After Xu Zifan and Ji Yaru became famous, many school supplies and nutritional supplement companies approached them to be their spokespeople. This was the peak of their popularity, and if they had endorsed any of their products, it would have undoubtedly brought a sales surge. However, they didn't accept any of the offers, only advertising and promoting their Taobao store and Ji's father's business.
The Taobao store was renamed "Top Scholar Bookstore," and it's now categorized and stocked with workbooks, tutoring books, lesson plans, and review materials compiled by Xu Zifan for all subjects from elementary to high school graduation. The review materials are the store's crown jewel, and the other books are also carefully selected excellent titles. "Top Scholar Bookstore" has become a guarantee of quality, and many other stores have followed suit by listing their books, but none have achieved their sales success. These are books sold by two academic superstars; buying their books feels like basking in their glory. Why buy from others at the same price!
The bookstore is booming, and they've already hired ten staff members to handle customer service and pack and ship orders. They're completely free to focus on their studies and prepare to continue their academic pursuits at university. Both of them enrolled in the same university, the best in the capital. Xu Zifan is studying computer science, while Ji Yaru is studying management. Xu Zifan believes that having more skills is always beneficial, and his current favorite major is computer science; if he can master it, it might be much more convenient when he's plotting against someone in the future. Ji Yaru, on the other hand, is preparing to help her parents manage their business in the future and wants to specialize in it.
After the graduation banquet, the two of them went to the capital ahead of schedule. Their four elders were increasingly busy and couldn't take care of them, and they had nothing to do at home anyway. Now, the Ji family's business was on track and showing signs of prosperity. Mr. Xu was transferred to a very good city in the province to serve as mayor, and Mrs. Xu was busy with diplomacy, helping Mr. Xu sort out his relationships. Their time was even more pressing than that of their two children.
The two academic geniuses have passed away, but their legend lives on at No. 1 High School. The school's online network is filled with posts about them, the two most popular being a post explaining their achievements and a post featuring their beautiful photos. The news that Xu Zifan's father became mayor also quickly spread across the school network, surprising many and prompting comments that excellent genes can indeed be inherited, and that Xu Zifan and Ji Yaru's parents were truly remarkable!
Yan Yuxin stumbled upon these things and was shocked to realize the drastic changes that had occurred in the Xu and Ji families. She had consistently overlooked the elders of both families, never even asking them a question when they met, and hadn't even known when these changes had taken place. Why was Xu Zifan's father able to become mayor? Even in other cities, Xu Zifan would be considered the mayor's son. Why had Mr. and Mrs. Ji resigned from their jobs to start a business? And why was it thriving and seemingly very successful? Why were they so unambitious when she was with the Ji family?
Yan Yuxin could hardly believe it, and felt even more resentful. Why did Ji Yaru not suffer at all when she returned to the Ji family, while the Ji and Xu families prospered even more? Why did she not enjoy any blessings when she returned to the Yan family, but instead felt increasingly oppressed? What was she even after coming back? The Yan family had so much money, yet they wouldn't let her leave the house at all. What good was all that money? She had failed her college entrance exam again, and spending all her time with her tutor made her feel like her whole life was filled with darkness, completely devoid of any joy!
At this time, Li Xudong approached her again. The Li family had been experiencing misfortune for the past six months; their competitors had grown stronger, causing them to lose a significant portion of their profits and showing signs of decline. Li's father was trying to find the reasons and also hoped that Li Xudong could win Yan Yuxin back. If the Li and Yan families could form a marriage alliance, it would definitely benefit the Li family. Moreover, the Yan family only had one fool as their heir, Yan Yuxin. If Li Xudong became the Yan family's son-in-law, wouldn't the Yan family's business eventually belong to the Li family?
After being persuaded by his father, Li Xudong realized that his father's words made sense. He was going to get married sooner or later anyway, and marrying someone who could take over the entire Yan family was the most worthwhile deal. So what if he had to admit his mistakes? Once the Yan couple died out, wouldn't he be able to do whatever he wanted?
When it came to matters of interest, Li Xudong was extremely clear-headed. He didn't care at all about Yan Yuxin's insults, sending her flowers, calling her, and sending her WeChat messages every day. His attitude of apologizing was as sincere as could be. He even gathered a group of friends to testify that he had remained celibate for the past six months, waiting to ask for her forgiveness after graduation. He hadn't contacted her for the previous six months entirely because he was afraid of interfering with her studies; in reality, he had been waiting for her all along.
Yan Yuxin initially truly hated him, hurling insults at him relentlessly. When he came to her house, she even slapped him several times. But Li Xudong endured the beatings and insults, saying that he had momentarily lost his mind because Yan's parents had always disapproved of their relationship, which hurt his pride and led him to do such a despicable thing. He promised he would never make the same mistake again.
After a month of arguing with him, Yan Yuxin's attitude gradually softened. Now that no one else was kind to her, Li Xudong's continued kindness was like appearing at the perfect time, making her life less dreary. Later, Li Xudong mentioned going abroad, saying he hadn't done well on his college entrance exam and his family had decided to send him abroad to study. He suggested Yan Yuxin go with him so she wouldn't have to retake the exam.
This really tempted Yan Yuxin! The pressure of her college entrance exam was immense, all thanks to her parents, the Yan family. The relentless tutoring and extra classes had made her want to vomit at the sight of questions, and she had developed a severe aversion to studying. If she went abroad, wouldn't she be able to escape all of this? And she wouldn't have to face her parents who treated her like trash anymore! Once she was abroad, with no one watching over her, wouldn't she regain her freedom and be able to enjoy the life of a true heiress?
Yan Yuxin felt that Li Xudong had shown her a way. With school about to start, she quickly went to her father and said, "Dad, can I go abroad? So many rich kids go abroad. I heard that education is better overseas, and you can get a prestigious degree when you come back. I want to go abroad too."
Knowing that Li Xudong had been visiting frequently lately, Yan Yuxin's father narrowed his eyes and scrutinized her for a moment before saying in a deep voice, "You can't even study well in China, what can you learn abroad?"
"What? If you're really interested, then study hard with those tutors. Once you've mastered your studies, come work for me at the company and learn how to manage it. You have plenty of work to do; you think you can just go abroad for fun?"
Yan Yuxin tensed up as soon as she heard this. Her tutor was already exhausting, and now she had to go to the company and stay by her father's side? Wouldn't she be scolded every day? Anyway, her parents were still young, so wouldn't it be the same if she studied after she came back from abroad? She felt that she should relax for a few years and adjust her mindset before she could face her biological parents properly.
Seeing that her father had no intention of agreeing, Yan Yuxin gritted her teeth, lowered her head and said, "Dad, I want to go abroad with Li Xudong."
This time, the stern father didn't say much, only asking her, "Have you thought this through? Do you still want to get involved with Li Xudong?"
Yan Yuxin nodded hesitantly. Her father said coldly, "Fine, the housekeeper will arrange for you to go abroad. Don't regret it later. Go now."
Yan Yuxin left the study and only relaxed after returning to her room and closing the door. At first, she had tried to act like a good daughter, but after everything that had happened, she no longer wanted to see them. Every interaction felt like being lectured, and she hated that feeling.
She had no intention of forgiving Li Xudong. She hadn't had the chance to meet other guys yet, and maybe others were much better than Li Xudong. This time, she was just using Li Xudong's name to go abroad with him. Once they were abroad, who could control her!
Yan Yuxin finally cheered up, unaware that on this night, her father and mother made a decision: since their only daughter couldn't be the heir, they might as well have another child while they were still able to. Although pregnancy and childbirth would prevent her mother from going to the company for a year, it was better than letting a fool take over their family fortune. At their age, they could still raise the child.
Yan Yuxin didn't see her parents again until she left. The housekeeper arranged for her and Li Xudong to go abroad together, attend the same school, and live in adjacent apartments. This relieved Yan Yuxin's anxiety about going abroad; instead, she was filled with excitement. She had finally escaped the cage of the Yan family and could enjoy life outside. As she boarded the plane, she happily smiled out the window, even thinking of Xu Zifan and Ji Yaru, feeling that she was ultimately the better one.
Xu Zifan thought it was great to hear about the two; it gave him time to develop his career, preventing them from causing trouble again and requiring him to focus on dealing with them. At the start of the semester, he and Ji Yaru were the subject of much attention, but no one felt they were distant. The dorms were four-person rooms, with simple interpersonal relationships, and they got along well with their roommates. However, their closer classmates noticed that they spent the least time studying, rarely even going to the library. They used their free time to research lucrative projects related to their majors.
They actually came up with this idea near the end of the first semester!
Xu Zifan had two computer geniuses and three classmates with excellent computer skills in his major. He gathered these people together and created a one-on-one tutoring platform. The five classmates contributed their technical skills, and Xu Zifan gave them a total of 20% of the shares. He managed everything else, including providing the funding, so he naturally owned 80% of the company.
Ji Yaru participated in the company's management, and she and her partner recruited many students from their school to join the teaching platform as "teachers." Anyone could freely ask questions on the platform, and contracted "teachers" could then select questions for one-on-one tutoring. Each lesson was 45 minutes long and charged per lesson. The fees were split 40/60 between the platform and the "teacher," with the platform taking 40%. The platform required contracted "teachers" to teach at least one lesson per month, offering considerable flexibility. Many were willing to try, especially since their school's students were all top students. If they could do well, it would be an easy way to earn money while studying, far more lucrative than tutoring.
Xu Zifan and Ji Yaru are the best examples of learning success. Their advertisement for the educational platform attracted immense attention as soon as it was released. Initially, most people were hesitant, as their academic excellence didn't guarantee success in everything they did. It was their fans who actively supported the platform, becoming early adopters and interacting with the "teachers." They then discovered it was far more effective than simply watching live streams. The platform had a pre-interaction section, allowing them to choose the most suitable "teacher" and ask questions promptly – truly finding the best tutor!
Furthermore, the platform also has a text-based Q&A forum where users can post small questions, and "teachers" will see and answer them. If an answer is accepted, the user earns points that are added to their earnings. Essentially, you can ask top students questions anytime, anywhere, and there's always one willing to help.
Later, the platform launched a pre-recorded lesson section, where teachers from all grades would teach in a studio with a blackboard, lesson by lesson, covering the entire semester. This way, students who hadn't learned something at school could watch the lessons here, reviewing them repeatedly until they mastered the material. Of course, this is a paid service; the higher the teacher's level, the more expensive it is. However, if you genuinely want to learn, paying this fee is well worth it.
A year later, this platform became the strongest and largest educational platform, attracting widespread attention from students and parents. Even teachers sometimes mentioned it, hoping students would use it to improve their grades. It could be said that it gained universal recognition. And at this time, Xu Zifan finally achieved first place in his major!
He started this platform partly to start a business, but also partly to learn computer technology from experts. How can you go from a novice to an expert without professional guidance? So he came up with a way to take advantage of his proximity to learn computer technology from experts up close, not only about platform technology, but also everything else that experts know.
This student is a top student in the school, with skills far exceeding those of the average student, but compared to the truly top students nationwide, he's still not up to par.
Xu Zifan worked with them to build a platform, from learning by observation to openly seeking their guidance. In a year, he was able to surpass his teachers and become the best student in the entire major, thus preserving his status as a top student.
Ji Yaru naturally remained at the top of her class; she was already naturally good at it, and now she was thriving, having already begun learning more advanced knowledge from her professors. Xu Zifan's company also allowed her to put her knowledge into practice; applying what she learned was the most enjoyable thing. After the success of the teaching platform, they started working on new projects, beginning to create their own legend at the university.