NOVEL WEB Chapter 125: School Starts
Xiao Minghua had a slick tongue and managed to bewilder a bunch of people. However, Xiao Han was not fooled by his spiel, for the Apple authorized store in LJ city was indeed his own. That was a fact no one could change.
Ever since Xiao Han produced an iPhone, no one discussed his matters anymore. It wasn't until after dinner, when Mother Xiao led Xiao Han away, that Xiao Minghua continued to bring the topic up.
"Hmph, ungrateful!" Xiao Minghua glanced at the doorway.
But his aunt spoke up, "Eldest brother, are you saying that Xiao Han really works at the Apple store, and he made over a hundred thousand for his boss?"
"Whether he did or did not, it doesn't concern us!" Xiao Minghua scoffed coldly. "Even if he earned a bit of money, that can't change the current state of their family."
At that moment, Xiao Mingguo spoke, "Eldest brother, things are different now. The kids have all grown up, and I think Xiao Han seems to have changed a bit."
"What kind of change?" Xiao Minghua inquired curiously.
"He seems to have become more mature, much steadier!" said Xiao Mingguo. "I believe this kid might turn out to be quite useful in the future."
"Dragons beget dragons, phoenixes beget phoenixes; the offspring of mice will dig holes," Xiao Minghua said with disdain. "What use could Xiao Han possibly be? His birth has doomed him to be destitute in the future. In today's society, without support from family, life can be exhausting. A single house can drain a young person for a lifetime.
He doesn't have a penny to his name right now, so how can he start? Besides, this boy still has to attend university. Once he graduates, with housing prices and the cost of getting married... the expenses will be even higher."
"That's true," Xiao Mingguo nodded and said. "Not just for a recent graduate, even for us, buying a house is burdensome. We'd have to take out loans for decades. Sigh, I don't know what to do about Dahai."
"Don't worry. Once he's done with the college entrance exam, I'll take him to a coastal city to try his luck," smiled Xiao Minghua. "He will certainly make a name for himself."
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"Then I'll thank you in advance, big brother," Xiao Mingguo quickly nodded his head in agreement.
......
Upon leaving Xiao Minghua's home.
"Mom, don't call me to places like this anymore," Xiao Han felt a strong aversion.
"Xiao Han, he is still your eldest uncle," Mother Xiao ultimately couldn't let go of familial affection—after all, who could live in this world without relatives? Without a single relative, what would there be to strive for?
And Mother Xiao was considering things for Xiao Han as well; in the future, he would need to settle down and start a family, and having relatives might help him out more or less. The incident of Xiao Han fainting during the snowy weather made Mother Xiao feel the pain of calling to heaven and earth without response.
That was also why she was willing to accept the invitation from the Eldest Uncle's family.
"Can they even be considered relatives?" Xiao Han scoffed coldly. "They humiliated you back in the day, calling us 'poor devils' left and right. They were simply bullying us."
"Ah…" Mother Xiao sighed deeply and said, "That's why you need to work hard, if not for me, then for yourself. Understand?"
"Mm!" Xiao Han nodded.
Xiao Han agreed offhandedly. Perhaps even with his current ability, he was likely earning more in a day than those relatives made in several months? Xiao Han simply looked down on associating with such relatives. They could brag all they wanted; Xiao Han was utterly indifferent to how much money they made. In his heart, no matter how much money they made, they had no right to compete with him.
Since visiting Xiao Minghua's house, this New Year had been somewhat nauseating for Xiao Han.
In the blink of an eye, the sixth day of the new year arrived.
It was time for classes to resume for the senior year at Linjiang No.1 Middle School.
On the first day of class, many gathered together, boasting about their newly purchased iPhones. Seeing their frenzy over the iPhones made Xiao Han feel that his decision to take the agency rights for the iPhone was correct. In just a short period, it had brought him substantial wealth.
Currently, many companies and corporations, including several big firms from LJ city like the Meida Group, were offering to buy his Hanmen Technology.
Since its opening at Christmas until now, in a little over a month, Hanmen Technology had already raked in nearly two million in profits. This was undoubtedly a stimulant for Xiao Han. In a month, he had recouped the investment with profits.
"Xiao Han!" Chen Zihan appeared, dressed in a long woolen coat with a scarf wrapped around her neck, looking utterly elegant and noble.
Upon her arrival, Chen Zihan instantly captivated the entire class.
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Who would have thought that just one winter break could bring such a monumental change to Chen Zihan, who has become incredibly beautiful. That long woolen overcoat she's wearing particularly catches the eye, its coffee color combined with a light grey scarf giving her the air of a celebrity.
"Zi Han, you look very pretty today," Xiao Han said with a smile.
"Really?" Chen Zihan giggled.
"Yes!" Xiao Han nodded and added, "You could almost pass for a TV star."
"Thanks for the compliment!" Chen Zihan sat down and then moved closer to Xiao Han, asking, "The end-of-term exam results are about to come out, are you nervous?"
"It's not the college entrance exam results, so what's there to be nervous about?" Xiao Han shook his head.
"Well, that's true," Chen Zihan huffed slightly and said, "With your grades being so good, naturally you're not worried, but this time I'm definitely going to surpass you."
"Is that so?" Xiao Han chuckled upon hearing this.
At that moment, Liu Jinmei entered the classroom with the report cards in her hand.
Everyone fell silent. About a quarter of the class was late and had not yet arrived. However, Liu Jinmei automatically disregarded those latecomers and swept her gaze over the students, saying, "Students, the New Year's holiday is over, and it's time to get serious again. There are just over a hundred days left until the college entrance exam. You've spent years behind cold windows for this one day.
All the hardship you've endured, all your efforts, everything you've sacrificed will bear fruit on that day..."
As Liu Jinmei spoke, more students gradually entered the classroom.
"Alright, let's distribute the end-of-term exam report cards," Liu Jinmei said as she looked over the crowd, then continued, "Although the results of the last exam weren't ideal and the questions were rather difficult, that's no excuse. This time, we need to congratulate Xiao Han!"
Curious necks craned as everyone turned to look at Xiao Han.
"This time, Xiao Han scored second place in our grade group," Liu Jinmei said, her face alight with satisfaction as she looked at Xiao Han.
An enthusiastic round of applause broke out in the classroom.
"Of course, Chen Zihan also did well, securing fifth place in our grade group!" Liu Jinmei was very pleased. Two out of the top five students in the entire grade were from her class. What a prestigious honor. Liu Jinmei felt this was the reward for her hard work. Who wouldn't want their students to achieve great results?
When the report cards were distributed, Xiao Han's score was still more than 720 points, while Chen Zihan also achieved an impressive 709 points.
Ever since Xiao Han's sudden rise to success, Li Dapang had been solidly the last in the class for several months. His scores hovered around 300 points each exam. However, ever since opening his store and making money, Li Dapang found himself even less interested in studying. He would sometimes skip classes or not show up at all.
Because of an arm injury, Jiang Xiaoliang had fallen behind for a while, and having already secured a guaranteed spot for university, he wasn't too motivated to study. In just a month's time, his score had dropped from the previous 690s to just over 650, and his rank had fallen from within the top twenty of the grade to beyond it.
Liu Jinmei had originally wanted to have a serious talk with Jiang Xiaoliang, but considering he had been guaranteed a spot, she naturally gave up on the idea. And having experienced the arrogance of the Jiang family, Liu Jinmei had had her fill. So, naturally, she stopped concerning herself with Jiang Xiaoliang.
When Jiang Xiaoliang got his report card, he felt rather stifled. He hadn't expected his grades to slip so much and was brimming with anger.
He couldn't have fathomed that in just a month, his performance would plummet so drastically. Of course, he also realized he had indulged himself ever since Xiao Han broke his arm, especially after securing the qualification for Tsinghua University, becoming even more self-indulgent and neglecting his studies, focusing solely on flaunting himself.
This Lunar New Year, Jiang Xiaoliang had been the center of attention. The members of the Jiang family hosted grand banquets in his honor.
Moreover, Jiang Xiaoliang was thoroughly in the spotlight. At the Jiang family's feasts, he was the focal point at every turn. His parents boldly announced they would book the best hotel in Linjiang City to hold a celebration for him. No joke, if Jiang Xiaoliang were admitted to Tsinghua University, it would be a glory for the Jiang family, a true feather in their cap, making them puff with pride.
And the fact that it was a guaranteed admission made it all the more commendable.
Jiang Xiaoliang enjoyed a glorious winter break, but on the first day back at school, the report card slapped him hard in the face, leaving a sour taste in his mouth. He had never fallen out of the top three before. Back when Xiao Han was at the bottom, his own scores had always been biting at Chen Zihan's heels. But this time, he slid out of the top three.
Jiang Xiaoliang felt somewhat sad and heartbroken.
With the report card in his hand, Jiang Xiaoliang felt extremely indignant.
Liu Jinmei said a lot from the podium, but Jiang Xiaoliang was in no mood to listen. He was fully immersed in jealousy - jealous that Xiao Han had stolen his limelight, jealous that Chen Zihan was together with Xiao Han, and even more upset that his own grades had dropped significantly. He became somewhat fearful of the upcoming mock tests.
He had spent the entire winter break in a daze, living like an immortal, having collected more than two hundred thousand in red packets, all deposited into his own card.
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