Rebirth: My college entrance exam score was stolen? I turned the tables and made a billion.

Eight o'clock the next day.

Jiang, the inspector from the Provincial Department of Education, and his driver, Xiao Li, changed into ordinary jackets and strolled leisurely along the bluestone road.

"Team leader, where are we supposed to find this Liu Guangming?"

Xiao Li held a freshly bought meat bun in his hand, eating it as he asked.

"Why don't you ask a school or neighborhood committee? These days, someone who can write such great articles is probably from a scholarly family and spends all their time at home reading."

Team Leader Jiang waved his hand.

"Don't rush to the neighborhood committee."

"The neighborhood committee ladies are gossipy and easily alert the enemy."

"Let's just ask a few passersby. Since he's a student from Songyang County and so outstanding, the neighbors should have some impression of him."

As they spoke, the two walked to a bicycle repair stall.

The stall owner was a thin, frail old man in his sixties, who was tightening a chain with a wrench.

Team Leader Jiang stepped forward, took out a Hongtashan cigarette from his pocket, and handed it to him.

"Master, I'd like to ask you about someone."

The old man tucked the cigarette behind his ear and wiped his hands with a towel.

"You're from out of town, right? Who are you asking about?"

"There is a young man named Liu Guangming who just took the college entrance examination this year."

"Oh?"

The old man was taken aback, then stared at Team Leader Jiang and looked him up and down.

"Who are you looking for? Liu Guangming? Boss Liu?"

Team Leader Jiang was stunned and turned to look at Xiao Li.

Xiao Li also looked completely bewildered.

"Master, he should be a recent high school graduate, not a boss."

Upon hearing this, the old man shook his head.

"It can't be wrong!"

The old man pointed to the crossroads not far ahead.

"Keep walking straight down this street until you reach the main intersection, then turn right. There's a self-service supermarket there! You're sure to find it there!"

Team Leader Jiang was even more bewildered.

"A supermarket? He works there?"

"What kind of work are you doing!"

The old man laughed heartily upon hearing this.

"That supermarket is owned by him! You wouldn't believe it, this Boss Liu is a big shot in our county!"

At this point, the old man became interested and began to talk at length.

"The Hongxing Grocery Store went bankrupt a while ago; the employees couldn't even afford food, and the store manager almost jumped off a building!"

"As it turns out, this young man, Mr. Liu, managed to turn around the government's mess with real money!"

"I heard even the county head personally visited the store, saying he's a model of reform for our county! Now that supermarket is so popular, the doorstep is practically worn down by foot traffic!"

Team Leader Jiang listened, completely stunned.

Xiao Li even forgot to bite the bun in his hand.

The two thanked the old man and walked along the street.

"Team leader..."

Xiao Li swallowed hard. "This situation seems a bit different from what we expected?"

Team Leader Jiang frowned, his mind in turmoil.

In their minds, someone who could write an article like "Breaking Out of the Cocoon" should be a poor scholar who buried himself in his studies and was full of patriotic aspirations.

The results of it?

The other party turned out to be a self-employed business owner who wielded considerable influence on the streets and was even praised by the county magistrate!

Revitalizing state-owned assets? What's with all this talk of self-service supermarkets?

This is not something a high school student would do.

"Let's go take a look."

Team Leader Jiang quickened his pace.

A few minutes later, the two stood at the crossroads.

The "Bright Supermarket" sign across the street is extremely eye-catching.

Even though it was only a little past eight in the morning, the supermarket entrance was already bustling with people coming and going, and a large number of bicycles were parked there.

Team Leader Jiang and Xiao Li followed the flow of people inside. As soon as they crossed the threshold, they both gasped in shock.

Rows of neat wooden sloping shelves were arranged with goods categorized and stacked, and the fluorescent lights overhead illuminated the entire lobby.

Customers carrying small plastic baskets wandered freely among the shelves, taking whatever they wanted before queuing up at the long table by the entrance to pay.

Xiao Li was dumbfounded.

"Team leader... we haven't even made this kind of thing in the provincial capital, have we?"

Team Leader Jiang remained silent, suppressing his shock.

Afterwards, he didn't rush to find anyone, but stood in the corner and observed quietly.

Next to the cashier, stood a young man in a white shirt.

He held a hardcover notebook in his hand and was methodically directing several workers to move goods.

"Brother Liang, replenish the Jianlibao over there, we're about to run out."

"Xiao Jun, go to the warehouse and take out that batch of newly arrived southern face masks, and put them on the middle, conspicuous shelf."

The young man's voice was somewhat immature, but the meaning behind his words conveyed a sense of composure and maturity.

Team Leader Jiang stared at the young man, already having guessed seven or eight parts of the truth.

He straightened his clothes and walked over.

"Comrade, get me a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes."

Team Leader Jiang handed over a few cents.

Liu Guangming didn't even look up, and casually pulled a pack of cigarettes from the shelf next to him and handed it over.

"Two and a half cents, checkout at the front desk."

"Also, take whatever you want."

Team Leader Jiang took the cigarette but didn't leave immediately. Instead, he rested his hand on the counter and casually struck up a conversation.

"Young boss, your shop is quite novel."

"Leaving things out there for everyone to take freely, aren't you afraid someone will steal them? Besides, this is public property. Haven't the higher-ups come after you for making such a mess?"

Liu Guangming put down his pen and looked up.

He sized up the middle-aged man in front of him.

He was dressed plainly, but stood up straight and spoke clearly and distinctly without a local accent.

Liu Guangming smiled.

"Comrade, you've got a lot on your mind."

He casually pushed the change over.

"You're afraid to do business just because you're worried about theft? Putting your goods out in the open is called respecting your customers."

"The old counter-style model, where you guard against customers like you're guarding against thieves, has long been outdated."

Upon hearing this, Team Leader Jiang's eyes lit up, and he continued to press for answers.

"So you're contracting out public assets? Aren't you afraid of being labeled as 'losing state-owned assets'? That's incredibly audacious!"

Liu Guangming grabbed a rag and casually wiped the cash register.

"Hats are worn by people, and roads are made by people walking on them."

"Reform always requires someone to feel their way across the river. If we keep sticking to the old rules and regulations, not only will the economy not thrive, but people's minds will also be stifled."

"As long as we turn stagnant water into flowing water, ensure that workers have food to eat, and make it convenient for ordinary people to buy things, then we are going with the tide."

Liu Guangming draped the rag aside.

"It's like... well, emerging from a cocoon."

When those last four words came out, Team Leader Jiang felt a "boom" in his head.

Wow, they all match up!

The intent behind these words, and that spirit of breaking free from constraints, is exactly the same as that article in the People's Daily!

Team Leader Jiang suddenly grabbed Liu Guangming's hand, his expression instantly changing from tentative to excited.

"You must be Comrade Liu Guangming?"

Liu Guangming was taken aback by this sudden action.

"Yes, that's me. And who are you?"

Zhao Xiaojun and Liang Ge, who were stacking goods nearby, saw the commotion and immediately put down what they were doing, cautiously approaching.

"What are you doing? If you're going to buy something, just buy it. Why are you all fussing over it!"

Liang Ge glared and shouted in a rough voice.

Xiao Li quickly stepped forward and stood in front of Team Leader Jiang.

Team Leader Jiang waved his hand, signaling Xiao Li to step back.

He released his grip, took out a red ID card from his inner pocket, solemnly opened it, and pushed it in front of Liu Guangming.

"Let's get to know each other again."

"I'm from the Provincial Department of Education, and I'm the head of the inspection team, Jiang Yuanshan."

Zhao Xiaojun was about to say something, but he swallowed the rest of his words back, almost biting his tongue.

Liang Ge froze, nearly dropping the two bottles of Jianlibao he was holding.

Provincial Department of Education?

How did a leader of this rank end up in their small supermarket that sells oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar?

Liu Guangming also frowned.

The college entrance exam results shouldn't be out yet, so why are people from the Education Department coming to our door?

Could it be... that something Chen Jianguo did has been discovered?

That shouldn't be the case...

Although the results will be released in a few days, they haven't been announced yet.

I haven't made a single move yet!

Before he could think further, Team Leader Jiang pulled a neatly folded newspaper from his briefcase.

People's Daily.

Team Leader Jiang turned the newspaper to the supplement page and pointed to the bold headline in the center.

"Comrade Liu Guangming, your perfect score essay for the college entrance examination, 'Breaking Out of the Cocoon,' has been published in its entirety in the People's Daily!"

"The director personally ordered me to come find you overnight!"

Quiet.

A deathly silence.

Li Guihua was sweeping the floor when the broom in her hand fell to the ground with a "thud".

Huang Mao was carrying a bag of flour out of the warehouse when he heard this. He slipped and landed on the rice bag.

Zhao Xiaojun was completely dumbfounded.

He stared blankly at the newspaper on the table, his mind buzzing.

He always knew that Guangming was a good student and a prospective college student.

But that's the People's Daily!

The largest newspaper in the entire country!

Guangming's article actually got published there?!

Liang Ge's mouth was so wide open it could fit a duck egg.

He glanced at the newspaper, then at Liu Guangming, and his usually fluent tongue suddenly became tongue-tied.

"Ming... Brother Ming, you're in the newspaper? A national newspaper, no less?"

Liu Guangming, who was standing to the side, looked at the newspaper and his heart skipped a beat.

When he wrote that article, he was indeed aiming for a high score, since the ideas in it were perfectly aligned with the current trends of the times.

But he never expected it to be featured in the People's Daily!

"Team Leader Jiang, this... is indeed beyond my expectations."

Liu Guangming quickly composed himself and smiled politely.

Team Leader Jiang looked at the composed young man before him, and his admiration deepened.

"Comrade Liu Guangming, the director values ​​you very much."

Team Leader Jiang looked around at the growing crowd of onlookers in the supermarket.

"This is not the place to talk."

"Are you free now? I'd like to come to your home for a visit and learn more about your family situation and upbringing."

"After all, a family that can raise someone as talented as you must be quite remarkable."