Xu Xinyan was completely enchanted. All the students had been listening intently to Gao Liang's lecture—something that had never happened before. After lecturing for a while, Gao Liang turned to Song Si'an and said, "I'm certain my class is better than yours! Do you know why?" Song Si'an's authority was challenged—both respectful and slightly resentful. Now, Gao Ruolan could no longer contain her frustration. Although Gao Liang had delivered a very good lecture, such playful antics in class, especially publicly undermining the teacher, were simply unacceptable. She erupted, "You're such a misfortune! I'd like to ask a question!" Gao Liang nodded. Gao Ruolan posed her question: "A business issue—suppose you want to acquire another company. You spot a certain promising opportunity that's guaranteed to succeed, but you need cash, which is difficult to raise. What would you do in this situation?" This question was exactly the one from the business book Gao Ruolan had recently purchased, complete with a detailed solution. She had indeed managed to stump Gao Liang. To his surprise, after a moment's thought, Highlight responded fluently in English, "The solution is simple: stop acting like a miser in both commercial transactions and private life. You must continuously give and invest, aiming for mutual benefit. Likewise, what constitutes 'giving' and achieving mutual success does not necessarily hinge on the amount of money involved, but rather on genuine generosity, creativity, and a mindset that embraces the success of every individual. In American history, Benjamin Franklin stands out as perhaps the most noble and distinguished political leader, scientist, and businessman. His approach to competition was to invite all his rivals to join a newly formed association called the 'Philanthropic Society,' together working to expand the market and thereby enriching each member. This very idea itself left a powerful and lasting impression on every participant. A group of merchants who mutually support and cooperate can imprint upon the mind of each individual, making them aware of shared realities such as the expansion of markets. Yet this does not mean that the imprints can be shared or transferred from one person's mind to another—the imprints cannot be shared or transferred. More precisely, when a group acts together with charitable and tolerant attitudes, their imprints flourish and bear fruit, forming a shared experience—such as a successful company or a more prosperous nation. Indeed, this is precisely why some nations are richer and more flourishing than others—the subject is somewhat broad and extensive, and we do not elaborate on it here. Nevertheless, if you reflect upon these principles yourself, you will gain a remarkable understanding of prosperity. "Ah?" "Gao Ruolan, Song Si'an was quite surprised. Such a thorough answer wouldn't appear in the textbook—neither would the commercial book provide such detailed insights. If grading it, it would easily score a 90. Song Si'an clapped first, and Gao Ruolan blushed instantly, never expecting the lazy, accident-prone girl to possess such remarkable problem-solving skills and rapid learning ability—she truly seemed a genius. The classmates in the classroom erupted into thunderous applause. Zhao Meixuan and Xu Xinyan felt even more admiration for their idols. Gao Liang's answer impressed everyone. After finishing, he requested Song Si'an, who had been sitting quietly by the side, to find a way to dismiss him. As Song Si'an hesitated, a familiar voice came from outside the classroom: "Gao Liang, your lecture today was excellent!" "I won't be firing you," said the principal. As he spoke, Gao Liang suddenly slumped into the chair by his desk. But when he heard, "If you're good enough, I'll specially allow you to attend only three classes a week—giving you the freedom to pursue your own interests and talents!" he jumped up and danced with excitement. Everyone turned to see the principal arrive. Although Gao Liang had always been reluctant to study indoors, the idea of attending only three classes a week was truly impressive. He felt delighted: clearly, the principal wasn't a rigid traditionalist. Such an open-minded leader was rare in school history. As he was still dancing, the principal added, "Attending only three classes a week doesn't mean you'll completely drop out of learning. You'll need to arrange for someone to tutor you and catch up on the classes you miss. If your studies fall behind, I'll revoke this special arrangement." With that, the principal walked away. High Liang was surprised that this lesson today had brought him such benefits, yet he felt both delighted and puzzled—whom should he ask to tutor him in his studies? As soon as the Friday class ended, Gao Ruolan returned home. Upon seeing her daughter arrive, Mother Miao Hanyu quickly prepared a delicious red-braised fish maw dish. When the dishes were served, she noticed that only a single piece of fish maw remained on the plate and immediately exclaimed, "Which hungry cat has snuck off and eaten it?" Gao Ruolan was seated at the table, reading the business book she had just purchased. She laughed heartily and pointed with her hand toward the curtain beside her, which was gently swaying. Miao Hanyu noticed the movement and, picking up a rolling pin, quietly walked over to deliver a full-blown assault on the curtain, shouting, "You greedy cat! You don't eat your own, you come here and steal—now I'll beat you senseless! See if you dare to come back next time!" "Oh! Oh!" came a series of cries that sounded like a pig being slaughtered. "Stop it, stop it!" "It's me!" When Gao Ruolan and Miao Hanfu saw, it was indeed Gao Caisheng, Ruolan's father. He quickly emerged from beneath the cloth curtain, holding his head and covering his face, stammering, clearly still holding something in his mouth. "What a mess! Even Lan'er's food is being devoured!" Miao Hanfu saw only a single piece of fish maw left on the plate, her anger rising. She wanted to rush over and forcibly extract whatever was in Gao Caisheng's mouth, but was held back by Gao Ruolan. "I'm simply too hungry! I can't bear it anymore! I've been eating with you every day—" Gao Caisheng looked deeply distressed, ready to launch into a long complaint, only to be silenced when Miao Hanfu gave him a sharp look. "Mom, what do you eat every day?" Gao Ruolan quickly pulled at Miao Hanfu's sleeve, asking. Miao Hanfu stammered, "With you away at home, we've been having small meals every few days. We've been doing quite well at home. Maybe your father has grown tired of eating meat lately and would like to try something different—like fish..." Gao Ruolan glanced at her father, then at her mother, rushed to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator—empty—and then checked the cabinets, finding only half a bowl of salted radish. She said, "Mom, don't deceive me! I've cut this piece of fish maw into three equal portions for us all to share today!" She then picked up the serving knife and neatly sliced it into uniform pieces. Gao Caisheng and Miao Hanfu were deeply moved, tears streaming down their faces, exclaiming, "What a wonderful daughter we have! We're truly willing to make sacrifices for such a thoughtful child!" "Father, Mother! I understand the family's financial difficulties. From now on, please don't buy fish maw for me anymore. Starting tomorrow, I'm going to look for a job outside!" Gao Ruolan said firmly. "Ruolan, just focus on your studies," her father replied. "We "Miao Hanchu doesn't want her daughter's studies affected due to financial reasons." "Ah! It's all my fault—I've lost my job and haven't found anything yet. Otherwise, I wouldn't be in such a difficult position!" Gao Caisheng slumped his shoulders, then suddenly lifted his head, struck his thigh, and said, "Ruo Lan, this is a teaching position I came across by chance while job-hunting today. It offers a high salary—take a look!" After saying this, Gao Caisheng handed over a beautifully designed promotional brochure to Gao Ruo Lan. Ruo Lan took it, glanced at it briefly, said nothing, and simply tucked it into her pocket. Gao Caisheng was not satisfied and began complaining, "Ah! This is the highest pay we're offering—don't you see how valuable this is? Hanchu, I think you've spoiled this girl completely. You always go along with her preferences. How can that work? If our Ruo Lan had been able to develop a good relationship with Zuo Tianpei back in the day, or if she'd just found a wealthy student in the college, things would have been different..." "D Gao Ruolan gave Gao Caisheng a withering look, and at once Gao Caisheng's voice stopped, he shook his head and sighed. Miao Hanfu watched her daughter with an appreciative gaze, as if saying her daughter had backbone. Finally reaching Friday, Gao Liang stepped out of the classroom, threw his backpack into the air, and shouted, "We're free!" This drew a moment of attention from the male and female students. Zhao Yuanhang, Fan Weizhe, and Zuo Tianpei approached and joined in the cheers.