Chapter 386

At 8:30 p.m., Li Gengyang, the host of the financial channel, was sitting behind the familiar news desk wearing a khaki-colored suit, seriously reporting the latest hot financial news.

"...Recently, an app called 'Walk and Earn Money' has become popular nationwide. Everyone has it, and according to current market estimates, it has reached a valuation of 200 million. Blah blah blah..."

Toutiao, a popular news app, had occasionally shown advertisements for the 'Walk and Earn Money' app in the past. A little figure would walk a step and earn a gold coin, which was quite interesting.

However, today it was not an advertisement but a hot news headline on Toutiao. The 'Walk and Earn Money' app had become a top trending news item.

It analyzed the magical appeal of this software, its mysterious appearance out of nowhere, and the fact that it was not created by an internet tycoon but reportedly by a student as a graduation project. Yet by some fluke, it had become a nationwide sensation, with major smartphone brands partnering with it to have it pre-installed on their new phones.

Why could an app with such a straightforward name become so popular, and why were people of all ages and genders using it?

It's understandable for young people, the main users of the internet, to like it because they're often strapped for cash and are more receptive to new things. Not only does this app allow them to exercise and socialize, but their daily step counts and earnings have become a regular part of their daily conversations. Even the elderly have become users, constantly comparing their daily steps and earnings and sharing the app's "advertisements" on their social media feeds.

The national media platform "ZhongQingPingLun" also published an article discussing the pros and cons of students starting businesses, using the 'Walk and Earn Money' app as an example. It praised how this student's graduation project had become a nationwide craze, as the app had considered people's actual situations and aligned with modern society's fast-paced lifestyle habits, blah blah blah...

Meanwhile, Xiao Qi was diligently studying her Portuguese textbook. While she had made good progress in other foreign languages, Portuguese was still her weakest subject, and she found it quite challenging. She felt that this was related to her time management and the teacher, Teacher Aizhen, who lacked patience. Xiao Qi had struggled to learn Portuguese, and after the initial introduction, she had mostly studied it by herself. Being a less common language, there was also a lack of an immersive environment to practice.

Zaizai was also studying by her side, reading a book while pouring Xiao Qi a cup of warm chenpi water without looking up.

Xiao Qi sipped the water while memorizing her textbook, then put the cup down. This was their typical daily routine - studying together, with Zaizai handling the practical tasks while Xiao Qi focused on academics.

At first, Xiao Qi was excited about the 'Walk and Earn Money' app's success, or rather, she remained in a daze for a week, feeling elated and unfocused.

When she sold her house, she had gone all-in, feeling that since the assets had come from the system, if she didn't have the system, she wouldn't have had any of it. So whether she succeeded or failed, at least she had tried her best.

However, when she actually invested all her money into the app, although she no longer paid attention and focused on studying, she still felt anxious deep down.

She could only console herself that even if she lost everything and failed, at least the knowledge she had gained from studying was still hers.

Indeed, the more books she read, the more confident Xiao Qi became.

Even if the system suddenly disappeared one day, Xiao Qi felt that she would not be afraid anymore.

But she never expected the app to become such a hit.

According to Zaizai, the app's daily revenue had exceeded ten million yuan. Meanwhile, Xiao Qi's 'Walk and Earn Money' progress system had only reached level 15, earning her just 45,000 yuan per day.

Li Tangsong was also baffled. Previously, he had expected to keep giving money, and that this kind of app would last at most a month before the money ran out and it was over.

He had at least given his younger brother an explanation.

But now, despite giving out a lot of money every day, even more money kept pouring in from advertisements, audio content, novels, and various partnerships. However, due to Xiao Qi's initial rule of only displaying three advertisements per day, a huge amount of money was being turned away...

Although there were only three advertisements, the user base was so massive that the earnings were still astronomical.

As an analogy, if half of China's 1.8 billion people, or 900 million people, each spent one cent per day, that would be 9 million yuan.

Now, when signing contracts with advertisers, the app didn't even need to receive money from them upfront but could settle payments after the ads were served.

Because the traffic and effectiveness were so good, the settlement amounts were huge sums of money, and advertisers without sufficient financial strength were directly excluded.

Yet countless companies were still vying for partnerships.

Li Tangsong: ...

Initially, to avoid suspicion, he had arranged for a separate office with dedicated managers to handle this side of the business.

But now, this app had become more famous than any of Tangsong Group's products, which pained him a little.

Xiao Qi did not pay attention to the outside world's reactions. She felt that she had succeeded with this system app because she had seen Teacher Aizhen using it. Teacher Aizhen said that after installing the app, she ate more, felt better physically, and had a regular exercise routine, which was very good.

While Xiao Qi did not care about the outside world, many people were paying attention to her.

A freshman at Enhua University, fluent in eight foreign languages, top of her class in all subjects, skilled in horseback riding, breaking marathon records, last year's swimming champion in Jingnan Province, first place in the Meng City freshman English speech contest, the youngest member of the Calligraphy Association, the most spiritually gifted young painter whose works were in high demand.

Yet there had been no news about her for half a semester.

Many thought she had faded into obscurity, as no matter how impressive her previous achievements were, she was still just a student at the private Enhua University. Although Enhua was officially a second-tier university, most people considered it a third-tier school due to its private status.

But unexpectedly, after half a year of silence, when news about her resurfaced, she had turned out to be the creator of the wildly popular 'Walk and Earn Money' app, estimated to be worth over 2 billion yuan.

Xiao Qi's roommates, who had only helped with some minor tasks, were surprised to find that they were receiving monthly dividends that exceeded the allowances their parents had given them.

The same was true for Zaizai, who was also receiving dividends.

Now Xiao Qi was not only his girlfriend but also his boss.

No one would say anymore that she was with Li Weijin for money, but rather they envied Li Weijin's keen eye for spotting her potential.

Zaizai was under a lot of pressure. Although he acknowledged that his grades were not as good as Xiao Qi's, at this rate, he would become someone who was just living off her success. So he had to study even harder. He was not unintelligent, and by studying alongside Xiao Qi and having an extra year of prep school, he quickly caught up.

When working on coding for the app together, he actually learned faster than Xiao Qi in those areas. Being able to apply what he learned greatly boosted his interest in studying. Subjects that had seemed difficult before became easier and more interesting when he could see their practical applications.

At this rate, by the end of the term, they would be able to take and earn credits for courses in the second and third year of their majors. Enhua's exams were relatively lenient, with a broad admission and graduation policy. As long as students didn't sleep through classes or skip them entirely, they could generally pass.

In addition to her daily studies, Xiao Qi had also incorporated graduate entrance exam materials into her curriculum.

Her goal was to attend graduate school at Tsinghua or Peking University. Enhua had hired many retired professors from those universities, including Xiao Qi's calculus and accounting teachers, who were originally from Tsinghua and Peking. So in addition to studying, she could also consult them on other matters.

The accounting professor was a bit more reserved, but Xiao Qi was such an exceptional student that he appreciated her talent. He gave Xiao Qi a detailed introduction to becoming a professor at Tsinghua and Peking University, allowing her to choose which field she wanted to pursue.

Calculus Professor Lu was much more enthusiastic. She helped Xiao Qi research her options and even invited Xiao Qi to her home for dinner, along with her retired husband who enjoyed fishing and gardening in their leisure time.

On the first visit, Xiao Qi brought along Zaizai.

Nowadays, the two were openly together, which was known to everyone. Yet both of them were excellent role models, never engaging in any inappropriate intimacy in public settings. So the student disciplinary committee had no reason to apprehend them or make them write self-criticisms.

After all, their relationship had been reported to the school director, Ms. Su.

Originally, Xiao Shengzhou wanted Xiao Qi to take over as the student union president. It wasn't because he favored Xiao Qi, but because he found her to be level-headed, unperturbed by honor or humiliation, a generous and kind person. When she didn't have much money earlier, she donated what she had to build schools in impoverished mountainous areas. And it wasn't just a one-time gesture: Xiao Shengzhou learned that whenever Xiao Qi received an award or a substantial income, she had a habit of making donations, without any publicity.

He knew this because Xiao Qi didn't fully understand the process and consulted him on how to donate properly, ensuring the money wouldn't be misused and would genuinely help those in need. Xiao Shengzhou realized she wasn't just putting on a show for him: she had no need to do so, and he wasn't that important to her.

When Xiao Shengzhou first learned about Xiao Qi and Li Weijin's relationship, he felt hurt, wondering why he couldn't measure up to that young boy, who was just a bit better looking.

But observing how they interacted, Xiao Shengzhou started to understand why it was him and not Xiao Shengzhou himself.

When Xiao Qi bathed her horse, Xiao Shengzhou would watch and smile, but rarely lend a hand. He wasn't skilled at such tasks. But Li Weijin would join in, getting soaked and laughing wholeheartedly.

At mealtimes, Xiao Shengzhou would thoughtfully ask Xiao Qi what she'd like to order, but he wouldn't get up to fetch condiments or serve her food, as he wasn't used to helping with such minor tasks.

One would expect a young master like Li Weijin to be even more pampered, but in reality, he was far more attentive than Xiao Shengzhou himself. He even paid attention to water temperature, carrying a 52°C thermos to pour Xiao Qi water she could drink right away.

In contrast, Xiao Qi wasn't too particular about such details in her daily life. Initially, Xiao Shengzhou appreciated her lack of fussiness, assuming she wasn't finicky. But seeing how well Li Weijin took care of her, he realized she was just a young girl whose youthful needs he had overlooked due to her outstanding performance. After a few such realizations, he no longer felt bitter, and was even glad they hadn't ended up together.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to provide that level of attentiveness, even regarding something as simple as water temperature: it was beyond his capability. Since he couldn't do it himself, he stopped resenting Li Weijin's ability.

When he learned that Li Weijin had lost a lot of hair and shaved his head to keep up with Xiao Qi's studies, Xiao Shengzhou even felt sympathy for the young man: it couldn't have been easy. Now, Zaizai's shaved head had grown a dark stubble, making him look exceptionally energetic. Previously, his handsome appearance and slightly long hair had given him an androgynous look, but the shaved head made him look refreshingly masculine, leaving no doubt about his gender.

Teacher Lu was an elderly lady in her sixties or seventies, living with her husband. They had a grandson around Xiao Qi's age and a granddaughter who was already working. They were delighted when Xiao Qi and Zaizai visited.

The two young people were good-looking and hardworking, pleasing the elderly couple.

Li Weijin used to be a troublemaker with poor grades, accomplishing nothing: his good looks weren't enough to make people like him. But now he was diligent in his studies, earning the teachers' approval and admiration for his industrious pursuit of knowledge.

Xiao Qi and Zaizai comfortably shared a lunch with Teacher Lu's family, like visiting relatives, writing calligraphy with her husband and admiring their garden: a warm and intimate gathering.

Teacher Lu suggested Xiao Qi pursue graduate studies in mathematics, as she had a natural gift for it, with strong logical reasoning and a quick mind.

Xiao Qi herself lacked confidence. In middle school, she found math too easy, effortlessly scoring perfect marks. In high school, her math performance was outstanding, but amongst the talented peers, her excellence wasn't particularly remarkable. She wasn't very self-assured.

If she chose a field, it would determine her main area of study for the next few years, so she was quite cautious in her decision.