Chapter 151: Wealth-Spreading Progress 2

Chapter 151: The Process of Scattering Wealth II

Like father, like son?

A tiger mother bears no dog?

Well, Qin Jue could accept Meng Fan’s rather smug assertion, or perhaps he felt he had no other choice but to interpret it that way.

After all, his mother was a master of traditional Chinese painting, and his father could draft architectural blueprints that, quite apart from their structural utility, possessed an aesthetic beauty capable of crushing the works of most professional artists.

Scientifically speaking, genes determine far more than just your origins; they dictate a great deal.

While these predetermined factors may not entirely seal your fate, they certainly provide advantages that no amount of hard work can replicate.

We often hear the saying, "Most people’s efforts are so mediocre that they never even reach the stage where talent matters." It sounds like a piece of motivational chicken soup, but in reality, it’s a bit toxic. The truth is, only those who have truly pushed themselves realize how vital talent is; a sliver of natural gift can often outweigh mountains of effort.

To be good, effort is enough. To be exceptional, you need both effort and talent.

Of course, having talent without effort will never make you exceptional.

Unless... your talent is your face!

In Qin Jue’s eyes, Meng Fan had previously been the type of player who relied solely on talent without much effort—though even without trying, his professional work remained top-tier, and with just a little effort, he could master multiple fields of design. Now that he had started applying himself, the halo of his talent was magnified exponentially.

And as for Meng Fan’s efforts, Qin Jue could certainly see them.

"Fine, fine, you’re a genius!" Qin Jue was quite adept at changing the subject. "Then, my dear genius classmate, since my studio’s name was used to secure those hand-drawn poster commissions for you, shouldn't I be getting a cut of the profits?"

"I almost forgot about that."

Meng Fan hung up and sent Qin Jue a red envelope via WeChat.

Qin Jue tapped it open, then immediately replied with a middle-finger emoji: "One cent? Are you serious?"

Meng Fan laughed, then transferred another sum.

This time, Qin Jue was stunned: one hundred thousand!

Qin Jue couldn't quite process it: "This much? Did you get hacked?"

Meng Fan: "You really have an imagination. Who would hack you just to send you this much money? It’s not for you. Didn't you mention you were participating in a charity event that provides art classes for children in mountain villages? Use this money to donate to them for me."

Qin Jue was confused: "Didn't you say you were short on money?"

Meng Fan explained quite earnestly: "I am short on money, which is why I’m finding work to earn some. Once I’ve earned it, I have to spend it, and since I don’t know how to spend it, I might as well donate it."

Qin Jue was dumbfounded for a long time, unable to process this: "Your logic has me completely baffled!"

Upon arriving at his destination, Meng Fan paid the fare and replied to Qin Jue: "I’m a genius. How could a mere mortal like you understand the logic of a genius?"

Qin Jue wanted to curse him out, but after thinking for a long time, he couldn't find the right words, completely trapped in Meng Fan’s bizarre logic.

"Ding!"

Because he had successfully donated one hundred thousand yuan, the task for [Scatterer of Wealth] Process II was completed, granting a reward of +100 points.

The current experience for [Scatterer of Wealth] was 190,000, leaving a gap of 310,000 to reach the 500,000 required for Process III, and 810,000 to reach the final goal of one million.

He hadn't thought much about the wealth-scattering task before, but now that he had the ability to earn, he had placed it on his agenda.

While the scope of scattering wealth was broad and could be done in many ways—however ostentatious he pleased—Meng Fan felt it was better to have a bit of intent behind it.

He thought of three categories: helping those in need, charity, and simply doing what made him happy.

His "livestream proxy shopping" during the school sports meet had been purely for his own amusement, though it was quite amusing that he ended up spending less than what his viewers had tipped him.

After getting off the bus and eating at the school cafeteria, Chen Daqiang mentioned that the beef brisket with radish was excellent today.

While eating, it was a coincidence that he scrolled through a trending topic on Weibo.

It started with an exposé on a primary school cutting corners on school lunches, sparking heated debate and outrage. Then, amidst this atmosphere of anger, a heartwarming post appeared.

The post was about the Ganhai School in Mali Township, Dechang County—a school in a poverty-stricken area that had applied for the "Free Lunch" program. For five years, the account had faithfully posted a photo of the daily lunch and recorded every cent of expenditure.

For five years, this account had done nothing but this, unnoticed, day after day.

Even without comparing it to the school that cut corners, it was a moving sight. Soon, others uncovered several more Weibo accounts for schools that had applied for the same program.

Meng Fan knew a little about this public welfare project, so he followed the link to these schools. He wanted to donate to each one individually, but the process was cumbersome, so he donated the one hundred thousand directly to the project.

After donating, the beef brisket and radish tasted even better. A meal that cost one hundred thousand yuan!

In the afternoon, Meng Fan wanted to ask Wu Tong out, but when he called, she said she had to finish a draft. Meng Fan replied:

"What a coincidence, me too."

He hurried back to the dorm to grab his drawing tube and headed to the studio.

The studio was quite crowded on the weekend; after all, this academy was never short on geniuses or hard workers, and certainly not on those who were both talented and diligent.

"You haven't been to the studio in a few days."

Ms. Chen Fu, the administrator, looked up from her seat the moment Meng Fan reached the door. It wasn't that her contemplation was easily disturbed, but rather that Meng Fan’s presence was simply too hard to ignore.

Meng Fan scratched his head, not knowing how to answer.

Chen Fu gestured toward a corner of the studio with her chin and said, "You’re here for someone, aren't you?"

Meng Fan bowed: "Your eyes are sharp, ma'am."

"Oh, stop it with the flattery," Chen Fu laughed. "Last time, I mistook that cute girl with freckles for the one you were pursuing. Who would have thought you had such high standards, setting your sights on this traditional painting beauty?" She lowered her voice slightly and pointed Meng Fan toward a bright path: "I’ve heard that this Wu Tong’s favorite person is your mother."

Meng Fan’s head throbbed at the news. He could only offer a silly smile before sitting down in the seat next to Wu Tong.

Wu Tong glanced at Meng Fan and asked softly, "Does Teacher Chen know you?"

Meng Fan nodded, half-truthfully: "She’s known me since I was a child."

They spent the afternoon in the studio, ate dinner together, and returned to continue working. Wu Tong was genuinely finishing a draft, and while Meng Fan wasn't exactly rushing, he certainly had plenty to draw.

The next morning, shortly after eight, Meng Fan arrived at the competition venue.

The CGL Basketball Championship city qualifiers were not as simple as the store-level event. They were divided into singles, men’s doubles, and mixed doubles, and since all matches had to be completed in one day, the schedule was tight. The games were set to begin at nine.

The first round of men’s singles started first. There were many qualifiers for the city stage—thirty in total—divided into three groups. They would take turns shooting three rounds, and the top twelve in total score would advance to the second round.

When Meng Fan arrived... well, Qu Jingjing and the others were already there, and this time there were more than just four of them—there were over a dozen.

What surprised Meng Fan most was that Wu Tong was there too!