Chapter 67: A Perfect Beginning

At this moment, the room was eerily silent. Xue Da, like everyone else, could not conceal the shock on his face. Liu Xueliang stood nearby, dazed, his complexion pale as he remained rooted in place, seemingly unable to believe what he was seeing.

648?

The final mock exam for the senior class—what was the highest score in the entire school again? It didn’t seem to have exceeded 670...

He clearly remembered that Lu Kuan’s usual grades hovered just above 500; 500-something was the best he’d ever managed!

No, no, there must be some mistake... That rascal Lu Kuan, could he be using someone else’s account?

At that thought, Liu Xueliang suddenly perked up, hurried over to the desk, shoved Lu Kuan aside, and chose to log out of the account on the webpage. Then he shouted at Lu Kuan, “That definitely wasn’t your account just now! Give me your exam admission ticket—I’ll check it myself!”

Liu Xueliang’s expression was somewhat ferocious, startling everyone in the room.

Xue Da frowned slightly and was about to speak, but Lu Kuan was already grinning, pulling out his admission ticket and handing it to Liu Xueliang. “The password is LKLK, all uppercase.”

Holding the admission ticket, Liu Xueliang carefully read each number, entered them meticulously, and hit the return key.

The 3D screen flickered, and the same scene appeared before everyone: Name—Lu Kuan... Score: 648.

Among the onlookers, some had harbored doubts similar to Liu Xueliang’s, but seeing this, any last hope was utterly extinguished: it was indeed Lu Kuan, right before their eyes, and he had scored 648!

Lu Kuan took back his admission ticket, tucked away his jade pendant and hung it back around his neck, then cradled the helmet in his arms and smiled at Xue Da. “Mr. Xue, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be heading out. I still need some time to adjust the helmet.”

Xue Da stood as well, smiling at Lu Kuan. “Very well, I won’t keep you. But... though I know you’ll refuse, I must say it: if you ever decide to sell that helmet, you must contact me first—I guarantee my offer will satisfy you.”

Lu Kuan shrugged with a smile, offering an apologetic gesture, then glanced at the devastated Liu Xueliang.

Originally, Lu Kuan hadn’t planned on humiliating Liu Xueliang so publicly.

After all, he wouldn’t have felt much satisfaction from it, and from an outsider’s perspective, it would make him seem arrogant and boastful, which wasn’t in his nature.

But since the other party kept pressing, Lu Kuan had to respond accordingly; blind tolerance was never his style.

He swept his gaze over Liu Xueliang’s face, then, holding the helmet, strode toward the door.

Liu Xueliang’s face shifted between green and white; several times he seemed about to stop Lu Kuan, but forced himself to hold back, watching helplessly as Lu Kuan walked out of the office.

At this moment, Liu Xueliang was filled with regret and unease; he couldn’t understand why Lu Kuan’s performance had exploded, and he bitterly regretted putting the wager in writing, leaving no room for backing out.

People in the corridor instinctively made way for Lu Kuan, then, as if on cue, followed him downstairs. Watching his slightly thin figure, their gazes were complex...

Lu Kuan walked confidently through the hall and left the internet café. Seeing the shock mixed with envy and admiration in the eyes of those around him, and the reverent expressions of the girls at the cashier’s desk, his vanity was quietly satisfied.

By contrast, when Liu Xueliang and his group came out, everyone wisely kept their distance.

From Liu Xueliang’s expression alone, it was clear he was in a terrible mood—better to stay out of his way than seek trouble.

Under countless curious stares, Liu Xueliang and his group strode out of the café.

"Boss, are we just letting him go like that?" someone couldn’t help asking at the entrance.

Liu Xueliang’s face was dark as thunder. He glared at the speaker. “What, do you have a way? Can you get the wager document back from him?”

Seeing Liu Xueliang’s look, the speaker quickly lowered his head, shrinking back in silence.

“Brother Liu, actually... the limited edition platinum helmet is more valuable. If possible, we should try to buy it back,”

A tall, skinny boy with glasses hesitated, then suggested tentatively, “After all, Uncle Liu got it through connections. Losing it like this will be hard to explain back home.”

Liu Xueliang sighed heavily. Of course he understood what the boy meant—but approaching Lu Kuan now to buy back the helmet? Pure wishful thinking...

Unlike Liu Xueliang’s utter frustration, Lu Kuan walking down the road was radiant with joy.

“Got the score I wanted, slapped Liu Xueliang in the face, and acquired the all-important platinum helmet... This is finally a little success!” Lu Kuan couldn’t help but think.

Since his rebirth, he had done many things, but now, without a doubt, it felt like his greatest achievement so far.

He looked down at the exquisite gaming helmet, feeling a deep attachment. In his previous life, even catching a glimpse of it would have been a luxury; he never imagined he’d actually own one!

Just as Lu Kuan was affectionately stroking the helmet, his thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of his phone.

It was Dai Guang’s number.

“Hehehehe!!”

As soon as he pressed the answer button, a string of bizarre laughter burst out of the receiver, startling Lu Kuan so much he nearly dropped the helmet.

“Lu Kuan, guess what I scored! Hahahaha...” Dai Guang’s raspy voice shouted, clearly excited.

“Did you break 550?” Lu Kuan replied dryly, cutting off Dai Guang’s exuberant shouting.

“You’ll never guess—uh... How did you know? Did you check my score?” Dai Guang’s voice faltered, puzzled.

Lu Kuan couldn’t help laughing. “Just a guess, haha. That’s a high score; looks like we’ll be classmates at Eastern University after all.”

“That’s true, though I can only get into the second tier,”

Despite these words, Dai Guang’s tone was full of happiness. “By the way, what did you get?”

When Lu Kuan told him his score, the line went silent for a moment, then finally came a single sentence: “You freak...”

Lu Kuan chuckled and didn’t tease him further; after chatting for a while, he hung up, then called his parents to share the good news. Hearing their barely suppressed excitement on the phone, Lu Kuan felt immense satisfaction.

He had finally managed to change something.

That evening, when he returned home, his father had bought a chicken and personally cooked a feast. The whole family gathered for a big meal, and his father, for once, got drunk, needing Lu Kuan’s help to bed early.

Content after food and drink, Lu Kuan lay in his own bed for the first time, holding the newly set platinum helmet, full of thoughts and emotions.