Chapter 47: Sudden Windfall

“There’s a beast in the School of Media—a real monster. Broke the national javelin record, then shattered the school’s triple jump record, and now he’s off to the high jump!”
“Holy shit, that’s insane! This guy must have what it takes to clear 2.1 meters!”
“Damn, how are the other athletic recruits supposed to compete? This is just unfair.”
“Seriously, what is this freak even doing at our school?”
“He’s majoring in photography. And he didn’t get in as an athlete—he actually passed the entrance exam.”
“Unbelievable. He’s just defying the natural order…”
Some students, as usual, had started livestreaming, their phones capturing Li Xie as he effortlessly outjumped the competition.
Because there were so many high jump participants, the event was split into groups. After his jump, Li Xie went straight over to the shot put area to check in.
“What a freak, man. Why would a guy like this come to our school?”
“He’s just not from this world… Wait, has he finished the shot put already?”
Li’s dazzling performance had left everyone speechless, while his counselor, Guo Rong, was over the moon. He was already imagining the upcoming Provincial Games—surely victory was in the bag.
“Li, with your high jump, I’m guessing you’re over 2.1 meters, right?”
“In a word: provincial record.”
Guo Rong’s face lit up. Wasn’t this his ticket to rocket up the ranks?
This kind of success had just fallen into his lap. It was only fitting that Guo Rong should prosper.
He calculated his prospects—surely, there had to be a spot for him in the administration building.
But where?
The Admissions Center? Too exhausting.
The Entrepreneurship Office? Maybe.
Assistant to the President? That’s a bit lofty, still need to work for that one.
Why not carve out a post in the School of Media’s administration, a private office, two assistants with their own passes—a stripped-down version of “Chancellor of the Secretariat.”
Sounds reasonable, right?
The more he thought about it, the more he indulged in his fantasies. If Old Li made a name for himself on the national stage, that would be pure bliss.
With every thought, he felt better and better, guiding his little electric scooter with effortless ease.
“Don’t worry, Li. If you ever need students from any department to help, I’ll talk to them for you. Even from other schools, it’s no problem.”
“Rong, you’re too kind. We’re all on the same team here.”
“Right, right, we’re all family…”
Meanwhile, up on the reviewing stand, the university and city leaders could only sense something supernatural in the air. What kind of monstrous talent had Jianye Academy of the Arts stumbled upon?

The dean of the School of Industrial Design, Liu Hao, stood there with a complicated expression. He remembered how Guo Wei had always schemed to “usurp” his position, trying to sneak his own son into Industrial Design—but Liu had deftly blocked him, sticking to the rules and sending the kid to the School of Media instead.
Who could have predicted that such blinding good fortune would descend, unstoppable and overwhelming?
“Old Liu, you know, Guo Rong got into the School of Media thanks to your help.”
A little shade thrown in private was still pretty satisfying.
Guo Wei was feeling pretty pleased with himself. He’d always thought Liu Hao was just a poser, always putting on airs and prattling on about policy. Yet in the end, his own daughter ended up teaching structural sketching at the school.
As if she had the chops for that.
Other universities in the Southern Directly Controlled Province had true masters—winners of international art awards, at the very least professors with national accolades.
But what did Jianye Academy have?
It was all deans’ daughters and students of deans. How could this end well?
Sooner or later, rival schools would trample them into dust.
At least Guo Rong got along with the students and did a good job with student affairs. Why, Liu, did you send him to the School of Media?
Internally, he cursed Liu Hao as a useless dean—how could Industrial Design ever flourish with him in charge?
He needed to find a way to unseat him.
Take his place.
Liu Hao felt equally uncomfortable, thinking that Guo himself wasn’t much, but his son sure was lucky.
The two men traded barbs in private, when suddenly a chorus of “holy shit!”s rose from the crowd.
Today’s college students didn’t express themselves any differently than those of the past.
“Unreal, I thought 2.1 meters was the limit, but it looks like 2.2 is the new boundary.”
The college high jump record of the Three Rivers Province had probably just been smashed.
Too bad the Jianye Academy’s sports meet records didn’t officially count—but who cared? The short videos went viral on every subculture platform.
At this point, those unfamiliar with Li Xie hadn’t recognized him yet—they just thought he was some quirky college kid obsessed with “Masked Gourd Hero.”
Until someone in the “Ten Years of Black Fans” group happened to see the video and instantly recognized this wasn’t a normal person.
“Holy crap, Crab Bro is at Jianye Academy of the Arts!”
“Did you confirm that?!”
“What’s to confirm? Just look at the video—it’s definitely Crab Bro!”
“That physique—no doubt about it!”
“He actually enrolled in the Academy of the Arts…”
“School of Media, Photography major, confirmed. His name’s there. Damn, what an absolute beast, hiding so deep!”
“666666…”
“Guys, did any of you watch the video? Crab Bro broke the national record in javelin.”
“…”

“Damn, that javelin didn’t just pierce the field—it pierced my heart. This guy’s been playing us for fools! Secretly training for years, now he’s switching tracks to become a sports star?”
“Unbelievable, Crab Bro really is something else. Breaks the national javelin record, then casually takes down the triple jump record…”
“Someone’s streaming live! I found two people broadcasting.”
“I’m at ‘Three Rivers Tech,’ I’m heading over now! My electric scooter’s fast!”
The “Ten Years of Black Fans” group was in an uproar. Watching Li Xie’s resurgence, the old haters—now shining black with irony—were awash in mixed feelings.
Some, unable to stomach it, went straight to Li Xie’s Weibo, found a few “old fairies” to vent at, got their accounts banned, and immediately made new ones to continue.
Only after they’d vented enough did they feel at peace again, their spirits soothed.
This kind of sudden fame would usually trend for half a day.
Freshman at Jianye Academy of the Arts breaks national record wearing a mask!
Jianye Academy’s “Media-91” athlete stuns the world!
Two trending topics instantly pushed phrases like “Masked Gourd Hero,” “Scarlet Power,” and “Shattering Darkness with Thunder” up the charts.
Su Mengyao had just returned to her dorm and was soaking in the bath, thinking of getting a little “Joy Bean” action with Brother Xie, when her phone wouldn’t stop dinging with notifications—orders pouring in for “Masked Gourd Hero” merchandise.
“Brother Xie is just too amazing, guhihi~~”
Lying in the tub, Su Mengyao decided that when Brother Xie came back, she’d slip into her battle outfit—today she was going for the “loli look,” specifically the snow-white twin pigtails version.
She’d max out her attack speed for Brother Xie!
The more she thought about it, the happier she became.
But good things never last long. Amid the endless chimes, her phone suddenly blared, “Where is my Diao Chan?”
Annoyed, she saw it was a call from Gan Xingzhu.
She really didn’t want to pick up—Gan Xingzhu was her aunt, after all—but after a moment’s hesitation, Su Mengyao answered, “Auntie, what is it?”
“Yao Yao, where are you?”
“What do you want?”
“Yao Yao, where are you?”
“What do you want?”
“…”
They kept repeating themselves. Gan Xingzhu, exasperated, finally lowered her voice, “Yao Yao, things are really bad with your grandfather. He might get life in prison. Second Sister’s been taken away, and so has her husband…”
Her aunt rambled on, eventually breaking into tears. Su Mengyao hung up, deftly blocking her aunt’s number.
After all that, she lay back in the tub and let out a long, contented sigh, her body completely relaxed, just waiting for Brother Xie to return and enjoy her to his heart’s content.
“Guhihi…”
Just the thought of Brother Xie coming back sweaty from his competition made Su Mengyao’s cheeks flush an even deeper red.