Era: Starting with the struggle to refuse being taken advantage of

"How is that possible? How could the top scorer in the college entrance examination appear in a small place like ours? It must be someone with the same name, or someone who borrowed the title of the top scorer in the college entrance examination."

A flicker of surprise flashed in Tao Zhiyuan's eyes, but he was instantly overwhelmed by reason, denying the impossibility that had just crossed his mind.

Believing that the top scorer in the college entrance exam will come to him is less realistic than believing that pigs can fly.

Considering that Wang Chengpeng knew about the top scorer in the college entrance examination, he must at least be someone within the education system. Tao Zhiyuan hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided to give Wang Chengpeng a chance to see what he wanted from him.

Thinking this, Tao Zhiyuan waved his hand at Zhou Liang and said:
"Let him in."

"You just stand guard outside the door. If he's just trying to take advantage of the situation, I'll tell you to kick him out."

Led by Zhuang Xian, Wang Chengpeng soon arrived in front of Tao Zhiyuan.

He was never one to beat around the bush; the moment he met Tao Zhiyuan, he got straight to the point, stating his purpose for coming:
"Hello Principal Tao, let me first introduce myself. My name is Wang Chengpeng. I've come to see you because I have a great fortune to bestow upon you."

Upon hearing Wang Chengpeng's self-introduction, Tao Zhiyuan subconsciously frowned.

He felt that although the young man in front of him seemed reliable, he couldn't help but reveal his true colors as soon as he spoke.

He even offered himself a fortune, without even considering whether he had the ability to do so.

With this in mind, Tao Zhiyuan had lost all interest in continuing the conversation and directly issued an ultimatum:

"Comrade Wang? I'll call you Comrade Wang for now."

"If you specifically came to me just to say this kind of pointless stuff, I suggest you leave as soon as possible to avoid wasting each other's time."

Although Tao Zhiyuan's remarks were somewhat strange, Wang Chengpeng immediately understood what was going on after seeing the distrust in the other party's eyes.

Tao Zhiyuan had never believed him at all, thinking he was joking.

With this in mind, Wang Chengpeng decided to first confirm his identity:

“Principal Tao, there seems to be a small misunderstanding between us, which has led to you not trusting me very much.”

"But it's alright, such a small misunderstanding can be resolved in no time."

"You just need to call the principal of No. 1 High School and ask him who this year's top scorer in the college entrance examination is and where they came from."

"Don't be so quick to refuse."

"As I just said, I'm here to bring you immense wealth and fortune."

“A phone call for an opportunity, I think this is a good deal for you.”

With a furrowed brow, Tao Zhiyuan was utterly baffled as to what Wang Chengpeng was really up to.

But as Wang Chengpeng said, exchanging a phone call for a chance to rise to prominence seems like a worthwhile deal no matter how you look at it.

Most importantly, all he had to pay was a phone call, and asking about the college entrance exam situation at another company wasn't a difficult thing for him.

Without answering Wang Chengpeng's suggestion, Tao Zhiyuan picked up the phone next to him and dialed the principal's office at No. 1 Middle School.

At this time, Cao Deming had just returned to school and was working hard with Zhou Lijun on the content of the report when he received a call from Tao Zhiyuan.

Taking a deep breath, Tao Zhiyuan got straight to the point:
"Old Cao, this is Tao Zhiyuan."

"I have something I want to ask you, it's about this year's top scorer in the college entrance examination."

Before Tao Zhiyuan could say anything more, he was interrupted by Cao Deming's smug voice:
"Old Tao, how did you know that this year's top scorer in the college entrance examination came from our school?"

"Not only are there top scorers in the college entrance examination, but our school also has many students who did well, and several of them have even been admitted to key universities."

"Oh, I almost forgot, your school doesn't have a single top-tier school. I suppose you wouldn't understand how I feel..."

Before Cao Deming could continue gloating, Tao Zhiyuan hung up the phone without any expression.

He sought out Cao Deming to inquire about something, not to listen to him boast.

Looking at Wang Chengpeng's calm and composed expression, and combining it with what Cao Deming had just said, an absurd possibility flashed through Tao Zhiyuan's mind—

Could the person standing in front of me be the top scorer in the college entrance examination?

Taking a deep breath, Tao Zhiyuan forced himself to calm down.

Compared to the possibility that good things might come knocking on your door, this seems more like a scam.

Thinking this, Tao Zhiyuan gestured to Wang Chengpeng to sit down, then asked in a low voice:
"It seems you do know quite a lot, even more than I, the principal, do."

"But that doesn't prove anything, since quite a few people know about this."

"You must prove your identity to me before we can continue talking."

At this point, Tao Zhiyuan gave an instruction to Zhuang Liang, who was guarding the door:

"Zhuang Liang, go and brew two cups of tea, using the best tea leaves."

Although he still had some doubts about Wang Chengpeng's identity, Tao Zhiyuan was willing to give it another try given the extremely low cost.

After all, if what Wang Chengpeng said is true, then immense wealth would truly be coming knocking on their door.

Without any preamble, Wang Chengpeng placed the file folder with his name on it on the table and briefly described how Cao Deming went to Wangjia Village and then looked down on the entire village.

Finally, he slowly said:
“This Cao Deming is a real scoundrel. He actually looks down on our Wangjia Village, so I really don’t want to let him get away with this.”

"This matter is a bit risky, and Principal Tao needs to fight for it and work hard, but if it succeeds, it's no exaggeration to say that he can gain immense wealth."

"Whether or not I do this, I hope Principal Tao can give me a definite answer."

Wang Chengpeng's words immediately silenced Tao Zhiyuan, whose mind raced as he began to consider whether or not to do it.

As they were both from the same town's school, he knew Cao Deming's character inside and out, so it was only natural that he would do the terrible things Wang Chengpeng described.

Compared to the benefits of having Wang Chengpeng, the top scorer in the college entrance examination, under his wing, the things he needs to do are simply insignificant.

Wang Chengpeng's appearance was just too coincidental, so coincidental that he was afraid it was an elaborate scam.

After hesitating for a moment, Tao Zhiyuan deliberately lowered his voice and said:
"Are you really willing to cooperate and have your student status transferred to No. 2 Middle School without any conditions?"

Clearing his throat lightly, Wang Chengpeng smiled and said:
"Conditions? Of course, there can't be no conditions, but these conditions are just a piece of cake for Principal Tao."

Under Tao Zhiyuan's anxious gaze, Wang Chengpeng calmly stated his conditions:

"I need to know some of the students' scores, which is just a small favor for Principal Cao."

"As long as you agree to this one small request, I will cooperate with you to do the relevant work." Seeing that Tao Zhiyuan was visibly becoming nervous, Wang Chengpeng continued:
"Principal Tao, don't be nervous, I won't go too far."

"As long as I know the results of no more than ten people, it's really not a risk for you at all."

"After all, there are many ways to find out the results. As long as you stubbornly refuse to admit it, who can do anything to you?"

“If the students I ask have good grades, I am confident that I can persuade half of them to transfer their school registration to your No. 2 Middle School as well.”

The reason for asking about grades was that Wang Chengpeng was making plans to ensure that Wang Zidong and the others could successfully enter university without any problems.

Getting into university isn't easy, especially when many people are eyeing that opportunity, making mistakes even more likely.

In his past life, Wang Chengpeng remembered a similar incident, and the person involved was an old acquaintance of his—Xia Mingyue.

At that time, he was immersed in the grief of Liu Yanran's difficult childbirth and was also taking care of his adopted son, so he was unaware of the specific details of the matter.

From only a few snippets of information, it seems that Xia Mingyue's university admission went wrong, and it took a long time to sort it out.

Looking back now, it's highly likely that Xia Mingyue encountered the legendary case of identity theft.

Someone had their eye on her grades and planned to take her place at university.

But something happened later that allowed Xia Mingyue to smoothly enter university.

Looking back now, Xia Mingyue must have encountered an impersonation incident. It's just unknown whether she overcame the difficulty through her own abilities or her family's connections.

After all, judging from the handgun in Xia Mingyue's collection, the other party's family must also have some financial resources.

It wasn't just for Xia Mingyue, but also for Wang Zidong, Zhu Hong, Song Sixi, and other people he knew well.

Originally, Wang Chengpeng planned to ask Song Wenxin for help with this matter, but now that he has the opportunity to get to know Tao Zhiyuan, he naturally won't miss it.

After all, favors from Song Wenxin are dwindling, so it's best not to ask for help from her unless absolutely necessary.

Seeing that Wang Chengpeng's request was so simple, and after glancing at the file belonging to Wang Chengpeng on the table, Tao Zhiyuan hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided to accept the file.

When the risks and rewards are disproportionate, many people will choose to take risks.

Moreover, Wang Chengpeng is right; in his view, this deal carries absolutely no risk.

If he didn't do something with such low risk and high returns, he'd probably curse himself for being stupid even in his dreams.

Thinking this, Tao Zhiyuan spoke up:

"As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Cao Deming and I are also in a competitive relationship. I am willing to work with you on this matter."

"As for the other matter you mentioned, namely checking your grades, I can only help you check the grades within my authorized scope."

"If the candidates are from outside Hetian Town, there is really nothing I can do to help them."

Here, Tao Zhiyuan clearly outmaneuvered Wang Chengpeng.

Although his access level isn't very high, it shouldn't be limited to checking only the grades of his own town.

However, for Wang Chengpeng, all he needed were the college entrance examination scores of a few people he knew, so everything was just right.

With that in mind, Wang Chengpeng reached out his hand to Tao Zhiyuan:

"The scores of the students from this town are already sufficient."

"If Principal Tao is willing to advance the reward, I think we can already wish each other a pleasant cooperation."

"When we meet again, Principal Tao may have already been promoted."

The words "promotion" undoubtedly struck a nerve with Tao Zhiyuan. Without further hesitation, he grasped Wang Chengpeng's hand tightly and said with a smile:
"Pleasant to work with."

"Just tell me the name of the person whose grades you want to check, and I'll check for you right now."

Tao Zhiyuan was slightly more self-aware than Cao Deming, knowing that Wang Chengpeng was actually in control of the deal.

After all, there can be countless schools, but there is only one top scorer in the college entrance examination each year.

With Wang Chengpeng's cooperation, he quickly learned about the results of the group.

Wang Zidong: 328 points;
Xia Mingyue: 317 points;
Zhu Hong: 291 points;
Song Sixi: 267 points;
……

Everyone's results were quite good, especially Wang Zidong, a farmer who had never even taken the college entrance examination in his previous life, who actually scored higher than Xia Mingyue this time.

The books Xia Mingyue borrowed from Wang Chengpeng were not wasted; they directly helped him score 20 or 30 points higher than in his previous life.

Song Sixi was the same; in his previous life, he had barely passed the undergraduate admission line, let alone achieved his current score.

Of course, the score that surpasses everyone else is Wang Chengpeng's extremely conspicuous 398 points. Even if you copied the answers, you might not be able to get such a high score.

After receiving everyone's scores, Wang Chengpeng already had a good idea of ​​whether they could get into their desired universities.

Unless someone sabotages the process, with such a score, there's no way he could fail the exam.

Only Tao Zhiyuan seemed to have a existential crisis when he saw the score he had just received, muttering to himself:

"What's going on here? How can such a small town like Hetian produce so many college students? Could it be that this place is actually a blessed land?"

"Cao Deming really got lucky, picking up so many college students out of nowhere. Why don't I have such good luck?"

As he muttered this, Tao Zhiyuan suddenly seemed to remember something and said:
"Comrade Wang, if I remember correctly, you just mentioned that these comrades could also have their files transferred to our school?"

"These comrades are all extremely outstanding, and our No. 2 Middle School naturally welcomes them with great enthusiasm."

"If possible, could you please ask when they will be able to transfer the files?"

As he finished speaking, Tao Zhiyuan's expression visibly became obsequious.

He felt that Wang Chengpeng was simply a savior sent by God to save him, enabling him to turn the tide in such a disadvantageous situation.

At the same time, he had some doubts in his heart. So many outstanding candidates came from the vicinity of Hetian Town. Could it be related to the seemingly calm and composed top scorer in the college entrance examination in front of him?

After all, birds of a feather flock together, and outstanding people always tend to congregate in groups.

Moreover, judging from Wang Chengpeng's tone, he clearly has a very good relationship with these outstanding people.

You must cultivate a good relationship with the person in front of you!
This was a thought that flashed through Tao Zhiyuan's mind. (End of Chapter)