Chapter 46 News Explosion! Singing in the Dead of Night

The reason why Huqitai decided to speak so candidly with his parents boils down to two main factors. First, his mom and dad were very ordinary, down-to-earth people—the kind of parents who love and understand their children normally.

When he was poor, they worried; if he suddenly struck it rich, they would worry even more. To keep them from fretting over him every single day, Huqitai needed to demonstrate his composure regarding money and outline his future life plans.

Second, in the eyes of others, Huqitai making ten million this time was just sheer luck, a one-time windfall. Where on earth would he find such a golden opportunity and favorable trend again in the future?

Yet Huqitai knew very well that future trends would be plentiful, and he was already mapping them out step by step in his mind. If he had to hide things from his parents left and right just because he earned ten million now, it would only lead to more trouble and problems down the road.

Instead, it was far better to do as he was doing now—letting his mom and dad calmly accept the fact that they had given birth to a literary prodigy, or rather, a reincarnated God of Wealth.

"Ahem! Ahem..."

After a brief moment of silence, Huqitai's father spoke with solemn earnestness, "Xiaotai, since you already have your own plans, your mom and I won't interfere too much. Anyway, since you earned this money yourself, you can go ahead and toss it around however you please. At the absolute worst, your mom and I can still afford to cover your tuition and living expenses."

Huqitai's mother also nodded heavily. "Your dad is right. The two of us have lived our whole lives just like this, nothing special. Isn't our greatest hope simply for you to amount to something and live the kind of life you want? If we were to use this money, or our worries about you making mistakes, to rein you in and restrict you here and there, that wouldn't be what parents are supposed to do.

Xiaotai, your mom has just one thing to say to you: this money is yours, and you can spend it however you like. But remember two rules—first, never break the law; second, never ruin your health. If the money is gone, you can always earn more, but once your health collapses, all the money in the world won't save you."

"Mom, Dad! I understand."

Huqitai smiled brightly, revealing two rows of white teeth. He truly cherished this feeling of being with his family, where whatever he did received their support and understanding.

"Holy crap! Brother Tai, you're awesome! Uncle and Auntie actually agreed to let you have complete control over all that money!"

Xue Xiaoshan stood nearby, listening with utmost excitement. Before this, he could never have imagined that Brother Tai—whom he had grown up with like brothers—would transform so quickly into a multi-millionaire admitted to Peking University, leaving him behind in the dust by countless streets. Now, seeing him gain such deep understanding and support from his parents, how could Xue Xiaoshan not feel intensely envious?

"Alright, enough talk! Let's eat, let's eat. You two eat more—once you go to Beijing for university, it'll be hard to taste home-cooking like this again!"

Calming her emotions, Huqitai's mother smiled and urged the two boys to eat.

Meanwhile, Huochangsheng's cell phone rang.

"Second brother, are you watching TV? Provincial Channel One news is broadcasting a segment on Xiaotai right now! Is it true? That lucky kid who stumbled into Peking University by picking up scraps... was it really our Xiaotai?"

It was a call from his eldest uncle. Huqitai's father laughed and exchanged a few pleasantries before hanging up, then casually reached for the remote to turn on the television.

Switching to the Fujian Provincial Channel One Comprehensive Channel, the provincial news broadcast was currently airing footage from Huqitai's high-achieving scholar lecture that very afternoon. Alongside the footage was a reporter's voiceover, followed by clips of Huqitai answering various questions from the press.

"I believe heaven helps those who help themselves. Originally, I just filled out my college application completely at random to prove that I could definitely get into Peking University if I retook the exams next year. I never expected to actually luck my way in."

"The initial purpose of organizing this lecture was purely because I discovered an exceptional study method capable of pushing someone's scores up to the tier-one cutoff within three months, so I simply wanted to share it with my fellow students. At first, I only intended to share it with a small circle of classmates, but who could have foreseen the overwhelming frenzy for tickets? I had no choice but to put them on public sale. Later on, I won't rule out holding similar lectures in other cities to benefit even more students."

"As for the potential impact of hosting this top-student lecture, I believe that next year, the total number of admissions to Tsinghua and Peking University from our entire Jianzhou municipality will exceed our historical record of five."

"I don't think I'll have trouble keeping up with the coursework after entering Peking University. On the contrary, I feel those students who entered with top-scorer scores will feel much more pressure than I do. That's because Peking University is crawling with top scorers, and the sense of superiority they had while dominating high school unchallenged will vanish. Every genius is inevitably more easily struck down by another genius, which demands much better psychological resilience from them. As for me, I don't face that kind of issue at all..."

On the television news, Huqitai's eloquent and confident answers left both of his parents utterly dumbfounded.

Was the child they raised really on television, talking with such arrogance and dominance?

Every single response incorporated numerous explosive buzzwords from new media communication in the future, making each one immensely punchy.

*Filled out application at random, ended up in Peking University.*
*Shared some random study methods, tickets fought over frantically by the entire city.*
*Thanks to my lecture, several more people will get into Tsinghua and Peking University next year.*
*Peking University's top scorers will feel under more pressure than me.*

Any single one of these points was headline-material for a major newspaper. They were full of sensationalism and eye-catching hooks. Every reporter sent out into the field and every editor reviewing articles must have deeply loved statements like Huqitai's!

"Smooth! Brother Tai, the way you spoke just now was ridiculously slick. This is provincial-level news—tomorrow, you're going to completely blow up."

Xue Xiaoshan raised his thumb, utterly and completely in awe.

Similarly, the municipal news after 8:00 PM was dedicated entirely to reporting on that afternoon's lecture.

Ever since the news broadcast began, the cell phones of Huqitai's parents had rung incessantly. Every single acquaintance called to butter them up and offer their congratulations. From time to time, they even handed the phone to Huqitai so they could catch a bit of his good luck.

However, after taking a few calls, Huqitai made an excuse to slip away, calling Xue Xiaoshan along for a walk down by the river.

A cool breeze swept past, carrying the faint, fishy scent of water plants. Huqitai took a deep breath. It was wonderful; this scent carried so many childhood memories.

"Whoa! It's been forever since we swam in this river. Brother Tai, let's come back another day and have a proper swim!" Xue Xiaoshan cried out, feeling refreshed in body and spirit.

Huqitai, however, smiled and shook his head. "Swimming in this river is a bit dangerous now. Those illegal sand miners have left the riverbed uneven—it's way too easy for an accident to happen."

"True! Plus, with the sewage discharge from the upstream factories, the water's all filthy now." Xue Xiaoshan sounded a little disappointed.

Just then, not far ahead, near the confluence of a mountain stream and the river, a melodious, ethereal, and beautiful singing voice drifted over.

"I have a flower in my heart,
Blooming with a hazy, lingering intent, through mornings and dusks.
I wait with earnest longing,
For someone destined to enter my dreams.
A woman like a flower...
Swaying in the mortal dust!
A woman like a flower...
Drifting gently with the wind..."