nearly crack; no one had ever belittled him like this.

But Da Xu was right about one thing: Fang Hui Jian wasn’t as familiar to Chen Li as Da Xu was. After all, Da Xu was in the same class. But in Chen Li’s heart, there was only one boy.

Suddenly, Ming Han spoke up, “How about this? You’re the star player for your class’s team. Let our two classes play a match. If we win, you apologize to Chen Li immediately. If you win, I’ll apologize to you and treat you to dinner.”

Fang Hui Jian’s class had been eliminated in the semifinals by the eventual champions, so they hadn’t had a chance to face Class Thirteen.

“Do you think your class reached the finals and is automatically second in the grade?” Fang Hui Jian asked.

Ming Han answered earnestly, “That’s what I believe.”

Many students from Class Three laughed. They thought Class Thirteen had been lucky to make it to the finals—at key moments, their shooting had been unusually hot. If it came to a real tough match, they’d stand no chance. Class Three was known for playing a very physical game.

“I accept your challenge. I’ll invite more students from other classes to watch, so everyone can see how hollow your runner-up status is!” Fang Hui Jian sneered.

“Five days from now, at the school basketball court. All the rules will be the same as in official matches!” Yu Hang was also furious at Class Three’s mockery.

And so, the grudge was set.

But Ming Han and his classmates were confident, because compared to a month ago, he had gotten much stronger.

Yu Hang had once told Ming Han about a phenomenon: When learning basketball, progress comes rapidly at first. Once you reach a certain level, improvement slows, and eventually you plateau. Even in the NBA, many players’ skills are set by the time they leave college, and may never change. Those players aren’t favored in the draft; the most sought-after are young talents with endless potential.

Ming Han was still in that period of rapid improvement. His technical style hadn’t yet solidified. According to Yu Hang, Ming Han’s future strengths would be exceptional shooting and brilliant passing.

In fact, Yu Hang said that if Ming Han played point guard, he’d be a nightmare for any opposing guard in the student league.

Thus, the basketball match was set. Fang Hui Jian was confident in his class. He rallied classmates in various online groups to come watch.

“Class Three vs. Class Thirteen: Battle to determine the grade’s true number two!”

That was their slogan.

Many classmates chimed in online:

“Wow! Class Thirteen’s getting cocky! Last year they only made the quarterfinals! Class Three has always been a strong contender for the championship!”

“Just because you’re good at studying, you think you’re good at everything! Class Three, crush them!”

Unknowingly, the hype grew—apparently over a hundred people had already committed to watching the game.

With summer vacation arrived, Ming Han finally had his own phone.

Early in the morning, Da Xu messaged him: If we lose this time, we’ll really be embarrassed. You made that decision too rashly.

Ming Han believed his class wouldn’t lose to Class Three, but he felt guilty for making the decision without consulting everyone. He sent an apology to the group.

Everyone replied that they didn’t care about outsiders’ opinions, but they had to prove themselves.

Yu Hang sent a message: Ming Han, remember, from the moment we decided to play, nothing on the court should scare us.

It strengthened Ming Han’s resolve: I will win. I must win! I’ll win this game for my brothers, and for that girl.

Every morning at dawn, Ming Han took his basketball out to practice—shooting, dribbling! He even watched highlight reels of star players, repeating drills over and over.

Years later, Ming Han would still remember how he once worked so hard for someone he thought was important.

On the third day, the final exam results were released.

Ming Han had forgotten all about it—he was still practicing alone on the court, working on his shots and footwork.

He felt strong, fearless!

His phone rang. Ming Han picked up.

“Ming Han, have you seen the grades the teacher posted in the group?”

Ming Han slapped his forehead. “Oh no! I forgot! How did you do?”

Ming Han asked about her grades first, which made Chen Li’s heart feel sweet. “Hmm! Not bad! Ranked one hundred and eight.”

“Great! Next semester we’ll be classmates again.”

“Ming Han, why don’t you ask about your own grades? You ranked third in the class, ninth in the grade. The teacher praised you in the group for a long time!”