Chapter 049 Everyone Is Making Progress

The school sports meet was still underway, but Guo Wei, the deputy dean of the School of Industrial Design, planned to assign homework to his students in Monday’s class.

He had teaching duties himself, specifically in the use of the drawing software called Photosuck.

“Hmm... Let’s assign a planar design project for a water cup,” Dean Guo said with a serious expression, intending to give his beloved students a small incentive: outstanding works would be rewarded with a thirty-yuan deluxe diary.

Design theme: Gourd Wonderland.
Design elements: Refer to the official website of Masked Gourd Hero.

Perfect.

Quite pleased with his care for the students, Dean Guo notified his assistant to prepare the class materials, as he would need them for Monday’s lecture.

With a click of his little hand, two hundred thousand yuan in his pocket.

Delighted.

Wasn’t this, after all, a kind of “old man’s joy” in life?

Meanwhile, his son Guo Rong was running errands for Student Li, hustling around gathering documents. After registering as an athlete, there was still more to do. This winter sports meet, though called the provincial meet, was actually a formal intercollegiate competition among six provinces and cities, highly official. If someone achieved a phenomenal result and broke a record, it would be recognized.

Guo Rong imagined that if Li Jie managed to throw an eighty-eight meter shot, it would be a true jackpot.

The thought alone fueled Guo Rong with more energy than his father.

Though the old man was deputy dean of Industrial Design, he was always overshadowed by Liu Gao, the perennial rival. Guo Rong found it hard to secure a position teaching general courses, so he sought a new path, quietly slipping into the School of Media.

So far, it was working brilliantly.

“Old Li, here’s your certificate.”

“Rong Brother, your efficiency is unmatched.” Li Jie pocketed the certificate and grinned at Guo Rong. “By the way, Rong Brother, I’ve got a business lately and need manpower—about a hundred workers to paint handicrafts.”

“That’s easy. I know several schools in Xuanwu County, could introduce students for internships.”

“But I don’t want to sign internship contracts with the schools, just directly with the students. Is there a way?”

Guo Rong was momentarily stunned, never expecting Li Jie to be so familiar with this side of things.

Some vocational schools collude with employers, sending their students for high-intensity repetitive work, paying only basic or intern wages, sometimes just covering living expenses, while the school pockets the difference between the headcount fee and what the students get. In and out, a ruthless school could make a million in the graduation season, three million in three months.

That’s the more restrained approach; the ruthless ones wring students dry for a year, pocketing tens of millions in sweat and blood.

Li Jie didn’t want to get in trouble, so he was asking if Rong Brother could handle it.

Normally, Rong Brother wouldn’t dare, but now, with prosperity within reach, would he be a coward for life or a hero for a minute?

Three seconds of true manhood!

He was going for it!

“It’s on me.”

Rong Brother decided to betray his old father a bit, using his father’s pen name to submit an article to the newspaper, exposing how several vocational schools in Xuanwu County “bleed” their students.

Finding a newspaper was easy; the former deputy editor-in-chief of Yangtze Daily was his grandmother, now retired but with several loyal former subordinates.

This time, he had to go all in!

He was still young, his future bright, and believed his old father would understand.

Long live understanding.

And hopefully, Li Jie would live long too.

“Rong Brother, it’s a pity you aren’t our photography class advisor. With your talent, you’d be more than qualified for department head.”

“You flatter me, old Li.”

Guo Rong laughed and waved his hand, already formulating a plan: write the report tonight, submit it tomorrow, publish it the day after, and have several vice principals at the vocational schools suspended for investigation the fourth day. Then he could go negotiate cooperation with those schools, and at that critical moment, no one would dare to “drink the soldiers’ blood.”

That afternoon, after Li Jie finished shot put and long jump finals, his duties were done.

This year, the School of Media was leading by a landslide; Mr. Li was recognized across the campus as “Media-91,” the beast among beasts.

The boys watched in silence, the girls were moved to tears.

Art students confessed to him on the campus walls in droves, and girls from the medical school miles away fervently hoped that “Media-91” Mr. Li would donate his body to science—his physique was perfect for medical research.

No need to peel the skin.

Having risen to fame in an unconventional way, Student Li finally regained his right to bark in the “Ten-Year Hater” chat group.

“Children, are you shocked by your father’s heroics? Are you worshipping your father with total admiration? Bwahahaha...”

“Did your mom force you to sing?” Someone threw a pile of “poop” at him.

“Sing ‘Vast Sky’ for Guo Brother,” another poop x2.

“Solitary Shadow on the River” threw a poop x3.

“Ji Yu” threw a poop x99.

...

A rain of “poop” filled the screen; Li Jie chuckled and closed the group.

In a few days, he would head to Huating for the launch of “Fairy Ape,” along with several entertainment channel interviews, arranged by Ai Shoujin and Lu Xiaoguan.

After all, Li Jie’s popularity was rising, and Director Lu Xiaoguan wanted a share, while Ai Shoujin simply aimed to maintain Li Jie’s visibility.

The old father wasn’t flashy, but his work was impeccable.

“Brother Jie, if you become a big star, will you keep your personal relationships secret?”

At night, Li Jie wore a unicorn headpiece, pretending to be a unicorn, while Su Mengyao cosplayed the Elf Queen, riding atop the unicorn.

Of course, Li Jie’s unicorn impersonation differed from others—his back was facing down.

The “Elf Queen” riding the unicorn rose and fell, probably because the terrain was uneven—a little bumpiness was normal.

After all, elves live in forests; mud is no strange occurrence.

Stepping in mud and making squelching sounds was entirely normal.

“Secret, my foot. I don’t need acting skills, why bother with an idol persona?”

“Brother Jie, you’re so good. Let me treat you to strawberries...”

Slurp...

After making a heart over her chest, Su Mengyao picked up the cream, squeezed some on top, and reached for a pot of strawberries on the nightstand to garnish.

Unicorns are herbivores, so eating fruit like strawberries made sense.

Rerorerorerorero...

Soon, they’d be able to enjoy big cherries.

At this thought, “Media-91” Mr. Li found himself looking forward to it.

A unicorn eating cherries—still logical.

[Ding!]
[‘Superstar System’ reminder: Reputation points 233,464,666 (+148,448)]

The dog system suddenly chimed in, nearly making “Media-91” Mr. Li shiver, but upon closer inspection, even the dog system seemed handsomer.

So many reputation points gained, just wait for the changes after New Year’s!