"Delinquent Addict Overcomes Drug Addiction Through Novels—'Doupo Cangqiong' Snapped Up by Rehab Centers Across America!"
Seeing the headline, Li Congxin finally understood where all the Impression Points that had been skyrocketing since morning had come from.
He excitedly picked up the newspaper and read through it carefully. There wasn't much to the article; the headline had basically summarized everything. The only thing that surprised Li Congxin was that the protagonist of this incident wasn't a New York City resident.
The inspirational story of overcoming addiction through novels had actually happened in Los Angeles!
"Wait, wasn't my novel only published in New York? When did it expand to Los Angeles?"
Hope gave Li Congxin a strange look. "Did you forget about the bet you made with Tony Stark at the Masquerade Ball?"
The bet at the Masquerade Ball?
Li Congxin thought back for a moment. It seemed there really had been such a thing.
At the time, Li Congxin and Tony had attended the ball dressed as Superman and Wonder Woman respectively. Tony's inner wolf had awakened, and he had wanted to ask Hope to dance, so Hope had decisively dragged Li Congxin out to take the hit for her.
Tony had then investigated Li Congxin's background and mockingly made a bet with him: as long as Li Congxin could name three traits he shared with Superman, Tony would fund the release of Doupo Cangqiong across Europe.
Li Congxin had of course won that bet through his own cleverness. But in his view, it had merely been an excuse Tony had created to draw attention. He hadn't taken it seriously or given it another thought. But judging by what Hope was saying... "That guy really paid to help promote my book?"
"The bet was already reported in the newspapers. Tony Stark is a man who cares about his reputation, so of course he couldn't go back on his word." Hope gave a sly smile. At the same time, she extended her fair, jade-like right hand and raised her thumb and pinky in a six gesture. "He invested 6.66 million and went straight to negotiate with the publisher."
There was actually such an operation?
Tony really knew how to make a grand gesture!
"Hmph!" Old Pi snorted coldly and said disdainfully, "That fellow may not have had any good intentions. Otherwise, he wouldn't have deliberately chosen a number representing the devil for his investment."
Old Pi had never gotten over Howard Stark secretly copying the Pym Particles without his permission back then. Because of that grudge, he had also found Tony impossible to tolerate in every way.
Li Congxin, however, didn't think much of it. "Isn't that number pretty good? Among us Chinese, six six means everything going smoothly. It represents success in all things."
"Do you have Tony's phone number?" Li Congxin said with a grin. "I should send him a message to thank him."
Hearing this, Hope hurriedly tugged at Li Congxin's sleeve, signaling him not to poke at the old man's sore spot.
Old Pi, on the other hand, read Tony's phone number to Li Congxin without the slightest hesitation. He even winked at him and said, "You must 'properly' thank him, you hear?"
"Don't you worry!"
Li Congxin quickly composed a text message and sent it. Its contents were extremely simple:
Thanks, bro—666!
Received 66,666 Impression Points from Tony Stark!
Hearing the system notification, the smile on Li Congxin's face gradually turned wicked. A similar smile also appeared on Old Pi's face.
Seeing the smiles on those two men's faces, Hope couldn't help shivering. "Why does seeing your smiles remind me of a Chinese idiom I heard recently?"
"Birds of a feather flock together!"
The inheritance Li Congxin's parents had prepared for him included something else locked in a bank safe-deposit box. He had to reach adulthood before he could claim it.
The previous owner of this body had electrocuted himself before he had gotten around to claiming this unusual inheritance from the bank. After Li Congxin took over the body, he had been busy with all sorts of things. If Marcus hadn't mentioned it earlier, he might even have forgotten it existed.
After completing all the procedures at the bank, Li Congxin finally obtained this inheritance, which he wasn't even sure should belong to him.
There were only two items: a black bag and a USB drive.
When he opened the bag, he found the contents wrapped in layer after layer. It took Li Congxin quite some effort to unwrap them, revealing an oil painting of Sunflowers.
It was probably the work of some moderately famous painter. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been wrapped so carefully.
Li Congxin could say with certainty, however, that it absolutely wasn't Van Gogh's work. The memories of this body's previous owner told him that his parents had nowhere near enough wealth to collect Van Gogh's Sunflowers.
Li Congxin knew absolutely nothing about oil paintings. After estimating its value based on his family's circumstances, he simply packed it back up and put it away. Then he turned his attention to the USB drive...
The USB drive looked completely ordinary from the outside. It was the sort sold in any computer shop. The only unusual thing was a sticker on its side, bearing the two Chinese characters "Freedom."
After putting away the USB drive, Li Congxin left the bank.
Relying on his own formidable skills and fearlessness, he carried a painting worth at least several hundred thousand dollars through the streets and alleys, deliberately choosing secluded routes.
As he walked, Li Congxin couldn't help complaining inwardly. Business is so bad these days. There are fewer and fewer thugs around here!
But he wasn't discouraged. He would rather take a longer route than give up before searching every secluded alley nearby.
As the saying went, hard work paid off. After his tireless efforts, Li Congxin finally spotted several young street punks in flamboyant styles who clearly didn't look like good people, in an alley in the opposite direction from the one between his new villa and the school. Looking more closely, a playful smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. Familiar faces!
He remembered that when he had just moved into his new home the previous week, these guys had still been hanging around the area between his house and the school. He hadn't expected them to relocate after only a few days.
Since he had run into acquaintances, Li Congxin—being a civilized and polite person—naturally intended to step forward and greet them. But before he could say anything, one of the punks spotted him first and immediately let out a terrified cry: "Oh no! That Yellow race... that handsome Yellow-race guy is back! Brothers, run!"
Received 7 Impression Points from Morrison Gerard!
Received Impression Points from...
Their will to survive was pretty strong.
The last time they had met, that fellow had been beaten the worst because of his "yellow-skinned monkey" remark. This time, he had learned his lesson.
When that kid shouted, the other punks also took off running. Li Congxin hurried after them. As he chased, he raised the black bag in his hand and shouted, "Wait! I've got something good here—the genuine Van Gogh Sunflowers! Steal it, and you'll have enough to wine and dine for the rest of your lives!"
"You liar! We're not going to believe your nonsense!"
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