Chapter 349 (Updated 3491)

349:

While Ye Qingxi was engrossed in doing practice problems, Mu Shaoyan and Duan Yi's new game was also ready for release.

The two of them had been working on this game for several years, putting all their effort into it, so they were very concerned about its release.

Mu Shaoyan not only had Mu Shaoting sing the promotional song, but also used Ye Qingxi's connections to find Lu Mian to record the theme song. After that, he even approached Mu Shaowu, wanting him to be the spokesperson.

Mu Shaowu: ...

"At this point, you're not going to say you've chosen your own path?" he teased Mu Shaoyan.

Mu Shaoyan said matter-of-factly, "I want to walk my own path, but I'm not stupid. Why would I waste money hiring someone else to be my spokesperson when I have you as a ready-made top star? Do you think I have too much money to burn?"

"Where's the money?" Mu Shaowu asked him. "What about my endorsement fee?"

Mu Shaoyan: ...

"That's because the finances are tight right now. I'll make a note of it for you, and I'll make it up to you twice as much when we make a profit later."

Mu Shaowu snorted, and then he heard Mu Shaoyan fawn over him, saying, "Brother~ Brother~ My dearest good brother~~~"

His tone was so sharp that even mosquitoes within a hundred miles dared not come near, for fear of being pinched to death.

Mu Shaowu rubbed his arms in disgust, shaking off goosebumps. "If you call me again, you'll have to find someone else to represent you!"

"So you agreed?" Mu Shaoyan asked in surprise.

Mu Shaowu looked at him and said, "Otherwise what? Who told you to be so lucky to be born as my younger brother!"

Mu Shaoyan quickly flattered, "That's right, that's right!"

"Then it's settled. We'll take pictures of the posters and ads in a few days, and then we can make an official announcement at a later date."

Mu Shaowu nodded, then asked curiously, "Is your game fun?"

Mu Shaoyan immediately downloaded the game for him so he could try it out first.

Mu Shaowu found this experience to be quite fun.

So much so that when Ye Qingxi came home at night, she would see her father playing games on his phone.

Ye Qingxi leaned closer curiously and asked, "What game is this?"

Why did his dad suddenly start playing mobile games?

"Your uncle made it." Mu Shaowu looked up at him. "You know what, it's actually quite fun. I played with it all afternoon."

"Really?" Ye Qingxi immediately became interested. "Then I want to play too."

"You can't do it." Mu Shaowu turned the phone face down. "You're in your final year of junior high, where would you find the time to play games?"

"It's not like the high school entrance exam is next week, of course there's still time," Ye Qingxi said coquettishly. "I'll just play for a little while~ just a little while~"

Mu Shaowu could never resist his coquettishness, and Ye Qingxi's grades were consistently first, so after thinking about it for a while, he agreed.

Ye Qingxi quickly downloaded the app, registered, and started playing.

They played all night.

The next day, Ye Qingxi took her phone to school and shared the game with Pei Liang.

"Don't tell Zhong Yan and Kang Cong," he instructed.

Zhong Yan had just returned to her seat through the back door of the classroom when she heard this sentence.

Zhong Yan: ? ? ? !!!

"What can't you tell me and Kang Cong?" Zhong Yan looked at Ye Qingxi.

Ye Qingxi quickly put her phone down. "No."

"I heard everything!"

Ye Qingxi: "Really? Haha...haha..."

"Don't laugh. Tell me, what can't I and Kang Cong know?"

"It's... a game my uncle made," Ye Qingxi confessed helplessly.

Zhong Yan: !!!

"You didn't let me know this! Are you still my good friend?!"

Ye Qingxi looked at him and said, "That's precisely why I can't let you know. Otherwise, with your and Kang Cong's lack of self-control, your rankings would definitely drop in this month's exam."

Zhong Yan: ...

Pei Liang agreed, "That's true."

Zhong Yan: !!!

"I don't care, I want to play too." Zhong Yan took out his phone and asked Ye Qingxi to share the installation package with him.

However, Ye Qingxi smiled, stood up with her phone in hand, and said, "I'm going to the restroom."

Zhong Yan: ? ? ?

Ye Qingxi turned and fled.

Without saying a word, Zhong Yan chased after him.

The two of them started playfully fighting.

Pei Liang: ...Sigh, what a childish friend of his.

Pei Liang lowered his head, logged into the game, and selected his favorite character.

After chasing and playing around for a while, Zhong Yan and Kang Cong still managed to get the installation package. However, they had to ensure that their scores in this monthly exam remained in the top fifty of their grade. Otherwise, next month, they would have to undergo Pei Liang's grueling training.

Zhong Yan and Kang Cong: ...Life is really so difficult.

By the time Ye Qingxi and the others had finished their trial run, Mu Shaoyan had also basically completed his preparations.

The game, titled "Gods Wars," has finally been officially released.

The game quickly gained popularity upon its release, thanks to its spokesperson, Mu Shaowu.

Mu Shaowu even started a live stream specifically to show him playing games.

The entire internet was in an uproar, and Mu Shaowu's fans were even more surprised: When did their brother ever do a live stream?

Not to mention playing video games!

[Mu Shaowu is such a dedicated spokesperson! He even did a live stream!]

How much would the endorsement fee be to get him to do a live stream?

[But this game does seem pretty fun.]

[I think Mu Shaowu must genuinely like it, otherwise he wouldn't be doing both endorsements and live streams.]

[Especially since this game has only just been released, and it wasn't even made by a major studio.]

[This makes me want to play too, I'm going to give it a try now.]

Subsequently, promotional songs and theme songs for Mu Shaoting and Lu Mian were released.

Zeng Chong helped with the marketing, which brought the game to the attention of many game enthusiasts with great fanfare.

Game enthusiasts downloaded it out of curiosity and played it all night long.

And just like that, God Wars quickly became a hit across the country.

When Mu Shaowu actually received double the endorsement fee from Mu Shaoyan, he was shocked to realize that his brother seemed to have truly succeeded in starting his business.

Mu Shaoyan looked at him, feeling pleased.

In recent years, they have made quite a few games, but they are all small games, without the large investment of "Gods of War", and naturally they are not as profitable as "Gods of War".

Mu Shaoyan was very happy and treated his family to a meal to thank everyone for their help.

"This cup is thanks to my brother. I'm grateful that he was willing to endorse my product even when I didn't have the money to pay for the endorsement fee."

Mu Shaowu nodded in satisfaction, "That's correct."

"This drink is to thank my sister. Thank you for singing for me and not taking any money from me."

Mu Shaoting nodded gracefully, then he should indeed thank her.

"Thank you, Xiao Xi, for helping me connect with Lu Mian and getting him to sing the theme song for me at half price."

Ye Qingxi smiled, "You're welcome, Uncle~"

"This cup is to thank my heroic and extraordinary father. Although he did nothing, I am grateful to him for giving birth to such an outstanding person as me."

Mu Feng: "...You should sit down."

"Don't you have anything to thank your elder brother for?" Mu Shaowu asked.

"Of course." Mu Shaoyan looked at Mu Zheng. "Brother, we'll need your help with things from now on."

The tallest tree in the forest is bound to be felled by the wind. With the current popularity of "Gods War", it's inevitable that some people will be envious. Mu Shaoyan has already encountered several large capital groups that want to acquire "Gods War".

He refused them all.

But it's easy to imagine that these people, who can't get it and can't even have a piece of the pie themselves, would be content with that.

Therefore, Mu Shaoyan wanted Mu Zheng to release the news that the Mu Group was interested in acquiring "Gods War", and that the two parties would then reach a nominal cooperation agreement.

With the Mu Group as their backer, no one else dared to covet "Gods War".

"Okay." Mu Zheng had no objections.

After all, knowing that Mu Shaoyan is a member of the Mu family and that "Gods War" already belongs to the Mu Group are two different things.

Perhaps some people dare to challenge Mu Shaoyan, but absolutely no one wants to provoke the Mu Group.

"Thank you, brother. This toast is for you. I'm grateful that you'll always be my strong support."

After Mu Shaoyan finished speaking, he drank the beer in his glass and felt that everything at the moment was just too wonderful.

Ye Qingxi thought so too.

However, he soon discovered that life could be even better.

In late June, the high school entrance examination arrived as scheduled.

This time, it was Ye Qingxi's turn to take the exam.

Mu Shaowu took this very seriously and made time early on to accompany him to the examination hall.

Feng Que also flew over from City S.

"This is a lucky charm that your great-grandfather got for you. It's been blessed and is said to help you get good grades." Feng Que took out the yellow charm from her carefully wrapped lucky bag.

Ye Qingxi: ...That must have been really hard on his great-grandfather.

"Thank you, Great-Grandpa," he said quickly.

"No need, just focus on your exam and relax."

"Mm." Ye Qingxi nodded.

Mu Shaoting was unwilling to wait at home, so he also joined the team to escort students to the exam.

Qin Cheng and Qin Luan were with her.

Mu Zheng and Qin Yuan originally wanted to go, but they were both on business trips abroad and couldn't come back for the time being, so they had to give up.

The two of them made a special video call to Ye Qingxi the night before the high school entrance exam, telling him not to be nervous and to do his best on the exam.

"It would be best if you did well on the test, but if you don't do well, given your level, it certainly won't be really bad."

"come on!"

Duan Yi, on the other hand, was pulled along by Mu Shaoyan and appeared with him outside the examination hall.

"Come on, come on, this is the god of learning and the god of exams. Touch his golden right hand and it will bring you some good luck," Mu Shaoyan said enthusiastically.

Ye Qingxi raised Qin Cheng's right hand, which she was holding, and said, "It's already being dipped in."

Mu Shaoyan then remembered, oh right, their Xiao Cheng was also a test-taking genius.

"This is Xiao Cheng, Qin Cheng," Mu Shaoyan introduced to Duan Yi.

After saying that, he turned to Qin Cheng and said, "Duan Yi, my partner."

Although Duan Yi and Qin Cheng had always known of each other's existence, they had never officially met.

Now that they were finally meeting formally, Duan Yi took the initiative to say, "Hello."

Qin Cheng also said, "Hello."

After Ye Qingxi and Qin Cheng shook hands, Mu Shaoyan took Ye Qingxi's hand and held Duan Yi's right hand, saying, "Since we're all here, let's just have a little mingling."

Maybe if you get two of them, you'll get even better scores!

Ye Qingxi thought so too!

Zhong Yan, who was taking the exam at the same location as him, got off the bus and saw him. She quickly ran over and, after hearing that Ye Qingxi was trying to get some good luck, shamelessly took Qin Cheng's hand.

Qin Cheng: ...

Qin Cheng desperately resisted the urge to pull his hand away. Oh well, he'd do it for his brother's sake.

After all, his younger brother really wanted to continue attending the same high school as his good friend.

Once they had absorbed enough good luck, Ye Qingxi and Zhong Yan entered the examination hall together.

Mu Shaowu waited anxiously outside the examination hall.

Feng Que comforted him, "Don't worry, Xiao Xi will definitely be fine."

Mu Shaowu certainly felt the same way, but as a father, he couldn't help but worry about his child.

After the two-day exam ended, Mu Shaowu finally breathed a sigh of relief and waited for the results to be announced.

After estimating their scores, Ye Qingxi and Pei Liang both felt that they had done quite well.

Zhong Yan and Kang Cong thought so too.

Ye Qingxi called Chen Xiang specifically to ask, and after hearing his estimated score, she happily said, "That's great!"

"Hmm." Chen Xiang held his phone. "Maybe we'll even go to the same high school!"

“Definitely,” Ye Qingxi said.

"So you're planning to apply to No. 1 High School?"

"Um."

“Okay, then I’ll apply to No. 1 High School,” Chen Xiang said.

Ten days later, the results of the high school entrance examination were released.

Ye Qingxi and Pei Liang both scored higher than expected. Not only that, one scored slightly better in Chinese and the other scored two more points in math. So, in this year's high school entrance exam, the two of them got the same score and became the top scorers in this year's exam!

While ties are not common among top scorers in the high school entrance exam, they frequently occurred in the previous exams of Ye Qingxi and Pei Liang.

Ye Qingxi excels at songwriting and lyric writing, and far surpasses Pei Liang in the use of words.

Pei Liang was exceptionally intelligent and had been a test-taker since childhood, completing stacks of test papers. As a result, his scientific thinking was even stronger.

Therefore, during the years they were classmates, from elementary school to junior high school, they often differed by one or two points, or had the same score.

Ye Qingxi always felt that Pei Liang was also pitiful because of this. If it weren't for him, Pei Liang's life would probably be more brilliant.

Pei Liang, however, did not think so.

He has always been a rather proud and narcissistic person. If it weren't for Ye Qingxi, who was a pillar of strength to keep him in check and made him realize that he wasn't the only smart person in the world, he would have been lost somewhere by now, perhaps even completely disoriented.

Sometimes, people need some rivals. Sitting on a mountaintop, one might mistakenly believe that one can reach the heavens in one step. But a rival will let you know that although you are strong, you are never the only strong person in the world.

Because there are competitors, there is motivation to keep climbing, to keep moving upward, and to not feel so alone on the road ahead.

The higher you climb, the colder it gets. Pei Liang was born with the habit of wanting to stand at a high place, but he also disliked the cold.

That's why he likes Ye Qingxi.

I like that Ye Qingxi can stand with him on a high place, overlook the scenery below the mountain with him, grow together, and become a better person together.

"I never expected that we would both get the same score," Pei Liang said with a smile.

Ye Qingxi hadn't expected it, but he was very happy—his friend had done very well on the exam, so of course he was happy.

"Is your grandfather very happy?" he asked Pei Liang.

Pei Liang nodded, "How could it be anything but happy? It's more like being ecstatic."

Ye Qingxi laughed heartily, "To be honest, my grandfather was overjoyed too."

"Wouldn't Grandpa Zhong and Grandpa Kang be in a terrible situation?"

"It's alright. Zhong Yan and Kang Cong's scores are also quite good. I checked them, and they can go to No. 1 High School with us."

"When did I say I wanted to go to No. 1 High School?"

"Of course, it's before the high school entrance exam."

"Do I have one?" Pei Liang asked deliberately.

"You do," Ye Qingxi affirmed.

His memory is excellent!

Pei Liang smiled and said, "Okay, I do."

"Ye Qingxi, let's continue being deskmates," Pei Liang said softly.

They are friends, rivals, partners who support each other, and indispensable people on the road to growth.

Thank you for being in my life, my dearest friend.

"Okay," Ye Qingxi replied.