Chapter 35: Your Grades Are Mine to Decide!

Page 1 of 3

“Remember, the pearls must not be cooked for too little or too long. The syrup ratio has to be just right.”

“The fruit jam for the coconut jelly fruit tea must be stirred thoroughly, or the texture will be very strange.”

“The milk foam for the milk-foam green tea has to be freshly whipped. It can’t be prepared in advance, or it will affect the taste.”

The two listened and took notes, as seriously as if they were attending a class.

At the same time, Lin Qianfan was not idle either.

Using the principal’s name, he contacted a renovation company and had them refurbish the milk tea shop.

“The storefront sign needs to be more eye-catching. It would be best to put up a large sign,” Lin Qianfan told the workers. “The advertising has to be done properly.”

“Hang a huge bright-red sign at the entrance, with the shop’s name written on it in prominent lettering.”

By the time school let out that evening, the entrance to the milk tea shop was already packed with people.

“I heard the new milk tea shop was set up by Lin Qianfan?”

“Yeah. I saw him directing things inside when I passed by today. He looked pretty professional.”

“What’s gotten into him lately? He’s running a delivery service, opening a milk tea shop, and even operating an official account. It’s as if he’s turned on a cheat code.”

“A cheat code? I think he’s probably being kept by someone! His family is so poor—where would he get the money for all this?”

Someone in the crowd muttered that last remark under his breath, immediately drawing the others’ attention.

“Being kept? Seriously?”

“Think about it. His family is completely ordinary.”

“He suddenly bought a computer, rented classrooms, and opened a shop within half a month. Where did the money come from?”

“That’s true… And haven’t you noticed how close he’s been with Xia Ruo lately? Could it be that her family…”

“Stop talking nonsense! Xia Ruo’s family isn’t wealthy either. Besides, Lin Qianfan could never be the kind of person who lets someone keep him.”

“Who knows? Anyway, the whole school is saying that his money comes from questionable sources.”

The group whispered among themselves. Their voices were quiet, but they still reached Xia Ruo’s ears from nearby.

She stood outside the crowd, holding the stationery bag she had just bought. Hearing those harsh remarks, she frowned slightly.

“What nonsense are you talking about? How could Lin Qianfan possibly be that kind of person?”

The group froze for a moment, clearly not expecting Xia Ruo to speak up.

“Lin Qianfan works so hard, and all you can do is make wild guesses behind his back?”

“He’s so busy every day that he barely has time to eat. Every penny he makes is earned by himself. What gives you the right to say he’s being kept?”

A girl muttered under her breath, “We never mentioned anyone by name. Why are you getting so worked up?”

Page 1 of 3

Xia Ruo turned to face them. “You were talking about him. I heard every word clearly.”

“Spreading rumors without any evidence is disrespectful.”

An inexplicable irritation welled up inside her, and she hurried toward the dormitory.

The group was rendered speechless. All they could do was pretend they had heard nothing and walk away with their heads lowered.

Meanwhile, in Classroom 305—

Lin Qianfan was examining the backend data of the delivery platform. Sales had risen rapidly over the past few days, especially during lunch and dinner, when the number of orders had nearly doubled.

Yong Pan pushed open the door and walked in, tossing a stack of documents onto the desk.

“Qianfan, traffic to the official account is growing quickly. The number of newly registered users recently was thirty percent higher than last month.”

“What about the software?” Lin Qianfan asked without looking up.

“It’s already online. The download numbers are pretty good, and there haven’t been any major problems on the backend.”

“Good.” Lin Qianfan nodded and turned the computer screen toward him.

“Orders on the delivery platform have increased too. The merchants say sales are far better than expected. A few shops have even approached us on their own because they want to join the platform.”

Yong Pan glanced at the screen and rubbed his chin.

“We’ve got enough traffic now. Shouldn’t you consider doing something else?” His own suggestion made him lose focus for a moment.

In truth, Lin Qianfan had already been thinking about it, but he had never settled on a clear direction.

His fingers, which had been tapping on the desk, paused for an instant. The official account and delivery platform had both proven successful. The next step, perhaps, was to create a website of his own.

The idea had been circling in his mind for a long time.

The official account focused mainly on novels, and now that they had the traffic, why not build a more comprehensive content platform and keep the users entirely within their own system?

The plan seemed undeniably ambitious, but deep down, he felt an urge pushing him to take that step.

Editors. Content updates for the website. One problem after another stood like barriers in his path, and Lin Qianfan could not help sighing.

Their resources were limited, and there was not enough time. The plan to launch a website would have to be put on hold for the moment.

He lowered his gaze to the exam papers on the desk and remembered his own identity, as well as the approaching college entrance examination.

He knew that although his dream lay ahead, what he needed now was patience and preparation grounded in reality.

“There are only two months left before the college entrance examination. How is your revision going?”

“What can I say? I’m just taking things one step at a time.” Yong Pan scratched his head. “You’re the one who should watch out. Don’t get so caught up in all this that you neglect your studies.”

Lin Qianfan smiled. “Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing.”

Two days later, the school held a mock examination.

Page 2 of 3

When the results were released, Lin Qianfan looked at his ranking—tenth in the entire grade.

“Not bad, Qianfan. With scores like these, you should be able to get into a top university, right?” Yong Pan came over, waving his exam paper.

Lin Qianfan said mildly, “It’s all right. But the rest of you need to work harder too and aim for a more secure choice of university.”

Standing beside him, Yong Pan’s mouth twitched. He waved his own report card.

“I only ranked somewhere in the two hundreds. I dragged down our class average.”

Dawei sighed as well and pulled a crumpled report card from his schoolbag.

“I’ve got it worse. I completely failed math and ranked outside the top two hundred in the grade.”

Looking at their dejected faces, Lin Qianfan felt somewhat guilty.

They were all fairly quick-witted, but lately they had devoted themselves entirely to the software and had no time to revise.

They had spent a great deal of time and energy rushing to get the software launched.

Lin Qianfan waved his hand. “Once the software is finished, I’ll tutor you.”

“Tutor us?” Yong Pan stared at him. “You’re actually planning to teach us?”

“Yes.” Lin Qianfan’s tone was firm. “You all have a talent for programming. If you can create software, how could you possibly fail to learn high-school subjects?”

“Besides, the college entrance examination is almost here. Don’t let yourselves fall apart at the last moment.”

Dawei curled his lip. “You make it sound so easy. Our minds don’t work as fast as yours.”

Lin Qianfan swept his gaze over them. “If your brains aren’t enough, make up the difference with time.”

“Anyway, the software will be finished soon. From now on, you’ll all follow my arrangements.”

The roommates exchanged glances and did not dare contradict him.

Two days later, the official account’s software was officially launched.

Sitting in Classroom 305, Lin Qianfan stared at the download figures in the backend, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

“On the first day after launch, downloads have already surpassed a thousand, and user engagement is pretty good.”

Yong Pan leaned over for a look and could not help sighing with admiration.

“Qianfan, now that our software is online, all our hard work has paid off.”

Lin Qianfan nodded and closed the laptop.

“All right. The software is done. Now it’s your turn.”

Page 3 of 3