Super God-Level Top Student

Now there won't be another Dou Dou to make the recruitment work a splendid joy… Aiya, the list is simply too long, and even ten fingers wouldn't be enough to count everything.

Su Mucheng, who had been counting Li's various contributions on her fingers, stopped her motion, and as their eyes met, Qiao Ze felt that this topic obviously exceeded his understanding of wedding matters.

"The most important thing is, Qiao, you are Li's most important student, and your feelings for Li are very special, so if Li gets married, you should help out too, right?"

"Does Li need help?"

"Ah... Qiao, do you know what the biggest difference is between you and ordinary people?"

Qiao Ze shook his head.

Su Mucheng persuasively said, "That would be that you really could live without worldly concerns. You've never asked how much the Mathematics Research Institute pays you, right? Because you don't really need money. Whatever you want, there are people who will arrange it for you, even pre-empt your needs. But it's different for Li, he's an ordinary person."

Qiao Ze said, "I have money."

"I know you have money!" Su Mucheng gave Qiao Ze a look, then countered, "But would Li take your money? When they were discussing giving Li shares in the Group Wisdom project, he refused. I secretly transferred 660,000 to him through a red envelope, and he returned it too. If I insist on giving it to him, guess what happened in the end?"

"Hmm?"

"Li donated it all to the Hope Project in both of our names, not a cent left. My dad told me secretly. Li is actually quite proud at heart. If we really gave him money, he definitely wouldn't accept it. But Li will have many expenses in the future. Once married and with children, the pressure will increase. My mom told me that when they just got married, my dad's career wasn't stable, and they also had a tight budget, all crammed into a 30-square-meter old house in Linhai, which was quite pitiful."

Qiao Ze nodded in agreement.

Although he'd never mentioned it to anyone, the life he had lived before was indeed not prosperous.

Their livelihood depended entirely on Qiao's mother working part-time jobs; they naturally led a tight life.

Furthermore, the "hard life" Su Mucheng referred to, a family of three squeezed into a 30-square-meter old house in Linhai, might not have been that pitiful after all. After all, that house belonged to them.

Before he came to Xilin, the house he lived in was just a one-bedroom, one-living-room unit of about forty square meters.

He slept in the bedroom, and his mother slept on the sofa in the living room.

For this, they still had to pay a monthly rent of 1200.

If it weren't for this, Qiao's mother's greatest wish wouldn't have been just to live in a bigger house one day.

Back then, Qiao's mother was probably afraid of putting too much pressure on Qiao Ze; even her dreams were restrained. The so-called "big house" she referred to was just a small three-bedroom house of about a hundred square meters.

"So, it's okay if Li doesn't care about these things. We need to think of ways to support him a bit. Li is too proud to ask for help, knowing that if he makes a big deal of the wedding, many people will come just to give face to you, so he might as well keep it small and simple. For people like Li, getting married truly happens only once in a lifetime, and with Li's status, it's also the most appropriate time to accept small cash gifts."

Su Mucheng's analysis was very sound and matched Li Jiangao's character. Qiao Ze nodded and said, "Then leave this to you."

"Roger that! Mission accomplished." Su Mucheng smiled contentedly.

Like Qiao Ze, this was the first time she had been formally invited to a wedding, and how could she let it pass in a daze?

Su Mucheng had always enjoyed lively occasions.

"And you just mentioned that Li donated the red envelope you gave him before?"

"Yep. There's even a record to prove it."

"We don't need that much money; let's donate a portion every month in Li's name. Find a third party to monitor this money and make sure Li's kindness isn't wasted."

If it hadn't been for Su Mucheng mentioning it, Qiao Ze would probably have never thought to use the money sitting in his account for anything so reputation-enhancing – after all, such matters were utterly meaningless to him.

For Qiao Ze to consider the hardships of the world was equally a challenge.

However, using things of little significance to him to boost Li Jian's reputation seemed a good idea to Qiao Ze.

The logic was simple, though the suggestion from Su Mucheng was excellent, it still seemed somewhat underhanded.

But if everyone knew that Li Jian donated to charity projects every month, they wouldn't think in other directions.

If Edward Whitten learned about Qiao Ze's mental process at this moment, he would likely experience another increase in his already gentle understanding toward Qiao Ze. The only pity was that this kindness was reserved for those he perceived as his own.

"No problem! My dad is very familiar with this. He also used to donate a lot of money every year." Su Mucheng said magnanimously.

She never had much concept of money to begin with.

"Oh, good." Qiao Ze nodded and then put the matter aside.

"You're the best, Qiao!"

For Su Mucheng, finding adequate enjoyment in relatively mundane life to balance the blandness was also very important.

...

After expressing the idea to Qiao Ze of coming to Huaxia for a face-to-face discussion, within just over thirty hours, Edward Whitten's figure appeared at Xilin International Airport, demonstrating remarkable efficiency.

Despite the fatigue of travel, Edward Whitten still looked spirited, not even resembling a 72-year-old man.

Supporting him was a feeling.

That the content of his conversation with Qiao Ze could potentially change the course of the world's technological progress.