We agreed not to date, so why are you crying now that I've become the richest man?

Zhou Mingyuan then nodded as if he had just realized something.

"Oh, Mr. Li, hello."

Congratulations to Li Hao on getting into university.

After saying that, he walked right past Li Jianming, who was all smiles.

Zhou Mingyuan's gaze swept quickly across the hall, finally settling on Ye Chen.

The stern expression on his face melted instantly, replaced by a radiant smile.

Zhou Mingyuan walked over quickly and offered his hands.

"Ye Chen!"

Congratulations!

The entire room fell silent.

Li Jianming's hand, holding the wine glass, froze in mid-air, his expression even more unpleasant than if he had swallowed a dead fly.

Ye Chen put his phone back in his pocket and shook hands with the principal with one hand.

"Principal Zhou, you're too kind."

"I'm sorry to trouble you and Teacher Liu to make this trip in person."

"Don't mention it!" Zhou Mingyuan's voice was loud and clear, and could be heard throughout the entire hall.

"You are the top science student in our school!"

"How could I not come?!"

Zhou Mingyuan turned around and took a thick, red envelope from Liu Haifeng.

He presented the document to Ye Chen with both hands, his tone solemn.

"Ye Chen, this is a special scholarship of 10,000 yuan jointly approved by the county education bureau and the school!"

"You've brought immense honor to our school!"

"You deserve it!"

boom!

The hall was in complete chaos.

All eyes were focused on the thick red envelope.

A scholarship of 10,000 yuan!

The principal personally presented the awards!

What an honor!

Li Hao stood there, his face drained of color, his legs trembling uncontrollably.

His proudest thirty-table banquet, and his father's pitiful connections.

With the county education bureau and the principal of the No. 1 Middle School personally endorsing it, it's a complete joke!

Lin Wanqing stood at the back of the crowd.

She stared intently at Ye Chen, who was surrounded by a crowd of admirers.

The boy who used to follow her around every day, only to be rejected by her so easily.

At this moment, it was radiating a dazzling light that felt unfamiliar and even frightening to her.

Lin Wanqing felt no pain as her fingernails dug deep into the soft flesh of her palm.

A feeling called regret gnawed at her heart like a venomous snake.

Faced with the shock of the entire audience.

Ye Chen's expression remained completely calm.

He was neither excited nor flattered.

He simply accepted the envelope containing ten thousand yuan in cash.

It's like receiving a worthless piece of waste paper.

"Thank you, Principal. Thank you, Teacher Liu."

Ye Chen calmly turned to the side and gestured for Zhou Mingyuan to proceed.

"Upstairs, in the opulent hall."

"Principal, Teacher Liu, please."

Looking at Ye Chen's composure and demeanor, which far surpassed that of his peers, Zhou Mingyuan's admiration deepened.

"Alright! I must have a good drink with your father today!"

The group completely ignored Li Hao and his son, who were frozen in shock.

Amidst the stunned gazes of all the guests, they stepped into the elevator that led directly to the second floor.

The elevator doors slowly closed.

It shielded Li Hao's despairing gaze from the world, and it also shielded Lin Wanqing's shattered self-esteem.

Inside the grand hall, after several rounds of drinks...

Ye Jianguo, his face flushed, went from table to table toasting, his back ramrod straight like a javelin.

The principal and the homeroom teacher sat at the main table, a display that completely elevated the Ye family's status to the highest level.

My aunt's husband and a few snobbish relatives were previously somewhat estranged.

He was like a completely different person now, rushing over to light cigarettes and offer drinks to Ye Jianguo.

His enthusiasm was even greater than that of a grandson seeing his grandfather.

Ye Chen sat in the corner, holding a glass of warm water.

Looking at his proud parents, a genuine smile appeared on his lips.

Why am I making money after being reborn?

Isn't this the moment we've been waiting for, so that our families can stand tall and no longer suffer anyone's disdain?

And this is just the beginning.

The noise in the Grand Hall continued until 2 p.m.

The graduation banquet concluded successfully.

Ye Jianguo was flushed from drinking and looked radiant.

He stood outside the revolving glass doors of the Great Wall Hotel, handing cigarettes to each of his relatives as they came out, and seeing them off.

When the relatives left, they were full of flattering words.

"Jianguo, your Chenchen has really made something of himself this time, getting into Shanghai Jiao Tong University!"

"If you go to a big city, you'll be the cream of the crop. If you become successful in the future, don't forget to help us relatives out."

Ye Chen stood quietly beside his father.

He had a sunny and cheerful smile on his face.

His youthful face, paired with two rows of neat, white teeth, makes him undeniably sensible and well-behaved.

He even went up to help his uncle open the door of the Santana.

"Uncle, take care. Next time you come to Shanghai, I'll be your tour guide."

The uncle was so happy he couldn't stop smiling, nodding repeatedly, his face crinkling with wrinkles.

The car door closed.

Ye Chen's smile remained unchanged, but his eyes were terrifyingly deep.

The scenes from his past life were incredibly clear thanks to the power of absolute memory.

He was from the same group of relatives when he failed his college entrance exam and his father was seriously ill and urgently needed money.

His uncle sat on the shabby sofa, smoking cheap cigarettes, and scolded him with a look of disgust, saying that he was all talk and no action and hadn't lent him a single penny.

That's just how people are; when you're weak, you're surrounded by the most bad people.

When you are strong, the whole world will treat you kindly.

Ye Chen withdrew his gaze and turned to look at Zhao Peng, who was standing on the steps in a daze.

"Fatty, what are you standing there for? Come over here and help me collect the rest of these packs of Zhonghua cigarettes."

Zhao Peng came running over excitedly and put his arm around Ye Chen's shoulder.

"Chenzi, your smile today is giving me the creeps."

"I always have a feeling you're up to something."

Ye Chen wrapped his arm around his best friend's neck, gave him a hard squeeze, and laughed and scolded him.

"Stop talking nonsense. Tomorrow is your driving test, part three. Have you practiced your unfortunate gear-shifting skills enough?"

"Don't let the examiner kick you out of the car before you even open the door."

Zhao Peng immediately let out a bloodcurdling scream, like a pig being slaughtered.

……

Mid-August, Shunda Driving School's driving test site for Subject 3.

The sun was blazing overhead.

The asphalt road surface was softened by the scorching sun, and the air was filled with waves of heat.

There wasn't even a decent sunshade outside the examination hall, and a group of students huddled under the shade of trees to avoid the scorching sun.

Zhao Peng was so nervous that his legs were shaking. He was clutching a bottle of mineral water in his hand, and the plastic bottle was completely deformed from his grip.

Shen Anran stood under a camphor tree not far away.

She was wearing a light green, tight-fitting short-sleeved top today, the fabric of which was extremely form-fitting.

Her high, full breasts stretched her clothes into an astonishingly alluring curve, rising and falling slightly with her breath.

Below that is her slender waist, flat and firm, without an ounce of excess fat.

She paired it with a pair of slim-fitting light blue denim shorts.

Two long, straight, white legs were exposed to the sunlight without reservation, the skin so white it was dazzling.

Her pure and reserved face, paired with her stunningly beautiful figure, drew frequent glances from several boys taking make-up exams around her, who even swallowed hard.