Chapter 13: Li Shuo is freaking awesome

Li Shuo! It was actually Li Shuo!

The students who had just witnessed Li Shuo's sudden outburst were now utterly shocked.

Some who knew the inside story looked at him with a mixture of shock and envy: no one expected that a simple case of burglary would lead to such massive credit!

According to the homeroom teacher's introduction, Li Shuo was the person who "found the corrupt official's stolen goods and reported it to the police," which was why he was being given a "special bonus."

Jiang Hai couldn't help but let out a whistle, only to be met with a fierce glare from the homeroom teacher.

Kang Tao was full of shock; because of the timing of the teacher's entrance, he hadn't had time to "obey" Jiang Menghan's will to "stay away from Li Shuo."

"Holy crap, Li Shuo, you're freaking legendary now!" Finally, Kang Tao slapped Li Shuo on the shoulder and let out a curse.

Li Shuo had initially maintained a calm expression because he knew this was going to happen, but he quickly feigned excitement. Of course, it wasn't entirely an act; while standing on the stage, his mind was filled with question marks: *What's going on? Based on the teacher's description, this seems a bit different from the reward I gave Kang Tao in my previous life.*

"Congratulations, student Li Shuo. At the same time, thank you for your help..."

The person coming to deliver the reward was his cousin, Li Haoran. He first patted Li Shuo on the shoulder, then leaned in and whispered, "This was Miss Shao's idea. She went to see our Bureau Chief for you and fought hard to get your reward bumped up a level."

The reward consisted of a silk banner and a "Bravery Certificate." One shouldn't underestimate these things; they could add 10 points to the Gaokao score.

There was also a massive board with the large characters "10,000" written on it.

Most of the students below the stage had recovered from their initial shock, and most were looking at Li Shuo with immense envy

That was ten thousand yuan! To an ordinary high school student, it was an astronomical figure! Moreover, there was an official honorary certificate!

Although rebellious high schoolers might act dismissive of such things, everyone knew in their hearts that if given the chance, they would chase after such honor.

Among the crowd, a few people had complex expressions. Li Hongmei was curled up at her desk, almost wanting to bury her head to force herself not to look at Li Shuo's "smug" expression on stage. It was simply too hateful—how could it be...

Jiang Menghan stared blankly at the stage. Li Shuo didn't look as smug or flamboyant as she had imagined; he seemed to be merely cooperating mechanically with the teacher and the police. He held the award plaque while someone else took photos on the other side...

The morning sunlight spilled through the transparent glass onto Li Shuo, seemingly painting a golden rim around him. Jiang Menghan suddenly felt that, how had she not noticed before that Li Shuo was actually quite handsome...

"I didn't expect Li Shuo to pull off such a huge surprise right before graduation. It's really... so enviable..."

Hearing Kang Tao's heartfelt admiration behind her, Jiang Menghan pursed her lips and finally lowered her head, saying nothing...

While the classmates were filled with emotion and envy, Li Shuo, standing on the stage, felt incredibly bored. He mechanically cooperated with the teacher for the photos and was about to step down when Li Haoran pulled him aside.

"What's the rush? There are many people waiting for you."

Stepping outside the classroom, he saw the principal of the Second High School and other leaders standing there. The principal walked over, patted his shoulder, and said things like "a hero emerges from youth," before leading everyone to the sports field for group photos...

By the time the entire process was finished, it was already 12:00 PM. The principal mentioned wanting to invite his cousin and the others to lunch. Seeing this, Li Shuo ignored the fact that he was the protagonist of the banquet and found an opportunity to slip through the crowd and leave the school: although a reincarnator needs to build connections, the influence of high school connections had long since passed; Li Shuo wasn't going to trouble himself by attending such a meal.

"Mom, I'm back..."

Pushing open the door, he saw both his father and mother at home, but the atmosphere was somewhat cold; they seemed to have had another argument. Li Shuo called out to them.

"The son is back. Go set the table," Ms. Chen said to Old Li with indifference.

Old Li grunted twice, stood up, and walked into the kitchen.

"Is dinner ready? I was actually planning to take you guys out to eat."

As if he hadn't noticed the tension between them, Li Shuo sat excitedly next to Ms. Chen and placed the bag in his hand on the table with a "thud."

"Eat out? Why?" Ms. Chen was clever and immediately looked at him.

"Mom, did you forget what I told you this morning?"

Li Shuo opened the bag, revealing the certificate, the large "10,000" board, and a stamped check.

"Here, the Bravery Certificate..."

"What certificate?" Ms. Chen was shocked, her face full of confusion.

Old Li poked his head out from the kitchen, ears perked up in curiosity...

"Dad, come here. Let me tell you—because of an act of bravery, your son was awarded by the police station..."

Li Shuo gave a brief summary of the events. As he narrated, his parents' expressions shifted constantly, moving from initial disbelief to ultimate joy!

"The bonus is ten thousand yuan?" Ms. Chen picked up the check.

Li Shuo nodded heavily.

"Wow, truly! My son is much more successful than his father now!"

"Look at what you're saying. If our son is this excellent, it's also thanks to his father..."

"Pfft, as if..."

The two were still bickering, but the atmosphere was much more relaxed and lively.

Ten minutes later, lunch began in a joyful atmosphere. Li Shuo appropriately dropped the second piece of news

"Dad, Mom, I forgot to tell you. Based on my estimated score, I'll probably get around 530 points. I've filled out several universities..."

Both Old Li and Ms. Chen showed keen interest. Li Shuo continued, "I just filled them out based on the estimated score, but I ultimately chose Lenghai Academy of Drama..."

"Drama?" His mother's expression changed slightly. She didn't know the reputation of Lenghai Academy of Drama and thought it was a place for opera singers.

"Yeah, it's an arts academy that only admits a small number of Gaokao students. It's a nationally renowned art university. Within the 600-point range, it's the best school I could think of..."

Hearing that it was the "best" school, his mother's and father's expressions immediately softened.

"Of course, I'm not going there to study drama. I want to study photography and directing. Um, after I graduate, I'll probably work at a TV station or something..."

"There's another reason I chose it: photography is a specialized skill. The competition isn't too intense, but you can earn extra money as soon as you start learning. I looked online, and there's a real shortage of photographers. Helping someone take photos for a day can earn a starting income of 1,000 yuan..."

"And Lenghai is so close to Kun City. I might even be able to come back every weekend..."

What Li Shuo said wasn't pure nonsense. It was the second year of the internet's initial explosion; sites like Meitu and Xiuren had just been established, and there was indeed a massive need for photographers. Of course, they needed people who could edit photos themselves, which was a different matter from what Li Shuo was saying.

But that didn't stop Li Shuo from bluffing his parents. He planned to use this method to slowly reveal the money he would earn in the future to them...

After lunch, Old Li and Ms. Chen were convinced. They were the most ordinary of parents, with neither high education nor great worldly experience; they simply felt that their son, having gotten into university, was better than them, and since his reasoning was logical and sounded reliable, all that was left was to support him unconditionally.

In the afternoon, Li Shuo didn't go out. Instead, he focused on looking at stocks on his phone—more accurately, watching the trends of his own account.

As expected, the stock account hit the "limit up" again. However, this time there was no "heaven-and-earth" limit (a massive gap between opening and closing), so the total amount only rose by 10%.

Even so, 10% of 290,000 was nearly 30,000. The total account balance rose directly to 320,000!

As Li Shuo was smiling foolishly at the 320,000, his phone rang. It was Shao Yiying calling...

(End of Chapter)