Chapter 199: The Thing That Matters Most

At that moment, He Xiaoyun walked over to Chen Mo with a smile and said, "Go on up."

Chen Mo nodded and stepped out of the line.

Meanwhile, Zhou Hao felt the gazes of his classmates—some surprised, others envious—and was instantly filled with a sense of honor he had never experienced before.

It was the honor that came from being the center of everyone’s attention and admiration.

This honor should have belonged to Chen Mo alone, but he had deliberately shared it with him.

While others were envious that they were receiving certificates and prize money from the police, Zhou Hao’s heart was simply filled with gratitude for his good friend.

Zhou Hao stepped out from the crowd and quickly caught up to Chen Mo.

"Old Mo, you were right. The police really made a big deal out of this. Danwan’s dad is definitely going to find out now," he said excitedly.

"The police always make a point to commend students for significant contributions. It’s an educational matter," Chen Mo said with a smile.

Zhou Hao smiled and nodded. He glanced at Liu Xin on the stage, quite satisfied with the officer’s earlier statement.

First, the police had clearly and explicitly stated his contribution.

However, the specific details were intentionally withheld to prevent any of the criminal’s relatives from finding out and causing him trouble.

After all, Liu Xin had only said that Zhou Hao provided an important clue that helped the police crack a major case.

’In a city with so many major cases, who would know which one it was?’

’Not unless someone investigated it from within the police department.’

Since the police hadn’t yet specified what each of them had done, no one knew which of them had performed the heroic deed and which had provided the crucial intelligence.

Nevertheless, from within the crowd, Qu Danwan’s gaze was already fixed on Zhou Hao.

She hadn’t been sure how she was going to introduce Zhou Hao to her father.

But now, seeing him actually receive a commendation from the police, her eyes instantly lit up.

’With this as a foundation, there will be so many ways to build up Zhou Hao’s image later on.’

’She wouldn’t have to worry about her father being unable to accept him because of his street-punk image.’

In the crowd from Senior Year, Class 2, Zhao Yuanyuan looked over at Su Yuqing. "When did Brother Mo do something this good? He even got the police involved."

Before Su Yuqing could reply, Liu Xin, who was on stage, began to announce Chen Mo’s accomplishments.

"Student Chen Mo, this is a silk banner for your act of courage, along with a five-thousand-yuan cash prize. Please accept them." Liu Xin handed Chen Mo a banner and a thick envelope stuffed with cash.

"Thank you, Officer Liu." Chen Mo accepted the awards and immediately thanked him with a smile.

"No, we should be thanking you for your actions," Liu Xin replied with a smile. He then added, "By the way, the person you saved from drowning and his mother are also here today. They came specifically to thank you in person."

Hearing that Chen Mo was the one who had performed the heroic deed, many people instantly felt that it fit his image.

’A school bully like Zhou Hao would never save someone.’

’But for a guy who hangs around with punks all day, it makes perfect sense that he’d have intel on some case.’

Just then, the rescued man and his mother walked onto the stage together.

The moment they were on stage, the two immediately moved to kneel, but Chen Mo quickly squatted down and caught them.

"Please don’t do that. Get up, everyone’s watching."

Neither of them had expected Chen Mo’s grip to be so strong. Seeing that he had been forced to squat down with them, they finally, reluctantly, stood up.

"Thank you, young man. If it weren’t for you that day, our Ah Hai wouldn’t be alive today. It’s only right that he kowtows to you for saving his life."

"No, no, please don’t. This gentleman is older than me, I couldn’t possibly accept a kowtow from him. I’m afraid it’d shorten my lifespan! You can’t do that to me," Chen Mo said with a laugh.

Hearing his joke, the surrounding crowd immediately broke into laughter.

The atmosphere instantly became much more relaxed.

The young man named Ah Hai stepped forward, bowed his thanks to Chen Mo, and said apologetically, "That day, when you jumped into the river to save me, I almost dragged you down with me. I’m so sorry."

"You can’t be blamed for that. People who are drowning are usually in a state of panic and confusion. It’s normal to not be in control of your actions. You had just woken up from unconsciousness and had no idea what was going on, so it’s not your fault. I would just like to say, for anyone here who’s a decent swimmer, if you ever encounter someone drowning and want to help, it’s best to approach them from behind. Control them with both arms from their back. That’s the best way to avoid putting yourself in danger."

Chen Mo took the microphone from Liu Xin, who was standing nearby, and addressed the crowd.

Liu Xin nodded in satisfaction, taking the microphone back from Chen Mo. "Student Chen Mo is absolutely correct. Rescuing a drowning person is a very risky and courageous act. If you ever decide to intervene, please don’t forget to look after your own safety first."

The mother and son standing to the side were even more impressed with Chen Mo after hearing his words.

’He didn’t just perform a heroic act himself, he also considered the potential problems that could arise if other students tried to follow his example.’

Chen Mo then stepped aside and began chatting quietly with the mother and son.

Liu Xin then turned his attention to Zhou Hao.

"Student Zhou Hao, the police department is extremely grateful that you bravely stepped forward to provide such a crucial clue, which successfully helped us crack a major case. However, due to confidentiality requirements, we cannot publicly disclose the details of the case you helped us with.

This is your certificate of merit. As for the prize money, we will transfer it to your account discreetly. You can just give us your bank account number in a bit."

Liu Xin said, patting Zhou Hao’s shoulder with a smile.

At this, all the students grew curious.

Chen Mo’s prize money was handed over on the spot, so why did Zhou Hao’s have to be transferred electronically?

’Just how much prize money did he get?’

Everyone couldn’t help but wonder.

But for Qu Danwan, the honor Zhou Hao received was far more important than any prize money.

This would make it much, much easier for them to be together.

She was overjoyed.

Such a major event happening first thing on a Monday morning meant that the students’ chatter didn’t stop all morning.

Even those who had previously kept their distance from Zhou Hao couldn’t resist curiously asking him about the specific case he had helped crack.

But he brushed them all off, saying it was confidential.

Things were calmer on Chen Mo’s end. Everyone already saw him as a good person, so no one was particularly surprised by his heroic act.

But Chen Mo wasn’t paying much attention to any of this. He had just received an important text message from Blade, and that was what mattered most to him right now.