Qi Rui’s message left the group chat in silence for quite some time. After all, they had never heard of such an operation in the world before. Buying a game company just to delete a family member’s account to prevent them from getting addicted to games. This operation was something out of the ordinary.
After about two to three minutes, someone hesitantly sent a question mark.
[Braised Pork Rice: Rui-ge, are you joking, little buddy?]
Qi Rui felt a heavy heart, but he almost wished it was just a joke.
[You’re the Dream of 30 Million Girls, Rui-ge: I’m so miserable, why would I be kidding?]
[Braised Pork Rice:…If you call this being miserable, I’d love to have a family that can buy a game company just like that.]
People really do start with different advantages in life. As a mature and composed adult, his current mood was as sour as biting into a lemon.
[A Garden of Flowers: I only knew Rui-ge’s family had servants and money, but I didn’t expect Rui-ge, your uncle is seriously amazing!]
[Egg Fried Rice: @You’re the Dream of 30 Million Girls, Rui-ge, Rui-ge, I tried to add you as a friend before, why did you reject me? [Crying]]
Qi Rui suddenly lost interest in the chat. He was venting about how miserable he was, but no one seemed to understand him.
He thought to himself, and just then, a friend request popped up. The note on it read “egg fried rice,” and the person’s profile picture was as pretty as a doll.
Qi Rui accepted the request, and soon a message came in.
[Egg Fried Rice: Rui-ge, you finally added me as a friend QAQ!]
Qi Rui still remembered that Egg Fried Rice had introduced themselves as An Ruoxi before. He opened the person’s profile and edited the note.
[An Ruoxi: Rui-ge, why aren’t you talking?]
[An Ruoxi: Rui-ge, was your account really deleted by your uncle?]
Qi Rui, feeling downcast, tossed his phone aside. He opened his computer, determined to give it one more shot at logging into the game. After entering his password, as expected, it showed that the account didn’t exist.
Indeed, it had been deleted. Qi Rui felt even sadder at the thought of having to move to a new school and live on campus.
He collapsed onto his bed, and with a heavy heart, he drifted off to sleep.
During the night, a video of a female driver intentionally rear-ending a luxury car quietly trended.
In the video, license plates were blurred. After rear-ending the luxury car, the female driver got out, sincerely apologized to the owner, and offered compensation, explaining that she didn’t have enough cash on her and that she’d share her contact details for a transfer once she got back home.
[Fate was never short of surprises: “The attitude of this female driver seems pretty good, but the luxury car owner’s arrogance in ignoring her is quite something.”]
[Incredibly handsome: “Bro, you obviously didn’t watch the entire video, did you? The luxury car driver came down and said the owner didn’t need her to compensate. But this female driver blocked the car and insisted the driver’s words didn’t count, she wanted to talk to the owner herself. It’s clear she had ulterior motives.”]
[The use of the derogatory term: “@Fate was never short of surprises, you’ve got no moral compass to speak of.”]
[I, a humble monk, add my thoughts: “This female driver is undeniably stunning, no wonder she’s confident enough to stick her note on the luxury car’s window.”]
…
[“Am I the only one who saw what happened next? When the luxury car owner came down, he was really handsome!”]
[“+1, wait for me, folks!”]
[“Even though it was just a fleeting moment, with my twenty years of being single, my reflexes were quick enough to capture that side profile! That aura, that physique, it’s just mind-blowing. [Photo]”]
[“Don’t know why, suddenly the screen feels a bit dirty.”]
With words like these, another topic about the most handsome luxury car owner soon quietly climbed the trending charts.
The next day, the Qí family discovered it and immediately removed the trending topic. They also contacted the official platform to clear all related posts.
“It’s my oversight,” Sun Yi apologized, bowing. “I never expected someone to secretly film it and share it online.”
“It has nothing to do with you,” Qi Heng wasn’t one to be easily fooled. It was evident that the video had been taken from inside a car, and even Steward Sun Yi, no matter how sharp his gaze, couldn’t tell if someone had filmed it through the car window.
“Is Qi Rui’s new school arrangement all set?”
“It’s been arranged, but it’s just an ordinary public high school. Young Master may not adapt well.” Steward Sun Yi looked a bit concerned. He had seen photos of that high school, and the paint was peeling off the walls. Furthermore, the dorms were quite basic, with narrow bunk beds meant for one person.
“He’s always had it so good; that’s why he’s so out of touch with the real world,” Qi Heng stated firmly, deciding on Qi Rui’s future path.
But Qi Rui was unwilling to accept it. As soon as he heard that the school was just a small-town high school, he found it even more difficult to come to terms with.
He wanted to protest, but when the butler mentioned a choice between going to school or wandering on the streets, Qi Rui immediately backed down.
Steward Sun Yi helped him pack his clothes and luggage. “Young Master, please stay well at school. Don’t cause trouble. When the Master calms down, he may come to pick you up.”
Qi Rui followed the butler downstairs, feeling wronged. His bank card was confiscated, and he wasn’t allowed to bring his computer.
The car was waiting at the entrance of the grand estate, and Sun Yi placed the luggage in the back. “Young Master, please get in. The journey is quite long, and we should leave early.”
Qi Rui got into the car, and it took about five or six hours on the road to reach the new school. When he saw the school’s entrance, he was shocked; it looked so run-down.
Steward Sun Yi guided him to the school’s administrative office, where someone received them. Qi Rui sat in a chair, surveying the office. The white walls now appeared yellowish and aged, with bits of peeling paint.
“This student, please complete this test paper.” A female teacher entered from the door and placed two test papers in front of him.
Qi Rui couldn’t believe he was going to spend the next year and a half in this kind of school. He looked down at the test paper in a daze. It was clearly printed with a low-quality printer, and some of the words weren’t very clear, with a strong smell of ink.
“Student, don’t you know how to do it?” The female teacher furrowed her brow. This question was deliberately made as simple as possible; this child’s foundation seemed quite lacking.
It was already the second semester of the eighth grade, and with such a weak foundation, he was sure to fall behind the progress of other students.
*cough* Steward Sun Yi gave a light cough, reminding Qi Rui not to misbehave.
“Your uncle just called and said that if your performance at the school in the coming days is satisfactory, he will consider restoring your account.”
Qi Rui’s eyebrows twitched, “Really?”
Steward Sun Yi nodded without any expression.
Qi Rui had thought his account deletion was a done deal, but now, there was a sudden turnaround. His face lit up with joy, and he quickly uncapped a pen, swiftly filling in the answers on the test paper. The test was quite easy for him, and within six or seven minutes, he put down the pen.
“Finished.”
With a confident gesture, Qi Rui handed the test paper to the female teacher.
“Xiao Li, how’s the test?” The school principal, smiling, walked into the office, and the way he looked at Qi Rui was like he’d just spotted a pile of gold bars.
If they could get a few more transfer students like this, their school’s teaching building would probably get a much-needed renovation.
The female teacher swiftly graded the paper and then revealed a pleasantly surprised smile. “This is a great talent. Qi, your foundation is quite strong; you can join the experimental class.”
Qi Rui couldn’t help but look proud. It seemed that the tutor his uncle had arranged for him was indeed very capable. He never expected to receive praise for his academic performance.
“In that case, Qi will be placed in your class.”
The school principal’s smile became even more sincere. Originally, his plan was to assign students to the experimental class regardless of their grades, just to fill that teaching building. However, he hadn’t anticipated that this student was not only a suitable candidate but also highly accomplished academically, rendering any special favors unnecessary.
Such outstanding talents were hard to come by.
Teacher Li quickly handled the enrollment procedures and had Steward Sun Yi sign as the guardian.
“Qi, will you be staying in the dormitory?”
“Yes,” Steward Sun Yi replied solemnly. “My employer wants him to experience the full school life.”
Teacher Li then produced a dormitory check-in form. “Take this form and go straight to the dormitory building. There, a resident advisor will assign you a room.”
“If you need any daily necessities, our school has a store where you can purchase them directly.”
“Thank you, Teacher.” Steward Sun Yi accepted the dormitory form and then turned to Qi Rui. “I’ll go handle your dormitory arrangements. You can go with Teacher Li to report to your class.”
Qi Rui raised an eyebrow, indicating his understanding.
“Qi, I’ll take you to your class for registration,” Teacher Li said with a friendly smile. Qi Rui shrugged and followed her silently as they left the office building.
The teaching building at Yizhong School was quite old. The stairs were covered in worn-out patterned tiles that had lost their luster and were rather dusty.
The classroom had metal doors. Teacher Li walked ahead, pushing the door open. The students in Experimental Class One, who were self-studying at that moment, fell silent for a moment upon seeing her and then erupted in enthusiastic cheers when they noticed the new boy approaching.
“Everyone, please calm down,” Teacher Li stepped up to the podium and raised her voice. “We have a new student joining our class today. Let’s give him a warm welcome.”
The girls’ applause was so thunderous it felt like the roof might lift off. There was a reason for it; the new student was incredibly handsome, several times more so than the school’s resident heartthrob.
“Qi, why don’t you introduce yourself to the class?”
Qi Rui was starting to get a bit annoyed by all the noise, but since the homeroom teacher had already spoken, he didn’t want to embarrass the teacher on his first day. He was hoping that his uncle might soften up and restore his account.
With these thoughts in mind, Qi Rui spoke in a subdued tone.
“My name is Qi Rui.”
These four simple words momentarily left Li Wenying surprised, but then she smiled. “It seems that Qi is a bit shy. In that case, please take a seat, Qi, at your assigned spot.”
She gestured to an empty seat in the middle.
Carrying his bag, Qi Rui walked to the indicated seat and sat down.
Coincidentally, the bell for the end of the class rang at that moment. Li Wenying announced the end of the class and left the classroom.
As soon as Li Wenying left, the classroom erupted with chatter.
Qi Rui, fed up with the commotion, simply dropped his bag on the desk and lay down on the table, trying to take a nap.
…
At the company, Qi Heng received a call from the steward and listened as he recounted Qi Rui’s reactions.
“You don’t need to give him too much pocket money. He’s staying at school now, and his expenses for food and accommodation will be covered by the school. Giving him around 100 yuan per week should be sufficient.”
Sun Yi hesitated, “Isn’t that a bit low?”
Qi Heng furrowed his brow, “Well, then, ask other students and follow their allowances.”
After ending the call, Steward Sun Yi decided to inquire about the weekly allowances of regular students.
A few boys happened to be passing by, chatting and joking while carrying a ball.
“Excuse me, young men,” Steward Sun Yi called out to them, and the boys halted in their tracks. “Uncle, did you call us?”
“Yes,” Sun Yi wore a kindly smile. “I’d like to ask you all, how much is your weekly allowance?”
The boys exchanged glances, and one of them scratched his head. “I stay in the dorms, so it’s about 30 yuan a week, including round-trip bus fare.”
“My family has a shop nearby, so I don’t need pocket money,” another boy shrugged.
“I get 50.”
“My family isn’t well-off, so they don’t give me an allowance,” one boy smiled modestly. “But I usually run errands and fetch meals for others, so I can earn a few bucks.”
Upon hearing the last statement, Steward Sun Yi’s eyes filled with empathy, but he didn’t show it.
As he watched the boys walk away, Steward Sun Yi made another phone call.
“Master, I inquired, and their allowances mostly range below 50 yuan a week.”
“In that case, let’s give him 50 per week,” Qi Heng signed his name on the document and handed it over to Wang Lin, who was nearby.
Qi Rui had no idea that his allowance had quietly been lowered.
