"Wow!"

The little brother burst into tears.

He had never been humiliated like this in an arcade.

"Annoying little brats, get lost!"

Su Zelin slapped a five-yuan note in front of the chubby kid.

"What are elementary school kids doing playing arcade games? If I see you in the arcade again, I'll beat you up!"

The chubby kid stopped crying, hastily picked up the five yuan, grabbed his younger brother, and ran off.

Whether they would venture into the arcade again was uncertain, but they definitely wouldn't dare in the short term, as both youngsters were traumatized.

Continuing to play King of Fighters, Su Zelin monopolized the machine. No one dared to challenge him, but a few players gathered behind to watch, all fans of King of Fighters, impressed by his extraordinary skills.

After playing a few rounds of King of Fighters '97, he got bored and switched to playing games like Cadillacs and Dinosaurs, The Punisher, and Knights of Valour, all cleared with one coin.

This went on until evening, with a few coins left unplayed, so he simply cashed them out.

Returning home, as soon as he stepped in, he inevitably got a scolding from his mom, complaining about not coming home the whole day and asking if he had died outside or something. But Su Zelin was used to it, responding with a cheeky grin. If his mom didn't nag, it would be out of the ordinary.

"Dad, Mom, to ensure you can reach me anytime while I'm at university, I bought a cellphone!"

Su Zelin took out the Nokia 8210, of course giving the cellphone number to his family.

In fact, Su Jianjun and Zhao Lixia had planned to buy a phone for their son before university, but they didn't expect Su Zelin to get lucky, first winning 40,000 yuan in the lottery, then investing this money in stocks to earn over one hundred thousand, and even getting a scholarship of 5,000 yuan for his college entrance exam.

Since their son was no longer short of money, the parents canceled their plans, as Zelin would buy one himself.

"Wow, this Nokia looks quite nice, son, how much did it cost?"

Su Jianjun casually asked.

"Two thousand five!"

Su Zelin lied about the cost.

"So expensive! You're just a college student. Why buy such an expensive phone? Your dad's phone only cost a bit over two thousand!"

Predictably, Zhao Lixia was distressed by the price.

Su Zelin thought he'd been wise to report a lower price, or his mom's reaction would have been even bigger.

"It's okay, this phone is a new model, looks much better than mine. As long as the kid likes it, it's fine!"

His dad was more open-minded; his views were different from his wife's. He believed money was meant to be spent rather than hoarded.

"You're just like your dad. I'm worried he'll become a spendthrift in the future!"

Unhappy that her husband wasn't siding with her, Zhao Lixia voiced her displeasure.

Su Zelin chuckled, "Mom, don't worry, the more I spend, the more I can earn back. Isn't there an old saying: 'A man who doesn't spend money isn't a good moneymaker!'"

"Nonsense! The ancients never said that, you brat! Don't think I'm uneducated; the ancients only advocated thriftiness. That's the traditional virtue of our Chinese culture!"

...

Days passed by one after another.

In the evening.

"Dad, Mom, I'm back!"

Su Zelin shouted as he walked through the door.

Freed from his grounding, he was like a bird released from its cage, coming and going as he pleased, often returning home at this hour.

Zhao Lixia was starting to regret her words being too severe.

Not only was her son playing like crazy, but he had hardly seen Qin Shiqing these days.

But fortunately, they would both study in Lin'an for university, going to school and returning home together, which gave Zhao Lixia a bit of comfort.

"All you know is playing games, and you haven't even started university yet. By then, you'll waste yourself!"

Zhao Lixia came out of the kitchen, her face stern, and scolded him.

Su Zelin didn't mind, "Didn't Comrade Li Dazhao say, 'Study hard when you study, play hard when you play!'"

"Stop quoting those scholarly words to your mom!" Zhao Lixia snorted, "I only see you playing hard, never studying hard!"

"Ms. Zhao, that's not fair! Don't forget you're looking at the top scorer himself..."

Before he could finish, a thump landed on his forehead.

"Top scorer, are you? Getting full of yourself, defying your mom!"

Su Zelin always flaunted his top scorer title as a license against punishment.

Initially, Zhao Lixia let it slide, but eventually, she couldn't stand it.

Even though he did score highest in one subject, he couldn't coast on that title for a lifetime!

Seeing him bring up the top scorer again, his mom erupted, seizing the chance to vent her frustration at her inability to control her son.

"Mom, dear mom, stop hitting! I'm your Zelin, your own Zelin!"

Su Zelin ran, shielding his head, crying out like a child.

Chasing for a while, Zhao Lixia finally stopped.

"What nonsense about being a top scorer, even the emperor listens to the empress dowager! You little rascal, showing off in front of your mother!"

Su Jianjun chuckled to himself, thinking, son, you're too naive. The halo of the top scorer has expired; using it now only backfires.

"Zelin, your mom's right!"

His dad had to show some stance as well, or his wife would scold him for being too lenient: "Don't just focus on having fun. Soon you'll be registering at the financial institute, and graduating isn't guaranteed, you need a diploma!"

Su Zelin realized it was true. The leisurely days flew by fast, and summer break was ending soon. It wouldn't be long before he'd pack his bags and head to Lin'an.

"You and Shiqing register around the same time, so you can go together. You'll have company on the road!"

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