Chapter 80: No, I

Big Aunt came to the county town with her son Cui Aiguo for the preliminary exam, and of course wouldn’t let her precious son sleep on the floor at County No. 1 High School.

A room full of stinking feet? How could that compare to the comfort of her own maternal grandmother’s home?

But Li Mingyue had already stayed at Li Ye’s house for two days; now that the exam was over, she still hadn’t returned by this afternoon, and Li Ye found it strange.

Hebin Township is no close distance from the county town—it takes over two hours by bicycle! Is she planning to mooch off dinner and earn herself a late-night ride home?

Li Ye didn’t look down on her—this was her natal family; even if she ate here for a year straight, it wasn’t his place as a junior to speak up.

Still, Li Ye had no intention of engaging her. He gave a few casual replies and headed toward his room.

Ever since New Year’s Day, when Li Mingyue tried to set him up with an ideal match—dark-skinned, short, and five years older—Li Ye had lost all desire to be close to her.

In his memory, this Big Aunt Li Mingyue was nothing like Second Aunt Li Mingxiang.

A five-year-old babysitting a three-year-old.

Since childhood, Li Mingyue had used her duty of caring for her younger siblings as an excuse to eat more and take more, and even now, Li Kaibian felt uneasy just seeing her.

In contrast, Little Aunt Li Mingxiang was gentle, humble, and got along exceptionally well with her second brother Li Kaibian.

Yet even when the two of them teamed up, they still couldn’t outmatch this eldest sister, Li Mingyue.

A domineering elder sister who picks fights at home must not only be fiercely combative but also have skin thicker than a rhino’s.

This sort of thing was common in large families with many children.

There were always some who invented all kinds of reasons to encroach on their siblings’ shares, convinced they were perfectly justified.

They never felt they were wrong, so guilt or shame never crossed their minds—and they couldn’t stand anyone calling them selfish.

But just as Li Ye was about to return to his room, Li Mingyue grabbed him.

“Little Ye, you’re back just in time—I’m arguing with Grandpa over something! You come settle this.”

“You elders argue, why should I, a junior, mediate?”

Li Ye didn’t want to get involved—something fishy was going on. Big Aunt Li Mingyue always used Cui Aiguo’s excellent grades to belittle him, so why was she suddenly showing him respect?

He wondered what Li Kaibian had been thinking these days—when others compared their kids’ grades, why not compare their kids’ looks instead?

With Li Ye’s looks, those long legs—he could kick Cui Aiguo’s short, ugly frame into the mud and keep him there for eight years straight.

But Li Mingyue insisted on dragging Li Ye into the main room; he couldn’t outright refuse, so he reluctantly followed.

Inside the main room, Li Mingyue shoved Li Ye onto a bench and said: “Little Ye, listen—I’ve been told Grandpa gets one watch quota per year.

Since last New Year’s, Grandpa promised me that quota, so I could use it when Aiguo enters university this year.

I’ve saved up the money for nearly two years, but nothing happened—I thought Father had forgotten his own daughter. Now I find out he gave my quota to his grandson!”

“..........”

Li Ye kept a calm expression, slowly turning his neck to glance at Big Aunt’s smiling face, then at Grandpa’s helpless one, thinking how to respond.

Li Zhongfa was surely tired of being hounded by Li Mingyue and now refused to explain, hoping his own grandson would step in and quickly shoo away this annoying daughter.

But Li Ye wasn’t happy either! You raise your own daughter, you deal with her—why should I be the one to put her in her place?

“Grandpa, when did you ever give me a watch quota? I didn’t know. Unless… you’ve got another grandson out there?”

“........”

Li Ye’s single sentence stunned every elder in the main room.

In 1982, no one dared speak to elders like that—especially not to Grandpa, whose authority was deeply rooted in the family.

This generational-family joke caused a family tragedy.

Grandma Wu Juying’s gaze shot from Li Ye to Li Zhongfa, sharp as a blade.

“I’ll split you open, you little bastard.”

Li Zhongfa flew into a rage, lunging from his chair in a tiger’s stride.

Li Ye had been ready—he slipped out the door like a snake.

【You couldn’t handle your own daughter, so you dragged me in to clean up your mess.】

“Brat, get back here!”

Seeing he couldn’t catch up, Li Zhongfa roared and unleashed his ancestral pressure.

Li Ye stayed well away.

Sure, the old man was frail and slow, but his fighting experience and wrestling strength? None of that was fake.

If he grabbed me, two takedowns and I’d be flat on the ground calling him Grandpa.

“Why scare the child? Let him explain himself.”

Grandma Wu Juying angrily grabbed Li Zhongfa and called to Li Ye: “Little Ye, come back. Tell your greedy aunt where your watch came from.”

Li Mingyue cried out in protest: “How am I greedy? Mom, don’t say things like that in front of the kids!”

“Hmph~”

Wu Juying snorted, sneering: “Since childhood, who’s ever outmaneuvered you for anything at home? Ask Kaibian and Mingxiang if calling you greedy is unfair.”

Li Mingyue fell silent, cheeks flushed with suppressed rage.

Li Ye returned and sat down, spreading his hands toward Li Mingyue: “Aunt, now you believe me? Grandpa never gave me a watch quota.”

Li Mingyue huffed: “Then who did he give it to… wait… oh no…”

Wu Juying grabbed the small broom used for sweeping the bed and smacked Li Mingyue with it.

For this eldest daughter, she felt both love and hatred.

Li Mingyue raised Kaibian and Mingxiang, then turned around and bullied them—family squabbles were too tangled to untangle.

“I’ve told you eight times—the watch quota went back to Uncle Sun. You borrowed it, so why won’t you return it?

You nag endlessly—what’s your father’s status now? Would he lie to a stubborn daughter like you?”

“Dad gave it to Kaibian—why should he return it? Kaibian should return it!”

Li Mingyue had clearly been waiting for Wu Juying’s words and fired back instantly.

Li Ye suddenly understood.

【This Big Aunt has serious palace intrigue talent.】

Two years ago, when Li Kaibian married Han Chunmei, he adored his new bride and wanted to gift her a watch.

A remarried woman’s face mattered greatly.

Li Zhongfa couldn’t refuse his son, so he borrowed a watch quota from a colleague.

This was common then.

You hoarded a quota but lacked cash or didn’t need it yet, so you lent it to a colleague in urgent need, and later reclaimed it from them.

But that meant the quota promised to Li Mingyue got delayed.

Li Mingyue thought the accounting was wrong—Han Chunmei’s watch was owed to her, Li Mingyue.

It had to be repaid.

Wu Juying glared at her eldest daughter and asked Li Ye: “Little Ye, where did your watch come from?”

Li Ye replied immediately: “From a pen pal.”

“Pen pal?”

Li Mingyue and the others froze, then realized—Li Ye was a “cultured person.”

“No,” Li Mingyue protested, “you make a pen pal and they send you a watch? How can you just take things like that?

I’m telling you, Li Ye—our Li family doesn’t tolerate taking advantage of others. You…”

“I agree—taking things for free is immoral and shameful. So I plan to send them five hundred yuan back.”

“...........”

Li Mingyue’s flood of words was abruptly cut off by Li Ye’s crisp reply.

Five hundred yuan.

Five hundred yuan!

This brat wasn’t just cultured—he was rich!

“Pfft~”

Cui Aiguo, who had sat quietly playing the good child, laughed.

“What watch? Worth five hundred? Cousin, you got scammed, right?”

Li Mingyue instantly caught on: “That’s right, Little Ye—Shanghai’s all-steel watches cost 120 yuan. What watch costs five hundred?

I knew there was no such luck—you’ve always been naive. I always said you’d never let anyone rest easy… That’s not a pen pal, it’s a scammer!”

Li Mingyue’s mouth clattered on, sharp and fast, dredging up every embarrassing childhood memory of Li Ye, nearly calling him an idiot.

【Scammer? I’ve chatted with con artists from Mianbei. You’re talking to me about this? Ever heard of the National Anti-Fraud App?】

Li Ye smirked: “Plum watch. Swiss.”

“........”

Her sharp, rapid speech stopped dead—as if a quacking duck had its neck suddenly wrung.

In the future, a Swiss Plum watch meant nothing—but in this era, when Patek Philippe and Rolex were unknown to most, the Plum watch was a genuine aristocrat among timepieces.

Li Zhongfa also paused, then said to Li Ye: “Show me the watch.”

The old man took it, examined it, and said: “Hmm, this really is a Plum watch! I’ve seen one before—five years ago, when Old Lin’s daughter married, she had one…”

Li Mingyue said: “Let me see.”

Li Zhongfa reached to hand it to her, but Li Ye intercepted it mid-air and snatched it back.

No.

Li Mingyue’s face darkened; Li Zhongfa thought Li Ye was being stingy.

So he said: “Let your aunt see it—it’s fine. I guarantee she won’t take it.”

Li Ye had just given the watch to Li Mingyue; all Grandpa needs to guarantee is this.

The moment Li Mingyue got it in hand, her eyes lit up.

The dial and back cover of the Plum Watch both bore a plum blossom emblem—easy to recognize.

And its craftsmanship was exquisite, its design fresh; compared to Shanghai’s all-steel watches, which looked outdated, the difference was obvious.

“Dad, I remember Uncle Lin paid 290 yuan for his Plum Watch back then!”

“That was four or five years ago; prices have definitely gone up now.”

“True, but a watch ticket alone is worth a lot!”

Listening to Li Mingyue and Li Zhongfa’s conversation, Li Ye felt something odd—he sensed something was about to happen.

Sure enough, Aunt Li Mingyue, playing with the Plum Watch, suddenly said to Li Ye: “Little Ye, I won’t take advantage of you. The Plum Watch used to cost 290 yuan—I’ll give you 300... 350, and you don’t have to repay your father’s watch ticket.”

I bought a watch last year.

You’re not taking advantage of me?

The Plum Watch was indeed 290 yuan in 1977, but by the early eighties, it had risen to four or five hundred; the problem is, even with money, you might not get one.

Besides, I already said I’d give someone five hundred—your calculation is razor-sharp, rounding down to perfection.

“My father’s debt, Aunt, you take up with him. My pen pal gave me this—I can’t just give it away without a clear conscience.”

“What do you mean ‘give away’? You’re just passing it to your aunt! You’d make sixty yuan profit and clear your father’s debt—all three wins, perfect!”

Li Ye glared at Li Zhongfa—he’d just called someone “shameless,” then mentioned “conscience,” but the old man pretended ignorance. Grandpa, you handle this.

Li Zhongfa was also displeased: “Enough. Your watch ticket won’t be withheld—I’ll give it to you eventually. Don’t make the child laugh.”

“‘Eventually’ means when?” Li Mingyue retorted. “It was promised to me, but now you’ve given it to Kaijian’s wife. Are you going to let Aiguo go to college with bare arms? Absolutely not.”

Before Li Zhongfa could speak, Li Ye said: “So it’s fine if I go to college with bare arms?”

“If you care about your son, just give him the Shanghai watch you’re wearing.”

“Pfft~ Hahahaha.”

Cui Aiguo burst out laughing. “Not... Brother, with your grades, you can’t even be sure you’ll pass the preliminary exam... seven papers, all blank, page after page...”

【It’s a miracle you held back for days without telling anyone.】

Li Mingyue feigned exaggerated shock and asked Li Ye: “Little Ye, why did you turn in blank papers? Didn’t your teacher tell you, even if you don’t know, you still have to fill it all in?”

Li Ye’s lips curled into a smug, dragon-king smile.

“I’m too lazy to write. Is that a crime?”

“What? Too lazy to write?”

Li Mingyue stared, incredulous. In her forty-plus years, she’d never heard such an absurd excuse!

On the battlefield of the college entrance exam, where everyone scrambled to get ahead, there was actually someone who was “too lazy to write”?

“Dad, look at the grandson Kaijian raised—this twisted, insolent face, who did he learn it from? Too lazy to write...”

“Enough.”

Li Zhongfa barked, turning to his wife: “Go cook. Eat early, then let them go home—don’t make them travel at night, it’s unsafe.”

That was a dismissal.

“But Dad, you can’t keep spoiling him...”

Li Mingyue still tried to plead, but Li Ye stood up: “I’m not eating here—I need to return to school and review.”

Then Li Ye extended his hand toward Li Mingyue, demanding his Plum Watch back.

Li Mingyue sneered: “What’s wrong with me looking at it? I’m not taking it. Can I even damage it by looking? Won’t eating first delay your studying?”

Li Ye’s face turned cold; the two were now locked in a standoff.

“Little Ye, come in here. Ju Ying, take the watch.”

Li Zhongfa knew Li Ye had been hiding his true ability—this eldest grandson had his own mind and vision, so he’d never micromanaged or interrogated him.

Now, with the blank preliminary exam paper, he was baffled and eager to talk with Li Ye.

Li Zhongfa walked toward his bedroom; Li Jia’s grandmother Wu Juying moved to take the Plum Watch from Li Mingyue’s hand, while Li Ye rose and followed Li Zhongfa.

But Li Ye had taken only two steps when he sensed something wrong.

In his peripheral vision, he saw Cui Aiguo snatch the Plum Watch from Li Mingyue’s hand.

Then Li Ye turned—and just in time to see his Plum Watch plummeting toward the cement floor at accelerating speed.

It looked like Cui Aiguo had accidentally dropped it while handing it over—but Li Ye had clearly seen the flick of Cui Aiguo’s wrist, the added force.

And could an accidentally dropped watch possibly match the speed of one deliberately thrown?

“Oh no, you...”

“Crash~”

Wu Juying cried out in alarm, drawing Li Zhongfa’s attention.

He lunged forward, shouting: “Little Ye!”

Li Ye moved like a leopard, lunging before Cui Aiguo, grabbing his hair, and slamming his head against the table.

Fuck you.

You piece of shit—I dared hit Han Xiaoxu, so why not you?

Han Xiaoxu, Han Chunmei’s nephew, had no blood tie to the Li family; if Li Ye had broken his head or knocked out his teeth back then, authorities might have intervened and punished him.

Though with Li Zhongfa’s status and influence, he could likely cover it up.

But at this critical moment, if it disrupted Li Ye’s college entrance exam, who would he cry to?

So back then, Li Ye had held back.

But who was Cui Aiguo?

He was Li Zhongfa’s grandson!

Li Zhongfa’s own grandson beating his granddaughter’s son—whose husband was a police officer—this mess would be smoothed over with a pat, as long as no permanent injury occurred.

“Thud. Thud.”

After just two blows, faint bloodstains appeared on the solid wood dining table.

Only then did Cui Aiguo let out a wail, frantically shoving Li Ye’s hands away.

But Li Ye had a firm grip on his hair—the harder he pushed, the more it hurt.

Just as Li Ye prepared to bring his head down for the third strike, Li Zhongfa and Li Mingyue both grabbed his arms and yanked him back.

Li Mingyue opened her mouth to scream—but Li Ye spoke first.

“I respected you as an elder, didn’t want to argue over this trash—but you really think you can just open your mouth and breathe?”

“Who owes you the watch ticket? Who owes you the watch ticket? That ticket belongs to Grandpa—he can give it to whoever he wants. Why should it be yours?”

“He promised you, but then he gave it to my father. So what? Grandma still doesn’t have a watch—does it even get to some guy named Cui?”

“You traitorous, backstabbing piece of trash—always grabbing more than your share, and you think you’re right? Who runs this house?”

“You want to buy my Plum Watch for 350? How dare you? Let the world hear what Li Mingyue really is.”

Li Mingyue nearly choked, then erupted in tantrum: “How dare you hit someone? How dare you? It was just an accident—he dropped the watch! Why are you so violent?”

Li Ye pointed to Cui Aiguo’s forehead, swollen with two large lumps like a Daoist immortal: “I saw it clearly—he deliberately slammed it to the ground.”

“A guy with the surname Cui dares to bully in the Li household? One beating isn’t enough—I’ll hit him again next time I see him.”

Li Mingyue’s hands trembled with rage.

In the Li household, she’d never been treated this humiliatingly—even Li Kaijian had always been a docile fool under her control.

How had this demon child suddenly appeared in the Li family—mouth spitting insults, fists flying?

“Enough, all of you!”

Li Kaijian flew into a real rage, snapping at Li Mingyue: “Before year-end, I’ll give you a Shanghai watch. No more dinner—get out now.”

Then to Li Ye: “Come with me. I have questions for you.”

Outside, Li Mingyue was still quarreling with Wu Juying; Cui Aiguo was still wailing.

“Kaijian married twice—how much did he spend? How much dowry did you give when your daughter married?”

“As for Little Ye—how much money was wasted on him?”

“What did I get when I married? I contributed the most to this family—am I not the one who lost out?”

Li Zhongfa slammed the door shut in frustration.

“Little Ye, why did you turn in blank papers?” Li Zhongfa didn’t believe Li Ye was fooling around—he didn’t scold.

“Grandpa, what do you think would happen if I scored 600?”

“600?”

Li Zhongfa shot upright, lowering his voice: “You can really score 600?”

Li Ye nodded: “If it’s this preliminary exam, roughly.”

“Hssss~”

Li Zhongfa sucked in a breath, muttering: “Total score is 640 this year—if you really hit 600, you can pick any university in the country...”

Li Zhongfa shook his head: “But that would bring trouble too. Your Grandpa Sun and I are close—he’ll push his grandson into the Second Grain Store. And your Aunt Liu’s grandson...”

Li Zhongfa counted on his fingers—ten fingers weren’t enough.

Some friends were fine, but even higher-ranking officials had grandchildren in Qinghe County!

“No,”

Li Ye cut him off coldly: “If I score 600 on the preliminary exam, I’ll likely be reported first.”

“Reported?”

Li Zhongfa was stunned—he knew all too well how vicious and nasty reporting could be, since he and his son Li Kaijian had both suffered greatly from it.

"That's right," Li Ye explained to his grandfather: "Last summer I scored just over 200 on the college entrance exam; last winter, my school test didn’t even reach 300. In half a year, I suddenly scored 600—what do you think people will think?"

"They’ll get green with envy!"

Li Zhongfa spoke with absolute certainty.

He had weathered years of ups and downs and knew well the malice hidden in human hearts.

When all your friends are struggling, nothing’s wrong—no one cares.

But once one of them climbs up and breaks the wall, someone might sneak up behind and crack a brick right on the back of his head—and you’ll never know who did it.

[If I can’t be good, neither can you.]

Li Ye had deliberately held back his scores to avoid the complications of human relationships, which would drain too much of his energy—he was writing novels, caring for Wen Leyu and Li Dayong, and simply couldn’t handle more.

Besides, their eight-person study group had synchronized review progress.

If new members joined now, the knowledge points they needed to cover wouldn’t align at all.

I’m already teaching problems from senior year of high school, and you’re asking me questions from junior high? Am I your babysitter?

Once or twice is fine, but if I have to change your diapers every day, and even then I get blamed for not doing it right, and it messes up my own work—wouldn’t that be asking for trouble?

Moreover, what Li Ye feared most was being reported halfway through.

A single 8-cent stamp could destroy all his plans.

Throughout the 1980s, news of college entrance exam cheating was endless, but over 99 percent of cases occurred during the preliminary exam stage.

"Hssss..." Li Zhongfa drew in a breath and said gravely: "Xiao Ye, you’ve got a point—but what about two months from now? Could that bring trouble—or other trouble?"

Li Ye nodded: "That’s why I’ve been preparing."

In Dongshan Province, in the future, several incidents tied to the college entrance exam became nationally known.

But those had little to do with Li Ye.

First, such cases were usually local operations with full-service networks—but in Qingshui County, few dared provoke Li Zhongfa, so no match.

And who would care about Li Ye, a student who scored just over 200 last year and barely 300 this time around?

So Li Ye, with a preliminary score of 300, was far safer than Li Ye with a preliminary score of 600.

It was Jiang Xiaoyan, Yan Jinbu, and others like them—without connections, yet suddenly skyrocketing—who were vulnerable.

Because they had no way or ability to trace back and verify exam papers.

What if someone reported Li Ye only after the college entrance exam results were announced?

Then all the better!

If such a thing actually happened, Li Ye would step in, clean up this disgusting toxin from society.

Because once the scores were published, they couldn’t be changed so easily.

Reporting in Qingshui County wouldn’t work—Qingshui County lacked the power to erase Li Ye’s score.

Even going to the city level might not help—you’d have to report to the provincial level, and it had to be under your real name; anonymous reports wouldn’t be accepted—reporting costs skyrocketed.

Even if your report reached the provincial level:

"What? Someone cheated? But he’s the top scorer in all of Qingshui County—who did he copy from?"

"What? Someone took the exam for him? Who? Let me see his admission ticket... oh... oh oh... Is there another guy this handsome? Let’s compare handwriting!"

"What? The exam questions were leaked? Damn! Are we really harboring traitors in our pure ranks of educators?"

"Investigate thoroughly—definitely investigate. But let me tell you a story first—false accusation adds one more penalty: three thousand li of exile."

Li Ye’s exam paper sits there—black ink on white paper, unmistakably his handwriting. If you want to frame him, at least have some sense!

Also—if there really was a nationwide leak of the unified exam questions, do you know how massive this would be?

All candidates’ scores would be invalidated—not just yours in Qingshui County!

If you’re caught cheating on the spot, no problem—but once everything’s settled, do you know how many grasshoppers are strung on this same rope?

Are you going to believe every lie you hear, every distortion of truth?

So, during the official college entrance exam, such cheating simply won’t happen.

After long thought, Li Zhongfa slowly nodded: "The problem... isn’t big."

At that moment, Li Ye added: "Dong Yuejin wrote to me—he’s coming soon."

Li Zhongfa perked up: "Editor Dong is coming? When? What’s so important?"

Li Ye said: "Next month. The sales of 'Infiltration' have exceeded Blue Sea Publishing’s expectations—it’s about to be printed for the fourth time. He’s probably in a hurry.

He was supposed to come this month, but my application to join the local writers’ association needs approval at the member development meeting, which delayed things.

He also said that after the review, he’ll recommend me for provincial writers’ association membership—if it goes smoothly... no problem."

Li Zhongfa grew excited: "Writers’ association? Which one?"

Li Ye smiled: "Dongshan Provincial Writers’ Association. Not a single character more."

"Slap!"

Li Zhongfa smacked his thigh and shouted: "Good! Now let’s see who dares say my kid isn’t a writer!"

In 1982, joining the Writers’ Association was far harder than in the future.

Li Ye didn’t remember the future standards, but one major author on a certain site had said: write a few hundred thousand words of web novel, and you qualify—no fake associations like Shenzhou XXX Writers’ Association, but the real thing.

That author’s single novel easily qualified him for provincial membership—and he could then apply for the highest-level association.

But Li Ye was still outside the provincial association.

But times were different—the weight of being a Writers’ Association member varied.

Once Li Ye joined the provincial association, even though he was just a bratty kid, he could walk straight into the Municipal Education Bureau’s office and still get a cup of guest tea.

You want to frame me?

Come on, let’s trace back the exam papers. What’s hard for others won’t be hard for me.

What’s that?

Still hard?

Then fine—call Dong Yuejin.

Sure, Dong Yuejin earns only a few dozen yuan a month. Sure, he doesn’t have a car. Sure, he has to squeeze into green trains on business trips.

But check his contact list—how many names from XX Daily, XX Newspaper are there?

"Famous Writer Trapped in Cheating Scandal."

Which newspaper wouldn’t be interested?

Still not interested?

How about I give you a future-level "little essay"? The kind that topples entire systems!

You say your pages are tight? Can’t publish?

That’s just an excuse to brush off poor writers. My blade is sharp, my reach wide, my generosity generous—just a slight move...

Now, are there pages available?

Yes. Plenty.

"Excellent, Xiao Ye—you’re impressive! Planning three steps ahead—you’ve got some of my old style! Tonight, Grandpa and I will have a drink!"

Li Zhongfa was in high spirits—even the complaints and cries from Li Mingyue outside meant nothing to him.

What benefits did "Infiltration" bring Li Ye beyond mere royalties?

To cope with the aftereffects of his time-travel, Li Ye had calculated every step with exhausting care.

Last year he scored just over 200; this year 600—no matter how he explained it, people would suspect.

The Li family believed he’d awakened into a genius—but others might not want to believe.

But Li Ye didn’t want to just scrape by with 400–500 points and settle for some ordinary university.

I’m a time-traveler—do you expect me to apply to Hangzhou Normal?

[Which child who once wore a red scarf hasn’t dreamed of Tsinghua or Peking?

Which child of the rising dragon hasn’t carried a heart to serve the nation?]

Winds rise, waves surge—I charge ahead, through fire and water, without hesitation.

In mid-May, preliminary exam results were about to be announced; the eight-person group returned to the remedial class, waiting anxiously.

Li Dayong fidgeted and asked Li Ye: "Brother, who do you think will be first this time?"

Li Ye replied coolly: "I don’t care about the preliminary scores—I care about the college application choices afterward."

Li Dayong nodded vigorously: "Yeah, yeah, choosing colleges is a whole science—I’ll follow your lead."

But Li Ye said: "I’m not talking about your choices—I’m talking about theirs."

"Huh?"

Li Dayong froze, following Li Ye’s gaze—it was Xia Yue and her group.

Li Ye’s eyes grew deep and unreadable.

"Dayong, a person holding resentment can only suppress it for a while—not forever.

If you’re going to strike, strike hard—leave her unable to rise again. Slapping faces, pulling hair—too petty."

"A gentleman seeks revenge from dawn till dusk. We’ve waited this long—yet they still think we’re fools who forgot!"

"..........."

Li Dayong blinked: "Brother, isn’t it said that a gentleman seeks revenge after ten years?"

[You idiot.]