On the tray sat three small bowls printed with Peppa Pig patterns. Inside each bowl was vegetable millet porridge, accompanied by a small spoon.
"Xiao Zhang, go ahead and eat. I'll feed Baobao first."
"Okay."
Zhang Hao smiled and nodded. Seeing the nanny use three separate spoons to feed the babies, he felt very satisfied with this thoughtful care.
"Auntie, how long have you been a nanny?"
The nanny thought for a moment. "Almost fifteen years, I suppose."
"No wonder you are so experienced and take such meticulous care of Baobao. I'll give you a raise starting next month."
"A raise?"
The nanny was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly waved her hands in refusal.
"Oh, you mustn't do that. You're still in school, and Xiao Su's salary is just enough for the household expenses. The expenses for the three babies are also growing larger and larger, so you two should be more frugal."
Zhang Hao smiled without a word, growing more and more pleased with this nanny. Not only did she refuse a raise, but she even considered things from the family's perspective. A responsible nanny was a truly good nanny.
"Auntie, it's settled then. Starting next month, your salary will be raised to eight thousand. After all, it's not easy for one person to take care of three babies. By the way, did you take the herbs according to the prescription I gave you yesterday?"
To prevent the nanny from declining further, he simply changed the subject.
"I did. I'll go to the hospital for a checkup in a few days. If it really works, I'll have to thank you properly."
"Don't worry, it will definitely work. By the way, I still don't know what to call you."
"My name is Sun Meili. Just call me Auntie."
"Calling you Auntie is too formal. Auntie Mei sounds much cuter, so I'll call you Aunt Mei from now on."
"Alright, call me whatever you like."
"Aunt Mei, I need to go out later, so I'll leave the babies in your care for the afternoon. Call me if anything comes up."
"Rest assured."
...
Two o'clock in the afternoon.
At this time, Haicheng University of Economics and Trade was bustling with excitement. The sports meeting was about to begin, and all the students were gathering toward the playground.
Just then, a majestic-looking black sedan drove slowly into the school gate, instantly attracting everyone's attention.
"Wow, what car is that? A Rolls-Royce?"
"No, it's a Hongqi H9, a domestic pseudo-luxury car."
"People who buy this kind of car are just those who can't afford a Rolls-Royce and want to show off. It only costs three or four hundred thousand; it's miles away from a Rolls-Royce."
"Only three or four hundred thousand? Could you afford it?"
"Of course. Even if I could afford it, I wouldn't buy this. If I were buying, I'd get a BMW 5 Series."
"Since you're so rich, give me the thousand yuan you owe me. It's been a month already."
"Uh... I'll send my living allowance next month. It's only a thousand yuan, what's the rush?"
Amidst the discussion, the Hongqi H9 slowly came to a halt. The car door opened, and a strikingly handsome young man stepped out.
"Holy shit! Zhang Hao?"
"Didn't his family go bankrupt? Could he be rich again?"
"I bet it was bought for him by that Maserati beauty who brought him back last night. Sigh, being handsome really can be a meal ticket."
"Don't talk nonsense. That beauty is Bai Bing's older sister. Be careful or Bai Bing will beat you up if she hears that."
At that moment, Zhao Yong in the crowd also spotted Zhang Hao.
"Dazhuang, Shaohua, Haozi is here."
With that, the three of them quickly walked toward Zhang Hao.
Seeing Zhang Hao driving a luxury car, they were extremely surprised. Although Zhang Hao used to drive Rolls-Royces, Bentleys, and at worst a Mazda, his family had gone bankrupt now—where did he get the money to buy such a nice car?
Chapter 33: Breaking the World Record!
"Haozi, is this luxury car yours?"
Seeing Zhao Yong's surprised inquiry, Zhang Hao smiled and nodded. "Of course."
Dazhuang asked again, "Bought with a zero-down-payment loan?"
"Paid in full."
"Paid in full? Weren't you out of money? Where did you get the cash to buy such a nice car?"
"Haven't you heard the saying? A starved camel is still bigger than a horse. Don't ask, let's go, time for the sports meeting."
With that, Zhang Hao handed the newly bought phone mount to Dazhuang and walked toward the playground entrance.
Zhao Yong and the others looked at the luxury car with faces full of suspicion.
Zhao Yong: "I still think this car isn't Haozi's."
Dazhuang: "I reckon it was definitely a zero-down-payment pickup."
Shaohua: "I'm guessing Bai Bing's sister bought it for him."
...
Half an hour later.
The annual sports meeting of Haicheng University of Economics and Trade began. Over ten thousand students from the entire school sat in the spectator stands—a veritable sea of people, with red flags fluttering, firecrackers cracking, and drums beating. Meanwhile, teachers and school leaders sat in designated seats.
At this moment, the vice president stood on the high platform holding a microphone.
"Students, it's time for our annual sports meeting once again. The competition follows the principles of fairness, justice, and openness. Let us all compete fairly."
"Alright, without further ado, will the physical education teachers acting as referees please keep accurate records and avoid any falsification."
With those words, the sports meeting curtain rose.
The first event: the 100-meter sprint.
"Contestants, please get ready."
Hearing the referee's reminder, the dozen or so registered students came to the starting line. Among them was Zhang Hao; although he was the most handsome, his legs were the shortest. All the other competing students were athletic champions of their respective classes, and some were even members of the school sports team.
As Zhang Hao stood at the starting line, a disdainful voice came from beside him.
"Oh~ isn't this Young Master Zhang? Does your class have nobody left, or why did they send a semi-crippled guy like you to compete?"
The speaker was Ding Ziku, the captain of the sports team and the reigning champion of the 100-meter sprint. He stood one meter eighty tall, with muscles slightly bulging, sword-like eyebrows, star-like eyes, and a naturally sharp aura.
His dissatisfaction with Zhang Hao stemmed from the fact that Zhang Hao used to be too arrogant. They had a few minor frictions in the past, and each time Zhang Hao had swallowed his pride. Although Ding Ziku's father was in the loan-sharking business and held some status in the underworld, he still fell far short compared to Zhang Hao's father, Zhang Zhaoyang. However, since Zhang Hao's family was now bankrupt, Ding Ziku naturally feared nothing.
At this moment, Zhang Hao frowned with a look of displeasure.
"Did you eat in the toilet this noon? Why does your mouth smell so bad?"
"Hmph, Zhang, don't try to act cool with me. Even though you beat up Monkey, in my eyes, he's just a little piece of trash. If you've got the guts, don't leave this afternoon—let's see how I teach you a lesson."
Zhang Hao turned his head to look at Ding Ziku, his gaze sharpening. "Why wait till this afternoon? Let's throw down right now."
Just as his voice fell, the stern voice of the referee rang out.
"What are you two arguing about?! If you don't want to compete, get lost right now!"
Although he knew these were two pampered young scions, as a PE teacher, he had to maintain his dignity as an educator, otherwise it would be hard to command respect.
Seeing Zhang Hao and Ding Ziku quiet down, the referee raised the starting pistol.
"On your marks, get set—"
Hearing the warning, all the competing students crouched down.
Bang!
The starting pistol sounded, and everyone shot forward like springs.
At this moment, Zhang Hao sprinted forward with his maximum speed. Under the blessing of the Super Martial Arts Skill, he felt as light-footed as flying, the sound of rushing wind whistling right past his ears.
Close. Closer.
The finish line expanded rapidly in Zhang Hao's vision. Upon crossing it, he immediately slowed his pace.
"Damn, I'm exhausted."
Zhang Hao panted heavily, even able to hear his heart thumping wildly. Yet right as he was catching his breath, he suddenly noticed an eerie silence all around. There was no sound of running footsteps behind him.
Puzzled, he turned his head back to look—those people were actually all standing twenty meters away from the starting line.
"What's going on? Why aren't they running?"
Zhang Hao was extremely baffled.
Just then, the surprised voice of another referee came from beside him.
"How is this possible? It only took him seconds! That's even faster than the world's fastest runner, Usain Bolt!"
Zhang Hao was slightly startled; naturally, he understood what those words meant. Now, he was the only one who had crossed the finish line. That meant the 100-meter sprint had only taken him seconds!
Holy crap, hadn't he just broken the world record?
Amidst his astonishment, the System's voice chimed in.
"Ding: Congratulations to the Host for winning the 100-meter sprint championship. One hundred thousand yuan in prize money has been credited."
Zhang Hao's expression flickered as a smile slowly bloomed on his face.
At that moment, the referee walked up to Zhang Hao and asked with a serious expression, "Student Zhang Hao, did you take stimulants?"
"Stimulants?"
Zhang Hao smiled wryly. "Teacher, you must be joking. This is just a school sports meeting; forget prize money, there isn't even a medal. Why would I take that kind of stuff? It could cost me my life."
The referee nodded thoughtfully. "That's true too. But how on earth did you run so fast? You broke the world record!"
"Because I've been exercising frequently lately."
Zhang Hao brushed it off with a casual excuse.
The referee frowned in thought because he still didn't believe it. Running the 100-meter sprint in seconds was not something you could achieve just by working out. Even with natural talent and training from childhood, it was impossible to run a time that broke the world record.
"Teacher, I suspect Zhang Hao cheated!"
A disgruntled voice rang out as Ding Ziku walked over from afar. "I strongly demand a blood test on Student Zhang Hao. He definitely took stimulants."
The referee nodded. "Student Zhang Hao, because your time was too short, testing is mandatory. Our school has invited a very professional doctor; it won't take too long, and you don't even need a blood test—a urine test will do."
"Fine."
Zhang Hao agreed very reluctantly. If they didn't test, the competition couldn't continue, and the prize money would be gone. As for the big-mouthed Ding Ziku, he was officially adding this grudge to his ledger.
...
A few minutes later, the PE teacher handed the test results to the principal.
"Principal Sun, according to the tests, Student Zhang Hao did not take any performance-enhancing drugs. But since he just broke the world record, should we let him continue competing?"
Principal Sun was first startled, then his expression grew solemn. He discovered that Zhang Hao's name was listed for every single event.
"Let him continue competing."
"Understood, Principal."
Following that, Zhang Hao returned to the sports field.
The second event: the standing long jump.
A dozen competing students lined up, and Zhang Hao was placed last. Twenty minutes passed, and the preceding students had all jumped, with the longest distance being 2.9 meters.
Next up was Zhang Hao.
He adjusted his breathing, his body shifting up and down while his arms swung back and forth. Then, Zhang Hao took a deep breath, widened his eyes, kicked off with both legs, and leaped straight through the air.
Thud!
A heavy landing sound echoed.
The nearby referee bent over with wide-open eyes, his face frozen in utter disbelief.
"4.5 meters! Could this be the long-lost Toad Style Kung Fu?!"
Chapter 34: Playing Ball Involves a Little Rough Play, Which Is Perfectly Normal
Two hours later.
Only the final event remained: basketball.
At this point, Zhang Hao had changed into his basketball uniform, his face beaming with a smile. He had taken first place in every preceding event:
High jump: 3.5 meters!
Javelin: 115 meters!
Shot put: 32 meters!
5,000-meter run: 11 minutes 36 seconds!
...
There were twelve events in total; he not only won the championship in every single one, but also shattered the world records. Zhang Hao—this name had once again shaken the entire school after half a year, and once again caught the attention of Principal Sun. If he were sent to compete in the Guinness World Records or the Olympics, not only would he bring glory to the country, but the school would also achieve widespread fame. By then, they would have to hang Zhang Hao's photo in every classroom. Even the objects he had broken would need to be displayed as cultural relics.
"Will all participating contestants please enter the court!"
Accompanied by the referee's voice, ten students walked onto the basketball court.
The match was initially between Class 1, Grade 3 and Class 2, Grade 3. The forward for Class 1, Grade 3 was the tall and sturdy Ding Ziku. The forward for Class 2, Grade 3 was the broad-shouldered, barrel-chested Zhao Yong.
However, Ding Ziku's fierce gaze was not fixed on Zhao Yong; instead, it landed squarely on Zhang Hao.
Firstly, he disliked Zhang Hao. Secondly, he hadn't expected Zhang Hao to take first place in every single event.
"Kid, you just wait for me. You're going to get what's coming to you soon enough!"
The corners of Ding Ziku's mouth curved upward into an evil smirk.
Beeep~
The whistle blew, and the match began.
Zhao Yong and Ding Ziku jumped simultaneously to snatch the ball. Although Zhao Yong exerted every ounce of his strength, he still failed to beat Ding Ziku. Naturally, since the other guy trained every day on the school sports team, a gap in athletic performance undoubtedly existed.
Having grabbed the ball, Ding Ziku dribbled and charged toward the opposing team's basket. Although he met obstruction halfway, he bypassed it using skillful dribbling and footwork.
Soon, Ding Ziku charged inside the three-point line, preparing to execute a massive slam dunk to give the opponents a psychological blow.
Yet right at that moment, a figure suddenly appeared right in front of him.
Zhang Hao!
Seeing that it was Zhang Hao, Ding Ziku gave an evil smile and forcefully slammed his body right into him.
Bang!
Accompanied by a dull thud, Zhang Hao was sent flying back. Just as he looked like he was about to land flat on his rear, he suddenly dropped into a Wing Chun squat, avoiding public embarrassment.
Meanwhile, Ding Ziku leaped into the air, holding the basketball high.
Clang!
An extremely domineering slam dunk!
"Nice!"
"Cool Brother is awesome!"
"Clap clap clap!"
Cheers and applause erupted from the side where Class 1, Grade 3 was stationed.
Ding Ziku waved dismissively with an arrogant air, then jogged back toward his position. As he passed by Zhang Hao, he smugly dropped a remark: "Playing ball, bumps and bruises are perfectly normal."
Zhang Hao narrowed his eyes, a look of displeasure surfacing on his face. He had expected Ding Ziku to go around him, but the guy had simply barreled straight into him. This punk had definitely done it on purpose.
Since that was the case, he couldn't be blamed for showing no courtesy!
"Zhao Yong, I'll play forward!"
An incensed Zhang Hao strode to the center of the court.
Zhao Yong whispered a warning, "Haozi, you won't out-rebound him. Don't worry, even if I get ejected from the match, I'm going to avenge you."
"No need, you go play guard."
"Alright then, be careful."
Zhang Hao nodded, his calm gaze locking onto Ding Ziku in front of him.
As for Ding Ziku, he looked down at Zhang Hao from his height advantage, his face filled with utter disdain. Zhang Hao was a head shorter than him, and coupled with the fact that he was on the sports team, could he possibly lose a rebound to him?
Beeep~
The whistle blew, and the referee tossed the basketball high into the air.
Ding Ziku bent his knees, his eyes locked on the ball. But just as he prepared to leap, he saw Zhang Hao actually soar up into the air. When the ball reached a height of three meters, Zhang Hao grabbed it with both hands.
Thud!
Having secured the ball, Zhang Hao landed steadily. Yet instead of charging forward, he dribbled in place and hooked his finger at Ding Ziku, as if saying: Come and get it!
"Crap!"
Ding Ziku uttered the name of a plant and charged straight over to steal the ball.
Zhang Hao smiled faintly and leaned into him with maximum force.
Bang!
Ding Ziku's burly physique was sent flying—fully three or four meters away. Furthermore, because of momentum, he didn't stop upon landing; he slid across the ground, friction rubbing against the floor. Because his shorts created resistance against the ground, they were pulled right down to his knees. Not only that, but his red underwear was also pulled down by the friction. Luckily, he had a bulky backside, so only half of it was exposed.
"How utterly humiliating!"
Ding Ziku hurriedly scrambled up and yanked his pants up. Burning with rage, he prepared to go find Zhang Hao for revenge.
Yet the moment he turned around to look, he suddenly froze in place.
Zhang Hao was actually launching himself from beyond the three-point line, gliding through the air for a moment before violently smashing the basketball down into the hoop.
The entire arena instantly fell silent. Everyone who witnessed Zhang Hao's dunk wore an expression of sheer astonishment.
"Is he even human? He actually jumped from outside the three-point line to dunk!"
"Too insane! Even LeBron and Durant probably couldn't do that!"
"With just that leaping ability, he could definitely make the NBA!"
After a few seconds of silence, enthusiastic cheers erupted from Class 2, Grade 3.
"Zhang Hao is awesome! Number one in the world!"
"Bro Hao is mighty! None can rival you!"
...
At this moment, Zhang Hao smiled and returned to the center court. As he passed by Ding Ziku, he dropped a line: "Playing ball, a little rough play is perfectly normal."
Ding Ziku gnashed his teeth in anger. Although flames of fury burned in his heart, he didn't dare go head-to-head with Zhang Hao again.
Beeep~
The whistle blew, and the referee tossed the ball. Without a doubt, the ball was intercepted by Zhang Hao once again.
Ding Ziku immediately assumed a defensive posture, spreading his legs and arms, his eyes fixed dead on the basketball.
Zhang Hao dribbled left and right, suddenly executed a fake move, threw Ding Ziku off balance, and dashed forward with the ball.
"Crap! Humiliated again!"
Ding Ziku scrambled to his feet. Although a crossover dribble was the most elementary of moves, Zhang Hao's speed was simply too fast. As he flashed past, only a lingering afterimage could be seen.
Just then, the rapidly sprinting Zhang Hao reached the opposing basket, executed a two-step layup, and the basketball obediently dropped through the hoop.
"Yeah! It went in again!"
"Who knew Zhang Hao had such great basketball skills? He's been hiding his true depth."
"Yeah, how come we never saw him play this well before?"
Surprised murmurs drifted from Class 2, Grade 3.
Yet Zhang Hao himself was quite surprised at that moment. Although he occasionally played basketball in the past, his skills were very average. Today, however, his touch was fantastic; it felt like anything he threw would go in.
While he was feeling puzzled, the System's voice suddenly rang out.
"Host, because you possess the Super Martial Arts Skill, various sports are mere child's play to you. Forget shooting hoops—hitting a bird with a small stone from twenty meters away, or piercing a balloon with an embroidery needle is a walk in the park. Your control has long since surpassed ordinary mortals."
Zhang Hao nodded slightly, never expecting the Super Martial Arts Skill to have so many perks.
"Host, you currently have an opportunity to upgrade the Super Martial Arts Skill to add Qi Gong. Are you willing to upgrade?"
"Yes."
"Very well. Upgrading the skill costs ten million. Would you like to set up an installment plan?"
"No!"
...
Twenty-odd minutes later.
The match entered the second half. At this point, the score was: Class 1, Grade 3—2 points; Class 2, Grade 3—82 points.
Ring-a-ding-ding.