Li Lingjie felt like his whole world was collapsing. He had prayed day and night for something to go wrong for He Li. But instead, not only was nothing going wrong, He Li kept shocking everyone again and again.
First, he somehow got connected to Shennong Pharmaceuticals.
Now, he had scored over 700 points in the college entrance exam…
He didn’t even dare imagine what outrageous thing He Li would do next.
“Luck doesn’t last forever. I refuse to believe this bastard will always get lucky and keep running into these golden opportunities!” Li Lingjie cursed silently. Glancing at his phone, he lost all interest in reading the chat. It was filled with praise for He Li, and the more he read, the angrier he became.
Right now, he just hoped He Li’s good luck would run out soon so he could finally hear about him running into trouble.
But heaven doesn’t grant every wish!
He Li hadn’t run into any trouble.
On the contrary, good things kept coming his way.
Calls from prestigious universities came in one after another. His high school teachers and the principal also called to congratulate him. Even reporters had reached out, requesting interviews!
Mother He and Father He were moved to tears.
They had waited eighteen years to see their son succeed.
He Li, however, didn’t feel much. After all, this was his second time experiencing this, thanks to his rebirth.
“Mom, Dad, don’t be so emotional.”
“The reporters and teachers are coming to interview me at noon.”
“Shouldn’t you both get ready?” He looked at his parents, who were smiling through tears after hanging up the reporter’s call.
“Oh right! We were so happy, we forgot!” his mom said.
“Dear, let’s go buy a few things quickly!”
“This is going to be on TV—we have to make our son look good!”
“Let’s go pick out some new clothes…”
“I still have that suit, don’t I?”
“Wear that old thing? It’s been years. Time to change!”
“And there’s not enough food at home either!”
“If we’re keeping guests for lunch, we have to go buy groceries!”
“Mom, don’t forget to pick up some fresh shredded coconut!”
…
After a quick discussion, with time running out, the couple left He Li at home to clean while they went out shopping. He Li helplessly started tidying up, knowing his mom would nag him if he didn’t.
Meanwhile, the two elders were in excellent spirits.
Their son had scored over 700 on the exam…
Just thinking about all the top universities offering incredible conditions to recruit He Li filled them with pride. They practically floated as they walked, heads high.
“Hey, isn’t that Old He?” someone suddenly called at the community gate.
The couple instinctively turned their heads. A middle-aged couple approached— the man was round-bellied and wore gold-rimmed glasses, while the woman wore heavy makeup. Mother and Father He recognized them. They were the neighbors who lived diagonally across from them.
The couple wore smug smiles, looking like they had received wonderful news, full of pride and self-importance.
Mother and Father He were curious.
“Old Zhang, what’s got you so happy today?” Father He greeted and couldn’t help but ask.
The wife giggled behind her hand, “Isn’t it the college entrance exam results? Our son did pretty well!”
“Just barely managed to score 602!”
“You wouldn’t believe it, Old He. I’ve already gotten several calls from private schools, even a few famous universities’ admissions offices!” Her voice grew louder the more she spoke, and her smile became more unrestrained.
It was as if she couldn’t wait for the whole street to know her son scored over 600.
Her performance worked. Nearby elderly neighbors who were out buying groceries gathered around, offering their congratulations.
“602? That’s amazing, Old Zhang!”
“I always said your son was smart.”
“Tsk tsk, the Zhang family is going places now!”
“Hey, but the He family’s son is also good, right?”
“My daughter told me he’s a top student at school. How many points did he get?”
“Even if he’s good, can he top 600?”
“Exactly. Look, the He couple’s not even speaking now…”
…
As the neighbors chatted, the Zhang couple’s proud expressions turned smug. Their eyes carried a trace of disdain as they glanced at the He couple.
After all, the He couple had often talked about how amazing He Li’s grades were. But compared to their son, Zhang’s kid had always come up short.
Every time the neighbors compared the two kids, the Zhangs came out second-best.
That had always annoyed them.
They had grown more and more jealous of the Hes.
Now, with their son scoring over 600, they finally had their moment. They’d purposely stopped the Hes just to rub it in and one-up them.
They, like many others, believed that scoring over 600 was already very impressive. No matter how good He Li was, it was unlikely he’d scored more than that.
They wanted the whole community to know that their son had finally outshined He Li.
No matter how good He Li had been before…
If his college entrance exam score wasn’t as good as their son’s, then none of it mattered!
With this sense of triumph, the Zhang couple eagerly waited to see the Hes’ embarrassed faces.
But something puzzled them.
Instead of looking awkward, the Hes smiled meaningfully after hearing their boast and the neighbors’ comments.
Old Zhang didn’t get it, nor did he care to think too hard.
He just wanted to see them embarrassed.
So he asked with a casual smile, “Old He, your son’s always been better than mine. Surely he didn’t score lower than mine this time, right?”
“Of course not!” Father He nodded.
Old Zhang’s face twitched.
You really don’t know when to stop bragging, do you?
I was being polite!
He sneered, “Really? Then how many points did your son get this time?”
“Not much, just one point short of 720,” Father He replied with a playful smile.
“…Wait, what???”
The Zhang couple’s eyes widened in shock.
All the nearby uncles and aunties were stunned.
“Old He… you’re not joking, are you?”
“Over 700? That could be the top score in the whole province!”
“Is your son really that amazing?”
“You’re not lying, are you? If this gets exposed, you’ll lose face in the whole neighborhood!”
“Yeah, over 700? That’s just not believable!”
…
The area erupted in chatter. The voices were filled with shock and jealousy.
Mother and Father He simply smiled calmly, “We’re honest people. How could we lie about something like this?”
“Anyway, we can’t chat for long!”
“There’s a reporter coming to interview our son.”
“My wife and I have to go buy some new clothes—we’re going to be on TV, after all. Can’t embarrass our son!”
With that, the two left, delighted.
All the jealous and envious stares from the neighbors completely satisfied their vanity. And the neighbors weren’t fools—once they heard there was going to be a reporter, they knew the Hes hadn’t lied.
“Wow… the He family’s son is the real deal!”
“Over 700 points and even getting interviewed?”
“He really might be the province’s top scorer!”
“And to think someone just boasted about their 600-something earlier. Where did that confidence come from?”
“Xiaotong, don’t follow your Zhang brother anymore.”
“Be more like your Brother He Li, alright?”
“Mom, didn’t you just say Zhang-ge was impressive?”
…
As the murmurs continued, the Zhang couple had lost all their earlier confidence. They slipped away, deflated. On their way back, they grew more and more resentful.
Why did the He family’s kid have to be that good?
They all grew up eating the same rice. Was it really that their son just wasn’t as hardworking or capable?
The more Old Zhang thought about it, the angrier he got.
“He Li’s a genius, so my son’s just a loser?”
“No way. He must’ve gotten spoiled!”
“Otherwise, how could my son not be as hardworking or as successful?”
With that, Old Zhang made up his mind.
Meanwhile, at home, Little Zhang suddenly shivered…