Age of Legends

Chapter 233 Don't worry...

The first night passed uneventfully. On the second day at school, there were no exaggerated rumors. Zhang Chen entered Yude School as usual. Apart from the classmates giving him strange looks or someone coming up to him and saying, "Wow, Zhang Chen is pretty good!", there was nothing else going on.

Wang Shuowei, who was sitting next to him, saw him arrive and said, "I came a little earlier today and didn't wait for you."

Zhang Chen nodded. Whether the two of them waited for each other in the morning was purely based on their mood; there was no need to make an appointment in advance. If they met, great; if not, they would be deskmates in the classroom anyway. Often doing things together was actually a good thing.

Then, during class, Wang Shuowei focused intently on his studies, exuding an aura of unapproachability that made Zhang Chen reluctant to speak to him.

During the third period, biology class, Wang Shuowei suddenly turned around and asked, "When did you win over Shen Nuoyi?"

It looked as if they were asking when the Soviet Union occupied the Reichstag building in Berlin during World War II.

Zhang Chen then said, "Love arises without knowing its origin, and deepens with each passing moment."

A moment later, Wang Shuowei pounced on him and grabbed his neck with his hand, saying, "Damn it, you're so devoted, I'll show you what devotion is! You're trying to fool me with Peng Xin's nonsense!" It turned out that this guy had been spying on him all night.

The biology teacher was usually a nice guy, and since it was a senior year of high school, he generally didn't care about classroom discipline. But Wang Shuowei's actions were too outrageous, so he couldn't help but scold him: "Wang Shuowei, if you want to go crazy, go outside and go crazy!"

Wang Shuowei stopped hanging on Zhang Chen's neck with a grin, which drew laughter from the whole class. Zheng Xue and Shen Nuo in the front row turned around and glanced at Zhang Chen. Shen Nuo immediately looked away.

She was very courageous yesterday, but today she only looks at Zhang Chen because of this opportunity.

The second day was the same as usual.

Wang Shuowei gradually accepted this devastating blow, but he would still secretly make sarcastic remarks from the sidelines, "Let me tell you, Zhang Chen, you got the better deal. Shen Nuoyi must have been studying so hard in her senior year that her brain wasn't quite up to par, plus it was so boring, so you took advantage of her temporarily. But I think it won't last long. Look, Shen Nuoyi's grades are consistently around 660, which is the cutoff for Tsinghua and Peking Universities, while you're only around 600. You're destined not to go to the same school. Once she gets to university, her stress will ease, and she won't be so emotionally barren anymore. In the end, she'll realize that it was just the boredom of her tough senior year and her dependence on her friends. In the end, it's still mostly friendship!"

Zhang Chen was both amused and exasperated. Good grief, you've interpreted it like this; your sourness is practically overflowing the screen! However, Zhang Chen still thought it was fine. Wang Shuowei had always believed that his relationship with Shen Nuoyi was just a chance encounter, a misjudgment of friendship for love. But he didn't think Shen Nuoyi, having gone to Tsinghua or Peking University, would fall for someone more outstanding. Because essentially, Wang Shuowei didn't think Zhang Chen wasn't good enough; after all, based on what he'd done, he fundamentally acknowledged Zhang Chen as a genius.

After all, no one had actually used the Zombie Lightning Strike Technique with him that night to kill Boss Xiong. Wang Shuowei had always considered this moment the highlight of their lives; the zombie legend of Rongcheng was the kind of truth that would shock the world if spoken of.

The current refusal to accept that their relationship should be straightened out stems purely from a deep-seated, childhood obsession.

So Zhang Chen helped him understand: "Why don't you think about it? If it were just friendship, wouldn't you and her be closer? Why wasn't it you? Accept reality, your first love ended that summer in sixth grade."

Wang Shuowei was somewhat on guard at that moment.

Yes, when they were in sixth grade, their workplace organized a dinner party at a farmhouse restaurant. Shen Nuoyi was there too. That day, Wang Shuowei climbed a temple with her, caught earthworms, and teased the dogs in the fields. Then, at that moment, he confessed his feelings to Shen Nuoyi, who was squatting on the ground teasing the dogs.

Zhang Chen only met Wang Shuowei the next day. When he heard about this incident, he asked Wang Shuowei what happened next. Wang Shuowei laughed it off and said, "Later... she rejected me... what else could happen, hahaha..."

Fortunately, Wang Shuowei was probably mentally prepared, and Shen Nuoyi was very generous. Afterwards, they did not avoid Wang Shuowei and the two still got along like buddies. So he was not too hurt, not even as sad as he was later in junior high school when he exchanged love letters with another girl from the same workplace and was forcibly cut off by her parents.

However, what Wang Shuowei said was still serious. Shen Nuoyi's grades have indeed improved dramatically, while he still has a significant gap to close, at least in terms of academic performance.

So what should we do next?
Are you suggesting taking the guaranteed admission route? If you're aiming for other schools, that might be possible, but for Tsinghua or Peking University, it's difficult. Unless you participate in competitions, even if you create a nationally sensational game and make the news, you might not get guaranteed admission because it's not related to information technology competitions.

What about the other competitions, like the New Concept Writing Competition? They reaped all the benefits in the first and second years, and this is the third. First prize winners are no longer guaranteed admission to Tsinghua and Peking Universities. Moreover, the competition is too homogenized. This year, the number of submissions skyrocketed; everyone wants to be like Han Han or Guo Jingming, leading to fierce competition and effectively blocking the path to sharing unique writing. We all know who rose to fame in the first and second competitions—Han Han, Guo Jingming, and Guo Jingming—but who will emerge after the third? The fourth competition coincided with SARS, and it's basically become more marginalized with each subsequent competition.

Zhang Chen felt that Shen Nuoyi would definitely try her best to get into a better school; she didn't need to stop and wait for him. It would be great if he could go to the same school as her, even if they weren't in the same city. University was like a leap over the dragon gate for Zhang Chen; geographical distance wasn't a problem. Just like when he entered university, won the class monitor position, and then handed the attendance list to the vice-monitor, instructing him to write his name on it every day, before skipping classes to spend time in the library. At worst, he could just travel between the two places.

Of course, we should try our best now, as studying hard is the only way forward at the moment.

So we need to make the most of the private tutoring sessions with Shen Nuoyi from now on.

On the third day, the news began to leak out. On their way home from school, Zhang Chen and Wang Shuowei could hear groups of people from other schools talking, occasionally: "Did you know that Shen Nuoyi from Yude School has a boyfriend?"

"Who is it? Who is it...?"

"My friend from Class 10 told me that it's a boy named Zhang Chen."

"Ah, isn't it Pei Yan?"

"Passerby A...never heard of him..."

Wang Shuowei glanced at Zhang Chen and winked. Zhang Chen, seeing that he was about to cause trouble, quickly pulled him forward.

As they passed by a group of other high school girls, Wang Shuowei deliberately shouted loudly, "Hey, Zhang Chen, why are you pulling me so fast? Zhang Chen, Zhang Chen, why did you let go of my hand again? Wait for me, Zhang Chen, wait for me! Hey, Zhang Chen, you started this and then abandoned me!" As for why Shen Nuoyi and Zheng Xue didn't go home with them after school, today Shen Nuoyi's father, Shen Mingbo, had his car parked in the parking lot outside, and Shen Nuoyi got into his car after school.

Shen Nuoyi sat in the back seat of the car. Shen Mingbo was clearly preoccupied with something. He asked a couple of questions about the school and kept glancing at him in the rearview mirror before driving home.

"Nuoyi, you're in your final year of high school now. From now on, Dad will pick you up from school every night. If I don't have time, I'll have Uncle Liu, the company driver, pick you up. It will probably be a minivan, so take a closer look."

"it is good."

Shen Nuoyi roughly guessed what was going on. When she and Shen Mingbo arrived home, Shen Nuoyi opened the door and entered. Ning Wenjing was sitting on the sofa, expressionless.

Shen Mingbo then entered the room, and Ning Wenjing said, "Didn't you ask her?"

"How can I ask her... sigh, I don't see anything wrong, it's perfectly normal at her age..."

The story didn't originate from Pei Yan, but rather from other students in the grade whose parents knew Ning Wenjing. These parents would often chat about their children's situations in private. The incident involving Pei Yan and Shen Nuoyi that day caused a sensation and spread among the students. With the parents asking around, the story quickly spread among the parents as well.

After all, nothing stays hidden forever, and eventually the news reached Ning Wenjing.

"I'm not talking about anything else... I'm just saying... why isn't it Pei Yan?"

Shen Mingbo noticed a surprised look on his wife's face.

He was actually a little surprised. Pei Yan and Shen Nuoyi had known each other for a long time, and their families had a good relationship, often getting together in the past. Shen Mingbo's business was also related to theirs. Previously, when he noticed that Shen Nuoyi was absent-minded, with swollen eyes and a bad mood at home, Shen Mingbo once thought that it was Pei Yan's doing.

Now it seems that Pei Yan was eliminated because of these reasons?
"Didn't Pei Yan upset Yi Yi before? Maybe she was angry for a moment, so she found someone to take the fall?" Although Shen Mingbo didn't like Pei Yan's personality, he still felt that if there was anyone who could make his daughter's heart flutter, Pei Yan might be the best candidate.

Ning Wenjing, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes slightly and glanced at Shen Mingbo, "Do you think your own daughter would seek out someone to take the fall?"

Shen Mingbo thought for a moment, "It does seem unlikely, so how come it's Zhang Chen? I can't even remember what he looks like."

It's normal that Shen Mingbo can't remember. Even if Zhang Chen came to Shen Nuoyi's birthday party, there were many people there at the time, so how could Shen Mingbo remember who Zhang Chen was?

Ning Wenjing, on the other hand, knew the details and said, "It's normal that you don't remember. Last year, he broke some of our decorations, and his mother even came to see me. Later, his family bought a shop in Hexianju that nobody thought was worthwhile, but they sold it for several times the price. After that, they started a project development company with Chen Xuran."

After hearing this, Shen Mingbo understood.

Among the three departments and four courts, Huang Huifen's story has recently gained considerable attention. Everyone agrees that she's lucky, especially after Chen Xuran's assassination attempt, which made her a household name in Rongcheng. Chen Xuran recognized her as his elder sister, and the two partnered, creating a remarkable story.

Shen Mingbo suddenly realized, "Oh, so they're their kids!"

"His father is Zhang Zhonghua, an engineer on the production line at Nanguang Company..."

“You know quite a lot about this, even more than I do,” Shen Mingbo said.

"Isn't that obvious? What good would that do you?" Ning Wenjing rolled her eyes at him.

"So what do we say now?" Shen Mingbo asked.

Ning Wenjing thought for a moment and then said, "I originally wanted to talk to her. But after thinking about it, Yi Yi is still very opinionated and has her own ideas. Besides, she's so old now, she might not listen to what we say. It's her senior year of high school now, a crucial time, and we can't afford to make any mistakes. Her grades are steadily improving, which means that this relationship issue hasn't affected her studies. So let's leave it at that for now. Maybe it's just some emotional anxiety during this period. I think she might be arguing with Pei Yan, and Zhang Chen just seems like a scapegoat. Otherwise, I can't see what Yi Yi has to offer him."

Seeing Shen Mingbo hesitate, Ning Wenjing said, "Of course, I'm not saying he has no merits, but compared to Pei Yan... I'm afraid his merits aren't very obvious."

"I just don't like Pei Yan that much... he has the face of a playboy." Shen Mingbo muttered, then, seeing his wife's expression, immediately added, "Of course, I also think you're right. As for that guy, what's his name, Zhang Chen, I don't think much of him either!"

Ning Wenjing nodded. "It's normal for people in this grade to have feelings for each other or experience ups and downs. After all, it's senior year of high school, and the pressure is immense... As long as it stays within a certain range, it's fine. But you'll have to pick her up after evening self-study every day from now on. I can pick her up when I'm free."

“Then Pei Yan…” Shen Mingbo said.

Ning Wenjing thought for a moment and said, "I trust my daughter's judgment... After this whole ordeal with Pei Yan, her relationship might be even stronger once she goes to university, so there's no need to worry..."

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(End of this chapter)