The so-called highly prestigious third prize instantly became a joke.

"This...this is impossible..."

Zhang Ya muttered to herself, her voice trembling.

After a brief moment of stunned silence, Wu Di was overwhelmed with immense joy.

He suddenly slapped his thigh and burst into a deafening, maniacal laugh:

Hahaha! I knew it! I knew it!

Did you hear that? First prize!

He pointed at the girls, laughing so hard he almost cried.

"And now? Why aren't you saying anything?"

"Oh dear, your faces look rounder!"

The girls looked at Wu Di's smug expression and didn't know what to say.

Shen Qingqiu ignored the commotion in the class.

She continued in her steady tone.

"In addition, Professor Li said that he believes that works like 'Firefly' should not be buried because of one person's prejudice."

"Therefore, he has decided to do so in his personal capacity."

"I recommended 'Fireflies' for publication in the city's literary journal, 'Jiangcheng Literature'."

If the previous message was a slap in the face, then this one is a heavy blow!

Published!

It was even published in an official, purely literary journal like "Jiangcheng Literature"!

This is no longer within the scope of a student essay competition!

This is genuine recognition that only professional writers can receive!

The whole class erupted in uproar!

"Holy crap! It's going to be in a magazine?!"

"Really? Lin Que is too amazing!"

"Damn it, we're still worrying about essays that score a few dozen points, while others can already get them published?"

Countless gazes, a mixture of shock, envy, jealousy, and even awe,

They all converged on Lin Que.

And the eye of the storm simply raised its head slowly and yawned.

Zhang Ya was trembling all over.

That third-prize certificate that she had just treasured

At this moment, it feels like a red-hot iron burning in my hand.

In her panic, she tried to hide the certificate, but her arm swept over and knocked over the water glass.

With a "whoosh",

The water in the cup instantly soaked her books and trouser legs, leaving her in a sorry state.

In the midst of deathly silence and under the watchful eyes of countless people,

She rushed out of the classroom in a disheveled state.

...

Even after school, the discussions on campus hadn't stopped.

Lin Que's name spread to every corner of the school with unprecedented popularity.

Lin Que ignored the rumors circulating on campus.

He carried his schoolbag and walked straight out of the school gate.

He had more important things to do than to argue with a bunch of kids.

He took out his phone and dialed his mother's number.

"Mom, how's the house search going?"

On the other end of the phone, Wang Xiulian's voice sounded hesitant and troubled.

"Xiao Que, we've come to see this place more than ten times already. The houses in Xisheng Mansion are truly wonderful—so spacious and bright!"

The neighborhood is like a park. It's just... it's just..."

"Mom, what is it?"

A somewhat helpless voice came from beside him:

"Your mother thinks it's too expensive. She heard that the full amount would be 3.8 million, and she absolutely refuses to agree!"

He said this money was meant to be saved for your wedding, but he insisted on looking at old, run-down apartments worth hundreds of thousands!

"Come quick, she's driving me to the brink of a heart attack!"

Lin Que burst out laughing after hearing this.

That's definitely his mother's style.

He lived frugally his whole life.

Although she pleaded with her and said she had more than two million,

Letting her spend such a huge sum of money like this would probably be harder than taking her life.

Simply trying to persuade them over the phone is definitely not going to work.

"Dad, are you still at the sales office?"

"Yes, the salesperson's face is practically frozen from smiling, but your mom just won't budge."

"OK."

Lin Que's tone became more resolute.

"Don't go anywhere, just wait for me there."

"I'll be right there."