Rebirth Must Be Happy

"I can't afford to get hurt, I really can't afford to get hurt."

I miss you, I miss you, I miss you so much I'm going crazy.

The setting sun bathed the campus in its glow. Liu Liangfu parked his bicycle, put on his headphones, and walked to the classroom door. Suddenly, a middle-aged man in a plaid shirt stopped him: "Excuse me, are you a student in Class 9?"

Liu Liangfu sized up the other person and said somewhat irritably, "Who are you? Why are you asking so many questions?"

The other person smiled and said, "I am Qu Liangcai, the principal of No. 1 Middle School."

"..."

Liu Liangfu almost peed his pants. He quickly took off his headphones and said obediently, "Hello, Principal, I'm a student from Class 9... What's wrong?"

Qu Liangcai said, "I'm looking for Xu Jinhuan. Could you please call him for me?"

"Oh, good."

Without thinking twice, Liu Liangfu rushed into the classroom and saw Xu Jinhuan talking to Chen Xingzhu and Zhu Xinyao in front of him. He called out, "Brother Huan, the principal is looking for you!"

brush!
Everyone in the classroom turned their heads at once, first to look at Liu Liangfu, then at Principal Qu Liangcai standing smiling at the door next to Liu Liangfu, and finally all turned to look at someone in the classroom who was equally bewildered.

Xu Jinhuan was completely stunned. He hadn't expected Qu Liangcai to come over as well. He had no choice but to walk out of the classroom and greet him, "Hello, Principal Qu."

"Hello."

Qu Liangcai smiled, gestured for him to move aside, slightly away from some of the curious students peeking through the windows, and then asked with a smile, "How's the new class? Are you adjusting well?"

This old guy looks approachable, but he's actually a cunning old fox. His first words were a warning.

Xu Jinhuan's transfer process was not compliant with regulations, and he was considered a "dual student" in terms of his official information. He was still in Class 11, but he was attending classes in Class 9.

Qu Liangcai appeared to be concerned, but in reality he was threatening: You little brat, do I have something on you? If you want to stay in Class 9, you'd better cooperate with the school!

Xu Jinhuan wasn't buying it and immediately apologized sincerely: "Principal Qu, I'm sorry. I transferred to Class 9 without permission, which is a serious violation of school rules and regulations. I am willing to accept any punishment and will return to Class 11 immediately."

It means: At worst, I'll go back to Class 11. You want me to do an interview? No way!

"..."

Qu Liangcai hadn't expected this kid to be so difficult. After a few seconds of silence, he smiled and said, "I heard you're quite close to Chen Xingzhu from Class 9?"

This is trying to cause trouble by dating too early...

Xu Jinhuan sneered inwardly, but answered calmly, "Yes, my grades were not good at first. Thanks to Chen Xingzhu for tutoring me, my grades improved. In my heart, she is my teacher."

The person tutored me, so they are my teacher. Whether I ride my bike or drive, giving them a ride is a way of repaying their kindness. You can't find fault with that, right?

Well, it's actually quite easy to find fault with the two of them in their current situation, but at worst they can go underground and get an extra thrill and excitement, a win-win situation!
'Teacher? You want to be like Yang Guo, right...'

Qu Liangcai cursed inwardly, but seeing that the kid was unmoved, he had no choice but to change his strategy. He sighed and said, "Our school has a certain reputation in the city, but it's limited in the province, and it's not even among the top in the country. Yilin is a major media outlet with a high circulation nationwide. Why won't you agree to an interview?"

Suicheng No. 1 High School is not particularly prestigious nationwide, so when they learned that Xu Jinhuan had been extensively reported by foreign media, the entire school leadership was alarmed, and Qu Liangcai personally came over.

He didn't even invite Xu Jinhuan to his office; he went to find Xu Jinhuan by himself.

His words were indeed true. These past two years have been the peak of Yilin magazine. Last year, its monthly circulation once exceeded 180 million copies. It was reported by CCTV, contributed articles by famous writers, and even gave birth to a "Yilin style" because its golden sentences were frequently quoted in perfect score college entrance examination essays.

The so-called "Yilin style" is simply a short story with a memorable quote, which is very popular in college entrance examination essays.

However, this is also the last twilight of their existence. With the widespread adoption of smartphones imminent and the mobile internet wave about to sweep across the country, they will not only be buried but also their reputations will be overturned.

Seeing that the other party had started to reason, Xu Jinhuan didn't bully them and said, "Elementary school students in Germany wrote 7-word environmental papers to save forests; kindergarten children in island nations run shirtless in winter; Switzerland has safety nets in its sewers; people in the US maintain a 1.2-meter distance while queuing; Qingdao's German sewers have never flooded in a century; an 8-year-old boy in the US works to buy a yacht; 90% of China's ballpoint pen tips are imported, and we can't produce them ourselves..."

He paused for a moment, then threw out another classic line: "And another thing, the whole of America experienced a blackout to save a bird... Does the principal think these are all true?"

Qu Liangcai frowned and asked, "Why are you saying all this?"

"This all comes from 'Yilin'."

Xu Jinhuan pursed her lips, "Even if we put the facts aside for now, has Principal Qu read the original report about me from Mi Laijian's side?"

Qu Liangcai said, "I've seen some of it."

Xu Jinhuan didn't speak, but opened her phone, found some screenshots of articles posted by Song Zhiyu, and showed them to Qu Liangcai: "Principal Qu, your reading comprehension is definitely better than mine. Do you think the main point of this report is to praise me?" Qu Liangcai's English level was still acceptable. He looked at it carefully, and his brows furrowed deeper and deeper.

"Among the foreign media outlets that have reported on me these past few days, a few genuinely care about technology and digital news, but most are just like The Chronicle—mostly mouthpieces for NGOs,"

Xu Jinhuan further stated, "Domestic media outlets have generally not yet paid attention to my situation, yet Yilin magazine was the first to discover it, identified my identity, and contacted the school. Does the principal think this is because their editors and reporters are more capable and responsible?"

Qu Liangcai pondered for a while and said, "No matter what, when they report on it, they won't smear you or our school, which is beneficial to us."

He looked at Xu Jinhuan and said, "This will also benefit you in the National Youth Innovation Competition."

Once Xu Jinhuan becomes famous, the entire school will benefit, and he, as the principal, will naturally benefit even more.

"I don't consider myself particularly patriotic, but I also don't want to be used as a tool to denigrate this country, and..."

Xu Jinhuan smiled, one hand on the windowsill of the corridor, turned to look at Qu Liangcai, and said in a very natural and casual tone: "I am destined to soar to the sky like a Kunpeng, but I didn't expect to be tied with a rope before I even took off. Although it will be easy to break free in the future, it is unnecessary."

"..."

Qu Liangcai was dumbfounded. Before becoming the principal of No. 1 Middle School, he had worked in other schools for many years. What kind of students hadn't he seen?

But he had never seen a student who could be so pretentious.

I've never even heard of someone so good at showing off, let alone seen them.

Kunpeng?
Why don't you go to heaven!

"Why don't you wait and see?"

Xu Jinhuan didn't insist on a direct confrontation. Seeing the other party's silence, he smiled and said, "I checked online, and it seems that during the National Youth Science and Technology Innovation Competition, there will be media coverage, such as CCTV, Guangming Daily, and even Sina.com..."

Isn't this pancake big and round?
Qu Liangcai finally understood what Zhuang Chengan meant by "this kid is not easy to deal with" on the phone. He sighed and said, "Then let's stick to the original plan for now."

"Thank you, principal."

Xu Jinhuan quickly offered a compliment, "You are so wise. With you here, No. 1 Middle School will surely thrive."

Strictly speaking, this isn't flattery; it's a fact. Qu Liangcai's years as principal were indeed the peak of the school's success.

"Alright, alright, go back to class now."

Qu Liangcai waved his hand, turned around and left.

"Brother Huan, that's awesome!"

Xu Jinhuan walked into the classroom, and a boy by the window exclaimed in surprise, giving a thumbs up, "He didn't even give the principal face, but he actually managed to persuade the principal... No wonder he can teach Shi Yunfei a lesson!"

"What's going on?"

"The principal came to persuade Xu Jinhuan to accept the interview."

"Holy crap, such a huge favor?"

Some students who were close enough heard what was going on, but most had no idea what was happening and kept asking questions. Some thought it was nonsense, but they couldn't help but prick up their ears to listen.

"Really?"

Xu Jinhuan returned to his seat, and Chen Xingzhu, Zhu Xinyao, and Liu Liangfu couldn't help but ask him, "Did the principal really come to persuade you to give an interview?"

"Ah."

Xu Jinhuan nodded, his tone still nonchalant, "However, I refused."

"Why are you doing this?"

Liu Liangfu suspected he had lost his mind. "That's Yilin magazine! After you give the interview, the whole country will know about you, at least most schools will know who you are... Isn't that a good thing?"

"Even if I don't give interviews, they'll still report on it."

Xu Jinhuan shrugged. "It's not like I begged them to report on me. Report it or don't, it's up to them." (End of Chapter)