Chapter 37

"Did you say Li Mu helped you earn 20,000 yuan?!"

When Zhao Kang's parents heard this, they instinctively couldn't believe it.

Zhao Kang took out his phone and 2,000 yuan in cash, placing them on the coffee table at home, and said, "After deducting the cost of the phone, there's still 15,000 yuan in my bank account. If you need it, I can withdraw it for you tomorrow."

"This..." Zhao Kang's parents looked at each other, speechless.

Their family conditions were similar to Li Mu's, or even a bit worse. Li Mu's father was a veteran surveyor, and his mother was in finance. However, Zhao Kang's father was just an ordinary electrician, and his mother was a cashier in the mine canteen, dealing with meal tickets and lunch vouchers, which were unique to the mine.

In terms of monthly income, they earned a few hundred yuan less than Li Mu's parents, which was already a significant gap.

Zhao Kang's father was stunned for a long time before he said, "What exactly did you and Li Mu do? Did you do anything that goes against morality?"

Zhao Kang calmly replied, "He created a cheat for a computer game and sold it for 200,000 yuan. I just helped with some odd jobs, which weren't even worth 200 yuan, but he gave me 20,000."

"My goodness!" Zhao Kang's mother was stunned. "Is Li Mu that capable? He can earn 200,000 yuan just by doing something on a computer?"

His father was also speechless, looking deeply shaken.

Zhao Kang thought to himself that it was fortunate Li Mu had claimed the total earnings were 200,000 yuan. If he had told the truth, it might have scared them to death.

Zhao Kang's parents were always very competitive. Although they were only middle to lower class in the entire Xiling Coal Mine, their determination was much stronger than most people's.

Both had only a junior high school education and had worked in the Xiling Coal Mine for twenty years, taking over their parents' jobs. However, due to their limited education, they had never been promoted. This was why they insisted that Zhao Kang must get a bachelor's degree. In their view, without a degree, it was difficult to get a promotion in any company, and even harder to stand out in the future.

However, seeing their son earn 20,000 yuan in just a few days, more than their combined annual income, their usual competitiveness wavered.

The wavering wasn't because of greed, but because the gap was too large, and mere competitiveness couldn't bridge it.

Zhao Kang then said, "Xiao Mu hopes I can continue working with him. He's going to study in Yanjing, so I've also filled out my application for a junior college in Yanjing."

Upon hearing "junior college," Zhao Kang's mother immediately became anxious. She had clearly instructed her son to try for a third-tier university, just in case the scores were favorable or the school offered additional admissions.

But before she could scold him, Zhao Kang said calmly, "Retaking the exam isn't impossible, but Xiao Mu is definitely leaving this year. Neither he nor the opportunity will wait for me. If I miss this chance, who knows what I might miss out on?"

Zhao Kang's parents fell into silence.

They looked at each other and saw the lack of confidence in each other's eyes.

This was not like them. In the past, when discussing such issues, their tone, attitude, and even their eyes were very determined, as solid as a rock.

Zhao Kang's father sighed, "It seems that even ordinary college graduates in Haizhou earn only a little over a thousand yuan a month, at most two thousand. I've never heard of a graduate earning 2,000 yuan right after graduation."

"You can't say that," Zhao Kang's mother countered, but her tone was clearly uncertain. "After all, Li Mu's business might not last long."

"But he's willing to take our Xiao Kang along," Zhao Kang's father sighed. "It's not easy to meet a benefactor these days."

Zhao Kang said, "Mom, Dad, Xiao Mu is not an ordinary person. I saw clearly how he earned that 200,000 yuan. I can't say much more, but he definitely has the skills and the brains. He considers everything very thoroughly, even more so than people who have lived half their lives."

Zhao Kang roughly explained how Li Mu promoted the game, kept the other party interested, and finally met them in Pengcheng, even pretending to be a local. This made his parents' eyes really change.

Although they didn't understand games or cheats, they felt the strategic planning of an 18-year-old.

"Old Li really raised a good son," Zhao Kang's father sighed, taking a cigarette and putting it in his mouth.

Zhao Kang quickly grabbed the lighter from the coffee table and lit his father's cigarette.

Seeing his parents' attitude soften, Zhao Kang wisely took a step back, using a persuasive and pleading tone. "Junior college is still a university, just a specialized one. I'm not dropping out. Besides, I've found out that after completing a junior college degree, I can still take the exam to upgrade to a bachelor's degree. If my career doesn't develop much by then, I can continue my studies."

This statement was the final blow to his parents' psychological defenses.

Zhao Kang's father stubbed out his cigarette, stood up, and said to his wife, "Let's go buy some gifts and take Xiao Kang to the Lis' house."

"No need to buy gifts," Zhao Kang said, excited inside but calm outside. "Xiao Mu is rich now, and everyone in the neighborhood knows him. If we go to his house with gifts, what will others think?"

Then, Zhao Kang added in a low voice, "And let's keep this matter between our two families."

"Are you trying to make me look foolish?" Zhao Kang's mother glared at him. "Then we won't buy anything."

While Zhao Kang was persuading his parents, Li Mu was also explaining to his parents.

With 80,000 yuan first and then 180,000 yuan, it was hard for Li's parents to accept it all in less than a week.

"You're running a secret printing press out there, and even that's not as fast as this!" Li's father found it hard to accept.

Li Mu smiled and said, "I earned this money honestly. Didn't I tell you before that I was going to try to make money online? I got lucky and made it."

"But that's too fast!" Li's father was at a loss.

Li Mu lay on the sofa, "I can't help it; I'm just that good. And this is just the beginning. There's a lot more money to be made. Dad, you'd better be prepared."

"I..."

If Li Mu kept trying to explain, his parents' doubts would only grow. But by taking an unconventional approach and saying, "My son is just that awesome, and you'd better get used to it," his parents were left with no resistance.

The clever Li Mu resolved all the issues about ten minutes before Zhao Kang did.

Then, the family quickly became harmonious. Not long after, there was a knock on the door, and Zhao Kang's family arrived.

Zhao Kang's parents were competitive and had high hopes for their son, but they were absolutely decent people. Since Li Mu and Zhao Kang were doing a business that even the four of them couldn't understand, they quickly shifted from marveling to laughing about it.

After all, no one sees earning money as a bad thing.

Zhao Kang's parents stayed for about half an hour. As they were leaving, Zhao Kang's father shook Li Mu's hand and said earnestly, "Xiao Mu, once Zhao Kang gets to Yanjing, you two must take care of each other!"

Though he said it this way, Zhao Kang's father meant more that he hoped Li Mu would take care of Zhao Kang, but he didn't say it outright to save face.

Li Mu nodded, "Uncle Zhao, don't worry. We grew up together, and we'll definitely take care of each other."

Zhao Kang's parents left Li Mu's house with peace of mind. Zhao Kang gave Li Mu a grateful look, knowing that from this moment on, he was truly free, all thanks to Li Mu.

He couldn't help but look forward to September, when he would leave Haizhou and set foot on the land of Yanjing with Li Mu.

At that time, the sea would be wide for fish to leap, and the sky would be high for birds to fly.