Chapter 73: The Wisdom of the Working People

“Damn, it’s over!” The moment the discus left his hand, Li Jie knew he’d gone too far. He’d been distracted, used too much force, and failed to control the distance—he figured it would fly past fifty-eight meters.

Top athletes control their scores like top students control their test results. Even sprinters can pace themselves during races. Beyond competition experience, it’s all about body control.

And thanks to milking the “Dog System” for all it was worth, Li Jie’s not just mastered acting and singing, but also every aspect of physical control, coordination, and strength. His natural abilities were already outstanding—now he was sheer power incarnate. Put him on the Olympic stage and he’d be vying for gold, silver, and bronze—a true world-class competitor.

But even world-class athletes can get absent-minded and forget to hold back.

Watching the discus spin through the air like a flying saucer, the coaching team from Jianyi Academy clenched their fists in anticipation, while Zhang Qing, the discus coach for the national track and field team, was already smitten.

Coach Lin was right! This kid is a once-in-a-generation prodigy! He’s got to be recruited.

If only things were as simple as in ancient times, when the emperor could summon anyone at will. But Li Jie wore many hats—he was even the boss of “Creative Ability Limited.” Not so easy.

“Unbelievable! What is this guy, some kind of mythical beast?”

“That’s got to be sixty meters!”

“Crab Bro must’ve swallowed some super-strength booster! How is he getting stronger and stronger?”

Because of Li Jie’s explosive performance, “New Wave Sports” set up a special live stream just to cover him. The editorial team didn’t expect much traffic, since the competition was minor. But with keywords like “college student,” “decathlon,” “Masked Gourd Hero,” “Masked Guy,” and “Red Power,” the stream blew up—traffic surged like a tidal wave.

The “New Wave Sports” crew at the scene thought it must be Olympics season. Even the World Athletics Grand Prix didn’t get this much buzz.

Ordinary folks don’t typically watch javelin or discus events—they prefer sprints. If the public suddenly tunes in to a niche sport, it usually means someone’s about to break a record and win a medal. Afterward, the hype lasts a day at most; two or three days if it’s the Olympics.

What kept the excitement going was the “Masked Gourd Hero.” During competitions, Li Jie wore his signature “Red Power” mask, officially “to protect against UV rays.” At first glance, he looked like a professional wrestler.

Bang!

The discus smashed into the turf, tearing up a chunk of grass and dirt, bouncing twice before coming to a stop.

“Fifty-eight point two zero!”

“Jianye Academy of Arts, number ninety-one, Li Jie, fifty-eight point two zero.”

The announcement sealed his victory.

Zhang Qing, the national discus coach, confirmed with the Jianyi coaching staff—Li Jie had never formally trained in discus. In fact, he’d never trained in shot put, high jump, long jump, or triple jump either.

He was simply born with superhuman strength.

A prodigy of the century! With a bit of training, he could easily break sixty-four meters. With determination, even challenge seventy. The world record was only ten meters ahead; a few years of training and he could get there.

And he was only eighteen, still years away from his peak.

At that moment, both Zhang Qing and Lin Chong were already dreaming of Li Jie dominating the international stage, shattering records and bringing glory to the national team. The seats of power at the Sports Bureau—surely one would be theirs.

The two coaches, completely smitten, racked their brains for how to bring Li Jie onto the team, but faced a small problem.

That problem was a lack of funds.

Li Jie was a big-time company owner, with assets in the tens of millions, and didn’t need to grind through grueling training. For other athletes, the good life might be ahead, but for Boss Li, it was already here.

“Li, tired? That was an impressive throw—fifty-eight meters, a new record for Sanjiang Province, just a hair short of the national record.”

Guo Rong handed Li Jie a towel, massaged his shoulders, and offered him water. “By the way, Li, isn’t that enough to qualify you for the Grand Prix?”

“Fifty-six meters is enough. I was just trying to control the distance, but got distracted and overdid it.”

“Wow, Li, you’re like a modern Hercules! Incredible, really. You could win an Olympic decathlon gold in one go!”

“Keep it low-key. It’s all about participation. Winning isn’t the point—it’s just a bonus.”

“No wonder you’re the model of Jianyi, a media role model—truly admirable. Here, sign this for me. I’ll use it as a prize at Master Su’s street speech the day after tomorrow.”

“Where do you want the signature?”

“Here, and here, and here. Great! Wishing you martial success and even greater fortune.”

“That’s what I like to hear, Brother Rong.”

Li Jie perked up, showing off the gold medals he’d already won in javelin, discus, and triple jump.

Not too many—just enough. Is it a lot? Not really.

He snapped a photo, posted it in the group chat, on social media, and sent it to Chen Pi for the social media team to spread.

The “Ten Years of Haters” group went silent; the usual troublemakers were left speechless.

But even more speechless were Zhang Qing and Lin Chong—Li Jie still refused to attend a tryout.

“Li Jie…”

“Are you guys done yet? Keep pestering me and I’ll call the principal over. His rank’s higher than yours, you know.”

“…”

“As I said, no money, no deal. I’m making millions a year right now. Why would I go through miserable training and bootcamps? Am I a masochist?”

“But with your talent—”

“I know I have talent. I’m planning to enter the World Athletics ‘Global Gold League’—I’ll sign up for six events at the Tokyo leg. This competition is just to qualify.”

“…”

Clearly, Boss Li intended to go it alone, with no intention of sharing his success with the national team.

Lin Chong paused, then said, “Boss Li, I notice you don’t have a professional training team. To be honest, I’ve been coaching javelin for over twenty years, with results domestically and abroad. I’d like to recommend myself—are you looking for a coach? I’d like to apply.”

“…”
“…”
“…”
Li Jie wasn’t the only one stunned—Guo Rong and Zhang Qing stared at Lin Chong in disbelief.

What a move!

If his uncle, Hou Taiji, hadn’t called just then, Li Jie would have sat down with Coach Lin to discuss the feasibility of this idea.

Coach Lin really had something to offer.

But right now, Li Jie’s mind was elsewhere. His uncle Hou Taiji had just told him that several of his coworkers had spotted Yang Ying, the second son of the Kaihuang Group, at several famous entertainment venues in Luzhou.

Hou Taiji had even sketched a map of Yang Ying’s movements, noting dates and times.

Now Li Jie was truly interested and full of respect.

What was this?

The wisdom of the working people!

Damn it, this time he had to break that bastard Yang’s leg!