Rebirth begins with studying hard

Chapter 46 The Purpose of Zhong Muqing's Father's Visit

This was the fourth match Lu Jie had watched Zhong Muqing play, and it was also the most difficult and intense match he had ever seen.

Zhong Muqing, who had never fallen behind the top three before, found herself in the middle immediately after the competition started.

As a spectator, he couldn't help but feel a pang of anxiety and became tense as well.

He used to never watch track and field events because, apart from the 100-meter sprint, which he could understand, he couldn't see the entertainment value in the other events.

But today, he understands.

Being immersed in the game can cause emotional fluctuations as the performance of the players you support changes.

Just like a football match, what seems like a 90-minute game, with only one or two goals, is actually a very turbulent and unpredictable process.

His initial anxiety turned into tension, and then hope emerged as Zhong Muqing slowly caught up.

When Zhong Muqing finally became the frontrunner, his mood changed from hope to nervousness.

He felt even more nervous than when he was competing.

All the tension he had been holding was released when Zhong Muqing won the championship by a mere one second.

There's a strange sense of comfort in it.

This is also the first championship won by the Anhui Province team in a middle school track and field event.

"Congratulations!" Lu Jie immediately greeted Zhong Muqing as she returned from the track. "Did you break the national first place mark?"

"Hmm! 17 minutes and 25 seconds!" Zhong Muqing was very happy.

"Awesome!" Lu Jie gave a thumbs up.

After listening to Zhong Muqing talk about it a lot, he also learned the national first standard for women's 5km: 17 minutes and 29 seconds.

Her performance not only broke the national first-tier record but also exceeded it by 4 seconds.

Such a long period of hard work has yielded excellent results.

"I'll treat you to dinner tonight." Lu Jie had already found a highly-rated local Shanghainese restaurant and planned to take her there after her competition.

"Great!" Zhong Muqing smiled broadly.

The high school championship will continue for two more days, but Zhong Muqing's competition is over and she will no longer need to stay on the field.

After completing all the formalities at 3 PM, you are free to move around.

"Shall we go for a stroll on Jinling Road?" Zhong Muqing suggested.

"I'm fine with anything." Lu Jie had no objections.

After saying goodbye to the coach, he and Zhong Muqing prepared to leave.

But as soon as she stepped out, Zhong Muqing was called back.

"Mu Qing." Outside the gymnasium, a middle-aged man called out to Zhong Mu Qing.

"This is...your father?" The middle-aged man had a refined demeanor and was about forty years old. Lu Jie's first thought was that her father had come to see her.

But Zhong Muqing's reaction surprised him somewhat.

First came surprise, then confusion, then she shook her head at him, before offering a polite smile to the approaching middle-aged man and saying:

"Uncle Li."

The middle-aged man walked over and said to Zhong Muqing, "President Zhong asked me to pick you up. He's been waiting for you all day."

As she was speaking, a Volkswagen pulled up and came to a smooth stop beside her.

Zhong Muqing's expression was complicated, showing a conflicted look of wanting to go but not wanting to go.

She rarely mentioned her father, but Lu Jie could roughly guess from her occasional remarks in the past that she and her father had some conflicts.

This scene also confirmed his guess.

Perhaps her father contacted her, but she ignored him, so he arranged for someone to wait for her at the entrance of the sports center.

"Your father is looking for you, so just go," he said. "I'll wait for you here at the sports center."

Although it is unknown what caused the conflict between her and her father, how big could the conflict between a father and daughter be?

At best, it was just a kind of youthful spite, like how in his past life he always felt that his mother had this or that problem.

By the time he realized that his mother was the one who truly cared for him, it was too late.

There's really no need to hold a grudge against your family like this.

At least that's what he thinks.

"Okay, then wait for me, I'll be back soon." Zhong Muqing thought for a moment, as if she had made up her mind, and got into the car after it came to a complete stop.

"No rush," Lu Jie said with a smile.

He watched the car slowly drive away.

The taillight emblem of the car as it drove away caught his eye.

PHAETON.

This is the first time he has ever seen a Phaeton in person since he was reincarnated.

That's really low-key.

The thought flashed through his mind for a moment, then he looked at the middle-aged man who was still standing there:

"Did you need to see me about something?"

The middle-aged man was somewhat surprised, seemingly not expecting Lu Jie to take the initiative to speak to him.

He then smiled and nodded: "You must be Lu Jie, Mu Qing's classmate?"

"Is it convenient? There's a teahouse nearby, shall we sit down and chat for a while?"

Lu Jie nodded.

He had assumed the middle-aged man had come specifically for Zhong Muqing, but after Zhong Muqing got into the car, he didn't follow her in; instead, he waited in the same spot as him.

Furthermore, the fact that Zhong Muqing addresses him as Uncle Li clearly indicates that his relationship with Zhong Muqing's father is quite special.

If that's the case, then leaving behind the evidence most likely means they're looking for him.

So she was relaying a message for her father?

Is it related to Wang Zhe?

He had some guesses in his mind.

After arriving at a private room in the teahouse with the middle-aged man, the man began with a brief self-introduction:

"My name is Li Caide, and I am President Zhong Lan's assistant."

"I've been Mr. Zhong's assistant for almost twenty years, so I'm considered an old friend of his. I've watched Mu Qing grow up since she was a child."

"Mr. Zhong asked me to come and talk to you. First of all, I am very grateful for your tutoring of Mu Qing's studies, which has enabled her to improve her grades relatively quickly."

"I am especially grateful to you for getting Mu Qing to focus on her studies and stop fooling around."

Lu Jie smiled, said something polite, and then said nothing more.

He knew this was just an opening, and waited for the other party to continue.

"We know that Mu Qing and you have a pretty good relationship."

"As her friend, I believe you also hope that she can get better and better."

"Mr. Chung has already made arrangements for her to study at Stanford after graduating from high school, but she is not very willing."

"We hope you can step in and help persuade her."

Stanford?

Lu Jie felt it was familiar; he had heard someone mention it not long ago.

After a moment, he remembered.

When she went to Zhong Muqing's house for dinner in May, she asked him if he would be willing to study at Stanford if given the opportunity.

At the time, he didn't pay much attention, thinking that Zhong Muqing was just asking casually.

Now he understood. It turned out that Zhong Muqing's father had arranged for her to study at Stanford, and she seemed to be a little conflicted, wanting to ask for his opinion.

Thinking back to his past life, he hadn't seen Zhong Muqing since his second year of high school.

So, in her past life, she went to study at Stanford?

But before he could think further, the other party's next words stunned him.

Li Caide paused briefly before continuing:

"If it succeeds, we will definitely thank you."

"for example:"

"We can purchase the copyright to your online novel 'Battle Through the Heavens,' pay a copyright fee higher than the market price, and arrange for film, television, and game adaptations."

"I think this is something any creator would be very willing to do."

"Or, if you are interested in investing in milk tea, and if you are planning to start a new tea brand or any other brand in the future, we can provide you with an investment to help you expand your store."

"Of course, this is just our suggestion. You can also bring up your ideas, and we can discuss them."

"If only you could help us persuade Mu Qing to go to Stanford."

Lu Jie looked at the other person seriously.

They've investigated him thoroughly.

Not only did I know he wrote novels online, but I also knew he invested money in Kafka?

"And then what? What else do you need me to do?" He remained noncommittal.