Chapter 76: The Sunny Boy

“Ha!”
A sharp shout burst out as his body twisted; muscles unleashed at the final moment, and a shot put soared over several white lines, finally landing with a solid thud. It rolled forward a little more before coming to a halt.
Exhaling, Li Jie shook out his arms, pointed one finger skyward, then at the crowd, and finally tapped the number on his chest.
Jianyi-91!
Mr. Li is truly formidable.
“Twenty meters! Did he make twenty meters?! The result is in! Nineteen point nine nine! Nineteen point nine nine! Nineteen point nine nine! Number 91, Li Jie from Jianye Academy of Arts, has set a new national collegiate record in shot put! This is already at the level of an international athlete! And he's way ahead of the competition!”
“He missed the twenty-meter mark by just zero point zero one meters! Just one centimeter more and he would have broken the twenty-meter barrier!”
“Contestant number ninety-one, Li Jie, has just claimed his sixth gold medal at the joint sports meet of the six provinces and cities!”
“We have received word that contestant number ninety-one, Li Jie, has already applied to participate in the World Athletics Global Golden League. The first stop of this year’s tour is at ‘Kyoto.’ The organizers have received his application and are now verifying his eligibility!”
The atmosphere at the venue was electric, and Chen Pi, ever the clever schemer, had brought in three hundred extras and students from Jianye. Decked out in “Power Red” headgear and capes, they cheered with all their might.
The scene was truly ablaze with excitement.
Among the spectators were also two kindergarten children who had come with their parents.
Accommodation costs totaled seventy-eight thousand; after all, most of the extras and students only needed a bed to sleep on. Forget about rooms costing a hundred or two a night—some managed just fine with ones around thirty or forty.
Some students even asked Chen Pi to pay them in cash and spent just fifteen yuan on an overnight internet café stay, saving more and pocketing more.
Transportation was handled by chartered buses, which dropped everyone off at Huating Workers’ Stadium and picked them up again after a group message.
Twenty buses in all, costing thirty thousand a day.
Additional expenses for drivers’ cigarettes and meals amounted to just two thousand in total, which wasn’t much.
The pre-prepared “Power Red” merchandise and costumes also counted as an expense; these would be used as props in the future.
This merchandise cost twenty-four thousand.
Add in glow sticks, flowers, banners, LCD display boards…
Roughly another thirty thousand.
Lastly, Chen Pi hired two sports commentators for the event’s live stream—neither were big names, but they were willing to work the event for ten thousand each.
To glorify Li Jie’s six championship wins, Chen Pi spent a total of three hundred thousand.
Three hundred thousand, all for a glorious ten or twenty minutes.

But it was all worth it; the feverish atmosphere energized the media as well, and everyone scrambled to interview Li Jie, ignoring the other athletes entirely.
There was no envy or resentment among the competitors either—such was the nature of athletic competition.
If you’re weak, train harder.
Weakness is the original sin.
Moreover, Li Jie was a beast, so far ahead that only the very best athletes from the strongest provinces could even hope to compete in certain events.
And when people learned that for most of these events, it was his first time participating, he seemed even more monstrous.
“Li Jie, you’ve just won your sixth championship. How do you feel right now?”
“Not much to say, just standard procedure. I was holding back, honestly—my true capability is far beyond this. Winning was inevitable, given that the competition level is relatively low.”
“…”
The reporter was momentarily stunned, never expecting Li Jie to be so unabashed.
“Li Jie, I’m a reporter from Sports Weekly. Could you tell us about your usual training regimen? How do you manage your competition mindset?”
“I don’t train; it’s all talent.” With a single sentence, Mr. Li left the reporter from Sports Weekly speechless, and his next words only further scrambled the journalist’s brain: “As for my competition mentality? I never adjust it. I just go with the flow. For example, after the discus event yesterday, I even took a high-speed train to Luzhou just to hear a performance of ‘The Poem from That Summer’ at the ‘Flames of War’ bar.”
With that, Li Jie snatched the microphone from the reporter’s hand. “I’m a huge fan of Xue Xuanqing. If Xue Xuanqing sees this interview, I want to say: I’ve written a few songs—they’re fantastic. I hope you’ll sing them. They’re sure to be hits!”
“…”
After tossing the mic back to the reporter, Li Jie spread his arms and said, “Step back!”
Time to show off!
With a burst of energy, Boss Li flexed, displaying every muscle, and with a roar—“Shatter the darkness with thunder!”—he tore off his athletic wear.
A gentle breeze swept by, making the strips of cloth flutter. Men looked on in silence; women were moved to tears.
That physique…
Back in the shower, several hot comments popped up on Li Jie’s social media.

Who is Xue Xuanqing?
What the hell, you actually know about Xue Xuanqing? Don’t ruin this for me, Crab Bro—I don’t want to listen to Xue Xuanqing right now!
Did this guy really take the train from Huating to Luzhou overnight?
Crab Bro, I love your taste in music, but I’m not happy about you writing songs for Xue Xuanqing…
As for the “Ten-Year Anti-Fan” group, it suddenly gained a lot of new members.

“This guy’s a real beast. Huating to Luzhou, at least five hours round trip, and he still nearly broke the twenty-meter barrier in shot put.”
“Crab Bro is still the same—does whatever comes to mind.”
“I thought he’d gone to see ‘Brother Bi.’”
“There’s something I forgot to mention to you guys.”
At the mention of “Brother Bi,” “Brother Guo” chimed in, saying, “Before, with Brother Bi’s aftermath, Crab Bro actually went to Luzhou to help out.”
“This bastard never talks about these things.”
“+1”
“+2”
…

Meanwhile, at the Luzhou police station, the head of security for the Kaihuang Group had personally come to assist with the investigation.
Investigation, in this case, meant reviewing the surveillance footage.
With enough manpower, combing through security footage was no issue.
They tracked him from “Bar Street” to the high-speed rail station.
At nearly every key point, there he was, this beast, clocking in.
Wearing sunglasses and flashing a big, toothy grin, Li Jie even made a peace sign to the surveillance camera.
The head of security for Kaihuang Group clenched his fists in anger.
Bang!
He slammed his fist on the table. “Ignorant fool! Courting death! This is a provocation to Kaihuang, a provocation to the Yang Family!”
Every surveillance screen paused—twenty-odd angles, each showing Li Jie grinning and making a ‘yeah~’ gesture.
He was only eighteen, with a sunny disposition, a bright presence, and a wholesome look—especially when clothed. If he hadn’t taken out four bodyguards and a chairman of ‘Daye Films,’ then…
“I’m just a sunny guy. Isn’t it normal to go hear some folk music at a bar?”
Facing the reporters’ curiosity, Mr. Li, clutching his Jianyi-91 number badge, looked as if nothing could be more natural.