Chapter 49

At this moment, Tian Yuxi and Zhu Hongyu suddenly screamed. Each of them grabbed one of Song Haowen’s arms and planted a kiss on his cheek, causing him to wear a look of disgust. “You guys are so bad, why did you slobber all over my face?”

“Haha!” The three beautiful women, along with the female waitress, burst into laughter.

“Great! Little brother.” Tiana gave Song Haowen a playful punch in the chest. “This song is bound to be a hit! It’s not only in line with the times but also has a beautiful melody. We should sing it together.”

Pretending to be injured by her punch, Song Haowen frowned and said, “Are you trying to harm me? If I die, the world will lose a musical genius.”

“Yes, yes. We can’t let you die. We have to protect you,” Tian Yuxi pretended to be angry. “Sister, next time, you should hit harder; otherwise, he won’t act convincingly…”

The room erupted in laughter

After dinner, the four of them we’re laughing and joking on the streets until they noticed people paying attention, prompting them to calm down.

They hailed a taxi and returned to the store, playing cards together until Song Haowen’s face was covered with notes.

Finally, the three women squeezed onto the heated brick bed in the eastern room to rest. Until very late, the room echoed with their giggles and laughter.

Unknowingly, the winter break came to an end, and Zhu Hongyu returned to school for accommodations. In the store only Song Haowen remained at night.

On the day Song Haowen returned to school, Instructor Jin came to find him, asking if he had received a “heroic act” award during the winter break and what that was all about.

It turned out that the Propaganda Department of the Linshan County Party Committee had forwarded his outstanding deeds to Beijing University through an official letter, hoping the school would also commend him.

Upon receiving the official letter from the Linshan Propaganda Department, the school assigned Instructor Jin to verify the information.

Although Song Haowen didn’t want this matter to be widely known and publicized, since the school inquired, he had to truthfully report. As a result, he was personally praised by the school president during the school’s opening ceremony.

Later, during the re-election of class and youth committees, although his class position remained unchanged, he was unexpectedly recruited into the school’s Youth League committee as a cultural and sports officer.

Just over a week after the start of the new semester, the new song “Young Friends Come Together” by Song Haowen and Tiana began to gain popularity nationwide.

People on Beijing University’s campus were humming the song everywhere, further boosting his reputation at the school.

In the campus singing competition jointly organized by the school’s Youth League Committee and Student Union, he became the uncontested superstar, with each of his songs causing a wave of enthusiastic singing from the audience.

During this time after the school started, Song Haowen took time to participate in several concerts with Tiana, and they achieved very good results.

The school fully supported his performances, as long as he ensured not to skip classes, allowing him to arrange his free time almost at will.

During the start of the semester, Ren Hua and Zhu Hongyu also came to the store to help. With their repair skills improving, they freed up more of Song Haowen’s spare time. Apart from performing, he began to delve into the study of antiques.

In a previous life, although I have some involvment in this area, I lacked substantial capital and could only understand the surface. This field is particularly profound, full of pitfalls where many have been deceived, losing their fortunes without realizing it. Based on my past experience, the current time is crucial for acquiring antiques; in a few more years, there will be almost no opportunities.

By then, enthusiasts like those who appreciate cultural relics, such as the group around Guanfu Ma, will likely take the stage, and the chances for finding hidden treasures will become exceedingly rare.

At the prestigious Jingcheng University, there is a group of top-notch experts in the appraisal of cultural relics, antiques, and gemstones in the country. Song Haowen, in recent days, has been actively seeking their advice whenever he finds time, showing more enthusiasm than his classmates who delve into theoretical physics.

Two months into the semester, the school organizes the Spring Sports Festival. Due to Song Haowen’s busy schedule, he initially didn’t want to participate.

However, his class monitor Zhu Hongyu, the Youth League committee member Ding Mo, and the sports class representative Yu Guangzhong insisted he should register.

They not only wanted him to bring glory to the class but also insisted that, like other students, he should not receive any special treatment and had to register for at least three events.

Reluctantly, to save time, he chose the less time-consuming 100-meter sprint, high jump, and long jump. With his excellent physical abilities, he was confident he could easily secure the championship in these three events.

The sports festival lasted for three days, and the high jump competition took place on the first afternoon. Song Haowen remembered that the school’s high jump record in his previous life was 2.12 meters.

He didn’t want to attract too much attention; he just aimed to surpass the record by a few centimeters to bring honor to his class.

The competition consisted of preliminaries, semifinals, and finals. Song Haowen only jumped once in the preliminaries and semifinals, securing the second position to advance to the finals.

During the high jump final, Song Haowen’s classmates were temporarily not participating in other events. Zhu Hongyu and Yu Guangzhong organized a cheerleading squad to support him.

He was the second-to-last to jump. He started by clearing 2.10 meters, which was close to the school record. The atmosphere on the sidelines suddenly became tense.

As he began his run-up, the field fell silent, with everyone’s eyes fixed on each of his steps. When he effortlessly leaped over the bar with a backflip, the crowd erupted in cheers, and many classmates excitedly jumped to their feet.

The last jumper in the finals was a student who topped the semifinals, hailing from the Sports College. He also aimed for 2.10 meters, but unfortunately, he couldn’t clear it in one jump.

After the first round, Song Haowen’s score temporarily placed him in the first position. According to the rules, in the finals, each participant could attempt three jumps. To avoid standing out, he chose to follow the routine for all three jumps.

For the second jump, he set the bar at the school record of 2.12 meters. When he effortlessly cleared the bar to the astonishment of the audience, almost everyone on the field was left in awe, momentarily forgetting to cheer.

After the second round, the student who ranked first in the semifinals finally cleared the 2.10 meters. Although his performance was not as impressive as Song Haowen’s, it was still outstanding, earning him a significant amount of applause.

As the third round began, all events on the sports field paused, including the ongoing competitions that couldn’t be interrupted. Everyone, including athletes and referees, almost swarmed to the high jump area, eager to witness the birth of a new record.

Song Haowen thought for a moment and set the bar at 2.20 meters for his third jump. While this height was significantly lower than the national record of 2.39 meters set by Zhu Jianhua in his previous life and the world record of 2.45 meters, he didn’t want to break those records or become a topic of discussion.

Nevertheless, even 2.20 meters was the level of professional athletes and not something an ordinary non-sports student could complete.

Before the school’s publicity department could notify the school reporters to take photos, Song Haowen had already effortlessly cleared the bar, successfully challenging and creating a new high jump record for the school amid the cheers of the crowd.

After the high jump competition, Song Haowen briefly accepted an interview with the school reporters and then retreated to his dormitory to rest.

Since not many students were in the dormitory at the moment, most of them were either at the sports field or cheering elsewhere. Having been away for a while, when his classmates saw him return, they gathered around, curious and asking questions.

After a short nap in the dormitory, Song Haowen sensed that his classmates were returning, so he greeted Zhang Qiang, the only one staying indoors reading a novel, and left the dormitory to return to the store.

Perhaps due to the exhaustion from the daytime competition, both Zhu Hongyu and Ren Hua didn’t work overtime at the store that night. For Song Haowen, the competition was just a form of entertainment, effortless for him. Consequently, he worked alone until very late at night before taking a break.

The next morning featured the men’s long jump competition. Song Haowen remembered that the previous school record for long jump was 7.01 meters, and the world record was 8.95 meters, set by Bob Beamon, remaining unbroken for more than thirty years.

While he had the capability, he didn’t want to break that record. He set his own goal at 8 meters, which, for a university student, was already extraordinary.

Perhaps due to Song Haowen’s newfound fame from the high jump competition, the audience for the long jump competition today was noticeably larger than the one for the high jump.

Maintaining yesterday’s strategy, Song Haowen did not exert himself during the preliminaries and semifinals, securing only the second and third positions.

When it came to the finals, the audience held their breath, and all eyes were fixed on him. He did not disappoint, igniting the competition with remarkable jumps, ultimately reaching a climax.

In the first round of the finals, Song Haowen jumped an astonishing 7.6 meters, while other students could only manage around six meters. The difference was significant, leaving him somewhat disappointed, unsure whether he should attempt even longer distances.

In the second round, Song Haowen intentionally stepped on the take-off board, resulting in a foul, and his performance was deemed invalid. This immediately prompted a wave of sighs and regrets from the audience.

During the third round, as Song Haowen hesitated about his jump, Zhu Hongyu came to his side, patted his shoulder, and encouraged him, saying, “Little brother, come on!” Feeling a surge of warmth in his chest, he bit his lip, thinking, “Forget about everyone else, stick to the original plan.” He nodded to her and swiftly charged forward.

At the take-off board, he forcefully stamped his right foot, launching his body effortlessly to a distance of 8.05 meters, once again setting a new long jump school record. The applause resounded throughout the venue.

Setting records in two consecutive events not only caught the attention of the sports committee but also prompted the school leaders to attend. Led by the counselor, Mr. Jin, the school secretary, principal, dean, and Youth League committee secretary all arrived at the long jump competition to congratulate Song Haowen.

There were no events for Song Haowen in the afternoon, so he returned to the store to continue repairing appliances.

In the evening, Zhu Hongyu and Ren Hua came to work overtime and warmly congratulated him, expressing sincere admiration. They advised him not to work late at night and to rest early, preparing for the upcoming 100-meter sprint to create another miracle.

With two school records in hand, Song Haowen did not harbor great enthusiasm for the 100-meter race. He simply aimed to secure the championship, with breaking records being a secondary concern.

The preliminaries and semifinals for the 100 meters were scheduled for the morning. Song Haowen completed the races with standard performances, ranking among the top three.

The final, being the highlight of the school sports festival, was scheduled for the last afternoon. Since the awards ceremony would follow this event, the stadium was packed with people, creating a lively atmosphere.

Squatting at the starting line, Song Haowen focused intently, eliminating all distractions and preparing himself fully. As soon as the starting gun fired, he would sprint forward. However, he planned to follow the same strategy as in previous games, not exerting his full effort but aiming for a slight lead.

Suddenly, one of the girls shouted loudly, “Song Haowen, I love you, go for it!” This not only startled Song Haowen, causing him a moment of distraction, but even the referee’s hands shook, and the gunshot rang out instantly.