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

Zhao Qiang slumped in his chair, his eyes nearly popping out.

He was just waiting to see Ye Chen make a fool of himself.

As a result, the opponent not only dominated the entire scene, but also threw in a visual performance as a bonus.

All the effort I put into creating this stage has become someone else's stepping stone.

Old Zhou remained silent for a long time.

I took off my reading glasses, wiped them, and put them back on.

He didn't speak immediately, but instead bent down and leaned closer to the screen, scanning the code structure line by line.

Then he straightened up and stared at Ye Chen for two seconds.

"What's your name?"

"Ye Chen".

"Have you studied this before?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty interested in computers, and I've been figuring things out on my own for a while," Ye Chen said casually.

Old Zhou grunted in agreement and put the laser pointer back on the podium.

He turned around and projected Ye Chen's code onto the screen.

"Everyone take a good look. This is the standard underlying logic. There isn't a single piece of useless code, and its execution efficiency is at least three times higher than the way it's written in the textbook."

Old Zhou pointed at the screen, his tone filled with rare admiration.

"Ye Chen, right? Your writing is beautiful."

Amidst the astonished gazes of his classmates, Ye Chen walked down from the podium with his hands in his pockets.

As he passed by Zhao Qiang, his gaze swept over him lightly.

Zhao Qiang hurriedly lowered his head, pretending to pack his textbooks, not daring to meet that gaze at all.

The bell rang just as get out of class ended.

As soon as they returned to their seats, Sun Haoyu and Lu Wenbo pounced on them like madmen.

"Old Ye, when did you learn programming?! That's amazing!"

"Hey pro! Teach me! I want to achieve that effect to flirt with girls!"

Ye Chen leaned back in his chair, a lazy smile on his lips, and flicked each of their foreheads.

"Let's memorize the nine-multiplication table first."

A few girls in the front row huddled together and whispered among themselves.

Someone secretly took a picture of the last row with their phone, but was slapped down by the person next to them: "Are you crazy? How embarrassing if you get caught!"

Tang Wan sat by the window, turning her gaze away from the view outside.

She didn't turn around.

He unconsciously twirled the pen in his hand, his gaze fixed on the table.

After a two-second silence, she opened her textbook as if nothing had happened.

At that moment, Zhao Qiang kept his head down.

I stared at the textbook on my desk that cost me three thousand yuan for the crash course – "Easy Introduction to C Programming".

The large characters on the cover were particularly glaring.

Relaxed.

getting Started.

He suddenly felt that the book was mocking him.

The noise of the next class ending their lesson could be heard from outside the corridor.

Someone glanced inside through the window as they passed by; they probably heard the commotion in the server room earlier.

Ye Chen slung his bag over his shoulder, picked up the half-finished soy milk, and walked out.

Sun Haoyu followed behind, still asking questions, but was shut down by his reply, "I'm hungry, let's go to the cafeteria."

As I passed the entrance to the server room, my phone vibrated in my pocket.

Suya's message: [Boss, Temple Run surpassed 300,000 new downloads in North America yesterday. Should we add another server?]

Ye Chen typed with one hand: [Share, don't skimp on this.]

Lock the screen and put the phone back in my pocket.

Without stopping, they met up with Sun Haoyu and Lu Wenbo and headed towards the cafeteria.

Lunchtime, First Canteen.

The aroma of braised pork ribs mingled with the noisy chatter of people.

Sun Haoyu and Lu Wenbo ordered a full plate of hearty dishes and huddled together to discuss where to buy bicycles that afternoon.

Chen Zhiqiang sat down opposite them, carrying his tray.

There was only one serving of stir-fried cabbage and two ounces of rice on the plate.

He lowered his head, ate a couple of mouthfuls of rice, his chopsticks hovering in mid-air, his face full of worry.

"Old Chen, are you eating cat food?" Sun Haoyu tapped the edge of his plate with his chopsticks. "No classes this afternoon, want to join the guys for a stroll in the backstreets?"

Chen Zhiqiang forced a smile: "You guys go ahead, I have something to do, I need to go back to the dorm and work on the materials for the student aid grant for impoverished students."

"Not finished yet?" Lu Wenbo looked up. "Didn't you already go to Zhao Qiang to fill out the form this morning?"

Chen Zhiqiang rubbed his slightly faded canvas shoes, his voice very low.

"I've filled out the form, but I'm thinking of adding a few more things before submitting it. Our family's finances are tight, and I want to try my best to get more information..."

He only said half of what he meant.

In fact, all the materials had been prepared long ago. However, when he went to Zhao Qiang to submit the application in the morning, Zhao Qiang flipped through his application with a lukewarm attitude and a nonchalant look in his eyes. He didn't give him a definite answer for a long time.

This made Chen Zhiqiang very uneasy, as he felt that the matter was uncertain.

But he didn't want to spoil everyone's fun, and he didn't want to vent his frustration to his roommates, so he could only silently keep all his worries to himself.

The atmosphere paused for a moment.

Sun Haoyu put down his chopsticks and patted Chen Zhiqiang on the shoulder: "Hey, it's no big deal. It's just submitting some materials. If you need to run errands to make copies or find someone to sign them, just tell us, and we'll take care of it for you."

Ye Chen sat beside him, slowly sipping his seaweed and egg drop soup.

He took a tissue and wiped his hands, his gaze casually sweeping over Chen Zhiqiang's slightly tense shoulders, and said casually, "When you're supplementing the materials this afternoon, don't just write about how difficult things are at home. Write down your usual part-time job experience and study plan by hand and attach them."

Chen Zhiqiang raised his head.

"The school's grants aren't purely for charity. The people in charge of the review process have seen too many people playing the victim; they're already numb to it," Ye Chen said calmly.

"They prefer to give money to ambitious people who can bring honor to the school. Putting your own plans in black and white is ten times more effective than simply complaining about being poor. Even if others want to stop you, they won't be able to find fault with you."

Chen Zhiqiang was stunned for a moment, quickly processing the sentence in his mind.

Ye Chen's words seemed to have awakened him, and the sense of helplessness he felt when facing Zhao Qiang that morning dissipated considerably.

He definitely lacks a "bargaining chip" that people can't refuse.

He nodded emphatically: "I understand, thank you, Ye Chen!"

"Go ahead, don't be nervous." Ye Chen pushed the empty bowl forward.

After the meal, Ye Chen had just reached the entrance of the cafeteria when his phone vibrated again.

An unfamiliar number from the Shanghai metropolitan area was displayed on the screen.

I pressed the answer button, and a deliberately soft female voice came through the receiver.

"Mr. Ye, have you had lunch yet?"

Xia Meng, Publishing Manager for EA China Region.

Compared to her aggressive demeanor at the French restaurant a couple of days ago, her tone now was practically gentle and persuasive.

"Manager Xia, you called right at mealtime, are you treating us to a meal?" Ye Chen replied casually.

"Mr. Ye, you're joking. I was the one who offended you last time."

Xia Meng took a light breath on the other end of the phone.

"The headquarters held a multinational video conference these past few days to reassess the data models for two of your products. We are very sincere in moving forward with the cooperation. When would be a convenient time for you to meet, Mr. Ye?"