Urban God-level Youth

After Xia Qing's performance, another group went up to perform, followed by the students from the second liberal arts class.

This pattern repeated until all the classes had performed, which took about one and a half hours.

Latter, several teachers took the stage to perform, and by the time everyone had finished, it was almost five o'clock.

Finally, it was time for the school leaders to deliver closing remarks, and only after they had finished their speeches did the graduation ceremony for Changle Second Middle School's senior year come to an end.

Back in the classroom, the homeroom teacher spoke a few more words, and then everyone went home.

They now just needed to wait for the results, which would be released on June 22, still eleven days away. Then, they could check their scores online and fill in their university preferences.

On the way back, Xia Qing was still walking with him, chatting and laughing.

Neither of them brought up the subject of the gift, as both felt too embarrassed to be the first to mention it.

At the entrance to the residential area, Xia Qing looked at him and asked, "Don't you have anything you want to say to me?"

Qin Hao hesitated for a moment, wanting to say something but not knowing what to say.

Seeing his expression, Xia Qing's eyes dimmed slightly: "I'm going to head back first."

Watching Xia Qing walk away, Qin Hao felt somewhat stifled.

Thinking about Du Wanrou, he felt confused.

He didn't know how Du Wanrou felt about him, and he also didn't know what the outcome would be if he tried to pursue her.

But how could he know the outcome without trying?

Yet, taking such action might be somewhat unfair to Xia Qing, and at this moment, he found himself in a dilemma.

Back at home, Qin Hao lay on his bed, unsure what to do, as his parents hadn't come back yet.

It was nearly seven o'clock in the evening when Qin Youguo and Li Shujie returned with grim expressions and without speaking.

Qin Hao came out of his room and curiously asked, "Mom, Dad, what's wrong?"

Mr. Qin sighed, sat on the sofa, and silently lit a cigarette without saying a word.

Qin Hao turned to his mom: "Mom, what happened?"

Li Shujie, still visibly angry, responded: "The factory manager's relative has taken over your dad's position, and now your dad has been demoted. That Mr. Huang really isn't decent. He's taken plenty of favors from us, and now he just replaces us just like that."

Qin Youguo took a drag of his cigarette and said, "Stop it, what's the use of telling the kid this? It's just a demotion, not a suspension."

"And how could it be alright for you to work under Huang Wencai's nephew? He'll probably make your life difficult every day."

Qin Youguo: "I've been at the factory for over twenty years; he can't go too far."

This statement was as much self-reassurance as it was intended to keep his son from worrying too much.

If they could replace him so easily, they certainly wouldn't care about making his life harder.

Qin Hao knew what his father was thinking; if he lost his job, the whole family's burden would fall on his mother.

He would rather endure more hardship himself than place all the burden on Li Shujie alone.

Moreover, Qin Hao was about to go to university soon, which would be another significant expense.

Qin Hao spoke up, "Mom, Dad, I'm thinking of looking for a summer job tomorrow. It would also help with the tuition fees."

"Why look for a summer job in such hot weather? Your parents can afford your university fees," Mrs. Qin immediately objected.

Qin Hao explained, "Mom, I'm not that young anymore. I should start toughening myself up. I don't want to be a sheltered flower."

Mr. Qin nodded in agreement: "The boy has a good point. Young people these days really should gain more experience."

…

Last night, after dinner, Qin Hao returned to his room and heard the chat software ring.

He opened it and to his surprise, Du Wanrou had sent him a message, "How many points do you think you can score?"

Qin Hao replied, "Jianghai University shouldn't be a problem."

"Big talk, we'll see when the results come out," Du Wanrou replied with a pout after seeing his response.

Qin Hao chuckled and asked, "Monitor, does what you said before still count?"

"Let's talk about it once you get into Jianghai University."

Qin Hao, "If I really get in, will you agree?"

Du Wanrou didn't reply; she was deep in thought.

She was seriously considering her feelings for Qin Hao. Why did it upset me to see him walking with Xia Qing?

Why did I feel compelled to go over when I saw Xia Qing sitting with him?

After much thought, she felt that she probably liked him a bit.

But remembering her family background, she felt it would be difficult to be with Qin Hao. But should she give up because of this?

She wasn't that type of person. Even if she couldn't be with Qin Hao in the end, she wanted to give it a try.

But the most important thing now was to test Qin Hao's heart.

She needed to know if Qin Hao truly cared about her or if he was just after her family's wealth and her beauty.

It was quite a while before she received a reply from Qin Hao, "If you really get into Jianghai University, I can consider trying to date you."

When Qin Hao saw the message, he was thrilled, "Am I dreaming?"

"Really, Wanrou? That's great," Qin Hao replied, his fingers trembling.

Du Wanrou, "Don't get too happy yet. The results aren't out. Got to go, my mom is back."

"Mmm, have an early night, Wanrou," Qin Hao boldly called her Wanrou, no longer calling her monitor.

...

The next morning, around seven, Qin Hao got up, and his parents had already eaten breakfast and gone to work.

He took out breakfast from the microwave, ate a bit, and then left the house.

When he arrived at Jiangshan Roasted Duck Restaurant around eight, Kang Youyi was already there.

Not just Kang Youyi, but Yu Jie, Yu Chengcai, and Liu Pengyun were also present.

Seeing this, Qin Hao curiously asked, "How come you guys are here so early?"

Yu Jie responded with a smile, "We got up around six, had nothing to do at home, so we came over. We'd be idle anyway."

Turning to Yu Chengcai, Qin Hao asked, "Chengcai, is your health okay now?"

"No problems, boss. I'm in great shape," Yu Chengcai said with a simple, honest smile.

Qin Hao smiled and nodded, "Good to hear, work hard, and learn more from your sister when you can."

At the roasted duck restaurant, he basically had little to do. There was no shortage of manpower, and he just oversaw the workers.

In the morning, Qin Hao mixed more than ten sets of ingredients on the second floor.

Around eleven o'clock, he came downstairs; the restaurant was already open for business.

Now, Jiangshan Roasted Duck Restaurant was selling nearly a thousand ducks a day, with daily revenues of about forty to fifty thousand yuan. The growth was nothing short of spectacular.

This was mainly due to the secret recipe of Jiangshan Roasted Duck, which had the perfect aroma, appearance, and taste. It was hard for Jiangshan Roasted Duck not to be popular.