What kind of divination am I doing?

Luqiao's high school grades were not ideal...

The eighteenth day after the end of the college entrance examination.

Today is the day the results are announced.

Everyone is at home waiting for the college entrance exam results to be released.

But there are always exceptions, like the Lukang Internet Cafe.

Inside the internet cafe, the sounds of keyboards and mice clicking filled the air.

A huge red "Defeat!" sign appeared in front of me.

Luqiao immediately exited and began to view the data panel.

Let's see who gets the economy but can't deal any damage.

Except that your KDA is positive.

Everyone else got a negative score.

"Haozi, Handong! Why aren't you guys concentrating on your game?"

Lu Qiao got emotional; his brothers aren't usually that bad!

Lu Qiao turned his head and looked at Chen Hao and Han Dong.

"My mom is calling me home; it's my college entrance celebration banquet tonight."

Chen Hao turned his head to look at his phone and explained.

The chubby boy called Han Dong also spoke up: "I have things to do too, I can't play either!"

The game had only been running for less than an hour, and both of them had stopped playing?

Lu Qiao picked at his ear, wondering if he had misheard.

"Wait a minute? We're among the bottom students in our classes? We can still go to college? Since when do vocational colleges have to hold graduation celebrations?"

Chen Hao closed the game, clicked "Log Off," and explained, "It's not a vocational college; I'm studying abroad, in America!"

Han Dong immediately realized: "Study abroad? With our level, we can only get into a diploma mill?"

Lu Qiao was stunned for a moment: "I understand! But? You don't know any English!"

"I don't know, let's just take it one step at a time?" Chen Hao stood up.

The situation became awkward, and everyone understood that this was Chen Hao's helpless move, a backup plan his parents had devised for him.

"You'll definitely pick up English after spending a few years abroad," Han Dong chimed in, trying to salvage the situation.

Now that things have come to this, Lu Qiao laughed and said, "Great! I guess I should go and pick up a foreign girl for fun!"

Upon hearing this, everyone instinctively exchanged smiles.

Lu Qiao pondered for a moment before asking, "How long will it take? Will they... come back?"

Sensing that something was off, Chen Hao replied, "I'll definitely come back during summer and winter vacations. At most, I'll be gone for three years."

Han Dong patted Lu Qiao and said, "I'm leaving too! My dad called me back to explain some things, so I can't come tomorrow either."

"Huh?" Lu Qiao was taken aback again.

"I guess it's my uncle. He drives a big cargo ship. I guess I'll have to learn how to drive a big cargo ship from him in the future," Han Dong explained.

"A cargo ship going out to sea? With all that fat on you, can you handle this kind of hardship?" Lu Qiao said, poking Han Dong's waist.

"They make a lot of money! My dad told me that my uncle's boat can earn him almost 300,000 yuan for a round trip," Han Dong explained.

"So many? That's enough for a house in just two or three trips?" Lu Qiao was stunned.

"It's not that easy. First, become an apprentice and strive to own your own big ship in the future!" Han Dong replied.

"That's good. So you won't have time to play anymore?" Lu Qiao's words carried a hint of melancholy.

"I also have over 300 yuan in my ID card, I just topped it up, I'm leaving it all with you." Han Dong followed Chen Hao's example and told Lu Qiao.

"This..." Lu Qiao was at a loss.

After Han Dong finished speaking, he waved his hand and left the internet cafe with Chen Hao.

The huge internet cafe was still noisy.

But Luqiao felt only silence; no matter how noisy the sounds were, they couldn't reach his ears.

Lu Qiao was lost in thought, the game interface in front of him was preparing, only his own avatar was still in the room.

In an instant, nothing seemed appealing anymore, not even games; I suddenly felt lost.

I thought we were all at the bottom of the class, but those people are at the bottom because they already have a backup plan.

So they don't care at all, they live for the moment, and every extra day they can play is a bonus.

And what about myself? What about the future?

Helpless, Lu Qiao opened a webpage and checked his results on his phone.

After entering my ID number, I checked my score: 213.

That was an exceptional performance, but the fact that it was exceptional makes me feel like I'm being called an idiot.

Lu Qiao wasn't too upset; he knew his own limitations.

It was a kind of confusion, a lack of knowledge about the future.

No one can control me anymore!

His parents, grandparents, and sister all died in the fire two years ago.

You can't rely on anyone else; you can only rely on yourself for the future.

What might he do? Tighten screws in a factory? Or work as a hairdresser?

He got into Tsinghua University, you got into Peking University, and I'm roasting sweet potatoes. We all have bright futures.

Lu Qiao got up dejectedly, and the member got off the plane and went home.

A ten-minute journey, on a dilapidated electric scooter.

Park the electric scooter in the corner bicycle parking area.

Luqiao entered a tenement building without an elevator.

He walked up the narrow stairwell to the top floor, the seventh floor, and took out his key to open the door.

Aunt Liu, the neighbor next door, poked her head out: "Xiao Lu is back so early today? It's still two hours before dinner."

"Okay, nothing much to do today," Lu Qiao replied.

"By the way, is today the day the results are released? Have you checked?" Aunt Liu asked.

"Oh, I'll check it later!" Lu Qiao, who already knew the results, gave a perfunctory answer, pretending not to know.

Lu Qiao pushed open the door to his own house, only to find it empty.

The lights on the bridge were off, and I lay on the sofa, feeling lost and unsure of what to do.

After a while, Luqiao drifted off to sleep.

The reason for not turning on the lights is that if the lights were on, black soot stains would be visible on the walls.

Only a fire could leave such marks, and these marks are found throughout the entire house.

That happened two years ago. Luqiao found a night shift job at a convenience store during the summer.

I sleep at home during the day and work at the convenience store at night.

That night, Luqiao was listening to music in a convenience store when he saw fire trucks rushing by.

At first, Luqiao was laughing at whoever was so foolish, but seeing the direction the fire truck went, he had a bad feeling.

Luqiao took out his phone and called his parents, but they didn't answer.

I called my grandparents again, but there was still no news.

When Luqiao realized something was wrong, he locked the convenience store and rode his bike home.

Sure enough, the raging fire was located right in their own apartment building.

Firefighters and police cars worked all night to finally extinguish the fire.

The fire broke out on the top floor, the corridors were narrow, equipment was blocked, and there was almost no awareness of prevention.

Of the six family members, only the father survived.

Parents, grandparents, and a newborn sister.

Although Luqiao became an orphan, at 16 years old, he no longer needed a guardian in the strict sense.

Finding a guardian is not so easy when you are in high school.

The police handed the matter over to the neighborhood committee, and the committee director, Lao Zhang, helped with the entire process.

Death certificate, notarized property certificate, estate transfer, property handover.

There were five urns in front of the cemetery, and Lu Qiao alone carried them all inside.

Luqiao has no memory of that time; all he knows is that he cried and cried.

There are practically no relatives left in the family. Those I can remember seem to be all abroad, and I can't contact any of them.

"A close neighbor is worse than a distant relative," said Old Zhang from the neighborhood committee after weighing the pros and cons repeatedly.

A compromise was found: Aunt Liu, the neighbor next door, would provide an extra set of bowls and chopsticks.

The school provides a monthly food allowance of 800 yuan to cover three meals a day, which helps students adapt quickly without affecting their studies.

Old Zhang left his contact information; Luqiao will handle the minor matters himself.

For important matters, Aunt Liu would make a phone call and then everyone would sit down and discuss them.

The entire family's savings in Luqiao are now held in one person's bank account in Luqiao.

Not a lot, not a little, 630,000 yuan, enough for Luqiao to squander.

Luqiao is also aware of the situation and basically only spends the portion he earns himself.

He deposited his family's money directly into a fixed deposit account, also fearing that he might act recklessly due to his immaturity.

"Luqiao, dinner's ready!" Aunt Liu's voice came from across the hall; two hours had passed.

Luqiao got up, went out, and went to the neighboring apartment building, where two households in one building were mirror images of each other.

The meal for two was laid out on the table, consisting of two meat dishes and one vegetable dish, looking quite simple.

Aunt Liu's child is studying at a university in another city, and her husband works the night shift and is sleeping. He doesn't usually eat with the others.

Aunt Liu, holding her bowl and chopsticks, suddenly remembered something and asked, "Luqiao, the results are out. Which university are you planning to apply to?"

Aunt Liu was unaware that Luqiao's performance plummeted after the fire.

Everyone thought Luqiao was still one of the top students in the class, but only Luqiao himself knew that he couldn't keep up with his studies anymore.

For a short while after I gave up my studies, my homeroom teacher still wanted to try to salvage the road and bridge.

Despite several attempts, Luqiao remained defiant, as if nothing had happened.

After several unsuccessful attempts, I stopped trying to persuade them. Everyone has their own ambitions, so there's no need to say more.

So those 213 points are karma, but Aunt Liu isn't my biological mother, so there's no point in saying more.

Luqiao was still thinking about how to explain it, and he wanted to make up a university out of thin air.

After much deliberation, I decided that I would not trouble Aunt Liu any further after today.

A scene flashed through Lu Qiao's mind: Yes! It was Chen Hao talking about studying abroad!

Lu Qiao spoke up: "Um, Aunt Liu, I'm planning to study in the United States!"

After telling the lie, Luqiao tried to find an excuse to change the subject.

The next second, a shout came from downstairs: "Road administration? The 701 road administration?"

I haven't heard my grandfather's name for a long time.

Aunt Liu was even more excited than Lu Qiao as she walked towards the kitchen and poked her head out: "Here it is!"

Then you could hear the sound of footsteps; the deliveryman quickly arrived on the 7th floor.

"Normally I wouldn't come up here; it was sent from America!"

The deliveryman, panting, handed over the mail.

"America? Is that your acceptance letter?" Aunt Liu looked at Lu Qiao, who had just finished talking about studying in America when the package arrived.

Lu Qiao thought he had lied and subconsciously nodded in agreement.

"Cambridge, we've delivered there before, and these places are all top schools like MIT and Harvard!" the courier exclaimed excitedly.

"MIT? Harvard?" Aunt Liu smiled as she took the package, and the deliveryman quickly left.

Aunt Liu smiled as she held up the thick stack of emails: "Luqiao, where did you get accepted?"

Lu Qiao knew his own level; how could he possibly have been admitted from those two schools?

Lu Qiao, seizing the opportunity, grabbed the package and said, "Hmm, MIT. I'll go back and take a look."

Aunt Liu ran into the house happily, woke her husband up, and announced it as if it were a big event.

He even took out his phone inside the house and called Old Zhang, the neighborhood committee director who had helped him two years ago, to come over.

Two years ago, we agreed that minor issues would be handled by the road and bridge management team, while major issues would be discussed together.

There have been almost no major events in the past two years, but today is an absolutely major event.

Aunt Liu's husband, Uncle Chen, was the night shift warehouse manager. He woke up groggily and learned that Lu Qiao had been admitted to MIT.

Uncle Chen instantly sobered up and took out a bottle of 40-proof Jiannanchun liquor from the wine cabinet.

"It's not much wine, but it's just to celebrate. Luqiao, don't mind it!" Uncle Chen said with a smile as he walked to the table.

"Honey, are you drinking now and not working at night?" Aunt Liu asked.

Uncle Chen laughed, "There are still six hours until 11 o'clock, what's there to be afraid of! I'll be sober by then!"

Lu Qiao, who hadn't even had a drink yet, already had a flushed face.

Only Luqiao itself knows where the MIT came from; it must be a mistake.

But at this moment, Luqiao could only swallow his pride and nod in acceptance.

After thinking it over, Aunt Liu gave up and said, "Shall I go buy two more braised dishes?"

"Peanuts, duck heads, and a roast goose! Remember to call Old Zhang from the neighborhood committee; he needs to know about this big event in Luqiao!" Uncle Chen said with a simple smile.

Aunt Liu jogged out the door and soon arrived at the same time as Old Zhang from the neighborhood committee.

It took two whole hours to finish dinner.

Luqiao had no idea where Old Zhang and Uncle Chen got so much to say, chattering on and on with him.

From growing up to discussing Sino-US relations, and then to serving the country, Lu Qiao nodded repeatedly.

Lu Qiao and Aunt Liu kept their heads down, occasionally raising their glasses to offer a toast in return.

Old Zhang made a brilliant comment: "We've never seen an MIT acceptance letter before, shall we open it and take a look?"

Aunt Liu, Uncle Chen, and Old Zhang all stared at Luqiao.

Helpless, Lu Qiao opened the email in front of everyone.

Lu Qiao's heart skipped a beat, but when he opened the package, he was relieved to find it was all in English.

Uncle Chen, a rough man, started speaking under the influence of alcohol:

"Wow, that's beautiful! But what's the English? Luqiao, you're a student, can you read it?"

Old Zhang rummaged through his pockets, already somewhat drunk: "I forgot my reading glasses. What's your major, road and bridge engineering?"

Luqiao's vocabulary is also limited, so I opened a translation software and took a picture.

Luqiao, who had been completely drunk after drinking the liquor, woke up!

Lu Qiao stared blankly at the translated content.

Shocking! This is a letter from the law firm.

Based on the address, Luqiao could only think of his distant aunt.

But when they saw the contents of the letter, they were utterly shocked.

Lu Qiao recognized the email from the Charles Law Firm in Cambridge, Massachusetts after reading the translated beginning. It was indeed a lawyer's letter.

I thought this distant aunt had done something wrong, but I found out the truth after reading the contents.

This is about the handover of an inheritance, and the recipient is the grandfather, Lu Zheng.

In the handover of the inheritance, Lu Qiao's poor academic performance was due to his lack of study, not his stupidity.

My aunt has passed away, can I tell her?

Luqiao glanced through the email and realized that the top part was in English, and the bottom part was the Chinese translation.

"Uh, it's international trade. I'll put it away first, just in case it gets dirty with soup or water," Lu Qiao made up an excuse.

It's okay if you can't understand the English; the Chinese text underneath makes everything clear.

So we have to put it away quickly, or something bad will happen.

Upon hearing this, Aunt Liu nodded, "Yes, we need to put it away properly!"

Luqiao resealed the email and stuffed it under his buttocks to weigh it down.

After several rounds of drinks and five courses of food,

After another half hour of toasting and drinking, the party finally ended.

Uncle Chen could sleep for another four hours after returning to his room, so Aunt Liu led him into the master bedroom.

Lu Qiao then helped the drunken Lao Zhang upstairs, intending to get him a taxi.

Just as I helped her to the door, Aunt Liu chased after me from the master bedroom, holding a thick envelope and saying:

"If you want to go abroad, it will probably cost a lot of money. You're pitiful, and I won't talk about your sad stories. Here, take this."

"Aunt Liu, what's wrong?" Lu Qiao immediately realized something was amiss.