```
"Alright, alright, I'll try my best," Li Dapang knew that if he didn't give the parents a satisfactory answer, they wouldn't leave. Thus, Li Dapang had no choice but to step back and pretend to agree.
"Great, thank you, Teacher Li," a group of parents thanked him in unison.
"Now, let's not disturb Teacher Li anymore." After receiving satisfactory responses, the parents put down their gifts and left the Li house.
"Hey... take the stuff, take all the stuff away," Li Dapang was anxious.
However, the group of parents quickly left the scene, and no one was willing to take their gifts back. After all, Chinese people value face, and once given, how could things be taken back? Wouldn't that be telling others that their own affairs were hopeless?
Watching the group of parents leave, Li Dapang also had a face of helplessness.
"Big Fatty, look..." Li Guoan looked at the living room full of gifts. There were all sorts, expensive and cheap. Li Dapang had no idea who had given what. He could only stand there stupefied, saying helplessly, "Dad, don't ask me, I don't know either."
"Uh..." Li Guoan was stunned.
And just after this group had left.
Li Guoan's sister brought her nephew to the Li house.
"Big brother." The woman wore a beaming smile, carrying a box of Jinluo ham and cheerfully said, "There have been quite a few guests at home, huh?"
"Certainly have," Li Guoan replied with a bitter smile. "They just left."
"What was this... about?" The sister asked with a laugh. "Could it be they came to arrange a blind date for Big Fatty?"
"Nonsense," Li Guoan shook his head. "They were all here to ask Big Fatty for favors."
"What favors?" The woman asked, looking wary.
"What else?" Li Guoan said with a gloomy face. "Big Fatty has been working part-time at Hanmen, hasn't he? Somehow these people got wind of it and showed up. They wanted to ask Big Fatty for a favor, to get their kids into Hanmen."
"And... did he agree?" The woman asked.
"No way!" Li Guoan immediately shook his head. "Big Fatty doesn't have that kind of power."
"That..." The woman was slightly taken aback.
"Sister, come in and sit," Li Guoan quickly invited her in.
The woman, leading her child, entered the house. Big Fatty was called out from his room, and he immediately spotted his aunt and cousin.
"Big Fatty." The woman waved at Li Dapang urgently, saying, "Kid, you're doing well for yourself now, just look at all these gifts in the room. Tsk, tsk, so many people trying to curry your favor."
"Auntie, listen to yourself," Li Dapang said, his face betraying his helplessness. "I'm about to have a headache because of them."
"What's the matter?" The woman asked curiously. "Don't you like it?"
"I can't help them," Li Dapang said with a wry smile.
"It doesn't matter if you can't help them," the woman's eyes revealed a gleam of a smile, saying, "But you have to help your own aunt, right? I've come to you for this reason too. Your cousin's schoolwork isn't bad; in the recent citywide joint exams, he scored 500 points, still a distance from the first-tier college line. I want him to get into the Hanmen Training Class, hoping that next year's college entrance examination will bring his score up to 600. That way, he can meet the admission score for first-tier colleges."
"This..." Li Dapang immediately felt dumbfounded.
"Big Fatty, you wouldn't refuse to help your aunt, would you?" The woman looked troubled, her complexion falling. "You were brought up by your aunt since you were little. You and Qiuping grew up together, as close as brothers. Now that your brother is in a bind, surely you can't refuse to help?"
"I…," Li Dapang was even more troubled.
Seeing his own aunt using the seniority card to pressurize him, Li Dapang felt even more flustered. He was unsure of what to do.
"Big Fatty, if you can help, then please do," Li Guoan said earnestly. "Auntie has helped our family a lot, hasn't she?"
"Dad, I…" Li Dapang was at a loss and after a long thought, he clenched his teeth and said, "Fine, I'll try. But if it really doesn't work out, don't blame me."
"That's settled, then," the aunt immediately smiled.
"That's right," Li Guoan laughed. "Sister, stay for dinner tonight."
"Alright, alright." Everything feels better when you're in a good mood, and the woman readily agreed.
This, however, made Li Dapang suffer.
But at this moment, Li Dapang finally understood why Xiao Han wore a mask during his classes. There was a time when he couldn't fathom it, but now it suddenly dawned on him. He regretted not having worn a mask himself, so he wouldn't have to deal with all these troubles today.
…
Jiang Xiaoliang was very annoyed.
He had never expected Xiao Han's grades to improve so dramatically. He felt despondent and baffled.
"Xiaoliang, don't be too upset," a boy beside him said with a smile. "Maybe it's just Xiao Han's luck this time."
"Luck?" Jiang Xiaoliang said angrily. "If it's that easy, try getting first in the class and second in the grade with sheer luck. A score of over 700 points, my God! What on earth is going on with Xiao Han? It's like he's a completely different person."
```
"Right, I think so too," another boy hurriedly said: "This guy is really serious in class now, and he's even taking notes. It's said that he studies until after two in the morning every day. Do you think he's had a change of heart?"
"It's really bizarre!" Jiang Xiaoliang frowned and said, "How did he suddenly become so diligent?"
"He's even more impressive than when you were at the Hanmen Training Class," the boy laughed.
"Yeah!" Jiang Xiaoliang frowned and said, "I've been training at Hanmen for so long, and my grades have improved so much. This kid hasn't attended Hanmen, yet his grades are also good, that's not reasonable."
The more Jiang Xiaoliang thought about it, the angrier he became.
"By the way, I seem to have heard that Chen Zihan is helping Xiao Han with his studies." Suddenly, a boy spoke up: "Chen Zihan teaches Xiao Han what she learned in Hanmen. Do you think it has anything to do with Brother?"
"Really?" Jiang Xiaoliang was suddenly enlightened upon hearing this.
"Of course it's true!" A boy beside him hurriedly said: "I've seen it several times, and once I even saw Chen Zihan going to Xiao Han's house to tutor him."
"Damn it!" Jiang Xiaoliang became furious upon hearing this.
"Xiaoliang, Chen Zihan is getting more and more distant from you."
"Yeah, you have to think of a way, or else such a beautiful girl like Chen Zihan could run off with Xiao Han, and that would be a big loss."
A few boys bantered back and forth, stirring up even more fire in Jiang Xiaoliang.
"Do you guys have any ideas?" Jiang Xiaoliang originally wanted to explode in anger, but after some thought, he felt that getting angry wouldn't benefit him and would only make him seem incompetent. So, after a long thought, Jiang Xiaoliang decided to start with Xiao Han.
"This..." The voices of the others halted abruptly.
"I have always been generous to you guys, haven't I?" Jiang Xiaoliang glanced at them and said: "At times like this, you should help me come up with some ideas."
After some thought, one of them said: "I would say, just find a few guys to give Xiao Han a lesson."
"Right, make him keep his distance from Chen Zihan." The others nodded one after another, saying: "Xiao Han is a coward and is easily scared, he will definitely comply."
Jiang Xiaoliang pondered for a moment, then nodded: "Hmm, that does make some sense."
"So..." The boys looked at Jiang Xiaoliang curiously.
"I'll contact a few people from the third middle school later on," Jiang Xiaoliang gritted his teeth and said: "Damn it, I'll make Xiao Han learn what happens when he crosses me."
"Alright!" The boys nodded in agreement.
Xiao Han was utterly unaware that his remarkable academic improvement had brought him unnecessary trouble.
......
Yanzi Mountain Trade Market.
This was Brother Bao's territory. Every stall and shop in the trade market was under his contract. He could collect tens of thousands in rent each month. Of course, this amount of money was nothing for Brother Bao, his real income came from the gambling den hidden behind the main building. Moreover, there was a police station on the first floor. The secrecy was unmatched by any other.
As they say, the most dangerous place is the safest.
"Lao Zhu, how is Xiao Han doing recently?" Brother Bao sat in his office, dressed in a black leather jacket, fiddling with a dagger in his hand.
"Brother Bao, this kid has been doing well lately," the man beside him hurried over and said: "It's said that in the recent city-wide joint exam, this kid scored second place in the whole grade. More than seven hundred points, enough to meet the admission scores for Tsinghua and Peking University."
"Whoa!" Brother Bao laughed when he heard this: "This kid is really living up to expectations."
"Big Brother, how did Xiao Han suddenly change his ways?" Lao Zhu asked curiously: "In one month, he went from being the last in class to being the first. That record, I guess no one could break it, right?"
"Haha..." Brother Bao laughed upon hearing this: "Didn't you see whose son he is!"
"Who?" Lao Zhu asked curiously.
"He is..." Brother Bao's lips curved into a smug smile, then suddenly, his tone shifted, and his face grew cold: "You better not ask what you shouldn't."
Lao Zhu shivered at his words.
"Big Brother, I... I made a mistake!" Lao Zhu quickly bowed his head.
"Enough," Brother Bao waved his hand and said: "Jianghu might get a bit unsettled recently, keep a tight watch for me."
"Yes!" Lao Zhu hurriedly nodded.
Lao Zhu left the office. Brother Bao sat alone on the sofa, and after a long while, he put away his disdainful smile, turned around, and walked towards the deity altar in his office. He lit three sticks of incense with the utmost respect, and then seriously inserted the three sticks in the censer.
"Big Brother, we will definitely avenge your grudge," Brother Bao said earnestly: "Xiao Han has grown up, and this kid seems to have changed a lot. Sooner or later, we will expose the hands behind the scenes and give you justice."
......
Hanmen Training Class.
This was the first tutorial class after the city-wide joint exam.