Chapter 14

As Su Yinxue was about to leave the school gate, she saw Li Mu at the phone booth. Recalling what Li Mu had said in class today, she felt a bit flustered subconsciously.

She really wanted to ask Li Mu if he was serious about wanting to get into Renmin University.

But she didn't expect that before she could even leave the school gate, Li Mu suddenly ran off.

Su Yinxue watched Li Mu run far away, feeling a bit disappointed. She thought to herself that with Li Mu's grades, it seemed quite a stretch for him to get into Renmin University. In the previous few mock exams, he had only scored around 580 points at best. To get into Renmin University, he would need at least 620 to 630 points.

After analyzing it, Su Yinxue felt that Li Mu was probably just joking. Thinking this, she felt a bit strange and uncomfortable.

Li Mu dived into the Big Spider Internet Cafe and continued developing the Stone Age Overlord. Not long after, Zhao Kang also arrived.

After Zhao Kang sat down, he asked Li Mu, "How many points do you estimate you got?"

"About 620, how about you?"

"Damn... Are you serious?"

"Serious."

"Li Mu, I've thought about it seriously, and I think we should break up."

"Why?"

"I can't play with someone who is better looking and has much better grades than me; it hurts my self-esteem too much."

"Stop bullshitting, how many points do you estimate you got?"

Zhao Kang hesitated for a moment and said somewhat uncertainly, "If nothing goes wrong, around 490 to 500 points."

"From the way you look, I think 490 is a stretch. And 490 might not even be enough to pass the third-tier university line. If you don't have a sure chance of passing, you need to be careful when filling out your college applications."

Zhao Kang asked tentatively, "Should I apply to a good junior college in the province?"

Li Mu said, "Since you're willing to go to a junior college, why not apply to a city with good prospects? What do you think of Yanjing?"

"Yanjing...?" Zhao Kang scratched his head. "What can I do in the capital with my grades?"

"Go to school, date girls, make money, and reach the peak of life."

Zhao Kang stammered, "My parents probably won't let me go to a junior college."

"Aren't you unwilling to retake the exam?" Li Mu pressed. "Why didn't you think carefully about it when I said I could help you earn enough money for college tuition?"

Zhao Kang suddenly realized.

It turned out that his good friend had been planning for him all along. He knew that he was unlikely to get into a bachelor's program and that his wishes were completely opposite and irreconcilable with his family's. So, Li Mu was giving him a choice: if he didn't get into a bachelor's program, he could still earn money and go to a junior college on his own.

Zhao Kang was moved and asked one last time, "Can the hack really work?"

"Sure it can."

"Alright, a junior college in Yanjing, got it!"

Seeing that Zhao Kang was convinced, Li Mu felt relieved and continued working on the hack.

In the middle, Li Mu's QQ received a message from a penguin with a pink headband. When Li Mu opened it, he was delighted to find that the pink-headed penguin was actually Su Yinxue.

He had always remembered Su Yinxue's online name, which was a simple English word: Snow (雪). Su Yinxue's QQ name had always been this, and she had never changed it.

In his previous life, Li Mu often changed his online name, but he never changed his password. In this aspect, he and Su Yinxue complemented each other.

Snow sent a message: "How many points do you estimate you got?"

Soul Tied: "Between 625 and 630."

Snow: "Are you serious? That high? Don't lie to me."

Soul Tied: "Why would I lie? It's true."

Snow: "If it's true, that's great."

Seeing that Su Yinxue seemed to doubt him, Li Mu asked, "What about you, how many points do you estimate you got?"

Snow: "Between 640 and 660."

Lee: "Congratulations, you're definitely going to Renmin University!"

Snow: "Hey, why did you suddenly change your online name?"

Lee: "The old one was too俗 (vulgar)."

Snow: "I didn't think so, it was fine."

Just as Li Mu was about to reply, Snow sent another message: "My mom is calling me out, we'll talk later!"

Li Mu watched the pink-headed penguin turn black and white and sink into the list of offline friends, feeling a bit empty. After a minute of discomfort, he returned to developing the hack.

At 5:30 PM, Li Mu saved his progress and said to Zhao Kang, "I'm going home for dinner, what about you?"

Zhao Kang rubbed his eyes and said, "I'm going home too."

...

In Li Mu's memory, the first time he drank white wine with his father was after he graduated from university.

That time, he decided to go to Yanjing to develop, leaving home and traveling over a thousand kilometers. There was no high-speed rail back then, and the airfare from the provincial capital to Yanjing was not affordable for ordinary people. A regular hard seat would rattle for over ten hours. His parents were not happy about their only son traveling far, but after a few days of consideration, his father respected Li Mu's choice.

That night, both Li Mu and his father got drunk. He still remembered that night, lying in bed, he cried and swore to make a name for himself in Yanjing. But the first few years of life there were no better than a dog's. He lived in the basement, in shared apartments, constantly changing jobs, constantly moving, and constantly being cheated by the black intermediaries in the north...

In this life, because of Li Mu's rebirth, the day of their first white wine toast was advanced by four years.

Li Dad took out a bottle of Luzhou Laojiao that he had been collecting since the 1980s. It was said that he only had two bottles. Li Dad had planned to keep one for Li Mu's wedding day and the other for the day Li Mu had a child.

But today, he was happy and opened one bottle early.

Both of them had good tolerance for alcohol, and with the joy, they split the bottle and neither got drunk. Instead, they made their mother go out and buy a few more bottles of beer to continue drinking.

At the dinner table, Li Mu mentioned his decision to apply to Renmin University. At first, his parents were a bit worried if it was too risky, but Li Mu insisted that he was confident. This made Li Dad, who had already had a few drinks, even happier, and he said loudly, "Great! Young people should have the courage to take risks. Dad supports you!"

After a few rounds of drinks, Li Mu suddenly said, "Dad, the Xiling coal mine seems to be running out, right? The benefits are getting worse every day. What are your plans?"

Li Dad looked at Li Mu in surprise and said with a laugh, "Don't worry, your dad has been a technician for over twenty years. I have a skill."

"Coal mines are rare in the south," Li Mu said calmly. "Hai Zhou only has the Xiling coal mine. If the Xiling coal mine fails, your skills might not have much chance in the south of the Yangtze River."

Most of China's coal mines are in the north, and there are very few in the south of the Yangtze River. Li Mu was speaking the truth. In his previous life, his father had considered going to work in the northwest coal mines but ultimately chose to stay local and work in a construction team because it was too far away.

Li Dad was a traditional man. His grandparents still lived in the countryside, and his mother had to take care of her parents. He couldn't leave them and go to work elsewhere.

Li Mu's words made Li Dad fall into deep thought. He realized that his son had matured a lot overnight and could now discuss issues with him as an adult.

"I don't think the Xiling coal mine will last much longer," Li Dad, who originally didn't plan to tell Li Mu, realized that he couldn't hide it from him anymore. "A batch of workers will be laid off at the end of the month, and another batch at the end of the year. Your mother and I might be laid off at the end of the year, but it's not a big deal. Even if we are laid off, we still get a salary, and we can do some part-time work to supplement our income. We can manage for a few years and then apply for early retirement."

Li Mu smiled slightly, "Dad, I will find a way to cover all the expenses for my university. You and Mom don't need to worry about it. I'm telling you this because I don't want you to hide it from me and go out to work hard to make up for the income gap after being laid off."

Li Dad was stunned, and Li Mom asked in surprise, "Are you just talking nonsense? Do you know how much it costs to go to university? Your father and I have calculated it. To study in the provincial capital, tuition, living expenses, and travel costs will be at least 50,000 yuan for four years. To go to Yanjing, it will probably be 60,000 to 70,000 yuan."

Li Mu said, "I will find a way. The internet is very popular now, and many people have made a lot of money. I have been researching it in my spare time and think I can do it too."

"What kind of net?" Li Dad frowned. "The internet? The one you spend money on to go to the internet cafe?"

"Right," Li Mu nodded.

"Isn't that just giving money to the internet cafe?"

Li Mu laughed, "Giving money to the internet cafe is for the use of the machines and the internet. Making money is about earning money from others online. They are not contradictory."

"Don't get scammed. There are scammers everywhere these days," Li Mom clearly didn't believe him.

Li Mu wanted to prepare himself, so he didn't say it too confidently and laughed, "It doesn't cost anything. I'll give it a try. If it works, great; if not, no big deal. It's just a bit of internet fees."

"That's true," Li Dad took a sip of wine and said to Li Mu, "Anyway, you can do whatever you want this summer. If you need money, come to us. Our family doesn't have much, but we can cover your first year of tuition and living expenses. We'll figure out the rest."

Li Mu didn't say much, nodded slightly, poured a glass of beer, clinked glasses with his father, and drank it all in one go.

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