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After grabbing a late-night snack, Wang Qi returned home to find his parents still awake, waiting for him. "We've secured the restaurant location and will start renovations tomorrow," Wang Zhong told him. "Dad, handle it as you see fit. You don't need to consult me on this. I'll check it out when it's ready," Wang Qi said. He knew the restaurant business would not yield huge profits once labor, taxes, and all kinds of costs were deducted. In the best-case scenario, they could expand into a chain and go public to make money from the stock market, but realistically, it would not bring in much. In Wang Qi's mind, he wanted to become a Super Billionaire, and that meant annual profits in the hundreds of billions to match his expectations. Of course, he also knew he could not become successful overnight. He had to take it step by step, like eating a meal one bite at a time. "I recently quit my job too. Your dad can't handle everything alone," Lee Fengxia said.

As Xia Dakuan approached the microphone to speak, a dog belonging to a staff member suddenly started barking at him. The students, who had been quietly waiting for Xia Dakuan to begin, burst into laughter when the dog interrupted instead. Xia Dakuan was displeased. Where did this dog come from? It had no manners. Couldn't it see he was about to speak? "Silence, everyone," Xia Dakuan said, clearing his throat. He was known for his strictness, and the students feared him, so they quickly quieted down. After that, Xia Dakuan began his speech, urging everyone to give their all in the final stretch, aim for a good college, and make their families proud. Wang Qi was unimpressed. "Come on, this isn't some ancient exam system. What's all this about making your family proud?" he thought. Back in the day, only a hundred or so people would pass those exams each year, but now millions got into college annually. How could anyone compare the two? Xia Dakuan launched into a lengthy monologue, using himself as an example. He talked about coming from a rural area and how hard it was to get into a good college. He recalled how he barely had enough to eat while studying, and his family was so poor that even mice wouldn't visit. Everyone listened intently, except for Wang Qi, who was dozing off. He couldn't care less about someone else's life story. What did it have to do with him? Xia Dakuan grew emotional and even shed a tear, then asked everyone to take an oath. All the seniors raised their hands above their heads and began to pledge. "We will soar like eagles, conquering the skies and standing proud. We will be leaders, standing tall, striving to be the best. We will set our goals with confidence and achieve our dreams through hard work. I am the most determined, I am the best, and I will shout to the future: I am confident, I can do it, I must do it. Fuel your dreams, energize your youth, aim for the top schools, and let your spirit soar." The pledge had been prepared well in advance, personally written by Principal Xia Dakuan. Wang Qi was at a loss for words. He moved his lips, but no sound came out, and the whole situation felt awkward. Once the oath was over, everyone quickly returned to their classrooms to begin another busy day of studying.

In senior year, gym class had practically disappeared. Originally, it was the students' favorite class, held twice a week, but by senior year, it was replaced by academic subjects. Ideally, gym should be held once a day, but unless you were in a sports academy, academics took precedence over everything else. Wang Qi planned to quietly endure this period, knowing freedom awaited him afterward. Ten days before the college entrance exams, Wang Qi was surprised to find that Qu Menghan was not in class. He immediately realized something was wrong. During a break, Wang Qi went to Ms. Lee's office to ask why Qu Menghan was absent. "Qu Menghan was taken away by her second uncle," Ms. Lee explained. "They said the family is too poor to afford college, even if she passes the exams. I couldn't stop them." Lee Yan sighed, feeling helpless. It was the family's decision, and they could not intervene since it was not part of mandatory education. Wang Qi's face darkened, realizing he had overlooked this issue in recent days. "Give me her address. I'll find some time to visit." Wang Qi did not know exactly where Qu Menghan lived. "Why are you going? Don't cause any trouble." Lee Yan was taken aback. "She goes to college, and I will support her." Wang Qi was quite assertive. Just college? With over a million dollars, he could certainly handle that. What a joke. "I heard from your mom that you made hundreds of thousands from gaming recently. Is that true?" Lee Yan had heard about Wang Qi's earnings but was always a bit skeptical. "That's not something you need to worry about. I can't just stand by and watch her get ruined," Wang Qi said calmly. "All right. Then go check on her," Lee Yan said. Lee Yan wrote a note and handed it to Wang Qi. After that, Wang Qi returned to class. He did not have time today, but he planned to go tomorrow. Of course, he could not go alone. After evening study, Wang Qi took Liu Chao to the ATM to withdraw $2,000. "Tomorrow, head to No. 12 High School and gather 50 people for me. I'll pay each of them $400." Wang Qi was not going to approach this gently. Without a show of force, Qu Menghan's uncle, a real thug, would not understand who he was dealing with. "Mr. Qi, it's really tough to get time off these days."

Liu Chao knew Wang Qi was going to help Qu Menghan, but it was the final push of senior year, and getting permission to leave was nearly impossible. "Can't you just say you're sick? Anyway, your grades are the worst in the class. Ms. Lee will definitely agree." Wang Qi was also planning to take a leave of absence. After all, getting Menghan back was the most important thing right now. He couldn't just stand by and watch Menghan fall into a trap. Wang Qi's face darkened. Over the past few days, he had forgotten about that. "Give me her home address. I'll find time to go take a look." Wang Qi did not know Qu Menghan's exact address.

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