Don't underestimate the poor and elderly; I was thrilled to refuse the class beauty's adva

Before Zhang Yifan even reached the entrance of the residential area, he saw the convoy that Aunt Wang had mentioned from afar.

Five black Hongqi H9 sedans were parked on the side of the road, with small flags stuck in the front of the cars, and several staff members wearing white shirts and black trousers were standing by the car doors.

The most conspicuous thing was that there were several reporters carrying cameras next to the car in the middle. The camera caps had been removed, and they were looking towards the entrance of the residential area.

He walked over, and a secretary carrying a briefcase came up to him. Just as she was about to speak, Zhang Yifan said first, "Hello, I am Zhang Yifan."

The secretary paused for a moment, looked down at the photo of Zhang Yifan stored on her phone, and then looked up at the boy in front of her, wearing an old T-shirt and with his hands in his pockets.

He doesn't look this handsome in the photo!

The secretary took several seconds to confirm before turning around and jogging to the middle car. She bent down and whispered something to the rear window.

The car door opened, and a man in his forties stepped out.

Wearing a dark gray executive jacket, he walked at a leisurely pace, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were very shallow when he smiled.

It was Shen Huaishan, the mayor of Jinan City.

He was followed by the director of the education bureau and several other accompanying leaders, making for a more complete entourage than the admissions office delegation from the morning.

Shen Huaishan looked Zhang Yifan up and down, then smiled and said, "You're Zhang Yifan? You're quite the handsome young man! This year's provincial top scorer is from Jinan, which makes me, the mayor, very proud! Have you decided which school you've applied to?"

"I'm still considering it. Both Tsinghua University and Peking University have offered good terms."

"Tsinghua University and Peking University... Your 'still considering' is something many applicants wouldn't even dare to dream of."

Shen Huaishan smiled and shook his head, then asked Zhang Yifan about his thoughts on his future major, which Zhang Yifan answered one by one with composure and humility.

Shen Huaishan nodded to himself and then turned to wave to his secretary.

The secretary immediately brought over a red display board with several lines of eye-catching white text printed on it: "Jicheng City awards 100 million yuan to the provincial champion," signed by the Jicheng City People's Government.

Reporters' flashes went off instantly, and more and more neighbors gathered at the entrance of the community. Some held up their phones to record, while others shouted from the crowd, "Zhang Rongshan, your son is on TV!"

But Zhang Rongshan was still upstairs changing his shirt.

Shen Huaishan offered a few words of encouragement in public, his attitude sincere and not empty. After speaking, he patted Zhang Yifan on the shoulder and stepped aside to let the reporters take pictures.

When Zhang Rongshan and Liu Guilan changed their clothes and hurriedly went downstairs, they saw their son standing side by side with the mayor.

Zhang Rongshan recognized the middle-aged man in the dark gray jacket at a glance.

Who else could it be but the mayor?

His steps suddenly froze, and he almost tripped on the steps at the entrance of the building.

The person who came was actually the mayor.

He instinctively wanted to back away, unsure whether he should step forward. Liu Guilan pushed him from behind, and he staggered to Shen Huaishan's side.

When Shen Huaishan saw them, he took the initiative to come forward and extend his hand.

Zhang Rongshan grasped the other person's hands with both of his, shaking them up and down countless times, repeatedly saying "Thank you, Mayor."

Shen Huaishan smiled and said, "You've raised a fine son. Jicheng hasn't produced a provincial champion in over a decade. This is the pride of the entire Jicheng."

Liu Guilan, with her hand on Zhang Rongshan's lower back, squeezed out two words through gritted teeth: "Say thank you."

Zhang Rongshan quickly added, "Say thank you."

Liu Guilan: ...

Zhang Yifan: ...

Shen Huaishan burst into laughter and patted Zhang Rongshan on the shoulder: "Brother Zhang, don't be nervous. I don't have any official status today; I'm just here to get acquainted with the place!"

Shen Huaishan took out a business card from his pocket and handed it to Zhang Yifan.

The business card was simple, with white background and black lettering, only the name and phone number were printed on it, without any title.

He told me that if I had any difficulties going to university in Beijing, I could contact him. This wasn't just polite talk; he meant it sincerely. A top scholar from Jicheng is the pride of Jicheng wherever he goes.

After saying that, he turned around and prepared to get into the car.

Zhang Yifan suddenly remembered the system's mission—to help the old Party Secretary return to the system.

Shen Huaishan is only in his forties, and he is still decades away from being a "retired secretary." He has experienced the absurd timeline of the system countless times.

But since the task was still pending, he had to do something about it.

He looked down at the business card in his hand, then looked up at Shen Huaishan's back as he was about to get into the car, and a thought popped into his mind.

"Mayor Shen, wait a moment."

Shen Huaishan turned around and looked at him with some confusion.

Are you going back to the city hall?

"Yes, what's wrong?"

Zhang Yifan, forcing a smile, said, "Could you give me a ride to the vicinity of the city government? I've arranged to meet my classmates there."

The scene fell silent instantly.

The secretary's hand, holding the briefcase, froze in mid-air.

The smile on the Education Bureau Director's face froze.

The reporter carrying the camera almost dropped the lens cap on the ground.

Zhang Rongshan's mouth gaped open wide enough to fit an egg. He grabbed Zhang Yifan's arm, his voice trembling, "Don't be ridiculous! This is the mayor's car, not a taxi! What are you doing, kid..."

Shen Huaishan paused for a moment, then smiled.

He was genuinely amused; it had been a long time since anyone had spoken to him so naturally and without any ulterior motives.

He raised his hand to signal Zhang Rongshan not to be nervous, and looked into Zhang Yifan's eyes with a hint of appreciation: "Of course, get in the car."

Zhang Yifan stuffed the business card in his hand into his father's hand, opened the back door of the car, bent down and got in.

When his secretary closed the car door for him, his face was still in a daze, as if asking, "Where am I? What happened?"

Zhang Rongshan held the business card in both hands and stood by the roadside watching the convoy slowly drive away.

He examined the business card several times, turning it over and over, before carefully placing it in the breast pocket of his shirt. He then pressed it against the outside of the pocket to make sure it was in place before feeling at ease.

He said he could tell his relatives about what happened today for a whole year.

No sooner had he finished speaking than his cell phone rang in his pocket.

He answered the phone, and before the other end could even speak, his voice boomed as if he were broadcasting to the entire street: "Hey, Uncle! What? How do you know that Yifan got the highest score in the province, 723 points?"

Oh? You saw the news?

Yes, yes, just now, the mayor came to my house in person and even gave my son, Yifan, a ride to the city!

Liu Guilan shook her head and said in a tone that suggested she had given up on treatment, "There's no hope," before turning and walking upstairs.

When I got home, the coffee table was already full of today's spoils.

The brochures from Tsinghua University and Peking University are stacked on the left, the plaque inscribed with "Top Scholar" is placed in the middle, the one million yuan check given by No. 1 High School is on the right, and now there is also a display board showing the one million yuan reward from the city.

Standing in front of the coffee table, Zhang Rongshan looked from left to right and then from right to left, and exclaimed that his son had earned two million yuan in one day, more than he had earned in his entire life running a restaurant.

Liu Guilan poked her head out of the kitchen, her apron still untied, and said, "This is just the beginning. Our son will earn more and more in the future. We just need to run our little restaurant well and not hold him back."

Zhang Rongshan nodded, his gaze returning to the business card.

He took the business card out of his breast pocket, placed it on the coffee table next to the two one-million-dollar checks, and then took out his phone to take a picture.

Liu Guilan peeked out from the kitchen and asked him, "Are you going to take a picture and post it on WeChat Moments?"

He said no, he wanted to laminate the business card.

Liu Guilan said, "Are you crazy?" He replied, "You don't understand. This is the mayor's business card for his son. He might need it in the future."