Age of Legends

Chapter 216 Keeping an Appointment
When the vehicle arrived at the station, Shen Nuoyi was the first to get off because she was standing at the door. Zhang Chen followed the flow of people and got off the vehicle, only to see Shen Nuoyi being called by someone she knew.

That was a girl named Qian Wei from the class downstairs. She was also a top student. The senior year couldn't fit on one floor, so they were all spread across two floors.

Qian Wei came up to Shen Nuoyi and started talking about the monthly exam, so Shen Nuoyi had no choice but to follow her along the way.

Zhang Chen followed behind.

Shen Nuo glanced behind her and saw Zhang Chen hanging there listlessly, looking relaxed and bored. She couldn't help but chuckle.

Finally, they reached the entrance of the building. After parting ways with her, Qian Wei headed towards the building for her own class, while Shen Nuoyi went upstairs. Zhang Chen quickened his pace and went up, and sure enough, Shen Nuoyi slowed down and was on the steps in front of him.

He caught up with her in a few quick steps and stood beside her. Shen Nuo glanced at him and then at the smile on Zhang Chen's face, and said, "I was just hoping to run into you today, so I waited for two buses. It might not happen again."

Zhang Chen knew that the time for catching the bus to school was unpredictable. Shen Nuoyi would miss at least three buses today in order to wait for him, and she would also have to figure out whether he was on the bus or not. There was no way they could make an appointment. Today was just a little fun for her, or even a little prank.

Little did she know that she didn't scare Zhang Chen at all; on the contrary, she made his journey to school much more pleasant.

However, Shen Nuoyi's sudden "surprise" was also unexpected by Zhang Chen.

I originally thought she was a very stable person and wouldn't do these kinds of romantic things, but who knew?

The reason why I hadn't shown myself to him before, and instead had been somewhat hesitant, was simply because the two of us were still in the ambiguous stage and hadn't established a relationship.

Once a relationship is established, she won't be the passive party; she'll take the initiative.
Zhang Chen felt that the misunderstanding and cold war between the two of them, and their eventual thawing and further progress, might not necessarily be a bad thing. On the contrary, it made them more certain and determined, and it seemed that Zhang Chen was gradually beginning to understand that Shen Nuoyi was like a flower bud, slowly opening up to him.

Even in the budding stage, there is such a small, beautiful moment.

What a magnificent sight it will be when it truly blossoms!
……

The monthly exam results came out quickly. Zhang Chen scored 118 in Chinese, 120 in Math, 120 in English, and 240 in Science (including 88 in Physics, 82 in Chemistry, and 70 in Biology). His total score was 598.

Now, announcing grades has become a class activity. When Zhou Ming reads out the results, someone starts a commotion; when a name is called, those with good grades collectively shout "Wow!", while those with disappointing grades collectively wail, as if they want to inflict even more magical damage on the struggling students.

When it came to Zhang Chen, the reactions were a mix of "Wow!" and "Ugh!" Those who thought he did well believed that his score was already pretty good, just two points shy of 600. In the college entrance examination, a score of 600 is enough to get into a top 211 university, or even approach a 985 university.

Those who spoke in low voices believed that Zhang Chen's fall below 600 points after previously breaking 600 points was a sign of regression.

Pure is in a dialectical superposition state.

After taking his test paper and sitting back down at the table, Wang Shuowei was called up shortly after. He returned with his paper, which showed a total score of 480. This caught Zhang Chen's attention.

Thinking back to that year's college entrance exam, Zhang Chen scored around 430. Wang Shuowei also scored 480, which surprised Zhang Chen. "Wow, we all played around and slacked off together, and you actually scored over 50 points higher than me!" This actually shows that Wang Shuowei wasn't stupid. He hadn't really studied that hard, but he still managed to reach the second-tier university cutoff score in the crucial final exam.

Wang Shuowei is the same now. He still plays games every day, but he still managed to score 480, which surprised Zhang Chen. If he really puts his full effort into studying, he might even be able to break 500 points.

Wang Shuowei was unaware that Zhang Chen was treating him differently; instead, he felt ashamed that his test paper had been exposed to Zhang Chen. Damn it, he got 95 in Chinese, and 40 out of 60 in the essay. He scored 105 in math, which was decent, placing him in the average middle range. He got 90 in English, 190 in the combined science subjects, and barely passed physics, biology, and chemistry—all generally within the passing grade. Seeing that Zhang Chen surpassed him in every subject made him wonder how Zhang Chen had managed it. Meanwhile, Shen Nuoyi's score was 650!

Amidst cheers of "Whoa!", Shen Nuoyi naturally became one of the few in the class to elicit the loudest response.

After returning home in the evening, Zhang Chen studied for a while and then logged onto QQ as usual, checking the group chat titled "Oicq Core Development Team".

Xiao Ma complained in the group, "The number of users creating accounts is exceeding expectations, but the 100-person limit for regular groups is not enough, and users in East China are frequently complaining. Lao Zhang, could you please resolve this on your end?"

Zhang Zhi: "The server pressure is too high, and expansion will take time. In the testing of the paid model for the advanced group (200 people), relying solely on Q coins for recharge puts too much pressure on server costs. I think we need to develop some diversified profit models, such as advertising, or perhaps expand into games..."

"We definitely need to make a game; let's get a plan first..."

"Users have reported low usage rates for group file sharing and BBS functions. We suggest optimizing the interface and adding group photo album and event notification functions."

In these kinds of technical discussions, when no groundbreaking opinions are needed, Zhang Chen usually chooses to remain silent. He prefers not to interfere too much. After watching them chat for a while, Zhang Chen stepped in and offered some suggestions on campus promotion and the inclusion of emoji images.

However, the development team group is always lively every day, and a lot of content isn't necessarily posted there; some things they solve themselves. Zhang Chen only gets some information from the QQ group.

After all, he's just an investor; he doesn't get involved in the technology, only occasionally showing his presence and using his influence to offer advice.

Then Zhuang Yanyue's profile picture popped up again, asking him about his grades.

How many points did you get on today's monthly exam?

"598. And you?"

"540. Hehe."

Zhang Chen thought to himself, "Sister, don't laugh, I'm scared."

Zhuang Yanyue seemed to have only asked a question before logging off.

The profile picture "Whale Fall Sea" quickly turned gray.

It was clear that Zhuang Yanyue was quite satisfied with the monthly exam. This, however, made Zhang Chen frown slightly; he was already feeling a sense of urgency.

Zhuang Yanyue also scored 540, only half the score of Wang Shuowei!
It seems that he really should calm down and work hard to improve his grades. Otherwise, how can he catch up with Shen Nuoyi's progress? He can't let her compromise. If Shen Nuoyi has a better school to go to, but chooses a lower-tier school instead, Zhang Chen is unwilling to see that. He can only do his best.

This Sunday, Zhang Chen woke up feeling refreshed. After leaving his room, he ate some steamed buns with pickled vegetables and a bowl of congee prepared by Huang Huifen. He then carried a small Nike bag filled with his tutoring books and headed out to meet Shen Nuoyi at the bookstore for their tutoring appointment.

(End of this chapter)