Chapter 85

In the western suburbs of Xiayang City, inside an old, dilapidated house.

"Brother Yang, I really didn’t betray Master An. Please let me go, I beg you..."

Inside the house, a middle-aged man in his forties was kneeling before a young man with long hair, who was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. The middle-aged man’s knees were already scraped and bleeding, staining his trousers red. The young man with long hair held a steel pipe, completely unmoved by the middle-aged man’s pleas, and said coldly, "If you didn’t betray my father, why did he get into trouble while you didn’t?"

"Brother Yang, I really didn’t! Otherwise... you can investigate. If you find any evidence that I betrayed Master An, I... I’ll be struck by lightning! I’ll be hit by a car when I go out..."

"Evidence?" the young man with long hair said indifferently, "I don’t have any evidence—but I just feel it was you!"

With that, the young man with long hair swung the steel pipe in his hand and smashed it down on the middle-aged man’s head. There was a dull thud, and the middle-aged man’s head burst like a ripe watermelon.

But the middle-aged man didn’t die immediately. His eyes were wide open, and he gasped, "I... didn’t..."

"But I just feel it was you!" The young man with long hair kicked the middle-aged man’s face and then threw the steel pipe on the ground.

Leaving the old house, the young man with long hair instructed the two men standing at the door, "Clean it up!"

"Yes, Brother Yang!" the two men nodded quickly.

Then, the young man with long hair got into a black car. As the car started, he muttered to himself, "Old man, although I don’t have much affection for you, now that you’re dead, your assets can only be inherited by me. Anyone who takes what belongs to me will pay with blood!"

***

"Here you go—"

On Monday morning, after the second class, Luobin came to Qin Lang’s desk and placed a plan on Qin Lang’s table.

Qin Lang took a look, and the plan was not only revised but also reprinted and bound, with a simple and professional cover. Even a cursory glance made one feel more confident about the plan.

"So, Luobin, this is the plan you reviewed?"

Zhao Kan’s tone was a bit sour. On one hand, he had put a lot of effort into his plan, which could be considered his most serious "homework." On the other hand, Zhao Kan didn’t really believe that Luobin could improve the plan, as he thought many so-called high-achievers were often high-scoring but low-ability, just exam machines with little practical skill.

"Zhao Kan, are you不服气 (unconvinced)?" Luobin saw through Zhao Kan’s thoughts and said proudly, "Zhao Kan, don’t think I’m just an exam machine. Take a closer look. I, Luobin, not only have better grades than you, but I’m also better at making plans—much better!"

What a challenge!

Although Zhao Kan didn’t have Luobin’s imposing presence, he wasn’t about to back down. "Fine! I’ll take a look at the class president’s plan!"

"Then read it carefully," Luobin said with a faint smile and turned to leave.

"Hey, Qin Lang, isn’t your 'little snot-nosed girl' too arrogant?" Zhao Kan whispered to Qin Lang, keeping his voice low to avoid being heard by Luobin, whom he knew was not someone to mess with.

"She’s not arrogant, she’s confident!" Qin Lang defended Luobin, "Zhao Kan, I’m not saying it, but her plan is really professional!"

"Cut it out, I think you’re just favoring her!" Zhao Kan said不满地 (dissatisfied), then grabbed the plan and flipped through a couple of pages. His expression turned serious, "Hmm, I didn’t expect—this class president really has some skills. This plan is indeed more professional... I’ll take a closer look!"

During the next class, Qin Lang and Zhao Kan both carefully studied the revised plan.

It was truly surprising. Luobin’s plan not only corrected the flaws and errors in Zhao Kan’s original plan but also added sections on management, marketing, and financial budget analysis, especially the financial budget analysis, which was crucial for Qin Lang. Luobin had used mathematical modeling and computer programs to create this, something Zhao Kan admitted he couldn’t do.

Without mentioning anything else, just Luobin’s skill in mathematical modeling was enough to show that she was far from being a "high-scoring but low-ability" person.

After class, Luobin came to Qin Lang and Zhao Kan again and asked, "Zhao Kan, are you convinced?"

"Convinced, both in words and in heart!" Zhao Kan sighed, "I originally thought that beauty and intelligence were incompatible, but you, Class President Luobin, have changed my mind!"

"Zhao Fatso, those are my words, I’ll hold you accountable for copyright!" Qin Lang huffed.

"Stealing books isn’t stealing... stealing books! ... Can what scholars do be considered stealing?" Zhao Kan chuckled.

"Qin Lang, I’ll give you the plan. But I want to ask, do you plan to skip college or drop out to start a business?"

"What do you mean?"

"Actually, I think people who skip college to start a business or drop out to start a business are pretty cool." If the teachers heard Luobin’s words, they would probably think she was a bit rebellious. "For example, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, and Oracle’s Ellison, all of them are successful dropouts. I think these people are pretty awesome!"

"Ha ha, I might disappoint you, because I don’t plan to drop out," Qin Lang smiled, leaving a hint of mystery, "Mainly because if I drop out and succeed, it won’t be cool. Do you know why?"

"No hints, just say it!" Luobin glared at Qin Lang. Since their encounter on the train yesterday, the distance between them seemed to have shortened.

"The people you mentioned are at least from prestigious universities. Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg are even Harvard high-achievers. Choosing to drop out after getting into Harvard is already a very attention-grabbing thing, which is what you call cool. But for someone like me, who can only get into a junior college, many people might choose to drop out on the first day of enrollment. What’s cool about me dropping out to start a business?"

Qin Lang explained jokingly, "For example, if Luobin dropped out of Harvard to start a business, it could be a news headline and attract a lot of clicks. But if Zhao Kan dropped out of No. 7 High School to start a business, it wouldn’t become news and wouldn’t attract attention. So, the key isn’t dropping out to start a business, but from which school you drop out. If everyone else drops out from Harvard, Yale, or Oxford, you wouldn’t even feel comfortable greeting people if you dropped out from a third-tier or junior college."

"Ha ha~"

Hearing Qin Lang’s words, Luobin couldn’t help but laugh, and Zhao Kan also burst out laughing.

Luobin’s laughter caught the attention of many people. After all, in the eyes of her classmates in Class 11, Luobin was usually very serious. Cai Weidong also heard Luobin’s laughter and felt a surge of jealousy towards Qin Lang, but he quickly remembered his father’s warning and forced himself to dispel his hatred, as he really couldn’t afford to provoke Qin Lang.