66: Chapter 66 I'm Stop Pretending

The rows of eye-catching "Transaction Successful" notifications, followed by a long string of zeros, made Mother Qin gasp.

Teacher Qin Lin also leaned over, her face full of curiosity.

Her gaze fell upon the lines of "Advanced Ecological Consultation" and the daily settlement order total of over 1.7 million in red text.

She pointed at the handheld device in surprise, her fingers trembling: "You! This... I! No!"

Seeing the mother and daughter's reactions, Mr. Qi tugged at his tie, a fine layer of sweat seeping onto his forehead, and he grabbed a tissue to wipe it away.

Just a moment ago, he had boasted that if Gu Han could produce proof, he would eat the coffee cup.

Gu Han pressed the lock screen button, tucked the handheld device back into his pocket, and spread his hands.

"Teacher, I'm done pretending. I'm laying my cards on the table." Gu Han said in a relaxed tone.

The displeasure on Mother Qin's face vanished, replaced by undisguised admiration.

She coughed twice and adopted the demeanor of an elder.

"Little Gu, your situation is quite special." Mother Qin tapped her fingers on the table. "Although the platform withholds some handling fees, according to our tax laws, this kind of high-income personal business earnings still requires an annual tax reconciliation. You must pay the remaining personal income tax; don't take it lightly."

Gu Han nodded repeatedly.

He put on a look of being instructed: "Auntie is right. I'm still just a student and don't know much about this. I'll have to trouble Auntie to guide me in paying the taxes; I must not cause trouble for the country."

"Easy enough, easy enough. You should do this..."

Mother Qin instructed Gu Han on what to do, her impression of him greatly improved.

Eighteen or nineteen years old, handsome, and earning a million a day.

She suddenly felt the name "Gu Han" sounded familiar.

Mother Qin turned her head to look at Teacher Qin Lin, who was still in a daze: "Girl, why does this name sound familiar when I hear you mention it? What was it that he did?"

Teacher Qin Lin snapped out of it and quickly replied: "Mom, he is the student I told you about before, the one who forced the Ministry of Education to change the exam score threshold! He also beat me in the God Kingdom battle before, and he even won ten thousand credits from me at the start of the school term!"

"Right! Look at my memory. I knew it; any young person capable of making the Ministry of Education change its policies is definitely no ordinary person. My, he is truly a promising young man!"

Mr. Qi stood awkwardly to the side, not daring to make a sound.

Mother Qin stood up and straightened her clothes.

She couldn't hide the smile on her face.

"Alright, I won't interfere with you young people's business anymore. I have a meeting at the bureau, so I'll be going first. You two chat."

"Goodbye, Auntie." Gu Han stood up to see her off.

Gu Han didn't forget to turn and look at Mr. Qi.

He raised an eyebrow and pointed at the coffee on the table with his chin.

"Mr. Qi, pay the bill. Teacher Qin Lin hasn't said yes to me yet; you should hurry up and show what you can do, you might still have a chance."

Mr. Qi gritted his teeth, his chest heaving violently, but he couldn't squeeze out a single word.

He could only sheepishly wave to call the waiter to pay the bill.

Unexpectedly, Gu Han returned and pulled Teacher Qin Lin's arm to walk outside, leaving him alone and at a loss.

The two sat inside Teacher Qin Lin's silver hovercar.

As soon as the car door closed, Teacher Qin Lin backhanded a punch, landing it squarely on Gu Han's shoulder.

"You brat, you're for real!"

Teacher Qin Lin glared, the flush on her face not yet faded.

"Earning a million a day? You're actually a hidden nouveau riche! I was completely stunned by your whole performance!"

Gu Han rubbed his shoulder and coughed twice.

"I did it to achieve the desired effect. Helping you solve the problem once and for all means you won't have to go on blind dates for a while, and you can use me as a shield for now."

Teacher Qin Lin rolled her eyes at him, her heart pounding uncontrollably.

She leaned back in the driver's seat, secretly glancing at Gu Han's profile. A shield? That's easy to say, but she would still have to face questioning from her parents when she got home.

This guy kept calling himself a suitor inside, and he said it so naturally; could he actually be interested in me?

Teacher Qin Lin's mind was in a complete mess.

No, no, I'm a teacher, and he's a student, even if the age gap is only seven or eight years. If this gets out, what will others in the school think of me?

But... he seems really quite strange.

From being a C-class student who was forced into the key class based on his grades, Teacher Qin Lin's impression of him had changed again and again.

If he really confesses, how should I refuse? Would a direct refusal hurt his self-esteem? What if he becomes discouraged and it affects his studies?

Teacher Qin Lin shook her head vigorously: What are you thinking about?

"Buzz—buzz—"

The vibration sound interrupted Teacher Qin Lin's wild thoughts.

She hurriedly took out her handheld device and tapped the screen.

It was a voice message from her mom. She held the handheld device to her ear to listen, but she didn't expect the device's Bluetooth to be automatically connected to the car's audio system.

Mother Qin's voice suddenly rang out in the car: "You brat, I've pushed back all the subsequent blind dates for you. This kid is a potential stock; you better hold on tight and don't let him get away. Age is not an issue; if he's sensible, you should be proactive! These young boys are the easiest to handle..."

Teacher Qin Lin felt all the blood rush to her head; her cheeks were so hot they could fry an egg. She hurriedly pressed the lock screen button, clutched the handheld device tightly in her palm, and had an extremely strange expression.

How embarrassing!

The car suddenly became so quiet you could hear a pin drop. She took a deep breath, forcing her wildly beating heart to calm down.

She turned her head, looked at Gu Han, and her lips moved.

Since the atmosphere was already like this, why not just ask him directly? Ask him how much of what he said in the coffee shop was true and how much was fake. If he really had that intention, she could prepare herself mentally in advance and nip this in the bud.

"Um... Gu Han..."

Teacher Qin Lin had just started, and her palms were already sweating.

"That's a good thing!" Gu Han interrupted her, wanting to alleviate her embarrassment.

Teacher Qin Lin froze.

"Since Auntie isn't forcing you to go on blind dates anymore, your time is completely free. Hurry! Hurry up and go to the school's Combat Training Hall; they have simulation terminals there. Let's go spar right now. It was agreed that you would accompany me for the whole night!"

The look of resentment on Teacher Qin Lin's face was fully displayed, and she spat out two words through gritted teeth.

"Gu Han!"

"Huh? What's wrong?"

Gu Han looked confused.

"Nothing! I'm telling you to fasten your seatbelt!"

Teacher Qin Lin slammed on the accelerator and said nothing more.

A dozen minutes later.

The hovercar came to a sudden stop in front of the university's Combat Training Hall.