I rang the doorbell, and it was Xiang Beifei who answered the door. His awkward eyes were filled with confusion, but after I explained my purpose, he hurriedly welcomed me into the house.
The room was dimly lit, and I could smell a strong scent of medicine, accompanied by the heavy coughing of an elderly man. Upon asking, I learned that Xiang Beifei was preparing medicine for his grandfather, who suffered from severe chronic asthma. His condition had flared up in recent days, causing intense coughing fits.
I asked him why he hadn't gone to the hospital?
He replied, "We don't have the money."
Upon hearing this, my heart felt heavy.
In this day and age of rapidly advancing technology, asthma has long been conquered, and yet some people still suffer from it due to poverty.
It turns out a speck of dust in the era of systems is a mountain on the shoulders of a level N Awakener.
The room was very cramped, with several big, bulging sacks piled up in a corner. After entering, the room felt even more crowded, leaving hardly any space to move around.
(Insert image of overcrowding)
Xiang Beifei apologetically brought me a chair. I asked if I could interview him, and he was shy in front of the camera, stating he didn't want his face to be shown.
I respected his choice and didn't post his photograph.
During our conversation, I learned that his parents had died when he was very young, and he had been living with his grandfather ever since. His grandfather supported his schooling by collecting recyclables.
Only then did I realize that the sacks in the corner were filled with plastic bottles.
I asked him what his plans for the future were, given his high test scores?
He said he planned to attend an ordinary university and then earn money to treat his grandfather's illness.
"What about Liangzhou University? It's the only one of the nine elite universities that recruits level N students. Won't you give it a try?" I asked further.
He shook his head, saying he wouldn't go. A vocational college had already contacted him. If he could attend, he would be exempt from tuition fees and also receive a subsidy. He wanted to use that money for his grandfather's medical treatment.
Attending Liangzhou University was almost an impossibility for a level N candidate, and even if admitted, the expenses would be enormous, which he couldn't afford.
I sighed inwardly.
The child was very sensible.
Reality was very cruel.
I couldn't help but wonder, what's wrong with our Jiuzhou Alliance? Why has a high-scoring student fallen to such a state? Why don't the nine elite universities recruit level N students, forcing a bright and high-scoring student to opt for a vocational college?
A vocational student with 732 points must be the most ironic thing in this era of systems.
And the pictures were forged!
The guy crafted them with finesse, depicting Xiang Beifei as a green youth struggling to survive in the cracks of life, Xiang Qingde as an elderly man confined to his bed, and himself, Yu Lei, as a conscience-driven media person with a sense of justice and responsibility who dared to expose unfairness!
Once the article was published on various media platforms, it instantly caused a sensation.
Many people kept sharing it, bombarding friends and family group chats, with parents using the story to lecture their underachieving children, expressing sentiments like "the other family's child," followed by a smiling emoticon. Stay updated with m-v le-mpyr
As more people saw it, the discussions grew, and in just half a day's time, it unexpectedly shot into the top ten trending searches.
By doing so, the task set by Yu Lei's system was sure to be completed.
"I really underestimated this guy."
Xiang Beifei hadn't expected Yu Lei to spread rumors so blatantly, to gain attention, increase traffic, and complete his system task.
The most astonishing part was the people commenting under Yu Lei's article, all expressing pity for Xiang Beifei; then, there were those inquiring about his contact details through Yu Lei, saying they wanted to visit, donate money to Xiang Beifei, and offer a helping hand.
Then, even more shameless—
Yu Lei left a donation account number, claiming he would pass on the contributions.
There were probably heaps of donors.
And that money was likely to end up entirely in Yu Lei's own pockets.
——
"Xiang Beifei, whom did you give an interview to?" Kong Xiuwen made a special trip to Xiang Beifei's house to ask.
"I didn't, this article, not even the punctuation can be trusted, nothing in it is true," said Xiang Beifei.
Frowning, Kong Xiuwen said, "I knew it, it's complete nonsense! Look, he's released another video, an interview about Teacher Yang Hua!"
Kong Xiuwen played the video on his phone, and on the screen, Yang Hua was enthusiastically saying:
"Yes, Xiang Beifei, this student, I had high hopes for him from the start! His academic performance wasn't great in the beginning, but I always encouraged him, told him not to get discouraged, helped him identify and fill in his gaps, and he improved rapidly. You could say, the high scores he achieved today are the result of our joint efforts..."
This was shot a few days ago after the results came out, with Teacher Yang Hua elevating himself to a very high pedestal in front of the camera.
"How can he have the face to say that!" Kong Xiuwen rolled his eyes.
"Let him talk," Xiang Beifei said.
He turned to look at Xiaohei, who was playing with a red pill.
That was Yang Hua's Qi and Blood Pill.