I am a Big Player
Chapter 263 - 261, This is such a big pit that has been dug (first update)_1

Chapter 263: 261, This is such a big pit that has been dug (first update)_1

Ren He promised Liu Bing and the others that he would get three decent accounts to save them from spending their own money. Now that the Kunlun servers had reached 102, giving them accounts in the old districts to prevent them from causing trouble in the new ones was sufficient. Jiang Haoyang, however, was utterly bewildered, as his private plan to get an account to thrash Liu Bing and Li Yifan had gone up in smoke.

After the gaming convention, everyone had to buckle down and study. In a student’s life, grades are actually what matter most. Qinghe Club, as No. 4 Middle School’s premier club, would be a laughingstock if its overall grades were falling behind. Even if you plan to study abroad later on, soft skills are indeed important, but at least your grades have to be passable, right?

As for Ren He, he had never taken the college entrance exam in the Capital. Exam papers from outside the Capital are different from those used within it; the Capital’s papers are relatively easier and not very indicative. In other words, he didn’t have any recollection of the Capital’s college entrance exam papers; it was all up to him now...

After school each day, the five members of the Qinghe Club, excluding Yang Xi, would gather in the club’s headquarters to study by themselves. With top students like Liu Bing and Jiang Haoyang around, everyone’s study efficiency was pretty high.

Before anyone realized it, the final exams had finally arrived. Members of the Qinghe Club entered the exam halls full of anticipation. This was like a dress rehearsal for the final exams of the second semester next year. Once the scores were out and everyone had truly competed once, they would generally know their strongest subjects and could roughly calculate the amount for the scholarships.

However, this wasn’t set in stone; there was still a good half-year before the scholarship distribution. Half a year was enough to change everything.

The exams were spread over two days. In the Capital’s winter, the cold was particularly biting, with the howling wind feeling like a knife across the face. Fortunately, No.4 Middle School had heating. That was also why Ren He decided to have Qinghe Club’s uniforms made in advance, considering Liu Jiamin’s clothing was rather thin, with her school sweater already unraveling at the seams.

There were two sets of down jackets and pants in two colors for each person. Ren He had found a shop in the Capital that specialized in custom clothing. In 2006, a quality down jacket cost over 3,000 yuan, which was of course still far less than the price of professional mountaineering cold-weather clothes.

After the final exams and before the results were released, Ren He told all members of the Qinghe Club, "Qinghe Club is organizing a 15-day trip to northern Shaanxi during the winter vacation, just in time to return before the New Year. Who’s going? I suggest everyone does; the club will cover the expenses."

They all looked at each other before saying, "I’m in!"

Except for Yang Xi, surprisingly, everyone wanted to go. After all, it was paid for by the club, and Yang Xi genuinely couldn’t make it; her music video had already begun shooting preparations and was set to be completed over this winter holiday.

Moreover, many parents were aware that No.4 Middle School often organized trips during vacations and were quite accommodating. Reading ten thousand books is less than traveling ten thousand miles; going out to see the world is always beneficial.

Seeing their excited expressions, Ren He couldn’t help but let out a mysterious smile. This trip wasn’t just for fun.

He and Elder Zhou had already discussed that the Qing He Hope Primary School in Zip County, Shaanxi, had just been completed. Although the building was ready, they were still lacking volunteer teachers. Known for being an impoverished county, over a hundred children needed schooling, but not a single teacher could be found. In such cases, a portion of funds are usually diverted from the Qinghe Fund to seek volunteer teachers, but with the academic year already several months behind, there was an urgent need for support.

So, it was perfect timing for Ren He to lead a team there for 15 days.

Elder Zhou was very pleased to learn that Ren He was willing to personally participate in charitable activities. He truly wanted Ren He to see just how barren the area was, in hopes that Ren He would pay more attention to the Qinghe Fund.

Spending money was one thing, but being willing to physically join and contribute was much rarer. Asking wealthy people to come to a place with no clean water, poor food, and unpleasant sleeping conditions, most would want to leave after just a few days. To Elder Zhou, that was not the spirit of charity.

He himself had dived headfirst into the hardships of northern Shaanxi and stayed for over a month, fully engaged and tireless, surrounded by several like-minded companions.

In writing the Qinghe Club’s manifesto, Ren He wrote, "Interesting souls are bound to meet."

And who among Elder Zhou’s group, willingly giving up urban life to endure hardship and hunger in northern Shaanxi, weren’t such souls? Dreamless Zhou was already of advanced age, still bustling about for the children of impoverished mountain areas. Compared to him, Ren He felt his philosophical level was far inferior.

Ren He drove there himself, his large pickup truck comfortably seating five people in the front, and its bed large enough to carry plenty of supplies to the mountainous region.

Packed with food and gear, Jiang Haoyang and the others boarded the vehicle without a second thought, assuming it was simply a leisure trip. They were merry and utterly joyful.

This was their first time traveling independently, funded by the financially robust Qinghe Club; surely they would have a splendid time, right?

As they first got into the truck, they were impressed, not expecting Ren He’s vehicle to look so impressive...

Once on the highway, several of them couldn’t resist the drowsiness and soon curled up, falling asleep. Ren He glanced at his dozing companions and couldn’t suppress his laughter any longer. He hummed a tune as he drove directly to a poverty-stricken mountain village in Zip County, Shaanxi.

Upon reaching the county town, the members of the Qinghe Club gradually awoke. Feeling that something was amiss, they asked, "Where are we now?"

"Oh, we’ve arrived in northern Shaanxi," Ren He said with a smile, parking the vehicle on the roadside to enter a sports store. He bought 5 basketballs and 10 soccer balls to put in the trunk, then stopped at a bookstore to purchase a heap of textbooks, brand-new backpacks, and stationery supplies, filling up the entire bed of the truck.

By this point, if Jiang Haoyang and the others couldn’t sense that there was something off about this trip, they must be truly oblivious.

If it were anyone else, they might wonder if Ren He was planning to sell them off, but how could that be? Ren He darn well didn’t lack money.

The question was, what were all these purchases for? Who buys so many basketballs, soccer balls, and stationery supplies on a vacation trip?

"What’s all this for..." Jiang Haoyang asked, bewildered. "This doesn’t seem quite like the trip I had in mind."

Aren’t vacations supposed to be to beautiful, comfortable places or perhaps going on an adventurous hike? This clearly didn’t fit the bill.

"Ren He has dug a pretty deep pit here!" Liu Bing realizing what was happening with a glance at the trunk full of supplies said, "Do you guys remember Ren He mentioning taking us to volunteer teach in impoverished mountain areas?"

"Crap..."