Chapter 67: A Stunning Performance on the Court

For a fleeting moment, Zhang Pu turned his head and felt as if he had caught Zheng Xiaoming wiping away tears—was Zheng Xiaoming truly so moved, so exhilarated, that he had been brought to tears? And then, within minutes, Zhang Pu scored again!

Lin Xuehong believed she glimpsed a ray of hope. Though her heart was filled with mounting doubts—Zhang Pu truly was full of surprises! When, after all, had she ever seen him play basketball? Zheng Xiaoming, meanwhile, was inwardly shouting with joy: never had he imagined his wishes would be fulfilled! We’ve won, we’re sure to win...

Indeed, Zhang Pu’s performance was nothing short of extraordinary; for a moment, he seemed almost otherworldly. Yet he held back skillfully, ensuring that none could easily discern his supernatural abilities. He did his utmost to appear only as a masterful player. Thus, though people were perplexed, for the moment, none suspected anything beyond the ordinary.

In this last match, nearly every point was scored by Zhang Pu, leaving even the opposing team dumbfounded. In the end, Class 10 of Senior Grade Three achieved a resounding victory!

Everyone stared at Zhang Pu as if he were some kind of monster—but what did it matter? The facts were plain: Class 10 had won! Lin Xuehong, leading her class, cared little for anything else; all that mattered was that her class had advanced.

Lin Xuehong and Du Aizhu now gazed at Zhang Pu with a look... Yet Zhang Pu seemed too busy to indulge their admiration.

The next match was soon to begin.

Wei Kai, Wang Xing, and Huang Xiangquan—all seemed swept up by some unseen force, and, out of pure admiration, were perfectly content to follow Zhang Pu’s lead.

Zhang Pu then led them to sweep another class’s team, and Class 10 of Senior Grade Three was finally, completely victorious!

Zhang Pu had restored the honor of Lin Xuehong, Du Aizhu, and all those who had worked so hard for this selection tournament. Not only that, he inspired Wei Kai, Wang Xing, Huang Xiangquan, and the rest—who had seemed on the verge of becoming hopeless fools—to create the greatest glory Class 10 had ever known in basketball.

After this tournament, Class 10 of Senior Grade Three was almost regarded as the top seed among modern high school basketball teams. However, as the next matches would be against other schools, the team could no longer consist solely of members from Class 10.

Truth be told, even the original leaders—Wei Kai, Wang Xing, Huang Xiangquan—were considered mediocre compared to the school’s best basketball players. Anyone could see that Class 10’s ascent from the bottom of the preliminaries to the top of the school was almost entirely thanks to Zhang Pu alone.

Thus, the school team representing Modern High School would have to be reorganized, drawing star players from every class.

As the shining star from Class 10, Zhang Pu was now the undisputed choice.

There were many basketball talents throughout the school, so only Zhang Pu could represent Class 10, while Wei Kai, Wang Xing, and Huang Xiangquan were left behind, not making the cut.

Truly, had Zhang Pu not suddenly emerged, Wei Kai, Wang Xing, and Huang Xiangquan would have been outclassed—other classes had too many experts, and the three knew it well. Not being chosen for the school team, they had little cause for complaint.

To Lin Xuehong and Du Aizhu, Zhang Pu was suddenly transformed from a nobody into the class’s brightest star. Even when Zhang Pu had bested the notorious bullies Zheng Fureng, Gao Lixia, and Ye Xiaoting, he had deserved to be called a dazzling star, but that was a hidden story, unknown to most. Only today could Lin Xuehong and Du Aizhu truly see his brilliance.

Their eyes now regarded Zhang Pu as if he were the most handsome boy in the class, perhaps even the grade, or the whole school.

Heaven help us! The hearts of girls are ever fickle.

Zhang Pu, keenly perceptive, could see straight through Lin Xuehong and Du Aizhu, from their outward expressions to their innermost feelings. Yet what could he possibly think of them? There were far better women than these two, and he was not one to flit from flower to flower.

Moreover, as Modern High School prepared to assemble its team for the showdown against its main rival, Hope High School, there was a school beauty who could easily eclipse Lin Xuehong and Du Aizhu—a dazzling presence to cheer for Zhang Pu.

She was none other than Liu Qingyan, universally acknowledged as the number one school beauty at Modern High School!

Lin Xuehong and Du Aizhu had certainly heard of Liu Qingyan. Though she, too, was shrouded in mystery, her brand of mystery was unlike Zhang Pu’s quiet anonymity. Her beauty and her elite background were known to all; if she was mysterious, it was more like the mystery of a celestial maiden—ethereal and unapproachable, and she disliked ordinary people intruding upon her.

As senior class representatives, Lin Xuehong and Du Aizhu were prominent figures among the students of Class 10. Yet even they, in Liu Qingyan’s presence, seemed compelled to bow their heads in submission.

Sensitive as ever, Zhang Pu could easily see the self-consciousness and humility Lin Xuehong and Du Aizhu displayed before Liu Qingyan.

What truly astonished Lin Xuehong and Du Aizhu was this: when Liu Qingyan came to find Zhang Pu, it was clear they had known each other for a long time.

It was not the demeanor of two people who had only met a few times!

Heavens! This Zhang Pu... Lin Xuehong and Du Aizhu were at a loss for words. He had always been so ordinary, so inconspicuous that it seemed the class barely noticed his existence. Then, overnight, he rose from obscurity with a self-recommendation that stunned everyone. This basketball tournament was like a sharp awl, piercing a transparent hole into their hearts, leaving an impression they would never forget.

And that was not all—this new development brought another great emotional upheaval: the school’s number one beauty, Liu Qingyan, was apparently an old friend of Zhang Pu!

In truth, Zhang Pu had only met Liu Qingyan for the first time on his trip to Weiming Lake. Afterwards, he was preoccupied with his cultivation, and Liu Qingyan herself rarely interacted with anyone at school, so they had scarcely crossed paths since.

But when someone has left a deep impression on another’s heart, the second meeting truly feels like a reunion of old friends.

Indeed, this time Liu Qingyan treated Zhang Pu as an old friend, and that was why Lin Xuehong and Du Aizhu were so astonished.