I'm a senior in high school, and the Emperor Development System has arrived!

Chapter 108 You'd better hurry back to Gotham, Batman said he won't hit you anymore.
[His Majesty displays erudition, winning praise from the Imperial Tutor; Imperial Prestige +20]

[Imperial Might: 650]

Chen Zhou naturally had no idea what Chen Hui was thinking, otherwise he would have definitely shouted that he was wronged.

There are plenty of girls who like him. Who would be interested in a 28-year-old single woman who is poor, has a bad temper, is sexually repressed, and is prone to daydreaming?
Anyway, Chen Zhou wouldn't.

After he sat down, Li Bin asked with tears in his eyes:
"Elbow, you're a real bastard! You deliberately asked me out during the holiday to make me lower my guard, and then you secretly studied at home, didn't you?"

Chen Zhou couldn't very well say that he hadn't read any books, because that wouldn't explain why he failed his exams at the beginning of the semester.

So he spread his hands and said:
"Bin, we've known each other for so long, don't you understand me? As long as your brother Zhou makes a move, I'll be invincible in this world."

"It's just a history subject, so what if I failed? I'll show you an 80 next time!"

Upon hearing this, Li Bin was utterly impressed by Chen Zhou's art of showing off, and sighed:

"As expected of my Lord Zhou, this display of arrogance is truly refreshing and unconventional."

Chen Zhou sighed softly.

That year I was eighteen years old, standing in the wind with my hands in my pockets, looking around, but there was no one to match me.

How lonely it is to be invincible~
……

During the long break between classes, on the basketball court.

The sound of the basketball hitting the rubber surface mingled with the screams of the girls around them.

Chen Zhou leaped up with one foot, his elbow brushing past Wang Rui's raised fingertips, and the ball arced low and went into the net.

Zhu Zhou stared at the basket with his mouth agape.

"It's 2-0 now, Zhou Ge, did you install a spring to keep you airborne?"

Chen Zhou was also somewhat surprised by the physical attributes gained from 40 points of martial arts attribute.

But he quickly smiled and said:

"I feel pretty good today."

It was a bit hot today, and there weren't many people playing on the court, so we couldn't form a match. Instead, the three of us took turns playing one-on-one, with three balls per game.

The so-called "bullfight" is actually a 1-on-1 basketball game, where the loser is eliminated.

But Chen Zhou's performance today shocked the two basketball stars of Class 8.

Because he hadn't left the field since he came on, and Wang Rui and Zhu Zhou had been taking turns leaving the field.

The three of them used to fight bulls all the time, but they had never seen Chen Zhou so fierce before.

At this moment, Wang Rui was bent over, supporting himself on his knees, panting heavily. His jersey was already soaked with sweat, but he still looked defiant.
"One more, just one more ball!"

Chen Zhou caught the ball he threw, pinched the basketball between his knuckles, and then let it fall freely.

The basketball bounced up and down on the ground, making a hollow echo.

Wang Rui wiped the sweat from his forehead, his eyes fixed on Chen Zhou's footsteps.

He lowered his center of gravity, spread his arms like a falcon's wings, and took a half step forward with his right foot, deliberately exposing an opening on his left side—

This is a trap.

But as Chen Zhou bent down to dribble, he glanced at Wang Rui's slightly bent knees out of the corner of his eye, and then smiled gently.

"Three, two, one."

Chen Zhou silently counted in his mind, then suddenly exerted force, his sneakers screeching against the ground.

Wang Rui almost reflexively blocked the right side, but Chen Zhou's feint was half a beat faster than he anticipated.

Just as the two brushed past each other, Chen Zhou gently nudged Wang Rui with his hip, sending the basketball bouncing past Wang Rui's side and behind him.

This unlucky move completely tore through the defenses. As Wang Rui staggered and turned around, he only saw Chen Zhou's figure, as graceful as a cheetah, soar into the air.

With a deafening roar as the backboard trembled, a large hand slammed the basketball into the hoop—

Powerful dunk!

The mineral water bottle in Zhu Zhou's hand fell to the ground with a "clatter," splashing water everywhere. His eyes widened, and his Adam's apple bobbed.
"175cm dunk? This guy is a poet?"

Wang Rui slumped to the ground, his chest heaving violently, his sweat-soaked jersey clinging to his back. After a long pause, he managed to utter a sentence:
"Damn it, I guarded against nothing?"

The moment Chen Zhou slammed the ball down, the sidelines erupted in cheers.

Several girls watching screamed.

Bai Qianqian wasn't at the sidelines today; instead, He Lili, her face flushed, was waving her school uniform jacket and shouting from the sidelines:

"Go Chen Zhou!!"

Her voice was sharp and excited, as if she had completely lost herself in the moment.

Seeing this, Wang Rui and Zhu Zhou looked at each other, feeling as if they had wasted seven or eight years of playing ball.

It's been so long, and there's never been such a devoted fan cheering them on before.

Both of them had mixed feelings.

Damn it, they never said you had to build a model to play basketball!
Chen Zhou felt a sharp pain in his head as he listened to He Lili's frantic cheers.

Being too popular isn't good either.

Amidst the cheers from the sidelines, Wang Rui dejectedly left the field as a substitute.

Zhu Zhou tossed a bottle of water over to Chen Zhou and said:

"Zhou-ge, if you can maintain this level, our class will have a good chance in the basketball tournament in early September!"

Every year at the start of the school year, No. 2 Middle School organizes basketball tournaments for each grade to select players for the city's basketball cup competition held at the beginning of the year.

Although this has nothing to do with amateurs, it is an opportunity for some basketball enthusiasts to make their mark.

After all, who wouldn't want to hit a game-winning three-pointer amidst the cheers of all the female fans in the class?

However, Chen Zhou smiled dismissively and said:

"We'll see then."

As he spoke, he passed the ball to Zhu Zhou:
"Come on, keep going!"

Zhu Zhou's face immediately fell.

This was a completely one-sided 1v1 match, with absolutely no fun involved.

But he still gritted his teeth and continued fighting, only to be knocked out of the game two minutes later, unsurprisingly.

At this moment, Chen Zhou took the initiative to speak:

"I'm tired, you guys keep playing, I'm going to rest for a bit."

Upon hearing this, Wang Rui climbed up from the basketball hoop and said resentfully:

"Zhou-ge, did you secretly practice extra during the summer vacation? You've improved so quickly!"

Chen Zhou chuckled and said:

"Practice a little, practice a little..."

Wang Rui, looking inferior, shook his head and went to fight bulls with Zhu Zhou.

Chen Zhou leaned against the basketball hoop, wiping away sweat. The warm water from the plastic bottle poured into his throat, but it didn't feel cold at all.

Just then, He Lili ran over clutching a can of chilled Red Bull, her beauty mark at the corner of her eye particularly noticeable in the sunlight.

She shoved the drink directly into his arms and said with a smile:

"That dunk was so cool! Here, have some to help you get some energy!"

Chen Zhou glanced at the chilled Red Bull, then at the steaming bottle of mineral water in his hand, and for a fleeting moment, he felt a slight pang of longing.

However, he managed to restrain himself, after all, He Lili bringing water was different from the last time Yu Xinyan brought water.

Yu Xinyan owes him so many breakfasts, it's only right that she repays him.

But He Lili and he were not related, so he couldn't accept the water.

So Chen Zhou shook his head slightly and said with a smile:

"Thank you for your kind offer, but drinking iced drinks after exercising is not good for your health."

Upon hearing this, He Lili immediately said:
"Then I'll go to the convenience store and get you a can of room temperature one."

Who drinks Red Bull at room temperature?
It's even worse than room temperature iced tea.

Chen Zhou quickly checked the time and said:

"No, no, class is about to start."

Upon hearing this, He Lili put down the Red Bull in her hand, a trace of sadness appearing on her face.

Seeing this, Chen Zhou quickly greeted Wang Rui and Zhu Zhou:

"Go back to class first, you still have homework to finish over the weekend."

With that, Chen Zhou fled the courtship scene.

As Wang Rui watched him leave, he couldn't help but smile and say to He Lili, "He Lili, don't be delusional. Chen Zhou already has someone he likes."

He Lili knew perfectly well who liked Chen Zhou, but the more charming a boy was, the more she liked him.

She waved her little fist and said loudly:

"I'm pursuing true love, you know?"

Zhu Zhou also laughed:
"Alright, alright, you're after true love? Then hurry back to Gotham. Batman said he won't hit you anymore."

He Lili gave a thumbs-up, then pointed back at herself and said:
"Even if I were a character from Marvel, I'd still be a Harley Quinn who dares to love and hate. Say a good word for me to Chen Zhou, and I'll take care of your Water Sister from now on."

Upon hearing that there was a benefit, their faces crinkled with smiles, and they quickly said:
"Okay, Sister Lily, I'll take care of it."

He Lili said with relief:

"Good, sensible."

As she spoke, she threw the Red Bull in her hand away:

"Go ahead and split it up."

Zhu Zhou quickly took the Red Bull and said ingratiatingly:

"Thank you, sister! Thank you, sister!"

Wang Rui elbowed him, frowning as he said:
"Be sensible!! Call her sister-in-law!!"

Zhu Zhou immediately realized what he meant and changed his words:

"Hello, sister-in-law!!"

"Hey!! Sister-in-law likes to hear that. Next time you don't have money to buy water, just tell her."

He Lili beamed with joy as she followed Chen Zhou toward the classroom.

Meanwhile, Wang Zhinian, who was far away in another corner of the basketball court, saw this scene and couldn't help but mutter to Yu Xinyan:
"Now look what's happened, He Lili has started pursuing Chen Zhou too. What's so charming about him? Why is everyone falling for him?"

Jiang Xia and Bai Qianqian aside, now He Lili has also started pursuing Chen Zhou.

This would have been unthinkable in the past.

Yu Xinyan stared coldly at He Lili's retreating figure, her heart filled with a mixture of calm and regret.

Perhaps it's a mixture of both emotions.

He Lili could put aside her pride to pursue Chen Zhou, but she couldn't; deep down, she was a proud young woman.

She couldn't forget the humiliation Chen Zhou had inflicted on her when she brought him water a few days earlier.

Even without Chen Zhou, her fishpond still has so many sycophants waiting to beg for her favor.

Do we really have to keep chasing after Chen Zhou?
Yu Xinyan wasn't that despicable.

Therefore, Yu Xinyan decided that no matter what Chen Zhou did in the future, she would have nothing to do with him anymore.

She didn't say anything to Wang Zhinian, but simply turned around and said calmly:

Chinen, let's go back.

……

[His Majesty's imperial might grows stronger each day; the wicked concubine feels remorse. Imperial prestige +100]

[Imperial Might: 750]

Chen Zhou and He Lili returned to the classroom one after the other.

Upon seeing the system notification, he couldn't help but type out a question mark.

Did Yu Xinyan regret it again?
When did this happen? Why hasn't there been any news about it?
Shaking his head, Chen Zhou was now somewhat indifferent to Yu Xinyan's regretful mission.

What can a mere 100 Imperial Might do?

What Chen Zhou wants most right now is to develop more and higher sources of imperial prestige.

Sitting in his seat, he couldn't help but ponder how he could gain more imperial prestige.

It is known that imperial authority has two sources.

One type is system tasks, which we won't discuss for now, as they have basically been cleared out by Chen Zhou.

The second type comes from one's daily activities, especially from gaining praise, surprise, and shock from others.

Moreover, the wider the influence, the higher the imperial reward.

Thinking of this, Chen Zhou couldn't help but think of Zhang Jilong, the sports coach who had always wanted him to choose the sprint track.

Putting aside the principle of "speed is of the essence," if he could actually win some places on the track and field, wouldn't the prestige he gained be astronomical?
Of course, Chen Zhou was just thinking about it; he wasn't that obsessed with achieving fame and success.

Life is pretty good now, I'm comfortable every day, much better than before.

He is the Emperor of the Great Chen Dynasty, the ruler of a country. If he doesn't think about indulging in pleasure every day, does he really intend to wage war and expand his territory?
Exhausting the people and wasting resources by waging war is far more wasteful than indulging in extravagance and debauchery.

Therefore, the matter of the emperor personally leading the expedition should be put on hold for now.

As Chen Zhou was pondering, the school bell suddenly rang.

Math teacher Shao Xi walked into the classroom carrying his lesson plan.

He walked to the podium, adjusted his glasses, and said:
"Before class, I have an announcement. The school's math teaching and research group is planning an internal math competition to encourage everyone's enthusiasm for learning math. The prizes are very generous, and our class has five spots. Who wants to give it a try?"

Upon hearing this, many of the top students in the class, who excelled in only one subject, had their eyes light up, but then decided against it.

Only Fei Chai immediately raised his hand and said:
"Teacher, I want to participate!"

Shao Xi nodded and said:

"Sure, who else wants to go?"

After he finished speaking, no one in the class responded.

As a regular liberal arts class, they knew their own limitations.

Aside from that guy Fei Chai, he might be thinking of challenging himself.

The others don't have the 'm' attribute and don't want to be manipulated by those in the top and elite classes.

As for Chen Zhou, he was simply lazy.

Don't ask him to do anything that requires effort but offers no reward; the so-called generous reward is at most a few notebooks.

The school has always been extremely stingy when it comes to rewarding students.

Seeing this, Shao Xi looked around unsurprised, then leaned on the podium and said:

"I heard the top ten will get a 1,000 yuan reward..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Zhou suddenly raised his hand, his eyes gleaming, and said:
"Teacher, I'm signing up!!"

Upon seeing this, Shao Xi chuckled and said:
"Just kidding, there are only a few notebooks in the top ten."

"what??"

In that instant, Chen Zhou felt that his young mind had been deceived.

But Shao Xi changed the subject:
"but--"

"If anyone in our class can get into the top ten in the grade, I will personally contribute this thousand yuan."

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhou's heart skipped a beat.

Well, we've really fallen for that old man Shao Xi's cunning scheme.

But if you don't take the money, are you even a normal human being?

However, after thinking about it, Chen Zhou still said:

"Getting into the top ten is still a bit difficult for me, Professor Shao, you should keep the money for your retirement..."

Shao Xi raised his eyebrows and glared:

"Chen Zhou, you think you can look down on me? Do you think I'd be short of money? Do you know how much I charged per hour when tutoring was still available?"

He held up two fingers.

Chen Zhou was startled and Xianbao said:
"Two hundred yuan a class? That's 4800 a day, 144000 a month, and 1728000 a year, Teacher Shao!"

Upon hearing this, the class burst into laughter.

Chen Zhou is such a funny guy.

Shao Xi awkwardly touched his nose, unsure whether to be happy or sad.

To my delight, Chen Zhou was quite good at mental arithmetic, able to recite two- and three-digit multiplication problems off the top of his head.

Sadly, he underestimated himself too much.

As for Chen Zhou's abstract ideas, he had long since forgotten about them.

Shao Xi shook his head and said frankly:
"Two thousand an hour, but only two or three hours a week, so it's only twenty or thirty thousand a month."

(End of this chapter)