《Urban God-level Youth》 Chapter 1: Chapter 1 SuperCivilization Technology System May 3, 2018, at 5:45 PM Changle District, Changle Second Middle School, Jiangshan City, Xuan Country. The school bell for dismissal rang, and students in blue and white uniforms came out in groups. Some were chasing and frolicking, filled withughter and cheerful voices. Some boys and girls were bold enough to hold hands and wrap arms around waists right after exiting the academic building, their faces expressing romance and happiness. ... In a small grove outside Changle Second Middle School, a group of people ran out scattering in every direction, leaving the area. A student in a uniformy on the ground inside the grove, his body covered with mud and footprints. ... The grove was nowpletely silent with not a single person around. At that moment, the space around him suddenly twisted, revealing a fist-sized ck hole from which multicolored divine light burst forth. A beam of multicolored light shot out and then entered the body of Qin Hao on the ground; the ck hole healed instantly, leaving no trace as if nothing had happened. "Ding ding, the Master Recognition System is initiating!" "Master recognition sessful, congrattions to the host for receiving the basic body modification reward and a beginner''s gift pack." "Basic body modification underway, please wait." ... Minutester, Qin Hao opened his eyes and observed his surroundings; the events that had just unfolded reyed in his mind. Xu Liang''s voice echoed in his mind, "I''m telling you, stay away from Du Wanrou from now on. Consider today a lesson." Du Wanrou? Was all this because of Du Wanrou? Qin Hao''s gaze flickered. Who was behind Xu Liang? He had never known Xu Liang; they were not in the same ss and had never interacted before, so there was no reason for Xu Liang to trouble him out of the blue. Moreover, Qin Hao felt that someone was manipting Xu Liang''s actions, probably someone from his ss. He stood up, his hands clenched into fists. Why? Why do you always bully me? Why? Many in his ss bullied him, and he had always endured it, but today''s beating by Xu Liang and others had ignited a long-suppressed rage within him. Why must they always bully? Why can''t they coexist with me in peace? A crisp and melodic female voice suddenly said, "A docile horse is mounted by all, a docile person is oppressed by all." Qin Hao''s face changed dramatically, "Who? Who is speaking?" The crisp and melodic female voice continued, "Ie from a supercivilization in another universe space. You can call me the God Creation System, and you, host, can call me Goddess." Goddess? That term made him feel somewhat taken advantage of. ... Minutester, Qin Hao felt invigorated, his eyes radiating captivating brilliance. He was certain he wasn''t dreaming; he had acquired a system that existed only in novels. Furthermore, he learned that his body had been remodeled, greatly enhancing all his attributes. His heart was reced by excitement, his eyes shining with vengeful light. Xu Liang, and that person behind you, watch out. I will make you pay a heavier price. And those who once bullied and ridiculed me, you will regret it. ... Currently, the system''s functionality was somewhat limited, offering only a feature to redeem achievement points through a lottery, which could be earned bypleting tasks or triggering hidden achievements. In the future, these points could also upgrade the system, making its features more extensive. He silently called up the system, and instantly his vision brightened. A stunningly sexy woman wearing a ck mini-dress appeared before him, looking as real as any human, though invisible to others except for him. Qin Hao: "Goddess, show me my character attributes." "Beside the ''Goddess,'' a detailed character panel appeared: Name: Qin Hao Age: 19 Gender: Male Realm: Mortal Achievement Points: 0 Strength: 15 Agility: 15 (Reaction speed and running speed) Intelligence: 15 Constitution: 15 (Stamina, endurance, etc.) Skill: None ¡­ ''Host, you have an unopened gift package in your backpack, would you like to use it now?'' Qin Hao opened his backpack and saw the ''Newbie Gift Pack'' quietly lying inside. ''Open.'' ''Congrattions host, you have obtained 100 achievement points, 5 free attribute points to distribute, 3 bottles of Health Potion, and 3 bottles of Mental Potion.'' Achievement points can be used for drawing lots, each draw consumes 50 achievement points. Character attribute points can be freely assigned to the four attributes: strength, agility, intelligence, and stamina. Health Potion: A magic form concocted, cures all diseases, as long as one still breathes, it can restore one to their original state. Mental Potion: A magic form concocted, can cure various neurological diseases. ''Main quest activated: Revenge!'' ''Quest description: A gentleman shall avenge his wrongs. Revenge Xu Liang and others with rewards in achievement points based on thepletion degree.'' After reading the quest, Qin Hao closed the system because his parents would start worrying if he didn''t return soon. Seeing the footprints on his body, he calmed his gaze, dusted off his clothes, and then dashed home. His parents were mid-level managers at a state-owned car manufacturing nt; their monthly ie was not low, and the factory''s subsidies and benefits were very good, making their economic situation quite decent. In Jiangshan City, his family was considered to be above the middle ss, especially since Jiangshan City was merely a third-tier bottom city in Shuinan Province. His home was not too far from his school, and it took him less than ten minutes to make it back to his housingplex. The house prices were already over ten thousand per square meter by now, but fortunately, his family had purchased it when the prices were still low. When he arrived home, Qin Hao''s parents had already returned from work; his father, Qin Youguo, was watching television while his mother was cooking in the kitchen. Seeing him return, Qin Youguo looked up and asked, ''Back already?'' Qin Hao nodded, then hurried into his room. First thing he did was change his clothes. No matter how much he cleaned, the clothes would still have some slight traces. He didn''t want his parents to know about this matter, as it would only cause them to worry. After changing his clothes, Qin Hao studied the God Creation System in his room, silently summoning the system, and the mature, sexy woman would appear beside him. Next to the woman were options for character attributes, backpack, and lot drawing. Qin Hao noticed the word ''name'' above the woman''s head, ''What does this naming mean?'' The mature, sexy woman spoke up, ''Host has one opportunity to rename me.'' Curious, Qin Hao asked, ''Then why did you say you are called Goddess?'' ''I thought that name sounded nice, so I temporarily gave it to myself.'' ¡­ Qin Hao thought for a moment and said, ''That name is too awkward, from now on you''ll be called Xiao Ying, shadow-like, a pleasing name.'' ''Congrattions host, the naming was sessful, Xiao Ying at your service.'' Chapter 2 The Loving Heart of Parents Across the World "Prize Draw" Before his eyes appeared a circle of bronze treasure chests. Xiao Ying''s voice was crisp and pleasant, "Would you like to spend fifty achievement points for a draw?" Qin Hao asked curiously, "What kind of prizes can one usually draw?" Xiao Ying: "There''s nothing you can''t draw that you can think of." Qin Hao: "Let''s draw one then." Ten bronze treasure chests began to spin rapidly, and after he yelled stop, one bronze treasure chest stopped in front of him. "Congrattions, host has obtained a bronze treasure chest, would you like to open it right now?" "Open it." The bronze treasure chest opened, and a book appeared before him. "Congrattions, host has obtained Fighting Skill, would you like to study it immediately?" "Study." The book transformed into specks of golden light and entered Qin Hao''s head, adding some information to his brain. Seeing he still had fifty achievement points left, Qin Hao said, "Continue the draw." The bronzepartment began to rotate again, and after he called stop, he directly opened the bronze treasure chest. "Congrattions, host has obtained a free attribute point." Qin Hao opened the attribute panel; he now had six free attribute points, all of which he added to strength. Instantly, he felt a warm current flowing inside his body. It circted from top to bottom and then disappeared. He opened his character attribute panel again to take a look: Name: Qin Hao Age: 19 Gender: Male Realm: Mortal Achievement Points: 0 Strength: 21 Agility: 15 Intelligence: 15 Stamina: 15 Skills: Fighting Skill (Lv0, 0/100, upgradeable with achievement points) Main Quest: Revenge (unfinished). Twenty-one points of strength, Qin Hao wondered what level that was. "Xiao Hao, dinner''s ready." At this moment, Shujie''s voice came from outside. Qin Hao quickly closed the system and said, "Okay, Mom." He walked out of the room. His mother was setting up the dinner table, and his father was getting up from the sofa to sit at the table. After sitting down, Youguo said to Qin Hao, "Xiao Hao, there''s about a month left until the college entrance exam. How''s your revision going?" Qin Hao hesitated and then replied, "Uhm, the revision''s going pretty well." Hearing his response, Mr. Qin sighed. He was well aware of Qin Hao''s grades as his father; it was almost always at the bottom in every mock test. As a result of each mock test, Qin Hao''s parents would receive messages from his ss advisor. At this moment, Mrs. Qin, carrying the food, came over and said irritably, "Don''t put so much pressure on the child. Just let him take the exam as he can, doing his best is enough." Youguo felt quite wronged, "I haven''t even said anything yet, right? I was just asking how the child''s revision was going." Li Shujie put down her rice bowl and said, "You don''t need to say it, I already know what you''re going to say next. Isn''t it something like: the college entrance exam is a turning point in a person''s life, if you can get into a top university and be elite talent, you''ll have a limitless future, but if you don''t, then you''re just trash?" After speaking, she felt something was off and red at Qin Youguo, "The child is all grown up, he has his own thoughts, don''t put so much pressure on him." Qin Youguo gave his wife a re, "Ever since he was little, you''ve spoiled him and indulged him too much, that''s why our son has turned out this way." "Qin Youguo, are you pushing all the responsibility onto me now? Howe you never managed our son before? Is there something wrong with spoiling my own son?" Li Shujie red back at him, visibly upset. Qin Hao quickly intervened, "Mom, Dad, please don''t argue. I definitely won''t disappoint you." If this had been before, he surely wouldn''t have dared to say this, but now that he had the God Creation System, he was full of confidence in himself. Seeing her son speak up, Li Shujie hurriedly said, "Alright, alright, I won''t argue with your father anymore. Come, son, have some fish head to nourish your brain. I bought it on my way home from work, freshly ughtered." When Qin Hao saw his mother ce the fish head in his bowl, his nose tingled, and he struggled to hold back his tears. Which parents don''t want their children to seed? His parents were the same, but he had let them down time and again, slowly eroding their hopes for him to seed. He could imagine his parents'' repeated sighs and disappointments at night and, eventually, their loss of hope. Yet they still loved him as before, their affection never waning. Suddenly, he felt very unfilial and unreasonable. My parents raised me from childhood, gave me the best food and clothes. Why haven''t I ever done something to make them proud? ¡­ Li Shujie saw her son with his head down, about to speak, when she noticed a few tears fall. She asked anxiously, "Son, what''s wrong? Did Mom and Dad do something wrong? Why are you crying?" Qin Hao lifted his head and hurriedly said, "Mom, I''m fine, I just realized I was too willful before. I''ll study hard and definitely get into a top university." Li Shujie looked at her son, feeling that he had suddenly matured a lot, her face showing a relieved smile, "Do your best, no matter what, Mom will support you." Qin Youguo also said, "Dad will support you too. Even if we don''t end up with good results, don''t be disheartened because results don''t represent everything." "Okay, Mom, Dad, let''s eat," Qin Hao said with a smile on his face, secretly resolving to get into a top university and make his parents happy. "Congrattions host, you have achieved a hidden achievement: As a son, filial pietyes first; you''ve earned a thousand achievement points." Qin Hao, hearing Xiao Ying''s voice, was momentarily startled. Could that also earn achievement points? At dinner, he discovered something else; he could now see an option to check his parents'' attributes next to his father and mother. He clicked on it, and his father''s character attribute panel appeared: Name: Qin Youguo Gender: Male Age: 45 Strength: 7 Agility: 4 Intelligence: 7 Constitution: 5 Health condition: Suffers from early-stage cervical spondylosis, arthritis, poor sleep, recently under great mental stress. Could it really reveal someone''s health condition? And what''s this about father being under great mental stress? Qin Hao nced at his father, seeing no sign of the mental stress he was supposedly under. His father must be hiding it, not wanting him and his mother to know. After dinner, Qin Hao went back to his room. First, he reviewed the homework assigned by his teacher. Normally, it took him over two hours to review, but today he finished it all in just about fifteen minutes. And the effect was much better than before. Normally, even after two hours of reviewing, he couldn''t remember much. But today, he had memorized all the reviewed homework, able to recite it verbatim. Could this be because of the system? Qin Hao quickly summoned the system and asked. Xiao Ying exined, "Today, host''s body underwent a basic transformation, and all attributes have been enhanced. The increase in strength attribute represents the growth of your physical strength, and the increase in intelligence represents an enhancement in your perceptiveness, understanding ability, and logical thinking ability, among others." Chapter 3: Chapter 3 The Kind Are Easy to Bully Qin Hao was relieved, so that''s what it was. His intelligence was at fifteen whereas his father''s was only seven. Also, his father''s strength was at seven, which he knew was just average among middle-aged men. Meanwhile, his own strength was at an impressive twenty-one, three times that of an average middle-aged man, enough to deal with Xu Liang and his group, especially since he also knew Fighting Skill. Qin Hao checked his achievements, a full one thousand points, enough for twenty draws in the lottery. This hidden achievement really gave a lot of points. He drew five times in a row. "Congrattions, host, for obtaining table tennis skills." "Congrattions, host, for obtaining calligraphy skills." "Congrattions, host, for obtaining basketball skills." "Congrattions, host, for obtaining painting skills." "Congrattions, host, for obtaining Fighting Skill." Qin Hao learned them all, and when he learned Fighting Skill again, he felt his strength seemed to have increased a bit. The skills section in his character attribute panel showed Fighting Skill experience had gone from zero to fifty, with only fifty more needed to level up. He checked his achievement points and saw he had 750 left. Thinking of Xu Liang''s numerous underlings, he spent fifty achievement points to level his Fighting Skill up to level 1, feeling a warm flow throughout his body. To level up from level 1 to level 2 in Fighting Skill would require five hundred experience, or five hundred achievement points. Qin Hao hesitated for a moment and then leveled up his Fighting Skill from level 1 to level 2. ... The next morning, After breakfast, Qin Hao went to school as a student in the senior third grade, ss two, at Changle Second Middle School. When he walked into his ssroom and arrived at his spot, someone was already sitting there, talking to Du Wanrou who was next to him. Before he could speak, from the back of the ssroom, Song Wei casually said, "Qin Hao, take a broom and clean our ss''s sanitation area. If you can''t clean it well, don''t bothering back to ss." A hint of anger rose in Qin Hao''s heart. Do you still think I''m the same old Qin Hao? Impatiently, Song Wei said, "CN, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and grab a broom to clean." Everyone in the ss turned to look at Qin Hao, Sun Wanrou frowned slightly and nced at Song Wei. Yuan Zhengxiang, sitting in Qin Hao''s spot, looked on with interest. Qin Hao ced his backpack on the desk, then walked to the back of the ssroom and stared at Song Wei, "Say that again." Song Wei was startled for a moment, then disdainfully said, "You''re pretty tough today, huh? Looking for a beating?" "p!" A loud p resounded through the ssroom. Song Wei spun around in ce, and blood immediately flowed from the corner of his mouth. The force of the p was immense, and Qin Hao didn''t hold back at all. Everyone in the ss was stunned, their eyes wide, staring at Qin Hao and Song Wei. The notorious pushover Qin Hao actually pped Song Wei? Was this for real? Du Wanrou and Yuan Zhengxiang also watched Qin Hao in disbelief. Was this the same timid Qin Hao from before? Song Wei then came to his senses, cursed, "CN, you actually dare to hit me, I will fucking kill you." While speaking, Song Wei also made a move, swinging a p toward Qin Hao''s cheek. From Qin Hao''s perspective, Song Wei''s movements were too slow. He extended his left hand, directly grabbing Song Wei''s wrist, and then his right leg went up in a kick. "Bang" Qin Hao''s footnded on Song Wei''s stomach. Song Wei''s face instantly changed. He flew backwards two meters,nding on his buttocks, the strong force sliding his body several meters back on the floor. Song Wei did not get up for a while, his face deathly pale, and he looked at Qin Hao with a somewhat frightened expression. Qin Hao looked at him and slowly said, "I used to think we were ssmates and didn''t want to break face with you, but I didn''t expect you to be even more aggressive. A good horse is ridden, a good person is bullied; this saying really holds true." His words were not only directed at Song Wei but also at those in the ss who had bullied him before. Upon hearing his words, the faces of several people in the ss changed again and again. What had happened to Qin Hao today? Why did it seem like he had be a different person? Qin Hao nced at the people around and then returned to his seat, "Get lost." Yuan Zhengxiang''s expression changed, dark as water. He wanted to erupt, but remembering Qin Hao''s domineering attitude just now, he dared not speak and dejectedly returned to his seat. Qin Hao sat down, put his backpack into the desk, and slowly took out one set of review materials after another. Most of the people in the ss were looking at him and then at Yuan Zhengxiang. ... Yuan Zhengxiang was famously rich and handsome at the school, not only tall and handsome but his family was also wealthy, and most importantly, he was a good student. Countless girls at Changle Second Middle School had a crush on him, but he only had eyes for Du Wanrou. Du Wanrou was the school belle of Changle Second Middle School, famous not only for her beauty but also as a top student. The reason Qin Hao was unkind to him was because he suspected that Yuan Zhengxiang had orchestrated the incident yesterday. Yuan Zhengxiang, with a gloomy expression, lowered his head. He couldn''t believe that the timid Qin Hao dared to humiliate him in front of the whole ss. At that moment, he wished he could kill Qin Hao. Song Wei had also returned to his seat by then and hissed venomously, "Xiang, we really need to teach this kid a lesson today." "After school today, I''ll make him pay," Yuan Zhengxiang said, clenching his fists, his tone sinister. The ssroom was now dead silent; no one spoke loudly. Qin Hao sat at his desk, looking at the review materials, while Du Wanrou asionally stole nces at him. After a while, Qin Hao turned to look at her and said helplessly, "ss leader, do I have a flower on my face?" Du Wanrou''s face flushed slightly, "It''s just that you seem different from before." Qin Hao said self-deprecatingly, "Was I too timid before?" Du Wanrou did not answer, which was a tacit agreement. She indeed thought the old Qin Hao was somewhat timid, but today''s Qin Hao impressed her. Just then their ss teacher walked into the ssroom, and the bell for ss also rang. There was only one month left until the college entrance examination, so nearly every day was spent reviewing or taking mock exams. Their ss teacher, a middle-aged woman nearing her fifties, held a score sheet and said, "The results of thest mock exam are in, I will read out the scores." "First ce, Du Wanrou with 710 points." The ss was in uproar; 710 points was a remarkably high score, enough to get into top-tier institutions like Shangjinghua or Jing University. Upon hearing her score, a small smile appeared on Du Wanrou''s face, clearly very satisfied with her results. "Second ce, Chen Shuna with 660 points." ... Fifth ce, Yuan Zhengxiang with 610 points. ... Fiftieth ce, Qin Hao with 450 points. With a total of sixty students in the ss, Qin Hao ranked tenth from the bottom, truly living up to the title of underachiever. Their ss teacher announced the scores and then discussed some weaknesses with the top twenty students, advising them on which subjects needed improvement. As for the students ranked lower, in their ss teacher''s view, there was little hope; even with improvement, it wouldn''t be significant. After finishing, the ss teacher allowed them to study freely. Qin Hao bowed his head and looked at the review materials. There was still a month left. For many, the oues might already be decided, but for him, there was still a chance¡ªit wasn''t toote. Chapter 4 The Deceptive Task Du Wanrou nced at Qin Hao, surprised in her heart. Was he actually studying? This guy used to be lost in his own world before. What happened today? She tentatively asked, "Qin Hao, which university do you n to attend in the future?" Qin Hao curiously looked at her, feeling that she was unusually talkative today. They had been desk mates for three years in high school and had spoken only a handful of times. What was up with Du Wanrou today? Not far away, Yuan Zhengxiang, seeing the two of them talking, had a thick shade of jealousy in his eyes, because Du Wanrou had never taken the initiative to talk to him before. He gritted his teeth in hatred. It seems that Xu Liang''s lesson yesterday was not enough for you. Just wait; you''ll suffer today. ¡­ Du Wanrou, seeing that he was not talking, said irritably, "I''m asking you a question." Qin Hao: "ss rep, why are you talking so much today?" Upon hearing his words, Du Wanrou''s face turned cold, and she turned her head to look at her own review materials. Qin Hao was somewhat confused. What happened again? Was it wrong to just ask out of curiosity? Indeed, a woman''s mood changes faster than flipping a book. He shook his head, speechless, and continued to look at the review materials. He spent the whole morning revising the mathematics materials of the senior year. By lunchtime, he had covered about one-fifth of the material, which could be said to be extremely efficient. When the school bell rang for lunch, everyone in the ss got up and went to the cafeteria to eat. Yuan Zhengxiang and Song Wei nced at Qin Hao and walked out of the ssroom. Qin Hao stood up, stretchedzily, and also nned to go to the cafeteria. He nced at Du Wanrou next to him, only to see her taking out a thermal lunch box, nning to have lunch. "Ding, side mission activated: Invite Du Wanrou to have lunch together. Sessful reward: 100 achievement points, failure penalty: 200 achievement points." Hearing the system''s voice, Qin Hao''s face was stunned. Invite Du Wanrou to dine together? The system wants me to invite her to lunch? Are you kidding me? Seeing that Du Wanrou had already unpacked her lunch box, Qin Hao hurriedly said in a low voice, "ss rep." Du Wanrou looked up, "What''s up?" Qin Hao, a bit embarrassed, said softly, "Um¡­ could I treat you to lunch?" Du Wanrou''s expression was surprised, thinking if she had misheard, "What did you say?" Qin Hao''s cheeks turned slightly red, feeling exceedingly awkward, "I said, can I treat you to lunch?" He hadn''t even had the courage to talk to her before, and now he was inviting her to lunch, which showed how much pressure Qin Hao was under. After saying that, he felt his palms sweating. "Really useless, it seems you still need a lot of training," Xiao Ying said speechlessly upon seeing his performance. Du Wanrou hesitated for a while, then her lips curled into a slight smile, "Sure." "Really?" Qin Hao was a bit surprised. At that moment, he realized that the joy ofpleting the mission was minimal; more overwhelming was the excitement from deep within, an indescribable happiness. The two left the ssroom together and arrived at the school''s cafeteria. The cafeteria was bustling with noise, with hundreds of people eating there. It was very lively. Du Wanrou immediately drew countless gazes as she walked in, and many people also looked towards Qin Hao. Qin Hao felt as if he was sitting on pins and needles and quickly asked, "What would you like to eat? I''ll go get the food." Du Wanrou: "Get a sweet and sour pork ribs rice bowl." ¡­ Qin Hao went to get the food while Du Wanrou found an empty seat. Seeing this scene from not far away, Yuan Zhengxiang''s face was extremely gloomy: "Qin Hao, you just wait." After finishing his hasty meal, he left the cafeteria with Song Wei. During lunch, many people around Qin Hao were sizing him up, wondering who he was to be eating with the campus belle. Could he possibly be her boyfriend? The meal was so unbearable for Qin Hao that he sweated profusely and wanted nothing more than to finish quickly and leave the cafeteria. Du Wanrou seemed oblivious, eating gracefully, a sight that others found enjoyable. "Congrattions to the host forpleting the side mission, awarding 100 achievement points." "The next stage of the side mission begins: Write a love letter of over one thousand words for Du Wanrou. Reward for sessfulpletion: 100 achievement points, and 200 deducted for failure. Task duration: within five days" ... When Qin Hao heard the second mission, he almost spat out his food. A love letter? Of over a thousand words? Seeing his reaction, Du Wanrou asked, "What''s wrong? Don''t you like the food?" Qin Hao exined, "No, it''s quite good, I just ate too fast." After Du Wanrou finished her meal, they both returned to the ssroom, where their ssmates looked at them with surprise. Back at his desk, Du Wanrou smiled at him, "Thank you for the meal." Qin Hao: "You''re wee, it''s my pleasure." Du Wanrou didn''t speak further but started looking at her revision materials. Qin Hao spent half the day pondering how to write her a love letter. Since he had a few days left, he put aside the thought and continued revising. He reviewed the math materials for the whole afternoon. He had gone through more than half of the senior year mathematics knowledge points, and he could almost finish them by the end of the next day. In the afternoon, Du Wanrou stole a few nces at him, and seeing Qin Hao engrossed in his revision, she was astonished. Had this guy changed? At 5:45 PM, the school bell rang for dismissal. ssmates began gathering their books and gradually left the ssroom, and Qin Hao also started packing up his review materials. Today was Friday, and there were no sses for the next two days, so he decided to take more review materials home. That''s when Yuan Zhengxiang and Song Wei walked over, "Meet us at the small woods outside the school." After the others had left the ssroom, Du Wanrou spoke up, "Qin Hao, don''t go, they must have gathered people to beat you up." This wasn''t something he could avoid; it was a good opportunity to find Xu Liang and the others, and also to test the power of level 2 Fighting Skill. Qin Hao smiled and said, "It''s okay." In his smile, Du Wanrou saw a confidence she had never seen before, which momentarily stunned her. Qin Hao: "I''ll go ahead, see you on Monday." "Okay, bye." Du Wanrou smiled and waved. Qin Hao, with his backpack, left the ssroom and exited the teaching building, still seeing many students heading towards the school exit. At the school gate, two of Xu Liang''s underlings were waiting for him, presumably to prevent him from running away. Upon seeing him emerge, they walked towards him. Qin Hao looked at them sharply, remembering that these two were among those who had beaten him up the night before. Not waiting for them to speak, he said, "Let''s go." In the small woods, several people were standing, including Yuan Zhengxiang, Song Wei, and Xu Liang. Except for Yuan Zhengxiang and Song Wei, the others were those who had beaten Qin Hao the previous night, not one more or less among them. Xu Liang, also a senior student, was from ss 8 and was a known figure in school, often addressed as Liang. Upon seeing Qin Hao''s arrival, Song Wei''s expression grew fierce, "Qin Hao, you acted tough this morning. Now kneel and crawl from under Xiang''s crotch, and we''ll let you go today." Chapter 5: Chapter 5 Revenge Qin Hao didn''t bother with him but instead looked at Yuan Zhengxiang, "You were the one behind what happened yesterday, weren''t you?" Yuan Zhengxiang also looked at him and nodded, "That''s right, if you realize your mistake now, it''s not toote. I can give you a chance to repent. Just as Song Wei said, crawl under my legs, and I''ll let you off today." Getting a definite answer, Qin Hao''s expression turned cold as he looked at Xu Liang, "You all remember how you beat me yesterday, right? Today, I''m going to hit back." Xu Liang and the others, upon hearing his words, were momentarily stunned then burst intoughter. "Did you hear what he said?" "Hit back? I think this guy''s brain is messed up." "Yesterday he was lying on the ground like a dog, but today he actually starts to act tough." "Damn, it seems that we didn''t beat him hard enough yesterday." Xu Liang turned his head to look at Yuan Zhengxiang, the meaning obvious: say something if we should beat him up. Yuan Zhengxiang nodded his head; Qin Hao had made him lose face in ss today, and now he was going to show Qin Hao just how formidable he was. Xu Liang: "Beat him up, damn it, a brat trying to act tough in front of me." Six guys from Xu Liang''s side approached, and one of them ran over, lifting his leg to aim a kick at Qin Hao''s chest. Qin Hao sidestepped, avoiding the flying kick, while his right leg rose and kicked the guy in the stomach. "Bang" The man fell to the ground, screaming out in severe pain. As soon as hended, the others rushed forward, but Qin Hao''s body suddenly went airborne,unching a spinning kick. "Bang Bang Bang Bang" His foot struck several of them on the side of the face, and in an instant, they were all kicked to the ground. Yuan Zhengxiang, Song Wei, and Xu Liang''s eyes nearly popped out, looking at Qin Hao in disbelief. Was this the same weakling from yesterday? Qin Hao was also somewhat surprised by his own strength, had he really taken care of six people so easily? He quickly snapped back to reality and walked towards Xu Liang. Xu Liang was somewhat frightened, and as he saw Qin Hao approaching, he couldn''t help but take two steps back, "I tell you, I know Brother Bao, if you dare touch me, I''ll have Brother Bao destroy you." A kick from Qin Haonded on Xu Liang''s chest, sending him flying back two to three meters and crashing down hard on the ground, his face instantly turning red as he coughed violently. Qin Hao: "You kicked me twice yesterday, get up, you still owe me a kick." Xu Liang looked at him with a mix of fear, "I tell you, I know Brother Bao." "Today no matter who the fuck you know, it''s useless. However you hit me, that''s how I''m going to hit back today, stand up," Qin Hao stared furiously, his voice loud and intimidating, scaring Xu Liang into shivering. Yuan Zhengxiang and Song Wei beside him also jumped in fright. Xu Liang stood up, unsettled by Qin Hao''s beast-like gaze. "Bang" Another kick from Qin Hao sent Xu Liang flying again, "Our issue is settled today, if you''re not satisfied and want to cause me more trouble, you''d better think about the consequences." After he spoke, he looked at Yuan Zhengxiang and Song Wei: "Now it''s our turn to settle things." Yuan Zhengxiang and Song Wei looked at him with eyes full of fear; the disy of Qin Hao''s strength had given them a severe shock. As Qin Hao approached, Yuan Zhengxiang hurriedly spoke up, "Qin Hao I''m telling you, don''t mess around, I can give you money, I''m wealthy." Qin Hao kicked him onto the ground, "Today I just want you to taste what it''s like to be beaten up." Having said that, he turned to Xu Liang and his underlings on the ground, "You have a choice: either beat him up, or I''ll beat you up." After taking two kicks from him, Xu Liang was very aware of his striking power, which was substantial. He nced at Yuan Zhengxiang. Yesterday, when he and his gang beat up Qin Hao, it was because he had taken Yuan Zhengxiang''s money. Yuan Zhengxiang didn''te from an influential family, but they had some money. Qin Hao looked at Xu Liang. "Have you made up your mind? Or should I decide for you?" Xu Liang''s body trembled, and he hurriedly said, "I''ve decided, I will do the beating." "All of you, beat him." Xu Liang called his underlings to his side, and they started beating Yuan Zhengxiang. Xu Liang and the others were already feeling some rage, and now it all poured out onto Yuan Zhengxiang and Song Wei. Song Wei was thinking of running away, but Xu Liang kicked him down to the ground, and then two or three people surrounded him and thrashed him wildly. Cries of agony from Yuan Zhengxiang and Song Wei filled the woods. A few minutester, Qin Hao left the grove, and only after he had gone a considerable distance did the screams from inside the woods stop. Xu Liang, looking at the somewhat pitiful Yuan Zhengxiang on the ground, said, "Sorry about this, brother. We were also forced into a corner." ... "Congrattions to the host forpleting the main mission: Revenge; Completion: Perfect; Reward: 500 Achievement Points, and for perfectpletion of the mission an additional reward item: Invisibility Cloak." Invisibility Cloak? What''s that? Qin Hao quickly opened his system backpack, where a ck cloaky inside. Invisibility Cloak: Upon wearing, it can render the wearer invisible for thirty minutes. After thirty minutes, the effect expires, with a cooldown time of one day. This is a nice piece of gear. Though it can only be used for half an hour each day, wearing it to stroll into thedies'' restroom... cough cough. He checked his achievement points again, totaling seven hundred now. But his mood fell when he saw ''Fighting Skill Lv2 (0/3000)''. To upgrade from level two to level three, he needed three thousand achievement points, which was an exorbitant amount! In a ck BMW not far away, Du Wanrou, upon seeing Qin Hao emerge unscathed, exhibited a puzzled look and said, "Mr. Lin, let''s drive back home." "Understood, Miss." Lin Kang nodded, started the car, and left the ce. Back at home, Qin Hao started to experiment with the Invisibility Cloak in his room. He put on the cloak, quietly opened his room door, and stepped out. Qin Youguo was watching TV. Qin Hao deliberately walked in front of him and circled around, but his father showed no sign of noticing anything. Qin Hao then went to the kitchen, where Li Shujie was busy cooking and did not realize an extra person had entered. After confirming the effectiveness of the Invisibility Cloak, Qin Hao returned to his room and took off the cloak, reappearing in his room. There were twenty-eight minutes and five seconds remaining on the Invisibility Cloak; the time couldn''t be umted. If it wasn''t used up before dawn, the next day''s time would still be thirty minutes. Qin Hao: "Xiao Ying, are you there?" "Does the host need something?" "No, just wanted to chat." Xiao Ying: "..." "Actually, I like Du Wanrou. The first time I saw her when we started high school, I fell for her. But I didn''t have the courage to speak to her, scared that I might leave a bad impression, scared that if I said the wrong thing, she would hate me, I''m scared of..." Qin Hao had never confided these words to anyone before because he had no friends and nobody ever treated him like one. Deep down, he was lonely, but no one knew it. "Host, if you like her, then go after her boldly. You are no longer who you used to be. With the system, you will be the strongest man ever." Chapter 6: Chapter 6 Go Die Qin Hao curiously asked, "Xiao Ying, do you have thoughts?" Xiao Ying: "Yes." Qin Hao was taken aback, "So, theoretically speaking, you''re no different from a human?" Xiao Ying: "Aside from a body, Xiao Ying indeed has no significant differences from humans." Qin Hao: "Then, can we be friends?" "We are in a host rtionship," replied Xiao Ying. Qin Hao: "Does that mean we can''t be friends?" "If the host requests it, Xiao Ying can consider it." ... With a giggle, Xiao Ying revealed a charming smile, "Just kidding. Since the host wants to be friends with Xiao Ying, then from now on, we are friends." When Qin Hao saw her enchanting smile, he was immediately stunned. Because Xiao Ying was very beautiful, with a curvaceous figure and a stunning appearance that, apart from Du Wanrou, was the second woman to impress him so profoundly. Qin Hao came to his senses, feeling a bit embarrassed, and hurriedly changed the subject, "Xiao Ying, should I use the lottery now or save up achievement points?" "Considering that the host''s basic skills are rather limited, I suggest you continue to use the lottery. Once you umte more achievement points, you can choose to upgrade essential skills or the system, at which point the system will be even moreprehensive," Xiao Ying advised. Qin Hao nced at his seven hundred achievement points and decided to draw four times. "Congrattions to the host for obtaining four bronze treasure chests. Would you like to open them?" "Open them," he said. "Congrattions to the host for acquiring the Singing God skill." "Congrattions to the host for acquiring the Gaming God skill." "Congrattions to the host for acquiring the Medical skill." "Congrattions to the host for acquiring a Memory Card." A Memory Card? Eagerly, Qin Hao learned the Singing God skill, Gaming skill, Medical skill, and then examined the Memory Card. The Memory Card is a one-time use item; upon use, it can enhance learning efficiency and memory for a duration of twelve hours. Qin Hao opened his character attribute panel to check: Name: Qin Hao Age: 19 Gender: Male Realm: Mortal Strength: 21 Agility: 15 Intelligence: 15 Constitution: 15 Skills: Fighting Skill (Lv2: 0/3000); Basketball Technique (Lv0: 0/100); Calligraphy (Lv0: 0/100); Painting (Lv0: 0/100); Singing God (Lv0: 0/100); Medical (Lv0: 0/100); Gaming God (Lv0: 0/100); Table Tennis (Lv0: 0/100). Items: Invisibility Cloak (usable for half an hour each day, replenishes at midnight). Looking at his array of skills, Qin Hao''s eyes dazzled. Am I now a versatile talent too? He asked, "Xiao Ying, what level of ability does basketball level zero indicate?" He didn''t understand what level zero represented. Today, he tried using his Fighting Skill with Xu Liang and others, but couldn''t figure it out. ... Xiao Ying exined, "Even though it''s level zero, if you were topete, it would be at a professional level. For example, with basketball technique at level zero, if the host were to y basketball, your level would roughly be that of a national professional basketball yer. Professional yers also vary in skill level; as you upgrade, your level will get even higher." Qin Hao''s eyes widened at her words. Level zero is professional level? Then what about level one, level two, or even higher levels? "Xiao Hao, time for dinner," Mrs. Qin, Li Shujie, called out. Snapped out of his astonishment, Qin Hao replied, "Got it, Mom." He hurried out, and after a hastily eaten dinner, he returned to his room to start reviewing the material. Tonight, he nned to finish and memorize all the key points of senior high school mathematics. "Main quest activated: Gaokao. Get admitted to any of the top universities in the country, with different achievement points awarded based on the level ofpletion." He kept studying until around eleven o''clock at night, finishing all the senior high school math concepts before going to bed. The next morning, Qin Hao got up early. After breakfast, Mr. Qin went straight to the factory as there was something needing his attention. After eating, Qin Hao spoke up, "Mom, I''m going back to my room to study." Li Shujie smiled and said, "Xiao Hao, don''t put too much pressure on yourself." "I know, Mom. Don''t worry." Back in his room, he used the memory card and immediately felt his mind be clearer. He started reviewing junior year mathematics concepts. With the help of the memory card, it was like having divine assistance. He finished junior year math by noon and in the afternoon, not only did he finish freshman math, he also nced through some Chinesenguage coursework from the first year. ... After dinner that evening, there wasn''t much time left on the memory card, so he didn''t continue reviewing. Having studied all day, he felt mentally drained and turned on theputer to log into the chat software. But seeing the scant list of friends, he was at a loss for words, wishing he had someone to chat with. Just then, a notification from the chat software popped up; someone had sent him a friend request. The name was Wan Rou. Qin Hao was stunned and somewhat excited. Could it be Du Wanrou? He quickly epted and then sent a message, "Who is this?" On the other side, Du Wanrou saw the message and a smile crossed her lips, "Guess." Qin Hao: "Could it really be Du Wanrou?" Du Wanrou: "Yes, it''s me." Qin Hao: "Where did you find my chat software ID?" Du Wanrou came up with a reason for herself, "I just happened to see your chat ID and thought, we''ve been desk-mates for years, so I added you." After all, she was the school belle of No. 2 Middle School, never having taken the initiative to add a boy before. Without an exnation, she thought Qin Hao might misunderstand. Qin Hao didn''t expose her lie, replying instead, "What are you doing now? Have you had dinner?" "I''ve eaten, what about you?" "I''ve eaten too." Xiao Ying couldn''t bear to watch anymore, thinking, with that approach, how are you ever going to charm a girl? "Ding, random quest activated: Send Du Wanrou a racy joke with sexual innuendo. Seed for a reward of 100 achievement points, fail and all achievement points will be deducted." Seeing this, Qin Hao stood frozen, astonished. Send a racy joke with sexual innuendo, isn''t this like forcing a decent person into prostitution? If I really send it, my wholesome image would bepletely ruined in Du Wan''s eyes. I resolutely refuse... Xiao Ying: "The host has ten seconds left. If you don''t agree, all achievement points will be deducted." "A poor man cannot be swayed by money, a brave man cannot be bent by force... I agree." Qin Hao''s ount automatically sent out a message. When he saw the content of the chat, Qin Hao almost spat blood: Xiao Ying, is this how you betray a friend? ... On the other side, Du Wanrou was stunned for a moment. Her cheeks turned red instantly, "This jerk, this hooligan, sending me something like this, I never would have thought he was such a person." Du Wanrou did not reply, which was within his expectations. The fact that she hadn''t blocked him was already a mercy. He started to ponder what to do. im his ount was hacked? That sounded too fake. Someone else sent the message? That wouldn''t work either. Apologize? It seemed that was the only option left. "Congrattions, host, forpleting the random quest. A reward of one hundred achievement points granted." Just then, his chat software chimed again. Du Wan had replied to his message: "Go to hell." Chapter 7: Chapter 7 Qin Haos Transformation Qin Hao quickly replied, "It wasn''t on purpose, really!" Du Wanrou replied, "You think I would believe that?" Qin Hao began to beg for mercy, "I was wrong, please forgive me this time." It took a long while before Du Wanrou replied, "If there''s a next time, I won''t bother with you anymore." Qin Hao promised, "There definitely won''t be a next time." Du Wanrou asked, "Hmm, how''s your revision going?" Qin Hao replied, "Not bad. Which university are you nning to apply to?" "Jianghai University in Jianghai City." Qin Hao was startled and asked, "Aren''t you considering Chenhua University or Chen University?" Du Wanrou exined, "They''re too far, and besides, Jiang University is also a 985 key university. Their business management program is very good. What about you? Which university are you nning to apply to?" Qin Hao answered, "I''m also nning to apply to Jianghai University." ... Du Wanrou thought she had read wrong and replied incredulously, "You? Jianghai University?" Qin Hao asked, "What? You look down on me too?" "No, I didn''t mean that. It''s just that with your grades, it''s very difficult to get into Jianghai University." What Du Wanrou said was quite subtle, considering that with his past performance, even getting into a third-tier university would be difficult, let alone such a key university. The two chatted for a while, and then Du Wanrou said she was going to rest. After chatting with Du Wanrou, Qin Haoy on his bed, looked at his watch, and smiled. He had just talked to his goddess for almost half an hour. This was something he had never even dared to dream of before. But since he had the system, and after the revenge earlier that evening, he didn''t realize that his long-lost confidence was gradually returning. Qin Hao didn''t study further but instead rested well that night. That night he had a beautiful dream where he and Du Wanrou were together as a couple, holding hands and walking through the school campus of their high school. The next day, Qin Hao also spent the day revising. He had already finished revising Math and had begun revising Chinese. Within a day, he barely finished revising the Chinese knowledge points for the first year of high school. While his intelligence score was as high as 15, the continuous studying still made him feel very tired. May 7, Monday morning. After breakfast, Qin Hao went to school, now less than a month away from the college entrance examination. Upon arriving in his ss, he coincidentally saw Liu Wei hastily leaving his spot. Qin Hao went straight to his own seat, and just as he was about to sit down, he noticed the ck ink on the chair. He frowned and looked back at Liu Wei, who had just left from there as he entered, which made it very likely that it was his doing. Liu Wei sat in the back pretending to chat with two others, but his eyes kept ncing towards Qin Hao''s spot. "Ding, random mission initiated: teach a lesson to Liu Wei and his two friends. Sess reward: three hundred achievement points. Failure: deduction of all achievement points." Qin Hao walked up to Liu Wei and his two friends, eyes fixed on them. In the past, Liu Wei and his friends often yed pranks on him, making him theughingstock of the entire ss. Painting ink on his chair was not the first time this had happened, and in the past, they had even deliberately broken his chair causing him to fall on the ground. The three had also thrown a pet snake into his desk, and he still remembered how pale he turned from fright. And at that time, everyone in the ssughed loudly, the piercingughter still ringing in his ears. Qin Hao''s tone was very cold, "Liu Wei, the stuff on my chair, it''s your doing, isn''t it?" Liu Wei was stunned for a moment and thenughed, "How would I know who did it? Why are you asking me?" Yu Da, standing next to him, also said with augh, "Exactly, we don''t know who put the ink on your chair. What do you want from us?" Wang Fei chimed in, "Don''t bother us while we''re talking. Go find whoever you want." Suddenly, Qin Hao made his move, grabbing Liu Wei by the cor, "I''ll give you one more chance, speak or not?" Liu Wei tried to break free, but Qin Hao was surprisingly strong, and he couldn''t escape, "What do you want? Can''t find the person, so you want to hit me?" Yu Da and Wang Fei stood up, looking ready to defend Liu Wei. Qin Hao did not bother being polite anymore. Xu Liang had said to hit when needed, not to mention these three. He exerted force with his right hand and flung Liu Wei out, mming him hard against the wall, then swung a punch and hit Yu Da on the neck. After knocking down Yu Da, his right hand swung back, striking Wang Fei in the face. The sheer force bewildered Wang Fei. Although he had raised his right hand, it did note down. Qin Hao kicked, knocking Wang Fei to the ground, and in an instant, the three lost their ability to fight. The ss watched in shock. Was Qin Hao that formidable? Had he been trained in martial arts? If they didn''t think much of Qin Hao beating Song Wei yesterday, today, they truly saw how fierce he could be. All three were no match for him. This guy had been really low-key before, hiding his true capabilities. Qin Hao walked over to Liu Wei, kicked him in the chest, "Speak now or not?" Liu Wei stubbornly retorted, "What can I say? I don''t know who put ink on your chair." "Smack smack" Qin Hao pped him twice, the loud sound echoing throughout the ssroom. That directly baffled Liu Wei, who had not anticipated Qin Hao''s ferocity; he didn''t even spare him some dignity. Qin Hao shouted, "I''m asking you one more time, speak or not? If you don''t speak, I''ll keep hitting you." Liu Wei finally gave in, "I''m sorry, Qin Hao. I shouldn''t have pranked you like that. I know I was wrong." "Lick the ink off the chair." Qin Hao dragged him to his seat. Upon hearing those words, Liu Wei''s face changed instantly¡ªlick it clean? At that moment, Chen Shuna came over and said, "Let it go, Qin Hao. It''s not such a big deal. We''re all ssmates here." Qin Hao nced at Chen Shuna. She was the ss representative and had never bullied or mocked him; she had even defended him a few times before. It was only because the old Qin Hao had been too weak. Even when Chen Shuna spoke for him, he never dared to confront Liu Wei and the others at the time. Qin Hao stated, "For Chen Shuna''s sake, you don''t have to lick it clean, just wipe it up thoroughly. If there''s a next time, I''ll make you drink a whole bottle of ink." Feeling immensely relieved, Liu Wei quickly nodded and took some paper, wiping his chair over and over. Qin Hao didn''t say it was okay; Liu Wei didn''t dare to stop. After a long while, Qin Hao, seeing no trace left, finally said, "Alright, get lost." Liu Wei did not dare make a sound and quickly got away from Qin Hao. Chen Shuna looked at Qin Hao, feeling puzzled, "I feel like you''re different from before." Qin Hao retorted, "Did you think the old timid and bullied me had a good life?" Chen Shuna did not know how to respond. In the past, she indeed felt frustrated seeing Qin Hao so weak, wondering why he couldn''t just man up. But now, seeing the changes in Qin Hao, she felt it was sudden and hard to adapt to. "I need to study now. You should go back and study too. Thanks for before," Qin Hao said sincerely at the end. Chen Shuna could hear it and smiled, nodding, "Study hard, there is still hope." Chapter 8: Chapter 8 Writing Love Letters "Congrattions, Host, forpleting the random task. You have been rewarded with three hundred achievement points." At that moment, Du Wanrou arrived, her delicate face bearing a faint smile as she walked into the ssroom with her backpack. Qin Hao couldn''t help but look up, and the more he looked, the more he found Du Wanrou charming and alluring, like a flower yet to bloom on her chest. Just before the ss started, Yuan Zhengxiang and Song Wei entered the ssroom. Honestly, Qin Hao had felt some envy towards Yuan Zhengxiang before, because not only was his family wealthy, but he also excelled in his studies. However, now Qin Hao no longer held that envy in his heart, having the system meant it would soon be others envying him. Du Wanrou sat at her desk, took out her revision materials, and started to read them earnestly. Qin Hao nced at his side task; writing a love letter to Du Wanrou was still iplete. He also noted that his calligraphy skill was still at level zero, but his achievement points had reached nine hundred. He spent six hundred achievement points to upgrade his calligraphy skill to level 2 without hesitation. After all, it was his first time writing a love letter to a beautiful girl, and attractive handwriting would undoubtedly make a good impression. He took out the colorful stationery he had prepared in advance, took a deep breath, and began to write. A one-thousand-word love letter was still quite a challenge for him; he started with the very first moment he had seen Du Wanrou. As the graceful and flowing handwriting appeared on the page, even Qin Hao was stunned. Did I really write this? After more than half an hour, Qin Hao finally finished the love letter, which was well over a thousand words. He carefully folded the love letter and sneaked a nce at Du Wanrou, relieved to see her engrossed in her studies. Little did he know that while he was focused on writing the love letter, Du Wanrou had stolen several looks at him. She was curious about what he was writing on that colored paper. Could it be a love letter for someone? As she thought about it, she couldn''t help but take a few more peeks. When she saw Qin Hao was nearly done, she quickly pretended to be diligently studying. After finishing, Qin Hao carefully put the letter away, nning to give it to Du Wanrou after school at noon. He spent the entire morning reviewing, and before he knew it, time had passed by. When the noon school bell rang, those in the ss who were going to have lunch left, leaving only a few people still in the ssroom. Seizing the moment when no one was paying attention, Qin Hao quickly ced the love letter on Du Wanrou''s desk. Then he walked quickly out of the ssroom, under Du Wanrou''s astonished gaze. Once out of the ssroom, Qin Hao let out a long sigh of relief and headed to the school cafeteria. Looking at the letter on her desk, Du Wanrou wore a surprised expression. Did he write this for me? What did he write? Should I read it? Under the influence of various impulses, Du Wanrou eventually and slowly opened the letter. The first thing that caught her eye was the graceful, effortless handwriting. Even Du Wanrou had to admit to herself how beautiful the handwriting was; she had never seen such elegant writing before, especially not from a ck carbon pen. The strokes were robust and graceful, as natural as if they had been penned by a master calligrapher. If she hadn''t seen it with her own eyes, she would never have believed that Qin Hao, known for his poor academic performance, had written it. She now felt that Qin Hao was bing more and more mysterious by the day, with his exceptional prowess and master-like handwriting. And that newfound confidence he exhibited, what exactly had happened to him? After reading the content, Du Wanrou''s cheeks turned slightly red. Indeed, it was a love letter. She had received far too many during her three years of high school. However, she had thrown away all of those without reading them. ... "Congrattions, Host, forpleting the side task. You have been awarded 100 achievement points." In the school canteen Qin Hao heard the system''s voice and knew Du Wanrou must have finished reading the love letter. As he ate his lunch, he wondered how Du Wanrou would reply to him. Reject? Agree? Or ignore? As he pondered, someone with a tray of food sat down opposite him, "Lost in thought? What''s so captivating?" Qin Hao looked up and was startled to see Chen Shuna sitting across from him, a bit stunned, "No... nothing." Seeing his reaction, Chen Shunaughed, "Why? Are you surprised to see me sitting here?" Qin Hao, "Of course, Chen, you have never eaten with me before." Chen Shuna surveyed him carefully as she ate, "I think you''ve changed a lot from before, like you''re a different person." On hearing this, Qin Hao''s heart tightened; this wasn''t good news for him. The system was a secret to him, a secret that no one else could know. He didn''t want to end up on an autopsy table as ab rat for experiments. Qin Hao''s face maintained a natural smile, "If you had gone through what I have, perhaps you would act the same, either dying in cowardice or erupting out of it, and I belong to thetter." Chen Shuna paused at his words, finding there was some sense to them. While they spoke, a guy with his meal sat directly beside Qin Hao. Both Qin Hao and Chen Shuna frowned slightly, and Chen Shuna asked the neer, "Lv GuiBo, what do you want?" Lv GuiBo with an unruly expression retorted, "Nothing, can''t I eat here?" Qin Hao had heard of Lv GuiBo, a student from ss Seven well-known at Changle Second Middle School, constantly pursuing Chen Shuna. There had been someone who tried to woo Chen Shuna before, but it was said they were severely dealt with by Lv GuiBo. Qin Hao finished his meal and said, "You guys talk. I''m taking off first." No sooner had he exited through the canteen''s back door than he was stopped by several men, seven in total. Liu Wei, Yu Da, and Wang Fei were among them; Qin Hao understood what was happening immediately upon seeing the scene. Liu Wei was out for revenge. Qin Hao looked at Liu Wei with a sneer, "It seems you haven''t learned your lesson." Liu Wei cursed, "Quit your damn posturing in front of me. I''m going to teach you a lesson this noon." Just then, Lv GuiBo came walking out of the canteen. He nced over and said, "Take him to the back." Liu Wei obediently called out, "Yes, Bo." Qin Hao showed no fear; if he didn''t want to be bullied in the future, he had to establish his might and show these people how formidable he was to keep them from provoking him. He followed them to the back of the canteen, where some onlookers had gathered for the spectacle. Lv GuiBo made no move to disperse the crowd; he wanted them to realize his toughness, to bolster his reputation at Changle Second Middle School. Lv GuiBo addressed Qin Hao, "Liu Wei, Yu Da, and Wang Fei are my brothers. Since you beat up my brothers, don''t you think you owe me an exnation?" Qin Hao nced at him, responding lightly, "Give you an exnation? Who the hell are you?" The onlookers were stunned at this retort: Brother, at a time like this, you still talk tough? Aren''t you just asking for it? Now if you called him ''Bro'' a few times, offered a few soft words, maybe they''d go a little easier on you. Someone murmured under their breath: This guy just can''t lose face even when he''s suffering. Just you watch, he''s going to get beaten up badly in a moment. Chapter 9 The University Promise ``` Lv Guibo''s face turned red with humiliation as he heard Qin Hao''s words, "CN, you still dare to show off in front of me? Hit him!" "Smack smack" Two ps rang out, and Lv Guibo''s left and right cheeks quickly bore the imprint of palm marks. Before he could react, Qin Hao lifted his leg and kicked him to the ground, and Lv Guibo''s flunkies rushed towards them. Qin Hao turned and kicked one in the chest, then raised his hands to strike at the others. His strength was three to four times theirs, and his fighting skills were at a Level 2, surpassing that of average professional yers. In less than a minute, he had knocked all six to the ground, unavoidably taking a few punches himself. But it didn''t affect him at all, as his physical condition was also three to four times stronger than theirs, with an extremely strong resistance to being hit. The onlookers with widened eyes eximed, "Holy shit, that''s freaking badass, those moves are damn suave." "So cool." This was the heartfelt admiration of the crowd, their eyes filled with envy as they watched Qin Hao, believing he possessed the ultimate tool for picking up girls. Qin Hao walked over to Lv Guibo, who had managed to stagger to his feet, looking fearfully at Qin Hao: "Brother, this is a misunderstanding. I swear I won''t mess with you again." Qin Hao gave him another p, "You think I''d be afraid of your trouble? Take your revenge whenever you want, but you better check if you''ve got the strength for it." Lv Guibo''s cheek stung painfully, and he quickly said, "I know I was wrong, Brother Hao. I won''t dare to do it again." Qin Hao nodded, satisfied, "As long as you know your mistake, that''s good. And about Chen Shuna, since she doesn''t like you, stop harassing her, got it?" Chen Shuna had been good to Qin Hao before, so now that he could help her, of course, he would. Lv Guibo nodded hastily, "Sure, Brother Hao. To be honest, I never really liked Chen Shuna¡ªit was just a game to me. You go ahead and hook up with her." ... Qin Hao couldn''t be bothered to exin. These things only get moreplicated the more you talk about them. He warned Lv Guibo and then left. After Qin Hao had left, the onlookers dispersed too, leaving only Lv Guibo and his gang. Liu Wei cautiously asked, "Bro, what should we do?" Lv Guibo red at him, "Let''s never talk about this again. I won''t provoke him anymore, and if you three overconfident fools want to, that''s on you." Liu Wei hurriedly said, "If even you don''t dare to mess with him, there''s no way we would. We''ll just keep our heads down in ss." Lv Guibo said nothing more and led his group back to the ssroom. Today, he was the biggest loser, and by the afternoon, the whole school would probably hear about it. Qin Hao returned to his ss and first nced at Du Wanrou, who was studying with her head down. He sat down in his seat and turned to Du Wanrou, "ss monitor, have you had lunch?" Du Wanrou looked up at him, her expression unchanged, "I have. What about it?" Qin Hao felt slightly embarrassed, "That... ss monitor... did you see it?" Du Wanrou looked surprised for a moment, and then said, "I saw it, so what?" So what? Shouldn''t you have something to say about this kind of thing? Qin Hao mustered his courage and asked, "ss monitor, do you have anything you want to say to me?" Du Wanrou replied, "I never nned on dating in high school. At least not until university. So, do you think we have a chance? Of course, if you manage to get into Jianghai University, then maybe it''s possible." That was her response¡ªstraightforward and simple. Only if Qin Hao could get into Jianghai University would there be a possibility between them, and even that was just a maybe, not a certainty, since there would be more outstanding people by then. But Qin Hao was confident in himself, "Okay, ss monitor. Then let''s wait until I get into Jianghai University before we revisit this conversation." ``` Du Wanrou sized him up and down, "You''re really nning to take the Jianghai University exam? You have no hope. You should apply for a decent Tier 3 or vocational university instead." ... Qin Hao, "ss president, you don''t need to worry about me. I have a clear understanding of my own matters." In the afternoon, Qin Hao was earnestly reviewing. He was doing this not just for Du Wanrou, but even more for his parents. He wanted to give his parents a surprise, to make them hold their heads up high and be proud of him. After the second period in the afternoon, one of Xu Liang''sckeys came to ss 2 and then told Qin Hao to meet at the school gate after ss. Qin Hao didn''t expect Xu Liang would dare to find him, and he agreed to the kid, "After ss, then at the school gates it is." Xu Liang''sckey, upon hearing his response, quickly left the ce, having personally experienced Qin Hao''s prowess and fearing another beating. Yuan Zhengxiang and Song Wei in the ss exchanged nces and saw confusion in each other''s eyes. Song Wei whispered, "Xiang, is Xu Liang nning to take revenge on Qin Hao? I heard Xu Liang knows Li Bao from outside the school." Yuan Zhengxiang, "Xu Liang is also a prominent figure in the school, how can he swallow his pride? He definitely found someone from society, ideally someone who could cripple Qin Hao." Song Wei, ttering, "Why bother getting angry over this kind of person, Xiang? Qin Hao is all brawn and no brains. When ites to money, you''re streets ahead of him, academically, he can''t even catch up if he ttered you two times over, and in terms of looks, he''s not even as good as me. Du Wanrou couldn''t possibly fancy him." Upon hearing his words, Yuan Zhengxiang''s face broke into a smile. Song Wei''s words hit right at home, giving him great satisfaction. ... Out of curiosity, Du Wanrou asked, "Xu Liang is looking for you again?" "Mhm." Qin Hao answered while continuing to read his book. Seeing his unconcerned expression, Du Wanrou asked doubtfully, "You don''t seem scared at all." Qin Hao, "Why should I be scared? The one who should be scared is him." ... Afternoon after school. Qin Hao walked out of the school by himself, carrying his backpack. At the school gate, he saw Xu Liang. Xu Liang was followed by sixckeys, their presence formidable, drawing the sideways nces of many students. Qin Hao walked over and said to Xu Liang, "Going to start something here?" Xu Liang replied calmly, "It''s Bao who wants to see you today." Qin Hao, "Where? If it''s too far, I don''t have time." Xu Liang, "Just at the Xinghui Pool Hall nearby." "Lead the way." The group headed toward Xinghui Pool Hall, and after about five minutes, they arrived outside Xinghui Pool Hall. It was a dpidated two-story building with numerous e-bikes and motorcycles parked outside, along with a few old Volkswagen cars. Xu Liang and the others entered first, with Qin Hao following closely behind. As soon as he entered, the thick scent of smoke and sweat hit his nostrils. Inside the pool hall, there were about five pool tables, not many people were ying, just around seven or eight groups. Xu Liang approached a pool table where two individuals stood nearby¡ªone a young man with neatly cropped hair, the other, a hefty youth. The young man with cropped hair was ying pool, while Xu Liang stood beside him, not daring to speak. "Ding, random mission initiated: Subdue Li Bao and Kang Youyi, reward 500 achievement points." Chapter 10: Chapter 10 Li Bao Qin Hao heard the task details, his eyes widened in shock, subdue? Not teach a lesson? How would he subdue him? Could it be like recruiting underlings as shown in movies? This was the only method he could think of, aside from using force, Qin Hao felt he had no other way to subdue Li Bao. And who was Kang Youyi? Could he be the fat guy beside Li Bao? Qin Hao scanned Li Bao. Name: Li Bao Gender: Male Age: 26 Strength: 8.5 Agility: 6 Intelligence: 5 Physique: 6.5 Description: This person is shrewd, good at manipting the hearts of his subordinates, a management talent. Then he looked at the fat man beside Li Bao: Name: Kang Youyi Gender: Male Age: 26 Strength: 4 Agility: 3 Intelligence: 9 Physique: 4 Description: Possesses business acumen, poor physical condition. Li Bao''s strength was strong, but Qin Hao didn''t take it seriously; instead, he was surprised by the attributes of the fat man. All attributes were low, only the intelligence attribute reached 9 points, and the system description stated that he had business acumen. Could this dirty, disordered pool hall be the manifestation of his business acumen? ... After Li Bao finished ying his shot, Xu Liang walked over to him and said, "Bao, the guy has been brought here." Li Bao looked up at Qin Hao, who had neatly trimmed short hair, a clean and cute appearance, and was wearing the uniform of the Second Middle School, looking just like an ordinary student. At that moment, Kang Youyi yed a shot, missed, and it was his turn to y again. He said indifferently, "Let him wait, wait for me to finish this game." Without waiting for Xu Liang to respond, Qin Hao spoke up, "Today I didn''te here to see you act tough, and I don''t have that much time to waste. Let''s wrap this up quickly and go home for dinner." Li Bao was stunned, so was Kang Youyi, who turned to look at Qin Hao, his expression somewhat incredulous. A high school student from the Second Middle School dared to speak to Li Bao like this? Li Bao scoffed disdainfully, it seems I haven''t acted in so long that the students from the Second Middle School have forgotten about me. Li Bao: "Kid, you''ve got guts, you''re the first to speak to me like that." After finishing, he continued, "Xu Liang is my underling, you beat him, now I need to stand up for my underling, or else who would dare follow Li Bao in the future?" Qin Hao listened quietly, "How do you n to stand up for him?" Li Bao looked at Qin Hao, surprised at his calmness, just based on this attitude, this person might be extraordinary in the future. With that thought, Li Bao said, "It''s simple, I Li Bao am not an unreasonable person, just apologize and that will do, I''ll also consider you a friend of mine." Xu Liang and the others were startled by his words, apologize? Hadn''t Bao initially agreed to beat him up? But now that Li Bao said this, they dared not say anything. Qin Hao, however, was not buying it, "They hit me first, I was just hitting back, why should I apologize?" Li Bao''s face darkened, "Kid, don''t push your luck. With one word from me, you won''t be able to walk out of this billiards hall." Qin Hao, "Respect isn''t given by others, it''s earned through one''s own efforts." Li Bao, "Good, very good, today I will properly teach you how to behave." As soon as he finished speaking, people at the two nearby billiard tables stopped ying and came over with their cues in hand. "What''s wrong, Bao?" These four men were all Li Bao''s underlings, with brightly dyed hair that gave them a distinctive look. Li Bao looked at Qin Hao and said, "Kid, it''s not toote to regret, otherwise you won''t even have the chance to regretter." Qin Hao, "Less talk, juste at me all at once." ... Completely ignorant of their own limits, Li Bao and his group were all sturdy young men in their twenties with countless fights under their belt and plenty of experience. Now, a student under the age of twenty was talking big right in front of them, nearly making them burst outughing. One of Li Bao''s underlings stepped forward and said, "Bao, leave him to me. It''s been a while since I''ve disciplined such an ignorant student." Li Bao nodded, "Don''t be too harsh, after all, he''s a student." Wang Hong said with a smile, "Don''t worry, Bao." After he finished speaking, he looked at Qin Hao, "Kid, you strike first." Qin Hao looked at him and said, "With that kind of temperament, you''d probably die countless times if you were in the underworld. Hasn''t anyone told you not to underestimate any opponent?" Wang Hong, feeling embarrassed and angered after hearing these words, thought to himself, ''I''ve been in the underworld for years.'' And now he was being schooled by a student¡ªhow could he stand for that! "Damn it, stop acting tough in front of me." After that, Wang Hong charged forward in a dash. Then he raised his leg and kicked toward Qin Hao''s chest. Qin Hao slightly sidestepped, dodging his kick, while his right hand reached out and grabbed Wang Hong''s ankle. With a slight exertion of force, he threw Wang Hong away. Wang Hong''s foot mmed directly into the wall behind Qin Hao, causing his face to immediately contort in pain. Li Bao, seeing this, narrowed his eyes. An expert shows his skill with a single move, and this Qin Hao was a skilled martial artist. The move he just executed, using the opponent''s force against them, was performed perfectly with great timing and power. Qin Hao looked at Wang Hong, who was now clutching his foot and gasping for air. If there weren''t so many people around, he probably would have cried out. Qin Hao, "I told you, that attitude of yours would cost you." Li Bao then spoke, "It seems I, Li Bao, was mistaken today. I didn''t expect the young brother to be a martial artist. But two fists can''t beat four hands. Do you really want to oppose me, Li Bao?" Qin Hao, "I said it already,e at me together." "Attack," Li Bao ordered, and he and his three underlings charged together. All four of them were well-practiced in fighting together in a coordinated manner; some aimed for Qin Hao''s upper body and some for his lower body. Qin Hao couldn''t retreat because the space was too small, and retreating would press him against the wall. He kicked out fiercely,nding a kick in the chest of one of the men. The man staggered backward several steps, then fell on his rear. At that moment, the other three were already on him, one fist aimed at his face and two kicks targeting his legs. Qin Hao pushed off the ground and leaped up, narrowly avoiding the trio''s assault, then executed a mid-air 180-degree whirlwind kick. Except for Li Bao, who swiftly dodged, the other two were knocked to the ground by this kick. Once Qin Hao touched down, he didn''t pause even for a second; his movements flowing like water, he pressed a hand on the billiard table and threw a sidekick right into Li Bao''s chest, sending him sprawling to the ground. All of this happened in the blink of an eye, less than a minute went by before Li Bao and his men were all down. Kang Youyi and Xu Liang were left utterly dumbfounded. Qin Hao''s movements were exceptionally skilled and graceful, just like the martial arts masters seen on TV. Could such people actually exist in real life? He was astoundingly impressive. Chapter 11: Chapter 11 Indescribable Items Qin Hao looked toward Kang Youyi, who, frightened, backed away two steps, squeezing a smile onto his plump face, "Brother, let''s talk this out peacefully." Li Bao and the others had also all stood up by then, but they dared not take any action. For Qin Hao''s skills were too terrifying. Li Bao said, "Brother, I admit I made a mistake this time, from now on we''ll mind our own waters." Qin Hao said, "You say we''ll mind our own waters just like that? You call me here, and Ie; you ask me to leave, and I leave; wouldn''t that be too humiliating for me?" Li Bao looked at him and tentatively asked, "Brother, just say whatever you mean. As long as it''s not too much, I, Li Bao, will ept it." Qin Hao said, "I think you are quite alright, how about we be friends?" What? Everyone around was stunned. As expected, Li Bao didn''t agree, his tone very firm, "Impossible." Qin Hao was out of options, what to do? He had absolutely no experience in this regard, was he supposed to resort to violence again? But he knew that it was not a matter of force; even if he beat Li Bao up again, Li Bao wouldn''t likely yield. Even if he did yield, it would be insincere. Just like in the TV shows where with a shake of the body, the weakling spirit leaks out, that was all nonsense. It seemed this random quest was impossible toplete. Qin Hao gave him onest look, "If you ever change your mind one day, you can have Xu Liang contact me." After leaving Xinghui Pool Hall, he started walking home, feeling somewhat dejected as the five hundred achievement points were not in his grasp¡ªan opportunity to draw ten times missed. After arriving home and having dinner, Qin Hao went to his room to revise. Qin Hao said, "Xiao Ying, what happens if I can''tplete this random quest? Is there any penalty?" Xiao Ying replied, "If there isn''t any mention of a penalty in the quest, then there is no penalty. However, if the host is unable toplete this random quest, then no more random quests will be generated in the future, and the host will lose an important way to obtain achievement points." Qin Hao checked his quests. The main quest could only be updated after the results of the college entrance exam were out. There were no side quests refreshed at the moment, and the random quest was in pending status. Qin Hao curiously asked, "How are these quests triggered?" Xiao Ying exined, "Main quests don''t need to be triggered; the system will actively release main quests, and the host simply needs toplete the main quests as required. Generally, the rewards for main quests are the richest. Side quests are second only to main quests; generally, the system will make reasonable arrangements ording to the host''s situation, while random quests are triggered randomly." Since the main quests cannot bepleted any time soon and the random quest was looking bleak now, he hoped that any uing side quests would be simpler. Qin Hao checked his achievement points, which stood at only three hundred points now. He clicked on the draw¡ª a bronze treasure chest stopped in front of him, and he uttered, "Open." "Congrattions host, you have received a small experience book." Small Experience Book: Can enhance any skill, adding 100 experience points. Qin Hao checked the attributes of the small experience book, which were just about eptable as it could still add 100 experience points. He clicked on the draw again. "Congrattions host, you have received a post-natal development bra." "Pfft" Qin Hao heard the name, his head swimming with ck lines, almost spitting out a mouthful of blood, a post-natal development bra? "System, are you sure you didn''t mess up? What the hell am I supposed to do with this?" Post-developmental Underwear: Suitable for females, wear to invisibly assist in the development of a woman''s figure, with remarkable effects, honest and fair, ensuring a perfect and proud physique. ... Qin Hao scowled and continued drawing prizes, not believing he wouldn''t get something good. "Thank you for your patronage." ... "Xiao Ying, can you be any more of a scammer??" Xiao Ying innocently exined, "Host, this is all randomly drawn by the system, it has nothing to do with Xiao Ying. Drawing prizesrgely depends on the host''s luck." Qin Hao was speechless for a long while, then silently reopened the drawing interface. "Congrattions to the host for obtaining the Ultimate Roast Duck Skill Book." Another useless skill, Qin Hao was toozy to even learn it, speechlessly closed the drawing interface, and threw himself on his bed to rest. In the blink of an eye, ten days had passed, and the time until the college entrance examination was drawing nearer, just half a month left. During these days, Qin Hao hadn''t gained any achievement points, he still had 100 achievement points. After these ten days of review, he had finished all the books from his freshman to senior years, and now he was starting on practice college entrance exam papers to see where he was stillcking. It was the third session of the afternoon when the ss ended. Qin Hao was reviewing his material when Chen Shuna said from the ssroom door, "Qin Hao, someone is looking for you outside." Du Wanrou gave him a nce. Qin Hao was also puzzled¡ªsomeone looking for me? He didn''t really have friends at school, so who could it be? He stood up and went out of the ssroom, outside he saw Xu Liang and was momentarily stunned, "You were looking for me?" Xu Liang gave a dryugh and hurriedly said, "Hao, Bao said he wants you to stop by after school, he has something to discuss with you." Li Bao? Qin Hao paused for a moment, then quickly realized¡ªhad he changed his mind? But why would he suddenly change his mind? "Okay, got it." Xu Liang cautiously said, "If there''s nothing else, I''ll head out first, Hao." Qin Hao nodded, and Xu Liang quickly turned and left ss Two. At that moment, Chen Shuna''s voice suddenly rose next to him: "Qin Hao, was that Xu Liang from ss Eight just now?" Qin Hao turned to look, Chen Shuna and three other girls from his ss were standing there looking at him. "Yeah." Chen Shuna''s eyes were filled with curiosity, "He''s known as a bad student at school, but in front of you, he''s as meek as amb. What''s going on?" Qin Hao said indifferently, "Just beat him up a few times." "You''re saying you''ve beaten Xu Liang a few times?" Wang Juan was visibly shocked. The others had the same look on their faces. Qin Hao was puzzled looking at them, "Is that strange? I''m going back to study, you guys keep having fun." Saying this, Qin Hao returned to the ssroom. Chen Shuna and the others exchanged nces, noticing that Qin Hao was indeed different these days. Nobody dared to mess with him in the ss anymore, nor did he seem as timid as before. Moreover, Qin Hao seemed to have been focusing hard on his studiestely. Zhao Man whispered, "Why do I feel that Qin Hao looks different from before? Xu Liang was so respectful to him. It''s pretty impressive." Wang Juan teased, "Are you moved? It''s toote, in half a month we''ll all be going our separate ways." Zhao Man''s cheeks turned slightly red, and she gave a quick annoyed nce, "I think it''s you who''s interested, you''ve always wanted to find someone tough to date." Chapter 12: Chapter 12 Li Baos Change In the ssroom When Du Wanrou saw him return, she curiously asked, "Who was looking for you? Was it a beautiful girl?" Qin Hao nodded, "Yes, it was Xia Qing from ss 1." Xia Qing and Du Wanrou were both known as the school beauties of Changle Second Middle School, though Xia Qing was in the humanities ss of ss 1. Du Wanrou paused for a moment, "What did she want from you?" Qin Hao said with a smile, "Just kidding, it wasn''t her." Du Wanrou gave him an annoyed look, yful and cute, then turned her head back to continue reviewing her materials. These days, they had been talking more and more, sometimes even chatting on messaging apps in the evenings. Yuan Zhengxiang, who was at the back of the ssroom, watched them chatting andughing, grinding his teeth in frustration. He really wanted to beat Qin Hao up badly. Song Wei noticed too and whispered, "Xiang, don''t get angry. He''s just a poor student, and his family isn''t wealthy. He can''t possibly end up with Du Wanrou. After the college entrance exams are over, he won''t see Du Wanrou again. It''s different for you, Xiang, you might even go to the same university as Du Wanrou, and your families are well-matched financially." Yuan Zhengxiang nodded slightly, aware of everything Song Wei was saying, but seeing Qin Hao talking to Du Wanrou still upset him. ... After the school bell rang in the afternoon, everyone started packing up to go home. Du Wanrou quickly finished packing and said to Qin Hao, "I''m going ahead, Qin Hao. Talk to you tonight." Qin Hao smiled and nodded, "Alright." He watched Du Wanrou leave the ssroom, admiring her charming figure, feeling delighted as if he were appreciating something he loved dearly. "Do you like Du Wanrou?" Yuan Zhengxiang''s voice suddenly rang out beside him. Qin Hao turned to look at him, disdainfully ncing at him, "Who I like is none of your business. Looking for a fight, are you?" If he had dared say this before, Song Wei, who was usually by Yuan Zhengxiang''s side, would have rushed up to hit him immediately. But now, Song Wei took a step back in fear, not daring to look Qin Hao in the eyes. Yuan Zhengxiang also felt a bit scared and hurriedly said, "I like Du Wanrou, and I hope you can stay away from her." Qin Hao, who was packing up his mock test papers, paused and turned to look at him, "That''s something I should be telling you. If you dare toy a finger on my girl, do you believe I would beat you every time I see you?" Yuan Zhengxiang: "You and she are not suitable, you twoe from different worlds. Do you know how big Du Wanrou''s family business is? Have you heard of Ounuo Cosmetics Company? A famous bigpany in Shuinan Province, with total assets worth hundreds of millions. Do you think her parents would agree to her being with you? Definitely not, so your rtionship is impossible." "Bang" Qin Hao kicked him, his voice seething with anger, "Shut the f*ck up next time you''re in front of me." After speaking, Qin Hao left the ssroom with his backpack. Yuan Zhengxiang and Song Wei didn''t dare say a word, afraid that Qin Hao would turn around and kick them again. Many people were still in the ssroom, and they were surprised to see Qin Hao kick Yuan Zhengxiang without him uttering a word. ... After leaving the teaching building, Qin Hao felt a bit troubled, because what Yuan Zhengxiang said was true; there was a vast gap between him and Du Wanrou. The daughter of a billionaire and a poor boy, anyone would consider them mismatched. Previously, he had always been running away from this reality, but he knew that avoidance was not a solution, and sooner orter, he would have to face it. If that day really came, how should he present himself to Du Wanrou''s parents? A poor boy? If he really went there in his impoverished state, he didn''t need to guess the oue. Although it wasn''t an ancient feudal society nowadays, the principle of matching social statuses had always existed, especially among those families who considered themselves high society. Qin Hao felt that he needed to do something, even if he couldn''t match the wealth of Du Wanrou''s family, he should have some capital to speak of when the time came. As he walked and pondered, he soon arrived at the Xinghui Pool Hall. The pool hall was rather quiet today, with nobody ying. Not far away, Li Bao, Kang Youyi, and a group were gathered discussing something, Xu Liang was also listening by the side. Qin Hao walked over and asked, "Why did you call me here?" Li Bao and others turned to look at him. Qin Hao, seeing their faces, was taken aback, "What happened to you guys?" Because Li Bao, Kang Youyi, and the others had swollen, bruised faces, it was obvious that they had been beaten up. Li Bao said, "A few days ago, Wang Qiang and his crew came to pick a fight." Qin Hao asked, "And then you guys fought?" Li Bao nodded, "The day before yesterday, Wang Qiang came here, and we were unprepared, so they beat us up." Qin Hao: "What do you need from me then?" Li Bao looked at him and answered, "All you need to do is help us get revenge by teaching Wang Qiang a lesson." Qin Hao didn''t immediately agree but considered for a moment. Li Bao and the others watched him, and Qin Hao finally agreed, not just for the aplishment but also for his and Du Wanrou''s future. He really liked Du Wanrou, and he didn''t want their rtionship to end without a fight; he had to strive for their future. Qin Hao spoke, "I agree, but Fatty has to join in too." Kang Youyi was taken aback, not expecting Qin Hao to appreciate his worth, and quickly said, "This matter started because of me, as long as we can teach that Wang Qiang a lesson, I''ll do whatever you say." Qin Hao asked, "Okay, when do we go after Wang Qiang?" Li Bao thought for a moment and said, "Today is Thursday, let''s go to Golden Bright KTV on Saturday afternoon." Qin Hao nodded, "Alright, I''lle here to find you guys then." After making ns, Qin Hao left. Inside Xinghui Pool Hall, someone whispered, "Li Bao, he''s just a student though." Li Bao: "Appearances can be deceiving, as long as he has the capability." Kang Youyi nodded, "Right." Everyone nervously nodded in agreement. Meanwhile, Qin Hao left the pool hall and was walking home. After a while, he stopped. Ahead, a few guys were blocking a female student from Changle Second Middle School, who Qin Hao recognized as Xia Qing. The guys were in the uniform of Third Middle School, clearly students from there. Qin Hao paused, surprised. Were students from Third Middle School blocking one of our school beauties? If it had been before, Qin Hao might not have stepped forward,cking the strength and courage. But now, he had changed; even without the strength, he had the courage to stand up. Chapter 13: Chapter 13 Meeting Xia Qing on the Way "Beauty, where are you headed? Hang out with us for a bit." Xia Qing looked at the three people in front of her, her delicate eyebrows slightly furrowed, her voice pleasant, "I don''t know you; please get out of the way, or I''ll call for help." Liu Junughed, "Go ahead and call, we''re not doing anything; feel free to shout." The two people beside him also said with augh, "Yeah, shout, I want to see who''d dare toe out; this is our Jun from the third school." At this moment, Qin Hao walked up next to Xia Qing and looked at Liu Jun and his group, "You''re from the third school, right? Coming to our second school to block our school belle, isn''t that a bit too brazen?" Liu Jun and his group looked toward him; Liu Jun''sckey, Wang Jianhua, sneered, "Who do you think you are? Beat it if you don''t want to be thrashed." Xia Qing turned her head toward Qin Hao and whispered, "Thank you, but you better leave quickly." After all, in her view, Qin Hao was just one person, while Liu Jun had three, and in a fight, Qin Hao was surely at a disadvantage. She didn''t want the person who helped her to get hurt; she would feel terrible about it. Qin Hao smiled and said, "It''s okay, just stand back a bit." Seeing his reaction, Liu Jun''s face filled with anger, "Kid, you''re freaking looking for death. Damn it, I''ll show you what''s what today, beat him up." Wang Jianhua and Li Peng charged forward, theirrge feet kicking towards Qin Hao''s upper body. Qin Hao''s body swayed right, dodging their strikes, and at the same time his hand shot out like lightning, grabbing Li Peng''s ankle and pulling hard. "Crack" Li Peng instantly sat on the ground in a splits position, the severe pain turning hisplexion ashen as he wailed miserably. Wang Jianhua was momentarily stunned, and at that moment, Qin Hao delivered a spinning kick straight to his neck, sending him tumbling to the ground. To the side, Xia Qing and Liu Jun who saw his sharp moves, both shed a hint of surprise in their eyes. Qin Hao slowly approached Liu Jun, who wanted to flee but couldn''t lose face, especially since he was the boss of the third school, and prestige was very important to him. Finally, as Qin Hao got closer, he made his move, throwing a punch at Qin Hao''s head. "Bang" Qin Hao''s right hand shot out, catching his fist, while his leg kicked out, hitting Liu Jun in the thigh, making him fall t on the ground. "I''m Qin Hao, from senior year ss two. If you want revenge, feel free toe at me anytime." Liu Jun looked at him, his eyes shing with rage, "Qin Hao, huh? I''ll remember you. Wait for me tomorrow." Qin Hao''s face remained calm, his tone light, "Better take off, and if you want revenge,e early after school tomorrow." Liu Jun and his group got up from the ground and hurriedly rode away on their bikes. Xia Qing looked at Qin Hao, a trace of admiration shing in her eyes, "Thank you, Qin Hao." Qin Hao turned his head to look at Xia Qing; it was his first time seeing the legendary school belle up close. She had a pure look, a tall figure, about one meter sixty-five, with delicate features, bangs resting above her brows, and her straight ck hair adding to her charm. In terms of beauty and temperament, she was not inferior to Du Wanrou. If asked who was more beautiful, Qin Hao could only say each had their own merits. Du Wanrou was yful and willful, filled with the aura of a youngdy, while Xia Qing was the type who was pure and cute, gentle and enchanting. Seeing Qin Hao staring nkly at her, Xia Qing felt a surprising tinge of happiness in her heart, "Hello, I''m Xia Qing, from senior year ss one, pleased to meet you." Qin Hao then came back to his senses, somewhat embarrassed, "I''m Qin Hao, from senior year ss two." Xia Qing, curious, asked him, "Our sses are next to each other, howe I don''t remember you? Are you a transfer student?" Qin Haoughed awkwardly, "No, I''ve been at Changle Second Middle School for three years now, just used to be more of a homebody... but I''ve heard of you, one of the school beauties from our school." ... Xia Qing had heard such praises many times before, "You''d better be careful tomorrow, Liu Jun is a vindictive person, and he''s very likely to retaliate against you." Qin Hao asked, "Do you know this Liu Jun?" Xia Qing nodded, "I don''t know him personally, but I''ve heard of him; he''s said to be the boss of the third middle school." Qin Hao chuckled, not taking it too seriously. Nowadays, students were always iming to be some sort of boss¡ªdid they think they were gangsters? Xia Qing said, "I better head home. If I don''t go back now, my parents are going to worry." Qin Hao nodded, "Mm, I should head home too." After walking a distance, Xia Qing noticed that Qin Hao was right behind her and looked somewhat surprised. In fact, Qin Hao was also astonished. Did we live in the same neighborhood? Because ahead was his home, the Cuijing District, and there was only one neighborhood nearby; that''s why he thought so. When they reached the entrance of the neighborhood, Xia Qing finally couldn''t help but turn around and ask, "Do you also live in Cuijing District?" Qin Hao nodded stiffly. The school beauty of Changle Second Middle School, Xia Qing, was from the same neighborhood as me¡ªand I only found out after three years!!! Xia Qing, curious, asked, "Which building do you live in?" "Building 17, Unit 1. How about you?" "I live in Building 3, Unit 3. I''m going home now, see you." After saying that, Xia Qing walked into the neighborhood gate and turned right. Qin Hao''s Building 17 was at the back of the neighborhood; after entering the main gate, he had to walk straight in. When he got home, Mr. and Mrs. Qin had returned from work and were cooking dinner in the kitchen. He also smelled the fragrance of meat. Qin Hao asked curiously, "What''s cooking, Mom? It smells so good." Qin Youguo said with a smile, "After getting off work, your mom bought a fish and a roast duck, saying she wanted to nourish you." Qin Hao grinned, "Thanks, Mom." "You rascal, still so formal with your mom? Go put your backpack down. The braised fish will be ready soon." Qin Hao returned to his room and hung the backpack on the wall. Sitting in his chair, he couldn''t help but think again about what Yuan Zhengxiang had said to him¡ªhow should he go about making money? After a good while, Qin Hao still hadn''te up with any good ideas, and his head started to hurt. He opened the system backpack, and insidey a few items: an Invisibility Cloak, a small experience book, and the Ultimate Roast Duck Skill Book. The Invisibility Cloak was a great item, but he didn''t need it at all. He couldn''t possibly use it to rob a bank, after all, that was something he mustn''t do. In the end, Qin Hao''s gaze rested on the Ultimate Roasted Duck Skill Book. What was the use of this thing? Did it mean I should drop out of school to sell roast duck? Qin Hao learned the Ultimate Roasted Duck Skill, after all, it was drawn using achievement points. Although it seemed useless, it mighte in handy one day if he had no other options, at least it would keep him from starving. ... "Congrattions to the host for learning the Ultimate Roasted Duck Skill." A stream of information entered Qin Hao''s mind, and he was stunned for a moment, because he was shocked by the method of making the Ultimate Roasted Duck. Made from a brine of eighty-one different kinds of Chinese herbal medicines, mixed in various proportions, it was to be applied inside and outside of the roast duck, and the method of roasting was also very particr. Then there were the condiments. When eating the Ultimate Roasted Duck, adding the condiments would make the vor even more delicious¡ªit was a culinary delight, which is where the name Ultimate Roasted Duck came from. At that moment, he had a thought: if the Ultimate Roasted Duck was as good as they say, maybe selling roast duck could indeed be a good choice. Chapter 14: Chapter 14 Delicious Roast Duck Recipe Qin Hao opened his mouth to ask Xiao Ying, "Xiao Ying, is this delicious roast duck really as good as they say?" Xiao Ying: "Is the host doubting the system''s ability?" Qin Hao exined, "Look at the description of this delicious roast duck. Besides being fragrant, crispy, tender, mellow without being greasy, and salivating just at the smell, it is said to also strengthen the body, nourish vitality, enhance resistance and so on. Is this roast duck or ginseng?" "The delicious roast duck is made from a secret recipe. There is not a shred of falsehood in the effects the system has mentioned." Hearing Xiao Ying say this, Qin Hao was shocked. If the delicious roast duck was really that powerful, wouldn''t it sweep the domestic roast duck industry? The most famous roast duck in Xuan Country was still Jinchen Deju Xiang Roasted Duck, which, with its secret roasting technique and management and operations, gave De Juxiang a market value of more than five billion and a reputation known at home and abroad. Even national banquets for foreign guests would use De Juxiang''s roast duck. This shows how influential Jinchen Deju Xiang Roasted Duck is. Now with the secret recipe for delicious roast duck, the future might not be any worse than De Juxiang, maybe even stronger. Because the effects of delicious roast duck are iparable to any other roast duck shop. In Shuinan Province, De Juxiang roast duck shops aren''t many ¨C there are only three in the entire province, because the roasting process of De Juxiang roast duck is strict andplicated. The duck embryos must be transported from Jinchen, and the wood used to smoke the ducks is also particr¡ªit can only be fruitwood from Jinchen, otherwise the taste will change. This is the main reason why De Juxiang roast duck cannot expand wildly; the restrictions are too great. But this doesn''t affect its fame¡ªon the contrary, it makes people chase after it even more. In terms of market value, Zhou Yaya Company from Jiangbei Province is higher than De Juxiang, reaching a market value of nearly twenty billion, but in terms of reputation, Zhou Yaya cannotpare to De Juxiang. Of course, Zhou Yaya Company''s high market value isn''t just because of Zhou Yaya, but also theirpany''s subsidiary products of geese, duck by-products, vegetarian products, and so on. Thinking of this, Qin Hao suddenly had an idea: he wanted to sell roast duck! "Xiao Hao, time to eat." Just as he fantasized about sweeping the domestic market, Mrs. Qin''s voice awakened him. Qin Hao chuckled and hurried out of the room. The dining table was set with braised fish, roast duck, and several stir-fries. Qin Youguo took out a bottle of Wuliangye baijiu, poured himself a small cup, and then said to Qin Hao, "Xiao Hao, do you want to have a drink with dad?" Upon hearing this, Mrs. Qin said disapprovingly, "Xiao Hao is still in school. What is he doing drinking?" Qin Hao nced at his father, and it was as if he could see a trace of fatigue in the depths of his father''s eyes, "It''s fine, mom. I''ll just have a little." Mr. Qin smiled at this and said, "A little drink is fine, but you can''t have too much. Drinking too much is bad for your health." While saying this, Mr. Qin poured a bit of the alcohol for Qin Hao, roughly a little more than one shot. Mrs. Qin didn''t say anything more, and the family began to eat in harmonious cheerfulness. Mrs. Qin kept putting meat on Qin Hao''s te, causing him a bit of embarrassment. During the meal, Qin Hao quickly finished the white liquor without feeling much, which surprised him. Could it be that my enhanced body has also increased my tolerance for alcohol? In the past, he''d be dizzy after just one bottle of beer, but now he had drunk some baijiu and didn''t feel anything at all. ... After dinner, Qin Hao returned to his room. He could see the weariness hiding in his father''s eyes. He drank with his father wanting to relieve some of his mental pressure. Inside his room, Qin Hao turned on theputer and began searching for the eighty-one medicinal herbs in the delicious roast duck recipe. After some research, he found that all eighty-one types of herbs were the mostmon Chinese medicinal herbs, and they were inexpensive. This meant that the cost of delicious roast duck wasn''t high. This was good news for him. If the cost had been too high, then everything would have been wishful thinking. He nned to make a delicious roast duck over the weekend to see if the effects were really as good as imed. At night, Qin Hao didn''t review his studies. Instead, he yed with his phone for a while. His phone had been handed down from his mother, a smartphone capable of essing chat apps and the inte. Around 7:30 p.m., Du Wanrou sent him a message: "Qin Hao, what are you doing?" Qin Hao: "Nothing much, just revising. How about you?" Du Wanrou: "I just finished eating and am now sitting on the sofa watching TV with my mom." Instantly, Qin Hao didn''t know what to talk about again, he was somewhat at a loss for words. Xiao Ying said speechlessly, "Host, how are you ever going to charm a girl with that approach? Without money or power, you need to have thick skin, get it?" Struck by Xiao Ying''s criticism, Qin Hao felt somewhat speechless and sent Du Wanrou a message, "Shall I tell you a joke?" On the other end, Du Wanrou, upon seeing his message, couldn''t help but recall the suggestive joke Qin Hao sent herst time, her cheeks blushing slightly. After a while, she replied, "What joke?" Qin Hao, seeing her response, felt a surge of happiness. Was this an agreement? No money, no power, it seems I really need to be bolder. He found a joke online and sent it to Du Wanrou: Guan Yu stormed into the tent, shouting, "We are surrounded, big brother, hurry and leave." Liu Bei: "Yunchang, cover our retreat." Guan Yu raised his sword and chopped Liu Chan into two halves. Liu Bei: "Damn, that''s not what I was talking about..." Guan Yu then killed Liu Feng. Liu Bei: "Dammit, not him either!" With a sh of his sword, the space between Liu Bei''s legs turned to blood red... ... Seeing the joke, Du Wanrou was left speechless with ck lines across her forehead: "Is that supposed to be funny?" Qin Hao felt a bit embarrassed: "How about we guess riddles instead?" "What riddles?" Qin Hao: "Four women and four men standing together, guess an idiom." After seeing the question, Du Wanrou racked her brains for ten minutes but still couldn''t figure it out. She had no choice but to give up and asked out of curiosity, "What''s the answer?" Qin Hao replied, "More often unlucky than lucky." After seeing the answer, Du Wanrou was stunned for a moment. More often unlucky than lucky? What kind of nonsensical answer is that? Suddenly, she seemed to realize something, her cheeks instantly turning crimson red. More hens than roosters? This bastard, utterly shameless. Seeing her daughter''s flushed face, Feng Yun asked curiously, "Rourou, what''s wrong? Why is your face so red?" Du Wanrou''s face stiffened, "Ah, no, mom, I''m fine. I''m going to my room to study now. You should rest early too." After speaking, Du Wanrou hurriedly went upstairs back to her room. Feng Yun watched her daughter''s retreating figure with suspicion, as if something dawned on her. She turned off the television and started heading upstairs. Back in her room, Du Wanrou let out a long sigh of relief, touched her still warm cheeks, and thought angrily to herself: Qin Hao, you jerk, you''re done for. Just wait and see how I deal with you at school tomorrow. Just as Du Wanrou put down her phone, Feng Yun walked in, staring at her without saying a word. Du Wanrou felt a bit uneasy, "Mom, what''s wrong?" Feng Yun looked at her and asked, "Are you in a rtionship?" Du Wanrou quickly exined, "No, mom, the college entrance examination is in half a month. What rtionship can I be in? I''m focusing all my attention on revision right now." Feng Yun: "Is that so? Then give me your phone." ... Chapter 15: Chapter 15 Got Blacklisted Du Wanrou''s face changed color, "Mom, why are you looking at my phone when there''s nothing wrong?" Feng Yun, seeing her daughter''s expression, became even more certain of her own thoughts and walked over to the bed to take Du Wanrou''s phone. The phone''s screen was open to a messaging app, and the first contact in the recent list was Qin Hao. When Feng Yun opened it and saw the riddle, and the joke, her face grew darker. What reassured her was that her daughter hadn''t said anything too intimate to the other party. Du Wanrouy on the bed, her face flushing with shame, not daring to look at her mother, as if she had been caught in some guilty act. Feng Yun asked, "Who is this Qin Hao? Why is he so shameless?" In a low voice, Du Wanrou replied, "He''s a ssmate." Feng Yun said, "Don''t bother with people like that in the future. Look at what he''s saying, so shameless. I know you''re embarrassed to block him, but don''t worry, I''ll do it for you." After speaking, Feng Yun added Qin Hao to the cklist. Du Wanrou wanted to stop her mother, but before she could utter a word, her mother had already handed her the phone, where Luo Hao could no longer be found. Feng Yun looked at her daughter earnestly, "Daughter, you''re still young, you need to be more careful not to be deceived by others. You are the apple of your parents'' eye, and we don''t want to see you get hurt." Du Wanrou nodded slightly, "Mm, I know, mom. Don''t worry, your daughter isn''t so easily fooled." A smile appeared on Feng Yun''s face, "Hmm, get some rest early. If that shameless Qin Hao adds you again, tell me, and I will have someone deal with him." Du Wanrou said, "It''s fine, mom, he''s in the cklist now; he can''t add me." Feng Yun remained vignt, "Nowadays everyone has alternate ounts. What if he adds you with an alternate ount? Don''t ept anyone you don''t recognize." "Um... Got it, mom." On the other side, Qin Hao, seeing that Du Wanrou had not replied for a long time, was about to ask her why. Suddenly he realized that Du Wanrou had disappeared from his contacts list; he searched several times but couldn''t find her. Damn, she didn''t cklist me, did she? Qin Hao''s face turned pale; surely Wan Rou wasn''t angry? But that didn''t make sense¡ªwas the riddle really too much? In a mix of confusion and mncholy, Qin Hao drifted off to sleep; he dreamed that Du Wanrou''s parents strongly disapproved of their rtionship. Saying that he was worthless and absolutely not worthy of their daughter... The next morning, After breakfast, Qin Hao went to school. When he arrived in the ssroom, Du Wanrou had not yete. He had just settled into his seat when Chen Shuna came over anxiously, hurriedly saying, "Qin Hao, Qin Hao." Qin Hao looked up curiously, "What''s wrong?" With a touch of embarrassment, Chen Shuna said, "Wang Juan was just called away by Liu Fang from ss 5, and Zhao Man has already followed them. It looks like they''re going to beat up Wang Juan." Curious, Qin Hao asked, "Why beat up Wang Juan?" Chen Shuna said, "Because of Zhao Fei from ss 5. Liu Fang likes Zhao Fei, but Zhao Fei likes Wang Juan from our ss. That''s why Liu Fang wants to beat up Wang Juan." After hearing this, Qin Hao wore a speechless expression, "Girls fighting¡ªwhy are you telling me this? You don''t expect me to fight Liu Fang, do you?" Chen Shuna said irritably, "I want you to go and break it up, to stop them from hitting Wang Juan. Just tell me if you will go or not?" ... Seeing her a bit angry, Qin Hao reluctantly stood up, "Fine, I''ll go with you. But I might not be able to stop them." "Then let''s get going, we''ll be toote if we dy." After speaking, Chen Shuna hurriedly led the way. Qin Hao followed her out, and just as they exited the ssroom, they ran into Xu Liang, who was just arriving with two others at the ssroom door. Xu Liang curiously asked, "Hao, where are you heading to?" Seeing him, Qin Hao quickly replied, "You''vee at the right time, follow me." Under Chen Shuna''s lead, they made their way to the fifth floor of the teaching building. The fifth floor didn''t have any ssrooms, but multimedia rooms,puterbs, and so on, and it was now basically deserted. Chen Shuna led them towards the bathroom on the fifth floor. The bathrooms inside the teaching building were not open, so they had be the sacred ce for many to date and settle scores. After turning a corner, they arrived outside the fifth-floor bathroom, where many people, mostly women, were gathered, with a few men standing inside as well. There were sounds of arguing inside but no fighting, which gave Chen Shuna a sigh of relief. She hurriedly said, "Make way, everyone." But no one made way for her, still crowding around there. Qin Hao frowned slightly, and seeing this, Xu Liang quickly led his people forward: "Make some damn space." Xu Liang indeed had considerable deterrence at Second Middle School, and seeing him, the crowd hastily made a path. Xu Liang turned to look at Qin Hao, "Hao." The people around them all turned to look at Qin Hao, surprised in their hearts: Who is this guy, that even Xu Liang is so respectful? Qin Hao and Chen Shuna entered, and within the crowd, Wang Juan and Zhao Man stood in a corner, looking somewhat unwell, surrounded by six or seven girls and a few boys. Chen Shuna hurried over, "Wang Juan, are you guys okay?" Wang Juan and Zhao Man shook their heads; thankfully Qin Hao and Chen Shuna had arrived on time. If they had been a minuteter, they might have faced a beating. Liu Fang was dressed provocatively, with heavy makeup, and her outfit was quite revealing¡ªa ck pair of stockings, a short skirt, a deep V long-sleeve top, with a very impressive bust, ranking her among the top few at Second Middle School. Qin Hao wondered if it was real or fake; if it was real, was it Innate natural development or post-natal artificial enhancement? Liu Fang turned her head to look at Qin Hao and Xu Liang. She didn''t recognize Qin Hao but knew Xu Liang and was on good terms with him: "Liang, what is this about?" Xu Liang said, "I''m just here to help Hao with some business. For the specifics, you''d better ask Hao himself." Hao? Liu Fang turned to look at Qin Hao; if Xu Liang called him "brother," he was definitely not ordinary, which meant this Hao was more formidable than Xu Liang. While Liu Fang was checking out Qin Hao, he was also sizing her up. Liu Fang was decent-looking, but she didn''tpare to Du Wanrou or Xia Qing. However, her attire was quite bold, seductively charming; to put it bluntly, it was trashy! A student dressed like that disgusted Qin Hao, but somewhere deep inside, he had evil thoughts as well. ... Liu Fang spoke up, "Hao, are you going to handle this matter yourself?" Qin Hao nodded, "Wang Juan is my ssmate. This matter isn''t really rted to her, so don''t bother her again in the future." Liu Fang smiled and nodded, "Since Hao has said so, of course I''ll give face to Hao. Let''s forget about this matter, and I won''t trouble her again." The reason Liu Fang had a big reputation at school was primarily because she was well-connected with people like Xu Liang, Lv GuiBo, and Zheng Yi. There were even rumors that Liu Fang had slept with many people. Hearing her words, Qin Hao nodded slightly, "Thanks." Liu Fang was eloquent, smiling as she said, "Brother Hao, you''re too polite. If your little sister here ever needs help, you''ve got to support me." Chapter 16: Chapter 16 Fame Qin Hao nodded his head; after all, so many people were watching. Liu Fang had given him face, and he couldn''t possibly refuse. Then Qin Hao said to Chen Shuna and the other two, "Let''s go; it''s time for ss soon." Chen Shuna nodded slightly and left with Wang Juan and Zhao Man. When Wang Juan and Zhao Man left, they looked at Qin Hao with grateful eyes. Seeing there was no more drama to watch, the others also left. Qin Hao was about to leave when Xu Liang hastily stopped him. Qin Hao turned around and asked curiously, "What''s up?" Xu Liang: "Hao, did you beat up Liu Jun from the third middle school yesterday?" Liu Fang and her few friends hadn''t left yet, and they were shocked when they heard Xu Liang''s words. They had heard of Liu Jun''s reputation, and he had actually beaten him up? What kind of background did he have? Qin Hao nodded, "Yesterday on my way back, I happened to see them blocking Xia Qing. I couldn''t stand it and taught them a lesson. How did you know about this?" After he spoke, he looked at Xu Liang curiously. Apart from him, only Xia Qing knew about this¡ªhow could Xu Liang know? Xu Liang exined: "Hao, I have a ssmate over there at the third middle school. He told me, and he also said that Liu Jun woulde here to block you after school tonight." Qin Hao''s expression remained calm, showing no change: "Then I''ll wait for him after school." Xu Liang hesitated a moment before saying, "Hao, we''ll apany you after school to meet that Liu Jun." Qin Hao didn''t refuse: "If you guys want to go, then go. I''ll head back first." After Qin Hao left, Liu Fang curiously asked, "Liang, what''s the story with this Hao?" Liu Fang''s friends also looked at Xu Liang curiously. They all wanted to know Qin Hao''s background since even Xu Liang was so respectful toward him. Xu Liang thought for a moment and said, "Do you know Bao from Xinghui Pool Hall?" Liu Fang nodded her head. Li Bao was a well-known figure around Changle Second Middle School. She hadn''t met him, but she had heard of him. Xu Liang whispered, "In the future, even Bao will probably have to call him ''brother''." Liu Fang and the others'' eyes widened, surprise showing on their faces: "He''s that powerful?" Xu Liang warned them: "Just know this between us, don''t spread it around or me me, Xu Liang, for turning against you." Liu Fang smiled and said, "Don''t worry, Liang, my friends and I are all tight-lipped." Xu Liang: "You''re lucky Hao wasn''t mad today; otherwise, if Hao had shown his power, you would have suffered." ... When Qin Hao returned to the ssroom, Chen Shuna, Wang Juan, and Zhao Man were waiting for him at the door. Seeing him return, Chen Shuna and the others hurried up to him and said, "Qin Hao, thank you so much. Otherwise, they would probably have beaten Xiao Juan up." Wang Juan and Zhao Man also looked at him with gratitude. Wang Juan whispered, "Thank you, Qin Hao." Qin Hao smiled and said, "It''s no big deal; I didn''t do much. But I think if something like this happens again, it would still be better to tell a teacher." Wang Juan and the others were taken aback, feeling as if they had heard something wrong, telling a teacher? Brother, you are now a figure at the Second Middle School, and yet you say such things? Are you really clueless or just pretending? Chen Shuna rolled her eyes at him: "Don''t you want to help? Do you think telling a teacher would be useful? By the time a teacher got there, Xiao Juan would have already been beaten up, and the most they would do is give them a warning. Do you think that would be the same?" Qin Hao chuckled dryly, "That''s not what I meant. Having heard you out, I think you make a lot of sense. Feel free to ask for anything in the future; you''ve helped me a lot before too." Upon hearing Qin Hao''s words, Chen Shuna''s face broke into a smile, "At least you have a conscience." Wang Juan and Zhao Man, hearing the conversation, felt a bit envious and at the same time regretted not having helped Luo Hao before. In Qin Hao''s view, these two were already not bad. Although they never spoke up for him, they also never mocked him. If these two had ever mocked or ridiculed him before, he would never have agreed to help this time, even if Chen Shuna had pleaded. Qin Hao said, "I''m going back to study now. The unified exam ising up soon, and you guys should study hard too." Chen Shuna nodded, "Study hard, there''s still hope." Returning to his own seat, Qin Hao noticed that Du Wanrou had already arrived. He stealthily nced at her. She was engrossed in studying. Unable to resist, Qin Hao spoke up, "ss president?" Slowly turning her head to look at him, Du Wanrou spoke in a mild tone, "What is it?" Qin Hao, observing her wlessly crafted features, felt a suffocating sensation, a true beauty indeed. "ss president? Why did you block me?" Du Wanrou responded irritably, "You deserved it for sending that kind of nonsense." Qin Hao quickly begged for mercy, "Give me another chance, ss president. I swear I won''t dare again." Du Wanrou replied dismissively, "It''s useless, my mom was the one who blocked you." ... Qin Hao felt as if struck by lightning. What? Blocked by Du Wanrou''s mother? Did her mom see our chat history? Damn, I haven''t even met her yet and I''ve already offended my future mother-inw. What am I supposed to do now? Seeing his expression, Du Wanrou hummed slightly and turned her head back to her study materials. Qin Hao waspletely distressed, not knowing what to do, thinking about being discovered by Du Wanrou''s mother. What would her mom think of me? It''s over, things with Du Wanrou are going to be even more difficult now. He looked at Du Wanrou with a troubled expression and sighed deeply. Hearing his sigh, a smile flickered across Du Wanrou''s lips. She didn''t know why, but hearing Qin Hao sigh was somehow funny to her. "Is there really no way, ss president?" Qin Hao asked once more. Du Wanrou gave him a nce, "Stop fretting about it. Let''s wait a few days until my mom forgets about this matter, then we''ll talk." Upon hearing this, Qin Hao''s face lit up, "Alright, ss president is the best." ... That day, Qin Hao continued with his study schedule, going through books and knowledge points from grades ten to twelve. He had begun working on the unified exam''s mock papers,pleting a full set in one day. It included subjects likenguage, math, Federationnguage, and abined mock paper, after which he scored himself. He tallied his total score: 536 points. Hisst mock exam scored 450 points; although making obvious progress, he wasn''t satisfied. 536 points was practically useless, barely enough to qualify for the worst first-tier universities. For a prestigious university like Jianghai University, this score was far from sufficient, missing by nearly a hundred points. Chapter 17: Chapters 17-18: Campus Belle Xia Qing Qin Hao carefully reviewed the questions he had answered incorrectly to see exactly where he had gone wrong. He did this to identify his shorings and then improve upon them. Among those incorrect answers, some resulted from carelessness, while others were due to inadequate proficiency in adapting certain knowledge points. The saying "I examine myself three times every day" felt very apt to Qin Hao at this moment. By the afternoon after school, Qin Hao had almost finished reviewing his mistakes and had also focused on revising those knowledge points. Today was Friday, and he had picked up three sets of unified exam mock papers, nning to do them over the weekend at home. Du Wanrou packed up quickly and said to Qin Hao, "Qin Hao, I''m leaving first, bye, see you Monday." Qin Hao smiled and nodded, "Yeah, be careful on your way." After a while, Qin Hao finished packing up his things and walked out of the ssroom with his backpack. Just as he left the ssroom, he was stopped by someone. When he saw who it was, his face froze, "What are you doing here?" Xia Qing asked back, "Why can''t I be here?" Qin Hao found himself somewhat at a loss for words, "Um... Xia Qing, are you looking for me?" Xia Qing nodded, "The incident yesterday was because of me, I can''t just ignore it. If you got beaten up because of this, I would feel terrible." Qin Hao smiled and replied, "It''s okay, who beats whom is still uncertain." Xia Qing''s expression faltered, she could tell that Qin Hao''s confidence was not like others merely boasting. She was curious about what Qin Hao had up his sleeve, why was he not afraid at all? Xia Qing, "No, I must go with you." Qin Hao didn''t mind, and he couldn''t stop Xia Qing either, "It''s up to you, if you want to follow then follow." Xia Qing was taken aback, what do you mean ''it''s up to me''? What kind of attitude is that? I''m recognized as the school beauty at Secondary School No. 2, so many boys would love to be seen with me, yet you seem so indifferent? She was a bit indignant. Qin Hao walked down from the school building, with Xia Qing following beside him. On the way, many people recognized Xia Qing, and their expressions were surprised to see her walking with Qin Hao. Because, in their impression, Xia Qing was always solitary, never walking with any boy. A freshman whispered, "Who is that guy? He''s actually walking with my goddess." Another freshman replied, "You don''t even know him?" "That impressive? No wonder he''s walking with the goddess Xia." Upon hearing Xu Liang''s name, that person showed fear. Now, hearing that Qin Hao was even more formidable than Xu Liang, his tone immediately changed. ... Qin Hao soon arrived at the school gate, and on the way, he really didn''t know how to chat with Xia Qing, so he remained silent. Because he used to be very introverted, he barely had any experience talking with women. In Xia Qing''s eyes, this made Qin Hao seem very reserved, not really keen on engaging with her, which made her doubt her attractiveness for the first time. At the school gate, Xu Liang and others were already waiting for him. Among them, he recognized a few, like Lv GuiBo, but most were strangers to him. When Xu Liang saw himing, he quickly called out. He also noticed Xia Qing next to Qin Hao, surprised, wondering what was going on? Could it be that Hao and Xia Qing were together now? He hurriedly greeted, "Sister Qing, hello." Xia Qing nodded and did not speak. Generally, she wouldn''t bother with these kinds of people, her response to Xu Liang was merely out of respect for Qin Hao. Xu Liang hurriedly introduced, "Let me introduce you, this is Lv GuiBo from ss seven, this is Zheng Yi from ss four." Lv GuiBo and Zheng Yi, whose reputations were not as prominent as Xu Liang''s, also called out respectfully upon seeing how Xu Liang respected Qin Hao. [Because chapter 18 was blocked, it is temporarily posted after chapter 17] Behind Xu Liang, besides him, Qin Hao only knew Lv GuiBo, whom he had beaten up before. Many students justing out of school saw this scene and looked surprised; what was going on? Xia Qing was astonished; all these people were calling him Hao; this guy is really impressive. No wonder he is not afraid of people like Liu Jun. Qin Hao, feeling the many gazes around him, felt somewhat uneasy and asked, "Did Liu Jun arrive?" Xu Liang nodded, "Yes, he is waiting over there in the woods." Qin Hao: "Let''s head over then, don''t just stand here, it''s too conspicuous." After he finished speaking, he led the way to the grove, with Xia Qing, Xu Liang, and others following behind him. Halfway there, Qin Hao turned to look at Xia Qing, "Maybe you shouldn''t go. There might be a fight." Xia Qing chuckled and said, "It''s okay, I''ll just watch from the outside, I won''t go in." Qin Hao said nothing more and walked into the nearby grove. Inside the grove, Liu Jun had brought quite a few people, nning to give Qin Hao a harsh lesson tonight. Seeing Qin Hao entering with arge group, the people behind Liu Jun became somewhat panicked. Liu Jun hadn''t expected him to gather so many, especially when he saw Xu Liang, Lv GuiBo, and Zheng Yi behind him. He frowned slightly, "Xu Liang, Lv GuiBo, Zheng Yi, what do you three mean by this? Are you intending to oppose me, Liu Jun?" Since Xu Liang and the others were well-known at school, Liu Jun had seen them a few times. Liu Jun didn''t expect them to band together. Xu Liang said with a smile, "No particr meaning, just checking who dares to offend Hao." Liu Jun''s expression darkened, "Looks like you''re determined to oppose me? Is it because Li Bao was beaten by our Qiang, and Bao doesn''t dare to seek trouble from Qiang, so youe to vent on me?" Xu Liang scoffed, "I wasn''t aware of this matter. Be careful with your words, Liu Jun. My Bao is not a vegetarian, Wang Qiang is nothing." Liu Jun wanted to say more, but suddenly Qin Hao stepped forward, "Disperse all these people, just leave him behind. Didn''t you want to teach me a lesson? Here I am, what are you nning to do?" Xu Liang and his people drove away Liu Jun''s followers. They did not dare to resist, as the other side had more people. Only Qin Hao and Liu Jun remained in the grove. Seeing that the situation was unfavorable today, Liu Jun decided to leave, "Consider yourself lucky today, we''ll see next time." If there really was a fight, there was no doubt that he would be at a disadvantage. Just as Liu Jun was about to leave, Qin Hao spoke up, "Hold it, do you think this is a ce you cane and go as you please?" Upon hearing his words, Liu Jun''s face turned sour, "Qin Hao, don''t think just because you know a bit of martial arts that you''re invincible. In Mr. Fa''s and Qiang''s eyes, you''re nothing." Qin Hao dashed up in one move andnded two ps on his face, "I don''t care who you know, today I, Qin Hao, am determined to teach you an unforgettable lesson." Liu Jun, having been pped, couldn''t hold back and threw a punch at Qin Hao. His strength and speed seemed feeble and posed no threat in Qin Hao''s eyes. Qin Hao easily caught his fist and then kicked out, knocking him down to the ground. Before Liu Jun could get up, Qin Hao stepped on his chest, the immense force changing Liu Jun''splexion drastically. He struggled to rise, but he simply couldn''tpare to Qin Hao''s strength. Liu Jun was now like a fish on a chopping board, thrashing helplessly but unable to escape. His face turned beet red, filled with humiliation. Now, he harbored thoughts of killing Qin Hao, his hatred reaching its peak. From a distance, Xia Qing, seeing this, felt no pity for Liu Jun. Considering his past actions, she found them infuriating and thought this punishment was deserved. Moreover, Xia Qing felt the punishment was somewhat light. Qin Hao looked down at Liu Jun on the ground and said coldly, "Are you convinced or not?" "What are you worth? If you have the nerve, just kill me," Liu Jun said, his eyes full of humiliation and anger. Qin Hao: "How would you feel if I were to strip off your clothes, tie you to a tree, and let mosquitoes bite you all night?" Liu Jun''s expression changed instantly, he would rather have Qin Hao beat him than endure that. Qin Hao looked at Xu Liang, Lv GuiBo, and Zheng Yi. They quickly caught on and came over. Qin Hao: "Strip him and tie him to a tree." Xu Liang and the others were relentless. As two of them held him, they were about to proceed. Seeing this, Liu Jun panicked and quickly said, "I give up, I give up." Xu Liang and the others stopped and turned to look at Qin Hao. Qin Hao stared at Liu Jun, who was visibly frightened and uneasy, "Qin Hao, I give in, I truly give in." "Fine, as long as you''re convinced. Remember, if you dare toe here again, next time I''ll tie you to a tree, and begging won''t help, got it?" Liu Jun nodded hurriedly, agreeing with whatever was said just to be able to leave this ce. Liu Jun, having been beaten, left the ce with his dignity in tatters. Qin Hao said to Xu Liang and the others, "Thanks for today." "No worries, Hao, it was the right thing to do. We''ll be heading off now," Xu Liang and the others bid farewell to Qin Hao one by one. After everyone had left, Xia Qing came over, her fair and delicate face wearing a slight smile, "Thank you for today." Chapter 18: Chapter 19 Can We Be Friends? Qin Hao asked in confusion, "Why are you thanking me again? I didn''t help you today." Xia Qing''s pretty face bloomed with a smile, "Let''s walk and talk." She turned and walked out of the woods, and Qin Hao watched her beautiful back with an admiring look in his eyes. Xia Qing was wearing the school uniform from No.2 Middle School, with a high-cored long-sleeve top and a ck short skirt underneath. Her straight and slender jade legs were particrly eye-catching. Fortunately, she was also wearing ck over-the-knee socks, otherwise those legs alone would be enough to lead to crime. Qin Hao took a couple of nces, then hurriedly followed her, afraid that he wouldn''t be able to control himself if he looked any longer. Having left the grove of trees, Qin Hao caught up with her and they walked side by side towards the Cuijing District. Xia Qing walked slowly, her head down as she looked at her ck boots, "Do you know why I thanked you just now?" Qin Hao shook his head nkly, "Why?" Xia Qing raised her head to look ahead, her cherry lips parting slightly, "When I was in junior high, I had a good friend named Chen Rourou. She was pretty, and she was my good friend." Chen Rourou? Qin Hao had not heard this name in No.2 Middle School. If Xia Qing said she was pretty, she must be not bad-looking. Since she brought up this Chen Rourou, Qin Hao felt that it must be rted to her, and he also felt it had to do with Liu Jun. But he couldn''t quite figure out what exactly the situation was, and asked gently, "She doesn''t attend our No.2 Middle School, does she?" Xia Qing nodded, the smile gone from her face, "Right, she scored very low on the entrance exams and could only go to No.3 Middle School." Just as he guessed, No.3 Middle School, her story matched Qin Hao''s spections precisely, and he also sensed that this matter had something to do with Liu Jun. She continued, "She went to No.3 Middle School, the same school as Liu Jun. Because she was very pretty, a lot of people pursued her, including Liu Jun. Rourou was deceived by his sweet talk, and they started dating. Not long after, Liu Jun found ways to sleep with her." Qin Hao was taken aback for a moment, then came to a realization; there were many who dated in high school and even more who crossed that line. Someone like Liu Jun must have had his share of women. Damn, all the good cabbages were dug up by pigs. Xia Qing didn''t look at his reaction, speaking as if to herself, "Afterwards, Liu Jun''s true nature came out. After he slept with Rourou, he dumped her. She couldn''t ept this blow. She had given her most precious thing to Liu Jun, who was only interested in her beauty. She started to abandon herself to despair, to degenerate. Now, she''s well-known in No.3 Middle School, and many people secretly call her ''Seductive Rourou''." Having said this, her expression turned somewhat despondent, and she sighed. After listening, Qin Hao''s eyes flickered, and he said nothing, feeling that there was a time to be just a listener. The two walked in silence for a while, and Xia Qing turned to look at him, "Do you know now why I am thanking you?" Qin Hao nodded, "I think I do." A slight smile appeared on Xia Qing''s face, "Liu Jun is a beast in human skin. Today, seeing you teach him a lesson, honestly, I felt really happy." Qin Hao replied indifferently, "If Chen Rourou knew, she might not be happy, right?" Xia Qing was startled, looking at Qin Hao, "How do you know that?" Qin Hao said with a smile, "Afterwards Chen Rourou let herself go, became degenerate, all just to get back at Liu Jun. She wanted Liu Jun to know that a lot of people wanted to sleep with Chen Rourou. You will regret dumping me! Chen Rourou developed feelings for Liu Jun at an inappropriate age, feelings she shouldn''t have had. I beat up Liu Jun, she would hardly be pleased. She might even want to beat me up. Am I right?" Xia Qing, "That sounds about right. I didn''t expect you to know she had real feelings for Liu Jun without even meeting her." Qin Hao said with a smile, "I know a bit more." Xia Qing looked at him with curiosity, "Which bit?" Qin Hao gazed into Xia Qing''s beautiful eyes, the longshes, the vibrant, lovelyrge eyes, very enchanting, "Chen Rourou must really hate you, doesn''t she?" ... Xia Qing was stunned and nkly stared at him, her mind not quite grasping his thoughts, until she slowly came to her senses. She was a little shocked, "How did you know that?" Qin Hao''s answer was simple, "I guessed." Xia Qing asked curiously, "Can you tell me how you guessed?" After thinking for a moment, Qin Hao said, "Chen Rourou and you were good sisters. After she started dating Liu Jun, didn''t she bring him to meet you?" "That''s right. It was during a holiday in our second year of high school. She was out with Liu Jun and called me out, and then Liu Jun saw me. From start to finish, I barely spoke to Liu Jun. But they broke up not long after, and then Liu Jun started pursuing me. I had no feelings for him and turned him down, but he wouldn''t let up. Somehow Rourou got wind of this, and she med me for their breakup, using me of being blind to be friends with me." ... The whole story was just as Xia Qing told it, not much different from what Qin Hao had guessed. After finishing her story, Xia Qing''s mood dipped, and she fell silent. Qin Hao knew she felt upset because the situation really had nothing to do with her; it was all because of Liu Jun. Liu Jun was not the faithful type to begin with, and Rourou''s interest in him was a mistake from the start. Qin Hao sought tofort her, "Don''t be sad. These things will pass, and maybe Rourou said those hurtful things because she''s in a tough spot herself. Try to look at the bright side." Xia Qing looked up at him, a smile breaking across her face, a cheerful, infectious beam that brought out the charming dimples on her cheeks. Seeing this, Qin Hao was captivated. In that moment, Xia Qing was truly beautiful. His heart thudded wildly; it was like returning to the moment he first saw Du Wanrou, a thrilling feeling. Xia Qing saw him spaced out and felt a bit smug; she had thought her beauty had no effect on Qin Hao, but it seemed to work quite well now. She asked beamingly, "What kind of difficulties do you think she''s having?" Qin Hao came to his senses, his cheeks flushing slightly, rather embarrassed. After all, being caught staring is quite an awkward situation. He was relieved to see Xia Qing didn''t dwell on it and said after some thought, "Maybe she feels she doesn''t deserve to be friends with you anymore, which is why she''s saying things that hurt you." Xia Qing inquired, "Anything else?" Qin Hao shook his head, "That''s all I can think of, and it''s quite likely." After a moment''s contemtion, as if struck by a realization, Xia Qing smiled at him, "Qin Hao, can we be friends?" Qin Hao was deeply moved, looking at Xia Qing earnestly, "You''re the first person to ever say that to me. I would be d to be your friend, just afraid you might not want to." He looked somewhat shy as he finished. Seeing him now, Xia Qing found it hard to associate the Qin Hao before her with the assertive presence he had in the woods just earlier, like they were two different people. Chapter 19: Chapter 20 Untitled Xia Qing suddenly remembered and asked, "What''s your chat app ID? I''ll add you when I get back." Qin Hao took out a piece of paper and a pen, wrote down his chat app ID, and handed it to her. Xia Qing epted the slip of paper, smiled, and said, "Remember to go online when you get back and ept my request, I''m heading out first." Qin Hao nodded, watched her until she was out of sight, and then headed back to his own home. When he arrived at home, Qin Youguo and Li Shujie were already there; Qin Hao greeted them and then went back to his room. The first thing he did was turn on hisputer and log into the chat app, as soon as he logged in, the notification bell rang, and when he checked it, what popped up was a female avatar, the screen name was Xia Tianqinng. Could this be Xia Qing? Isn''t this screen name kinda tacky? Qin Hao clicked ept, and the two became friends, he sent a message: "Xia Qing?" Xia Qing replied quickly: "Yes, that''s right. You''re quite fast." Qin Hao: "I just got home and turned on theputer." Xia Qing, pleased with his reply, asked: "Are your uncle and aunt home?" "Yes, they are. But isn''t your screen name a bit tacky?" Seeing his response, Xia Qing was speechless: "Tacky? Why does everyone say that? I think it''s quite nice." ... Qin Hao was at a loss for words, and Xia Qing sent him another message: "Aren''t you going to study?" "I''ll think about it on the weekend." Xia Qing: "Which university are you nning to attend?" After thinking, Qin Hao replied: "Jianghai University, what about you?" Xia Qing was surprised by his response: "You also n to attend Jianghai University? I n to apply to the Foreign Language College there." "What a coincidence?" Qin Hao was taken aback. Xia Qing: "The admission score for Jianghai University isn''t low, are you confident about getting in? I''ve never seen your name on the school''s honor roll." Qin Hao replied with a smile: "Since I said so, of course, I am confident." After chatting for a while, Xia Qing went to have dinner, and Qin Hao''s mother called him for dinner as well. During dinner, Mrs. Qin told him: Both of them would have to work overtime at the factory tomorrow, so they wouldn''t be home. After dinner, as soon as Qin Hao returned to his room, his chat app chimed again; it was Xia Qing sending him a message: "Have you finished eating?" Seeing the message, Qin Hao replied: "Just finished, you?" Xia Qing: "I also just finished. Tomorrow my parents are taking me shopping, hehe." "Congrattions! My parents have to work overtime; I have to stay home alone." Qin Hao added a crying face at the end. Xia Qing suddenly asked, "I heard that Du Wanrou and you are desk mates?" Seeing her message, Qin Hao was startled, how did she know? She couldn''t have just asked around, could she? Qin Hao: "Yeah, how did you know?" On the other end, Xia Qing was smiling: "Your ssmate Chen Shuna and I are friends. I just asked her, and I heard that your grades are at the bottom of the ss..." Qin Hao felt a bit embarrassed, since he had always been at the bottom of his ss, and just now in front of Xia Qing, he had talked about attending Jianghai University, she might just think he was bragging. But before Qin Hao could respond, Xia Qing sent him another message: "Not going to talk now, my mom''s calling me." ... Qin Hao didn''t study; hey in bed thinking about the next day, that afternoon he had to find Li Bao to help him neutralize Wang Qiang and his crew, it was going to be a real battle. In the past, fights at school were just minor scuffles. The fight with Wang Qiang tomorrow would be a true fight, even breaking limbs was a very real possibility, he had to be cautious. And this battle could only end in victory, not just to bring Li Bao and the others under his wing, gain achievement points, but also for his future ns. For his parents, for Du Wanrou, and for his future self, he had to give it his all. The next day When Qin Hao got up, it was already after nine in the morning, he washed up, and by the time he finished breakfast, it was already past ten. He got ready and dressed in casual attire before leaving his home, heading toward Xinghui Pool Hall. Chapter 20: Chapters 21-22 Golden Bright KTV Qin Hao walked for about ten minutes and arrived at the entrance of Xinghui Pool Hall. Three vans were parked at the entrance of the pool hall. He nced at them and walked in. Inside, a group of people were gathered, talking about something. Qin Hao looked around, and there were at least nearly twenty people in the pool hall, including Xu Liang. When Xu Liang saw him, he quickly said to Li Bao, "Bao, Hao has arrived." Li Bao hurried out, "Hao has arrived." Qin Hao looked at the crowd and asked Li Bao, "Has everyone been gathered?" Li Bao nodded and then led Qin Hao inside to take the main seat. Although Qin Hao had not yet taught Wang Qiang a lesson, given Qin Hao''s strength, it was not excessive to address him as Hao. In the world of the underworld, the one with the toughest fists is the big brother, and strength is respected. Li Bao introduced him to the people around, "This is Hao. Today, Hao will lead us to teach Wang Qiang a lesson and show him our power." "Right, let Wang Qiang know our power too." "We follow Bao and Hao, whatever you say, we''ll do." "Wang Qiang is arrogant and overbearing, he must be taught a lesson today." Li Bao''s followers had often suffered under Wang Qiang''s men and they were all holding in their anger. Li Bao gestured for everyone to be quiet, then said to Qin Hao, "Wang Qiang usually stays in Golden Bright KTV, where he watches over the ce. He has a few followers, and his two confidants are Cao Fa and Feng Hao, both of whom are skilled martial artists." Li Bao had suffered a loss at the hands of these two before, and if it weren''t for them, he and Kang Youyi would not have been beaten so badly. Qin Hao, "Since everyone is here, let''s not wait till the afternoon. Let''s set out now. After dealing with Wang Qiang, I still have other matters to attend to." Li Bao, Kang Youyi, Xu Liang, and the others around them were stunned. Dealing with Wang Qiang and then other matters too? Big brother, you talk so lightly,pletely disregarding Wang Qiang. He is not just some street thug. Although Wang Qiang is not part of any big triad, he is definitely not easy to provoke. Li Bao and Kang Youyi looked at Qin Hao, "Hao, you say we should go now?" Qin Hao, "Everyone is already here, so let''s go. The sooner we finish, the better." Seeing Qin Hao say this, Li Bao nodded, "Alright, let''s listen to Hao, and get ready to set out." Three minutester All three vans parked outside Xinghui Pool Hall started up and left for Golden Bright KTV. Yonghe Street isrge, with Kang Youyi''s Xinghui Pool Hall on the east side of Yonghui Street and Golden Bright KTV in the bustling center of Yonghui Street. Although on the same street, the distance is not short. In the first van, Qin Hao was sitting with Li Bao, Kang Youyi, Xu Liang, and others. Li Bao asked, "Hao, what shall we do when we get there?" Qin Hao, "As long as they are Wang Qiang''s men, just beat them. Just don''t kill anyone." Li Bao nodded. He knew the limits; bruising the opponent''s face to avenge that arrow was enough. The three vans stopped in front of Golden Bright KTV. It was now almost eleven in the morning. At this time, the KTV had just opened, and there weren''t many people inside. Qin Hao and his group got out of the vehicles and walked straight toward the entrance of the KTV. Qun Hao walked at the front, followed by Li Bao, Kang Youyi, Xu Liang, Wang Hong, Zheng Tai, and others. Walking into the KTV, the interior was decoratedvishly. The other day, two staff members were sitting there. When they saw peopleing in, they hastily said, "How many gentlemen?" When they saw the dozens of people following Qin Hao, the expressions on the female front desk attendants'' faces changed immediately. Seeing the imposing group, it was clear they were not there to sing but to create trouble. Qin Hao walked up to the bar and asked, "Where is Wang Qiang?" The female attendant stuttered, "Qiang... Qiang... brother is... in the back, at the dance floor." Qin Hao said to Li Bao, "Leave some people here to watch." Li Bao arranged for four people to stay, and then the rest followed Qin Hao to the back, toward the dance floor. The Golden Bright KTV was four stories high, the first floor simr to a bar, with a dance floor and seating, very busy in the evenings, and the second and third floors were all private rooms, while the fourth floor was the KTV''s various management offices. Qin Hao led the group to the dance floor in the back. There were actually dozens of people standing there, and only one person was sitting, a middle-aged man with short hair. He was sitting in a chair, sipping red wine, with a mocking smile on his lips as he watched Qin Hao and his group. A sh of surprise crossed Qin Hao''s eyes. Wang Qiang was clearly prepared, obviously knowing they wereing. There was a traitor among Li Bao''s people. Indeed, Li Bao''s face looked extremely embarrassed as he turned to look at the people behind him. Some of them looked puzzled, others frowned tightly, and one person''s gaze flickered, afraid to meet Li Bao''s eyes. At that moment, Wang Qiang sneered, "Is this the help you found, Li Bao? A guy who''s not even fully grown?" "Haha" Wang Qiang''s men burst into heartyughter,pletely dismissive of Qin Hao and his group. "Wang Hongshuai, why don''t youe over here and follow me from now on? I guarantee you''ll have a better future than with Li Bao," Wang Qiang said to someone in the crowd behind Li Bao. Wang Hongshuai quickly ran out from the crowd to Wang Qiang''s side, "Brother Qiang." Wang Qiang nodded in approval, "Good, from now on, you''re one of my men, Wang Qiang''s man." Li Bao''s face turned extremely ugly, realizing there was a betrayer among his men, which was even more unbearable than being beaten up himself: "Wang Hongshuai, I have never mistreated you, Li Bao. I can''t believe you would betray me." Wang Hongshuai: "People climb to higher ces and water flows to lower ces. Following you, Li Bao, we have to take crap every day, walking on eggshells. But it''s different with Brother Qiang. Brothers, it''s better to turn from darkness to light, following Brother Qiang is much better than sticking with Li Bao." His words indeed had a huge impact, causing a stir among the crowd behind Li Bao. At that moment, Li Bao also spoke up, "Wang Hongshuai, do you think you''ll have a good time following Wang Qiang? He''s harsh on his own men, let alone a betrayer like you." Qin Hao stepped forward and looked at Wang Qiang, "Less nonsense, today whoever loses gets out of Yonghe Street, how about that? Wang Qiang looked him over and sneered, "Who are you to pop out from nowhere? Can you speak for Li Bao?" Li Bao: "Whatever Hao says can certainly represent me. Today, whoever loses gets out of Yonghe Street." "Fine, you think you can challenge me with these people? Attack!" At Wang Qiang''smand, several men charged forward while Cao Fa and Feng Hao, who stood by his side, did not move. Because he felt there was no need, these men were enough to handle Li Bao and the others. The two sides shed, and Qin Hao was very strong, hardly having an equal, with anyone who confronted him ending up lying on the ground, incapacitated. ... Five minutester, all of Wang Qiang''s men were defeated andying on the ground. Wang Qiang was also hauled away by Li Bao for handling. Just then, a middle-aged man dressed in a suit hurriedly entered, and his expression faltered as he saw the scene inside the dance floor. Seeing the man, Li Bao said to Qin Hao, "He is the boss here, He Gongxiang." He Gongxiang, seeing the scene, understood what was happening. He walked up to Li Bao with a smile, "I presume this must be Brother Bao?" Li Bao nced at him and said, "This is our Brother Hao." He Gongxiang turned to Qin Hao, his expression taken aback¡ªthis person with a youthful, delicate appearance is your boss? Are you kidding me? "What do you mean, Mr. He? Are you looking down on our Brother Hao?" Li Bao saw him standing there, hesitating, and his expression darkened. What He Gongxiang feared most in his job was offending people like Li Bao and Wang Qiang. He had previously hired Wang Qiang to oversee the ce, to deter others from causing trouble. If it weren''t for Wang Qiang''s oversight, his KTV wouldn''t have been able to operate peacefully. Now that Wang Qiang had been defeated, Golden Bright KTV needed to find another powerful figure to watch over it to continue operating. Seeing Li Bao''s displeasure, he quickly said, "Don''t get me wrong, Brother Bao, I was just struck by Brother Hao''s distinguished air, far from the ordinary, and I was momentarily stunned." Then, smiling widely at Qin Hao, He Gongxiang said, "Brother Hao, hello, I am He Gongxiang, the boss of Golden Bright KTV." Qin Hao nodded slightly, "What''s the matter?" He Gongxiang: "Let''s talk upstairs." ... Inside a luxurious VIP room on the third floor of Golden Bright KTV, Qin Hao, Li Bao, Kang Youyi, and He Gongxiang sat inside the room, the coffee tableden with the finest red wine. Several young and beautiful women also sat next to Li Bao andpany. He Gongxiang brought out ten bundles of money, "Brother Hao, we still need your men to help look after the ce, this is a little token of my appreciation." ... Chapter 21: Chapter 23 Medicinal Herb Market He Gongxiang respectfully offered a ss of wine to both Qin Hao and Li Bao before leaving. Qin Hao said to Li Bao, "This kind of money can be taken, but there are certain things you must never do. Do you understand what I mean?" Li Bao knew what he was referring to and nodded. He didn''t want to engage in illegal activities, but earning some money from gray areas was still eptable. Li Bao: "Hao, what should we do next?" Qin Hao looked at him and said, "Feel free to share any ideas you have." Li Bao: "There are three KTVs and several bars on Yonghe Street, as well as some small hotels. I want our brothers to take over these ces and collect some protection fees. This should more than suffice to support them monthly." Kang Youyi nodded, "This way, we''ll also have extra funds for other activities." Qin Hao thought for a moment and nodded, "Being in this industry isn''t a long-term n. I have some ideas too. Eventually, you''ll follow me into legitimate businesses." "What kind of legitimate businesses?" Li Bao and Kang Youyi asked curiously. Qin Hao: "You''ll know when the timees. Right now, your task is to generate more ie. Li Bao, you handle the remaining KTVs. Any problems with that?" Li Bao confidently replied: "Don''t worry, Hao, there are no problems. Right now we are considered the second inmand on Yonghe Street, no one dares to im they are the top." Qin Hao nodded slightly, "Whether it''s making roast duck or something else, it all requires capital." He was currently a senior high school student, utterly broke, and didn''t have a penny to his name. Right now, he could only rely on this to raise some funds. Qin Hao took a stack of money, probably ten thousand yuan, "Take half of this money and distribute it among the brothers, the two of you keep the rest." When Li Bao and Kang Youyi heard this, they quickly said, "Hao, isn''t what you''re keeping too little? Also, isn''t fifty thousand too much to give to those guys?" Qin Hao: "Although I don''t have much social experience, I know that if you treat others well, they will treat you well in return. Fifty thousand for the brothers, and out of the remaining fifty thousand, each of us takes ten, and we keep twenty as capital." Li Bao and Kang Youyi were moved, "Hao, you take thirty thousand, and Fatso and I will each take ten thousand, the rest goes to the brothers." No matter what Qin Hao said, the two were adamant, and ultimately Qin Hao took thirty thousand, Li Bao and Kang Youyi each took ten thousand, and the remaining fifty thousand went to the brothers. After sorting out the money, Li Bao said to Luo Hao, "Hao, I, Li Bao, am fortunate to have met you in this life. I mean what I say, from now on, you are my big brother." Kang Youyi said earnestly too, "Hao, although we are older than you, you have the capabilities and the means. From now on, you are my big brother." "Ding, congrattions to the host forpleting a random task, awarding 500 achievement points." Qin Hao: "You guys handle things here, I have other matters to attend to." Li Bao quickly said, "Hao, do you need a couple of people with you?" Qin Hao: "No need, I''m not going to fight, I''m just going to the medicinal material market to buy some herbs." "Hao, let us see you off." Qin Hao walked out of the private room, followed by Li Bao and Kang Youyi. There were quite a few people standing outside, and when they saw Qin Haoing out, they all respectfully called out, "Hao." Li Bao handed the fifty thousand yuan to his subordinate, Wang Hong: "Hao said to distribute this money to the brothers." Wang Hong looked at the money, a look of joy on his face: "Thank you, Hao." ... Li Bao and Kang Youyi, along with others, escorted him to the KTV entrance. Qin Hao said to them, "If there''s anything you can''t handle, give me a call. You guys go back, I''m leaving." Li Bao nodded, "Yes, Hao." Qin Hao walked a distance ahead and arrived at the bus stop, where Li Bao and the others watched him get on the bus before returning to the KTV. It was now just past eleven-thirty in the morning, and there weren''t many people at the bus stop. Soon a bus arrived, he boarded it, swiped his card, and then found a seat in the back. After more than half an hour, the bus reached the herbal market stop, Qin Hao swiped his card again and then got off. The herbal market was not far from the bus stop; it took him only a few minutes to walk to the wholesale herbal market. This was thergest wholesale herbal market in Jiangshan City and was also well-known throughout Shuinan Province. Shuinan Province was mountainous with arge variety of herbs, and as Jiangshan City was adjacent to the Yunshan Mountain Range, the output of herbs here was quite impressive. Every day, manyrge trucks would enter the herbal wholesale market, transporting these local herbs to all parts of the country. Even a significant portion of the herbs were transported to neighbouring countries such as Nanxishan Country, Siam, and Nangong. The herbal market was bustling with people and many herb shops; he walked around inside and soon arrived at a shop called the Hundred Medicine Pavilion. This shop was almost thergest in the herbal market. Qin Hao stepped inside and saw the shop filled with densely packed cabs of herbs, incredibly numerous at first nce. Inside the shop, a middle-aged man and a young, pretty girl were talking with an old man. As Qin Hao walked in, a girl at the counter smiled and asked, "What would you like to buy, sir?" "Licorice, Angelica, Solomon''s Seal¡­ Do you have these?" Qin Hao listed all eighty-one types of traditional Chinese herbs in one breath. The girl behind the counter stared at him nkly. Big brother, have you memorized all these herbs? Are you a practitioner of Chinese medicine or what? Seeing her in a daze, Qin Hao curiously asked, "Are you alright?" The girl snapped back to reality, her cheeks slightly blushing as she hurriedly said, "Sir, could you please speak a bit slower?" After speaking, she couldn''t help but steal a few nces at Qin Hao. He appeared to be only about eighteen or neen and spoke with an air of familiarity about herbal materials. Perhaps his family was a line of traditional Chinese physicians, or maybe they dealt with herbal materials, Liang Ya spected in her mind. At that moment, the old man not far away said to the girl at the counter, "Xiao Ya, bring out that top-quality ginseng." The girl at the counter apologized to Qin Hao, "Please wait a moment, sir." She hurriedly went upstairs and then came down carrying a wooden box about fifty to sixty centimeters long. The old man, as well as the middle-aged man and the young girl, came over. The old man, named Liang Chengwang and the owner of the Hundred Medicine Pavilion, smiled and took the box, saying, "Mr. Xu, you check the goods first." Xu Jiekang opened the wooden box, which was wrapped in a vacuum-sealed stic bag. The ginseng inside was about thirty centimeters long and was free of wormholes, a rare top-quality specimen. Standing beside, Qin Hao also couldn''t help but take a few more nces, internally marveling at the robustness of this ginseng which must be several hundred years old. The price of such ginseng must be astronomical. Having observed the ginseng, Qin Hao nced at Xu Jiekang and the young girl beside him again, realizing that those who could afford such premium ginseng must be no ordinary people. Chapter 22: Chapter 24: An Interlude at the Pharmacy Xu Jiekang was very satisfied with the top-notch red ginseng, "Mr. Liang, the red ginseng is good, let''s talk price." Liang Chengwang said with a smile, "Mr. Xu, we''ve done business quite often, for this red ginseng, I''ll charge you three hundred thousand. You''re in the industry, so you should know the value of this top-notch red ginseng." Xu Jiekang smiled, "Mr. Liang, three hundred thousand is a bit expensive, how about two hundred and sixty thousand?" Liang Chengwang hesitated for a moment, but eventually nodded with difficulty, "Fine, I''ll sell it to you for two hundred and sixty thousand. Brother, I''m not really making much profit here, consider it a thank you for all the support you''ve given my business over the years." In just a few minutes, a nearly three hundred thousand yuan deal was done. Qin Hao marveled to himself, the world of the wealthy really is different. Two hundred and sixty thousand yuan would almost amount to all the savings for Qin Hao''s family. Xu Siyao noticed the look of envy and jealousy in Qin Hao''s eyes and disdainfully curled her lip, "What are you ogling at, bumpkin." Qin Hao furrowed his brow and looked at Xu Siyao, "I thought you were pretty and cute, but who knew you were so ill-mannered." Upon hearing his words, Xu Siyao''s face changed instantly, "Bumpkin, who are you saying is ill-mannered? Say it again if you dare." Xu Jiekang quickly held his daughter back, saying sternly, "What did you promise your dad before you came out? Apologize to this young man." "Why should I apologize, he insulted me first, saying I''m ill-mannered," Xu Siyao struggled, iling her arms and legs. If it wasn''t for her father holding her back, she might havended her punches and kicks on Qin Hao. Qin Hao couldn''t be bothered with such a shrew, "Let it be, I don''t need an apology from someone who''s about to die." Instantly, the pharmacy fell silent, and all four people turned to look at Qin Hao. Xu Siyao was furious, "You bumpkin, how dare you curse me to die. I''ll have you know, if this were in Jianghai City, you''d be finished, got that?" Xu Jiekang''s expression also soured, "Young man, mind your words. Some things are not to be joked about lightly." Qin Hao looked at Xu Jiekang, "Do you think I have time to joke with someone so unreasonable?" Xu Siyao was enraged, "Bumpkin, who are you calling unreasonable? Don''t think just because this isn''t Jiangshan City that I can''t deal with you." Qin Hao didn''t respond to her, but instead said to Xu Jiekang, "Uncle, you seem like a nice man, but your daughter''s upbringing isn''t quite there. Seeing as you can discern right from wrong, I''ll give you a piece of advice: Take the time to find someone to treat her illness." "You''re the sick one, your whole family is sick," she retorted. ¡­ Xu Jiekang''s piercing eyes gazed at him, his thick eyebrows furrowed, "Young man, what do you mean by that? Could you rify?" Qin Hao spoke, "If I''m not mistaken, she must have been a premature birth." Liang Ya and Liang Chengwang were stunned, a premature birth? Could he really tell? Xu Jiekang was also taken aback, and although he didn''t know how Qin Hao knew, he still nodded. Xu Siyao also stopped her outburst, curious to see what else this bumpkin coulde up with. Getting the correct response, Qin Hao grew more confident in his medical skills¡ªif he had been wrong on his first guess, that would have been embarrassing. He continued, "When she was still unborn, her mother had already passed away, hadn''t she?" The moment those words were uttered, Xu Jiekang''s body shook, and he looked at him with disbelief. Because what Qin Hao said was exactly right¡ªwhen Xu Siyao was born, her mother had indeed died. How could he possibly know this? Could he have researched me thoroughly? Trying to get close to me in one go? A myriad of thoughts shed across Xu Jiekang''s mind instantaneously. Qin Hao: "It''s precisely because of this that her Innate vital energy is deficient. Your family is well-off, so you must have let her take plenty of tonics when she was young, right? Even so, she must have been very prone to illness as a child, getting sick more often than her peers. Now, many tonics are no longer effective for her, so the drawbacks of her Innate deficiency are starting to show. It will probably break out by the end of the year at thetest. If she starts to recuperate now, there might still be a chance." As soon as he spoke these words, Xu Jiekang was greatly shaken, because what Qin Hao said was almost perfectly urate. How could he know? Could he be an expert in ancient medicine? But have you ever seen an ancient medicine expert who is only eighteen or neen years old? Xu Jiekang''s attitude had softened considerably: "Young man, how did you figure this out?" Qin Hao: "Ancient medicine emphasizes observation, listening, questioning, and pulse-taking. Just by looking at herplexion, I can tell her physical condition, and by listening to her voice¡ªalthough shrill and loud¡ªitcks sufficient breath. These two points alone are enough." After saying that, he added another sentence: "If uncle doesn''t believe me, you can go back and consult an expert in ancient medicine." Liang Chengwang and Liang Ya werepletely baffled. Look at theplexion? They thought Xu Siyao looked perfectly normal, no different from an ordinary person. And her voice¡ªas far as they could tell, Xu Siyao''s voice sounded normal. How did he discern a deficiency in her breath? ¡­ Xu Jiekang was now nearly eighty percent convinced by what he said, since Qin Hao''s words were so uncannily urate that he couldn''t help but believe them. After swiping his card to pay for the red ginseng, he hurried off with Xu Siyao. Qin Hao watched as the two departed, shaking his head nonchntly. He no longer felt as repulsed by Xu Siyao as before. Her mother had passed away at her birth, and given her tendency to be sickly as a child, her family surely indulged her every whim, which must have shaped her present personality. Qin Hao sighed. Life is full of disappointments, and right now, he couldn''t even assist his own family, let alone concern himself with others. He said to Liang Ya, "Are we settled now? Licorice, angelica, Polygonatum... I''ll take a pound of each of these eighty-one medicinal herbs." "Ah, sir, please wait a moment," Liang Ya said, her tone much more respectful than before. After Qin Hao repeated himself countless times, she finally gathered all the herbs. Liang Chengwang, curious, looked at him: "Young man, someone in your family practices medicine?" Qin Hao''s expression stiffened, and he shook his head: "I''ve read a few medical books." Liang Chengwang: "You don''t seem like someone who has only read a few books. I''ve met some experts in ancient medicine, and you outdo them all." "Uncle is too kind," Qin Hao humbly replied, but he felt a sense of caution in his heart. It seems he shouldn''t disy his medical skills carelessly, or it would reveal many ws. How could someone from an ordinary family have such profound medical knowledge? He considered whether he should buy some medical books when he returned. Liang Chengwang quickly asked, "Young man, can you check if there''s something wrong with my health?" Qin Hao chuckled and said, "Uncle, you take so many supplements every day, your health is very good. However, you could cut down on the deer antler a bit. While deer antler nourishes vital energy and blood, it also strengthens kidney yang. If you over-nourish without releasing it, it''s not good for the body." Liang Chengwang''s face turned red upon hearing this and was simultaneously startled. This youngster could even tell what supplements he had taken: "Young man, you are remarkable, you have a promising future." Chapter 23: Chapter 25: National Medical Master Liang Chengwang asked curiously, "Young man, what''s yourst name? I''m Liang Chengwang, the owner of this pharmacy, and this is my daughter, Liang Ya." Daughter? Qin Hao originally thought Liang Ya was a waitress, and even if she wasn''t a waitress, he couldn''t imagine that the two were father and daughter. Because Liang Chengwang was quite old, looking almost about sixty, while Liang Ya was only about twenty-two or twenty-three. "My name is Qin Hao." Liang Chengwang noted the name and casually chatted with Qin Hao for a bit. Soon, Liang Ya had all the medicinal herbs packaged, each type weighed, totaling over eighty pounds, costing about a thousand yuan. Qin Hao took out a wad of cash, intending to pay Liang Ya. Standing by, Liang Chengwang said with a smile, "Xiao Hao, no need for the money, it''s not much anyway, consider it a gift from Uncle Liang in making a new friend." "No, no, Uncle Liang, you''re also in business, how can I let you lose money?" After saying this, Qin Hao continued to take out his money. Liang Chengwang held his hand and said, "Xiao Hao, I know you are kind-hearted, you don''t want to take advantage, but if you don''t ept in the business circle, it means you look down on me, you don''t want to be my friend. That could easily offend people. Even if you don''t want to befriend him, just don''t contact him in the future, it''s always good to have more friends." Hearing his words, Qin Hao was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "Then thank you, Uncle Liang." Liang Chengwang, seeing that he got the point right away, also showed a smile, "Why thank me? The few words you just said to me are worth this much money, nowadays a consultation fee from an ancient medicine expert costs thousands of yuan." After saying that, he continued, "Like what you did just now, checking Mr. Xu''s daughter, if that was genuine, even if he gave you a hundred thousand or eighty thousand, it would be too little." Now in Xuan Country, very few people can master the ancient medical arts of observation, listening, questioning, and pulse-taking to perfection. Some ancient medical practitioners carry the title of expert, but in reality, their medical skills are nowhere near that level. Although Qin Hao''s medical skill rank is only level one, it is truly at the level of a national master of medicine. Observation, listening, questioning, and pulse-taking were the most fundamental, yet most difficult, medical skills in the past. Fundamental because any ancient medicine doctor would know a bit of it, difficult because it''splex and profound, and even ancient medicine experts wouldn''t dare to im they mastered itpletely. ... Hearing about the hundred thousand or eighty thousand, Qin Hao felt a pang in his heart; he really didn''t expect it to be that much. If he had known earlier, even twenty or thirty thousand would have been fine, and he would have had sufficient capital. Liang Chengwang naturally didn''t know what he was thinking and said with augh, "You can''t carry all this medicine by yourself, let me have someone deliver it directly to you." Qin Hao didn''t refuse, "Um, thank you, Uncle Liang." Liang Chengwang, being able to operate such arge pharmacy in the herbal medicine wholesale market, obviously had considerable strength; he had many vehicles at his disposal. He immediately arranged for a van to load up Qin Hao''s medicinal herbs and then headed towards Cuijing District. The driver''s name was Wang, one of Liang Chengwang''s employees, responsible for transporting goods for customers every day. Wang was quite chatty, and while driving, he asked with augh, "Brother, are you studying or working?" "I''m studying," replied Qin Hao with a smile. Though called Wang, he was already in histe twenties. Heughed and said, "Studying is good, you still need a diploma nowadays, or it''s really tough to get by in society. Take my advice, buddy, study hard, or you''ll definitely regret itter." Qin Hao smiled and nodded, "Thanks, Wang." "I dropped out in junior high andter entered society, only then realizing how hard it is to get ahead without a diploma, I could only do manualbor. I struggled for seven or eight years, achieving nothing, still stuck in the same spot. Later, I got my driver''s license and still had some strength, so I came to work at Hundred Medicine Pavilion." Wang spoke about his past. ... There are many university students in Xuan Country now, and even the news has reported on the difficulties they face in finding jobs. He really agreed with what Wang said. Of course, he wasn''t saying that people without degrees definitely had no future, but very, very few people without degrees achieved great sess. A diploma can stop many people in their tracks. Among the founders of well-knownrge corporations, how manyck a diploma? And how many are graduates of genuine universities? Almost all the founders of well-knownrge corporations are graduates of prestigious universities. Even among founders of small and medium-sized enterprises, more than ny percent are educated and have diplomas. This shows just how important education and diplomas are. ... In less than half an hour, Wang drove up to the bottom of Qin Hao''s building. Wang opened the trunk and moved arge bag of herbs out. Qin Hao took out a box of "Zhonghua" cigarettes from his pocket, which He Gongxiang had given him. He didn''t really smoke, so he just handed the cigarettes to Wang. Wang''s expression changed when he saw the cigarettes, and he quickly pushed them back, "No, no, these are too precious." "Take them," Qin Hao insisted, stuffing the cigarettes into his pocket. He was afraid that if he brought them home, his parents would find out and he would inevitably be lectured. Wang hurried over intending to help him carry the bag upstairs, but Qin Hao easily lifted it with one hand, "Wang, go back, I can handle it myself." Seeing Qin Hao effortlessly lifting the bag weighing over eighty pounds, he was a bit surprised and didn''t insist anymore. Walking up to the fourth floor, Qin Hao didn''t find it hard. He unlocked his door and ced the herbs in his room. He was a bit worried about how to exin the herbs if his parents came back. And the thirty thousand yuan in his pocket, if he dared to say it was protection money he had collected, his father would probably kill him. He could let his parents know about the herbs, but the money absolutely had to be kept secret from them. Qin Hao found a secure spot and hid the money, keeping about a thousand yuan on him. It was now nearly one o''clock, and his stomach was empty and growling. Ever since he acquired the system, Qin Hao had noticed something¡ªhe ate more than usual, at least twice his normal portion. He checked his kitchen and found nothing to eat, so he had no choice but to go downstairs to the supermarket at the entrance of the Cuijing District. Inside the supermarket at the district entrance. Qin Hao bought a tub of instant noodles and then some ingredients for making roast duck. Just as he was paying, Xia Qing walked in. Seeing Qin Hao at the checkout, she paused for a moment and said, "Qin Hao, you''re buying stuff too?" Seeing the instant noodles Qin Hao had bought, Xia Qing smiled and said, "You haven''t had lunch yet today, have you?" Qin Hao, "Just got back from outside. I''ll make do with a tub of instant noodles. Are you buying something?" Xia Qing nodded and said to the supermarket owner, "Auntie, bring me a pack of ''Yuxi''." Afterward, she said to Qin Hao, "I''m nning to go out. My dad ran out of cigarettes, so he asked me to buy a pack for him." Qin Hao, "I should get going then, see you." "Hmm, try to eat less instant noodles, they''re not good for your health." ... Chapter 24: Chapter 26 Making Roast Duck Qin Hao returned home, finished his instant noodles, and then began to study his tasty roasted duck. He used the household electronic scale to weigh out the herbs, each with a specific weight in grams. Though the household scale was not as urate as a specialty scale for herbs, the difference was negligible. It took him about twenty minutes to prepare the medicine, after which he added the right amount of water and set it to simmer on medium heat on the coal stove. These herbs were mostlymon tonics, but after being fused and boiled, their effects had altered in ways no one but Qin Hao knew. When a faint fragrance wafted from the pot, Qin Hao added a few spices. The aroma from the pot grew stronger, provoking a ravenous appetite. Upon smelling it, Qin Hao''s stomach growled again. Qin Hao initially thought the herbal decoction would taste and smell unpleasant, as his impression of herbal medicine from childhood was that it was bitter and off-putting. But today he realized he had been wrong, as herbal medicine could also produce such an intoxicating aroma. He was so tempted to drink the herbal broth right away because it smelled so good. After the potion in the pot had reduced to two-thirds and be somewhat thick, Qin Hao turned off the heat, for the duck''s marinade was ready. Then, he smacked his forehead in annoyance when he realized he had forgotten to get the duck. He covered the pot and rushed downstairs. Once outside the residentialplex, he hailed a taxi and headed to the nearby live poultry market. He didn''t linger in the market, spending thirty-six yuan on a 2-pound duck. At Qin Hao''s request, the duck had already been plucked and cleaned, and it would be ready for roasting after another wash. After purchasing the duck, he caught a cab back home, the whole round trip taking less than half an hour. When he arrived home again, the seasoning in the pot was still warm. He washed the duck once more, then used a knife to score the skin, enhancing the vor absorption. He submerged the duck in the pot with the marinade to soak. Five minutester, Qin Hao removed the duck, ced it on a dish, and then popped it into the microwave. ... The preparation of a delicious roasted duck is roughly this process. It is neither simple nor difficult to articte. There isn''t much technical skill involved, but the most challenging part is getting the seasoning right. Qin Hao had already decided that he would only need to prepare the marinade himself. He could leave the rest to others since he didn''t have the time to do it. Seeing the marinade in the pot, Qin Hao poured it out, since it was no longer needed. About half an hourter, a delicious smell wafted from the kitchen, making one drool with anticipation. The system hadn''t been boasting, as Qin Hao now found himself swallowing saliva at an unprecedented rate, unable to help himself. Just then, the front door suddenly made a noise, and Mr. Qin and Mrs. Qin walked in. Qin Hao''s expression stiffened, "Dad, Mom, howe you''re back?" Li Shujie sniffed, "Why does it smell so good in here? What are you up to?" Qin Youguo swallowed, "That smells amazing, what did you buy?" Qin Hao hadn''t expected his parents to return so early, "Isn''t it only half past three, howe you''re back already?" Li Shujie replied, "We came back after the meeting ended this afternoon. What is that delicious smelling from the kitchen?" ... Seeing no way out, Qin Hao had no option but to confess, "It''s roasted duck." Li Shujie''s face faltered, "You bought this from a food stall outside for over ten bucks? Haven''t I told you before that although the ducks from those stalls taste good, they are all fast-grown with feed mixed with hormones? They can grow to over two or three pounds in just forty days before being sold." "No, this doesn''t taste like the twenty-yuan roast duck from outside," Qin Youguo spoke up. Qin Hao was exasperated, almost no one in Jiangshan City bought that kind of roast duck anymore. He wasn''t stupid; why would he buy something like that? If he had gone to buy it, he would have gone to an authentic duck restaurant. He hurriedly said, "This isn''t from a stall, but from a roast duck restaurant." Mr. and Mrs. Qin nodded slightly when they heard this. Mrs. Qin asked curiously, "Which restaurant did you buy it from? It smells really good; I want to buy from there in the future too." "Ah? I was out having fun today and saw a store in Jianghua District. I don''t remember exactly where, but I smelled the roast duck and it seemed good, so I bought one. It''s warming up in the microwave right now, should be ready soon." After speaking, Qin Hao silently gave himself a thumbs up for his quick thinking. This time, Mr. and Mrs. Qin didn''t pursue the matter further, and Qin Hao quickly retreated to his room under the pretext of reviewing for exams. In his room, Qin Hao hastily ced therge bag of medicinal herbs on the other side of the bed so it would be out of sight unless Mrs. Qin came looking for it. He upied himself with a mock math test for the standardized exam and then reviewed the answers, ending up with a score of 120. This was still some distance from his goal, but his improvement had been quite rapid. During the previous mock test, he had scored just over seventy in math. He reviewed the questions he got wrong and reflected on his shorings. Then he continued working on math mock tests, repeating the process over and over. ... At six-thirty in the afternoon, Mrs. Qin finally called out, "Xiao Hao,e and eat." He was actually already hungry; if it weren''t for his studies distracting him, he felt he couldn''t havested until now, mainly because the smell of roast duck was too tempting. Qin Hao quickly left his room. Mrs. Qin brought the dishes to the table and took the roast duck out of the microwave. Suddenly, the aroma in the room intensified, and the three of them couldn''t help but swallow their saliva. Mrs. Qin brought the roast duck over; it was golden brown, shiny, and fragrant. Mr. Qin swallowed again and asked, "Xiao Hao, where did you buy this roast duck? Howe I don''t know of such a roast duck restaurant in Jiangshan City?" Qin Hao spoke evasively, "It seems like it''s a new restaurant. I forgot where exactly." Qin Youguo chimed in, "This color and aroma are the best I''ve seen, so delicious. What brand of roast duck is this?" "Forgot." "Where in Jianghua District did you buy it?" "Forgot." ... Mrs. Qin sat down, slightly annoyed, "What do you keep in your head all day? You can''t even remember this." Qin Hao let out a dryugh and hurriedly gave each of his parents a duck leg, "Dad, Mom, you both work hard, eat more." Mr. Qin said contentedly, "You''re finally getting sensible, my boy." Mrs. Qin tried to give the duck leg to Qin Hao, "I''ve had duck legs often enough, you have it." Qin Hao insisted, "Mom, you eat it. You definitely haven''t tried this before, taste how it is." Mrs. Qin didn''t insist further, her face breaking into a smile before taking a bite, "Mm? Crispy, tender, rich but not greasy, this meat melts in your mouth. It''s very delicious and not the least bit cloying." Chapter 25: Chapter 27 Remember to Buy Roast Duck Qin Youguo also picked up his chopsticks and took a bite, and then the duck leg rapidly shrunk in size. Qin Hao also picked up his chopsticks to try it; with the first bite, his eyes brightened with joy as the texture and vor were the best he had ever experienced in his life. Indeed, it was a truly delectable roasted duck, living up to its fame. A look of delight appeared in his eyes because he saw the huge business opportunity it presented. One could tell how delicious the roasted duck was just by the speed at which his parents were eating it. Qin Hao had tasted only one bite from start to finish, and in less than ten minutes, his parents had devoured the entire duck. They still seemed to long for more as they gazed at the empty te. Mrs. Qin said to him, "Xiao Hao, this roasted duck is so delicious, why didn''t you buy a few more? Look, it wasn''t enough for us." Mr. Qin chimed in, "Exactly, let''s go buy two more tomorrow; this duck is great, tastes even better than Jinchen roasted duck." ... Two catties of duck isn''t enough? Usually, the two of you can''t even finish one catty, right? Qin Hao didn''t dare respond, fearing that his parents would really push him to go buy more tomorrow. Where would he go to buy it then? He hurriedly finished dinner, then found an excuse to return to his room. After closing his door, he sat in the chair and began nning for the future. Selling roasted ducks was something he had to do; it was his only way out at the moment. Thinking of this, he quickly summoned the system and opened the character attribute panel. Name: Qin Hao Age: 19 Gender: Male Realm: Mortal Strength: 21 Agility: 15 Intelligence: 15 Physique: 15 Achievement Points: 600 Skills: Fighting Skill (Lv2, 0/3000); Calligraphy (Lv2, 0/3000); Basketball, Table Tennis, Drawing, Singing, Gaming, Medical Skills (Lv0, 0/100) Items: Invisibility Cloak, Small Experience Book (Adds 100 experience points to a skill), Bust-enhancing Bra, Hip-enhancing Underwear. There were no changes to his attributes. Qin Hao used the Small Experience Book on Medical Skills, upgrading it to level 1. Then he clicked on the lottery draw again, hoping to draw another Delicious Roasted Chicken Skill Book. "Congrattions, Host, on acquiring a Bust-enhancing Bra." Qin Hao''s forehead was lined with ck threads. One wasn''t enough, and now there''s another? Does the system want me to open a clothing store or something? He made another three draws in a row. "Congrattions, Host, on acquiring Hip-enhancing Underwear." "Congrattions, Host, on acquiring a Skill Conversion Card." "Congrattions, Host, on acquiring a Hacker Skill Book." At thest prize, a Hacker Skill Book, he felt a bitforted in his heart¡ªit was, at least, a skill book. He checked out the Skill Conversion Card: It allows the host to convert any one of their skills into a brand-new skill. In doing so, the old skill will disappear, and the new skill will be retained. This item was somewhat useful. Qin Hao stored it in his backpack and then looked at the Hacker Skill Book. Hacker Skill Book: After studying, one can attain top-level hacker skills. He immediately clicked to learn it. Being a hacker had always been a mysterious and coolbel in his eyes, and he had never thought he''d be one someday. He still had four hundred achievement points left and chose not to draw again. Actually, what he most wanted to draw were attribute points, but the odds of drawing attribute points were too small; he had only drawn them once since he started participating in the lucky draws. He booted up hisputer and logged into the chat software. Gazing at the virtually empty friends list, he couldn''t help but sneer. Nowadays, he had no more than twenty friends, among which only Du Wanrou and Xia Qing would frequently chat. Having been blocked by Du Wanrou, Xia Qing was the only one who would usually initiate a chat with him. He sent Xia Qing a message, "Have you eaten?" But Xia Qing did not reply for a long time, and with nothing better to do, Qin Hao ultimately resumed working on mathematical mock exam papers. ... Sunday morning Qin Hao woke up a little after seven and, having eaten breakfast, said to his mother, "Mom, I''ve got something to do and need to head out. I may not be back for lunch." Mrs. Qin said, "Hmm, okay, be careful outside. Do you need money?" Qin Youguo said irritably, "You''re spoiling him too much, not even asking what he''s going out for." Turning her head towards Qin Youguo, Mrs. Qin said, "Our son is grown up and has his own thoughts. Besides, he''s under so much pressure from all the reviewing; it''s good for him to rx a bit sometimes. Oh, and son, remember to bring back two roast ducks." "Right, remember to buy two roast ducks." ... Qin Hao quickly left home, surprised that his parents still remembered the roast duck matter. Once out of the residential area, he took out his phone and called Li Bao. The call connected quickly, and Li Bao''s voice came through from the other end, "Hao, you looking for me?" Qin Hao asked, "Where are you and Fatty right now?" Li Bao replied, "Fatty and I are near the pool hall." "Great, I have something to discuss with you both. Wait for me there for a bit." After hanging up, Qin Hao headed towards Xinghui Pool Hall. En route, he passed a Xuan Country Development Bank. He entered the bank and, using the intelligent machine, opened a Development Bank ount, then deposited twenty-five thousand yuan. It took about ten minutes to get the card, and on his way to the pool hall, he linked the bank card to his mobile payment app. In the age of mobile inte, mobile payments had be extremely popr, making it convenient to pay for taxis, food, hotels, and much more directly from one''s phone. When Qin Hao arrived at Xinghui Pool Hall, two people were standing at the entrance. Seeing Qin Hao, their faces showed a hint of shock as they respectfully greeted, "Brother Hao." These people had witnessed Qin Hao''s terrifying prowess the day before ¨C taking on more than a dozen men without as much as a scratch, which was something close to a monstrous existence. But that wasn''t what they feared most; what truly intimidated them was Luo Hao''s ruthlessness, crippling Wang Qiang without a second thought. Wang Qiang was still lying in the hospital, his hand, even if it were to heal, would likely sufferplications. Qin Hao gave a smile and nodded. He recognized the two men as Li Bao''s subordinates, "Wang Hong, Zheng Tai, right?" Wang Hong and Zheng Tai were somewhat taken aback that Qin Hao knew their names, ttered, "We didn''t expect Brother Hao to remember us. Pleasee in, Bao and Fat Brother are waiting for you inside." Walking into the pool hall, he saw that there wasn''t a soul inside as it had not opened for business. Li Bao and Kang Youyi were sitting on chairs waiting for him. As he entered, Li Bao and Kang Youyi quickly rose from their seats, "Brother Hao, you''ve arrived." Qin Hao walked over, and Kang Youyi promptly moved a chair towards him, "Have a seat, Brother Hao." Qin Hao said with a smile, "Let''s not be too formal. Why haven''t you opened for business today?" Li Bao exined, "Fatty ns to rent out this pool hall and open another one beside Golden Bright KTV." Qin Hao nodded subtly. The foot traffic here indeed couldn''tpare with that near Golden Bright KTV, and not much money was being made. Golden Bright KTV''s vicinity was the prime area of Yonghe Street, crowded with people, and opening a more upscale pool hall there would definitely be better. Qin Hao then inquired, "The rent there must be expensive, right? Does Fatty have enough money?" Li Bao said with a smile, "Brother Hao, you don''t know yet, but we call the shots on Yonghe Street now. All those KTVs and bars have been taken over, and this is the money we''ve got left after splitting it. Count it, Brother Hao." After speaking, Li Bao brought out a ck backpack and ced it next to Qin Hao. Chapter 26: Chapter 28: I Want to Sell Roast Duck Qin Hao opened it and saw that there were over a hundred thousand, a staggering amount, and he was somewhat astonished, "Is this all collected?" Li Bao nodded, "Yes, Hao, after the split there''s still over a hundred and fifty thousand left." Qin Hao now understood why so many people risked danger to mix in the underworld, the money really dide fast and was brutally straightforward. Of course, the dangers of being in the underworld were also significant, like Wang Qiang who ended up with a disabled arm, even making a living afterwards was a problem. Moreover, rising to prominence wasn''t that simple, either you had superb skills or a brain, otherwise, you were just a low-level follower, practically useless. Qin Hao looked at the chubby guy and asked, "Chubby, do you really not need the money? Opening a billiard hall there costs quite a bit for the renovation, right? Plus, with the high rent, is your money enough?" Kang Youyi said with a smile, "Hao, you don''t know, that ce didn''t cost anything, it was rented to us for free." Qin Hao was taken aback, "There''s such a good thing?" Li Bao exined, "That developer developed a lot ofmercial and residential buildings in the Yonghe Street area, the boss wanted to curry favor with us and rented a room to Chubby for free." Qin Hao nodded, he held offmenting, now they owed the other side a favor, and one day, when the other side needed something, they would likelye to them. Dealing with developers usually didn''t involve anything good, which Qin Hao resented. He didn''t want to deal with developers internally, but presently, being in this position, he had no choice. Because if you don''t foster rtions with them, they''ll just go and cultivate rtionships with someone else, there''s no shortage of people who want to deal with wealthy developers. ... Li Bao saw Qin Hao in deep thought and didn''t interrupt; he took out a cigarette and gave one to Chubby, and they both started smoking. Suddenly, Qin Hao spoke up, "Give me one, too." Li Bao was startled, then hurriedly took out a box of cigarettes from another pocket, previously he was smoking cigarettes that cost ten yuan a pack, now he pulled out ones that cost over forty yuan a pack. Seeing this, Qin Hao said with a smile, "Any cigarette will do." Still, Li Bao insisted on giving him the good cigarettes and personally lit one for him. Qin Hao took a deep inhale, not appearing as if it were his first time smoking, "It''s better to deal with developers as little as possible." Li Bao and Kang Youyi were puzzled by his meaning, but they still nodded, as now, Qin Hao was their boss. Kang Youyi suddenly remembered and asked, "Hao, didn''t you say you had something to discuss with us? What is it?" Qin Hao: "I''m nning on selling roasted ducks, do either of you know where I can buy a roasting oven?" ... Li Bao and Kang Youyi thought they had heard wrong; the two exchanged nces, then looked back at Qin Hao, "Hao, what did you say? You want to sell roasted ducks?" Qin Hao nodded, "Our line of work, after all, isn''t legitimate, and it doesn''t offer much opportunity for growth. If we start our own business, perhaps we have a chance to move beyond Jiangshan City, out of Shuinan Province." Start a business? Li Bao and Kang Youyi shook their heads internally, if starting a business were that easy, they wouldn''t have entered this line of work. Qin Hao knew it wouldn''t be that simple to persuade them right away, time would tell, he said with a smile, "Chubby, since you n on renting this ce out anyway, why not rent it to me? I''ll start with using it as a duck roasting workshop." Kang Youyi quickly said, "Hao, saying that is like a p in my face, I don''t need it anyway, do whatever you want, roast ducks, roast chickens, all fine." Qin Hao said with a smile, "I''ll pay you whatever the market rental rate is. Even brothers have to settle ounts clearly." It was better to clear things up now to prevent any unforeseen circumstancester. Li Bao addressed Fatty, "Fatty, Hao is right. Calcte how much the monthly rent ister." Kang Youyi said, "Hao, since you''ve said so, two thousand a month will do for me." This was a two-story building with hundreds of square meters; two thousand a month was indeed not much, as it could be rented out for about two thousand seven or eight hundred. The main reason was that the location limited the rent; if it were near Golden Bright KTV, the rent would be at least five thousand or more. Qin Hao took out fifty thousand yuan from his backpack and gave it to Fatty, "Here''s rent for five months in advance, then help me order three duck roasting ovens and re-scrape the wall skins in the billiard hall. Is forty thousand enough for that?" Kang Youyi quickly said, "That''s more than enough, Hao. The duck ovens aren''t very expensive, and neither is scraping putty. It won''t cost that much." Qin Hao said with a smile, "You take it first, and if it''s not enough,e find me. I''ve been busy with the unified exams these days and haven''t had time toe over; keep an eye on things for me." Li Bao still found it hard to ept and asked softly, "Hao, do you really n to sell roasted ducks? What''s the future in selling ducks?" Qin Hao said, "What I say now, you might not believe, but when the ducks are made, you''ll see." Hearing this, Li Bao didn''t try to persuade him further; he believed that once Hao realized the reality, he would give up. Just then, Li Bao''s phone rang, and he answered after checking, "Hello, Mr. Liu, what brings you to call me?" Over the phone, a middle-aged man''s voice came through, "Bao, are you free for lunch? Let''s meet and eat at Yonghe Hotel, my treat." Li Bao said with a smile, "How could I refuse an invitation from Mr. Liu?" Liu Jianming continued to ask, "Is Hao avable as well?" Qin Hao shook his head because he didn''t want to reveal himself too much in this matter. Li Bao said, "Hao isn''t here now; I''ll call him in a bit. However, Hao is quite busy and probably won''t have time, so please don''t hold it against him, Mr. Liu." Liu Jiangong said, "How could we? We just wanted to meet Hao, so it wouldn''t be awkward if we bumped into him and didn''t recognize him." The two talked for a while, and then the call ended. Li Bao said to Qin Hao, "Hao, you''re still a student and will go to university in the future. It''s really not suitable for you to show up in these matters. I''ll handle it in the future." Qin Hao nodded, "Yeah, handle whatever you can. If you can''t, then let me know. I was nning to treat you guys to lunch today, but it seems that''s no longer necessary. Go enjoy a good meal." Li Bao and Kang Youyi chuckled; their status on Yonghe Street was second only to Qin Hao. The owners of the KTVs and bars had to greet them respectfully as Bao and Fatty which greatly satisfied their vanity. But both knew how they had gotten to where they were, and it was all because of Qin Hao. If it weren''t for Qin Hao, they wouldn''t have what they had. Qin Hao didn''t stay any longer, exchanged a few words with them, and then left. On his way home, he deposited the hundred thousand yuan back into his ount, prompting the bank clerk, who was handling his transaction, to look surprised. Because Qin Hao had just deposited money, and she had helped him with that as well. Chapter 27: Chapter 29 Gradually After Qin Hao finished his business at the bank, he walked towards his neighborhood. As he walked, he thought about the roast duck business. In a week''s time, the house renovation should beplete. Now that it was summer, the wall putty would probably dry in about two days, and he could get ready to open next weekend. Initially, he had no immediate intention of opening a roast duck shop, because he didn''t have enough capital to start one. His goal wasn''t just to open a roast duck shop but to create a brand like Jin Chen De Juxiang that was more than just selling roast duck. His initial n was simple: hire someone with a tricycle to sell roast duck to umte capital and build poprity. This was also a way to test the market. Although the roast duck was delicious, he still felt some trepidation. Hecked confidence when the delicious roast duck wasn''t selling. "Qin Hao" While he was walking and pondering, Xia Qing''s voice suddenly rang out. Qin Hao looked up and realized he had unknowingly reached the entrance of his neighborhood, and Xia Qing wasing back from the opposite direction. Qin Hao smiled and said, "What a coincidence, where have you been?" Xia Qing: "I went to the park for a bit, and you?" Qin Hao: "I also went out for a stroll, and now I''m just about to go back and review my studies. Want a drink? My treat." A smile crossed Xia Qing''s face: "Sure." The two went into the supermarket, Xia Qing chose a bottle of milk tea, and Qin Hao also picked a bottle of milk tea. After paying, they left the supermarket. After exchanging a few words, Xia Qing went back home, not forgetting to thank him for the milk tea as she left. Qin Hao smiled faintly; he was now a wealthy man, his monthly ie higher than his father''s annual one, though this ie was somewhat illicit. When he got home, Mr. Qin and Mrs. Qin were watching TV. They were surprised to see him return so soon: "Back already, Xiao Hao?" Qin Hao nodded with a smile: "Nothing much, so I came back. I''m going to my room to review now." That day, he spent all his time on mock unified exam papers, knowing his current grades weren''t good enough to get into Jianghai University, so he had to work even harder. ... The next morning, after breakfast, Qin Hao went downstairs. When he got to the neighborhood gate, by chance, he ran into Xia Qing who was alsoing out. Xia Qing said with a smile, "What a coincidence." Qin Hao was also surprised, and they went to school together. As the time for the unified exam approached, Qin Hao had been reviewing continuously, and his overall scores kept getting higher. By Wednesday, the putty in the pool hall was done, and it was cleaned up. On Thursday, the three roast duck stoves ordered by Fatty arrived. Kang Youyi even made a special trip to several roast duck shops in Jiangshan City to take a look, and then decorated the ce based on one he thought was good, buying many tools needed for the roast duck shop. After the pool hall was tidied up, it was already the eighth day. That day was Friday, June 1, with five days left until the unified exam. In those days, Qin Hao did mock papers during the day and reviewed after talking to Fatty at night, rapidly improving his grades. Yesterday, his estimated score had reached more than 670 points. If he could maintain this score during the actual unified exam, there should be no problem in getting into Jianghai University. Today, he finished another set of mock unified exam papers in the morning and the afternoon. After finishing, he began grading his own paper. Du Wanrou, who was next to him, looked curious because she had seen Qin Hao check his scores many times these past days and was quite curious about the scores he had estimated for himself. Once Qin Hao finished grading, Du Wanrou asked curiously, "How many points?" Qin Hao saw her curious big eyes, not knowing how long Du Wan had watched, and showed a smile, "710." Chapter 28: Chapters 30-31 Chen Shunas Curiosity Du Wanrou couldn''t help butugh when she heard his words, "Why don''t you say it was a perfect score of 750 then." Qin Hao knew she didn''t believe him because he hardly believed it himself, but he had checked twice and the score was still the same. Scoring 710 was something he had never dared to dream of before. Suddenly, Du Wanrou asked, "Do you know Xia Qing?" Qin Hao''s expression changed slightly, "Yes, some students from the third middle school were bullying her a few days ago, and I helped her out." Du Wanrou looked at him with a smiling face, "Isn''t this the legendary hero saving the beauty? ording to the plot, shouldn''t the beauty offer herself to the hero in return?" For some reason, Qin Hao felt a chill when he saw the smile on her face, "We''re just ordinary friends." Du Wanrou: "Ordinary friends? There are quite a few people in school who have seen you two going to and from school together, others might think you''re a couple." By then, if Qin Hao still couldn''t hear the implication, he was really foolish. Du Wanrou had obviously seen him with Xia Qing going to and leaving school; she was jealous. Qin Hao felt a thrill in his heart. Could this mean that Du Wanrou also had feelings for me? Was she gradually epting me? Thinking this, he became excited and hurriedly exined, "ss leader, don''t misunderstand, we live in the same neighborhood, and we just happen to go the same way to and from school." Du Wanrou was not very satisfied with his exnation and responded with a soft "Oh" while looking at the study materials. Qin Hao didn''t know if she was angry or not, he softly asked, "ss leader, do the things you said before still count?" Du Wanrou looked at him curiously, "What things?" Qin Hao chuckled, "About us, if I get into Jianghai University." "Let''s talk about it when you get admitted," Du Wanrou replied unenthusiastically. ... From a not too distant part of the ssroom, Chen Shuna was quietly watching Qin Hao and Du Wanrou talk softly. As an outsider, it was obvious to her how much Qin Hao adored and admired Du Wanrou. She sighed internally, feeling somewhat concerned for Xia Qing. Although Xia Qing hadn''t told her about liking Qin Hao, her intense observation of him didn''t escape Chen Shuna''s notice. Chen Shuna was also puzzled about something; Qin Hao hadpletely transformed from his former self. Previously, he used to be indifferent and listless in the ssroom, but now? He was energetic, studying hard almost every day. Back then, he was timid and wouldn''t dare speak out even when bullied. Now? The boys in the ss treated him with respect, not daring to breathe too loudly around him. The most important change was how girls perceived him: previously, not even the inest girls in the ss would spare him a nce. And now, both Du Wanrou and Xia Qing seemed to show some interest in him. The well-known beauties of the ss, Zhao Man and Wang Juan, also seemed to have a liking for him. Chen Shuna was really curious about what had brought about such a dramatic change in him. ... Yuan Zhengxiang had also been studying hard these days as he was aware that Du Wanrou intended to apply to Jianghai University. His usual scores were close to Jianghai University''s admission threshold, and he was not certain of getting in, so he was putting in extra effort. He hadn''t looked for trouble with Luo Hao because, in his opinion, after college, Qin Hao would be in a different world from Du Wanrou. The two of them would no longer cross paths, thus eliminating any chance of being together. Students from top universities and those from low-tier ones are worlds apart. By then, Qin Hao would likelye to grips with reality. After school in the afternoon Qin Hao walked out from the ssroom, garnering respectful greetings of "Hao" from many students of other sses. Among these people, many he didn''t recognize, though a few seemed familiar, probably those whom Xu Liang had called upon initially. Qin Hao nodded politely. As he reached the school gate, he didn''t see Xia Qing. Usually, Xia Qing woulde out earlier than him and would wait at the school gate to walk home with him. Qin Hao paused at the school gate, nning to wait a bit for her. "Waiting for Xia Qing, Hao? I just saw her still in the ssroom, she should being down now," Lv Guibo and a few others came out of the school and greeted him eagerly. Qin Hao nodded slightly, "Thanks a lot." Lv Guibo was ttered. Not many at Changle Second Middle School knew of Qin Hao''s true identity, but he was one of those who did. "No need to be polite, Hao. Take your time waiting; we''ll be heading off first." Not long after Lv Guibo left, a girl''s voice rang out, "Qin Hao." Qin Hao turned to look as several girls walked out of the school, their attire and makeup very stylish, not at all like typical students, yet still possessing a distinctive charm. Of these girls, he only recognized Liu Fang, the leader; he didn''t know the others. With a smile on her face, Liu Fang approached Qin Hao while a wave of perfume hit him. She spoke, "Are you free tonight? Let''s have a drink, especially since tomorrow is the weekend." The other girls beside her looked at Qin Hao curiously, their eyes filled with shyness, hope, and admiration. These girls had significant connections at Second Middle and had heard about Qin Hao''s reputation. "Hao of Yonghe Street" was not only known at Changle Second Middle but also at Third Middle and among various bar owners, making him a top-notch figure in their eyes. Spending an evening with such a key figure was something to boast about indeed. Unaware of their thoughts, Qin Hao smiled and shook his head, "Not tonight, I need to keep studying for the uing unified exam. When I''m free, I''ll treat you all to a meal." The girls showed disappointment, but Liu Fang quickly smiled and said, "Sure, we''ll remember your words. A man''s word, once given, must be kept." Chapter 29: Chapters 30-31 Chen Shunas Curiosity_2 "Exactly, once a word is out, it''s hard to take it back," the other four girls echoed. Qin Hao was somewhat speechless. Are the girls at school really that naive? Can''t they see I''m just brushing them off? But with so many people around, he was too embarrassed to say anything else, so he just smiled and nodded, "Don''t worry, I, Qin Hao, always keep my word." Upon hearing his promise, Liu Fang and the four girls left, giggling as they turned to head home. Qin Hao turned to look at the school and noticed Xia Qing already standing beside him, a smile ying on her lips and two shallow dimples adorning her face as she watched him. He was taken aback, "When did youe out?" Xia Qing was very beautiful, wless in both face and figure. She pursed her lips and said, "Did I interrupt your conversation with the beauties?" Qin Hao awkwardly exined, "I''m not familiar with them." "You''re not familiar with them, yet you''re inviting them out?" It was clear that Xia Qing had heard everything Qin Hao had just said. Qin Hao had an expression of helpless resignation, "I was just brushing them off, who knew they''d actually take it seriously." Seeing him like this, Xia Qing''s smile blossomed, "I''m just teasing you. I could tell what you meant. You can only me Liu Fang for being so shameless. Anyway, were you waiting for me?" Qin Hao gave her a look, "Who else do you think it could be?" Xia Qing''s eyes lit up at his words, and she blurted out, "I thought you were waiting for Du Wanrou." ... Upon hearing her words, Qin Hao''s face froze for a moment, and he couldn''t help but recall what Du Wanrou had asked him that afternoon. Xia Qing had been watching his expressions closely, and feeling a bit downcast at his reaction, she managed to hide her disappointment. Without mentioning Du Wanrou again, Xia Qing smiled and asked, "How''s your review going? The unified exams are in just five days." "Not bad, I should be able to make it into Jianghai University," he said. Hearing Qin Hao''s words, Xia Qing internally thought he was lying. She didn''t call him out because she knew boys liked to save face. She believed he was lying because she was familiar with Qin Hao''s past, including his terrible grades. In Xia Qing''s view, Qin Hao''s grades might allow him to get into a third-tier university. If he didn''t perform well, he might even end up at a vocational college. As they walked and talked, both wearing smiles, they were unaware that Du Wanrou was watching them from inside a nearby BMW. Her face was calm as she spoke indifferently, "Mr. Lin, let''s go back." The BMW started up and slowly left the area. It didn''t take long for Qin Hao and Xia Qing to reach the entrance of the residential area. Gathering her courage, Xia Qing looked at Qin Hao and said, "Actually, whether your grades are good or bad, we''re still friends. I won''t look down on you or despise you because of them." After speaking, Xia Qing''s cheeks flushed red. In her view, what she had just said was hardly different from a confession, and then she quickly fled the scene, leaving a confused Qin Hao behind. What does she mean by good or bad grades? Despise me? Qin Hao was bewildered but soon pieced things together. It was obvious that Xia Qing knew about his poor grades, and she must have thought he was lying about being able to get into Jianghai University. Watching Xia Qing''s disappearing figure, Qin Hao wore a bitter smile. He had begun to sense Xia Qing''s feelings for him these past few days. Initially, he thought it was just a friend''s concern, but it was clearly more than that. Every morning when Qin Hao went to school, he would almost always run into Xia Qing at the entrance of the residential area. Was that a coincidence? Once or twice might be, but nearly ten days in a row could not be a coincidence. Xia Qing was deliberately waiting for him, arriving early at the entrance to the residential area each day and then pretending to bump into him by chance. Over time, he convinced himself that things would fade, perhaps it was just a momentary impulse. Thinking this, Qin Hao headed home. Back at home, with the unified exams approaching, Mr. Qin and Mrs. Qin had been showing more concern for himtely. On the contrary, Qin Hao was quiteposed, feeling no so-called pre-exam jitters. After dinner, he returned to his room. He then picked up his phone to call Kang Youyi, and the call was quickly answered. Laughing, Kang Youyi said, "Hao, everything you asked me to take care of is done, and I''ve bought several tricycles." "Hmm, thanks a lot, Fatty. I''lle over and check it out tomorrow," he replied. Kang Youyi had been busy with his own affairs these days and hadn''t even had time to look after his new pool hall. He said with a smile, "Hao, you''re too polite. This is what I should do." After exchanging a few words, Qin Hao hung up the phone. Hanging up, he felt somewhat excited because his roast duck was about to go on sale¡ªa make or break moment. This was crucial for him! ... Last night, Xia Qing hadn''t chatted with him, probably still feeling embarrassed about what she said at the entrance of the residential area. He was still on Du Wanrou''s cklist, unable to add her even if he wanted to, and they hadn''t chatted in a long time. At the same time, these days the system hadn''t issued any side tasks or random tasks, which made him somewhat depressed because without achievement points, he couldn''t draw prizes, and his skills could not be upgraded. He currently had 400 achievement points, which he had been saving and had not used. In his backpack was a skill conversion card that Qin Hao couldn''t use right now. He felt that he already had enough, and quite a mixture of, skills. Just then, as if sensing his resentment, the system suddenly activated. "Ding, side task initiated: Give Du Wanrou two items of clothing that are conducive to development." "Task duration: Before the unified exam." "Task reward: 600 achievement points. Failure will result in a deduction of 600 achievement points." Hearing the task initiation made Qin Hao happy, but after hearing the task''s content, his expression was very rich. What kind of ridiculous task is this? Qin Hao felt an urge to strangle the system which was clearly messing with him. And I only have 400 achievement points in total, where are you going to deduct 600 from? "Points can be negative, but negative points cannot exceed one month, or the system will perform a humane destruction on the host," Xiao Ying answered his doubts. "Ding, random task initiated: Give Xia Qing two items of clothing that are conducive to development." "Task duration: Before the unified exam." "Task reward: 600 achievement points. Failure will result in a deduction of 600 achievement points." Qin Hao felt as if he had been struck by lightning. One task involving Du Wanrou was enough, and now he had to give something to Xia Qing? If it were an ordinary gift, then it wouldn''t be a big deal, but this was the most private type of clothing for a girl. Could he just give them away randomly? If one of them found out he had given the other the same type of gift, what would they think? Xiao Ying: "Every task issued by the system has its significance." Significance? Was it to bnce the two girls'' emotional state or to make me juggle two rtionships, or was it simply a matter of giving gifts? With a headache from overthinking, Qin Hao stopped pondering andy down in bed to sleep. The next morning. After breakfast, Qin Hao left home and went straight to Xinghui Pool Hall, or rather, what was now supposed to be called the roast duck shop. When he arrived, he almost didn''t recognize the ce, as the pool hall hadpletely transformed. The exterior walls had been painted, looking clean and tidy, and the entrance was free of any trash, very neatly maintained. He stepped inside, where everything had already been set up. The first thing that caught his eye was the duck warming cab, freshness cab, and so on. Kang Youyi, seeing Qin Haoe in, hurried over, "Hao, what do you think?" Qin Hao nodded slightly, "Not bad. Where''s the roast duck oven ced?" "It''s in the back on the second floor, Hao. I''ll take you to see it," Kang Youyi led Qin Hao to the back of the second floor. There was a bungalow at the back, covering more than a hundred square meters. Previously, it was used by the fatty to store clutter, but now it had been cleaned out, skimmed with ster, very neat, with three duck ovens ced inside. Qin Hao nodded slightly as the fatty had arranged everything very much to his liking. Fatty: "The three-wheel carts for selling roast ducks are in the yard, Hao. I also had someone skim the second floor. It can be used for living or storage, and only a few more things are needed before we can open. By the way, Hao, what name are you thinking of for the shop?" Name? Qin Hao''s face froze, as he hadn''t thought about the name at all. Should it be called the Delicious Roast Duck Shop? He remembered that the meiwei trademark had already been registered in Xuan Country, and they were also a big name in this industry. The Meiwei Group was amercial behemoth worth over a hundred billion. It was believed that many people had tasted delicacies from the Meiwei Group, like the Delicious Duck Neck, which was a snack that sold well all across Xuan Country. Chapter 30: Chapter 32 Jiangshan Roasted Duck Kang Youyi saw his expression and expressed surprise, "Hao, you don''t even have a name thought out, do you?" Qin Hao chuckled awkwardly, "Fatty, what do you think it should be called?" The Fatty touched his head sheepishly, "Hao, I''m no good at naming either. The name Xinghui was given by a fortune-teller I consulted. How about I call him over to pick a name?" Qin Hao was exasperated, "Rather than having someone else do it, I might as welle up with one myself." After he said this, he began to ponder. In his opinion, the name should be simple and memorable, but it also needed its own charm. After thinking for a few minutes, Qin Hao spoke up, "How about we call it Jiangshan Roasted Duck?" Since the city he lived in was called Jiangshan City. Kang Youyi''s eyes lit up, "Hao, that''s a great name. People from Jiangshan will definitely feel a connection and might even buy a roasted duck from us." Qin Hao, "Cut the ttery, just get the billboard custom-made first, and then buy a few promotional signs. Write the words ording to my requirements." He definitely wouldn''t disclose the secret recipe of the delicious roasted duck, but he could write down the general preparation methods. Of course, he had to mention the benefits of eating the delicious roasted duck as well. Made with eighty-one types of Chinese herbs, the delicious roasted duck was not only vorful but also boasted benefits like strengthening the foundation, nourishing the vitality, bncing yin and yang, and enhancing immunity. After hearing Hao''s words, Kang Youyi looked at him admiringly, but he also had some concerns, "Hao, can we not oversell it? Otherwise, we might give ourselves away. Just write a dozen or so types of herbs, maybe skip the benefits, to avoid getting hit." Qin Hao red at him, "Can''t be bothered to exin, just do as I say. I want it not just in the shop, but on every tricycle as well." "Alright, Hao." Qin Hao, "Is there enough money left?" Kang Youyi replied, "The billboards will probably cost a few thousand. Subtracting that, we have a bit over six thousand left. We haven''t received our permits yet, but if we grease some palms, they should be processed quickly." Qin Hao, "Come with me to the second-hand car marketter, we need to buy a used van for future deliveries." A new Jinbei van costs around seventy thousand, and he only has a total of one hundred twenty thousand in his bank ount. He also had to purchase medicinal herbs and live ducks, which were also a significant expense. Kang Youyi said with a smile, "Hao, I remember Li Bao has a friend in the second-hand car market. I''ll give him a call; otherwise, if the two of us go alone, we''re likely to get cheated." After saying this, he called Li Bao, and once he hung up, Kang Youyi made another call to someone to arrange for the billboard. Once everything was arranged, Kang Youyi locked the ce and took a taxi with Qin Hao to the second-hand car market. At the second-hand car market, they found Li Bao''s friend, whose name was Liu Guangqiang. When Liu Guangqiang saw Qin Hao and Kang Youyi, recalling Li Bao''s description, he hurriedly came out to greet them, "This must be Hao, right? My name is Liu Guangqiang, it''s a pleasure to meet you." Qin Hao nodded, "Let''s go take a look at the cars." "Sure thing, Hao." Liu Guangqiang nodded, as he didn''t have any cars on hand. His job was simr to that of a broker within the second-hand car market. If someone wanted to buy a used car, he would guide them and then make amission from the sale. Liu Guangqiang led them to a rtivelyrge dealership. The owner of the dealership, seeing Liu Guangqiang bringing customers, smiled and asked, "Qiangzi, what kind of car are we looking at this time?" Liu Guangqiang, "Mr. Li, I heard you got a Jinbei in yesterday, let''s take a look at that." Li Gaoshu said with a smile, "Sure thing." A group of people walked towards the back of the car dealership, which led to a vast square filled with a myriad of cars of all brands and series. Qin Hao was somewhat surprised to see this and wondered about Li Gaoshu''s silhouette, With so many cars, how much money must this guy have? Kang Youyi seemed to notice the astonishment in his eyes and whispered at his side, "Hao, all these cars are here for sale, he doesn''t have the money to own them all." With the fat man''s words, Qin Hao felt relieved, as he had thought that Li Gaoshu had bought all those cars with his money. Li Gaoshu led them to a Jinbei van that was seventy percent new. He smiled as he introduced them to the vehicle, "This is a new arrival, all documents are in order, and it''s hardly any different from a new one." Liu Guangqiang looked at Qin Hao, who appeared quite satisfied with the exterior, as he himself did not understand the vehicle''s internals. Since Liu Guangqiang knew Li Bao, Qin Hao felt that he would probably not be cheated. Seeing Qin Hao''s nod, Liu Guangqiang then turned to Li Gaoshu, "Mr. Li, name your price, these are my friends." Li Gaoshu hesitated for a moment, then said, "Qiangzi, I''ll give you some face, how about forty thousand?" Liu Guangqiang shook his head. With his years of experience in the second-hand car market and knowing Li Gaoshu well, he said, "Thirty thousand." Li Gaoshu: "Qiangzi, are you serious? This car hasn''t been repaired, and I have inspected its exterior which hasn''t been renovated or repainted. If you were to buy it outside, it would cost at least over fifty thousand. Forty thousand is really just for your sake." Liu Guangqiangughed, "Mr. Li, we''ve known each other for so many years, we know each other well. I don''t need amission, how about thirty thousand?" "Bro, you''re cutting the price too much; I was hoping to make a bit of profit." After a bout of bargaining, Li Gaoshu was finally persuaded by Liu Guangqiang, to settle at thirty thousand yuan. Qin Hao and the others went to Li Gaoshu''s office and made a direct online transfer. After signing and collecting various documents, Qin Hao and the fat man walked over to the van. He then handed the car key to the fat man, "Let''s go to the medicinal market." The fat man looked bewildered, "Hao, I... I don''t know how to drive." "What? You don''t know how to drive?" The fat man nodded his head earnestly and carefully, afraid of angering Qin Hao. Qin Hao really had to hand it to him; he had brought the fat man along intending for him to drive, only to find out he couldn''t. Neither of them had licenses, so how could they drive the car away? Qin Hao remembered that he had a skill transfer card in his backpack, "Xiao Ying, can I use a skill to get the driving skill?" Xiao Ying: "Of course." "Then switch the ping pong skill to driving skill." Qin Hao was indifferent to ping pong, seeing the skill as rather useless. He watched as the ping pong skill disappeared from his attribute panel, reced with driving skill, and his mind flooded with new information. Grabbing the car keys, Qin Hao said, "Get in the car." The fat man, astonished, asked, "Hao, you know how to drive?" Qin Hao sat in the driver''s seat and started the car proficiently, "I can drive, but I don''t have a license. Remember to ask Li Bao to get me er." "That''s a small matter, but how good is your driving?" The fat man was still somewhat worried. After all, he knew Qin Hao had always been in school and therefore must have driven very little, which naturally did not inspire confidence in his driving skills. Chapter 31: Chapter 33 Preparation Qin Hao was driving, pressing the clutch and shifting gears, as the van swiftly and smoothly reversed out of the courtyard. Kang Youyi had a look of surprise on his face; the skilled handling didn''t seem like that of someone who had just started driving. "Hao, do you drive often?" Qin Hao shook his head, "asionally, I drive my dad''s car." He actually had never even touched a car before, but he absolutely couldn''t let anyone know about the system. Qin Hao drove straight towards the Jiangshan City wholesale medicinal herb market, nning to stop first at the Hundred Medicine Pavilion to purchase some herbs. There were no traffic police checks along the way, and he smoothly reached the outside of the Hundred Medicine Pavilion. He and the chubby guy walked inside the herb shop where Liang Ya was sitting at the counter. Seeing someone enter, she got up. Seeing Qin Hao, she paused for a moment and then smilingly said, "Mr. Qin, wee." Seeing that she was a beautiful woman, the chubby guy chuckled, "Hello, beautiful." Liang Ya nced at the chubby guy, and though he had a cheeky grin, there was no lecherous look in his eyes, so she nodded slightly. Qin Hao, somewhat speechless at the chubby guy''s behavior but in Liang Ya''s presence, did not scold him and instead asked, "Mr. Liang isn''t here?" Liang Ya curiously asked, "My dad went to the mountains to collect herbs. Mr. Qin, were you looking for my dad?" Qin Hao replied, "I''m here to buy herbs. I''ll take ten jin of each listed here." He then handed Liang Ya a piece of paper. "Alright, Mr. Qin, please have a seat and wait for a moment," she said and then got busy. Kang Youyi sat beside Qin Hao, but his eyes were fixed on Liang Ya. Liang Ya appeared to be around twenty-four or twenty-five years old, above average in looks, with a well-proportioned figure, truly a standard beauty. "Enough of that; haven''t you seen a beautiful woman before?" Qin Hao finally couldn''t help butment. Kang Youyi sheepishly scratched his head, "Hao, do you know thisdy?" Qin Hao rolled his eyes at him, "Met her once. With your physique, do you think any woman would take a second look at you?" Kang Youyi felt dejected, "Hao, could you not be so blunt?" About twenty minutester, Liang Ya had packed up all the herbs. Eighty-one types of herbs, totaling over eight hundred jin. Qin Hao stood up and asked, "Miss Liang, how much for all of these?" Liang Ya calcted on a calctor and smilingly said, "My dad said to give Mr. Qin the lowest price for the herbs. All of thesee to nine thousand seven hundred and twenty." Qin Hao estimated roughly; around twelve yuan per jin for the herbs, which was a lot cheaper than the online prices. He smiled and said, "Please thank Mr. Liang for me." "Why not thank me?" Liang Ya''s lips pouted slightly, looking very cute. Qin Hao quickly corrected himself, "And thank you as well, Miss Liang." Liang Ya, "Tsk, that sounded forced. Never mind, I won''t argue with you. Will someone arrange to deliver the herbs, or will you take them yourself?" Qin Hao replied, "I drove here, I''ll take them back myself. Chubby, get to work." Within minutes, they had loaded the herbs into the car. Qin Hao waved goodbye to Liang Ya and then drove off. They went straight back to the roast duck restaurant. By then, workers were already installing an LED sign outside the restaurant. The efficiency of the work was truly extraordinary. Four young men stood at the entrance of the roast duck restaurant. Seeing Qin Hao and Kang Youyi get out of the car, they hurried over: "Hao, Chubby." Qin Hao said, "Take the stuff from the car to the second floor." Once the loading was done, Qin Hao asked them, "Which of you has a driver''s license?" Four people shook their heads, indicating none had a driver''s license. Qin Hao sighed, pointed at two of them, and said, "You twoe with me, fatty, you stay here and watch things. When the workers are done, remember to pay the bill." "Yeah, okay, Hao," they replied. Qin Hao drove off with the two men, who were originally Li Bao''s underlings. As for their names, he didn''t know them. The two men curiously asked, "Hao, where are we going?" "To the live poultry and seafood market. What are your names?" "I''m Liu Pengyun, and he''s Zhao Hongyu." ¡­ Arriving at the live poultry and seafood market, Qin Hao parked the car outside and walked inside. Liu Pengyun and Zhao Hongyu followed him. With Qin Hao not talking, they didn''t dare to speak either. Qin Hao entered a poultry shop, which had cages filled with chickens, ducks, geese, and more. A middle-aged man saw someoneing in and smiled, "Young man, what would you like to buy?" Qin Hao asked, "How much are the ducks?" Curious, the middle-aged man asked, "Young man, how many do you n to buy? If the quantity isrge, I can give you a discount." "Are your ducks genuine?" The middle-aged man quickly replied, "You can rest assured, young man. You can inspect the goods directly when the timees. They are definitely authentic farm-raised meat ducks." Qin Hao nodded slightly. He had specifically looked up the difference between fast-growing ducks and normal ducks on the inte a couple of days ago. He could tell at a nce, and he assumed the middle-aged man wouldn''t deceive him about this. "Tell me the price. I initially n to buy a hundred ducks. If the price is right, I''ll continue to order from you." The middle-aged man''s eyes widened. A hundred ducks was no small number¡ªif this deal went through, he could make a tidy profit. Thinking this, his smile grew even wider, and his tone changed, "May I know your esteemed surname? I''m Du Xing." "I''m Qin Hao." Mr. Du became serious and said, "Qin, you want a substantial number of ducks. For a hundred ducks, I can give you a price of seventeen yuan per pound. This price is absolutely fair, and the ducks are definitely of guaranteed quality." Upon hearing this, Qin Hao turned and walked away. Thest time he bought a duck, the price was only eighteen yuan per pound, and Du Xing was offering him just one yuan less. Seeing him walk away, Du Xing quickly grabbed him, "Brother, don''t rush. The price can still be negotiated." "Mr. Du, you are not being realistic at all. If it''s still that price, we have nothing to discuss." Du Xing muttered to himself, realistic? Who nowadays in business is realistic? "Young man, name your price." Qin Hao looked at him and said, "Thirteen yuan per pound." Mr. Du immediately responded, "Young man, my cost isn''t even that low. Fifteen yuan per pound is my bottom line. If you still can''t ept it, then you might need to look elsewhere." Qin Hao looked at Mr. Du, then nodded, "Okay." Mr. Du asked, "Young man, when do you want the goods?" Qin Hao replied, "In the next couple of days. Do you do the ughtering here?" He had neither the manpower nor the energy to ughter ducks. Mr. Du rified, "The market has specialists for ughtering ducks. You can hire them. It''s not expensive, but you''ll have to pay for that service." Qin Hao nodded, "Okay, I''ll give you a call when I''m ready." "Sure, but you''ll need to pay a five hundred yuan deposit first." After paying the deposit and leaving his number, Qin Hao left. The roast duck shop still wasn''t ready, and with the weather being too hot, bringing in the roast ducks too early could easily spoil them. Chapter 32: Chapter 34 Opening (Part 1) Qin Hao spent the whole day busying himself with the roasted duck restaurant. It wasn''t until three or four in the afternoon that the issues with the billboard were sorted out. A few odds and ends were still needed for the roasted duck shop, and it could open for business after those were purchased. Qin Hao urged Kang Youyi and the others to hurry up, striving to open the next day. It was past six in the evening by the time Qin Hao got home. Qin Youguo, seeing him return, frowned and asked, "What have you been up to all day? Couldn''t you find time toe back home?" Qin Hao casually made an excuse, "I was discussing some problems at a ssmate''s house." "Howe you didn''t bring any books if you were studying problems?" "My ssmate had them." At this point, Mrs. Qin stepped in to defend him, "Qin Youguo, are you interrogating a criminal? Can''t you speak with a smile?" Qin Hao chuckled, "You two chat, I''ll go back to my room first." During dinner, Mr. Qin didn''t pursue what Qin Hao had been up to during the day, which gave him a sigh of relief. The next morning, after breakfast, Qin Hao hurried out of the house again. Once Qin Hao left, Qin Youguo turned to Li Shujie and said, "Have you noticed that our son has been acting a bit off these past two days?" Li Shujie, washing dishes in the kitchen, replied, "Off in what way? Don''t be paranoid. The unified exams are only a few days away. Our son is probably just trying to rx. A few days ago, the ss teacher even called to praise our son for his diligent studying." Qin Youguo, hearing her say this, didn''tment further. ... Jiangshan Roasted Duck Restaurant When Qin Hao arrived and saw the exterior decorations of the restaurant, he nodded slightly in approval. Upon entering, he saw Kang Youyi and a few others sitting there waiting for him. They quickly stood up when they saw hime in. Qin Hao asked, "How''s it going?" Kang Youyi replied, "Hao, everything is ready; we can open for business." Qin Hao nodded slightly and then took out his phone to call Du Xing at the live poultry and seafood market. He gave the address and then hung up. During this time, he inspected the roasted duck shop and asked Kang Youyi, "How''s the hiringing along?" Kang Youyi replied, "Hao, these brothers are here to help out for now. We can recruit more staff gradually." He had called over six people, all of whom were Li Bao''s trusted subordinates. Qin Hao only recognized Liu Pengyun and Zhao Hongyu. Qin Hao addressed the six men, "You guys will have to work hard these next few days until we recruit more staff, then you can go back to Li Bao." Liu Pengyun quickly said, "Hao, no need to be polite. Just leave the work to us; you don''t need to hire more people." The others nodded in agreement. They were eager to be around Hao every day because he was, after all, the boss of Yonghe Street. Being remembered by the boss and getting a slight promotion was enough for them. Qin Hao knew their nature all too well. They might be okay for a few days, but if left longer, they really weren''t suitable. He didn''t spell it out, instead saying calmly, "This kind of work can be done by others. You''ve done well these past few days, so I''ll have other tasks for you." The fatty dered, "Don''t worry, Hao. If anyone dares not to work hard, I''ll teach them a lesson before you need to lift a finger." Qin Hao nodded, "I''m going upstairs to mix the duck seasoning. It''s our secret roasted duck recipe and our biggest advantage. No one, without my permission, is allowed in the room where we store the herbs, understand?" "Yes, Hao," several people nodded in unison. On the second floor, there were four rooms, with the herbs stored in one of them. It was twenty to thirty square meters with an office desk inside. On the desk was a scale for herbs, specifically used for measuring the ingredients. Half an hourter, Qin Hao came down from upstairs with arge bag of medicinal ingredients, weighing about fifteen pounds or so. Delicious roasted duck didn''t consume much in the way of medicinal ingredients, so the amount he bought was enough tost a long time. Qin Hao said to Kang Youyi and the others, "Come here for a moment." Seven people followed him to the duck roasting room at the back, where Qin Hao ced the medicinal ingredients into a stainless steel barrel. Kang Youyi looked at the ingredients and asked, "Hao, are you going to boil some medicine?" "These are the auxiliary ingredients I''ve already prepared," Qin Hao exined. "Pour them into the barrel, then add the appropriate amount of water." As Qin Hao spoke, he carried out his instructions. He stopped after the water in the stainless steel barrel reached four-fifths full. Next, he began heating and simmering the auxiliary ingredients in the barrel. "It needs to be simmered for about half an hour or more, and then it will be ready. Once the ducks arrive, soak them in here for three minutes, then put them in the roasting oven to roast. Got it?" Kang Youyi and the others nodded; these steps were quite simple. Just after eight-thirty in the morning, a small truck stopped in front of the roasted duck restaurant. Du Xing got out of the truck and, seeing the sign for Jiangshan Roasted Duck Restaurant, he felt relieved. So, it was a roast duck restaurant. No wonder they needed so many ducks all at once; it seemed the ce hadn''t opened yet. Qin Hao and the others came out of the shop upon hearing the noise. Du Xing was surprised, then quickly smiled and said, "Mr. Qin, the ducks have been delivered; you can check them." Qin Hao walked to the back of the small truck; the ducks were fresh and had just been ughtered. He gestured to Liu Pengyun and the others to unload the ducks. Du Xing offered Qin Hao a cigarette, and Qin Hao didn''t refuse, lighting it with his lighter. Du Xing started by ttering him, "I never imagined someone as young as you, Mr. Qin, would open his own shop. It''s truly impressive." Qin Hao took a drag of his cigarette and said indifferently, "Just messing around for fun. Mr. Du, how much does it all cost?" "The ducks weigh a total of 260 pounds, and the ughter fee is three hundred, so the totales to four thousand two hundred. You can just give me three thousand two hundred." Qin Hao transferred three thousand two hundred directly to him, and after the ducks were ounted for, Du Xing greeted them and left. Kang Youyi and the others had already unloaded the ducks into the backyard, awaiting his next instruction. When he got to the backyard, Qin Hao brought severalrge barrels over and said, "First wash your hands and disinfect them, then clean these ducks." Everyone followed his instructions, washed their hands, disinfected, and then started cleaning the ducks. Soon, the ducks were cleaned. Some were put into the safe, and some were taken into the roasting room. By then, the auxiliary ingredients had been properly cooked, and about a dozen ducks had already been put in to soak. Seeing that there were not many barrels with auxiliary ingredients, Qin Hao went upstairs to prepare another batch of medicinal materials. With two barrels of auxiliary ingredients, nearly thirty ducks could be soaked in one go. Three minutester, more than a dozen ducks were ced inside the roasted duck ovens. At ten past ten, a rich aroma wafted out of the roasting room, filling the entire duck restaurant. Kang Youyi and the rest couldn''t help but swallow their saliva upon smelling it; damn, it was so fragrant, they had never smelt such delicious roasted duck before. There truly was drool-worthy anticipation; this wasn''t just some overblown nonsense by the system. "Damn, Hao, I''m hungry." Kang Youyi''s stomach growled a few times after he spoke. The others weren''t any better off, staring at Qin Hao with the expressions of starving wolves. Chapter 33: Chapter 35 Opening (Part 2) Qin Hao said with a smile, "It''s just past ten in the morning, a great time to sell roasted ducks. Come and eat after you''re done with the busy work." Kang Youyi knew that the major matters came first, and today was the first day of the roasted duck store''s opening. It was not only important to Qin Hao, but also to himself since he had been working hard for the roasted duck store all this time. One could say his efforts were even greater than Qin Hao''s. "It''s almost lunchtime. Liu Pengyun, take a tricycle and deliver thirty ducks to the Wumei Supermarket on Yonghe Street for takeaway." Qin Hao had already researched the area around Yonghe Street in the past two days. Large supermarkets and sales venues have the highest foot traffic, and the more people there are, the greater the chance of selling roasted ducks. Liu Pengyun nodded and asked, "Hao, how are we going to sell these roasted ducks, and what''s the price?" Qin Hao patted his head, almost forgetting the most important matter, "Sell by weight, set the price at thirty yuan per jin (500 grams)." This pricing did not surprise the others because in terms of taste alone, their roasted duck was far superior to any other. Kang Youyi spoke up, "First run those thirty ducks through a scale." Liu Pengyun was taken aback, but he quickly understood what Kang Youyi meant and hurriedly nodded, "Right, weigh them first." Qin Hao inwardly admired the chubby man; he had actually wanted to say that too. But if he had said it, the meaning would have beenpletely differenting from him than from the chubby man. The thirty ducks Liu Pengyun had amounted to a total of 75 jin, which Kang Youyi recorded, and then ced the roasted ducks into the insted cab on the tricycle. Even though it''s summer and instion isn''t needed, considering hygiene among other factors, an insted cab is still very important. Liu Pengyun rode the electric tricycle slowly away from the roasted duck store, heading straight for Wumei Supermarket. Before long, Zhao Hongyu and another person also set off, each carrying thirty ducks. The remaining ten ducks, Qin Hao roasted and then ced in the store. ... An unknown roasted duck store quietly opened in Jiangshan City. It didn''t even set off fireworks or firecrackers for its opening, nor did it invite anyone. Inside the store, Qin Hao and the chubby man sat there, while the others had been sent out by Qin Hao to investigate the market on Yonghe Street. To be honest, Qin Hao felt somewhat uneasy andcked confidence. Although he knew his roasted duck was good, without having been tested by the market, he was always on edge. He had invested almost one hundred thousand yuan in the roasted duck store, and if his product couldn''t stand up to market scrutiny, it would be a big blow to him. Noticing his expression, Kang Youyi said, "Hao, even though I haven''t tasted our duck, just by its vor and appearance, it''s already streets ahead of other roasted duck stores. Our price may be a bit higher, but I believe our roasted duck will definitely sell well. I''m even thinking about investing myself." Qin Hao looked at him and said, "What if you hand over the pool hall to someone else and help me manage the roasted duck store? I''ll give you one percent equity, or a monthly sry of ten thousand yuan, you choose." He really did need someone to help him manage the roasted duck store, and the chubby man was currently the best choice. Qin Hao felt that the chubby man''s managerial abilities were quite good. The offer Qin Hao made was very good; a monthly sry of ten thousand yuan for a roasted duck store manager was extremely rare in Jiangshan City. One percent equity might not seem like much now, but who''s to say the Jiangshan Roasted Duck Restaurant won''t grow and expand in the future? "Hao, I''ll choose the first option, one percent equity stake," the chubby guy thought for a moment before answering. Qin Hao looked at him with some surprise, "You have that much confidence in our roasted duck?" Kang Youyi chuckled, "It''s not just the duck I have confidence in, it''s you, Hao." Despite saying this, Qin Hao still looked at him with new respect. This chubby guy wasn''t shortsighted. ... At that moment, a ck sedan slowly drove past the duck restaurant, then suddenly stopped. Xia Yingjie sniffed the air and felt his stomach growl immediately, "Wow, that smells amazing. When did a roasted duck restaurant open here?" Sitting in the back, Xia Qing also turned her head to look, puzzled, "I remember there used to be a billiards hall here. When did it change into a duck restaurant?" Tian Rong said, "Didn''t you dislike eating anything these past few days? Are you nning to eat something as greasy as this?" Xia Yingjie replied, "Xiaoqing, wait in the car for us, your mom and I will go have a look." Xia Yingjie and Tian Rong got out of the car; the aroma was even more enticing outside, it made Xia Yingjie''s appetite surge. He looked up at the brand-new sign: Jiangshan Roasted Duck! ording to the billboard and the surrounding decor, it seemed the restaurant had just recently opened. Xia Yingjie and Tian Rong walked inside and immediately started looking around at the decor. The walls inside the shop were adorned with many promotional pictures. The top part of the frame featured a golden, glistening roasted duck, followed by a detailed description of Jiangshan Roasted Duck. Jiangshan Roasted Duck was crafted using a blend of eighty-one different types of Chinese herbal medicines, slow-cooked and roasted to achieve a fragrant, crisp, delicate, and rich but not oily taste; just smelling it could make one salivate, and eating it was an unforgettable experience dayster. Since it was roasted using a pure herbal secret form, eating Jiangshan Roasted Duck had significant benefits for one''s health. It could nourish the body, strengthen it, enhance one''s immunity, among other effects. ... Beyond this promotional banner, there were many others in the store; some introduced Jiangshan Roasted Duck, while others detailed certain Chinese medicinal herbs. When Qin Hao saw the guests, he quickly stood up, smiling, and said, "Wee to Jiangshan Roasted Duck Restaurant." Only then did Xia Yingjie and Tian Rong turn to look at him. Upon seeing Qin Hao, Xia Yingjie paused for a moment, then smilingly asked, "Young man, how old are you? Aren''t you in school?" "I''m in school. Just helping out at a friend''s store opening," Qin Hao replied with a smile. Xia Yingjie nodded, "Young man, the duck smells great. How much are you selling it for?" As this was Qin Hao''s first customer, he responded with a smile, "Sir, you must have seen the advertising paintings in our store. Our roasted duck is made using a pure herbal secret form. Eating it is highly beneficial for the body, so the price is a bit higher than regr roasted duck, thirty yuan per jin." Tian Rong eximed in surprise, "That expensive? The highest price at other duck restaurants is only twenty-two or twenty-three per jin." Qin Hao continued, "The roasted duck you mentioned is ordinary, ma''am. Ours is different." Before Tian Rong and Xia Yingjie could speak, he went on, "For instance, this gentleman has been experiencing poor appetite, weakness, and bloating for the past few days. If he had smelled any other roasted duck, he probably wouldn''t have felt any desire to eat it. But our roasted duck makes him crave it. That''s the difference between our duck and the others. I can even assure you, sir, that if you eat our roasted duck regrly for a few days without drinking alcohol, your illnesses will naturally improve." After hearing his words, Xia Yingjie looked surprised, "How do you know I''ve been having a poor appetite, weakness, and bloating these past few days?" Chapter 34: Chapter 36 Sold Out Tian Rong looked at Qin Hao with equal surprise. Was he just a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse, or did he actually see something? Qin Hao said to Xia Yingjie with a smile, "I dabble in ancient medicine in my spare time. I''m sort of a doctor. Your uncle has bloodshot eyes, a slightly yellowplexion, and a thick, dry yellow coating on his tongue. It''s quite easy to diagnose your uncle''s condition." Xia Yingjie was genuinely stunned, "So, young man, what illness do I have? How should it be treated?" Qin Hao showed an expression of difficulty, "Uncle, this is a roasted duck shop." Xia Yingjie, slightly embarrassed, smiled, "Then, give me a roasted duck first." Qin Hao, "Sure, which one would you like?" "That one there." Qin Hao donned a thin stic glove, took out the duck Xia Yingjie pointed to, and weighed it, a little over three pounds, "Ny yuan and fifty cents, let''s make it ny. Shall I cut it here?" "Um, yes, cut it." Qin Hao took out a kitchen knife and skilfully cut open the duck on the chopping board, quickly finishing the task. Once the duck was cut, it released an even more intense aroma, making one''s mouth uncontrobly salivate copiously. After packing the roasted duck, Qin Hao handed it to Xia Yingjie. Xia Yingjie pulled out a hundred yuan and handed it to him, "No need for change, young man, thank you for just now." Though it wasn''t a lot of money, it was enough to show that Xia Yingjie was a pretty decent person. Qin Hao warned him, "Uncle, you are already in the early stages of cirrhosis. If you keep drinking heavily, nobody will be able to treat you." Upon hearing this, Xia Yingjie and Tian Rong''s faces changed immediately. Cirrhosis? Early stage cirrhosis is hard to detect in hospitals; typically, by the time it''s detected, it''s already in the middle orte stage. At that point, treatment is almost hopeless. Qin Hao continued, "Uncle, Aunt, don''t worry so much. Our roasted duck here benefits in strengthening the foundation, invigorating the body, and easing the muscles and meridians. Consistent consumption can also achieve therapeutic effects through food." Next to him, Kang Youyi looked at him with eyes full of admiration. Damn, Hao is really something, ending with such a twist. So, you were waiting for this moment, huh? Deep game, I''m impressed! Xia Yingjie and Tian Rong paused, "Young man, are you sure you''re not joking?" Qin Hao said with a smile, "Uncle, you''ll know if I was lying after you go back and eat." He realized he also had the potential to be a sly merchant. He could have prescribed some herbal medicines, but he didn''t. He wasn''t lying to Xia Yingjie; long-term consumption of Jiangshan Roasted Duck could definitely slowly cure his condition. After all, it wasn''t an advanced stage, but just the onset of cirrhosis. Xia Yingjie and Tian Rong didn''t say anything more and left the roasted duck shop with their purchase. Back in the car, smelling the aromatic duck, Xia Qing curiously asked, "Mom and Dad, how was the roasted duck sold?" Xia Yingjieughed and replied, "Thirty yuan per pound. It''s a bit expensive, but the appearance and taste of Jiangshan Roasted Duck are good, so I assume the texture won''t be far behind." The three most important aspects of a roasted duck are: taste, appearance, and texture. In Xia Yingjie''s view, Jiangshan Roasted Duck scored on the first two. ¡­ Inside the roasted duck shop After Xia Yingjie and the other left, Kang Youyi raised his thumb to Qin Hao and said, "Hao, you really know how to talk. My admiration for you is like the endless flow of the Jiutian River, and as uncontroble as the overflowing Zhuo River, ¡­" Qin Hao, "Stop, what do you mean by talk?" Kang Youyi: "A perfectly healthy person, and you''ve got him convinced he''s got cirrhosis." Qin Hao nced at him: "You don''t understand. He''s lucky it was me, or by the time it got to the middle orte stages of cirrhosis, he''d be doomed." Kang Youyi, seeing he wasn''t joking, asked curiously, "Hao, are you really an ancient doctor? Then check me out, do I have any illnesses?" "No issues for now, but who knows if you don''t start losing some weight." The two chatted idly in the shop when a few more people came in and bought four roasted ducks. Although he had only sold five roasted ducks, Qin Hao was already quite satisfied. After all, the location here wasn''t great, and he hadn''t done any advertising¡ªthose who came in were attracted by the smell of the roasted duck. At ten past eleven, Liu Pengyun came back, a big smile stered across his face as he entered the shop. Qin Hao quickly stood up. Seeing the smile on his face, he already guessed the oue, but still asked, "How did the sales go?" "Sold all thirty ducks, Hao, you wouldn''t believe it. The moment we set up the ducks, people were drawn in. They were almost all sold in no time," said an excited Liu Pengyun. Jiangshan City may only be a third-tier small city, but its purchasing power is not to be underestimated. Moreover, the Jiangshan Roasted Duck was not so expensive; most people found the price eptable. Not long after Liu Pengyun''s return, Zhao Hongyu and another person also came back; they too had sold everything. Today, out of one hundred roasted ducks, including the five sold in the shop, a total of 95 ducks were sold, bringing in revenue of 7,393 yuan. The cost of the ducks, ughter fees, and condiments was about 4,500 yuan. Subtracting these, he made about 2,900. He didn''t include thebor cost. Even after deducting thebor cost, he still made over 2,000. More than 2,000 is not a small amount; many people in Jiangshan City earn about 4,000. He made money in a short amount of time that amounted to nearly half a month''s sry for an average person. Qin Hao then made a call to Du Xing: "Mr. Du, send over two hundred ducks this afternoon." "It looks like Mr. Qin''s sales are good, congrattions on a very auspicious start," Du Xing said with a smile, his form of address changing. With two hundred ducks, he could make a tidy sum. Qin Hao: "Mr. Du, if nothing out of the ordinary happens, I will be buying several hundred ducks every day. I think we could talk more about the price." "How about this, I''ll cover the ughtering fees, which are three yuan per duck. With several hundred, it''s not a small amount," Du Xing offered. "Alright, Mr. Du is indeed a straightforward man." Qin Hao would be a fool to fully trust his word, but if he could save some money, then why not. Others might charge three yuan per duck for ughtering. He believed that if he let those people ughter, the price would likely be even lower. After hanging up, Qin Hao said to Kang Youyi: "Fatty, if you''re free this afternoon, take someone else and go to the live poultry and seafood market to find a duck seller. If the price is no higher than his, talk to them and initially ask for a hundred." "Alright, Hao," Kang Youyi nodded. Even a sly rabbit has three dens; all the more so for people. If Qin Hao always depended on Du Xing, and one day Du Xing turned against him, it could deal a big blow to his roasted duck shop. Just after half-past eleven, those who had gone to survey the market also returned. Qin Hao primarily sent them to Yonghe Street and several other bustling streets to observe the market. Chapter 35: Chapter 37 Li Baos Reputation The news these people brought back was all quite good; there was arge number of visitors, and plenty of vendors selling goods. Just as Qin Hao was about to close up, another customer came in. This person had nned to buy from Zhao Hongyu, but unfortunately, they had already sold out. The address of the Jiangshan Roasted Duck Restaurant was on the tricycle, so this customer came straight here. He spent one hundred and fifty yuan and bought two whole roasted ducks. After twelve o''clock, there were still three roasted ducks left. Qin Hao took them out, cut them up and sent Fatty to buy some beers and other food. Soon, several of the guys were enjoying lunch in the shop. "Damn, this is so delicious?" Fatty took a bite, his eyes widened in disbelief. Seeing Fatty''s reaction, the othersughed and said, "Fatty, are you exaggerating a bit?" After that, the other guys also grabbed a piece and then it was unstoppable¡ªthey didn''t speak, just kept shoving roasted duck into their mouths. The three roasted ducks were devoured by them at an incredibly fast pace. Not just here, but in many households in Changle District of Jianghai City, the same scene was unfolding. In one household, a middle-aged man said while eating, "This duck is authentic, really good value for money; I''ll buy another one tomorrow." The middle-aged man''s wife asked, "Where did you buy this duck? It tastes so good. Why haven''t I been able to find it before?" The middle-aged man replied, "I bought it outside Wumei Supermarket; it seems to be a newly opened shop called Jiangshan Roasted Duck Restaurant. The main store is near Yonghe Street No. 2 Middle School." In a young couple''s home, the young wife said, "Delicious, honey, this roast duck is so good, let''s buy a few more when we go to my mom''s ce tomorrow." "Yeah, let your aunt also try our Jiangshan City''s roasted duck; I think it tastes even better than De Juxiang." At Xia Qing''s ce in Cuijing District. Xia Yingjie took a bite of the duck, his eyes lighting up, "Wife, Xiaoqing, you guys try this too, this duck is really tasty." Tian Rong took a piece of duck meat and told him, "Be careful with your stomach, eat less if you''re unwell to avoid difort." After she spoke, she bit into the duck meat and her expression clearly changed, "This roasted duck is really good." Xia Qing also took a bite, and the rich taste captivated her. A three-pound roasted duck usuallysted them a meal, but today they had eaten it all by noon, and they were still left wanting more. ¡­ After lunch, Fatty took someone to the live poultry and aquatic market. Qin Hao sent three people out to buy tricycles. Yonghe Street wasrge, and three tricycles simply weren''t enough to meet the market demands here. ording to his survey, at least fifteen tricycles were needed to satisfy the market demands. But he didn''t have enough manpower for that now; six people were already the limit. After making arrangements, including Qin Hao, only three people were left in the store. At one o''clock, Li Bao came back, driving a ck Volkswagen sedan, followed by four people. Qin Hao recognized two of them as former subordinates of Wang Qiang, Cao Fa, and Feng Hao. The other two were strangers to him, but judging by their eyes and posture, they were not ordinary people but trained fighters. Li Bao entered the room and looked around in surprise, "Hao, you''ve opened up?" The people following him hurriedly greeted respectfully, "Hao." Qin Hao nodded slightly, "We opened this morning, business isn''t bad, almost sold out everything." Li Bao, "Hao, do you have enough people here? If not, I can call a few more brothers over." Qin Hao, "These people are enough for now." At that moment, the sound of braking echoed from outside, Qin Hao walked out, and Li Bao and a few others quickly followed. Mr. Du and the driver got out of the car, and when they saw a group of peopleing out from the roasted duck restaurant, they were a bit stunned. Especially when they saw Li Bao and the four people behind him, Mr. Du was startled. These men had blue tattoos visible on their arms and wore fierce expressions, clearly societal figures. The driver by Mr. Du''s side nudged him gently, "That person seems to be Bao." Since the poultry and seafood market was very close to Yonghe Street, Mr. Du and his driver naturally had heard of Li Bao''s big name. Qin Hao smiled at Mr. Du and said, "Mr. Du is very punctual." Mr. Du spoke a bit nervously, "Mr. Qin, the goods have already been delivered, please check them." Qin Hao walked over and checked the ducks, only looking at a dozen or so. Li Bao said with a smile, "Hao told the guys to unload, but if he dares to pass off inferior goods, I will take the brothers and find him." Hao? Mr. Du and the driver looked towards Qin Hao, suddenly recalling what others had said to them, "Bao is now the overt boss of Yonghe Street, but he has someone behind him who rarely shows his face, outsiders all call him Hao." Could Qin Hao be that person? Qin Hao didn''t speak. In business, sometimes you need to demonstrate your strength to intimidate the other party. Seven subordinates quickly unloaded the ducks to the back. Qin Hao then asked Mr. Du, "Would you like to sit inside?" Mr. Du nodded his head and followed Qin Hao and the group inside. Once inside, Qin Hao told Li Bao, "Get a chair for Mr. Du." Li Bao brought a chair from behind and ced it next to Mr. Du, then stood next to Qin Hao. Mr. Du, sweating from his forehead, thought how unbelievable it would be if someone told him that Li Bao himself had brought him a chair. Qin Hao sat there, with Li Bao and others standing behind him, naturally exuding an intimidating aura. "Mr. Du, how much for the two hundred ducks in total?" Mr. Du wiped the sweat from his forehead, "That would be 7500 in total, but Mr. Qin since you take such good care of my business, 7000 will do." Qin Hao was surprised. He hadn''t expected Li Bao''s reputation to be so useful, and he didn''t refuse since Mr. Du dared to offer him a 500 discount, indicating that he still made a good profit. He took out the money from the counter and handed Mr. Du 7000, "Pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Du." Mr. Du smiled and said, "Mr. Qin managed to sell a hundred roasted ducks just this morning, truly impressive." The two exchanged a few morepliments, and then Mr. Du left. Before leaving, Mr. Du didn''t forget to tter Li Bao a bit, after all, he was the boss of Yonghe Street, and getting familiar with him could only be beneficial. After Mr. Du left, a fat man arrived with another owner of a poultry and seafood store. This was a man in his fifties, named Tan He''an. Tan He''an gave off a very stable impression, which might be rted to his age and experience. Kang Youyi introduced by the side, "Boss Tan, this is our boss." Tan He''an reached out his hand and said, "I didn''t expect Mr. Qin to be so young, to have your own shop at such an age is no small feat." Qin Hao also smiled and responded, "You tter me, Boss Tan, what I do is just a small business." Boss Tan said, "Mr. Qin, take a look at the ducks then. The quality of my ducks is guaranteed. I''ve been in the poultry and seafood business for decades, my reputation is definitely assured." Qin Hao nodded slightly, checked the ducks, and then had them unloaded. Chapter 36: Chapter 38 Job Application When it came time to settle the ounts, Tan He''an charged him $3,250, and he didn''t even charge him for the ughtering fee. Qin Hao was stunned for a moment and asked in surprise, "How much per pound for Boss Tan''s ducks?" "Thirteen dors, including the ughtering fee." Tan He''an, as if knowing the surprise in his heart, said with a smile, "Generally, people buy ducks and have them ughtered at my ce. The ughtering fee for each duck is about seventy to eighty cents. Du Xing has had his ducks ughtered at my ce twice already, inrge numbers each time." This Du Xing is really ruthless, charging me three dors per duck for the ughtering fee. And the price of the ducks, only thirteen dors here with Tan He''an, and he was charging me fifteen. Qin Hao wasn''t angry because that''s how business is. Since he had epted the terms, it only meant his own judgement hadn''t been sharp enough. "There''s no problem with the ducks here, right, Boss Tan?" Tan He''an: "Mr. Qin, rest assured, my wife runs a breeding farm just outside the suburbs of Jiangshan City. You can check it out anytime. If Mr. Qin wants to buy inrge quantities in the future, we can negotiate the price." Qin Hao felt relieved. No wonder Tan He''an could offer such a low price; it turns out the breeding farm is his family''s business. Smiling even more upon hearing this, Qin Hao said, "Boss Tan is an honest man. I believe we will have even more opportunities for cooperation in the future." Tan He''an also smiled, "Mr. Qin may have some concerns now, but over time you''lle to know what kind of person I, Tan, am. I will take my leave now, Mr. Qin." After Tan He''an left, Qin Hao asked Kang Youyi, "How did you find this man?" Kang Youyi chuckled, "Heard about him from asking around. He''s been doing business in the live poultry and aquatic products market for decades, with a very good reputation." Qin Hao nodded slightly, "He made a good impression on me. Starting from tomorrow, we''ll temporarily get our supplies from Tan He''an." "Alright." Walking into the shop, Kang Youyi had already arranged for people to clean the ducks. Li Bao had someone take a document out of the car, "Hao, here''s the driving license you wanted. It''s been taken care of." Qin Hao was surprised, "So soon?" Kang Youyi said from the side, "Hao, Bao''s capabilities are high now. He knows many people in the business sector and in the government. Just a license, hand over some money and it''s done." "Don''t talk nonsense," Li Bao red at the chubby man irritably. While they were talking, a young girl walked in. Seeing so many men in ck inside, she timidly asked, "Excuse me, is this where you''re hiring an ountant and cashier?" Everyone in the room turned their heads to look, and the girl''s face changed color, looking as if she was ready to turn and flee at any moment. Qin Hao quickly asked with a smile, "Are you here to apply for the job?" The girl nodded slightly but still didn''t dare to enter, as Li Bao''s group seemed a bit intimidating. Annoyed, Qin Hao said to Li Bao, "If you''ve got nothing else to do, go back to whatever you were doing." "Yes, Hao. Call me if you need anything, I''ll be going now," Li Bao nodded quickly, leading his men out of the ce. Qin Hao looked at the girl and said with a smile, "Can youe in now?" The girl, a bit embarrassed with a slightly red face, then walked in, her eyes surveying the decorations around the roast duck shop. It must be a new roast duck shop. Opening a roast duck shop in this location, would anyonee to buy? She had trouble finding the ce; it was a bit remote. "Please, take a seat," Qin Hao said to the girl. The girl sized up Qin Hao, "Are you the owner of this store?" Qin Hao smiled and nodded, and Yu Jie felt an urge to turn around and leave. No wonder the Peking duck restaurant was in such an out-of-the-way ce, the owner looked to be just eighteen or neen, even younger than me, what kind of business acumen could he have? Could this Peking duck restaurant stay open for a month? If it closed down halfway, would I still get my sry? If Qin Hao knew what she was thinking, he probably would''ve been so upset he''d spit blood. "Let''s introduce ourselves, my name is Qin Hao, and I am the owner of this store." Yu Jie had been nning to leave, but remembering her family''s situation and her interview experiences from the previous days, she decided to give it another try. "Hello, my name is Yu Jie, I''m twenty-five years old, a graduate from Kun Economic University with a major in ounting. I have worked in Haizhou City and Haizhen City in Haiyue Province, and here is my resume." Yu Jie spoke at an even pace, her tone indifferent. Qin Hao took her resume and looked it over, Kun City is the provincial capital of Shuinan Province, and Kun Economic University is a first-tier local institution in Shuinan Province, quite a good school indeed. After reading her resume, Qin Hao asked curiously, "With your qualifications, you should be able to find a better job, why did youe back here?" Yu Jie: "My hometown is in Yong''an County, Jiangshan City, and I nned to find a job in Jiangshan City because of my family''s situation. A few days ago, I interviewed at several other ces in Jiangshan City, but I wasn''t very satisfied." Qin Hao nodded slightly, "What are your requirements for a job?" Yu Jie: "I would like to ask about our work hours, sry, and so on." Qin Hao thought for a moment and said, "Your work hours will generally be from nine in the morning to seven or eight in the evening, depending on the workload, with no breaks on weekends for now, and the hours might be longer but they include meals. Your sry during the probation period is four thousand per month, after bing regr it''s five thousand, and there are bonuses every month, depending on work performance." This sry, Qin Hao didn''t dare to say it was very high in Jiangshan City, but it definitely wasn''t bad either. Hearing the sry Qin Hao mentioned, Yu Jie''s eyes clearly lit up; four thousand during probation, five thousand after being regrized, plus bonuses, this was the best offer she''d received after several days of interviews. But she worried about whether Qin Hao''s Peking duck restaurant would fold in less than a month. If it did, would she still receive her sry? Seeing she wasn''t speaking, Qin Hao asked curiously, "Miss Yu, do you have any other concerns?" "No... no others." Yu Jie didn''t dare to speak her mind. Qin Hao noticed her reluctance to speak and said with a smile, "Perhaps Miss Yucks confidence in my Peking duck restaurant. If you''re free this afternoon, you can try working here, and if you feel it''s not right, I''ll give you a hundred yuan as payment for today, and you can continue your search tomorrow. If it feels okay, then stay on," Yu Jie, feeling embarrassed, nodded, "Mhm, okay." Qin Hao introduced her to someone, "This chubby guy is Kang Youyi; when I''m not here, he''s in charge of the matters in the store." "Hello, Mr. Kang," Yu Jie said to Kang Youyi with a smile. Kang Youyi quickly returned the smile, "Miss Yu, hello." "Fatty, show Miss Yu around and familiarize her with the work environment in the store," said Qin Hao to Kang Youyi. In the afternoon, two more people came for interviews; he was interviewing them for selling Peking ducks, which required no special skills, just the ability to handle money and cut ducks. When not selling, they would help out in the store, and it wasn''t tiring. Qin Hao had set their sry at three thousand for the moment. Qin Hao thought these two were quite okay, so he decided to keep them on. Chapter 37: Chapter 39: Revenue Breaks Ten Thousand By four o''clock in the afternoon, the people inside the restaurant started to get busy. The two newly hired workers also began bustling about in the back, washing ducks, soaking the garnishes, and then roasting them in the duck oven. Yu Jie had nothing else to do, so she helped out by washing ducks in the back. Everyone was wearing aprons, which were bought by the chubby guy. Just after five, Liu Pengyun and Zhao Hongyu took fifty ducks each, weighed them at Yu Jie''s station, and then set off. Chen Da, the younger brother brought by the chubby guy, also left with fifty ducks. All three men had sold ducks in the morning, so Qin Hao gave them more ducks, believing there would be returning customers in the afternoon. The two other new hires took forty ducks each; they were headed to a new location, so Qin Hao did not allocate as many ducks to them. In the store, Qin Hao kept twenty ducks and ced another fifty cleaned ducks into the refrigeration cab. After five thirty, all five people had been dispatched. There was still one person cleaning up in the duck roasting area in the back, a younger brother brought by the chubby guy. This afternoon, acquiring the ducks had cost Qin Hao over ten thousand, and he also purchased two second-hand tricycles at almost five thousand. He had made quite a bit of money in the morning, but by the afternoon not only had the morning''s earnings been used up, he had also ended up putting in almost ten thousand more. Now, he had a little over thirty thousand left in his bank ount. Just a few days ago, he had a hundred thousand, and now it was almost down to zero. Yu Jie, having nothing else to do, sat at the front desk, looking at the figures in the ledger, recording the weights of the several people. She had also calcted roughly how much money it should be; if the money brought back by those people was not correct, there definitely would be a problem. Qin Hao and Yu Jie were sitting together at the front desk, and as it was approaching dinner time, most people woulde out to shop at this hour. Yu Jie, looking at Qin Hao next to her, asked softly, "Boss, they took so many ducks out, do you think they can sell them all?" Qin Hao smiled and replied, "Whether they can sell them all or not, you''ll know when they return." "Boss, this roast duck smells so good. Did you develop this recipe yourself?" Yu Jie swallowed a mouthful of saliva. She found that selling roast ducks here was really tormenting; she could only look but not eat. Seeing her distressed look, Qin Haoughed and said, "Of course. I want to build it into a national brand like De Juxiang." Yu Jie gasped in shock. Qin Hao''s ambitions were huge. What kind of presence was De Juxiang? A market value of nearly twenty billion, was it ignorance or confidence in his own roast duck? While they were talking, a middle-aged man walked in and asked, "Young man, how do you sell these roast ducks?" "Thirty yuan per jin. Just this aroma alone, the taste will definitely satisfy you." Qin Hao said with a smile. The man nodded slightly: "Then give me half a duck." "Alrighty." Qin Hao cut a duck in half, weighed one half: "Thirty-five." He finished cutting the roast duck, bagged it, and handed it to the middle-aged man: "Uncle, after you try it the first time, you''ll definitelye back for more." "Really? Uncle here has a picky taste, so if I''m not satisfied, don''t me me for badmouthing your store," the middle-aged man joked as he pulled out his wallet. Qin Hao replied, "Uncle, if it doesn''t taste good, feel free to criticize. Our store has that confidence." "Here''s your change, fifteen. Please keep it," Yu Jie said with a smile as she gave him fifteen yuan in change. ¡­ Twenty minutester, aside from the uncle who hade in earlier, no one else entered. Yu Jie spoke up, "Boss, our shop''s location isn''t that great. Otherwise, just the aroma of our roast duck alone would bring in tons of people." Qin Hao was well aware of this fact, but how much would rent cost in a good location? A ce asrge as a fat man''s wouldn''t go for less than ten thousand. His current funds were insufficient to open a shop there. Even if he did open one, he wouldn''t want to rent because the rent was too expensive. It would be more cost-effective to buy outright. Just then, Qin Hao''s phone in his pocket rang. Pulling it out, he saw it was his mom and quickly answered the call, "Mom, what''s up?" "You''ve been out all day, don''t you know toe back? There''s a unified exam the day after tomorrow. What do you n to do?" Mrs. Qin''s voice came from the phone, stern yet full of indulgence. Li Shujie''s voice was loud, and Yu Jie next to her heard everything. She sneakily nced at Qin Hao. Could it be that his parents didn''t know what he was doing? Where did he get so much money then? Qin Hao quickly stood up and left, moving to a secluded area: "Mom, I''m at a friend''s ce. I''lle backter. If dad asks, can you cover for me? Thanks, mom." "You child,e back early." After saying that, Li Shujie hung up the phone. Qin Hao returned to the front desk and sat there. Kang Youyi walked over from behind and asked, "Hao, do we need to roast any more? Liu Pengyun just called saying they might not have enough to sell." "Sell out and thene back. If they want more, let theme to the main store to buy." Kang Youyi nodded, "Alright, Hao." At that moment, five or six people walked in, one of them speaking while entering, "This is the ce. I bought my roast duck here at noon. It''s absolutely delicious. Once you try their roast duck, you won''t want anyone else''s." "Yeah, the taste almost made me drool. Not bad." "This is the first time I''ve heard Yu praising roast duck so much. Today, I''ll buy one to try." Yu Xing came in and said, "Young man, I''ve brought you a few customers. How about that, isn''t it nice of me?" Qin Hao recognized Yu Xing, as he had been the second customer at the roast duck shop: "Uncle, that''s really nice of you. By introducing your friends here, they will definitely thank youter. Our roast ducks are made from eighty-one types of Chinese herbs. They can strengthen the body, enhance physical health, and clear the meridians with healing effects. After having a meal, you should know its effects." Yu Xing nodded, "Now that you mention it, I do feel something. After eating your roast duck at noon, I felt much more spirited than usual and warm all over." Qin Hao smiled and said, "Uncle, rest assured, as long as you keep eating it, it will greatly improve your immunity and it might even make you immune to many diseases. We sell conscientious roast ducks." "Alright, give me another duck. There are many mouths to feed at home, and we didn''t get enough at noon," Yu Xing said. All six of them bought a duck each, totaling just under five hundred yuan. Later, two more people came, buying one and a half ducks. Until six-thirty, no more ducks were sold in the roast duck shop, totaling eight ducks sold. Upon seeing this, Yu Jie sighed in her heart. Only eight ducks sold. She wondered how the sales were going outside. The first to return that evening was Liu Pengyun. He had sold all fifty ducks and handed Yu Jie three thousand seven hundred forty-nine yuan, which was one yuan short ording to Yu Jie''s ounts. Soon after, Zhao Hongyu and Chen Da also returned. The two newly recruited individuals came back a littleter, but they also sold out. Altogether, the five people handed over eighteen thousand five hundred forty-five yuan. Yu Jie''s ounts showed eighteen thousand five hundred fifty, a discrepancy of five yuan. Qin Hao''s rule was that discrepancies within ten yuan were eptable, since some roast ducks sold might have had small change, thus he allowed for some leeway in collecting the exact amount. Adding the sales from the store to the total after deducting the cost of the ducks, the revenue reached eight thousand four hundred twenty. Together with the morning''s ie, the day''s total revenue had surpassed ten thousand. Chapter 38: Chapter 40 I Really Went for Tutoring Yu Jie looked at the ounts in her hand, somewhat incredulous, "Over eight thousand in revenue just this afternoon?" Is this really a new roast duck restaurant? Qin Hao had also shared the morning''s ounts with her, and at first, she thought Qin Hao was bragging. But now, seeing the actual figures, she knew she had been wrong initially. Given this situation, it should not end up closing down mid-way. After six-thirty, a few more customers came to the store, and in total, seven ducks were sold. The customers who cameter found the ce through the address advertised on the tricycle. By nightfall, there were still seven ducks left in the store. Qin Hao said, "Let''s call it a day. Everyone go home early. Fatty, I won''t be here tomorrow, keep an eye on things, and call me if there''s any issue." "Mmm, okay, Hao," Kang Youyi nodded. The two new hires, Li Xing''an and Liu Zhi, said to Qin Hao, "Hao, we''re leaving first." "Wait a moment." Chapter Read: Qin Hao took out a roast duck, cut it in half, then packed it and gave each of them half. The two quickly protested, "Hao, this isn''t right, it''s too expensive." "Don''t refuse, these ducks would likely not sell anyway. Consider it a benefit for your first day at work. Once we have more people at the roast duck restaurant, you won''t even be able to get any," Qin Hao said as he stuffed it into their hands. "Thank you, Hao," they quickly expressed their gratitude. Qin Hao said, "Go home early and rest. Remember toe to work before nine tomorrow." "Okay, Hao." The two left the roast duck restaurant with half a duck each. Qin Hao called Kang Youyi and those seven other guys over, saying, "You brothers have worked hard these past few days." Liu Pengyun replied, "Hao, you''re too polite. There''s nothing hard about it, being able to work for Hao is fortune enough for us." Hearing their conversation, Yu Jie grew curious by the side, wondering what exactly these people did. And why do they call him Hao? He''s much younger than you all, isn''t he? Qin Hao nodded slightly, "That''s the thing to say, but I can''t under appreciate your efforts. Those of you who want to stay and continue working, from now on you''re under me, Qin Hao, and I will not let you down. Those who don''t want to continue and would rather return to Li Bao to keep doing that sort of work, I''ll give each of you five hundred bucks as a token of appreciation for these days." Standing nearby, Kang Youyi silently observed, unable to interject, only watching to see how they would choose. This was an opportunity for them, it just depended on whether they could seize it. Liu Pengyun and Zhao Hongyu were the first to dere their intentions without hesitation, "Hao, we wish to follow you." The likes of Chen Da also hurriedly expressed their desire to follow him. But Qin Hao could see that a few of them were half-hearted because they felt that returning might cause Qin Hao to hold a grudge against them. "Alright, but my words still stand. Any brother who wants to go back can do so at any time." After Qin Hao spoke, he instructed Fatty to cut the remaining four ducks. Six people took half a duck each and left with it. The remaining half was divided between Yu Jie and Fatty by Qin Hao, "Here, take this." "Hao, you don''t have any, I shouldn''t take it, you keep it," Fatty hurriedly protested. Even though he was tempted by the roast duck, he knew what was important and what was not. Seeing Fatty react that way, Yu Jie also said, "Boss, you have it. I don''t like eating this, it makes me gain weight." ¡­ Qin Hao: "Fatty, from now on, when you purchase ducks, medicinal herbs, and other such expenses, you must report to Yu Jie. I need to be clear about every financial transaction, and Yu Jie will keep the records. Understood?" The two nodded; being the ountant, Yu Jie naturally knew about these matters. "The conditions here are tough now, but I''ll provide you withputers once things get better," Qin Hao said with a wry smile. Yu Jie and Fatty nodded. Currently, these two were the most important people in the store. One managed the store operations, and the other the financial powers. "Do you have anything else to say? Any suggestions for future development?" The two shook their heads. The roast duck store had just started operating, and many shorings had not yet emerged but would naturally be apparent over time. Yu Jie looked at Luo Hao and said, "Boss, my younger brother is twenty-two this year, but he''s not highly educated. Can I get him a job here selling roast ducks?" "Sure, but he''ll have to go through an interview." "Okay, boss." Qin Hao instructed about a few things, then left; if he didn''t return soon, his mother would probably go crazy. He wouldn''t have time toe here in the following few days because the unified exams were almost upon him. After finishing the ounting records, Yu Jie took another set of photos with her phone. These records were very important and absolutely could not be lost; if the notebook were to go missing, she could still retrieve them from her phone. After finishing this, she waved to Fatty and left. ... After Qin Hao got home, Mr. Qin red at him: "Where have you been all day? Don''t you know the exams areing up?" "Dad, I had my ssmate help me with my Federationnguage, and then I treated them to lunch," Qin Hao hurriedly made up an excuse. Upon hearing this, Qin Youguo''s expression softened, "Really? Why haven''t I heard about this? Which ssmate?" "She lives in our neighborhood; she''s from the humanities ss at our school and is very good at Federationnguage. I''ve improved a lot after studying with her for a day," Qin Hao said without blinking an eye, now adept at lying. In the past, when he lied, he would stutter and couldn''t look people in the eye, making it obvious he was lying. Curious, Qin Youguo asked, "What''s her name? Which building does she live in?" "Xia Qing, she lives in building number three." Li Shujie asked curiously upon hearing this, "Is it a girl?" Qin Hao nodded awkwardly, "Uh huh." "What does the youngdy look like?" Mrs. Qin asked curiously. Qin Hao rolled his eyes at his mother, "Mom, why are you asking all these questions?" Li Shujie red at him, "What? Can''t your mother know? Let us see, or else you are just lying to me and your dad." Qin Hao didn''t expect his mother to press the issue at this time, "Mom, Dad, I really didn''t lie to you, she''s one of the top students in school, really impressive." "Without seeing her, how would we know if you are deceiving us?" Mrs. Qin was relentless, determined to see Xia Qing. Having no choice, Qin Hao took out his phone, hurriedly sent Xia Qing a message: "Big sis, help me out." Then he clicked on video call, and soon Xia Qing answered the call. She was in her room, revising, with a lot of Federationnguage practice papers and materials on her desk. Seeing this, Qin Hao was relieved; indeed, fortune was on his side. When Xia Qing saw several people on his side, her expression clearly hesitated, "What''s up, Qin Hao?" Hastily, Qin Hao said: "I was at your ce today for a Federationnguage tutorial, my parents don''t believe it. Can you exin to them?" Chapter 39: Chapter 41 Token of Love Li Shujie and Qin Youguo saw Xia Qing in the video, their eyes clearly stunned for a moment, such a beautiful girl. Xia Qing, upon hearing Qin Hao''s words, immediately understood what was going on and smiled, saying, "Hello, Uncle and Auntie." "Ah, hello, hello," Mr. Qin and Mrs. Qin hurriedly replied. With a smile on her face and two charming dimples showing, Xia Qing said, "Uncle and Auntie, Qin Hao really came to study Federationnguage with me today, don''t think too much." "Mmm, hearing you say that puts us at ease," Mr. Qin and Mrs. Qin replied with a smile. At this moment, a middle-aged woman''s voice came from Xia Qing''s side: "Qingqing, stop studying ande eat." "Uncle and Auntie, I''m going to eat now, goodbye." "Mmm, goodbye, and thank you for tutoring our Xiao Hao," Mrs. Qin added with thanks at the end. After hanging up the video chat, Qin Hao heaved a long sigh: "Mom and Dad, you believe me now, right?" Mrs. Qin, smiling, asked, "Whose daughter is this? She''s really pretty; were you two together all day?" "Yes, how else would we tutor?" Mrs. Qin whispered softly, "Xiao Hao, this girl is nice, willing to tutor you, she must have feelings for you, son, you should really hold on to her." At these words, Qin Hao''s head was full of ck lines, and Mr. Qin was somewhat speechless: "What are you talking about? The child is still young, stop nagging all the time." "Young? Our son is about to go to university, and after a few years of dating, he should be getting married by the time he graduates. Plus, the girl is so pretty, once she''s in university, definitely a lot of people will chase after her!" ... "Mom, I''m hungry, can we eat now?" Qin Hao couldn''t help but interrupt his mother. Mrs. Qin snapped back to reality: "Right, right, let''s eat first, we can talkter." After dinner, Qin Hao went back to his room. He was rather tired that day. He didn''t even look at his books, justy on the bed and fell asleep. June 4, Monday. After an early breakfast, Qin Hao went to school, meeting Xia Qing at the entrance of themunity as usual. Xia Qing''s mouth curved into a slight smile: "What were you up to yesterday?" "Nothing, just went out for the day," Qin Hao replied. Seeing that he didn''t borate, Xia Qing didn''t ask further. They chatted about some random topics and soon arrived at school. Upon entering the ssroom, most of the students were chatting and not many were studying. With the unified exam in a couple of days, many thought it pointless to continue studying, so those who wanted to rx were doing exactly that. However, some were studying, generally those who were good at their studies, seeking to improve their scores in hopes of getting into a better school. Qin Hao sat at his desk, idly looking at study materials, but his mind was on the duck restaurant. Based on yesterday''s revenue, today should be no different, and under normal circumstances, it would likely be even higher. Because those who had tried the roast duck would be attracted by the taste and be return customers, and with new customers added on, it was normal for today to be higher than yesterday. "Thinking about which beauty, you''re so engrossed," a crisp and pleasant voice rang in his ear. Qin Hao snapped out of his reverie, and Du Wanrou was sitting there looking at him. He chuckled dryly, "Not at all, I''m just thinking about the problem; the unified exam is the day after tomorrow." "Studying at thest minute won''t help. If you had known to study hard before, your grades wouldn''t be this bad," Du Wanrou''s tone carried a slight sense of frustrated expectation. Qin Haoughed and said, "ss president, haven''t you heard a saying from the Federation''s Haji school motto?" "What saying?" Du Wanrou asked curiously. Qin Hao: "When you think it''s toote, that''s actually the earliest time." ... While he was speaking, the ss teacher walked in and said some rather unrefined words. It was nothing more than encouraging everyone to work hard on the exams and aim for good results. Then the ss teacher distributed the exam registration cards and other such items. He also announced that school would be dismissed at noon to prepare the examination halls, and everyone shoulde to school the day after tomorrow with their exam registration cards to take the exams directly. The ss teacher spoke for a long time before finally leaving the ssroom. As soon as the teacher left, the ssroom became noisy instantly; everyone was chatting and talking. After the unified exams, everyone would go their separate ways and probably wouldn''t see each other again, so there would be no chance to talk. Many sighed deeply, and Qin Hao also felt sentimental¡ªwas his three-year high school life reallying to an end? Although there were many unpleasant memories, there were also many that were worth cherishing. Qin Hao took out a beautifully wrapped box from his backpack, which contained a breast-enhancing bra and butt-enhancing panties. When he had taken it out of the system backpack, it was already in a high-end, ssy box. He had really pushed himself for those 600 achievement points. "ss president, since we''re about to graduate and might go our separate ways, you''ve been my deskmate for three years. This is a gift I''ve prepared for you," Qin Hao said to Du Wanrou. Du Wanrou looked somewhat surprised; like Qin Hao, many had prepared gifts for their deskmates. "Thank you, ha." If Du Wanrou knew what was inside, she''d probably kill him. Having received Qin Hao''s gift, she too took out a box, but in terms of elegance, it was nowhere near Luo Hao''s. "This is the gift I prepared for you," Du Wanrou handed it over. Qin Hao was somewhat surprised, his smile somewhat forced. Because he was afraid that Du Wanrou would be furious if she knew what he had given her. Chapter Explore: He quietly put away the box, forcing augh: "Thank you, ss president." Not far away, Yuan Zhengxiang''s face darkened upon seeing this; he hadn''t expected Du Wanrou to give Qin Hao a gift. He was absolutely green with envy and resentment. He was very good at controlling himself; although he felt murderous inside, his smile did not fade, and he walked up to Qin Hao. Yuan Zhengxiang also took out an exquisitely boxed gift, and said to Du Wanrou: "Wan Rou, you''ve been our ss president for three years. I''ve seen all your hard work and efforts. This is a gift from me to our ss president." The box was iid with fine jewels and clearly wasn''t ordinary¡ªthe contents were definitely even more precious. Du Wanrou shook her head, "No need, you should take it back." "ss president, this is my heartfelt gesture. Please ept it. You''ll definitely like it," Yuan Zhengxiang insisted. Du Wanrou: "This is too valuable. I ept your sentiment, but please take the item back." Yuan Zhengxiang was about to insist further when Qin Hao couldn''t stand it any longer. He spoke up: "Have some shame. She''s declining your gift, can''t you take a hint? Wan Rou is my future girlfriend, and if you keep pestering her, don''t me me for being rude." At his words, a flicker of fear crossed Yuan Zhengxiang''s eyes, and he looked at Du Wanrou again. Her cheeks were slightly red, but she said nothing, which, to Yuan Zhengxiang, seemed like tacit consent. Could it be that they had just exchanged love tokens? Chapter 40: Chapter 42 Shameless Yuan Zhengxiang''s face turned ugly, as dark as a storm cloud. Remembering his past deeds with Song Wei, Qin Hao''s expression grew even colder, "Get out now." Yuan Zhengxiang''s face turned from pale to flush, a hint of viciousness shing in his eyes while his hand turned somewhat white from gripping too hard. With a cold smirk, Qin Hao watched him until Yuan Zhengxiang finally turned and went back to his seat. Du Wanrou spoke softly, "You really shouldn''t offend him, his family is quite powerful." Curious, Qin Hao asked, "What does his family do?" "A small jewelrypany," Du Wanrou answered. Chapter Enjoy: No wonder that guy had such an exquisite box, probably a fine item taken from home. At eleven forty-five in the morning, the school bell rang for dismissal. The senior students gathered all their belongings, as it was mandatory to take everything with them or it would be treated as trash. Most had already taken a lot of things home, only carrying some revision materials and mock exam papers at noon. Outside the school, Xia Qing was already waiting for him at the gate. Seeing Qin Haoe out, she called out with a charming dimple on her face, "Qin Hao." Qin Hao smiled and nodded; she was carrying a small ck backpack and looked strikingly charming. The two walked side by side, looking like a couple and drawing envious nces. From inside a nearby BMW, Du Wanrou saw this and nced at the fancy gift box beside her, pouting slightly in dissatisfaction. She said, "Mr. Lin, let''s go back." "Sure, Miss." Picking up the box, she looked at it curiously, "What has he sent me?" The exquisite gift box was slowly opened, and upon seeing its contents, Du Wanrou''s eyes widened and her cheeks instantly flushed red. The box was quickly covered again, "This jerk actually sent this? Shameless, lewd, why don''t you drop dead." She felt an urge to have Mr. Lin turn back and beat up Qin Hao. ... After walking a distance, Xia Qing suddenly remembered something, "Oh, my parents asked me to buy a roasted duck, would youe with me since you''re free?" Qin Hao nodded, "Yeah, sure." Seeing his agreement, Xia Qingughed, "It''s a newly opened roasted duck restaurant, their duck is really tasty, maybe you should buy one to try." Qin Hao, noting the direction she was heading, wondered, she isn''t talking about my ce, is she? Indeed, as he suspected, Xia Qing led him right to Jiangshan Roasted Duck Restaurant. The business was good today, and when they entered, they saw several people queuing to buy roasted ducks. Most of them were residents from nearby neighborhoods. Fatty and Yu Jie were busy at the counter, one slicing duck and weighing, the other collecting money and giving change. Neither noticed Qin Hao behind them, and soon it was Xia Qing''s turn. Kang Youyi looked up then froze; not stunned by Xia Qing''s beauty, but by the presence of Qin Hao behind her. Yu Jie, seeing Fatty silent, looked up curiously and then also froze. Realizing they might give him away, Qin Hao subtly signaled them with his eyes, indicating they should keep his identity secret. Seeing both of them freeze, Xia Qing looked puzzled, "I''ll have one roasted duck, please." "Ah, right away," Fatty quickly took a duck and started to cut and weigh it. Xia Qing turned to Qin Hao behind her, "Aren''t you buying one?" "My parents aren''t home today, I''ll buy itter," Qin Hao responded. "Hmm, this roasted duck is really good, it''s the best thing I''ve eaten," Xia Qing praised generously. Qin Hao nodded. "It smells really appetizing," he agreed. Fatty and Yu Jie were speechless. How could you, the founder, not know whether it tastes good or not? "The totales to seventy-five," Kang Youyi said. Xia Qing took out a hundred yuan and gave it to Yu Jie. After getting change, she and Qin Hao left the restaurant. When Qin Hao had left, Kang Youyi and Yu Jie exchanged looks, then shared a knowing nce. Leaving the roasted duck restaurant, the two of them didn''t talk much on the way because both were preupied with their own thoughts. As they neared the entrance of the residential area, they both simultaneously said, "I have..." "You go first," Xia Qing''s cheeks were slightly red, though it wasn''t obvious. Qin Hao took off his backpack and pulled out a beautifully wrapped gift box from inside. He had found the perfect excuse to give a gift: "You were the first person to befriend me. We''re about to graduate from the unified exam soon, and we might end up in different ces. This is a gift I prepared for you." As expected, Xia Qing was very touched by his words and reached out to take the gift box. Curious, Qin Hao asked, "What were you going to say just now?" Xia Qing''s cheeks reddened further. She took a deep breath, looked Qin Hao in the eyes, and said earnestly, "No matter which university you get into, my feelings for you won''t change." Having said that, Xia Qing''s cheeks werepletely crimson, and she quickly turned and hurried away from there. The unified exam was imminent, and given Qin Hao''s scores, it was unlikely that he and she, as well as Du Wanrou, would end up at the same university. She was afraid that if she didn''t speak now, she would never get another chance. Qin Hao stood there, watching Xia Qing''s retreating figure, his expressionplex. He sighed deeply after a long while. Xia Qing''s words were tantamount to a confession to him. She clearly knew about Qin Hao''s past performance and was afraid they would end up in different ces, never getting another chance to speak. Qin Hao could tell she was serious, that even if he ended up in a lesser university, she wouldn''t change her heart. This had a huge impact on his heart. His mind involuntarily thought of Du Wanrou. If he really ended up in a lesser university, would she act like Xia Qing? The answer was no. Even if he got into Jianghai University, whether Du Wanrou would fall for him remained an unknown. But even he didn''t know why he was so fond of Du Wanrou. Perhaps it was fate. But when he thought of Xia Qing, he was very conflicted. Well, let it be up to fate. ... "Ding, congrattions to the host forpleting the side mission and random task, awarding 1200 achievement points." Qin Hao heard the system''s message but could not feel happy as he walked home. Once home, Qin Hao turned on hisputer and logged onto the messaging software, but he didn''t know what to do next. Just then, his messaging software pinged. When he opened it, he was surprised to see someone had sent him a friend request. When he saw the username, he was taken aback¡ªwasn''t that Du Wanrou''s username? After he epted, he cautiously sent a message: "Is it the ss president?" But Du Wanrou did not reply. In the afternoon, he did a few test papers, and at five o''clock, he went out to buy a roasted duck and also checked on the roasted duck restaurant''s business. He could clearly see that the roasted duck restaurant''s business was stronger day by day, with significantly more foot traffic than on the first day. Chapter 41: Starting from Chapter 43 Xia Qing returned home and went to her room after lunch. She closed her door and then sat on the bed to take out the gift box Qin Hao had given her from her backpack. She slowly opened the gift box, curious about what Qin Hao might have given her. When she saw the contents of the gift box, Xia Qing was stunned for a moment, as if she couldn''t believe her own eyes. Then her cheeks instantly heated up and turned crimson, because lying inside was a set of women''s lingerie, and it was ckce. What does he mean by giving me this? Does he have those feelings for me? Otherwise, why would he give me something so intimate? If he has feelings for me, he shouldn''t give me such a thing, it will be so awkward when we meet in the future. ... At around 5:30 PM, Qin Youguo and Li Shujie returned home and immediately smelled a familiar aroma. Li Shujie said with a smile, "Xiao Hao, did you buy Jiangshan Roasted Duck?" Upon hearing his mom''s words, Qin Hao was startled, "Mom, you know the name of this roast duck?" Mrs. Qin answered, "Your dad and I just bought one on the way home. It tastes just like the one you boughtst time. We didn''t expect you''d buy one this afternoon as well." Qin Hao, "It''s okay, we''ll set the other one aside, and just heat it up in the microwaveter, the taste won''t change." Qin Youguo, sitting on the couch, said, "I heard the Jiangshan Roasted Duck store is right next to ourmunity; it will be convenient to go there whenever we want." Li Shujie went into the kitchen to start preparing dinner as soon as she got home. Mr. Qin said to Qin Hao, "Come sit down, Xiao Hao, your dad wants to talk to you." Qin Hao sat on the couch, curiously looking at his dad, "What is it, Dad?" "The unified exam is the day after tomorrow, right? Are you confident?" Qin Hao smiled and nodded, "Don''t worry, I won''t let you down." Qin Youguo showed a relieved smile, "Confident about reaching the second tier?" He didn''t dare to hope too high. Qin Hao, "No problem, Dad, just wait to invite your friends and rtives then." "When did this cheeky kid learn to brag?" Qin Youguo red at him, unamused. Qin Hao said earnestly, "Dad, I''m not bragging. I''ve let you down many times before, but not this time. I will make you proud." Qin Youguo stared at his son''s expression, his eyes closing briefly. He had had a lot to say, but now he was at a loss for words. Eventually, Mr. Qin said, "Dad believes in you." ... Time ticked by slowly, and then it was June 6th. Mr. and Mrs. Qin both took the day off from work and drove him to the entrance of Changle Second Middle School. At the entrance of Changle Second Middle School, there was a lot of traffic, and even more people, as nearly all the students'' parents hade to drop off their children. Qin Hao got out of the car and said, "Mom, Dad, you don''t need to see me off. Our home is so close, I can just walk back after the exam." "How can we not! This is a very important affair for our family," Li Shujie intervened. Qin Youguo suddenly said, "Xiao Hao, isn''t that your ssmate Xia Qing over there?" Qin Hao looked up and froze when he saw the two people next to Xia Qing. Aren''t they the uncle and aunt who came to my duck restaurant that day? Are they possibly Xia Qing''s parents? I can''t let them see me, or I''ll give it all away. Qin Hao hurriedly said, "Mom, Dad, I''ll go in now." "Okay, we''ll wait here for you." Qin Hao skirted past Xia Qing''s parents and made his way to the school entrance, where police were maintaining order. After a brief check of his admission ticket at the main gate, he was let inside, to hall 10, seat number 22. There were signs throughout the school, and exam room ten was on the second floor of the academic building. He arrived outside his exam room where a proctor from another school was checking. Only after triple checking for any mistakes did they let him into the exam room. It was now 8:40 AM, with twenty minutes until the start of the exam, and the room was already full. He found his seat, sat down, and looked around, seeing mostly unfamiliar faces. Because participants at Changle Second Middle School weren''t only from this school, there were also many students from other schools. At 9:00 AM, the ssroom door was locked, the standardized test papers were distributed, and the four proctors in the room began to circte. Nowadays, cheating on the exam was very difficult, each room not only had four proctors but also electronic surveince cameras. After getting the test paper, Qin Hao straightened up and began working on the questions seriously. The entire exam room was silent, and the proctors tried to slow their steps to avoid disturbing the students'' thoughts. The "shush" sound of students writing could be heard in the room. Time trickled away slowly, Qin Hao worked at a slow pace, of course, this waspared to his usual pace on practice tests. He was more serious and meticulous than before. More than an hourter, Qin Hao finished writing the essay, and hadpleted the entire test paper. He nced around; some were frowning in thought, others were writing rapidly, and some even fell asleep on the exam table. This left him dumbstruck, as this was a standardized test. How could they treat it so casually? At that moment, he recalled a saying, "How you treat life, life will treat you in return." If you treat life carelessly, then life will treat you carelessly in return. He nced at his paper and started to check it from beginning to end to see if there were any mistakes. Twenty minutester, Qin Hao had checked his paper thoroughly once and found a mistake, which he corrected. He did not rx just because he had checked once, but kept checking over and over again, striving for perfection. This serious, patient attitudested until 11:30 AM. At 11:30 AM, the proctors promptly collected the answer sheets, gathering everyone''s papers. Qin Hao sighed deeply, then picked up his things and walked out of the exam room, heading towards the school exit. There was one session this morning and another in the afternoon, with two more exams tomorrow. Out of school, Qin Hao found his parents. Seeing hime out, Qin Youguo and Li Shujie both eagerly asked, "How did it go?" Qin Hao smiled and nodded, "It was fairly simple." "That''s good, tired? Let''s go home, and mom will make you something delicious." They talked as they got into the car, then slowly drove away from there. Simr scenes yed out in many ces, some joyful, some sorrowful. Xia Yingjie and Tian Rong, seeing their daughtere out, smiled and asked, "Xiaoqing, how did it go?" "Pretty good, not too difficult," Xia Qing said with a smile. Then she looked around, did not find that particr figure, and got into the car with her parents to leave. ... After 2:00 PM Mr. Qin and Mrs. Qin once again dropped him off at the school gate, this afternoon''s subject was mathematics. This was a difficult subject to define; to some, the questions were not tough, but to others, they were very difficult. Some could score over a hundred forty points, even a perfect score, while others struggled to even pass. Qin Hao entered the exam room early, and at 3:00 PM, the mathematics exam officially began. Chapter 42: Chapter 44 ends The mathematics examsted two hours, ending promptly at five o''clock. When taking the math test, one must be even more serious and careful, because if you don''t read carefully, you will misunderstand the questions, which leads to incorrect answers. Qin Hao was extremely cautious, and it took him about an hour and ten minutes to finish the test paper. After finishing, he began to check his answers, carefully reviewing each question one by one. The invigtor in the examination room had noticed him in the morning and nodded slightly when he saw him checking his paper after finishing it. This must be a good student¡ªhis demeanor while taking the test and his patience while checking his answers were giveaways. The invigtor wondered to himself which school the student was from. With that thought, he walked over slowly, nced at Qin Hao, and then continued forward. Students generally write their name and school on the left side of the answer sheet and test paper. A student from the Second High School? The invigtor was somewhat surprised; he was a teacher from Changle District''s Fifth High School and had assumed that Qin Hao was a student from either the First or Eighth High Schools. After all, he had only seen such demeanor in the top students of the First and Eighth High Schools. Five o''clock in the afternoon After the invigtor collected the answer sheets and test papers, the students gradually left the examination room. As soon as Qin Hao left the school, he went home with his parents. In the kitchen, Li Shujie was cooking and asked, "Son, how about fish for dinner tonight?" "Mom, I''m fine with anything," Qin Hao replied from the couch. Mr. Qin turned on the television, which was broadcasting the local Jiangshan TV station. It was a news program, with a reporter standing in front of a bustling school entrance thronged with cars and people. "Isn''t that the entrance to the First High School?" Qin Youguo asked, recognizing the background behind the reporter. Qin Hao nodded; he had taken his exams there. Qin Youguo had been the one to take him there back then. Originally, with his grades, he had hoped to be admitted to Changle District''s prestigious First or Eighth High Schools. But due to an underperformance, he missed out on the key high schools and ended up at the Second High School. When he learned of his entrance examination results, he could clearly sense his father and mother''s disappointment. The TV reporter began saying, "Today, over a hundred thousand students in Jiangshan City are facing the most important moment of their lives. I am now outside Jiangshan City''s First High School. As we speak, many test-takers have already entered the school, ready for the unified examination¡­" Mr. Qin nced at the TV and asked, "How do you feel about the two subjects you took today?" "Pretty good, I think the results should be fine," Qin Hao replied, without being overly confident. Mr. Qin nodded slightly and said, "Do well on the exam. No matter which university you end up in, we''ll support your education." ... The next day Mr. Qin had gone to work, as the factory had granted him only a day off. Mrs. Qin''s position was different, so her supervisor gave her two days off, and on the second day, she took Qin Hao to school on an electric scooter. It was now summer, and the temperature was already quite high. Standing outside for over two hours was no easy task. "Mom, you should go back. It''s too hot, and standing out here is too exhausting," Qin Hao told his mother. "It''s alright, I''m not tired. Hurry inside, or you''ll bete," Li Shujie said with a smile. "Then find a cooler ce to rest for a while." Li Shujie nodded and said, "Mhm, I''m not foolish. Now go ahead." It was already past half past eight, and Qin Hao quickly entered the school, arriving at his examination room shortly after 8:40. In the morning, the exam was a two-and-a-half-hourprehensive science test. In the afternoon, it was the Federationnguage exam. After this day, the unified examination would have ended. For many people, this day went by very quickly, while others found it painfully slow. When the 5 p.m. bell rang, the invigtors began to collect the exam papers. This session of the unified exams had officially ended, and the next step was to await the results. Qin Hao stepped out of the exam hall, took a long breath, and thought, "Well, the results will be out in half a month. Let''s wait and see." Once outside the school, Qin Hao immediately spotted his mom waiting eagerly not far away. Seeing the sweat on his mother''s face, he quickly took a deep breath and walked towards her. "How was the exam?" Li Shujie hurriedly asked before Qin Hao could speak. Qin Hao nodded, "Don''t worry, I definitely won''t disappoint you." "That''s great. Come on, I''ll make you something delicious tonight." ... Back home, Mr. Qin didn''t return until six o''clock. His first question was about how Qin Hao had done on the exam. "Stop asking already, your son said he did well," Mrs. Qin said from the kitchen, slightly annoyed. Mr. Qin chuckled awkwardly and didn''t ask any further, simply sitting down on the sofa and turning on the TV. Qin Hao felt he had nothing better to do, so he sat down next to his dad to watch TV. Mr. Qin whispered, "When will the resultse out?" "Not for half a month, but we can go check the scores at school in three days, and there''s also the graduation ceremony to attend." Mr. Qin, "But the scores checked in school aren''t very urate, right?" Qin Hao nodded, "It''s just an approximate score, but most people can get a general idea." After dinner, Qin Hao returned to his room andy on his bed, his mind blissfully empty. This time, he had to make his parents proud and give them a reason to be joyful. He had let them down too many times these past few years. Now he was just waiting for the results. Checking the scores? It didn''t mean much to him, because right after the exam, he already had a rough estimate of his performance. At the very least, he should score over seven hundred, that was his estimate. That would be more than enough. Getting into Jianghai University would not be a problem. The next day, after his parents went off to work, Qin Hao took the medicinal herbs from his room to the roast duck restaurant. Kang Youcai had called him that day and mentioned the restaurant was running low on auxiliary supplies and asked him to make some time to go to the roast duck restaurant and prepare the auxiliary ingredients. Around nine, he arrived at the restaurant. Yu Jie was tending the front while the others were in the back cleaning ducks. When Yu Jie saw hime in, she smiled and said, "Good morning, boss." "Uh-huh, I''m going upstairs to prepare the auxiliary supplies," Qin Hao responded, taking the medicinal herbs up to the second floor. There were still plenty of herbal ingredients in the storeroom. He spent the morning preparing ten herbal prescriptions, then carried the medicine downstairs. By then, everyone had already left on tricycles, and only two people were in the store ¨C Yu Jie and the fat man. Qin Hao handed the auxiliary medicines over to the fat man, "Once you''ve used up the auxiliary supplies, open these up and use them. Make sure they''re stored correctly; don''t lose them." The fat man nodded hurriedly, "Don''t worry, Hao, I''ll put them in my office right away." "Office?" Qin Hao was taken aback. The fat man chuckled, "Well, there are a few rooms upstairs that are empty, so I took one to use as my office. After all, I am the general manager." ... Yu Jie couldn''t help butugh when she overheard, but her smile faded as she remembered the restaurant''s revenue over thest few days. Chapter 43: Chapter 45 Employee Assaulted Qin Hao smiled and didn''t say much. The chubby man took those medicinal materials up to the second floor; this was the most valuable thing in the roasted duck restaurant, and absolutely could not be leaked out. Fortunately, Jiangshan Roasted Duck Restaurant hadn''t caught people''s attention yet. Otherwise, given the restaurant''s current security measures, the secret recipe could very well have leaked out. Qin Hao said to Yu Jie, "Show me the ounts for these past few days." Yu Jie took out the small ounting book and handed it to him. Qin Hao opened the book and began reading on one side. The ounts were recorded very clearly: how much was spent on purchases, how much was earned from sales, and so on. Thest line on the page also included a summary of the day. He looked at it, and the revenue for the first four days showed a stepwise increase, with yesterday''s revenue reaching more than eighteen thousand. The profit had reached more than ten thousand, which pleasantly surprised Qin Hao; the growth rate was too fast. At that moment, the chubby man came down. He said with a smile, "Hao, in the past few days, we''ve added another five tricycles. Now, on Yonghe Street, we have ten of our vehicles, almostpletely covering all the ces with a high flow of people." The ounting book had a record; the roasted duck restaurant still had over twenty thousand in working capital. Yu Jie also added, "Based on the current trend, today''s revenue is expected to exceed twenty thousand." Qin Hao nodded slightly, "Everyone, keep up the good work. If we can maintain a daily revenue of over twenty thousand, I will give everybody a bonus." Hearing this, Yu Jie chuckled, "Really? Boss, your word counts." Around 11:30 a.m., Liu Pengyun and the others started toe back. Seeing Qin Hao in the store, everyone respectfully greeted, "Hao (Boss)" The business was also very good at noon. All the customers buying were local residents, and in the course of the afternoon, they sold dozens of roasted ducks. By twelve o''clock, one vehicle had not returned. Kang Youyi asked curiously, "Why hasn''t Yu Chengcaie back yet?" "Who is Yu Chengcai?" Qin Hao asked curiously. Yu Jie quickly said, "Boss, it''s my younger brother. He came back quite early yesterday, what''s with today?" As she finished, she seemed puzzled; could it be that today''s business wasn''t good? Just as she finished speaking, Kang Youyi''s phone rang. Kang Youyi looked at it and said to Qin Hao and the others, "It''s a call from Chengcai." Then he quickly answered the phone. "Hello, Chengcai, haven''t youe back yet?" From the other end of the phone, noises and the voice of Yu Chengcai came through: "What are you trying to do? Fatso, hurry up..." Before he could finish, the call on the other end was disconnected. The faces of everyone in the store changed. Qin Hao also sensed something was wrong and quickly said, "Pengyun, you guyse with me; Fatty, you stay and watch the store." Yu Jie, hearing that her younger brother was in trouble, turned pale and hurriedly followed, "Boss, I''ming too." Liu Pengyun, Zhao Hongyu, and Chen Da three people got on the vehicle, and Yu Jie also hurriedly got on. Qin Hao started the car and asked, "Where was your brother selling?" Yu Jie: "Over by Xinhe Mall." Qin Hao started the car and headed straight for Xinhe Mall, pulling out his phone to call Li Bao. The call connected quickly. Li Bao asked curiously, "What''s up, Hao?" "Get people to Xinhe Mall," Qin Hao said and then hung up the phone. Although hisbat power was very strong, his influence wasn''t that great in certain matters. ``` On the contrary, if Li Bao and the others went, the deterrent effect on those people would be stronger, and it would also let them know the strength of Jiangshan Roasted Duck Restaurant. Qin Hao could tell that the people who had the conflict with Yu Chengcai and the others weren''t riffraff from the streets but ratherpetitors. Because Jiangshan Roasted Duck was selling so well, it was bound to arouse the jealousy of otherpetitors, which was unavoidable. He just hadn''t expected this day toe so quickly. Xinhe Mall wasn''t far from the duck restaurant, and it took Qin Hao less than ten minutes to reach the outside of the mall. As soon as he got out of the car, he could see a crowd not far away; at that moment, four vans also stopped, and more than twenty people got out of the vehicles, led by Li Bao. Li Bao scanned the crowd and saw Qin Hao and his associates approaching quickly. Yu Jie, seeing Li Bao and his men, looked at Qin Hao with surprised eyes. Who in the world was he? Li Bao, leading his men over, asked, "What happened, Hao?" As he walked, Qin Hao replied, "Someone is troubling my employee. Clear the crowd for me." Although there were many people gathered around, the crowd wasn''t dense, so Qin Hao and his associates easily squeezed in. Inside, six middle-aged men were beating someone. No one around stepped forward to stop it. A man in his sixties next to them said to the person beside him, "These duck sellers are all rtives, and they''ve been domineering around here for some time. Anyone else who tried to sell here got driven out. Now, they are jealous of Jiangshan''s Roasted Duck sales." Hearing this, the people around nodded and looked at the aggressors with disgust, but no one dared to intervene as the six men were muscr and intimidating. Yu Jie, seeing the person being beaten was her brother, cried out urgently, "Stop it, what are you doing? If you keep hitting him, I''ll call the police!" The men showed no signs of stopping, and by this time, Yu Chengcai had a lot of blood on him from not being hit lightly. Qin Hao, seeing this, became instantly furious, "What the hell are you all looking at? Hit them!" Li Bao and his men immediately charged forward, several of them ganging up on each person. Yu Jie rushed to her brother''s side, her eyes red, "Chengcai, Chengcai, are you okay?" Yu Chengcai''s nose had been broken, and he had lost a lot of blood. There were many footprints on his body. The attackers had shown restraint and didn''t beat him to death; they likely just wanted to teach him a lesson. "Sis, I''m okay," Yu Chengcai managed a weak smile through a cracked mouth. Qin Hao also walked over and asked, "Are you alright, brother?" Curiously, Yu Chengcai looked at Qin Hao and then turned to his sister, "Sis, who is this? Is he your husband?" ... Yu Jie''s cheeks reddened slightly, and she said irritably, "Nonsense, he is the boss." Yu Chengcai''s expression changed, and he hurriedly said, "Sorry, boss, I didn''t mean to." "It''s fine, clean yourself up first. Leave the rest to me," Qin Hao patted his shoulder and then turned to look at the six men. Li Bao and his men were presently beating the assants. The bystanders stepped back a few paces upon seeing Li Bao and his group, keeping a distance. The six men were also stunned. They hadn''t expected a group of people to show up at this moment and were both shocked and afraid. After a while, Qin Hao gestured for Li Bao and the others to stop. He looked at the assants and said, "You''re the first to dare touch my employee." The men nced at Yu Chengcai, and then at Qin Hao. Jiangshan Roasted Duck was run by him? The crowd around also looked at Qin Hao with curiosity and astonishment. The young man ran Jiangshan Roasted Duck Restaurant? ``` Chapter 44: Chapter 46: Envied by Others Qin Hao looked at them and asked, "Why did you guys beat up my staff?" The men looked at each other cluelessly, not knowing what to say. "p p p" Li Bao''s underlings pped those men a few times and said, "Damn it, did you not hear Hao asking you a question?" "Are you going to talk or not? My brothers here are not as lenient as I am," Qin Hao said, looking at one of them. Under the pressure of Li Bao and the others'' imposing manner, the man hurriedly said, "Big brother, this really has nothing to do with me. I was just called over by my cousin. He said your roasted duck is so delicious that it''s stealing his business, so he asked me toe help teach your staff a lesson." Upon hearing this, the surrounding crowd immediately started chattering. These guys were actually jealous of someone else''s business sess. What kind of character do they have, to be this lousy? "Brothers, trying to do good business by suppressing others is useless. The only way to seed is to improve the taste of your own roasted duck. Today you hit my staff, and I hit you too, so let''s call it even. If you have any problems in the future, you cane and challenge me directly but don''t touch my people, or else don''t me me for being ruthless," Qin Hao told them. The men, upon hearing that he would not pursue the matter, quickly nodded in agreement and simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief. Li Bao looked at those men and said, "Hao has let you off, but that doesn''t mean I have. Starting today, if I see your stalls on Yonghe Street again, don''t me me for sending my boys to take care of you." The men''s faces changed instantly upon hearing his words, but they could see that Li Bao and his men were not to be trifled with and didn''t dare to say anything. Moreover, the events of today at this ce would likely spread quickly, and their business would probably suffer as a result. The reason why Qin Hao didn''t act too harshly was because of his different status. He now considered himself an entrepreneur who started from scratch. On the other hand, a lot of people were gathered around, and if he was too harsh, it would not only affect his reputation but also the reputation of his roasted duck restaurant. If he became more prominent one day, this could be a stain on his record. He was quite satisfied with Li Bao''s handling of the situation, as it coincided with his own thoughts, it''s just that his status prevented him from saying it outright. Qin Hao got into the car with his people, and Liu Pengyun rode the tricycle back. Looking at Yu Chengcai, he said, "Maybe you should go to the hospital to check up, just to avoid any issues." Yu Chengcai hastily replied, "Boss, I''m fine. It''s just a broken nose, nothing serious." "Let''s head back first," Qin Hao said as he drove the car back to the roasted duck restaurant with him. Upon returning to the store, it wasn''t long before Liu Pengyun also arrived. Yu Chengcai quickly said, "Sister, let''s settle the ounts first." Yu Jie was about to scold him, but after hearing his words, she didn''t say anything and set about settling the ounts with him. After the ounting was done, Qin Hao took out a thousand yuan from Yu Jie and gave it to Yu Chengcai, "Take this money to get checked out, and then buy yourself some nutritional supplements. If it''s not enough, just let your sister know." "No, no, boss, that''s too much. There''s no need for so much," Yu Chengcai hurriedly waved his hands, not daring to ept it. A thousand yuan was a lot to him; his monthly sry was only three thousand. Qin Hao giving him a thousand all at once made him feel undeserving. "Take it, it''s what you deserve," Qin Hao firmly pressed the money into his hand. The other employees looked at him with a hint of envy. Getting beaten up turned into receiving over a thousand yuan. They almost wished to get beaten up too. ... At noon, the meal that Yu Jie had ordered was delivered to the roasted duck restaurant, and Qin Hao specifically prepared several roasted ducks to reward his workers. Ordinarily, these people couldn''t afford roasted duck; one duck cost seventy to eighty yuan, and three would total over two hundred. When Pudgy was around, he always ordered takeout for these people, and the portions were generous enough to ensure everyone was well fed. After lunch, Qin Hao discussed future development paths with the fatty upstairs in the afternoon. Qin Hao had discovered that retailing roasted duck could also be quite profitable, and if Jiangshan Roasted Duck''s tricycles could cover the whole Jiangshan City, the revenue was likely to be terrifying. Of course, thebor costs would be terrifying as well, as there were already ten tricycles on Yonghe Street alone. There were many bustling streets like Changle District, and the whole district might need over fifty tricycles. Qin Hao also had a great idea for the next step, not nning to increase the number of tricycles but to open a shop in the bustling area of Yonghe Street. Then, the tricycles on Yonghe Street could be withdrawn, and sent to invade other bustling streets. Kang Youyi found his idea very unique and nodded, "This method is feasible. After the roast duck shop stabilizes for a while, it may just be enough for the down payment of a shop in a busy area." The two talked it over all afternoon, and Qin Hao left for home just after five o''clock. Not long after he got home, Mr. Qin and Mrs. Qin came back, each carrying a Jiangshan Roasted Duck. ¡­ Qin Hao, "Dad, Mom, why did you buy roasted duck again?" "This Jiangshan Roasted Duck is indeed good. After eating it for a few days, I feel invigorated, and even my work has more energy than before. It''s said that Jiangshan Roasted Duck is roasted with eighty-one kinds of herbal ingredients," Mr. Qin said with a smile. Qin Hao was startled, good grief, Dad even knows that? It seemed the advertisements on the tricycles were quite effective. Over the next two days, Qin Hao would visit the roast duck shop during the day and return home after five in the afternoon. These two days'' revenue had broken twenty-thousand, with a profit of more than ten-thousand each day. On the fourth day, which was the third day after the standardized test ended. Qin Hao left the house just after seven in the morning heading towards school, and at the entrance of themunity, he ran into Xia Qing. Xia Qing stood there in a pink dress, her fair skin and her slender figure entuated, with her long hair flowing gently in the breeze. Qin Hao, who was not far away, was struck dumb; he found Xia Qing extraordinarily beautiful today. He quickly recovered, and remembered the gift he gave Xia Qing, feeling a bit embarrassed. Xia Qing saw him and turned her head, a smile on her lips, her dimples showing immediately, "Qin Hao." Qin Hao smiled awkwardly and walked over. As he got closer, he noticed that today Xia Qing had a light makeup on, which doubled her charm. "What are you staring at? Haven''t you seen me before?" Xia Qing said softly with slightly flushed cheeks as she saw his stunned look. "No, just noticed you look especially beautiful today." Qin Hao hurriedly walked a couple of steps past Xia Qing, So she wouldn''t see the color of his embarrassment. Xia Qing caught up to him quickly, and she didn''t bring up the topic of their grades because she feared it might touch upon Qin Hao''s sore spot. This was a gentle and kind girl, understanding and considerate of others. Qin Hao could feel it too. He had nned to ask Xia Qing about her grades. But seeing she didn''t bring it up, he knew what she was thinking and decided not to mention their grades either. Chatting as they walked, they quickly arrived at the school. Upon reaching the ss, there were already students there, most sitting together chatting away. Others were discussing the exam questions, debating the solutions and answers. Chapter 45: Chapter 47 Graduation Ceremony Qin Hao had just entered the ssroom when he encountered Chen Shuna and her two friends. Upon seeing him, Chen Shuna said with a smile, "How did you do on the exam, Qin Hao?" "Not bad, how about you?" Qin Hao replied indifferently. Chen Shuna answered with a smile, "I think I did okay, and Wang Juan and Zhao Man also feel the same." Qin Hao: "That''s good. I hope you all get into the universities of your dreams." "Thank you." The three girls quickly expressed their gratitude. Just then, Yuan Zhengxiang and Song Wei walked in. Song Wei, seeming to have eaten the heart of a bear and the gall of a leopard, deliberately bumped into Qin Hao. "Hey, Song Wei, are you looking for trouble?" Seeing Song Wei''s behavior, Chen Shuna spoke up. Song Wei turned his head and nced at Chen Shuna, "Mind your own business." Yuan Zhengxiang stood by with a smile on his face, silently watching. Qin Hao looked at Song Wei, who was also staring back at him with a very apparent provocation in his eyes, "What are you looking at? Do you know who I''m hanging out with now? Kun from Anchang Street." "p" Qin Hao pped him across the face, thennded a spinning kick on Song Wei''s neck. Song Wei hit the ground without even a chance to react, stars swirling in his vision and his head buzzing loudly. The people inside the room wore stunned expressions. Wow, that was impressive. The movements were fluid and seamless as if moving clouds and flowing water. In the eyes of Chen Shuna and the others, Qin Hao looked very cool at that moment. "No matter who you hang out with, you''re just a piece of trash in my eyes," Qin Hao said in a calm tone. Now that they had graduated, even if they fought in the ssroom, they didn''t have to worry about being punished by the school''s Discipline Office. After speaking, he nced at Yuan Zhengxiang, "If you want to mess with me, be a man and stand up for yourself. Why let others do it for you?" Yuan Zhengxiang, somewhat fearful of his martial ability, said dismissively, "Are you even worth the trouble to me? Just a poor student. After the unified exam scorese out, we''ll be inpletely different worlds." After saying this, he headed towards his own seat, actually fearful that Qin Hao mightsh out at him. Qin Hao let out a cold snicker but didn''t say much more. Time would give the best answer to these people. He returned to his seat and nced at Du Wanrou next to him; however, she was turned away, talking to someone else. Before long, their homeroom teacher arrived, first inquiring about how everyone''s exams had gone, then discussing the exam answers and letting the students roughly estimate their scores. The graduation ceremony would take ce in the school''s auditorium that afternoon, and all the seniors were required to attend. Those who wished to perform at the ceremony were wee to do so, not only the students but many teachers would also take the stage. At noon, the ssmates went to the cafeteria together; this was probably theirst meal at the school. Many familiar faces in the ss sat together, chatting and asionally expressing their sentiments. Liu Wei, Yu Da, and Wang Fei sat together,ughing and talking. Qin Hao, having no friends in the ss, sat alone in a corner eating his lunch, looking somewhat isted. Seeing this, Yuan Zhengxiang''s mouth curled into a disdainful smile; he was surrounded by many people, both boys and girls. Many ssmates knew that his family owned apany and that they might need Yuan Zhengxiang''s help in the future, so they all actively engaged in conversation with him. Du Wanrou''s side was even more crowded. Not only was she beautiful, but her family was also rumored to be wealthy. Many students had seen Du Wanrou being picked up and dropped off by a ck BMW for school, clearly no ordinary affair. ... Qin Hao ignored those people and ate his meal alone. As he was eating with his head down, a figure sat down opposite him. Qin Hao looked up and saw Xia Qing watching him with her charming dimples, "You don''t mind, do you?" "Of course not," Qin Hao replied with a slight smile. A goddess like Xia Qing had lots of people who wanted to sit with her, and now she had chosen to sit across from Qin Hao. It was clear to Qin Hao what that meant. The students from ss 1 of the arts stream looked enviously and jealously at their goddess sitting across from a boy from another ss. Some even wanted to confront Qin Hao but were quickly held back by their ssmates. The one who was pulled back said irritably, "Why are you holding me back? You guys can tolerate this, but I can''t. We''re about to graduate anyway, who''s scared of who." "Do you even know who he is? See those guys from ss 8 like Xu Liang? If you dare to mess with him, it won''t just be Xu Liang and his gang who will take you out for a beating." ... When Du Wanrou saw Xia Qing sitting opposite Qin Hao, she walked over with her tray and sat down beside Qin Hao. Caught off guard, Qin Hao nced at Xia Qing with an embarrassed expression. What was going on? All morning, Du Wanrou had ignored him, and Qin Hao thought it could be because of the gift he had given her. But now that Du Wanrou was here, he was a bit confused. Without paying attention to Qin Hao, Du Wanrou instead said to Xia Qing with a smile, "You don''t mind, do you, Xia Qing?" Xia Qing smiled back, "It''s a public canteen, how could I mind?" Though both spoke with smiling faces, Qin Hao could feel the invisible hostility between the two. At that moment, students from ss 2 and other nearby sses turned their attention towards Qin Hao. Damn, who was this guy? The two most beautiful girls of the school were sitting by his side. Yuan Zhengxiang and the others couldn''t believe it. He was a cker, had no money, and wasn''t particrly handsome. Why were the two prettiest girls in the school favoring him? Were these two blind? I have the looks, top grades, and money at home. Where am I worse than this loser? Qin Hao had a ratherckluster meal at noon, mainly because of Xia Qing and Du Wanrou. Although they didn''t talk much afterwards, that invisible hostility remained. He was also somewhat conflicted internally. ... After 2 p.m. All senior year students gathered in the lecture theater for the graduation ceremony, which was about to begin. It started with the principal''s opening remarks, followed by speeches from the vice principal, the director of education, and representative teachers. That alone took almost an hour. Then ss 1 of the arts stream started their performance, and the first to go on stage was surprisingly Xia Qing. She nced in the direction where Qin Hao was sitting, and with a smile said, "In the vast sea of people, it''s fate that brought us together, let''s share the moment with ''Just Met You''." "Great¡­" The audience erupted with thunderous apuse, and Qin Hao also softly pped his hands. Xia Qing wasn''t just beautiful; her singing was enchanting, mesmerizing everyone who heard it. After the song ended, people pped enthusiastically. Xia Qing looked at Qin Hao once more, then smiled as she stepped off the stage. Chapter 46: Chapter 48 Du Wanrous Response After Xia Qing''s performance, another group went up to perform, followed by the students from the second liberal arts ss. This pattern repeated until all the sses had performed, which took about one and a half hours. Latter, several teachers took the stage to perform, and by the time everyone had finished, it was almost five o''clock. Finally, it was time for the school leaders to deliver closing remarks, and only after they had finished their speeches did the graduation ceremony for Changle Second Middle School''s senior yeare to an end. Back in the ssroom, the homeroom teacher spoke a few more words, and then everyone went home. They now just needed to wait for the results, which would be released on June 22, still eleven days away. Then, they could check their scores online and fill in their university preferences. On the way back, Xia Qing was still walking with him, chatting andughing. Neither of them brought up the subject of the gift, as both felt too embarrassed to be the first to mention it. At the entrance to the residential area, Xia Qing looked at him and asked, "Don''t you have anything you want to say to me?" Qin Hao hesitated for a moment, wanting to say something but not knowing what to say. Seeing his expression, Xia Qing''s eyes dimmed slightly: "I''m going to head back first." Watching Xia Qing walk away, Qin Hao felt somewhat stifled. Thinking about Du Wanrou, he felt confused. He didn''t know how Du Wanrou felt about him, and he also didn''t know what the oue would be if he tried to pursue her. But how could he know the oue without trying? Yet, taking such action might be somewhat unfair to Xia Qing, and at this moment, he found himself in a dilemma. Back at home, Qin Haoy on his bed, unsure what to do, as his parents hadn''te back yet. It was nearly seven o''clock in the evening when Qin Youguo and Li Shujie returned with grim expressions and without speaking. Qin Hao came out of his room and curiously asked, "Mom, Dad, what''s wrong?" Mr. Qin sighed, sat on the sofa, and silently lit a cigarette without saying a word. Qin Hao turned to his mom: "Mom, what happened?" Li Shujie, still visibly angry, responded: "The factory manager''s rtive has taken over your dad''s position, and now your dad has been demoted. That Mr. Huang really isn''t decent. He''s taken plenty of favors from us, and now he just reces us just like that." Qin Youguo took a drag of his cigarette and said, "Stop it, what''s the use of telling the kid this? It''s just a demotion, not a suspension." "And how could it be alright for you to work under Huang Wencai''s nephew? He''ll probably make your life difficult every day." Qin Youguo: "I''ve been at the factory for over twenty years; he can''t go too far." This statement was as much self-reassurance as it was intended to keep his son from worrying too much. If they could rece him so easily, they certainly wouldn''t care about making his life harder. Qin Hao knew what his father was thinking; if he lost his job, the whole family''s burden would fall on his mother. He would rather endure more hardship himself than ce all the burden on Li Shujie alone. Moreover, Qin Hao was about to go to university soon, which would be another significant expense. Qin Hao spoke up, "Mom, Dad, I''m thinking of looking for a summer job tomorrow. It would also help with the tuition fees." "Why look for a summer job in such hot weather? Your parents can afford your university fees," Mrs. Qin immediately objected. Qin Hao exined, "Mom, I''m not that young anymore. I should start toughening myself up. I don''t want to be a sheltered flower." Mr. Qin nodded in agreement: "The boy has a good point. Young people these days really should gain more experience." ¡­ Last night, after dinner, Qin Hao returned to his room and heard the chat software ring. He opened it and to his surprise, Du Wanrou had sent him a message, "How many points do you think you can score?" Qin Hao replied, "Jianghai University shouldn''t be a problem." "Big talk, we''ll see when the resultse out," Du Wanrou replied with a pout after seeing his response. Qin Hao chuckled and asked, "Monitor, does what you said before still count?" "Let''s talk about it once you get into Jianghai University." Qin Hao, "If I really get in, will you agree?" Du Wanrou didn''t reply; she was deep in thought. She was seriously considering her feelings for Qin Hao. Why did it upset me to see him walking with Xia Qing? Why did I feelpelled to go over when I saw Xia Qing sitting with him? After much thought, she felt that she probably liked him a bit. But remembering her family background, she felt it would be difficult to be with Qin Hao. But should she give up because of this? She wasn''t that type of person. Even if she couldn''t be with Qin Hao in the end, she wanted to give it a try. But the most important thing now was to test Qin Hao''s heart. She needed to know if Qin Hao truly cared about her or if he was just after her family''s wealth and her beauty. It was quite a while before she received a reply from Qin Hao, "If you really get into Jianghai University, I can consider trying to date you." When Qin Hao saw the message, he was thrilled, "Am I dreaming?" "Really, Wanrou? That''s great," Qin Hao replied, his fingers trembling. Du Wanrou, "Don''t get too happy yet. The results aren''t out. Got to go, my mom is back." "Mmm, have an early night, Wanrou," Qin Hao boldly called her Wanrou, no longer calling her monitor. ... The next morning, around seven, Qin Hao got up, and his parents had already eaten breakfast and gone to work. He took out breakfast from the microwave, ate a bit, and then left the house. When he arrived at Jiangshan Roasted Duck Restaurant around eight, Kang Youyi was already there. Not just Kang Youyi, but Yu Jie, Yu Chengcai, and Liu Pengyun were also present. Seeing this, Qin Hao curiously asked, "Howe you guys are here so early?" Yu Jie responded with a smile, "We got up around six, had nothing to do at home, so we came over. We''d be idle anyway." Turning to Yu Chengcai, Qin Hao asked, "Chengcai, is your health okay now?" "No problems, boss. I''m in great shape," Yu Chengcai said with a simple, honest smile. Qin Hao smiled and nodded, "Good to hear, work hard, and learn more from your sister when you can." At the roasted duck restaurant, he basically had little to do. There was no shortage of manpower, and he just oversaw the workers. In the morning, Qin Hao mixed more than ten sets of ingredients on the second floor. Around eleven o''clock, he came downstairs; the restaurant was already open for business. Now, Jiangshan Roasted Duck Restaurant was selling nearly a thousand ducks a day, with daily revenues of about forty to fifty thousand yuan. The growth was nothing short of spectacr. This was mainly due to the secret recipe of Jiangshan Roasted Duck, which had the perfect aroma, appearance, and taste. It was hard for Jiangshan Roasted Duck not to be popr. Chapter 47: Chapter 49 Li Baos Request ``` Jiangshan Roasted Duck Restaurant could now produce at most a thousand roasted ducks per day. Any more than that would exceed the current capacity of the roasted duck restaurant. However, the fatty had just ordered two ratherrge duck roasting ovens, and once they arrived, the production capacity of the restaurant would be even higher. Revenue was also expected to increase, and he was very much looking forward to this month''s revenue, which was going to be an astonishing figure. By a little after six in the evening, he returned home where Qin Youguo and Li Shujie had already arrived. Mrs. Qin saw hime back and asked curiously, "Xiao Hao, why did youe back sote today?" "Mom, I found a summer job today, working at the Jiangshan Roasted Duck Restaurant. They said they''d pay me three thousand a month." Qin Youguo asked curiously, "Is the job there tiring? You''re still in school, don''t wear yourself out." His father usually had a stern expression, but Qin Hao could feel that his father''s love for him was in no way less than his mother''s, and perhaps even more. But he did not seek for his son to know it, even if his son did not understand. Perhaps this was the greatness of paternal love. Qin Hao said with a smile, "It''s fine, Dad, not too tiring." Qin Youguo, "Hmm, as long as it''s not tiring that''s good, work hard and it''ll toughen you up." And so, Qin Hao went to the roasted duck restaurant during the day, and would return after six in the evening. On the 15th of June. Inside Jiangshan Roasted Duck Restaurant. Qin Hao was looking at the ount books when Li Bao walked in with four people. Upon seeing this, Yu Jie turned her head towards Qin Hao, "Boss, you have visitors." Qin Hao lifted his head, saw Li Bao holding a backpack, and he walked over, "Hao, can I have a word with you?" Qin Hao handed the ount book to Yu Jie, then headed upstairs. He led Li Bao and the others into the fatty''s office on the second floor, and Li Bao entered while Wang Hong and the four others stood guard outside. Once inside the room, Li Bao opened the briefcase, revealing stacks of cash. He began, "Hao, here''s the money we collected, this is your share." Qin Hao shook his head, "I don''t need money right now. You keep it and do something legitimate. Lead those brothers away from that path. After all, what you''re doing can''tst, and if you''re not careful, you might even end up in prison." Li Bao was stunned for a moment. To be honest, he admired Qin Hao''s audacity. To decline an offer of over two hundred thousand yuan without even blinking an eye. At the same time, he was pondering what Qin Hao had said. He knew Qin Hao was right¡ªit probably was time to extricate himself before getting in too deep. He looked at Qin Hao and asked, "Hao, there''s a bar on Yonghe Street up for sale, should I buy it?" "Running that would be pretty good for you, but just remember there are some lines you can''t cross," Qin Hao advised him. Li Bao nodded, "Hao, there''s actually another reason I came to see you today." "What is it?" Li Bao, "Liu Jianming from Fubang Real Estate Company asked me for help." Qin Hao''s eyebrows furrowed slightly, "What kind of help did he ask for?" Li Bao, "He said his rival hired Wang Kun from Anchang Street to get back at him, and he wants me to mediate." Wang Kun from Anchang Street? He remembered hearing this name before, but couldn''t recall where precisely. Qin Hao asked him, "What do you n to do?" Li Bao exined, "I''ve met Wang Kun a few times. I''ve arranged to meet them at noon today to settle this matter, but I''m worried I won''t be able to handle those guys, so I was hoping you, Hao, could step in." "Alright, I''lle with youter." ... Eleven o''clock at noon. ``` Qin Hao arrived at the Jinshan Hotel in Li Bao''s car. The Jinshan Hotel is a four-star hotel in Changle District and probably the best one there. After getting out of the car and entering the hotel, Li Bao said something to the attendant, who then led them upstairs. They took the elevator to room 801 on the eighth floor. Li Bao told the attendant, "Go on down for now, we will order once everyone has arrived." The waitress nodded slightly and turned to leave. Standing at the door of the private room were Wang Hong and three others, intimidating the waitress, who then stood aside. About ten minutester, a slightly overweight middle-aged man walked in. Upon seeing him, Li Bao stood up and said, "Mr. Liu is here, this is Hao." Liu Jianming, looking at Qin Hao and smiling broadly, reached out his hand and said, "I''ve long heard of Hao''s great reputation, and seeing you today, I can say the praise was well-deserved." "You tter me, Mr. Liu, please take a seat," Qin Hao replied, shaking his hand. Liu Jianming sat down next to Li Bao and said apologetically, "I''m really putting you out today, Hao." Qin Hao replied, "Mr. Liu, be prepared to bleed a bit too." "As long as the problem is solved, I don''t mind." Liu Jianming was genuinely scared. Because Wang Kun from Anchang Street was too infamous. This man had been jailed for intentional assault before, and it hadn''t been long since he was released. His ruthlessness was unmatched even by Li Bao, as Wang Kun used to really go at people with a knife. It is said that he has more than one life on his hands, just that the police haven''t found the evidence. It was just past eleven-thirty. A middle-aged man with a face covered in horizontal scars and wearing a ck vest walked in. He had a dragon tattoo over his shoulder and a long scar, sinister and terrifying, on his right arm. Following him was a middle-aged man in a suit. The two did not speak and simply found a ce to sit down. Li Bao stood up and with a smile said, "Kun, this is Mr. Liu from Fubang Real Estate Company, and this is Hao." Wang Kun nced at Qin Hao and said with augh, "Li Bao, you''re kidding me, bringing a kid whose hair hasn''t fully grown in to mess with me?" Li Bao furrowed his eyebrows upon hearing this, nced at Qin Hao, unsure how to respond to Wang Kun''s words. Qin Hao, sensing Wang Kun''s contempt, said to Li Bao, "Introduce me to the person next to him." "That''s Mr. Wang Guanding from Guanding Real Estate Company," Li Bao introduced. Wang Guanding was a middle-aged man, balding, with a chubby face andrge ears. He nced at Qin Hao without the slightest intention of greeting him. Qin Hao looked at Wang Guanding and said, "Does Mr. Wang have some misunderstanding with Mr. Liu?" Wang Guanding replied, "Indeed, there has been a misunderstanding. Liu Jianming cursed me behind my back in front of others, who wouldn''t be able to tolerate this?" All this over trivial matters? Qin Hao was somewhat speechless; in his view, it was just petty squabbling. But for people like Liu Jianming and Wang Guanding, it was a serious matter of losing face, which necessitated teaching the other a lesson. Qin Hao spoke up, "My purpose in inviting everyone here was to help resolve this issue, Mr. Wang, tell us, how would you like to settle this matter?" Wang Guanding pped his hands, and a waitress walked in. He said to the attendant, "Bring three bottles of Moutai." After the waitress left and quickly returned with the liquor, cing it on the table and then exiting. Looking at Liu Jianming, Wang Guanding said, "Since Hao has brought it up, I have to give Hao some face. If you, Liu Jianming, can finish these three bottles of liquor, we''ll consider the matter resolved." Chapter 48: Chapter 50 Hidden Quest ``` Qin Hao and Li Bao squinted their eyes upon hearing his words, which clearly showed a tantck of respect for them. After drinking these three bottles of alcohol, Liu Jianming would probably have to stay in the hospital for a while. If this matter were resolved this way, the loss of face wouldn''t just be Liu Jianming''s, but also Qin Hao''s and Li Bao''s. At their level, face is a very important thing. Qin Hao will certainly need to mix in Jiangshan City in the future, and Jiangshan Roasted Duck Restaurant is definitely going to be developed, so he can''t afford to lose this face. "It seems Mr. Wang is not nning to resolve this matter properly," Qin Hao said, his expression darkening. Wang Guanding chuckled, but said nothing because he had already said what he wanted to say. Wang Kun saw him and said indifferently, "This is the best solution, otherwise I, Wang Kun, will make sure he spends the rest of his life in a wheelchair. ''If you give me face, you are Hao, but if you don''t, you are nothing in my eyes, just a little kid, at best. People on Yonghe Street really seem to be regressing more as they live.''" Li Bao''s face turned very awkward; Wang Kun was too arrogant, daring to insult Hao like that. Did he really think Li Bao was easy to bully? Qin Hao looked at Wang Kun, and there was a red exmation mark next to his head. "Congrattions host, you''ve triggered a hidden mission?" "Mission name: Punish the Evil-doer, Mission description: Expose Wang Kun''s murder of Liu Man Yue five years ago and his disposal of the body in an abandoned factory in Jianghua Suburb." "Mission reward: 1000 achievement points, 1 merit point." Merit point? What is this thing? Qin Hao looked at Wang Kun with a smile on his face, but it was a cold smile. Reporting willeter, but today he must get his face back. "Since you''re not giving me face, don''t me me for not giving you face." Wang Kun also stood up and looked at him with a coldugh, "What? You want to fight me?" "Whoosh" Qin Hao dashed forward in a sh, reaching out and pping Wang Kun on the face. Wang Kun had no chance to react, and the full force of the p left him dazed and disoriented. Seeing Qin Hao take action, Li Bao also rushed over and started to let loose a flurry of punches and kicks on Wang Kun. People outside heard themotion and rushed in. Wang Kun had only brought two people with him; they tried toe and help, but were immediately restrained by Wang Hong and four of Li Bao''s men. Mr. Wang and Liu Jianming saw both sides start fighting without a word and their hearts immediately leapt. Minutester, Qin Hao and Li Bao stopped their assault. Qin Hao looked at Wang Kun and said, "Acting tough in front of me, you should have asked around about who Qin Hao is." Wang Kun red at him malevolently, "Fine, I take a loss this time, but you all wait for me." Given his nature, if he didn''t take revenge, then he wouldn''t be himself. Li Bao looked at Qin Hao and Qin Hao nodded slightly. Li Bao then opened the alcohol on the table and started pouring it into Wang Kun''s mouth. After two bottles, Wang Kun was already incoherent and drunkenly hazy. In front of Mr. Wang and Liu Jianming''s shocked gaze, Li Bao picked up a solid wood chair and smashed it onto Wang Kun''s knee. And it wasn''t just a single strike; Mr. Wang''s face turned deathly pale, his heart thumping wildly. He could clearly see Wang Kun''s leg bing twisted. Liu Jianming''s face also looked bad, Qin Hao and Li Bao were too ruthless; it made them feel a chill. Qin Hao waved his hand and Li Bao finally stopped. He sighed and said, "Call an ambnce, Kun got so drunk he identally fell like this." ... ``` Qin Hao looked at Wang Kun''s two underlings with a smile and said, "You are all men with families. If someone asks, you know what to say, right?" The two men, scared witless, nodded hastily: "Yes, yes." "Hurry and take your Brother Kun to the hotel entrance. The ambnce will be here soon." Upon hearing Qin Hao''s words, as if pardoned, they quickly supported the reeking Wang Kun and left. They had only recently started following Wang Kun and weren''t that loyal. Moreover, Wang Kun and Li Bao were known to be fairly notorious ruffians, but they weren''t considered part of the triad. The triads were typically brutal in their actions. Inparison, Wang Kun and his crew were like children ying house. ... After the few men left, Qin Hao looked at Wang Guanding and Liu Jianming, saying, "From now on, let''s turn hostility into friendship. How does that sound? Harmony brings wealth." "Yes, yes, Hao is right. Liu Jianmin and I don''t actually have any serious misunderstandings," Wang Guanding quickly corrected himself. Liu Jianming also nodded: "Mr. Wang is right, those are just trivial matters. Let''s put them behind us." Wang Guanding hurriedly said, "I''m treating everyone today. From now on, we''re all friends." After he finished speaking, he called the waiter over and ordered a lot of expensive dishes and drinks. Now with Wang Kun possibly bedridden for a long time, or even likely to be taken down, Wang Guanding was also making preparations for a rainy day. The meal went on for a long time, and during it, Qin Hao also touched on the matter of Wang Kun. After all, Li Bao had broken Wang Kun''s arm. If Wang Kun was determined to sue, Li Bao would have to spend some time inside as well. If there were no witnesses, Wang Kun''swsuit would be futile. After lunch, Wang Guanding settled the bill and left. Qin Hao, Li Bao, and Liu Jianming shared a car on the way back. During the drive, Qin Hao said to Liu Jianming, "Mr. Liu, I heard that you exempted the rent for the pool hall my brother Fatty opened. How much would it cost to buy it?" Liu Jianming was stunned for a moment but instantly grasped what he meant: "The market price is usually around six or seven hundred thousand. Today has been troublesome for Hao, so I''ll have someone send the property contract over in a bit. Consider it a gift for Hao''s brother." "How could that be eptable? I''ll pay whatever it costs," Qin Hao insisted. Liu Jianming internally scoffed, saying you clearly want to just take it. But he also knew that if it weren''t for Qin Hao today, things would have been difficult to resolve. Furthermore, Qin Hao had taken care of Wang Kun and assumed a fair amount of risk. He had initially nned to rent the pool hall to Kang Youyi permanently, to get on good terms with Li Bao and Qin Hao. Initially, it was almost no different from giving it away, and now he was just adding the formal transfer of the property contract. If Qin Hao had asked for a different property, it might have hurt him financially. But as for the pool hall run by Kang Youyi, he wasn''t pained at all to part with it. "Look at you, Hao, talking like that. Talking about money hurts the feelings between brothers. This is my initiative to give to you. If you don''t ept it, it''s like looking down on your brother," Liu Jianming said with firmness in his voice. Qin Hao didn''t insist further, tacitly agreeing. Liu Jianming asked with some concern, "Hao, what do we do if Wang Kun gets out of the hospitalter?" "Don''t worry, Mr. Liu. I''ll take care of this matter," said Qin Hao in an indifferent tone. ... Li Bao, listening to the two men''s conversation, couldn''t help but admire Qin Hao. He didn''t even know how to describe him anymore, and he was even more elusive. Astute and ruthless? To demand a house just like that¡ªif it were Li Bao, he couldn''t have mustered the gall. Back at Jiangshan Roasted Duck Restaurant, it wasn''t long before Liu Jianming sent someone to deliver the property contract to the restaurant. Chapter 49: Chapter 51 The Disappearance Case from Five Years Ago Kang Youyi was stunned when he saw the property contract, "Hao, how can this be in my name? I didn''t do anything for it, I can''t take it." Qin Hao said, "Just take it, it''s yours anyway." Kang Youyi shook his head, unable to fathom why he would get a property contract worth six to seven hundred thousand for nothing. Although he was somewhat tempted, there were some things he couldn''t ept. Li Bao spoke up, "How about this? Fatty signs here, and you give this old house to Hao." The new billiards hall Kang Youyi had opened, although smaller than this one, was in a prime location and could easily sell for five hundred thousand. While this house could at most sell for five hundred thousand, and even that would be difficult. Qin Hao knew that if he didn''t agree, Fatty wouldn''t sign, so he nodded slightly, "Let''s do it that way, Fatty." Only then did Fatty reluctantly agree to sign. When Fatty left to get busy, only Qin Hao and Li Bao remained in the office. Qin Hao asked Li Bao, "How much do you know about Wang Kun?" Li Bao replied, "I don''t know much about him, because he was always locked up. He''s only been released recently. However, I''ve heard he''s responsible for several deaths, but the police have never found any evidence." "Hmm, be careful these next few days. It''s very likely that Wang Kun will seek revenge on you or me," Qin Hao cautioned him. Li Bao nodded, "Alright, Hao." Qin Hao added, "You should also start preparing to change your ways sooner rather thanter, so you don''t get in any deeper." Li Bao left, and watching his departing figure, Qin Hao sighed. After Li Bao left, Qin Hao used his phone to look up a missing person case from five years ago on the inte. For something like this, there should be reports in the newspapers and online. Half an hourter, he finally found a report on Liu Man Yue. One summer night five years ago, Liu Man Yue, a senior student at Changle High School, disappeared on her way home from evening ss. To this day, there has been no news, her family has already reported it to the police, but she has yet to be found. There was also a photo of Liu Man Yue in the report, a very beautiful girl, almost as pretty as Xia Qing or Du Wanrou. What a pity that she is now gone too soon. If the system said she was dead, then she must be dead, and her body was in an abandoned factory in Jianghua Suburb. Around four in the afternoon, Qin Hao left the roast duck restaurant and took a taxi to Jianghua District of Jiangshan City. He got off at a random spot, walked a distance making sure there were no cameras around, and then approached a public telephone. He picked up the receiver and dialed the emergency number. The call connected quickly, "Hello, this is the policemand center, how can I assist you?" Qin Hao lowered his voice and said, "In an abandoned factory in Jianghua Suburb, there is the body of Liu Man Yue, who disappeared five years ago." After saying that, he hung up the phone. Inside Jiangshan City Police Station, a female probationary officer frowned upon hearing the dial tone. Annoyed, she put down the phone, "He said one sentence and hung up, even disguising his voice. Could this be another prank by some people?" "What happened?" asked a curious senior dispatch officer nearby. The probationary officer replied, "Someone called saying that Liu something Yue, who disappeared five years ago, is in an abandoned factory in Jianghua Suburb. Not to mention whether that person is actually missing, even if they are, how would he know something the police don''t?" The senior dispatch officer momentarily looked startled, then quickly asked, "Was it Liu Man Yue?" "Yes, that''s the name. How did you know, Wang?" Wang Hai: "It was me who answered the emergency call from Liu Man Yue''s family back then." "Could there really be a person by that name who went missing?" "I''ll go inform the captain." Ten minutester, there were several people standing around the female dispatcher. At that moment, Qin Hao''s earlier words were being yed repeatedly beside them: "Inside the abandoned factory at Jianghua Suburb, there is the body of Liu Man Yue, who went missing five years ago." ... The deputy captain of the criminal police asked, "Call back the number and see who the other party is." The female trainee dispatcher quickly dialed back, but no one answered. "Check that number," said the deputy captain of the criminal police, his face unreadable. The female trainee dispatcher was already sweating, but she didn''t stop her operations, and soon the phone was traced. She spoke up, "The call was made from a public phone booth in Jianghua District, with no cameras nearby." "Check for me, how many abandoned factories there are in Jianghua Suburb, no, how many there were five years ago in Jianghua Suburb," Tie Gaoming, the deputy captain of the criminal police, said to the people behind him. Immediately, two detectives walked out, while he stood there, listening to Qin Hao''s words, deep in thought. Three minutester. The two detectives strode back in: "Captain, there are currently four abandoned factories in Jianghua Suburb, but five years ago, there was only one." "Gather a team and follow me there to have a look," Tie Gaoming turned and walked out. ... By this time, Qin Hao had already returned to the roast duck restaurant, which was doing better and better business now. He didn''t know if the police would respond to the call, nor did he know if they would be able to find Liu Man Yue''s body. If they didn''t find Liu Manyu''s body, then his task wouldn''t be considered sessful. Even if they found Liu Manyu''s body, but didn''t catch the real culprit, Wang Kun, his task would still not be considered a sess. But he didn''t have other methods, since even the police couldn''t uncover any evidence. He didn''t think he could be more capable than the well-equipped police. Whether justice could be served for Liu Man Yue was now in the hands of fate. Around six in the evening. Qin Hao got home, where his father was watching TV. On the screen, there was a news reporter standing in an abandoned factory, with police tape in the background and police officers walking back and forth. She began, "Today, the Jiangshan City Police Department''s criminal investigation team discovered the body of a woman inside an abandoned factory in Jianghua District. As for the specific identity of the woman, the authorities have not yet confirmed, but they have revealed that the victim was a young female." Qin Hao was momentarily stunned. He felt some surprise at the efficiency of the police¡ªit had been less than two hours, right? "Xiao Hao, are your exam resultsing out soon?" Mr. Qin asked from the sofa. Qin Hao took a seat on the couch, his gaze on the TV: "Another week to go, Dad." "Oh, do you think you have a good chance of getting into a second-tier college?" Mr. Qin couldn''t help but ask again. It was mainly because at the factory, his co-workers were always boasting to him about their daughters, hoping to get into a first-tier college, but being sure about a second-tier was not a problem at all. Qin Hao''s past performance had not been promising, so much so that even Li Shujie felt embarrassed to mention their son''s grades at the factory. "Getting into a second-tier college is definitely no problem." Qin Youguo said with a smile, "That''s good, then. Tomorrow when I get to the factory I also need to boast a bit to old Liu, always talking about how well his daughter''s doing, but my son is not any worse." Chapter 50: Chapter 52 The Police Arrive The next morning, after finishing breakfast, Qin Hao stepped out of the residentialplex. The system notification sounded, "Congrattions to the host forpleting the hidden task, reward 1000 achievement points, 1 merit point." Could it be that Wang Kun has been caught? Qin Hao paused and thought. After he arrived at the roasted duck restaurant, he received a call from Li Bao. Li Bao: "Hao, has Wang Kun been caught?" Qin Hao asked, "What for?" Li Bao answered, "I''m not very clear on the details, but the observer said: Arge group of police came and took Wang Kun away, it looks like it''s not a minor case." Hearing Li Bao''s words, Qin Hao was pretty clear in his mind, it must be about the case of Liu Man Yue. The police must have found evidence on Liu Man Yue''s body; otherwise, they wouldn''t dispatch criminal police. It also indirectly showed that the police must have been investigating overnight, otherwise they wouldn''t have cracked the case so quickly. "Hmm, I got it." After speaking, Qin Hao hung up the phone. Qin Hao had thought it would take a long time to solve the case, but to his surprise, it was solved overnight. Liu Jianming and Wang Guanding also received the news immediately. When they heard the news, they were shocked. Could this be because of Qin Hao? Did he have such incredible means? Around eleven a.m. Jiangshan City Police Station held a press conference, announcing the breakthrough of the five-year-old Liu Man Yue disappearance case. The body of the high school student Liu Man Yue was found in an abandoned factory in Jianghua Suburb; following a police investigation, Liu Man Yue died of strangtion. Before her death, she had been vited, and the police found the suspect''s hair on Liu Man Yue''s body. After DNAparison, the murderer was finally confirmed to be Wang Kun. The press conference roughly conveyed this message, and Qin Hao also saw the heart-wrenchingly weeping rtives of Liu Man Yue. If the case hadn''t been solved, they might still have a glimmer of hope, fantasizing that their daughter wasn''t dead, that perhaps one day when they opened the door, they would see their daughter standing there with a beaming smile. ... Qin Hao turned off the TV and walked out of the Fatty''s office. He opened the system to check his character attribute panel: Name: Qin Hao Sex: Male Age: 19 Level: Mortal Achievement points: 2600 Merit points: 1 Strength: 21 Agility: 15 Intelligence: 15 Constitution: 15 Skills: Lvo-level skills (Basketball Technique, Driving Skill, Painting Skill, Singing Skill, Gaming Skill, Hacking Skill.) Lv1-level skill (Medical Skill) Lv2-level skills (Fighting Skill, Calligraphy Skill) Item: Invisibility Cloak. An additional merit point appeared on his character attribute panel, but Qin Hao was not clear on what the merit point was used for. "Xiao Ying, what are these merit points for?" Qin Hao inquired of the system, Xiao Ying. Xiao Ying: "The host''s current level is too low to have the right to know." ... Qin Hao didn''t ask further; he now had 2600 achievement points and drew four times consecutively. "Congrattions to the host for acquiring a Small Experience Book." "Congrattions to the host for acquiring a Detoxification Elixir." "Congrattions, host, for obtaining the Invisibility Bulletproof Vest." "Congrattions, host, for obtaining a set of Ny-Nine Silver Acupuncture Needles." Detoxification Elixirs: Capable of neutralizing all poisons. Ny-Nine Silver Acupuncture Needles: A total of ny-nine silver needles of various shapes and lengths, excellent for acupuncture. Qin Hao nced at them and immediately put them into his system backpack. These items could be of some use, you never know when they mighte in handy. Upon reaching the first floor, a new employee who was recruited the day before yesterday was busy. Today, there were quite a few people buying roasted duck. Even though summer had already arrived, it didn''t affect the sales of roasted duck at all; there were still many buyers. Today, several air conditioners had been installed in the roasted duck restaurant, costing roughly more than ten thousand yuan. ... Afternoon A police car suddenly stopped outside of the roasted duck restaurant. A male and a female police officer walked in, and Yu Jie curiously asked, "May I ask who you are looking for?" The male police officer showed his badge and said, "We are from the criminal police team at the Jiangshan City Police Station, is Qin Hao here?" Yu Jie''s face stiffened, "May I ask what this is about?" "We would like him to assist in an investigation," the female police officer spoke. Yu Jie: "Please wait a moment, I''ll go call our boss." After saying that, Yu Jie hurried upstairs. Qin Hao should be resting on the second floor at this time. The male and female officers surveyed the interior decoration of the roasted duck restaurant, and female police officer Feng Xue said, "I didn''t expect this Qin Hao to be the owner of Jiangshan Roasted Duck Restaurant." "What''s so curious about such a small roasted duck shop?" Li Bao scoffed. This type of small shop was toomon in Jiangshan City, and in his opinion, there was nothing strange about it. Feng Xue exined to him, "My home is just around Yonghe Street, you don''t know how delicious this roasted duck is and how well it sells, the daily turnover is almost around forty to fifty thousand yuan." "That much?" Li Bao was somewhat surprised. ... At this moment, Qin Hao followed Yu Jie downstairs. As soon as he descended, Qin Hao greeted them with a smiling face, "Hello officers, I''m Qin Hao, were you looking for me?" Li Bao and Feng Xue were stunned, sizing him up, "How old are you?" "19 years old," Qin Hao said with a shy smile on his face. These two in police uniforms, could they be here for a census check? A 19-year-old entrepreneur? Are young people today this impressive? Feng Xue was the first to recover, "There is something we need your assistance with for an investigation,e with us to the police station." Qin Hao nodded, "Alright, cooperating with a police investigation is our civic duty." At this time, Kang Youyi heard the news and hurriedly ran over from the back, "What''s happening, Hao?" Feng Xue and Li Bao looked towards Kang Youyi and then back at Qin Hao. Hao? You''re almost thirty, and you''re calling a neen-year-old kid ''brother''; could your skin be any thicker? They had never seen such tant sucking up to the boss before. Qin Hao was exasperated, "What ''Hao'', call me boss." "What''s wrong boss? What do these police officers want with you?" Kang Youyi asked worriedly. Qin Hao, "Don''t ask so many questions, it''s just cooperation with an investigation. Make sure everything at the shop is fine, and if I''m not back tonight, remember to call my family, understand?" "Yes, yes." After leaving the roasted duck shop, Qin Hao got into the police car, heading straight for Jiangshan City Police Station. Sitting in the backseat, countless questions shed through his mind. Could the matter he reported have been discovered? It shouldn''t be, there were no surveince devices there, and I even wore gloves while making the call, leaving no fingerprints. It was almost impossible for the police to find him. If it wasn''t for that, then it could very well be about Wang Kun''s matter. Remembering that Wang Kun had been arrested this morning, he thought it was very likely that Wang Kun had filed aint against him. By now, Li Bao probably had also been summoned to the police station. From Jiangshan Roasted Duck Restaurant to the city''s police station took some time. Sitting in the passenger seat, Feng Xue said, "The roasted duck from your ce is really good. You don''t use chemical additives in your duck, do you?" Chapter 51: Chapter 53 Tie Gaoming Qin Hao said with a smile, "How could that be possible, Jiangshan Roasted Duck is made using a secret recipe that blends eighty-one types of herbs." Liu Bo, who was driving, heard this and curled his lips dismissively, thinking that only a fool would believe in those eighty-one herbs. The police car soon arrived at the city police station. Liu Bo and Feng Xue reported upstairs briefly, then took him into an interrogation room. They asked him to wait a moment and then left. Qin Hao frowned slightly, having a bad feeling about this. Logically, if it was just to assist with an investigation, they shouldn''t have taken him to an interrogation room. An interrogation room is a ce for questioning suspects or prisoners. About fifteen minutester, a middle-aged man with a square face walked in. His expression was nk as he took the principal seat. Feng Xue and Liu Bo sat beside him, their faces equally serious, pens in hand ready to take notes. Mr. Tie found it hard to associate this eighteen-neen-year-old boy with the Hao from Yonghe Street. But his investigations confirmed that Qin Hao was indeed the Hao from Yonghe Street, a student who had just finished a unified examination. Perhaps it rted to his poor academic performance, Mr. Tie thought to himself. Qin Hao''s academic records from the educational system werepletely essible to him. This boy was a thorough bad student, or more urately, a bad student with some capabilities, as Mr. Tie defined him. Mr. Tie looked at him, his tone devoid of any emotion, "Should I call you Qin Hao, or should I call you Hao?" Qin Hao awkwardly smiled, "Mr. Officer, I''m only neen, and you''re over forty, don''t you think it''s inappropriate?" Feng Xue stole a nce at Qin Hao, curiosity in her eyes. Was he really the famous Hao from Yonghe Street? But he was only neen years old. How could that be possible? Mr. Tie said, "You should know why we asked you here today, right?" Qin Hao shook his head, "Sorry officer, I really don''t know why you''ve called me here. Have I broken thew?" Mr. Tie said coldly, "Qin Hao, I hope you realize where you are. Have you forgotten what happened a few days ago at the Jinshan Hotel?" Qin Hao paused and replied, "Are you talking about Wang Kun''s incident? But what does that have to do with me?" "His leg was broken by Li Bao at yourmand, wasn''t it?" Mr. Tie''s eyes shed as he stared at him intensely. Qin Hao''s expression became serious, "Captain Tie can investigate this matter. Wang Kun broke his leg because he was drunk and fell." Mr. Tie said, "You still dare to argue? The injuries on Wang Kun''s leg weren''t caused by a fall; the experts confirmed they were caused by being smashed." "Then I don''t know about that," Qin Hao answered calmly. Mr. Tie hadn''t expected Qin Hao to remain unresponsive and calm, like a seasoned old hand familiar with such situations. His tone suddenly softened, "Qin Hao, you are still a student, and this matter isn''t beyond rectification. Just admit it, and at most you will pay somepensation, but if you refuse to admit it, once the police find evidence, it won''t be just about payingpensation anymore. You could even face imprisonment. You''re only neen, you surely don''t want to spend your time in there." Qin Hao''s expression unchanged, he said with a wry smile, "Mr. Tie, you know I''m a student, how could I possibly have someone break another''s legs? I trust that you will clear my name." Swish Mr. Tie''s expression instantly darkened as he looked at him with a grim face, "You''re quite stubborn. Take heed for yourself." After speaking, he walked out of the interrogation room. Feng Xue and Liu Bo nced at him, then followed him out. In the interrogation room, only Qin Hao remained. He let out a long sigh, his back already covered in cold sweat. If he had misspoken just now, he might very well have been arrested. Breaking someone''s leg had already constituted intentional injury. If the evidence were conclusive or if the culprit confessed, he would be imprisoned for at least a year. This could ruin a person''s life. Because once inside, one would carry an indelible stain, considered lesser in whatever they did and even suspected by others. This is one of the reasons why so many ex-convicts feltpelled to return to their old ways. Li Bao must have also been arrested by now, he hoped he wouldn''t say anything wrong. Before long, Tie Gaoming and his two men returned, but this time they brought an extra person, Wang Kun. He sat in a wheelchair, his leg wrapped in bandages, wearing an orange prison uniform. When Qin Hao saw Wang Kun, he smiled and said, "Isn''t that Wang Kun? Why are you wearing these clothes?" Wang Kun no longer had his initial boldness, clearly having sprouted some white hairs overnight. With a gloomy face, Wang Kun looked at him, "Qin Hao, you had Li Bao break my leg, don''t even think about denying it. If I''m suffering, you won''t have it easy either." Qin Hao: "Mr. Tie, see? He is clearly trying to retaliate against me. I wasn''t the only one there eating. There were Mr. Liu from Fubang Real Estate and Wang Guanding from Guding Real Estate. As for what happened initially, you can ask them; they were all eyewitnesses." Tie Gaoming turned to Wang Kun, "Is what he says correct? Were Li Bao, Wang Guanding, and Liu Jianming there as well?" Wang Kun nodded, "That''s right." Tie Gaoming then looked at Feng Xue, "Contact these two people, and if you can''t reach them, have theme to the station." "Yes, Captain." Feng Xue left and returned about ten minutester, then whispered something into Tie Gaoming''s ear. Tie Gaoming frowned slightly, nced at Wang Kun, then at Qin Hao. "Take Wang Kun away," Tie Gaoming told Liu Bo who was standing nearby. Liu Bo escorted Wang Kun out of the interrogation room, leaving just the three of them inside. Qin Hao looked at him with a smile, "Captain Tie, things should be clear after the investigation, right?" Tie Gaoming looked at him, a trace of resentment shing in his eyes; he believed Qin Hao was definitely not clean. But without evidence and with people vouching for him, seeing Qin Hao''s smile seemed like mockery to him. It made him feel a surge of anger, with nowhere to vent it. Remembering the oath he had taken under the national g, his face grew hot. "Bang" Tie Gaoming mmed his fist on the table, the dull sound startling both Feng Xue and Qin Hao. Cautiously, Qin Hao said, "Captain Tie, are you all right? Take your time, no need to hurry; getting upset is bad for your health. "You have excessive liver heat; you need to bnce it. It''s best to eat some Jiangshan Roasted Duck; otherwise, you might develop serious illnessester." When Feng Xue heard this, she couldn''t help but burst outughing, "Pu-chi"; this guy really was something else. In such a situation, he still remembered to rmend his roasted duck. "Get out now," Tie Gaoming red at him, looking like he might kill him at any moment, and then he also red at Feng Xue. Chapter 52: Chapter 54 Li Baos Mother Qin Hao was somewhat speechless; this guy''s temper was really terrible. After Qin Hao came out, Feng Xue hurriedly followed. She feared that if she didn''t leave soon, Tie Gaoming would lose his temper with her. Looking at Qin Hao in front of her, to be honest, she didn''t feel much aversion. Even though he was the Hao from Yonghe Street, even though he had someone break both of Wang Kun''s legs. Wang Kun, that scumbag, not only had insulted Liu Man Yue but also brutally murdered this girl in the prime of her youth. Breaking just one leg was too lenient for such a person. If it weren''t for an anonymous tip-off, the police might not have caught Wang Kun, allowing him to roam free. Feng Xue stealthily nced at the interrogation room behind her and wondered, "If Captain Tie knew what I''m thinking, would he hit me?" She knew Tie Gaoming was a very stubborn and principled man, but sometimes she felt he was somewhat old-fashioned. If he had been more flexible and adaptable, he might not have been stuck at the position of squad captain for over a decade and even demoted from chief captain to deputy captain. After leaving the police station building, Qin Hao suddenly turned and asked Feng Xue, "Aren''t you supposed to drive me back?" "You can take a bus back yourself; we''re too busy to drive you," Feng Xue responded with a nce. You think a police car is a taxi? Qin Hao was somewhat speechless, and he walked out of the police station. It wasn''t long before Li Bao also came out from inside. "Everything okay?" Qin Hao asked him. Li Bao said with a smile, "Hao, it''s not my first time here; it''s all good." No sooner had he finished speaking than his phone in his pocket rang urgently. He answered the call and asked, "What''s up?" "Brother, where are you? Mom suddenly fell ill today and is now in the hospital," a girl''s voice came through from the other end of the phone. Li Bao''s face changed at this news: "What did you say? Which hospital is Mom at? I''ll be right there." "She''s at Jiangshan City Second Hospital, currently in the emergency room. Remember to bring some money when youe, brother." After hanging up the phone, Li Bao said to Qin Hao in a hurried tone, "Hao, I''ve got to go; got an emergency." Qin Hao: "Is Auntie ill? Let mee and have a look too; I also know some medical skills." Li Bao nodded, then hailed a taxi and rushed towards Jiangshan City Second Hospital. On the way, Qin Hao made a call to Kang Youyi to tell him that he was fine now. Half an hourter, the two arrived at the entrance of the Second Hospital, and Li Bao hurried inside as soon as he got out of the car. They walked up to the fifth floor of the emergency building, where a girl who looked about seventeen or eighteen years old, with red-rimmed eyes, stood outside the emergency room. Li Qian, seeing Li Bao arrive, tearfully said, "Brother, Mom won''t be in danger, right?" Li Bao consoled his sister: "What happened?" "This afternoon, Mom and I were watching TV when she suddenlyined of stomach difort and asked me to get her medication. Just after she spoke, Mom spat out a mouthful of blood and fainted," Li Qian said as she cried. At that moment, a nurse hurried out of the emergency room, and Li Bao promptly asked, "Nurse, how is my mom doing?" "You''re the patient''s family member? The patient is still being resuscitated. Here''s the bill; you need to go down to the first-floor payment counter to pay for the surgery." Li Bao: "Okay, got it." With that, Li Bao quickly took the bill and headed for the first floor. It was only after Li Bao had left that Li Qian noticed Qin Hao standing beside her, giving him a curious nce before falling silent again. Right now, she was in no mood to talk to anyone. ... More than ten minutester, Li Bao returned, the surgery alone costing almost thirty thousand yuan. Seeing Qin Hao and his sister standing there, Li Bao quickly said, "Little sister, this is your brother''s good friend, Qin Hao." After speaking, he said to Qin Hao, "Hao, take a seat quickly, and little sister, you sit down too." The three of them settled into the chairs nearby and quietly waited, with Li Bao intermittently rubbing his hands together. Qin Hao could tell he was very nervous and worried about his mother. At the same time, he was somewhat curious¡ªwhere was Li Bao''s father? Why hadn''t he seen him? Had they divorced? Or what was it? The three had waited for half an hour when the doctors inside the emergency room were still desperately trying to save her. Unable to hold back, Qin Hao asked, "Why haven''t I seen your uncle?" Li Bao''s face stiffened, as he exined, "He and my mother divorced when my sister and I were very young." By a little after seven o''clock, the sun was about to set, and the sky outside was glowing red. The three of them had already been waiting outside for more than an hour. His mother had been in resuscitation for almost two hours now and still hadn''te out, a situation that was far from optimistic. Seeing that it was gettingte, Li Bao said to Qin Hao in a hurry, "Hao, you should go back first. It''s getting dark." Qin Hao said, "No problem, I''ll wait until Auntie''s surgery is finished." Before long, Kang Youyi arrived too. He had received the news from Qin Hao and came over right after getting off work. "Auntie hasn''te out yet?" Kang Youyi saw Qin Hao and the other two sitting there and asked softly. Li Bao nodded: "Sit down and we''ll talk." Li Bao had a good reputation on Yonghe Street, but he didn''t really have many true friends. The fatty was one, and now Qin Hao was also one. The rest were fair-weather friends, who only followed you when there were benefits involved. He was well aware that if one day he fell from grace, those people would be the first to leave him. Eight o''clock in the evening The door to the emergency room opened, and a group of doctors and nurses walked out. One doctor, his head drenched in sweat so that his cap was soaked through, hurried towards Li Bao. He said anxiously, "The patient has severe gastrointestinal bleeding, and the situation is dire. Our facilities here are limited. We absolutely cannot cure the patient. I advise you to transfer her to another hospital as quickly as possible, or else you''ll only be left to prepare for the worst." "Uncle, I beg you, please save my mom. I can''t lose her," pleaded Li Bao''s sister. Li Qian had depended solely on her mother since she was a child, and upon hearing the doctor''s words, tears streamed uncontrobly down her face as she looked at the doctor with a pleading gaze. "Little girl, we have done our best." Chen Deshi let out a sigh. He had been a doctor for decades and had seen too many scenes of life and death, but this was also the scene he least wanted to witness. Because it made him feel guilty. Guilty for not being able to cure the patient, for causing their family grief. Although he knew it wasn''t his fault, sometimes things are beyond exnation. "Doctor, which hospital do you think we should transfer her to?" Li Bao asked urgently. Chen Deshi answered, "Given the current medical techniques and equipment, if she is transferred to Jianghai City First Hospital, there''s a sixty to seventy percent chance of saving her, but if transferred to Jinchen 309 Hospital, there''s an eighty to ny percent chance of recovery." Jianghai City? Jinchen City? Li Bao''s eyebrows furrowed slightly, as these ces were too far, and no one could be sure what might happen on the road. Looking at his mother, whose face was pale on the hospital bed, a hint of determination shed in his eyes: "Could my mother''s condition re up on the way? What should we do if it does?" Chen Deshi spoke with aplicated look in his eyes, "We are not certain when your mother''s condition might re up. If it happens on the road, I''m afraid there might really be no hope." Chapter 53: Chapter 55: Life Potion Li Bao was stunned in his tracks, what should he do? If they didn''t transfer hospitals, his mother would hardly survive here; if they did transfer, she was very likely to die on the way. Even if they reached Jianghai First Hospital, there was only a sixty percent chance. He quickly made a decision to transfer hospitals, as not transferring meant no chance at all of survival. Qin Hao suddenly stood up and said, "Transferring hospitals is too risky, let me try instead." Everyone around looked at him, their faces filled with shock. You try? All these doctors have been trying for two hours and said it was hopeless. How are you going to try? Chen Deshi hurriedly said, "Young man, you''re not joking, right? How are you going to try?" Li Bao''s siblings, Kang Youyi, and those doctors and nurses all looked towards him. Qin Hao didn''t need to stand up, but seeing the pale-faced Li Bao and the heartbroken Li Qian, he felt he needed to step forward, especially because Li Bao was his man; it was even more his responsibility to care. Qin Hao felt there was a saying that held true now, "The bigger your capability, the bigger your responsibility." Now that he was exceptionally skilled in medicine, and although he couldn''t treat everyone, he would do all that he could. Qin Hao looked at Chen Deshi and said, "Your face is slightly red, your eyes have a web-like pattern of blood vessels, and your internal organ energy is chaotic, you probably have mild coronary heart disease." Chen Deshi''s face showed surprise, and he looked at him in disbelief, "How do you know?" He was certain he did not know Qin Hao, and only a few colleagues knew about his condition; a stranger couldn''t possibly know. Qin Hao said, "I''m also a doctor. I''m somewhat confident about her condition, so I n to give it a try." After saying this, he looked at Li Bao, "It''s up to you to agree or not." Li Bao looked at Qin Hao, then at Chen Deshi. It was clear that Hao understood some medical knowledge. If he had some medical knowledge, he wouldn''t say this without any confidence, especially since it was a thankless task. But Li Bao was concerned about how confident Qin Hao was: "Hao, is there much hope?" Qin Hao nodded but didn''t specify how confident he was. "Okay, then I''ll trouble you, Hao," Li Bao''s eyes shed with determination, now they could only hope for the best from the worst. Seeing Li Bao agree, Qin Hao breathed a sigh of relief. He then said to those in charge, "I need to use your resuscitation room." Now that Li Bao had agreed, Chen Deshi nodded, looked at Qin Hao, and asked, "Do you need help?" Qin Hao: "No need, I can manage on my own, you can wheel Auntie back into the resuscitation room." Four guards wheeled Li Bao''s mother back in. Qin Hao followed them inside; the resuscitation room carried a strong smell of disinfectant. He then said to the four nurses, "You can all go out." Once everyone had left, Qin Hao took out a set of silver needles and skillfully began inserting them into Mrs. Li''s abdomen. Soon, Mrs. Li''s abdominal area was filled with silver needles, a total of about thirty-six needles. He was using acupoint therapy to stimte Mrs. Li''s body to expel the congested blood from her internal organs. Mrs. Li''s current physical condition was extremely poor, and she could pass away at any moment. Qin Hao''s medical skills were just at a basic level; it was nearly impossible to fully restore Mrs. Li''s health. Unless he could elevate his medical skills to the maximum level, because Mrs. Li''s condition was very severe. Her disease was not in an early, middle, orte stage, but had reached the terminal stage. Half an hourter, a lot of dark red blood had oozed out from the surface of Mrs. Li''s abdomen. Qin Hao sighed with relief when he saw there were no surveince devices around. He took out a life-saving potion from his system backpack, of which he only had three bottles. If he didn''t use the life-saving potion, he couldn''t cure Mrs. Li''s illness because his medical skill level was too low. ... Qin Hao poured half of the life-saving potion from the test tube into Mrs. Li''s mouth, approximately 6 milliliters. He waited for a while, then took Mrs. Li''s pulse. By that time, Mrs. Li hadpletely absorbed half the bottle of the life-saving potion and was in much better condition than before. One must admit that the life-saving potion was indeed miraculous. Given Mrs. Li''s current condition, after taking a few more doses of herbs for strengthening and health improvement, she should be nearly well. He didn''t dare let Mrs. Li drink the whole potion as he was afraid it would arouse suspicion. If Mrs. Li drank it all, her illness might be entirely cured, which would raise too much suspicion. A critically ill person bursting with vigor an hourter waspletely beyond the ordinary person''s imagination. So, he gave Mrs. Li only half a bottle of the life-saving potion. Around nine in the evening, Qin Hao walked out of the emergency room. Li Bao, his sister, Kang Youyi, Chen Deshi, and a few nurses were all waiting outside for him. "How''s it, Hao?" Li Bao asked anxiously. Qin Hao nodded slightly, "There shouldn''t be any major issue now, I''ll prepare a few more prescriptions for her, and after taking them for a while, your aunt''s condition should improve." "What? Are you joking?" Chen Deshi''s body shook as he widened his eyes in disbelief. Qin Hao, "Dr. Chen, please examine the patient again." Chen Deshi, apanied by the nurses, went back inside. At this moment, Mrs. Li''splexion looked much better than before. They conducted several more checks on Mrs. Li, and indeed, her condition had greatly improved. A proper period of convalescence, and she should be fully recovered without much trouble. Chen Deshi eximed in amazement, "Incredible! How could this young man possess such exceptional medical skills? How did he do it?" The nurses were also stunned; they were well aware of Mrs. Li''s condition, which was almost certainly fatal, yet now the reality was in front of their eyes. Li Bao and Li Qian were overjoyed upon hearing this news. "Hao, thank you," Li Bao said grasping Qin Hao''s hand tightly. Qin Hao, "As long as your aunt is fine. It''s gettingte; I should head home now and wille to visit her again tomorrow." Li Bao quickly said, "Hao, let me walk you out." Qin Hao, "No need, your aunt is about to awaken. You better stay here by her side, prepare some light dinnerter, and I''ve sent the prescriptions to your phone, remember to boil them and let your aunt take them before meals." "Yes, yes, thank you, Hao. Thank you so much," Li Bao repeated his thanks incessantly. He and his sister had depended on their mother ever since they were young; she was their everything. ... Qin Hao left the hospital and hailed a cab back home. Mr. Qin and Mrs. Qin were still up, sitting on the sofa waiting for his return. "What happened? Where have you been until thiste?" Mrs. Qin asked impatiently. Qin Hao didn''t dare mention that he had been summoned to the police station and quickly exined, "Just before finishing work, a friend''s mother fell ill, and I apanied my friend to the hospital; I came back as soon as they were stable." "Oh, what illness did your friend''s mother have?" Youguo asked curiously. Qin Hao, "Severe gastrointestinal hemorrhage, the situation was very critical, it could have easily resulted in a failed rescue." Chapter 54: Chapter 56 Buying a Phone Mr. Qin and Mrs. Qin, upon hearing this, showed concern in their eyes, "Is he out of danger now?" "Yes, he is out of danger now, and then I hurried back," Qin Hao replied. Qin Youguo spoke, "Tomorrow, we should buy something and go visit him." "Yes, Dad, I know. You guys should rest early," Qin Hao ate something casually in the kitchen, and then he went back to his room. Once in his room, hey on the bed and sighed deeply. At that moment, his phone suddenly rang; it was a message from Xia Qing: "What are you doing?" Qin Hao: "Just got home." "Why did youe home sote? Did you go out to have fun?" Xia Qing asked curiously. Qin Hao replied, "No, I found a job a few days ago, nning to challenge myself and earn some tuition money." Xia Qing sent a surprised emoji, and then asked, "Where did you find the job?" "At that Jiangshan Roasted Duck Restaurant we went tost time." Xia Qing: "Are they still hiring? I also want to do a part-time job there." Qin Hao, his face falling upon hearing this, thought, Xia Qing ising too? Wouldn''t I be exposed then? He quickly said, "It seems they aren''t hiring; I got in through a rtive." "Oh, never mind then, my parents wouldn''t agree to me looking for a job outside anyway." Xia Qing sounded a bit downhearted as she spoke about this issue. It was also clear from her words that she cared about Qin Hao. Her parents had long disapproved of her working a summer job, and her inquiry about the job at the roasted duck restaurant was an attempt to be with Qin Hao. Qin Hao was about to reply to the message when his phone suddenly went dark and powered off. He hurriedly took out the charger and plugged it in, but the phone did not respond, and it felt very hot. Could it be broken? Qin Hao tapped the phone a few times, but it remained unresponsive. He didn''t turn on theputer to chat with Xia Qing; the day''s events had been too much, and he fell asleep after a shower as soon as hey down on the bed. The next day, Qin Hao first went to the roasted duck restaurant and then bought some fruits to go to the hospital. When he entered the hospital room, only Li Qian was keeping watch by herself over Mrs. Li. By then, Mrs. Li had woken up, and her condition had clearly improved a lotpared to the day before. Seeing that it was Qin Hao, Li Qian''s face lit up with a smile: "Hao." She was very grateful to Qin Hao; if he hadn''t intervened, her mother might have left her forever. Qin Hao smiled and nodded slightly, "Auntie, are you feeling better? I brought some nutritional supplements to see you." Li Qian quickly said to the bedridden Mrs. Li, "Mom, this is my brother''s good friend, he''s the one who saved you yesterday." Mrs. Li, having just undergone surgery, still couldn''t move about freely. She turned her head to look at Qin Hao and said, "Thank you, Xiao Hao. Our Li Bao is blessed to have a friend like you, a blessing earned over three lifetimes." Qin Hao, embarrassed, smiled and said, "Auntie, you are overstating it, talking about a blessing earned over three lifetimes; we just get along well because we have simr personalities." Mrs. Li was well aware of her son''s antics over these years, mixing in society and the kind of friends he had. In her view, none of them were really suitable friends, except for the fat one who often visited their home. ... Curious, Qin Hao asked, "Where is Li Bao? Why haven''t I seen him?" "My brother said he had something to do this morning and left early; he hasn''te back yet," Li Qian replied. Qin Hao heard Li Qian''s words, his brows slightly furrowed but then dropped the subject of Li Bao. He had stayed here for a while and chatted for some time before leaving the hospital. After leaving the hospital, Qin Hao went to arge mobile store. The mobile store was huge, featuring all kinds of phone brands, and there were many people buying phones. Qin Hao walked up to the WO mobile counter, where a dazzling array of phone models filled the disy. There were several clerks inside the counter, one of whom saw him and smiled as she asked, "Hello, what type of phone would you like to purchase?" Qin Hao replied, "Can you give a detailed introduction? I don''t really understand much about them." The saleswoman smiled and said, "Sure, tell me what price range you are looking at, and then I can give you a detailed introduction." "Price isn''t an issue; I just want something that''s easy to use." Qin Hao still had tens of thousands of yuan in his ount, enough to buy a better phone. Upon hearing his words, the saleswoman''s smile grew sweeter, "Sir, this is the new WO phone model, the X21 Plus. It''s a full-screen phone with 128GB of storage and 4GB RAM. It features fingerprint and facial recognition among other functions and is one of the more fully-featured models currently on the market. The casing is made of aluminum alloy, and it has arge battery capacity with a long standby time. Its price is 3688. However, we are currently having a summer promotion, and the promotional price is 3588." Qin Hao nodded slightly, then asked the saleswoman to introduce other brands of phones as well. Eventually, Qin Hao stopped in front of the Red Fruit phone counter, where there were also many people choosing phones. He took a liking to a Red Fruit phone, a new model called Red Fruit Z. Whether it was the color of the device or the user experience, it indeed was better to use than many others. Qin Hao was a normal person, and he had his vanities. Moreover, he was not short of money, so he also wanted to buy a better phone. Qin Hao also knew another thing; the market value of this Red Fruitpany was nearly 900 billion Federation Coins. Nine hundred billion Federation Coins is equivalent to five trillion Xuan Country Coins; for apany to achieve such a market value is terrifying indeed. Nopany in Xuan Country has ever reached this level, state-owned enterprises excluded. A private enterprise achieving this is truly phenomenal and something many entrepreneurs could learn from. Qin Hao, now an entrepreneur himself, held a respect for such industry giants. Even with the system at his disposal, he wasn''t very confident about growing his ownpany to a market value near a trillion Federation Coins. He was now curious about what kind of mind did the creator of the Red Fruitpany have? "Sir, which phone would you like?" the saleswoman, seeing Qin Hao lost in thought, interrupted him softly. Qin Hao had been here for nearly half an hour already, and she had been tirelessly exining, her mouth dry from talking. "Get me a ck Red Fruit Z, 256GB," Qin Hao came around and said apologetically. Her face lit up with joy at his words, "Alright, sir, that will be 8999. Please wait a moment." After filling out his personal information and swiping his card, the phone was in his hands; he swapped out the SIM card and added a screen protector and a case. Many people nearby were watching him, especially a few young men and women, their eyes filled with envy. That was thetest model of Red Fruit Z, and they too wanted one, but they knew their parents would not agree. Still, one girl said to her dad, "Dad, I want a Red Fruit Z too." "If you can get into a top university, not just a Red Fruit Z phone, even a Red Fruitputer, Dad would make the decision for Mom to buy it for you." After hearing her dad''s words, the girl suddenly deted. Chapter 55: Chapter 57 Results Announced Qin Hao left the mobile store and headed to the roast duck restaurant. Days passed, and in the blink of an eye, it was June 22nd. This day was crucial for many students taking the national exam, as the scores could determine the fate of their lives. Despite being confident in himself, Qin Hao now sat in front of theputer feeling nervous, with sweaty palms. Mrs. Qin took a day off just to see her son''s exam results. "It''s after nine o''clock, you can check now, quick," Mrs. Qin hurriedly said from behind him. Qin Hao had already opened the national exam results query website, and upon hearing his mother''s words, he clicked on the exam results query button. A dialog box appeared, and he rapidly typed his ID number on the keyboard and then pressed the enter key to confirm. "Querying, please wait¡­" Qin Hao took a deep breath, holding the mouse with sweaty hands. He wondered how many points he could score? Surely over six hundred fifty, right? He had checked his exam paper over and over again, and in thest few checks, he could find no errors. He believed scoring six hundred sixty or seventy points should be no problem. Mrs. Qin also held her breath, waiting for the results to appear, her eyes fixed firmly on the screen. A new webpage interface appeared secondster. Name: Qin Hao (Shuinan Province Jiangshan City Changle District Changle Second Middle School Grade 12 ss 2 student) Score: 750 points Chinese score: 150 points, Mathematics score: 150 points, Federation Language score: 150 points, Comprehensive score: 300 When they saw the scores disyed on the webpage, both Qin Hao and Mrs. Qin were stunned. Not only them, but even the person who had uploaded the data to the website was shocked upon seeing this score for the first time. A perfect score of 750 points, someone had scored a perfect score in the national exam? After a while, Mrs. Qin swallowed hard and said, "Xiao Hao, are my eyes deceiving me, does it show your score as 750 points?" She too was a college graduate, albeit from the old era, but she was quite familiar with the national exam. Qin Hao was also incredulous, "Maybe there''s a system error on the website, let me refresh and try again." He refreshed several times, and the score remained 750 points, with no changes whatsoever. Mrs. Qin asked, "Xiao Hao, do you think this score is urate?" Qin Hao replied, "Mom, I''m not sure, I was very diligent during the exam, and I initially estimated I would score around seven hundred." Mrs. Qin picked up her mobile phone and called the customer service hotline, but it showed the other party was on another call. It took about ten minutes to get through. "Hello, this is the national exam service hotline, how can we help you?" a pleasant female voice came from the phone. Li Shujie spoke up, "Hello, I wanted to ask if there could be any mistakes in the scores listed on your website?" The female customer service representative replied, "Ma''am, please be assured that the exam scores have been checked dozens of times before they are uploaded, and the chances of a mistake are nearly zero." Li Shujie asked, "The website shows my son''s score as 750 points, are you sure there is no mistake with the data?" ... The customer service representative paused for about six or seven seconds, then asked, "Are you Qin Hao''s mother?" Li Shujie was startled, how could she know my son''s name? "Yes, Qin Hao is my son," her voice raised a few decibels. The customer service representative answered with a smile, "Hello, ma''am, Qin Hao''s score is indeed 750 points. Congrattions to you and your son, our website has already released this year''s national top scorers list, you can take a look." Mrs. Qin stood still for over a minute. Xiao Hao scored a perfect score in the national exam? He actually scored a perfect score, it''s real! The customer service representative on the other end, predicting her reaction, politely remained silent and did not hang up the phone. Had it been someone else, the customer service representative might have already hung up the phone. "Mom." Qin Hao couldn''t help but call out. His mother looked a bit terrifying standing there motionless, not even blinking, like a statue. One might think she had contracted some strange illness. Only then did Li Shujiee back to herself and hurriedly said to the customer service, "Sorry, I was distracted just now." "No need to apologize, is there anything else you need information about?" Li Shujie replied, "No, no, thank you, thank you." "Alright then, I wish you a pleasant life." After hanging up the phone, Mrs. Qin looked at Qin Hao, her face breaking into a smile, then unprepared, she hugged his head. "Son, you''ve done amazing, a perfect score on the national exam, you''re the top schr in the nation." Li Shujie exerted a lot of strength without even realizing it, but Qin Hao said nothing. Seeing his mother happy, he was sincerely happy too. Before the national exam, he had promised to achieve a good result to make his parents happy and proud of him. Now, he had seeded, and thinking of this, a smile appeared on Qin Hao''s lips. "Plop" A tear drop fell on his cheek, Qin Hao looked up to see his mother''s eyes brimming with tears, cheeks streaked with two lines of tears. "Mom, why are you crying?" Qin Hao felt uneasy seeing his mother''s reddened eyes. Over the years, he had disappointed his parents too many times. Li Shujie, breaking into a smile through her tears, wiped them away and said, "It''s tears of joy, mom. Check out that top scorers list." Following his mother''s instructions, Qin Hao returned to the homepage of the website, then opened the national exam top scorers list. In the national exam top scorers list, Shuinan Province had only Qin Hao, ranked first with 750 points. The second ce was from Jiangbei Province, ranked second with 739 points. ... After checking, Mrs. Qin''s phone rang; it was Mr. Qin, who had been anxious as he hadn''t received any calls. Mrs. Qin''s face lit up as she answered the phone. Mr. Qin''s voice came from the phone, "How did it go? Are the results out?" "They are out," Mrs. Qin spoke in a very calm tone, simply responding with three words. Upon hearing her tone, Mr. Qin paused, "Did he not do well? Watch your mouth and don''t nag the kid, no matter what school he got into, it will be fine." Chapter 56: Chapter 58: Top Scorer in the Unified Examination Mrs. Qin heard what he said and hastily responded, "Who said our son didn''t do well?" Qin Youguo, "Then why did you sound like that just now? How many points did our son actually score?" Mrs. Qin, smiling, said, "Xiao Hao scored 750 points." Qin Youguo, "What? Stop joking around, will you? I just snuck out to the bathroom. If I go backte, that guy will definitely nag me again. Just tell me how many points Xiao Hao scored?" "I''m not lying to you, our son really scored 750 points, the full score on the unified exam." Mrs. Qin became increasingly excited and couldn''t help but repeat herself twice. Qin Youguo''s voice suddenly increased, "Wife, you''re not joking?" "Do you think I''d joke about this with you? Come home early in the evening, and notify rtives and friends," Mrs. Qin said urgently. "Alright, I''m hanging up, wife. I''m heading home now," said Mr. Qin, unable to contain his impatience. Their son scored the full points on the unified exam, and was the top scorer in the country. This was the most important event in his life. Mrs. Qin asked softly, "Then, can He An approve it?" "He wouldn''t dare not to approve. My son scored the highest in the country, he''s nothing, wait for me, I''ll be home in half an hour." Mr. Qin then hung up the phone. Aftering out of the bathroom, Qin Youguo was so buoyant that even a fool could tell he was extremely excited. Back inside the workshop, Liu saw Qin Youguo jumping around and curiously asked, "Qin, what''s with you? Are you having a fit?" Mr. Qin proudly said, "Let me tell you, Liu, my son scored full marks, the national top scorer, haha, I''m going home now." Liu Shengguang was startled and smirked, "Qin, have you been triggered or something? Your son scored full marks on the unified exam? Then my daughter could be the number one in the entire world." "Believe it or not, just wait for my invitation to drink when the timees," Qin Youguo said before walking into the manager''s office. This used to be his office, but now it had been taken over by He An. A rtive of the factory manager Huang Wencai, though Qin Youguo was unclear about the specific rtion. He walked into the office to find He An with his feet up on the desk watching a movie. Upon seeing Qin Youguo enter, He An frowned, "Don''t you know to knock beforeing in? Don''t think I won''t take action against you just because you''re a veteran staff, your bonus this month is gone, just so you know." Qin Youguo had long despised him. If Huang Wencai had brought in someonepetent, he would have epted it. But He An, who knew nothing and only yed in the office all day, could also be a manager? Qin Youguo spoke with an unprecedented firmness, "Deduct whatever you want, have the guts to fire me, do you think I''m afraid of you?" In the past, when He An rebuked him, for the sake of the family and for life, he endured. But now he didn''t want to endure anymore. He An loudly said, "Qin Youguo, you''ve grown bolder and bolder. Do you think this factory can''t operate without you? Go then, leave today and don''te back." Quite a few veteran employees outside heard the noise and hurried in. Liu Shengguang and a few others tried to calm Qin Youguo, "Qin, calm down, no need to rush." Qin Youguo scoffed, "I''ve had enough of you, if I don''te, I don''te, you think I care?" After saying this, Qin Youguo walked out, leaving He An stunned in his ce, not expecting Qin Youguo to actually dare to leave. Seeing the situation, Liu Shengguang hurried after him, "Qin, what are you doing?" "Just like Qin, a moment of patience can calm the seas, a step back can open up the sky," others also chimed in to persuade. Qin Youguo looked at Liu Shengguang and the seven or eight other people; these were folks who had been his close friends for over twenty years, their rtionship was extraordinary. He said to Liu Shengguang and the others, "Wang is right, but that saying also depends on the person. He An is the type who takes an inch and goes a mile. If you give him an inch, he will take it even further next time. My son scored full marks on the national exam. When the timees, I''ll let everyone know, and remember toe for a drink." Liu was surprised to hear him say it again, "Did your son really score full marks?" "Of course, didn''t you see whose son he is? Alright, I''m off," Qin Youguo beamed with pride. He An and work had long been pushed to the back of his mind. Now, his son''s affairs were the most important. ... Meanwhile, Changle Second Middle School also received all the students'' scores. When the principal found out that his school had produced the national top scorer, he was stunned for a few minutes. He was well aware of what kind of school Changle Second Middle School was in Jiangshan City¡ªit couldn''t even be considered a key high school. Now that the school had produced the national top scorer, how could he not be shocked? He felt like someone was ying a big joke on him. At that moment, his office was filled with people, including the deputy principals, the director of studies, and the heads of various senior year sses. Ma Yingzhuang took out his cell phone and called someone at the Jiangshan City Department of Education. He wanted to check if there had been a mistake with the scores. Ma Yingzhuang, "Hello, Mr. Li, this is Ma Yingzhuang. I wanted to ask about the scores of our student Qin Hao. There''s no mistake, right?" "The scores of the national exam are meticulously verified. There are no mistakes. Old Ma, your school performed well this year. There might be radio stationsing for interviews, so you should prepare what to say." Ma Yingzhuang was invigorated by the words, "Don''t worry, Mr. Li, I understand. Thank you for your help. Please continue with your other tasks." After hanging up the phone, Ma Yingzhuang looked at the people in the room and asked, "Who is Qin Hao''s homeroom teacher?" "Principal, I am," a woman in herte forties stepped forward. Ma Yingzhuang said, "Qin Hao''s scores are genuine. He is this year''s national top scorer. There might be TV stationsing to the school for interviews. Do you know what to say?" Qin Hao''s homeroom teacher smiled and said, "Principal, you don''t know, but Qin Hao is a very intelligent child who studies extremely hard. Although I''m a bit surprised that he scored so high, it also makes sense." ... Not only Changle Second Middle School but almost everyone in Jiangshan City had heard the news in the shortest time and was amazed. A national top scorer from Jiangshan City? This was a huge celebration for the entire city of Jiangshan. Not just the ordinary citizens, even the officials were shaken. When Mr. Qin had just returned home, thendline rang. He hurriedly answered, "Hello, good evening." "Is this Qin Hao''s residence?" a middle-aged man''s voice came through the phone. Qin Youguo answered, "Yes, I am Qin Hao''s father. May I know who this is?" The middle-aged man, "I''m Liu Wenshi, the Director of the Jiangshan City Education Bureau. First of all, congrattions on Qin Hao achieving full marks on the national exam. He not only became the national top scorer but also broke the national exam record. He is the pride of our Jiangshan City and the entire Shuinan Province educationalmunity." Qin Youguo, hearing the other''s title, responded solemnly, "Director Liu tters us. This achievement is mainly due to my son''s own efforts. Secondly, it''s because of the good educational atmosphere and well-developed education system in our city, which is inseparable from the Party''s construction of educational affairs..." Chapter 57: Chapter 59 Dads Realization Qin Hao was pouring water in the kitchen when he heard his father''s words. He wordlessly pursed his lips. When did dad start talking like a bureaucrat? You''re not even in the system. The phone call was soon over, and Qin Hao came out of the kitchen, cing the water cup beside his dad, "Dad, whose call was that? Why did you start speaking all official?" Mrs. Qin was also curious, "Mr. Liu? Which Mr. Liu?" Qin Youguo was sitting on the couch, took a sip of water, and said, "It was Mr. Liu from Jiangshan City''s education department. He called to congratte us because Xiao Hao scored full marks on the unified exam and became the national top scorer." Mrs. Qin was stunned. She hadn''t expected the head of Jiangshan City''s education department to personally make a phone call. That was a great honor. Seeing her expression, Qin Youguo knew what she was thinking, "Are you surprised by that? In the past, when a province released its top scorer for the provincial unified exam, the top official from the local city personally visited them and even brought gifts. Xiao Hao is not just a provincial top scorer; he''s the national top scorer, first in the whole country. Think about that." Qin Hao, hearing his father''s words, smiled and said, "Dad, whether or not anyonees or calls to congratte us, we will live our own lives." "Son, you are absolutely right. In any situation, one must remain calm," Qin Youguo smiled in agreement. Just then, the phone rang again. Calls came from Qin Hao''s homeroom teacher and the principal of Changle Second Middle School. Later, the secretary of the city''s top official also made a call. Mr. Qin remained calm, answering smoothly and at ease. Qin Hao, standing nearby, was taken aback: "Dad, were you an official before? You answer like it''s second nature. I thought you were part of the system, talking about how good the city''s education environment is, the Party''s educational construction. That''s a bit of a stretch." Qin Youguo''s expression turned serious as he spoke, "Xiao Hao, you scored well, and dad should indeed encourage you. But on this point, I must correct your perspective and opinions" Seeing Qin Youguo looking so serious, Mrs. Qin spoke irritably, "Qin Youguo, it''s a day for celebration. What are you doing?" Mr. Qin began, "Wife, this has nothing to do with you. I''m educating our child. A true talent must possess both virtue and ability. That you could score so well is naturally tied to your gifts and hard work, but I believe what''s even more important is that you were born in such a good era. You must approach society with a heart filled with gratitude and thankfulness, and repay those who have helped you in the past." Mr. Qin took another sip of water and continued, "I know you might feel unjust inside, but you have to admit it. You were born in a good time. If you were living in a country with frequent civil wars, do you think you''d have a chance to take these exams? You might not even have survived until eighteen. If the country hadn''t invested in the education sector, do you think you could have scored full marks? You probably wouldn''t even know your multiplication tables." Xiao Hao, I''ve lived through tough times and can appreciate how hard it is to have the life we do now. But your generation is different, born with a silver spoon in your mouth, never knowing hardship. Comining about this and that, even ming society when things don''t go well." As Qin Hao sat beside his father, each word felt like a hammer striking his heart. Truth be told, he had never thought about these things before. Today, his father''s words enlightened him tremendously. Qin Hao spoke earnestly, "Dad, you''re right. Once I''m capable, I''ll definitely give back to society and the country, to make our homnd more prosperous and strengthen it." Mr. Qin nodded in satisfaction, "That''s my son. It''s right for you to think this way. Do you know who I admire the most?" Qin Hao asked curiously, "Who? I remember you used to really like the songs of Li Jun." Mr. Qin sneaked a nce at Mrs. Qin and red at him irritably, "He''s not a pop star. Enjoying pop stars is fine, but admiring them is too much." "The ones I admire are the great scientists who, right after our country was established, disregarded everything, came back from abroad, and supported national construction." Qin Hao was visibly moved and gave his dad a thumbs-up. "I''m out of water, go get your old man a ss of water; my throat''s dry from all this talking." Mr. Qin was in an especially good mood today and even his speech was different from usual. "Sure thing." Qin Hao hurriedly refilled his dad''s ss with water. The father and son sat on the couch and chatted, mostly with Qin Youguo talking and Qin Hao listening. At half-past ten, Mrs. Qin couldn''t stand it anymore and interrupted them, "Enough, Qin Youguo. Think about when to throw a banquet for our son, and hurry up and notify whoever needs to be invited." Qin Youguo responded, "Right, right, Xiao Hao, you go do what you need to do; I need to call your grandfather first." ¡­ In an upscale neighborhood in Jiangshan City After checking her results, Du Wanrou smiled; she had scored 697 points, surpassing the past cutoff score for the Business Administration College of Jianghai University. Both Du Hongfeng and Feng Yun smiled when they saw their daughter''s score. Feng Yun said with a smile, "697 points, higher thanst year''s top scorer in Jiangshan City. Xiao Rou must be our top scorer, right?" Du Hongfeng said, "Daughter, quickly check this year''s Jiangshan City unified exam leaderboard to see if you are the top scorer." With a smile on her face, Du Wanrou knew that 697 was already a very high score, probably out of reach even for the top students from first and eighth high schools. She went to the unified exam website and opened the local city-wide leaderboard. Jiangshan City Unified Exam Leaderboard. First ce: Qin Hao (Changle Second Middle School, ss Two of Senior Year Three) Score: 750 points Second ce: Du Wanrou (Changle Second Middle School, ss Two of Senior Year Three) Score: 697 points Third ce: Ning Yao (Changle High School, ss One of Senior Year Three) Score: 695 points ¡­ The Du Wanrou family was astonished when they saw the scores on the list. 750 points? Wasn''t that a perfect score? What shocked Du Wanrou most was Qin Hao''s name, which was very clearly stated, Changle Second Middle School, ss Two of Senior Year Three. He was in the same ss as her, and in ss Two, there was only one Qin Hao, who had been her deskmate for three years. Her father, Du Hongfeng, also noticed the information and turned to his daughter, "Xiao Rou, is the guy who scored a perfect score in your ss? What''s your rtionship like with him? Lad, a perfect score on the unified exam, that''s a first in many years. This young man is impressive, really impressive." Feng Yun felt the name Qin Hao sounded familiar, and after a few seconds, she remembered. Recently, a young man had sent that kind of suggestive joke to their daughter, which she discovered and then blocked him. The name she had saved for that person was Qin Hao, but she wasn''t entirely sure if they were the same person. Chapter 58: Chapter 60 Massive Rewards Du Hongfeng asked, "Daughter, is this Qin Hao your ssmate?" "I think so," Du Wanrou said, unsure whether it was really Qin Hao, but there was only one Qin Hao in their ss. Du Hongfeng looked at his daughter, "What do you mean ''you think so''? Don''t you even know your own ssmates?" "There is only one Qin Hao in our ss, but he usually performs poorly. How could he possibly score this high?" Du Wanrou expressed her doubts. Hearing his daughter''s words, Du Hongfeng''s expression turned to one of surprise, "You''re saying this Qin Hao usually has bad grades?" Du Wanrou nodded, "When we first started high school, his grades were pretty good, but I don''t know what happenedter; his performance plummeted significantly." "The young people these days are no simple matter. ording to what you''re saying, there are only two possibilities: one, he obtained the answers in advance. Do you think the test questions of a national unified exam could be leaked? Not just for an ordinary person like him, even a provincial official would find it impossible to do so. Even if he did get the answers, do you think he could memorize every single answer to perfection?" The second possibility is: his grades are actually very good, but he didn''t show it usually, keeping a low profile and enduring quietly until suddenly achieving fame known by all. If it really is like that, then this ssmate of yours is definitely no ordinary person, and he might do great things in the future. How is your rtionship with him?" Du Wanrou was taken aback, "Well... it''s okay, I guess!" Feng Yun looked at her daughter and asked, "Is this Qin Hao the same person I blocked a while ago?" "Uh," Du Wanrou didn''t expect her mother to remember that. Hearing his wife and daughter''s conversation, Du Hongfeng curiously asked, "What''s this all about?" Feng Yun replied with a smile, "This Qin Hao used to chat with our daughter and seemed to have taken a fancy to her, but I blocked him." Du Wanrou''s cheeks turned slightly red, "Mom, don''t talk nonsense." Seeing his daughter''s reaction, Du Hongfeng thought for a moment and said, "Daughter, dating is a serious matter. You must be cautious, and of course, you should tell your parents when the timees. We''ll help you check him out." Feng Yun nodded, "That''s right, don''t just agree when a boy pursues you. If you do, the boy will think you''re easy to chase and he won''t cherish you. Your father pursued me for three years before I agreed." ... At Qin Hao''s home, in the afternoon, Mr. Qin received a call from a reporter from the Xuan Country Daily. This is the most authoritative top newspaper in the entire country. Everyone featured in the Xuan Country Daily is a known figure, or someone who has made outstanding contributions in their field, Mr. Qin never expected that one day his son would be interviewed by the top newspaper, but after thinking it over, he still declined the request. Although his son achieved good results in the unified examination, he didn''t want his son to be too famous. Because this could very possibly affect the boy''s future life, it might even ruin his child. He wasn''t against his son bing famous, just not now, as he felt there were areas where Qin Hao was still immature. Although he declined the interview about Qin Hao, the reporter still conducted a phone interview with Mr. Qin and Mrs. Qin regarding some questions and matters. ... Around noon, Qin Hao also received a call from Xia Qing, "Congrattions, you national top scorer." Qin Hao, "And you? How did you do?" Xia Qing replied with augh, "I should have no issues getting into Jianghai University. Are you really going to Jianghai University?" Qin Hao, "Yeah, I have already decided. Jianghai University Computer College, so we''ll be schoolmates again." Xia Qing, "With your results, Tsinghua and Yan University will definitely reach out to you. They may even offer you a substantial schrship. Are you sure you don''t want to go to Tsinghua or Yan University? Although Jianghai University is good, Tsinghua and Yan University are the top educational institutions after all." Qin Hao: "I''ve already made up my mind, and I won''t change it." Xia Qing, upon hearing his affirmative response, chuckled: "When are you free? I should take you out for a meal to celebrate, Mr. National Exam Top Scorer. Do I need to make a reservation?" Qin Hao: "Stop teasing me. My family is probably hosting a banquet tomorrow noon, how about the day after tomorrow at noon?" Xia Qing: "Okay, then the day after tomorrow at noon it is. Remember toe to my ce, my parents are also looking forward to meeting the top scorer of the national unified exam." Upon hearing this, Qin Hao''s face turned stiff: "Your ce? Isn''t that a bit inappropriate?" "What''s inappropriate about that? Aren''t we friends?" Xia Qing pouted. "Alright." After hanging up the phone, Xia Qing''s face broke into a smile. Since Qin Hao didn''t refuse, it meant there was still hope for her and Qin Hao. She walked out of her room and said to her parents in the living room: "Mom and Dad, we have a guesting over for lunch the day after tomorrow, remember to make some delicious food." Xia Yingjie and Tian Rong looked at their daughter curiously: "Who''s visiting? A friend of yours? How many people?" "Just one person, a good friend of mine, but it''s a guy," Xia Qing said somewhat embarrassedly. Xia Yingjie and Tian Rong exchanged nces. As people who had been through it all themselves, how could they not understand what their daughter meant? It seemed their daughter had taken a liking to this young man, but they had to vet him first. If he didn''t pass their scrutiny, they couldn''t agree to it. ... "Ding, congrattions to the host forpleting the main mission: Unified Exam. Rewarding 10,000 achievement points and five attribute points. As the host has achieved a perfect level of missionpletion, reward item: yerUnknown''s Battlegrounds anti-cheat program package." Qin Hao, hearing the system''s voice one after another, smiled. Ten thousand achievement points, that was a very generous reward. Plus, there were five attribute points. And then there was this anti-cheat program package. yerUnknown''s Battlegrounds anti-cheat program package: Can eliminate all types of cheats in the game yerUnknown''s Battlegrounds. Qin Hao had heard of yerUnknown''s Battlegrounds, a very popr ''battle royale'' game at the moment, and many in his ss yed it. In the afternoon shortly after Qin Hao''s family had lunch, several ck sedans parked downstairs in their building, led by a red g car, with the rest being Audis. Seven or eight middle-aged men in suits got out of the cars, with some carrying cameras. One person walked in front, followed by five or six others. They made their way up to the fourth floor and then knocked on the door. Mr. Qin and Mrs. Qin were discussing who to call on the sofa when Qin Hao, hearing the knock, went to the door and opened it. Standing outside were a group of people in suits, with a man in his fifties leading them. His eyes were bright, sparkling with a sharp light, and his presence exuded an imposing aura thatmanded respect without anger, putting invisible pressure on others. Taken aback, Qin Hao curiously asked, "May I know who you''re looking for?" The man from Chang An Country was momentarily surprised, and so were the people behind him. They wondered, you don''t recognize the top official from Shuinan Province? This was a big shot who often appeared on TV, and yet you don''t recognize him? This was, well, a bit awkward. The man from Chang An Country smiled: "You must be Qin Hao, right? I am from Chang An Country, and I''m here on behalf of the provincial government to congratte you." At the mention of this name, Qin Hao was taken aback. Chang An Country? Chapter 59: Chapter 61: Upgrading Skills ``` This is a name he had seen more than once on the local TV station, a veritable local celebrity official. "Pleasee in, Uncle Chang," Qin Hao said, unsure of how to address him, so he simply used the term "uncle." Mr. Chang from Chang An Country smiled and nodded, then stepped inside. When Mr. Qin and Mrs. Qin saw a group of people entering, they turned their heads to look. The moment they saw Mr. Chang and the people behind him, they were momentarily stunned. Mr. Qin was the first to recover. "Mr. Chang, what brings you here? Please, have a seat, have a seat," he said. Mr. Chang''s demeanor was calm, his face wearing a warm and friendly smile. "Our province has produced the top student in the national unified exam. This is a tremendous honor. As a fatherly figure in the region, I naturally had toe," he said. The middle-aged man standing behind him also spoke up with a smile, "Mr. Chang has also brought a gift for student Qin Hao this time. He hopes that he will continue to work hard and be a pir of the country." The speaker was Mr. Li Feiyue, a fatherly figure in Jiangshan City, known to Mr. Qin, Mrs. Qin, and Qin Hao. Following Mr. Li''s words, someone ced a box containing aptop on the coffee table. Mr. Qin felt a surge of excitement, but he said, "How can we ept this? It''s too valuable." Mr. Chang smiled and said, "This is a token of appreciation from the provincial departments and the provincial government for student Qin Hao. We hope that he will strengthen his cultivation in ideology and morality, learning, and physical health at this new starting point, to serve the country." Mr. Qin hastily said, "Mr. Chang, rest assured. With my guidance, this child will definitely repay society and serve the country." Mr. Chang nodded slightly and stood up. "May I have a few words with the young man alone? You don''t mind, do you?" he said. "Not at all, Mr. Chang, please," Mr. Qin promptly replied. At this moment, Mrs. Qin had poured a ss of water for each person. Almost everyone who entered the room was an important political figure in Jiangshan City, none of whom they could afford to offend. Qin Hao and Mr. Chang went into Qin Hao''s room. Seeing that his bed was a bit messy, Qin Hao said somewhat embarrassedly, "Uncle Chang, sorry for the mess in the room." Mr. Chang looked around and said with a smile, "It''s normal for young people to be a bit disorganized. I understand, I''ve been there myself." Qin Hao knew that Mr. Chang wanted to speak with him alone for a reason, but after they entered the room and Mr. Chang didn''t get to the point, it made him somewhat speechless. The two chatted casually for a while. Suddenly, Mr. Chang asked, "You''ve scored full marks on the unified exam and be the national top student. What are your thoughts?" Qin Hao was taken aback and said, "I don''t have any particr thoughts, as long as my parents are happy, that''s enough." His answer was simple, but sincere. Mr. Chang inwardly nodded his approval, thinking that filial piety is the most important virtue, and those who are filial tend to have good character. He continued, "Have you decided which university you want to attend? Tsinghua, Yan University, or perhaps an esteemed school abroad?" Qin Hao replied, "I''ve made up my mind to go to Jiang University, Jianghai University." A flicker of surprise crossed Mr. Chang''s eyes. "Why Jianghai University? In terms of faculty strength and teaching facilities, Yan University and Tsinghua are only stronger, not weaker,pared to Jianghai." Qin Hao couldn''t possibly tell him it was for love, worried that it might drive Mr. Chang away. Heughed and said, "I''ve heard the air isn''t so good in Jinchen, and besides, the Computer College at Jianghai University isn''t bad either. I think it''s all the same wherever I go." Mr. Chang: "Have you already decided on the Computer College?" Qin Hao: "We are in the age of mobile inte now. In the future, people''s lives will be inseparable from the inte, and the progress of society is equally reliant on it." ``` Mr. Chang nodded slightly, as long as Qin Hao didn''t go to a foreign elite university, that would be fine. Because the national exam top scorer going to study abroad would negatively impact Xuan Country''s reputation. ¡­ Mr. Chang said some words of encouragement to him, urging him to study hard, not to waste his talent, and to serve the mothend after his graduation. Then he left the room, exchanged a few pleasantries with Mr. Qin and Mrs. Qin, and took his leave with his entourage. The Qin family escorted them downstairs and watched the motorcade drive away before they finally let out a long sigh of relief. It was too stressful to sit with those people. At this point, Mr. Qin suddenly said to Mrs. Qin, "Why did you bring up my issue just now? It''s so embarrassing." Mrs. Qin: "Embarrassing? The automobile factory is a government enterprise, so what right does He An have to fire me just because he says so? It''s precisely the right opportunity to mention it, maybe Mr. Li can give us a hand." "Let''s go back now; we have yet to inform our friends and rtives," said Mr. Qin as both he and Mrs. Qin went upstairs. When Qin Hao returned, he opened the newptop and checked its model and specifications ¨C its value was roughly around seven to eight thousand yuan, quite a decentptop indeed. With nothing better to do, he browsed online for information about the game yerUnknown''s Battlegrounds. He didn''t realize until he checked ¨C it was the hottest strategic shooting game of the moment, generating profits of over tens of billions a year for Green Hole Company. Especially since the Xuan Country servers wereunched, the profits from yerUnknown''s Battlegrounds had been steadily increasing. However, it''s inevitable for games to deal with the scourge of cheats; the popr yerUnknown''s Battlegrounds was gued by various hacks. These hacks were like bacteria, slowly corroding the game, and the day it fell terminally ill would be the day yerUnknown''s Battlegrounds started its decline. Which hugely popr game in the past hadn''t been ruined by cheats? Qin Hao logged onto the official forum of yerUnknown''s Battlegrounds to see what was happening, and many people were reporting cheats. He briefly looked through them ¨C there were all kinds of hacks avable: x-ray vision, wall hacks, auto-targeting headshots, no recoil, Wave-Riding Micro Steps, Ghost Boxing, and so on. For instance, the Wave-Riding Micro Steps cheat: running faster than cars, can you believe it? The Ghost Boxing cheat: standing there while someone punches you and you lose health, but you can''t see anyone, can you believe it? And even the terrifying Ri Divine Palm hack: directly blowing up the ne with a p, can you believe it? Of course, those horrifying hacks would definitely get one banned after a single use, but thosemon hacks were hard topletely eradicate. Qin Hao''s eyes lit up with an idea ¨C he could sell his anti-cheat program for yerUnknown''s Battlegrounds to Green Hole Company and make a good sum of money. But it wasn''t as simple as he initially thought. He looked at his hacker skills, then spent 3600 achievement points to upgrade his hacker skill to Level 3. First, he closed some ports on hisputer, then downloaded a sophisticated programming software. Qin Hao didn''t download any of the hacker software avable online; instead, he started coding himself, now at a hacker level three. In the entire Earth''s hackingmunity, he was definitely at the apex of existence. The skill levels in the God Creation System were not ranked ording to the standards of Earth. They were ranked ording to the standards of another parallel universe; hence, despite the levels not being high, their caliber was indeed strong. Chapter 60: Chapter 62 The Past of Parents It was after six in the evening. The Jiangshan Evening News and Shuinan Daily published evening newspapers, all featuring the topic of the national exam''s top scorer. At six thirty, Shuinan TV news also aired footage of a visit to the home of the national exam''s top scorer in Chang An Country. Simple recordings were made of Mr. Qin and Mrs. Qin talking with the officials. Qin Hao only appeared in a side profile, as Chang An Country likely didn''t want him to attract too much attention. The footagested only about ten seconds before moving on to the next local headline. But Qin Hao hadn''t watched the news; he had been in his room the whole time, tapping on hisputer and coding software. Mr. Qin and Mrs. Qin had been watching the news from before it started until it ended. Shortly after the news ended, just as Mrs. Qin was about to start cooking, her cellphone suddenly rang. Seeing the number from Qingjiang Province, she hesitated before walking into the kitchen to answer the call. After answering, Li Shujie lowered her voice and said, "Mom." ... Qin Youguo nced at his wife, who was talking softly in the kitchen, and sighed internally. Just then, Qin Hao came out of his room. Mr. Qin saw him and quickly motioned for him toe over. Qin Hao walked over, looking puzzled, "What''s up, Dad?" "Your mom''s on the phone, don''t disturb her," Mr. Qin said, watching Li Shujie in the kitchen. Qin Hao nced at his mom, then back at his dad, "Who''s calling Mom? Why so secretive?" Qin Youguo replied, "It must be your grandmother." "Whose grandmother?" Qin Hao asked, surprised. Mr. Qin responded, "Your grandmother." Qin Hao said, "I have a grandmother?" "Who said you don''t have a grandmother? Don''t talk nonsense," Mr. Qin red at him. Qin Hao was puzzled. He had never visited his grandmother''s house from childhood and had always thought he didn''t have one. Howe he suddenly had one today? About five or six minutester, Mrs. Qin came out of the kitchen with red eyes. Seeing this, Qin Hao curiously asked, "Mom, what''s wrong?" "It''s nothing." Mr. Qin sighed, "The child is so grown up now, you should tell him,e sit down, Xiao Hao." Li Shujie said, "You tell him, I''ll go cook." Qin Youguo knew her predicament and said to his son, "Xiao Hao, you not only have grandparents but also three uncles. Your grandparents'' family background is extraordinary. Your mom and I met in college, and then we fell in love. As you can guess, your grandfather strongly opposed us, but your mom''s heart never wavered for me. For my sake, she had a falling out with her family and chose to marry me in Jiangshan City, giving up a life of wealth andfort. After we got married, we visited again, and your grandfather and uncles looked down on us and even humiliated me in many ways. But I don''t hate them. I just feel that I owe your mother too much. Her life was much harder than mine, ten times, a hundred times more painful. Do you understand?" Qin Hao nodded, "Dad, I understand. I will definitely make you and Mom proud and earn their respect as well." "I''m relieved to hear you think that way," Qin Youguo said with a smile on his face. ... After dinner, Qin Hao returned to his room, where the software program waspletely ready. He first used hisputer to hack into aputer in Hokkaido, Ind Country, and then into one in the Federation. Atst, he logged onto the world-renowned hacker gathering site, ck de Network, using an IP address from aputer in the West Continent. ck de Network is thergest and most famous hacker hub in the world. It''s not just hackers who frequent this forum, but also senior programmers from major intepanies around the world. Some discuss hacking techniques, while others recruit top-level hacker talent with high sries. Others sell various software packages here. There are also those who post bounty tasks to attack well-known intepanies. The ck de Network isn''t essible to just anyone, one must be at least a first-ss hacker to sessfully log into ck de Network. Otherwise, they would end up logging onto a regr website. This is a threshold, a boundary. The creators of ck de Network are no ordinary people. It''s said to be jointly created by several top-level hackers. Logging in was child''s y for Qin Hao. With just a few clicks, he essed ck de Network. First, he created a name for himself called: Hei Ye. But he found the site allowed only Federation names, which left Qin Hao somewhat speechless. Was this discrimination? He didn''t like Federation names, so he used a tool he developed to scan the site. After finding a vulnerability, he directly essed the website''s backend and gained administrator privileges. He then created an Xuan Country name for himself: Hei Ye, and then entered the forum. Qin Hao posted a thread titled: "Selling yerUnknown''s Battlegrounds Anti-Cheat Software Package." Then, the content of the post described the function of the anti-cheat software package, and he even included a bit of the software code in the package to help verify its authenticity. He did not list a price, knowing that if someone from Green Hole Company saw it and was genuinely interested, they would definitely contact him. To make it noticeable, he directly set the post as sticky, highlighted, and featured! After doing all this, he logged out of ck de Network. ... Little did he know, as soon as he logged out, many people saw his post. "Howe this person''s name is in Xuan Country script? Isn''t it impossible to register Xuan Country names?" a hacker from Xuan Country saw the name Hei Ye and looked puzzled. Had they now opened up Xuan Country names for registration? He tried registering a new ount and found that Xuan Country names were still unavable. At this point, his expression grew serious. Had this Hei Ye person infiltrated ck de Network? If that were true, how skilled must this person be? He also noticed that the post had been made sticky, highlighted, and featured¡ªa privilege only administrators had. Usually, administrators at ck de Network wouldn''t sticky or feature any posts. What was going on? It wasn''t just him; within just a few minutes, dozens of people noticed this issue, including the administrators of ck de Network. "What?" the administrator was stunned when he saw the sticky, featured post. When had I ever made this post sticky? He tried to use his administrator ount to remove the sticky status, but after he clicked, the system told him he had no authority to do so. He was bbergasted and quickly reported the situation to his superiors. Without a doubt, someone had infiltrated ck de Network''s backend, not only had they created an Xuan Country name, but they had also obtained total administrator privileges. This level of skill was terrifying. Considering the site was created by several top-tier hackers and had never been infiltrated before, how could he not be shocked? Almost simultaneously, many hackers received notifications from their friends and logged onto ck de Network. This was the first time ck de Network had been infiltrated, and they wanted to see who was behind it. Chapter 61: Chapter 63 Celebratory Banquet for Academic Achievements ``` Hackers from all over the world, as well as senior programmers from majorworkingpanies, logged onto ck de Network in a very short span of time. Senior programmers from famouspanies in Xuan Country such as Aba Net Shopping Company, Tenglong Chatting Software Network Company and Qian Du Search Engine Company, to name a few, were all there. Green Cave Game Company had made a name for itself in the gaming world thanks to the game yerUnknown''s Battlegrounds, which was now quite renowned. Many hackers and senior programmers were employed by theirpany, working every day on maintaining their games. A senior programmer from Green Cave named Ada looked at this post in shock and disbelief. He was astonished that someone named Hei Ye managed to infiltrate the backend of ck de Network, obtaining the top administrator''s privileges, something that was not easily achieved. This was definitely a world-ss, top-tier hacker. Considering the name, this person was likely from Xuan Country. Xuan Country had many well-known hackers, but he had never heard of anyone named Hei Ye. After examining the piece of program code released below, he noted it down and began to experiment with it. ... The next morning Qin Hao and his family had breakfast early and started preparing for the noon banquet. Mr. Qin had booked the dishes at Heshun Hotel on Yonghe Street yesterday, which was considered a decent restaurant there. They bought some cigarettes and sunflower seeds, then headed to the hotel to wait. Qin Hao was sent by his father to the entrance of the hotel to greet the guests. "It''s just past ten, whoes this early?" Qin Hao stood at the entrance of the hotel and frowned with boredom. Just then, a ck Volkswagen sedan stopped at the entrance of the hotel, and a middle-aged man with a young woman got out of the car. After the two of them looked at Heshun Hotel, they came over, and the middle-aged man asked, "Young man, is Qin Hao''s celebration banquet here?" Qin Hao sized up the couple, "Yes, it''s here. Are you a friend of my dad?" "Your dad? You''re Hao?" The middle-aged man was taken aback. Qin Hao: "Who exactly are you?" "I''m Li Yonghe, the owner of the Midnight Bar on Anchang Street. I heard from Bao''s people that Hao scored first in the national exam. I came especially to congratte you. Liu, go and write the gift money inside," said Li Yonghe with a smile on his face. Anchang Street? As expected, Li Bao had extended his reach to Anchang Street as well. Although Qin Hao was not pleased inside, he didn''t show it on his face, "Oh, Mr. Li, pleasee inside." Li Yonghe: "No need, no need. I still have something else to attend to in a while. Just here to congratte you, Hao, for your outstanding achievement in the national exam." Shortly after, the Liu mentioned by Li Yonghe emerged from the hotel and said to Li Yonghe, "Mr. Li, it''s written." Li Yonghe nodded slightly, "Alright, good. Hao, then we''ll be leaving first." Li Yonghe left the ce with his secretary in the car. On the car, the curious secretary asked, "Mr. Li, who is that person? Why give such a generous gift?" "Li Bao''s boss. If we want our business to thrive, we can''t do without Li Bao''s protection. Understand?" Li Yonghe said indifferently. ... Not long after Li Yonghe had left, Mr. and Mrs. Qin came out. Qin Youguo looked at Qin Hao and asked, "Where''s the person who just wrote the gift money?" Qin Hao: "He''s gone." Qin Youguo: "Why didn''t you keep him around a bit longer? He just gave you 8888 yuan. Who is this friend you know that''s so wealthy?" Qin Hao: "Mom and dad, don''t worry about it so much. Just stay inside." Soon, one car after another arrived, almost all of them were bosses from Yonghe Street and Anchang Street. ``` These people had a very clear purpose, they were just here to present a gift and leave without even having a meal. The least amount was 6666, but generally, it was 8888 or more than 10,000. At eleven o''clock. Mr. Qin and Mrs. Qin''s colleagues and friends started to arrive, many of whom Qin Hao recognized. He greeted each one with "uncle" or "auntie" and invited them in. Naturally, these guests couldn''t help butvish praise on Qin Hao, to the point where he felt somewhat embarrassed. "Hao," After Qin Hao showed Mr. Liu and his family inside, the voice of the chubby guy rang out. Qin Hao looked at him curiously and said, "Howe you''re here?" Kang Youyi chuckled and responded, "Hao, didn''t you hear that you were top of the ss? I came to congratte you." "Come on, let''s go inside and talk. How''s the roast duck restaurant doing?" Qin Hao asked as they walked. With a smile, Kang Youyi replied, "The roast duck restaurant is operating normally, and the daily turnover is growing, just not as quickly as before." The two found a ce to sit down. Mr. Qin and Mrs. Qin were entertaining guests. Seeing that Qin Hao was having a chat with a friend, Mr. Qin didn''t call him over. Kang Youyi said, "Hao, Li Bao asked me to thank you on his behalf. His mother''s illness is almost cured, and she has been discharged from the hospital." Qin Hao asked curiously, "Why didn''t hee himself?" Kang Youyi hesitated for a moment and said, "He thinks he should keep his distance from us for now. It''s not convenient for him to see you, Hao. He hardly even sees me these days." "Did he get himself into trouble?" Qin Hao''s brow furrowed slightly. Kang Youyi shook his head, "No, he''s gotten involved with Anchang Street. He''s afraid if he gets caught one day, it''ll drag us down with him." "Forget it, let''s drop this subject. I''ll talk to him when I''m free." Qin Hao couldn''t let him go on like this. If Li Bao didn''t pull back now, he would indeed be beyond redemption. Kang Youyi said, "Hao, I''m going to head off first, the shop is really busy right now." Qin Hao nodded slightly, "If I''m free this afternoon, I''lle by and visit." The chubby guy wrote down his and Li Bao''s gift money before he left. As soon as Qin Hao entered the banquet hall, someone called out to him, "Xiao Hao,e over here and let Mr. Liu take a good look at our national top scorer." "Mr. Liu." Qin Hao walked over awkwardly. Liu Shengguang said with a smile, "No ce to sit, right? Come sit next to me. This is my daughter, Liu Yun, she also just finished her college entrance exams and got into a first-tier university." Liu Yun was a very shy girl. Hearing her father''s words, her cheeks turned pink, and she seemed embarrassed. Qin Hao nced at Liu Yun and said with a smile, "Congrattions, Mr. Liu." "Today the main focus is on you. Qin sure has raised a fine child. Do you have a partner yet?" Liu Shengguang asked with a smile. Ah? Qin Hao was taken aback for a moment, then hastily said, "I''m still in school, Mr. Liu." "You''re almost at college age, it''s time to consider these things." ... This meal left Qin Hao feeling miserable, and Liu Yun didn''t enjoy it either, with her cheeks burning red. Both could tell that Liu Shengguang was trying to set them up. In the end, Qin Hao and Liu Yun hurriedly finished their meal and left the restaurant, then let out a long breath of relief. Liu Yun said with shyness, "I''m sorry about that, my dad had a bit too much to drink earlier." Qin Hao didn''t mind and replied with a smile, "It''s okay. Which university are you nning to apply to?" Chapter 62: Chapter 64 The Development of the Roast Duck Restaurant Liu Yun: "I n to apply to Jianghai Normal University in Jianghai City. What about you? Going to Jinhua or Chen University?" Qin Hao smiled and replied, "I''m thinking about Jianghai University." "What? Why not Jinhua or Chen University? Those are the top institutions in Xuan Country," Liu Yun looked at him, somewhat puzzled. But for some reason, hearing his words, she felt a bit happy. Could it be because they would both be in the same city in the future? Qin Hao replied, "Jianghai University isn''t that far behind those two, it just has a bigger reputation. Jianghai City is also closer to home, and the air is nicer there. The smog in Jinchen is too serious." "Xiao Hao, Xiao Yun, why have youe out? Come back in and eat, the dishes aren''t even all on the table yet. Why did you leave?" Qin Youguo came out from the hotel and spoke to them. "Dad, we''re already full," Qin Hao said, not daring to go back. He was afraid Mr. Liu would bring up their matter again. Qin Youguo said irritably, "The guests are still eating, what do you mean bying out here? Come back with me." Liu Yun said softly, "Qin Hao, let''s just go back, shall we?" "Alright." The two returned to the dinner table at the hotel, and as soon as Qin Hao sat down, he smelled a familiar scent. Seeing the shiny, golden roasted duck in the middle of the table, his face faltered, "Jiangshan Roasted Duck?" "Xiao Hao, you know about Jiangshan Roasted Duck too? Let me tell you, this duck is really delicious, it''s simply a delicacy of the world, try it quickly." Liu Shengguang unceremoniously grabbed a duck leg and started eating. The others at the table also knew the taste of Jiangshan Roasted Duck, and within a few short minutes, a whole duck was swiftly divided up amongst them. Qin Hao and Liu Yun weren''t as quick, and they only managed to get a piece each. Liu Shengguang asked Qin Hao, "When''s your birthday, Xiao Hao?" "June 21st. Why do you ask, Uncle Liu?" Qin Hao replied curiously. Liu Shengguang said with a smile, "My daughter Xiao Yun''s is August 26th. You''re two months older than her, so you''ll be the older brother. If my daughter ever needs help, you, as her brother, should help, understand?" Qin Hao sighed in relief when he heard him, "Don''t worry, Uncle Liu. Even just considering the rtionship between you and my dad, I couldn''t stand by idly if Xiao Yun needed help." The celebration banquet for the school endedter than nned, and it was not until 1:30 am that people gradually left. Liu Shengguang was thest to leave. After exchanging a few words with Mr. Qin and Mrs. Qin, he took Liu Yun and left. Mr. Qin and Mrs. Qin roughly estimated the gift money to be around seventy or eighty thousand yuan, which surprised them both immensely. Most of this money was from the bar owners on Anchang Street and Yonghe Street. Mr. Qin and Mrs. Qin were curious about how their son could know so many wealthy friends. Could it be that they saw potential in my son? After all, as the national exam top scorer, his potential was limitless. Whether in politics or business, he could make a significant impact. Even bing a high-end, top-tier technology talent was not out of the question. Of course, all of this was filled with uncertainties, and Qin Hao could also fade into obscurity like everyone else. Nobody could be sure about the future. After returning home from the hotel, Mr. Qin received a phone call from the deputy director of the car manufacturing factory. Huang Wencai had been taken away for investigation, He An had been removed from his position, and this deputy director, named Wang Hui, was naturally set to move up with Huang Wencai''s departure. Laughing, Wang Hui said to Qin Youguo, "I know your work capabilities, Old Qin, and so do the higher-ups. So you will continue to be the factory manager, in charge of car manufacturing." He An removed, Huang Wencai under investigation? When Qin Youguo heard this news, he looked taken aback. It must have been the words Li Shujie said yesterday, Mr. Li must have heard them and then gave them a face. Qin Youguo quickly expressed his gratitude, "Thank you very much, Director Wang." Wang Hui: "Old Qin, you''re too polite. I had a lot to do today and couldn''te over. I''ve sent you the gift money through Weixun. Don''t be upset about it." Qin Youguo: "Director Wang, that''s very kind of you." "No problem, no problem, just remember toe to work tomorrow. I''ve got to go, so I''m hanging up now." After speaking, Wang Hui hung up the phone. After hanging up the phone, a smile appeared on Qin Youguo''s face. Li Shujie had also heard the content of the phone call and said with a smile, "You didn''t let me mention it yesterday, see? If I hadn''t said anything, would you be able to go back now?" "Mom and Dad, I have to step out for a bit," Qin Hao said to his parents. Mr. Qin and Mrs. Qin nodded and cautioned, "Remember toe back early." "Got it, Mom." Qin Hao left home and headed to the roast duck restaurant. In just over ten minutes, he arrived inside the restaurant. It was around two-thirty in the afternoon, and the business at the roast duck restaurant had already slowed down significantly. Most people were busy cleaning ducks at the back. Upon entering the roast duck restaurant, Qin Hao noticed that the decor waspletely renewed,pletely different from before, looking clean and tidy. There was not a trace of greasiness, and the fragrance of roast duck always permeated the restaurant. Even when not actually roasting ducks, the aroma had be deeply ingrained. Yu Jie was no longer collecting money at the restaurant. The task of handling cash and giving change had been handed over to the staff selling roast duck. She now worked in a small, independent cabin on the first floor, which served as the new financial office. Kang Youyi was sitting at the front desk. Seeing Qin Haoe in, he greeted him with a smile, "Is Hao finished with his busy schedule?" Qin Hao nodded, "Take me to the financial office to take a look." Led by Kang Youyi, Qin Hao entered the financial office, where Yu Jie was typing away at the keyboard. The business of the roast duck restaurant was getting better and better. Without aputer, keeping records in a notebook was bing cumbersome and unclear. Seeing Qin Hao arrive, Yu Jie hurriedly stood up and said, "Boss." "Hmm, can you manage the work on your own? Do we need to hire another person?" Qin Hao asked. Yu Jie quickly replied, "There''s no need, boss. The current workload isn''t too much." Qin Hao said, "Add my chat software ount, and starting next month, send me a performance report for the roast duck restaurant every half a month." Yu Jie nodded, "Okay, boss. And congrattions on bing the top scorer in the national unified examination." "How do you guys know about this news?" He hadn''t told anyone about his unified examination scores. Logically, people like Bao shouldn''t know. Bao said with a smile, "Hao, do you remember Xu Liang? He told Bao and me about it, and then they found out." Qin Hao said, "Oh, Xiao Jie, continue your work. I''m going to check out the back." Yu Jie nodded, her eyes filled with admiration as she looked at him. Having gone through the unified examination herself, she knew how difficult it was. For her boss to have scored the highest in the country was a huge shock to her. No wonder the boss could create something as delicious as Jiangshan Roasted Duck; maybe this was the difference between a genius and an ordinary person? Qin Hao then went to the back to check on things. There were quite a few staff members at the roast duck restaurant now, and they were all familiar faces. He recognized people like Liu Pengyu, Zhao Hongyu, Chen Da, and Yu Chengcai. They were cleaning ducks, getting ready for the evening roast. Upon seeing Qin Hao enter, they all hurriedly greeted him respectfully, "Boss." Finally, Qin Hao and Kang Youyi went upstairs. He wanted to hear Bao''s report. Of course, he also wanted to know what was going on with Jiangshan Roasted Duck at Heshun Hotel. Chapter 63: Chapter 65 Dads Words The two sat on chairs, and the fat man began, "Hao, I''ll briefly run through our roasted duck restaurant''s current sales performance. Our maximum in a single day was around 1,200 ducks, with an average of about 800 daily." Qin Hao eximed, "That many?" The fat man nodded, "These days, our daily profit has been around 30,000 to 40,000." With daily profits of 40,000, the monthly profit would be over a million, a truly terrifying figure. And that''s just for a small roasted duck restaurant upying a few hundred square meters. Kang Youyi continued, "We''ve also had many expensestely¡ªair conditioning, roasting ovens, safes,puters, and so on. Our expenditures have nearly reached 100,000." Qin Hao nodded slightly. These were all necessary expenses, "Yu Jie has a record of all the item expenses, right?" The fat man, "Mmm-hmm, rest assured, Hao. You probably already know about the hotels and our roasted duck, right?" Qin Hao nodded, "What''s the situation? Did they approach us on their own, or did we reach out to them?" Kang Youyi replied, "It was those hotels and restaurants that sought us out." "There''s been no change in the price?" This was Qin Hao''s primary concern. Kang Youyi, "The price is still 30 yuan per jin. How much the hotels add on top of that is none of our concern." Qin Hao, "Without my orders, the prices cannot change. Make sure to inform me about any important matters." Kang Youyi nodded, "Mmm-hmm, don''t worry, Hao." That afternoon, Qin Hao stayed there the entire time. Around 5 PM, batches of roasted ducks came out of the oven. Some were sold from tricycles, some were ced in the restaurant''s warming cabs, and others were delivered to several hotels in Yonghe Market by van. Now, for the guests at those hotels on Yonghe Street, Jiangshan Roasted Duck had almost be a must-order dish. About 100 to 200 ducks were delivered to various restaurants each day. By 6:30 PM, customers began to patronize the duck restaurant. Now, Liu Pengyun was in charge of selling roasted duck in the store, and the business was much better than before. People from the nearby neighborhoods woulde here almost daily to buy roasted ducks. The store could sell about 200 ducks each day. Qin Hao spent that entire afternoon contemting the future development of the roasted duck restaurant. He now felt that the development model of De Juxiang might not necessarily suit the current Jiangshan Roasted Duck. The unique vor of Jiangshan Roasted Duck was widely loved, and retail sales contributed a significant portion of the profits, which was absolutely something to maintain. Moreover, Jiangshan Roasted Duck did not have the same limitations as De Juxiang, so in terms of potential, Qin Hao felt that Jiangshan Roasted Duck had even more potential than De Juxiang. "Qin Hao?" A voice rang out, interrupting Qin Hao''s thoughts. Qin Hao looked up to see Xia Qing, wearing a T-shirt and shorts, standing at the counter buying roasted duck. Liu Pengyun was slicing the duck for her, and when he heard her call Qin Hao''s name, his hand trembled, nearly chopping onto his hand. Does this beauty know Hao? Qin Hao hurriedly got up and walked over, "Here to buy some roasted duck?" Xia Qing''s lips carried a light smile, tactful and restrained, "Aren''t you busy? If the boss sees you daydreaming there, might he deduct your pay?" "No, I''ve already finished all my work." Qin Hao smiled in response. Liu Pengyun heard him and pursed his lips; you''re kind enough not to deduct our pay, who would dare deduct yours? Xia Qing looked at him and asked, "What time do you get off work?" Qin Hao, "I''ll be off work soon, but there''s not much to do now, I could leave early. Shall we go back together?" Xia Qing: "Is this really okay? Will they truly not deduct your sry?" Qin Hao turned to Liu Pengyun and said, "Yun, when the bosses backter, help me exin it to him, will you?" "Ah, sure, sure!" Liu Pengyun agreed, seemingly ttered by the request. He quickly handed the sliced roasted duck to Xia Qing: "Miss, your roasted duck is ready, that will be eighty-two." After paying, Xia Qing left with the roasted duck and Qin Hao. She asked uncertainly, "The boss really won''t penalize you?" Qin Hao said with a smile, "It''s fine." As they walked, Xia Qing said, "Qin Hao, you''ve really fooled me. Perfect score in the unified exams, breaking the national record. The Xuan Country Daily even reported your name today. At first, I thought you couldn''t get into a good university. Thinking back to the grand ims I made in front of the national top scorer of the unified exams, I feel utterly embarrassed." After she finished speaking, she red at him with her beautiful eyes, a mix of mild anger and a hint of coquetry. Qin Hao said awkwardly, "I told you I could get into Jianghai University, but you didn''t believe me." Xia Qing rolled her eyes at him. "Who would believe that, if they were in my shoes?" Qin Hao: "Then you can''t me me, can you? It''s not my fault you didn''t believe me." Xia Qing pouted unhappily and muttered quietly, "No wonder you don''t have a girlfriend." ... "Ah? What did you say?" Xia Qing: "Nothing, I was just saying you''re smart." The two kept talking as they walked and soon arrived at the entrance of the residential area. That''s when Qin Youguo and Li Shujie were approaching the entrance from another direction. Seeing Qin Hao and Xia Qing nearby, Mr. Qin and Mrs. Qin were surprised and called out, "Xiao Hao?" Qin Hao turned his head and replied, "Dad, Mom? Where have you been?" Li Shujie recognized Xia Qing and said with a smile, "Your father and I went out to buy some things. Is this Xiaoqing? She''s much prettier than she is in videos." Xia Qing''s cheeks turned slightly red as she softly greeted, "Hello, uncle and auntie." "Ah, such a sensible girl. You two have a chat, we won''t disturb you." With that, Li Shujie left with Mr. Qin. Qin Hao was somewhat speechless; he felt his mother''s words were somewhat ambiguous. What did she mean by ''won''t disturb you two''? Xia Qing''s cheeks flushed even more, but she felt a hint of happiness inside, as Qin Hao''s parents seemed to like her. "Remember toe to my house tomorrow at noon, Block 3, Unit 3, Apartment 301." After saying that, Xia Qing turned and left. "Mm-hmm, got it." Qin Hao walked home. As soon as he arrived, Mr. Qin and Mrs. Qin called him over. Li Shujie started, "Xiao Hao, tell your mother the truth, what is your rtionship with that girl Xiaoqing?" Qin Hao: "There''s nothing special, just ordinary friends." Li Shujie red at him: "Don''t lie to me with your eyes wide open. Do you think your mother can''t see the obvious? It''s clear Xiaoqing likes you. What are your intentions?" Qin Hao: "Mom, leave my affairs alone, please." Li Shujie looked at him and continued, "What? Now that you are the top scorer of the national unified exams, you won''t let your parents butt in? Are you too proud now? Looking down on Xiaoqing? Xiaoqing is such a nice girl, beautiful and with a good personality. It''s hard to find a girl like her even with antern." After speaking, Mrs. Qin asked further, "How many points did Xiaoqing score? Which university is she going to?" Qin Hao: "Almost seven hundred, she''s also going to Jianghai University." Mrs. Qin: "That''s perfect then. Xiao Hao, I''m telling you, don''t get all high and mighty just because you scored full marks on the exam. Xiaoqing is a good girl, and she has feelings for you too. You should cherish her." Mr. Qin also chimed in, "Xiao Hao, your mother is right. Xiaoqing is indeed a nice girl. Both your parents approve of her, cherish her well, don''t regret it if you lose her someday." Chapter 64: Chapter 66 Main Quest Qin Hao said hurriedly, "I got it, Mom and Dad, I''m going back to my room now." "Wait, what''s this about Xiao Yun?" Qin Youguo asked. Qin Hao, looking puzzled, said, "Xiao Yun who?" Mr. Qin frowned at him, "You know, Mr. Liu''s daughter, weren''t you chatting quite happily with her at noon?" Qin Hao said in frustration, "Dad, I was just talking to her as a normal friend, what are you thinking?" Li Shujie jumped in, "You''re not interested in Mr. Liu''s Xiao Yun?" "Mom, we barely knew each other before today; how could there be any interest? Rtionships are built on mutual knowledge and understanding." Qin Hao couldn''t figure out why his parents were acting like this today. Why were they so concerned about his business? After finishing, he hurriedly went into his room, not knowing what else his parents might say if he stayed in the living room any longer. Turning on his desktopputer, Qin Hao logged into his chat software ount, then saw a news article about him on the front page. The headline read: "Genius Equals Diligence, Xuan Country Daily Interviews the National Unified Exam Top Scorer''s High School, Changle Second Middle School" Qin Hao nced through it. The principal of Second Middle, and Qin Hao''s ss teacher, both praised how diligent and hardworking he was. He was somewhat embarrassed reading it. In high school, he had only really studied hard during the month prior to the unified exam. Before that, he was a notorious underachiever, the kind even his ss teacher considered beyond help. Below, thements were many: "Perfect scores on the unified exam, is he even human? As a top student at Jinhua, I admire him." "Jinchen University sends its congrattions." "Bullseye, I worked extremely hard for three years in high school and only scored 660. How did you achieve a perfect score?" "I was Qin Hao''s ssmate, he was known as the ss underachiever. There must be a dark secret behind this." The reply to thisment was plentiful: "You must be brain-damaged. The exam room had not only supervisors but also high-definition electronic monitoring. Someone like Qin Hao, the national top scorer, would have had his exam watched more than once." If there were any cheating or dark secrets, the officials wouldn''t announce these results. "Your ss has produced a genius, shouldn''t you be happy? Coming out like this to smear him clearly shows you''re just envious and resentful." "Aplete case of jealousy, assessment over." "You deserve your low score, you big fool." ... Sitting in front of theputer, Yuan Zhengxiang''s face turned livid with anger seeing so many people insulting him. Howe nobody believes me when I''m telling the truth? His own score in this unified exam was 610, a score that made it very difficult, almost impossible, to get into Jianghai University. He hadn''t cared much about his own score, but seeing Qin Hao''s score instantly disturbed hisposure. 750 points? A perfect score? A guy who was one of the lowest performers in ss managed to get a perfect score? There absolutely had to be a dark secret. So Yuan Zhengxiang, after seeing the Xuan Country Daily''s report, immediatelymented to expose the truth, letting everyone see what kind of person Qin Hao really was. He intended to destroy Qin Hao''s reputation so that Qin Hao would have no grounds topete with him for Du Wanrou. But the oue of hisments left him dumbfounded, as almost everyone was calling him a jealous wolf; not a single person believed him. Qin Hao also saw Yuan Zhengxiang''sments and simplyughed it off without a care. "Ding, a new phase of the main storyline quest opens: Road to Business Tycoon. Reach a monthly profit of three million (0/3M), reward five thousand achievement points." Qin Hao was stunned, a monthly profit of three million? Damn, when would he reach that goal? By now, at full calction, your roast duck restaurant is making a gross profit of over a million a month, and after deducting various costs and worker''s wages, the profit is roughly eight to nine hundred thousand. Reaching three million in profit in one month is too difficult unless you expand to about four stores. Opening four stores would require an investment of several million at the very least. He doesn''t have that much money right now. If he rents stores instead, the cost would be much lower. But with the real estate industry continuously heating up, although not by a significant margin, there definitely won''t be a significant drop either. If he buysmercial properties, he won''t lose money but will actually make some. In the end, if there''s no other way, he could only rent the stores. Because renting a store has its benefits¡ªlower initial investment, and then you can buy them after the roast duck restaurant has made enough money. This is actually a good approach for many startups ¡ª not requiring too much capital. ... After dinner, Qin Hao smoothly logged onto the ck de Network with hisptop, and then the sounds of ding-ding-ding rang out. Someone was sending him a private message. He nced over, and most of the messages were from ck de Network administrators, "How did you do it?" "You better drop your own permissions now, or we will attack you." "Can we talk? I am Walter, the founder of the ck de Network." ... Initially, the administrators of the ck de Network were threatening him;ter, they might have realized they couldn''t remove Qin Hao''s permissions, so their tone softened. The messages were all in Federation text. If his Federationnguage wasn''t pretty good, he really wouldn''t understand what these people were saying. "We can talk, but use Xuan Countrynguage to talk to me," Qin Hao replied, then went to check his own posts. Now his post had reached thousands of views and had several hundred replies, but there was not a single one about buying the software package. Some people wanted to challenge his skills, others wanted him to join theirpanies as the head of cybersecurity, and so on. Seeing that no one was buying, Qin Hao logged out. Just as he logged out of the ck de Network, the administrators sent him another message, but got no reply. The next day, the administrators saw that he had already logged off. They breathed a sigh of relief. Qin Hao''s ount called Hei Ye had super admin permissions. Fortunately, he hadn''t messed around on ck de Network, otherwise they definitely would have had to shut down the for reorganization. Even so, the administrators of the ck de Network were constantly on edge, fearing that Qin Hao would cause trouble on ck de Network. If ck de Network really had to shut down for reorganization, it would be a great blow to thework''s reputation and would also significantly boost the notoriety of the hacker Hei Ye. But they could see that Hei Ye wasn''t there to increase his fame. If he wanted to boost his fame, with his skills to hack into the ck de Network''s backend, just breaking into anyrgeworkpany would make his name well known in the hackermunity. ... The next day Qin Hao didn''t get up until after nine in the morning, ate some breakfast, and then went to the roast duck restaurant. He spent the day mixing herbal supplements in the restaurant. They sold nearly a thousand roast ducks every day, and the supplements were used up quickly. After mixing seven or eight batches, there were a few types of herbs he ran out of. Qin Hao went downstairs and said to Kang Youyi, "Fatty,e with me to stock up." Fatty quickly came over, "Okay, Hao." Chapter 65: Chapter 67 Visiting The two drove to the Hundred Medicine Pavilion store outside the Jiangshan City herbal medicine wholesale market. Qin Hao and Kang Youyi walked in, and there weren''t many people buying medicinal ingredients in the pharmacy. Since Hundred Medicine Pavilion mainly dealt in wholesale medicinal ingredients, the profit from retail was not substantial. Liang Ya and Liang Chengwang were both inside the shop. When they saw Qin Hao and Kang Youyi enter, Liang Chengwang was startled, but it was Liang Ya who reacted first, smiling and asking, "Mr. Qin, are you here to buy medicinal ingredients again?" Liang Chengwang also remembered and said with a smile, "Qin, it has been a long time since we''ve seen each other." Qin Hao greeted them with a smile, "Mr. Liang, you look even healthier than a few days ago." "I''ve acquired some good stuff in the mountains recently," Liang Chengwang said to him with a smile. Qin Hao said to Kang Youyi, "You go get the medicinal ingredients." Kang Youyi nodded and walked up to the counter, but he first took out a confidentiality agreement and ced it on the counter. Liang Ya''s expression turned to one of surprise, not quite catching on. What did this mean? Kang Youyi said with an awkward smile, "This is a confidentiality agreement. Whatever medicinal ingredients we buy from you, you''ll need to keep it a secret. You can''t let it leak out. The terms are all in there; take a look. It''s what our boss wants." After speaking, he nced at Qin Hao, as if to say this wasn''t his fault but rather it was his boss''s idea. Hearing this, Liang Chengwang came over, picked up the confidentiality agreement, and started to read it, while Liang Ya looked on from the side. They had never signed a confidentiality agreement before; this was indeed a first. After finishing their review, Liang Chengwang looked at Qin Hao and asked, "Is the Jiangshan Roasted Duck Restaurant owned by Qin?" Qin Hao nodded with a smile, "Mr. Liang, have you heard of it?" Liang Chengwang replied, "Heard of it? I''ve even tasted it. A friend brought some over, and the vor was indeed good. However, because it was too delicious, I was afraid there might be some chemicalponents in it, so I didn''t eat it again." Hearing his words, Qin Hao was at a loss for words with frustration. Had anyone ever refused to eat something because it was too tasty? This was the first time he had heard such a thing. The root cause was that Jiangshan Roasted Duck wasn''t very well known, and its advertising wasn''t strong enough. Otherwise, why would Liang Chengwang have such concerns? If Jiangshan Roasted Duck were a bigpany with total assets in the tens or hundreds of millions, it would inherently give people a sense of security. It''s like how people buy electric cars, automobiles, or even houses; they look for well-known bigpanies because they believe it provides them with security. Kang Youyi, hearing his words, was also somewhat speechless. Liang Chengwang said with an embarrassed smile, "Qin, is your roasted duck truly made using only natural remedies?" Qin Hao responded, "I''m still young. If I sold fake products, it would only ruin me. Mr. Liang, do you think I would do such a thing?" Remembering Qin Hao''s medical skills, Liang Chengwang nodded. Given those exceptional medical skills, Jiangshan Roasted Duck must be genuine. After all, with just his medical skills, he could make plenty of money. Why would he need to sell counterfeit roasted duck? Qin Hao said, "Mr. Liang, Xiao Ya, if there''s no problem, let''s sign the business confidentiality agreement. In the future, all the medicinal ingredients for Jiangshan Roasted Duck Restaurant wille from your ce." Liang Chengwang took out a pen and signed his name on it. The agreement was simple: maintain confidentiality, and if Hundred Medicine Pavilion breached the covenant, it would bear the corresponding responsibility. This time, Qin Hao took fifty pounds of each medicinal ingredient, totaling over four thousand pounds, which wouldst a long time. Of course, if the roasted duck business expanded, these might not be enough. The over four thousand pounds of medicinal ingredients amounted to roughly eighty or ny thousand yuan. Qin Hao estimated that it would be enough to make over twenty thousand roasted ducks. That would suffice for more than half a year. ¡­ Qin Hao: "I''ll leave you my contact information and address, just deliver the goods there, and I''ll have finance transfer the money to you in a while." Liang Ya nodded slightly: "Okay." Qin Hao said to Liang Chengwang: "Mr. Liang, I think you should stop taking those supplements in the future and eat more Jiangshan Roasted Duck instead. The medicinal effects of the supplements you''re taking may be too strong, not as gentle as Jiangshan Roasted Duck." Liang Chengwang looked at him and said: "Qin, you''re not deceiving me, are you?" "Believe it or not, it''s up to you, Mr. Liang." After speaking, Qin Hao continued to ask: "By the way, Mr. Liang, do you have any good items here? I need a gift." Liang Chengwang said with a smile: "What do you want? Ginseng? Lingzhi? Deer antler? Deer penis? Or something else?" Qin Hao didn''t know what to gift, and after thinking for a moment, he said: "The price shouldn''t be too expensive, but it also shouldn''t be something too shabby." Because if it was too expensive, it wouldn''t match his identity. Xia Qing didn''t know his identity, and if he spent thousands or tens of thousands on something, it would definitely raise suspicion. But if it was too cheap, he also felt it would be somewhat improper to offer. Liang Chengwang said with a smile: "That''s easy to handle, Xiao Ya bring over that ginseng and the deer antler from the sika deer." Liang Ya went to the back and brought out two rectangr brocade boxes, cing them on the counter and opening them up. A fifty-gram ginseng root and a piece of deer antler wereid out before their eyes. Qin Hao asked: "How much for these?" Liang Chengwang: "Qin, if it were someone else, it would be at least one thousand yuan, but for you, just the cost price of four hundred yuan will do." Qin Hao didn''t bargain; he felt Liang Chengwang wouldn''t cheat him on such a small matter, and he also found the price very reasonable. He took out four hundred yuan and gave it to Liang Ya, then asked for a gift bag: "Deliver the goods in the afternoon then. If there''s nothing else, Mr. Liang, I''ll be leaving first." "Mmm, okay, take care." Liang Chengwang saw them to the door and watched as they left. By the time Qin Hao returned to the roasted duck restaurant, it was already past eleven o''clock. He said to the plump guy: "I have something on at noon, I''m leaving early." "Mmm, okay, Hao." Qin Hao, carrying the two gifts, walked towards the residential area. Halfway there, he received a call from Xia Qing: "Hello, Qin Hao, where are you?" Qin Hao: "I''m on my way, almost there." Xia Qing said with a lightugh: "Mmm, my parents are almost ready, just waiting for you toe." "I''ll be there soon, hanging up now." After hanging up, it took Qin Hao less than ten minutes to arrive at Building 3, Unit 3, and then he walked up to the third floor. Standing at the door of 301, Qin Hao''s heart inexplicably began to race, suddenly feeling like a son-inw about to meet his mother-inw. He didn''t know why he had this thought, took a deep breath, and then knocked on the door. The door quickly opened from the inside, and there stood Xia Qing, smiling, with two charming dimples. She wore a loose T-shirt that just covered the ultra-short shorts below, revealing her long, straight, and wless legs. "You''re here?" Xia Qing asked cheerily. Then she led Qin Hao inside. Upon seeing the items in Qin Hao''s hands, she paused: "Why did you buy something?" Qin Hao tried to appear calm, as this was his first time visiting a friend of the opposite sex at their home. He smiled and said: "It''s my first visit, I couldn''te empty-handed, could I?" Xia Qing smiled gently and quickly called out: "Mom and Dad, my ssmate is here." Chapter 66: Chapter 68 Xia Qings Parents Xia Yingjie and Tian Rong came out of the kitchen after hearing their daughter''s words and were stunned for a moment when they saw Qin Hao''splexion. Xia Qing smiled shyly, "Mom and Dad, this is the ssmate I told you wasing over today." Xia Yingjie and Tian Rong had heard their daughter mention it more than once; they originally thought it would be a female ssmate, but it turned out to be a male. Furthermore, both of them recognized Qin Hao. They still remembered clearly what he had said during their first visit to Jiangshan Roasted Duck Restaurant. That afternoon, the couple had gone to the hospital for a checkup, and after a thorough examination, issues were indeed detected. But the doctors could not confirm whether it was truly the early stages of liver cirrhosis, so they were unable to prescribe treatment. Because the initial reactions of many diseases, both minor and severe, are simr, it''s only in the middle andter stages that the condition can be confirmed. By the middle andter stages, the difficulty of cure increases by several tens of times. But if a severe patient reaches the middle orter stages, it bes very difficult to cure them with the current level of medical advancement. Maybe with good luck, a few could be cured, but most would just have their time of death dyed. Xia Yingjie was the first to recover, smiling, "I didn''t expect you to be Xiaoqing''s ssmate. This time, you''ll have to take a good look at your uncle''s illness." "Right, have another look at how my husband Xia is doing?" Tian Rong also quickly added. Xia Qing was stunned, looking from her parents to Qin Hao, and asked, "You know each other?" Qin Hao, recalling their words, also remembered that they were the first customers of the roasted duck restaurant. He exined to Xia Qing, "I met uncle and auntie once at the roasted duck restaurant." Xia Qing nodded, her eyes filled with curiosity, "What''s this disease about?" Xia Yingjie hastily said, "Come sit down and talk, don''t stand there. Let''s discuss inside." Qin Hao: "Uncle, Auntie, as it''s my first visit, here''s a small gift I bought." Tian Rong: "You''re still a student, what are you buying things for? Remember, next time youe, don''t bring anything, or your uncle will be upset." A smile appeared on Qin Hao''s face: "Okay, I''m a straightforward person, I''ll listen to uncle." "That''s right, sit down. Xiaoqing, go pour some water," Xia Yingjie told his daughter. Xia Qing, seeing her parents'' attitude towards Qin Hao, felt a bit pleased and hurriedly got up to pour water for them. Tian Rong stopped cooking and asked Qin Hao, "We still don''t know your name. This girl Xiaoqing didn''t even introduce you." Qin Hao: "Uncle, Auntie, my name is Qin Hao, the Qin of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, and Hao as in the vast sky." Qin Hao? The name sounded somewhat familiar to them, but they didn''t give it much thought. Tian Rong''s face was filled with smiles, "Then auntie will call you Xiao Hao. Can you have another look at your uncle''s health?" Qin Hao: "Sure thing, Auntie. I''ll take a careful look at Uncle Xia." He examined Xia Yingjie''s eyes,plexion, asked him to open his mouth to look, and finally took his pulse. Xia Qing ced the cups of water on the coffee table and sat down next to Qin Hao, curiously watching him take her father''s pulse. Qin Hao could only sense a faint fragrance wafting into his nostrils, causing a tickling sensation within him. He dared not turn his head and continued to take Xia Yingjie''s pulse. Several minutester, Qin Hao released his hand and said to Xia Yingjie, "Uncle Xia, have you been taking Cordyceps and Polygonum multiflorum supplements these past few days?" Xia Yingjie''s expression was one of surprise, "You could tell just from looking? Xiaoqing didn''t tell you?" Xia Qing quickly exined, "Dad, I''ve never told anyone, and besides, I don''t even know what you''ve been taking." Qin Hao: "Mr. Xia, although your heartbeat is strong, it''s irregr, which is a clear symptom of over-supplementation. From the color of your tongue coating, is it evident that you have just been consuming Cordyceps and Polygonum multiflorum recently?" Xia Yingjie and Tian Rong nodded, and Tian Rong continued to ask, "Xiao Hao, how is your uncle''s illness?" Qin Hao: "Mr. Xia must have been eating Jiangshan Roasted Duck every day, right? The illness is almost better now, as long as he stops taking those heavy supplements, he should be fine in about half a month." ... Xia Yingjie said with a smile, "Thanks a lot, Xiao Hao. Who taught you medicine? You are so skilled!" Qin Hao replied, "I enjoy reading some medical books in my spare time, I taught myself." "Self-taught? That skilled?" Xia Yingjie was a bit incredulous. Tian Rong: "Xia, it''s almost noon,e and help me in the kitchen." Xia Yingjie said to Qin Hao, "Xiao Hao, you can wait here for a while, your uncle is going to help out." "Um, sure, Mr. Xia." As Xia Yingjie and Tian Rong entered the kitchen, Xia Qing looked at him with her bright, sparkling eyes: "You also know medicine?" Qin Hao: "Yeah, I''ve studied it on my own for a while." "Studied it on your own for a while and you''re this good? Geniuses really excel at whatever they do." Qin Hao gave a wryugh: "Are you mocking me?" Xia Qing: "Not at all, you were the national college entrance examination top scorer. If I mocked you, wouldn''t that be looking down on myself?" ... Inside the kitchen Tian Rong whispered to Xia Yingjie, "Xia, what does our daughter mean by this?" Xia Yingjie: "Xiaoqing must like him, right? Otherwise, why would she invite him over to our house as a guest?" Tian Rong: "Xiao Hao seems alright, his medical skills are not bad, but this is our daughter''s lifelong matter, we must be cautious." Xia Yingjie nodded in agreement: "Our daughter got into Jianghai University, her future prospects are vast, and I don''t even know which university Xiao Hao got into. If it''s a good university, then it''s okay." Tian Rong was quite open-minded: "Such things are unclear. Since Xiaoqing invited him over, it indicates that she''s interested in him. We just need to remind our daughter not to overstep the boundaries, I''ve never seen her act this way towards anyone before." Xia Yingjie nodded: "Xiaoqing has grown up and has her own thoughts. We should respect her decisions, but also remind her what is appropriate and what is not." As it was nearly twelve o''clock. Xia Yingjie and Tian Rong brought the dishes to the dining table: "Xiaoqing, Xiao Hao, it''s time to eat." "Got it, Mom." Xia Qing said with a smile as she stood up, then said to Qin Hao, "Come on, let''s eat." Both sat down at the dinner table, and Xia Yingjie and Tian Rong also took their seats, with the former even bringing out a bottle of liquor: "Come on Xiao Hao, have a drink, this is genuine Wuliangye." Qin Hao: "Mr. Xia, you better not drink, it''s not good for your health." Xia Yingjie: "An asional drink is fine, it can even be beneficial for the body, you''re a doctor, you must know that." Qin Hao was left speechless, and Xia Yingjie filled his cup to the brim, about a two-liang cup. Before they started eating, Xia Yingjie raised his cup: "Here, Xiao Hao, your uncle toasts you. I owe you for helping me with my illness." Qin Hao quickly raised his cup: "You''re exaggerating, Mr. Xia. As Xiaoqing''s father, it''s only right for me to help." "Here''s to it." After saying this, Xia Yingjie drank all the liquor in his cup in one gulp. Chapter 67 Chapter 69 What You Are Talking About Is Me Qin Hao''s face turned pale; he had never drunk strong liquor before, but he was well aware that downing a ss in one gulp was no simple feat. Xia Qing was also startled, "Dad, Qin Hao doesn''t drink regrly like you, what''s the rush to drink so fast?" Xia Yingjie said with a smile, "I''m just happy today, Xiao Hao, Uncle drank up, so you drink as much as you can." Qin Hao gave a wry smile as he looked at the wine in his ss, "Since Mr. Xia has drank up, how can I, as the younger one, not do the same? I''ll drink up too." Having said that, he tilted his head back and drank it all at once, immediately feeling a burning spiciness radiating from within. Xia Yingjie said, "Good tolerance there, I''m sure Uncle''s liquor won''t make you drunk,e on, let Uncle pour you another." Qin Hao quickly grabbed the bottle before Xia Yingjie could, pouring him another ss, "How could I let you pour, Mr. Xia, when I''m the younger one?" After pouring for Xia Yingjie, he poured himself another ss. Xia Yingjie said, "Xiao Hao, eat up, have some more. This Kung Pao chicken was cooked by your uncle himself, try it and see how it tastes." Qin Hao picked up his chopsticks and started eating. Tian Rong asked while eating, "Xiao Hao, are you still helping your friend out at the roast duck restaurant?" Qin Hao replied, "Mhm, there wasn''t much to do over the summer, so I took up a summer job to challenge myself." Xia Yingjie nodded, "That''s good, young people indeed need to be tempered. I have some employees under me, but not many young people; there are too few youths willing to endure hardships these days." Qin Hao spontaneously asked, "What do you do for a living, Uncle Xia?" Xia Yingjie answered, "Your Uncle Xia isn''t much skilled, and I''m not very educated either, just manage a few people and take on some small construction projects." "So Uncle Xia is a project contractor, if that isn''t considered skillful, then what is? Here''s to you, Uncle Xia." Qin Hao took a small sip, as he didn''t dare to drink too fiercely, fearing he might get drunk again. They chatted while eating, with Xia Qing hardly speaking; it was her parents who conversed with Qin Hao. Tian Rong asked, "Where does your family live, Xiao Hao?" "We also live in thisplex, Building 17." Tian Rong looked surprised, "That close? Howe I''ve never seen you before?" "Auntie, I''m quite a homebody, I didn''t use to go out much," Qin Hao answered awkwardly. Tian Rong nodded and went straight to the point, "By the way, Xiao Hao, how did you do on the unified exam? Where do you n to go to university?" Xia Yingjie also looked at Qin Hao; Tian Rong was getting down to business. If Qin Hao''s grades were good, they might not object to the rtionship between the two, but if his grades were too poor, they would feel it was quite unsuitable. With a smile, Qin Hao responded, "I did alright on the unified exam, nning to attend university in Jianghai." Jianghai? Xia Qing was going to Jianghai University, and he too, was going to Jianghai¡ªcould it be for Xiaoqing? But which university in Jianghai would he attend? Jianghai City is an international metropolis and the most economically developed and prosperous city in Xuan Country. There are many universities there, with Jianghai University being the best, but of course, there are also many that are quite poor. Curious, Xia Yingjie inquired, "Which university in Jianghai are you nning to attend, Xiao Hao?" "Jianghai University, the same one as Xiaoqing," Qin Hao replied. Xiaoqing? He addressed her quite intimately, having already done so more than once. Could it be that they are already in that kind of rtionship? thought Mr. Xia and Mrs. Xia. With a look of curiosity, Tian Rong asked him, "It seems like you''re also good at studying, Xiao Hao. How many points did you score on the unified exam?" Qin Hao was hesitant to answer, saying a perfect score might seem pretentious. Xia Qing said with some dissatisfaction, "Mom, why are you asking so many questions?" ... Hearing her daughter say this, Tian Rong thought she was covering for Qin Hao. Possibly Qin Hao was lying just now; he might not have been admitted to Jianghai University at all. To save face in front of us, could he be bragging? The more Tian Rong thought about it, the more she felt it was likely, but she had to get to the bottom of it because it was about her daughter''s lifelong matter. She kicked Xia Yingjie''s family gently from underneath the table, signaling him toe out and help. Xia Yingjie said calmly, "Xiaoqing, your mom was just speaking casually; there''s no other meaning." After saying that, he turned to Qin Hao and continued, "I heard that this year''s science unified exam saw a national top scorer from Jiangshan City. I didn''t expect our Jiangshan City to have such a talent. A perfect score on the unified exam, a feat unprecedented. ... Qin Hao''s face remained calm, with a faint smile, showing no reaction as if Xia Yingjie wasn''t referring to him. Xia Qing stole a nce at him, looking somewhat embarrassed. She felt second-hand embarrassment for her father as well. "How did everyone do on the exams this year? Xiao Hao, how many points did you score?" Xia Yingjie, after talking for a while, brought the focus back to Qin Hao. Qin Hao decided not to hide it any longer, as doing so would seem too pretentious. Enjoy more content from empire "Mr. Xia, the person you were just talking about is me; I am Qin Hao." Xia Yingjie and Tian Rong looked surprised, "Xiao Hao, what are you saying?" Qin Hao said with a smile, "Mr. Xia, the national top scorer of the unified exam you just mentioned is me; my name is Qin Hao." At this, both Mr. Xia and Mrs. Xia were shocked, their eyes wide as they looked at him. Qin Hao? Qin Hao? They realized¡ªthe national top scorer of the unified exam was named Qin Hao. And he was a student from ss Two, Grade Three at Changle Second Middle School. Could it really be him? Tian Rong couldn''t believe it and looked at him incredulously, "Xiao Hao, you''re not joking, are you?" Xia Qing couldn''t stand it anymore, "Mom, how can someone joke about this kind of thing? Qin Hao is a student at our school, and there''s only one person named Qin Hao there; it''s him." Xia Yingjie''s eyes widened, "Xiao Hao, the genius reported in People''s Daily is you? Then, uncle must toast to you once more; you''ve made Jiangshan people proud. Uncle will finish his drink." After saying that, Xia Yingjie''s ss was empty. Although Qin Hao was the top scorer of the national unified exam, he had never considered himself any different because of it. Here, he was the junior, "Mr. Xia has finished his, and so will I. But let''s not drink any more after this ss; too much drinking is bad for the health." After saying that, Qin Hao also finished the liquor in his ss. Xia Yingjie, smiling, said, "Hmm, alright, we''ll listen to Xiao Hao." Mr. Xia and Mrs. Xia''s tone towards him clearly improved a lot, and Qin Hao held no resentment in his heart. Because this was human nature; they were also looking out for their daughter. The mealsted until one-thirty in the afternoon; Qin Hao realized he wasn''t drunk and didn''t even feel dizzy. Could it be that my physique has changed, and my alcohol tolerance has increased? Xia Yingjie''s face was slightly flushed, looking a bit tipsy as the two sat on the sofa, drinking tea and chatting. Qin Hao: "Mr. Xia, you really need to watch your drinking with that body of yours in the future. The mountain ginseng I brought can be used to infuse liquor, just two ounces a day is enough, and it''s good for your health." Chapter 68 Chapter 70 Party Invitation Xia Yingjie nodded: "Yeah, good, Xiao Hao is really thoughtful." Around two o''clock, Qin Hao got up to say goodbye and left Xia Qing''s house. Xia Qing apanied him all the way downstairs and asked with concern, "You drank quite a bit. Are you okay?" Qin Hao replied with a smile, "I''m fine. Has my face turned red?" Xia Qing: "Not really. I didn''t expect you to be such a good drinker. Do you drink often?" Qin Hao: "You''re wrong there, this is the first time I''m drinking outside." "That''s good. Drinking too much isn''t good for your health. Are you going home or to Jiangshan Roasted Duckter?" Xia Qing asked curiously. After thinking for a moment, Qin Hao replied, "I''ll go to the roasted duck restaurant, there''s still work to do in the afternoon." "Okay, then be careful with the work. If there''s nothing else, I''ll head back first," Xia Qing said to him softly. Qin Hao nodded: "Alright, goodbye." Xia Qing turned and walked upstairs. Qin Hao watched her go up before turning to leave. He slowly walked out of theplex and headed outside; Xia Qing had gone upstairs and stood on the balcony watching Qin Hao''s figure until he disappeared. She didn''t know when she started liking Qin Hao. Maybe it was the first time she met him or perhaps it was the warm and mild-mannered aura he emitted that influenced her. She couldn''t pinpoint when exactly, but sometimes fate just arrives so suddenly. Seeing their daughter''s behavior, Xia Yingjie and Tian Rong would have been too foolish not to understand what she meant. It was obvious that their daughter had taken a liking to Qin Hao. They looked at each other, and then Tian Rong said to her daughter, "Xiaoqing,e here, mom wants to talk to you." Hearing this, Xia Qing''s cheeks reddened slightly as she came over and sat on the sofa: "What is it, mom?" Tian Rong: "Mom wants to ask you, tell me the truth, do you like Qin Hao?" Xia Qing''s face heated up, turning bright red, and she nodded gently without lifting her head. Tian Rong continued to ask, "Have you two made it official?" Xia Qing, embarrassed, shook her head: "Not yet." Xia Yingjie and Tian Rong were taken aback: "He hasn''t confessed to you?" "Not yet," Xia Qing said, a bit awkwardly. With a pure and sweet face, standing at 165 centimeters tall and a figure that was both slender and curvaceous, she wouldn''t be outshone even in a big city like Jianghai City. Xia Yingjie said, "Xiao Hao is a good man. A guy as outstanding as him must have a lot of admirers. If you like him, then go for it boldly¡ªdad supports you." Tian Rong gave him a sideways ce: "My daughter is so beautiful, why would she need to chase after someone? I think Qin Hao also has feelings for our daughter; otherwise, he wouldn''t have visited our home." Xia Yingjie nodded in agreement, he too felt that Qin Hao might have some feelings for his daughter. Listening to her parents, Xia Qing felt somewhat happy. Tian Rong added: "Xiaoqing, your dad and I won''t stop you from dating, but there are some things you must not do, understand? Girls need to learn self-respect and self-love. If even you don''t cherish yourself, no man will cherish you." Xia Qing''s face turned deep red: "Mom, I know." Experience new stories on empire ... Qin Hao arrived at the roasted duck restaurant, took a look around, and nodded slightly. Now, the restaurant was well-managed in all aspects by the staff. With its neat appearance and the enticing aroma of the meat, anyone seeing or smelling it would feelfortable. "Hao, are you satisfied?" Kang Youyi asked with a smile standing beside him. Qin Hao nodded slightly, "Indeed, not bad." Kang Youyi said with a smile, "These days I have been having people secretly investigate other roast duck restaurants, learning from their strengths. I''ve also paid attention to the turnover of those roast duck restaurants, and it''s clear that they''re not as good as ours, and their business has also declined a lotpared to before." Qin Hao nodded slightly, the rise of Jiangshan Roasted Duck was bound to be built on the demise of many of its peers. Survival of the fittest, natural selection, applies not just to the natural world but also to the marketce. Just then, his phone suddenly rang. He took it out and saw it was an unfamiliar number. He answered, "Hello, may I ask who''s calling?" "Is this Qin Hao?" a familiar voice came from the phone. Qin Hao had listened to this voice for three years; how could he forget? It was their ss teacher''s voice. Curiously, he asked, "Mr. Liu, what can I do for you?" Liu Xiu began, "Aren''t you all graduates now? A ssmate suggested having a ss reunion, and I am inviting everyone. Are you free tomorrow at noon?" Qin Hao responded, "If Mr. Liu invites, even if I am not avable, I''ll make time. Where will the reunion be held?" If he didn''t attend after a personal invitation from the ss teacher, he would certainly hurt Mr. Liu''s feelings. If that were to happen, Mr. Liu might say something behind his back like: He''s sessful now and has forgotten his old teacher, and so on. This would be a stain on his future reputation. Simrly, Mr. Liu had said many good things about him in interviews, though under pressure from above, Qin Hao still felt thankful. Mr. Liu, pleased with his response, said, "The location will be at the Garden Restaurant near our school." "Alright, Mr. Liu, you can continue to notify the other ssmates. I''ll definitely be there tomorrow," Qin Hao assured. "Fine, then I''ll hang up first," said Liu Xiu, ending the call. Actually, Qin Hao didn''t want to go to the reunion, because he was practically unfamiliar with any of the high school ssmates, Du Wanrou being the exception. Since Mr. Liu personally called to invite, Du Wanrou would probably also attend. That evening, after dinner at home, Qin Hao returned to his room. He turned on hisputer and logged into the chat software, sending Du Wanrou a message: "Did Mr. Liu call you today?" Du Wanrou replied quickly, almost instantaneously: "Yes, he did. Are you going?" Qin Hao: "Mr. Liu personally called, do you think I can afford not to go?" Seeing his message at home, Du Wanrou''s face revealed a slight smile: "You were the champion of our ss''s unified exams, tomorrow''s star." "...Don''t joke with me; you know how those people used to treat me." Seeing his response, Du Wanrou blinked, memories of Qin Hao being bullied and ridiculed surfaced in her mind. Many of those incidents had started because of her, so she always felt a sense of guilt towards Qin Hao. But sometimes, seeing his timidity, Du Wanrou felt a frustration, wishing he had been made of sterner stuff. Thinking of Qin Hao now, she couldn''t help but recall a few lines: Not heard is well, but a thunderous peal when heard. Three years of enduring hardships, then soaring high in one fell swoop. Truth be told, Du Wanrou thought the current Qin Hao was quite good, and his personality had also changed a lotpared to before. "?? Why aren''t you saying anything?" Qin Hao, seeing that she hadn''t replied for a while, couldn''t help but send another message. Then Du Wanrou snapped back to the moment: "Got distracted for a bit. By the way, it''s almost time to choose our university preferences. Are you going to Chen University or Jinhua?" Chapter 69 Chapter 71 Class Reunion Qin Hao: "I''m going to Jianghai University." Du Wanrou''s pretty face was startled, her heartbeat elerated slightly, and she asked curiously, "Why?" Qin Hao: "Because of you." Du Wanrou''s cheeks flushed slightly, thankfully they were chatting online, so Qin Hao couldn''t see the color of her face. He thought for a moment and said, "Jinhua and Chen University are Xuan Country''s top institutions, you shouldn''t dy your future because of me. In the future, when you have a career, you can find any kind of girl, even one better than me." When Qin Hao saw what she said, he replied, "You make a lot of sense, but I don''t know why I made this decision, maybe it''s destiny." Destiny? Upon hearing his words, Du Wanrou''s lips curved into a smile. The things she had just said were both honest and a test to see if Qin Hao was truly sincere about her. Of course, this couldn''tpletely prove anything, but it did prove a part. Wan Rou asked curiously, "Do your parents agree?" Qin Hao replied, "They respect my choice, and Jianghai University is also one of the top institutions. Although not as renowned as Jinhua and Chen University, it''s still a very good school." "Oh, what major are you nning to apply for?" "Computer Science. You said it before, didn''t you? If I get into Jianghai University, you''ll give me a chance." Du Wanrou: "I need to think about that." Qin Hao made a face, "Ah? When will you have thought it over?" Du Wanrou: "I don''t know." ... After chatting for a while, Du Wanrou said she needed to rest, and Qin Haoy down on his bed to sleep as well. The next morning, Qin Hao didn''t go to the roast duck shop. He got up after half-past ten and headed to school. It was already summer, but since Shuinan Province is at the southernmost end of Xuan Country, the climate isn''t too hot, although it''s still over twenty degrees. The streets were filled with girls in miniskirts and ultra-short hot pants, their straight, slender legs attracting attention. A few minutester, Qin Hao arrived at the school gate and then continued walking a few dozen meters. He stopped in front of a restaurant called Garden Restaurant, where Liu Xiu had already arrived early. Seeing Qin Hao arrive, she hurried over, taking his hand, "Qin Hao, you''ve really brought honor to Changle Second Middle School this time." Qin Haoplimented with a smile on his face, "It''s too kind of you to say that, teacher. It''s mainly because of your great teaching." Liu Xiu used to find Qin Hao displeasing no matter how she looked at him, but now her opinion of him was improving. She said with a smile, "A lot of students have already arrived. You can go on in. They''re in room 201 on the second floor." No sooner had she finished speaking than a shiny new ck Volkswagen Magotan stopped at the roadside. Yuan Zhengxiang and Song Wei got out of the car. When Liu Xiu saw them, her smile grew even more: "Yuan Zhengxiang did well in the exams this year. I have high hopes for you, you will definitely make a big ssh in the future." Hearing her words, Qin Hao disdainfully pursed his lips, confirming that the woman only had eyes for sess. At the same time, he also recognized the importance of money. Yuan Zhengxiang''s scores certainly couldn''tpare to Qin Hao''s, but Liu Xiu''s attitude towards him waspletely different from her attitude towards Qin Hao. In the end, it alles down to Yuan Zhengxiang''s family wealth. As for Qin Hao''s prospects, whether he will achieve greatness or be just another face in the crowd, no one can say. ... Initially, his grades were indeed stunning, so much so that on the day the results were released, quite a number of people across the country knew his name. But after a couple of days, when the excitement died down, there were still very few who knew of him. He was just an ordinary high school graduate. Yuan Zhengxiang nced at Qin Hao beside him with a hint of disdain in his eyes and said to Liu Xiu with a smile, "You tter me, teacher." Liu Xiu replied with a smile, "Zhengxiang, when you''re sessful in the future, don''t forget your teacher and ssmates. Help out whenever you can." Yuan Zhengxiang assured her, "Don''t worry, Teacher. I, Yuan Zhengxiang, am not the kind of person who forgets favors and vites morals." Just then a ck BMW pulled up, and Du Wanrou stepped out from the back seat, along with her family''s butler, Mr. Lin. Liu Xiu said with a smile, "Wan Rou is here too. It seems almost everyone has arrived, so let''s go in." Du Wanrou nodded slightly and then nced at Qin Hao. Yuan Zhengxiang moved closer to Du Wanrou, wanting to talk to her, but Qin Hao walked over and directly squeezed him aside. He wanted to explode in anger, but remembering Qin Hao''s fearsome fighting ability, he gave up the idea. The group entered arge private room on the second floor of the restaurant, which featured two tables already filled with quite a few ssmates. Qin Hao said to Du Wanrou, "Can I sit with you?" Du Wanrou looked at him, neither denying nor agreeing, which was taken as tacit consent. The two of them found empty chairs and sat down. Lin Kang didn''te in but stood at the entrance of the private room instead. Yuan Zhengxiang had wanted to sit next to Du Wanrou, but seeing Qin Hao seated with her, a sh of anger crossed his eyes. On the other side of Du Wanrou were Chen Shu and her group. Chen Shuhui and the others instantly understood the implication when they saw Qin Hao and Du Wanrou sitting together. Liu Xiu stood in the center and said to everyone, "Now that everyone is here, I''ll go order the dishes. You all chat for a bit; the food will be served shortly." Yuan Zhengxiang nced at Qin Hao, then stood up and said, "Teacher, let me help you with the order. Today''s meal is on me¡ªI''m treating my ssmates." "Good, Xiang is so generous." "Thanks, Xiang." Everyone thanked him with smiling faces, and Yuan Zhengxiang waved his hand, "As long as you''re happy, that''s good. Today we should all just let loose, as we might not have the chance to gather like this again in the future." "Yeah, let''s have fun today!" a male student eximed excitedly. Many girls in the ss looked at Yuan Zhengxiang with admiration in their eyes; he hadn''t often been this generous back at school. The dishes arrived quickly, alongside lots of beer and soft drinks. Their ss advisor, Liu Xiu, even started drinking beer. She raised her ss and drank with everyone, then toasted Yuan Zhengxiang separately. Most of the girls were drinking soft drinks, but many also tried the beer, considering it was likely theirst gathering. With Liu Xiu taking the lead, numerous boys and girls went over to toast Yuan Zhengxiang. Qin Hao sat there eating his food and sipping his drink, asionally exchanging a few words with Du Wanrou, not mingling with others. After dealing with many people and nearly finishing a bottle of beer, Yuan Zhengxiang looked over at Qin Hao sittingfortably next to Du Wanrou, feeling rather annoyed inside. He walked over to Qin Hao with a ss of beer, "Qin Hao, you are the top scorer in the national unified examination. I''m proud that our school has produced such a talented person. Let me toast to you." Qin Hao picked up his drink intending to drink, but Yuan Zhengxiang looked at him and said, "Are you looking down on me? I''m drinking beer and you''re having a soft drink? Are you even a man?" "Exactly, what''s wrong with Qin Hao drinking some beer?" "It seems like bing top scorer has made Qin Hao look down on us!" "Come on, Qin Hao, drink one for Xiang. It''s not like it''s hard liquor," a girl also chimed in. Chapter 70 Chapter 72 The Visitor Bodes Ill Many ssmates were egging them on, and their words were biased towards Yuan Zhengxiang. Qin Hao stood up, nced at those people with a smile on his face, then said to Yuan Zhengxiang, "Alright." He opened a bottle of beer, took an empty ss, filled it with beer, and downed it in one go. When Yuan Zhengxiang saw that he had finished, he also picked up his drink and downed it in one go, then said, "I hope you seed in your studies in the future, I toast you another ss." After he spoke, he poured himself another and drank it down. "This third ss is thest one, we''re ssmates, and I kindly remind Qin Hao here. Don''t be reckless just because you have good grades, sometimes it''s the wise who are the heroes." After saying that, he also nced at Du Wanrou, his meaning very clear. He downed three sses, and Qin Hao did the same. Qin Hao knew what he meant, and said, "Thanks for the reminder, Yuan Zhengxiang, I have a saying for you as well. My family is from the countryside, and we have a saying: wealth doesn''tst more than three generations, and poverty doesn''t exceed five ''outfits'', I hope Yuan Zhengxiang will remember that." Yuan Zhengxiang''s eyes shed a shade darker when he heard his words, "Thanks for the words, Qin Hao, I''ll remember them." After he spoke, he returned to his original position, as many people nced between Yuan Zhengxiang and Qin Hao, clearly feeling something was off. Liu Xiu came over and had a drink with Qin Hao, after all, he was the national exam top scorer, perhaps he might achieve something great in the future? Soon, Song Wei came over: "Qin Hao, there might have been a small misunderstanding between us in the past. Today, using this gathering, I would like to make amends and toast you a ss." Qin Hao didn''t believe he had repented; he was actually just trying to make him drink. It was a way to stifle him, leaving him no room to refuse. Song Wei and he drank three sses then went to drink with other ssmates. Before he realized it, Qin Hao had already drunk more than two bottles of beer. When Du Wanrou saw this, she asked, "Are you all right? If you can''t drink, don''t drink so much." Qin Hao smiled and said, "I''m fine; my alcohol tolerance is quite good." "Alright, but you should still drink less," Du Wanrou said with a hint of concern in her voice. Many male ssmates in the ss grew somewhat jealous seeing Qin Hao whispering with the goddess Du Wanrou. Additionally, because of Yuan Zhengxiang, someone came over to drink with Qin Hao. Qin Hao did not refuse anyone; today he saw clearly the true colors of some people, and most importantly, Du Wanrou was by his side, how could he lose face in front of the woman he loved. One ss after another, nearly everyone had three drinks with him. Qin Hao alone drank nearly fifteen bottles of beer, his expression unchanged, showing no sign of disturbance. Yuan Zhengxiang and Song Wei were surprised to see this; how could he drink so much? After downing so many bottles, he still hadn''t fallen? The two of them were already beet red, and if they drank more, they would probably vomit. The others were not much better off, either their faces were beet red or some had already gone to the restroom to vomit. Their ss teacher, Liu Xiu, had also drunk quite a bit of beer, her face slightly red, though she hadn''t drunk that much. Seeing that everyone had almost finished eating and drinking, she said, "How about we call it a day? Those who should go rest can go rest." Although Yuan Zhengxiang and Song Wei were reluctant, they had no choice; they had not expected Qin Hao to be able to drink so much. ... Everyone gradually left the restaurant and said their goodbyes to each other. When everyone saw Yuan Zhengxiang driving away in his brand-new ck Volkswagen sedan, their eyes showed a hint of envy. Qin Hao said to Du Wanrou by his side, "Shall we take a walk?" Du Wanrou thought for a moment and then nodded, "Okay, are you really okay after drinking so much?" "I''m fine, I could even drink ten more bottles," Qin Hao said with a smile. Only in front of Du Wanrou would he show such a rxed smile, perhaps it had something to do with the drinking. Walking with Du Wanrou, he felt rxed both physically and mentally, a wonderful and indescribable feeling. However, the most joy-killing factor was Lin Kang following closely behind them. Qin Hao turned his head and said to him, "Sir, could you give us young people some space?" "Sorry, I am protecting the youngdy''s safety." Du Wanrou spoke up, "Mr. Lin, you don''t need to follow me; what danger could I possibly be in? Why don''t you follow us in the car instead?" Lin Kang hesitated for a moment, then nodded and went back to drive the car. Qin Hao breathed a sigh of relief, "Wan Rou, does he always follow you when you go out?" Du Wanrou nodded, "Mr. Lin is a good friend of my dad''s, and he is very skilled. He has been with our family for over twenty years." The two chatted as they walked and unconsciously arrived at the entrance of Secondary School No.2. At that time, Secondary School No.2 was already on summer break, there were no students in sight, and even the gatekeeper uncle was on holiday. Qin Hao looked at the school and then at the small grove not far away, feeling very sentimental. Just then, four vans drove up from a distance, and the piercing sound of the brakes filled the air. A group of men holding baseball bats got out of the vans. Qin Hao and Du Wanrou were momentarily stunned when they saw these men rushing toward them. Qin Hao''s expression suddenly changed, "Run quickly." No sooner had he spoken than those men sped up their approach. Qin Hao didn''t have time to think who might want revenge on him, but he felt it was likely these people were after him. Du Wanrou snapped out of it and nced at Qin Hao with worried eyes, then ran towards a nearby BMW. Lin Kang also realized something was wrong and hurried down from the car, running towards Du Wanrou. Within seconds, Qin Hao confronted those men; they were all wielding baseball bats and swung bluntly at Qin Hao''s head without holding back. Qin Hao reacted quickly, dodging the bat with a sidewards move. At the same time, he grabbed the man''s arm and twisted it violently, breaking it instantly. The man screamed in pain, his face instantly turning pale. Qin Hao quickly grabbed a baseball bat and held it in front of him. "ng" Two baseball bats struck the one in his hands, the forceful rebound nearly causing the bats to fly from their holders'' hands. Qin Hao felt it too, his arms slightly numb as both men had put their full strength into the blow. From not far away, someone said, "This guy is tough; some of you keep him busy, the rest go and teach Du Hongfeng''s daughter a lesson." Nearly ten people blocked Qin Hao, while about twenty others rushed toward Du Wanrou. Upon hearing this, Qin Hao''s expression changed. Were these people targeting Du Wanrou? He was surrounded now, breaking through was not so simple. Although he was much stronger than a normal person, it didn''t mean he was invincible. Two fists can''t beat four hands. These ten young men with bats were not vegetarians. Without weapons, Qin Hao was confident he could break through, but now it was difficult. Chapter 73 Injuries But as those people got closer and closer to Du Wanrou, his anxiety surged like wildfire. Kang Youyi might have a hard time holding off so many people. Qin Hao steeled his heart and rushed outside, swinging the baseball bat with all his might. It knocked the bats from the hands of the two people in front, but he had no time to worry about what was behind him. Because he needed to hurry over and protect Du Wanrou. If he didn''t worry about Du Wanrou, he could take down those ten people in a bit of time, but he didn''t have that luxury. Although he was fast, the two people closest to him had already swung their baseball bats. "Bang bang" The sound of bats striking flesh rang out, and Qin Hao grunted, feeling a fierce pain in his back. His brow furrowed in pain, but his pace didn''t slow down as he charged toward Du Wanrou. By now, Lin Kang had already engaged inbat with those people, protecting Du Wanrou in front of him. His moves were quite good, and in the blink of an eye, two meny on the ground, but the attackers all wielded weapons. Before long, Lin Kang had taken several hits, and his movements slowed down considerably. Behind him, Du Wanrou''s face was pale, deeply frightened by themotion. Seeing Lin Kang nearing his limit, Qin Hao unleashed his full strength, moving incredibly fast. After Lin Kang had taken down six people, he could no longer hold his ground and fell to the ground after a bat struck his leg. Then a group swarmed and mercilessly beat him. These people did not aim for Lin Kang''s head, otherwise, his chances would be slim. Explore hidden tales at empire With Lin Kang down, Du Wanrou lost herst line of protection. The leader nced at Du Wanrou andmanded, "Beat her up, teach Du Hongfeng a lesson." Three young men charged at her, showing no mercy or chivalry. Their baseball bats aimed ruthlessly at Du Wanrou''s shoulders and head, clearly targeting her. Du Wanrou, terrified, went pale and quickly covered her head with her hands. "Bang bang bang" Three sounds echoed, but Du Wanrou didn''t feel any pain, looking up curiously through her arms. A figure stood before her, none other than Qin Hao. Du Wanrou was stunned for a moment, staring nkly at him. All three bats had struck Qin Hao''s back and head. Even though his physique attribute had reached fifteen and his resistance to blows was stronger than an average person''s, it was not absurdly so. The three blows caused agonizing pain in his shoulders and a buzzing in his head, and he could feel a warm stream trickling down from the back of his head. He must be bleeding. Turning, he looked at the three men who had also frozen, not expecting someone to intervene at the crucial moment. Before they could react, Qin Hao, baseball bat in hand, charged at them. Without dealing with these people, there would be no guarantee of Du Wanrou''s safety. He allocated the five attribute points he had been saving directly to his strength. "Bang" The bats collided, and the bats of the two opposite men were sent flying, as they took two heavy hits and fell to the ground with screams of agony. At least twenty or more people remained, and seeing Qin Hao daring to fight back, their ferocity red and they rushed toward him. "Bang bang" The sound of impact was incessant. The addition of five points to his strength attribute made a significant difference; no one could stand against him. The wooden bats shattered upon collision, and even so, Qin Hao took no less than five hits in one minute. By now, his clothes were soaked in fresh blood, some from others, but mostly his own. But his movements didn''t slow down at all; if anything, they seemed to grow more ferocious, as if he were gaining strength from battle. Lin Kang, lying on the ground, widened his eyes in disbelief at Qin Hao''s ferocity. How could a student who had just graduated from senior year be so formidable? At the same time, he felt grateful for Qin Hao''s actions, evidenced by his shielding Du Wanrou with his body from the wooden stick. This was a true man. A man brave and responsible enough to risk his life to protect the woman he loved. After more than ten minutes, all the twenty-odd men had been beaten down by Qin Hao, and a few others were so frightened by his presence that they ran away. They scrambled into their cars and fled, not even bothering to help those lying on the ground. Qin Hao was now covered in blood from his head to his toes, which made for a terrifying sight. He turned to look at Du Wanrou, and upon seeing that she was unharmed, a smile spread across his face. His blood-stained face with a smile appeared incredibly fearsome and chilling. But to Du Wanrou, that smile struck straight to her heart. Her eyes brimmed red as she gazed at Qin Hao, who resembled a blood-soaked figure. Qin Hao staggered toward her, his body swaying unsteadily. He slowly approached Du Wanrou and began to speak, "Call Fatty to dial the emer..." Before he could finish his sentence, Qin Hao copsed to the ground with a thud. Stunned, Du Wanrou stood there, her mind going nk, not knowing what to do. Lin Kang quickly said, "Miss, call for emergency help, and then call Mr. Lin." Snapping back to reality, Du Wanrou hurriedly took out her phone, her hands trembling uncontrobly. ... First Hospital in Jiangshan City. Qin Hao slowly opened his eyes, now wrapped up like a mummy. Moving his body, he winced in sharp pain. The hospital room was full of people: Du Wanrou, a middle-aged couple, Kang Youyi, and Li Bao. Seeing Qin Hao awaken, Du Wanrou''s face lit up with joy, "Qin Hao, you''re awake? How do you feel?" "It''s fine, just a bit painful." Qin Hao noticed her reddened eyes, clearly showing she had cried. He felt the beating was worth it. Since childhood, he had been beaten up because of Du Wanrou twice now, the first time being in the grove, and this was the second time. This was also the first time in three years he had seen Du Wanrou with tears in her eyes. Upon hearing his words, Du Wanrou''s tears poured out again, uncontroble. On the way to the hospital, she had been with him in the ambnce while the doctors provided simple first aid. As they cut Qin Hao''s clothes and saw the purple marks from the beating, even the doctors were shocked. If it had been any ordinary person, they would have probably fallen after a few hits. He had over a dozen bruises from the beating, not just on his head, chest, and back, but even his legs were covered in contusions. Even two of his ribs were broken. Du Hongfeng looked at Qin Hao and said, "You''re Wan Rou''s ssmate, aren''t you? Thank you for today. The oue would have been unthinkable without you. I''ll cover your medical expenses; just focus on healing." "What do you mean? Does my bro Hao need your money?" Li Bao, upon hearing Du Hongfeng''s offer, couldn''t contain himself and spoke up in retort. Feng Yun quickly said, "We mean no offense; he got hurt because of our daughter Xiao Rou, so it''s right that we cover the medical expenses. If you''re after money, just name your price." "Mom, what are you doing?" Du Wanrou was also losing her patience. Li Bao wanted to argue further, but Qin Hao quickly interjected, "Li Bao, step outside." "Bro Hao," Li Bao looked at him, anger and confusion in his eyes. His anger wasn''t directed at Qin Hao, but at Du Hongfeng and Feng Yun. Qin Hao red at him, "Get out." Chapter 74 Scumbag ``` Li Bao turned and walked out. With a smile, Du Hongfeng said to Qin Hao, "Young man, we have other matters to attend to. I''ve already paid the medical expenses, which should be enough until you''re discharged." Du Wanrou did not want to leave, but she was pulled away by Feng Yun. Once Du Wanrou had left, he sighed. He could tell that Wanrou''s parents didn''t like him very much. Even to say there was a bit of antipathy. From their gazes and tone of voice, Qin Hao could feel it. He couldn''t figure out why. Could it be that they looked down on him? But he felt that wasn''t quite right. The way Du Hongfeng spoke and looked at him was with a sense of respect but also distance. Qin Hao thought hard but couldn''t understand what was going on. Just then, the door to the hospital room opened, and two police officers, one male and one female, walked in. Furthermore, Qin Hao knew these two people¡ªthey were Liu Bo and Feng Xue. It seemed the situation was serious, as the city''s detectives had been directly involved. Upon seeing Qin Hao, who looked like a mummy, Feng Xue said with a smile, "We''ve almost finished investigating the matter, but we still need you to make a statement." Qin Hao recounted the whole incident in full detail. Liu Bo and Feng Xue were taking notes; they had already recorded Du Wanrou and Lin Kang''s statements, and now only his was left. At first, they were somewhat incredulous that he alone had taken down so many people. But now that the stories of all three practically matched without discrepancy, the way they looked at Qin Hao changed. One man had taken down so many thugs armed with clubs¡ªwhat kind of fighting ability was that? It was terrifying, right? After Liu Bo and Feng Xue finished taking the statement, they said a few words of encouragement to him and then left. Qin Hao said to the fat man, "Ask Li Bao toe in." Kang Youyi went out and then came back in with Li Bao. Looking at Qin Hao, Li Bao said, "I''m sorry, Hao." Qin Hao responded with a smile, "I know you think it''s unjust for me, but some things are beyond fairness or unfairness. It''s enough that I like her." Li Bao was stunned for a moment and then suddenly realized, was it because Hao liked that girl? But to be honest, that girl really was not bad¡ªpretty and a nice person. At the very least, she genuinely cared for Qin Hao. It was just her parents that Li Bao found somewhat annoying. Qin Hao continued, "Have you found out what happened? Who were those people?" Li Bao: "Those were Wang Dajun''s men from Changle District. He has a lot of guys under him, but now more than half of them have been taken down. Hao, don''t worry about this anymore. I''m going to let Wang Dajun know the consequences of messing with you." After he finished, a fierce light shed through Li Bao''s eyes. Now, Qin Hao''s ce in his heart was almost as important as his own mother. The debt of saving his mother was unforgettable in this lifetime. When Qin Hao heard Li Bao''s words, his brow furrowed slightly, "What do you n to do?" Li Bao: "Hao, you don''t need to worry about it. This matter has nothing to do with you," He couldn''t tell Qin Hao, because knowing too much about such matters was not good for him and might even get him involved. "Don''t act recklessly with this. The police are definitely watching him now, and if you make a move at this time, you should know the consequences." Li Bao nodded, "I know, Hao. Just leave it to me." ... Find exclusive stories on empire Meanwhile, Du Wanrou followed her parents back home. Throughout the journey, neither Du Hongfeng nor Feng Yun spoke. Du Wanrou wanted to say something but, seeing her parents'' expressions, she held back. Once at home, Du Hongfeng said to his daughter, "Xiao Rou, try to go out less unless necessary, and everything will be fine once this matter is resolved." ``` Du Wanrou: "Dad, you''re not usually like this. Qin Hao saved me. If not for him, I would be the one lying in the hospital bed." Du Hongfeng looked at his daughter: "I''m truly grateful that he saved you, and I do think we should cover the medical expenses. If he wants any kind of reward, he can name his price, and as long as it''s not too outrageous, I can give it to him. But if he harbors any illusions about you, then I will never agree." Thest sentence was what he really wanted to say. Du Wanrou was puzzled, knowing her father to be a man of integrity. He had built thepany into a substantial one, without ever engaging in any vices, and he loved his family deeply. She often took pride in having a father like him. But what her father just said confused her. In her eyes, her father was someone who would never do or say such a thing. "Why, Dad?" Du Wanrou asked. Du Hongfeng sighed and said, "Do you really know who Luo Hao is, my daughter? Do you know who the man was that spoke to me in the hospital room? He''s Li Bao, a notorious thug from Changle District, known to have many minions and a fearsome reputation. The people who attacked you today are minions of Wang Dajun, and Li Bao and Wang Dajun are cut from the same cloth. You must have heard what Li Bao called Qin Hao. He called him Brother Hao, what does that tell you? It means that he is in cahoots with Li Bao, he''s the big boss behind Li Bao. He, Li Bao, Wang Dajun, and others like them, are parasites and scum of society." Du Hongfeng had always hated such people in his life. Having hands and feet and not working hard to earn money and support a family, instead choosing to degenerate into societal pests. He would never allow his daughter to be with someone like that, even if he saved her. Du Hongfeng had conducted himself with honor all his life, never causing harm or injustice. He had no contact whatsoever with those societal parasites. In his many years of fighting in the business world, he relied on his intelligence and integrity, never resorting to any unfair methods. In the business world, there were many businessmen who used shady tactics. But there were also many who relied on their own hard work and intelligence. ... After hearing her father''s words, Du Wanrou was stunned; she could hardly believe it. But thinking over her father''s words, as well as Li Bao and the six or seven strong young men outside the hospital room. Du Wanrou realized it all must be true. It pained her heart. Could Qin Hao really be involved with those hoodlums? Seeing the look on his daughter''s face, Du Hongfeng knew what she was thinking. He sighed and said: "Xiao Rou, you are the apple of Daddy''s eye, how could I bear to see you hurt? I''d rather be the one who''s hurt than you. I was terrified when I received your call today, fearing you might have had an ident. If anything were to happen to you, I would never forgive myself for the rest of my life." Du Wanrou''s eyes were red with tears: "Dad, this isn''t your fault. Those people are just too wicked." Du Hongfeng''s eyes also became moist: "My dear daughter, don''t go out for the next few days. Let the police take care of those scum first, then you can go out and have fun. At that point, I will hire a few bodyguards for you. Mr. Lin is skilled, but after all, one man can''t fight off many." "Mm, I understand, Dad," Du Wanrou obediently replied. Du Hongfeng turned to Feng Yun and said: "Wife, stay home with our daughter. I have to go take care of some business." Chapter 75 Filling in Preferences In First Hospital of Jiangshan. Qin Hao said to Li Bao and Kang Youyi, "You two go and take care of the discharge procedures." The chubby guy hastily said, "Hao, the doctor said your injuries are severe, you can''t be discharged anytime soon." Qin Hao red at him. If he stayed in the hospital for another half month, his parents would probably go crazy with worry. "I am a doctor myself, do I still need their help to look after me? Hurry up and go." The chubby guy realized his mistake, chuckled, and said, "Heh, I forgot about that." When the two left, Qin Hao quickly summoned the system, then opened the system''s backpack, and drank the remaining half-bottle of life potion. A warm feeling spread throughout his body, his bones slowly healed, and the bruises on his body were also fading. About ten minutester, Li Bao and the chubby guy returned, but a doctor followed them. He seriously said to Qin Hao, "Your injuries are severe right now, you can''t be discharged." Qin Hao said, "I know my own body, and I am also a doctor; I can manage on my own." The middle-aged doctor still didn''t want to discharge him, "No, I''m your primary doctor, I have to be responsible for your health." Qin Hao said, "Would you still say that if I haven''t paid the money?" Li Bao spoke irritably, "Cut the nonsense, my Hao wants to be discharged, he will be discharged." Eventually, the middle-aged doctor could not stop him, and he sighed deeply. It was unclear whether he was worried about Qin Hao or about the hospital fees. Upon leaving the hospital and getting into Li Bao''s car, Qin Hao told the chubby guy, "Go buy me some clothes, I want to take this stuff off." "Alright, Hao," the chubby guy hurried off to buy clothes for Qin Hao. Qin Hao''s body was now freely mobile, but there was still a slight pain, though it was not a big problem. The chubby guy came back quickly, Qin Hao removed his bandages and immediately got dressed. He had Li Bao drop him off at the entrance of his neighborhood. It was already past six-thirty in the evening, and the sun was about to set. Qin Hao waved goodbye to the two, then walked towards his home. After he got home, his parents had already returned. Qin Youguo was on the phone, smiling, talking to someone at the other end of the line. After hanging up, Qin Youguo looked at Qin Hao and said, "Xiao Hao, both Chen University and Jinhua, even some famous universities abroad, have called." Qin Hao quickly asked, "Dad, you didn''t agree to anything, did you?" Qin Youguo said, "No, this kind of decision should be yours to make, mom and I are just here to advise." "Dad, I want to go to Jianghai University," Qin Hao said to his father. Qin Youguo was taken aback, "Why? Aren''t Jinhua and Chen University better?" Qin Hao exined, "Dad, I just want to go to Jianghai University, I am not considering the others." Qin Youguo, hearing his son''s firm tone, looked at him and asked, "Are you sure you have thought this through? This is a decision that affects your whole life; once you make it, you can''t go back." Qin Hao said, "I had already decided before the ''unified examination'', dad." Qin Youguo nodded, "Dad knows you''ve grown up; since you have made up your mind, I won''t stop you." "Mm-hmm, thanks, dad. I''m going to my room now; please let mom know, I''m worried she might not agree." After saying that, he walked into his room. Lying on the bed, he let out a long sigh. Half an hourter, Li Shujie called him out to have dinner. After dinner, Qin Hao returned to his room right away andy down to sleep. This day had been draining for him, and despite drinking the life potion, there were still some lingering effects from his injuries. The next morning Qin Hao stretched leisurely as he got up from bed, his body now free of any pain. The effects of the life potion had fully manifested, and he hadpletely recovered. He wasn''t going to the roast duck restaurant today because it was time to fill out his university application choices. He first opened the official website of Jianghai University, but he didn''t start filling out his choices just yet. With his scores, he could enjoy many privileges at Jianghai University. He forgot to ask his dad if anyone from the Jianghai University admissions office had called yesterday. Qin Hao didn''t ask his father again but instead found the admissions office''s number directly on the official website. He took out his mobile phone and made the call, which was quickly answered by a pleasant-sounding young woman. "Hello, this is the Jianghai University admissions office. How may I help you?" Qin Hao said, "Hello, I wanted to inquire about what special treatment is avable if one''s scores are high when applying to your school?" The young woman on the other end was taken aback. High scores? Special treatment? At Jianghai University, our admission scores are always above six hundred sixty. Isn''t that considered high? Explore more at empire Is this person just trying to stir up trouble because they think we''re idle? He Tingting wasn''t originally from the admissions office; she was primarily there because the Jianghai University admissions office was too busy. She had been assigned to help out as a counselor. She responded coolly, "Hello, our admission score threshold at Jianghai University is already very high. If your scores are high, you can choose to apply to our university." Qin Hao asked, "What I mean is, if my scores exceed your admission threshold by a significant margin, is there any special treatment avable?" He Tingting replied, "Yes, if your scores are above seven hundred twenty, you can enjoy all fees waived and also receive a schrship every year." Qin Hao asked, "What if it''s a perfect score?" "Are you going to tell me next that your name is Qin Hao?" A smile appeared on Qin Hao''s face; this person was quick on the uptake, "Yes, I am Qin Hao." "Click" He Tingting hung up the phone directly, as this was already the sixteenth person today pretending to be Qin Hao. A perfect scorer, a genius student. Even if he didn''t attend prestigious foreign universities like Haji or Ying Qiao, he would choose Jinhua or Chen University, not Jianghai University. Jianghai University was well-known in Xuan Country but fell a bit shortpared to those prestigious institutions. Qin Hao was stunned. What''s going on? Did she just hang up on me? He called again, and the phone was answered quickly, the same voice answering. "Please show some respect for others; our admissions office is really busy." Qin Hao hurriedly said, "Hold on, when did I ever disrespect you? It''s you who are disrespecting me." He Tingting retorted, "Impersonating Qin Hao and making fun of us, do you think that''s showing respect?" "Impersonating?" Qin Hao was speechless. Someone else was pretending to be me? He Tingting asked, "Are you trying to say you''re the real one?" Qin Hao didn''t know how to prove himself anymore and asked, "You tell me, how can I prove it?" "If you really are Qin Hao, just fill out your choices first. If there''s nothing else, I''m going to hang up." Before Qin Hao could speak, He Tingting had already ended the call, clearly unconvinced. Chapter 76 Transaction Qin Hao was somewhat speechless and ended up filling out his preferences on the official website of Jianghai University. A few minutester, he clicked to confirm his submission, and then his application waspleted. Honestly, with his grades, Jianghai University would definitely be vying for him, so he didn''t bother applying for a second preference at all. Indeed, just a few minutes after he had submitted his application, the admissions office at Jianghai University noticed it. "Qin Hao actually applied for our school''sputer science program," someone in the admissions office said in disbelief. The news spread quickly throughout the entire admissions office. Upon hearing this, He Tingting hurried over, "What, did Qin Hao really apply to our school?" A man from the admissions office said with a smile, "Yes, Mr. He, he applied to your Computer College, he might be your student." He Tingting, "Could it really have been him just now?" "Who really was him? Mr. He, who are you talking about?" someone nearby curiously asked. He Tingting recounted the incident that had just urred. "No way? Mr. He, you should contact him quickly, lest he decides to apply to another school because of this." He Tingting hurried back to her seat and then dialed Qin Hao''s number. When Qin Hao saw the caller ID on his phone, a smile appeared on his face, and he answered the call, "Do you believe me now?" He Tingting said with a slight apology, "I''m sorry, Qin Hao. It''s just that there are too many people impersonating you." Qin Hao, "No worries, I want to ask about the benefits your school offers. If I''m satisfied, I won''t consider changing my preference." "Qin Hao, please hold on a moment. Regarding the benefits you mentioned, I''m not very clear on it, I need to ask," He Tingting said and then hurriedly went to look for the director of the admissions office. The director of the admissions office then made a call to the office of the vice-chancellor in charge of this matter. Finally, the response to Qin Hao was: he could enjoy some privileges, as long as they did not harm the reputation of Jianghai University. All fees would be waived, and he would also receive an annual schrship subsidy of thirty thousand. What Qin Hao wanted were those privileges; as for the fees, he didn''t even consider them important. "Thank you, beautiful, but I want to remind you of something: between people, there should be some trust." After saying this, Qin Hao promptly hung up the phone. Let you taste what it''s like to be hung up on. He Tingting initially wanted to retort, but from the other end of the phone, she heard a series of beeps. She was stunned for a moment. He hung up the phone and even lectured me? Just you wait; you''d better hope you''re not assigned to my ss. ¡­ After negotiating with Jianghai University, Qin Hao just needed to wait for his eptance letter. He turned off the desktopputer and then logged onto ck de Network with hisptop. Having not logged on for several days, he had dozens of private messages, including ones from a ck de Network administrator and many renowned global intepanies. He also saw private messages from personnel at Green Hole Company, which, after dozens of trials and discussions, finally decided to purchase Qin Hao''s anti-cheat software package. But by the time they decided to buy the anti-cheat software package, they couldn''t get in touch with Qin Hao. Qin Hao nced at it, and the person from Green Hole Company who had messaged him was still online. He sent a message to that person, asking simply, "How much?" The reply came quickly, "What is Mr. Hei Ye''s ideal price?" Qin Hao, "You should know how much effort and expertise it takes to develop a program like this. Moreover, to understand your game, I even entered your server to investigate vulnerabilities. Fifty million." "Mr. Hei Ye, that price is too high. After discussing it, thepany can give you ten million at most." Ten million wasn''t a small amount, but considering the game yerUnknown''s Battlegrounds generated value in the billions for Green Hole Company, and the game still had significant potential, it was just that the proliferation of cheats severely affected the game''s potential growth. If the cheating issue could be resolved, the game might experience another surge in poprity, and even extend the game''s lifespan significantly. Qin Hao replied, "Ten million is impossible." The other party didn''t reply immediately, probably discussing the price again. About three minutester, the other party sent a message, "Mr. Hei Ye, we want to ask about the sustainability of your anti-cheat package. Will it be ineffective the moment we update the game?" Qin Hao, "No matter how many times you update, the anti-cheat package will remain effective; it can stay with this game until the very end. However, you will need to dedicate a server to run this program before connecting it to the game server. So, I won''t sell it for ten million." Green Hole Company, "Twenty million is our final offer, if Mr. Hei Ye epts it, we have a deal." After thinking it over, Qin Hao finally agreed. Twenty million was already quite a sum, especially since this item was a reward from the system; the twenty million was practically a gift. Green Hole Company, "Mr. Hei Ye, we will pay you twenty million Federation coins on ck de Network." When Qin Hao saw their message, his expression stiffened, Federation coins? He had forgotten that these global groups conducted transactions in Federation coins, not in Xuan Country Coins. Was twenty million Federation coins equivalent to one hundred twenty-two million Xuan Country Coins? Fortunately, he hadn''t mentioned Xuan Country Coins; otherwise, they probably would have agreed immediately. He was excited and somewhat incredulous, had he really just be a billionaire that easily? It felt like a dream to him. He quickly replied, "Okay, I''ll now post theplete anti-cheat package on the ck de Network trading tform, and you can directly purchase it there." The main business of ck de Network is supporting the transactions between hackers andpanies around the world. Such transactions were abundant on ck de Network, enabling them to legally deposit money into a hacker''s ount. This could barely be considered a form of moneyundering. Shortly after Qin Hao posted the package, Green Hole Company purchased it straightaway, and twenty million was credited to his ount. However, to withdraw, ck de Network would charge a one percent transaction fee. One hundred twenty-two million would mean a transaction fee of one point two two million! That''s too steep! Qin Hao used his master administrator privileges to adjust his transaction fee to one in a million. Explore more adventures at empire After all, it was sold on ck de Network, and it wouldn''t be appropriate not to give some sort of facilitation payment. He immediately converted the twenty million Federation coins into Xuan Country Coins. ck de Network not only supported conversion into Xuan Country Coins but also provided currency conversions for all countries globally. Twenty million Federation coins converted into one hundred twenty-five million four hundred fifty thousand Xuan Country Coins. He employed hacking methods to apply for several unregistered ounts online and then withdrew the money in over a dozen transactions. For safety, hepletely erased all operation records and online traces. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!