We agreed not to date, so why are you crying now that I've become the richest man?

Ye Chen opened the programming software and started typing code.

Absolute memory turned his brain into a supercomputer.

No lag, no bugs.

Lines of elegant code jumped wildly across the screen.

The internet cafe was filled with smoke, and the people next to me were playing World of Warcraft and Fantasy Westward Journey.

Only Ye Chen sat in the corner, like a quiet ghost.

But the sound of his typing was like the beating of a new era's war drums.

It wasn't until 7 p.m. that Ye Chen rubbed his neck and saved his progress.

The core architecture has been completed.

In three more days at most, the game will be ready.

He checked out, disembarked, and walked home into the evening breeze.

As I pushed open the door, the aroma of food wafted in.

"Chenchen's back, hurry up and wash your hands and eat."

Chen Xiulan came out carrying a plate of braised pork.

Ye Jianguo was sitting on the sofa, watching sports news.

"Dad, who are you betting on for tomorrow night's game?"

Ye Chen asked with a smile as he changed his shoes.

Ye Jianguo didn't even look up.

"If Portugal were to play against North Korea, there's no question it would be Portugal who wins."

"However, North Korea has a strong defense, so I estimate they can only win by two or three at most."

Ye Chen smiled but didn't say anything.

The revelry tomorrow night will shake the world.

Early the next morning.

The early summer sun was already quite dazzling.

Ye Chen was wearing a clean white T-shirt and light-colored jeans.

He exudes the refreshing energy of a sunny and cheerful young man.

He left home with the five thousand yuan in cash he had managed to scrape together.

As he walked, he pulled out his old Nokia phone from his pocket.

He skillfully dialed his best friend Zhao Peng's number.

Immediately, the sound of rapid typing came from the other end of the phone.

The background music consisted entirely of skill sound effects from the game.

"Where?" Ye Chen asked with a smile.

"StarCraft Internet Cafe, VIP room on the second floor!"

Zhao Peng's voice was extremely loud, filled with excitement.

"Chenzi, come quick! My Abyss weapon is about to drop a great item!"

Ye Chen smiled and shook his head, then hung up the phone.

A dozen minutes later.

He pushed open the door to the innermost private room on the second floor of the StarCraft Internet Cafe.

The smell of instant noodle seasoning and cheap cigarettes mixed with the cold air from the air conditioner hit me directly in the face.

Zhao Peng was staring intently at the computer screen.

He had huge headphones hanging around his neck, and his hands were frantically typing on the keyboard.

The red-eyed character on the screen is unleashing a skill.

He pounded the keyboard with tremendous force.

"Chenzi, turn on the machine yourself first."

Zhao Peng didn't even turn his head, his eyes wide open.

"I'll clear this map soon, I'm going to get a Shadowless Sword today!"

Ye Chen didn't turn on the computer.

He pulled over an empty chair and sat down casually.

He casually typed a few shortcut keys on Zhao Peng's keyboard.

In his previous life, he was a seasoned programmer and had a thorough understanding of the underlying logic and data packet transmission mechanisms of this kind of old game.

I only glanced at the monster drop rate display on the screen.

He knew this was definitely a noob game.

"Stop spamming, this round is hopeless, let's get down to business."

Ye Chen spoke in a relaxed tone, with a hint of teasing.

Zhao Peng's hand trembled, and the character in the game was hit hard.

He turned his head abruptly, his face full of displeasure.

"What important thing could be more important than my powder-coated outfit?"

Ye Chen crossed his legs and patted his pockets.

"Taking a driving test."

Zhao Peng was stunned.

"Taking a driving test?"

"I brought all the tuition fees with me."

Ye Chen grinned, revealing his neat white teeth.

"Are you going or not? If not, I'll sign up myself. I'll drive a sports car and pick up girls, and you'll be stuck riding a bicycle behind me."

"Go! Go! We absolutely have to go!"

Zhao Peng immediately took off his headphones and decisively clicked to exit the game.

"My dad was still talking about it last night."

He said that since I was free after the college entrance exam, he forced me to learn to drive.

"The money was deposited into my account last night."

He looked at the darkened screen, still feeling a pang of regret.

"What a waste of my full fatigue level."

Ye Chen stood up and patted him on the shoulder.

"Alright, stop dawdling and let's go."

Zhao Peng followed behind, grumbling and cursing.

"Chenzi, I've noticed that your way of speaking and acting is becoming more and more like my father's."

The two left the internet cafe and headed straight for Shunda Driving School, the largest driving school in the county.

The weather was already very hot in mid-June.

The driving school registration hall was packed with people.

Most of them were students who had just finished the college entrance examination, and there were also many parents accompanying them.

The old ceiling fan on the lobby ceiling was spinning loudly.

Bright red recruitment posters were pasted on the wall.

"Summer vacation student special offer classes are now open for registration."

Zhao Peng wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Chenzi, we're keeping up with the trend now."

Ye Chen walked to the end of the line and joined the queue.

"The three things to do after the college entrance exam: learn to drive, go online, and have a farewell dinner."

Ye Chen and Zhao Peng were joking around.

Zhao Peng chuckled.

"I'm progressing pretty fast, I've already finished one and a half items."

The line moved forward slowly.

When it was their turn, a middle-aged woman wearing reading glasses was sitting behind the window.

She didn't look up, her tone mechanical.

"C1 manual transmission, summer student class, 3,500 yuan per person."

"Fill out the form first, go to the next room for the physical exam, and then come back to pay and get the receipt."

She handed two registration forms through the window.

Ye Chen picked up the pen and moved extremely quickly.

Name, ID number, contact number, home address.

Without the slightest pause, the handwriting is vigorous and powerful.

The registration clerk took the form and checked it, then glanced at Ye Chen with some surprise.

These characters are written so beautifully.

"Okay, let's go for the medical check-up."

The physical examination process is very simple.

Get your vision tested, check your color blindness chart, and have your passport photo taken.

Less than half an hour later, the two walked out of the lobby with the receipt.

In the training field in the backyard, a coach was shouting at the top of his lungs through a megaphone.

"Driving practice starts at 8 AM sharp tomorrow! Anyone who's late will have to stand in the scorching sun for half an hour!"

Zhao Peng turned his head and loudly echoed.

"Alright! I promise I won't be late!"

He held the receipt in his hand, looking at it over and over, extremely excited.

Ye Chen walked out leisurely with his hands in his pockets.

"Come on, I'll treat you to a big lunch."

Zhao Peng's eyes lit up.

"Barbecue! We need some lamb kidneys to nourish ourselves!"

The two had just reached the vicinity of the driving school's large iron gate.

Two people walked towards us.

A middle-aged woman with curly hair.

A young girl was following beside him.

The girl was holding a parasol and wearing a fitted white dress.

Zhao Peng stopped abruptly in his tracks.

He stared at the girl for a full three seconds, then quickly and frantically jabbed Ye Chen with his elbow.

"Tatsuko! Tatsuko!"

"Isn't that Shen Anran from our class?"

Ye Chen stopped and looked up.

It was indeed Shen Anran.

The students of Class 2, Grade 12.

I usually sit in the second-to-last row by the window.

In Ye Chen's memory, Shen Anran in high school always had thick, straight bangs.

He was wearing black-rimmed glasses.

I always bought school uniforms one size too big, covering myself up completely.

He never speaks up in class, and he doesn't gossip with girls after class.

However, his grades consistently ranked among the top three in the class.

He was a completely invisible person on the fringes.