city institutions are placing orders with us…'Zeng He nodded. However, he continued, "Most of them don't have high demand; they visit once a month at most, spending just a couple hundred to a few hund...Volume 2: A New Voyage Chapter 84: Crossing the Sea of Clouds

"You want to participate in the exchange student program" Principal Cai Guotaо, from Erqish Zhongxue High School, looked at Su Can sitting on the sofa. The boy's eyes were bright and clear, and he had directly approached him, the headmaster of the school, with a request that didn't come off as presumptuous.

Cai Guotaо stared at the banner in his office while tapping his fingers rhythmically on the desk. He was well aware that Su Can was making a straightforward demand and exploiting the favor owed to him by Erqishi High School.

This student defied Cai Guotaо's usual way of evaluating ordinary students' thoughts and maturity; he was an old hand who knew how to play on both his own psychology and that of Erqishi High School.

"I heard this is for the Phillips Exeter Academy exchange program. Erqishi has just established a channel with them for Sino-US friendly exchanges, allowing students to get approved for quarter-, half-, or full-year stays in America. I hope to go through this channel to study and immerse myself in American culture, education, and mindset."

"That's a good idea. However, Su Can, you should think about it more thoroughly." Cai Guotaо rubbed his temples; he knew very well that what Su Can said was just a pretentious excuse—he was clear on the real reason behind Su Can's desire to go.

"I have to remind you: students participating in exchange programs are mostly those with guaranteed admission to key universities. They don't need to take the national college entrance exam. After returning, they can either study abroad or be directly admitted. But if you leave school during your crucial senior year and then return to take the exam, it won't be on par with your current classmates. You also won't get access to the systemized review methods of senior year, which could change a lot in just three months. Of course, there's another possibility for gaining guaranteed admission: getting all A grades at Phillips Exeter Academy. That’s quite challenging, as even top students need an adaptation period; it usually takes three months to adjust to half a year abroad, so quarter-year exchanges often don't allow enough time to adapt. Hence, only the best students are sent."

"I am fully aware of what I'm doing."

"Go talk with Mr. Huang from the International Department and prepare everything you need: SLEP test, proof of identity and residency, visa, etc."

The news that Su Can was going abroad immediately spread throughout the compound. Of course, much of this was due to Su Mо's excitement as she shared it widely. She didn't hesitate to spend $18,000 for a three-month stay and an additional $100,000 deposit, knowing that her son had an opportunity to study at one of America’s top high schools—a chance that the family in Xihaiguo could never have imagined.

Su Licheng kept advising Su Can: "Over there, you need to take care of yourself. It's not like home; respect others' customs and habits."

And so on, with similar warnings. Both parents felt a sense of emptiness in their hearts as it was the first time Su Can was leaving for another country 20,000 kilometers away.

Su Can tried to reassure them: "Don't worry; it's only three months. Think of it as me going on a summer camp."

At the family gathering, Uncle Da kept nodding and praising nonstop. For him, the troubles on the official path were trivial compared to his recent promotion. Moreover, Su Can was his most proud nephew, so despite rarely showing outward happiness, he continuously nodded at Su Can.

Zeng Na heard that Su Can went to Phillips Exeter Academy and almost couldn't believe it. She thought that No. 27 High School had such ambition; if it were the old Summer Sea No.1 High School, this would have been nearly impossible.

Su Can secretly asked her about her progress with Deng Songqi, but she gave him a white eye and then burst into laughter: "That idiot is just ordinary."

Underneath the male dormitory at University of Electronic Science and Technology where students were drying shoes, shoe inserts, and clothing, Deng Songqi rushed to Su Can's side and handed some cash over. "How are those website templates and contact lists I designed for you We did everything according to your requirements. Here’s the rest of the money from last time, more than four hundred out of a thousand."

Su Can took two thousand yuan out of his pocket and gave it to Deng Songqi, whose eyes were already wide with surprise. "I’ve looked at your templates. The system core navigation area is quite comprehensive—this part is crucial. Your website template is excellent. You don’t need to give me this money back; this extra amount is a bonus for your team."

Deng Songqi quickly pushed the money back towards Su Can, "No way! If my sister found out I took your money, she’d skin me alive! But those seniors always admire you. They find your idea for an UGC website incredibly creative—how did you come up with that Still, it's hard to imagine major enterprises and universities connecting through this in China."

"That’s why I’m planning on trying overseas too. This money isn’t for you personally; it’s for the entire team. I know how much effort you’ve put into my idea these past two months. You often stay up all night, right Consider this a way to thank them."

Deng Songqi blushed. In fact, when Su Can initially provided one thousand yuan as seed funding, he had used two hundred of it to treat the club’s experts to late-night beer and snacks, which motivated them to work hard and build the website sections Su Can requested.

The process involved numerous interpersonal resources; several graduate students from the School of Electronics Engineering argued heatedly over a content display area for the template, and even offered cigarettes as bribes to several eccentric seniors from the College of Computer Science and Engineering.

Su Can's additional two thousand yuan had already surprised him. For college students like them, this was enough money to support a fortnight of nightly revelry.

He no longer refused it but accepted it very seriously. Su Can felt guilty inside because these college students didn’t understand that under the guidance of his past-life memories, they were creating something extraordinary in information technology.

Simultaneously, he was nostalgic; contemporary university students still formed a delightful group who could enjoy late-night meals and drinks together for just a few dozen yuan. After leaving this ivory tower called school, everything would change.

In November, two significant events occurred: the Sino-American exchange program at Phillips Exeter Academy in No. 27 High School was officially launched, and both Su Can and Tang Wu passed their TOEFL tests through a study-abroad agency in Chengdu.

The SLEP test is designed for American high school students from grades 10 to 12. The total score is sixty-seven points, and overall it's not too difficult; a mid-to-upper-level high school English proficiency would be enough to achieve a satisfactory score. Scoring over fifty points isn't an issue for Su Cen and Tang Wu. In addition, the recommendation exchange relationship between No. 27 High School and Exeter Academy usually means that passing this test is merely a formality; scoring above fifty points generally indicates no problems.

The second matter was at the beginning of the month, under Su Cen's instructions, Wang Yue from Dunhuang Mall and Ren Ying, who had been promoted to Vice President in charge of Market Promotion and is an outstanding student from Fudan University, contacted an overseas registration service agency. They entrusted a proxy company to register a new secret company in the British Virgin Islands (BVI).

The registered capital for the new company was ten thousand US dollars, with natural person Su Cen serving as the sole director and shareholder of the BVI company. This registration process emptied out at least one-quarter of Su Cen's current assets.

Previously, certain details repeatedly flashed through Su Cen’s mind, stemming from memories of his past life. It wasn't until he heard about Exeter Academy that it was like lightning breaking the night sky, suddenly waking him up.

When he got home, there was an additional email in his inbox, making his heart race for a moment. This was an English letter with only a brief reply, essentially saying "You are interesting, I look forward to meeting you."

Although it was just a short reply, it made Su Cen feel relieved. He inexplicably felt a sense of creating history.

He knew that he was facing the biggest challenge since his rebirth, following the embassy incident and Liu Cheng's case. In his previous life, merely going abroad as an exchange student was something he could never even have dreamed about. But in this renewed life, it seemed like there was a good start.

It was akin to playing the old D&D game "Baldur's Gate" from his past life, rolling out favorable character attributes and carefully seizing opportunities to reach his current stage step by step.

Now, he might need to take another leap or flap his butterfly wings more vigorously to set off a wave of destiny that crosses the ocean.

Limited by the times, Su Cen may not be able to change the fate of "Baldur's Gate" or the famous Black Isle wasteland game series "Fallout," nor could he dominate the direction and tragic end of domestic games. Similarly, he might not be able to make a significant impact in already established internet companies like Sohu, Sina, or NetEase, let alone save the VCD industry from being defeated by foreign capital.

As for his current industries, they were merely small-scale within his immediate living environment.

Because of limited experiences and memories from his past life, he found that after rebirth, unless he opened up the golden finger that never fades again, he could only remember some special events. Thus, he couldn't fully leverage the power of rebirth.

However, at least he still had a slight grasp on emerging forces in this world.

The embassy incident and the Liu Cheng incident vividly demonstrated the power that Su Cen extracted from his memories of his previous life, and how he used this power to turn the unfavorable events in a common person's destiny into advantageous ones.

Now, the strength in his hands is even greater.

In the past, he was forced to respond passively. But now, there would be nothing wrong with taking the initiative once.

How can an insignificant person become extraordinary Diligent efforts and hard work are only like putting a frog in lukewarm water in this vast world, eventually leading to a cloned life of merely having a family, a career, a car, and a house.

Su Cen doesn't yearn for grandeur. But if opportunities present themselves clearly before him, he must seize them with decisiveness or else just give up like eating a bowl of Lanzhou noodles and hanging himself from a tree. Su Cen is not afraid of failure; even if this overseas trip cannot secure an all-A rating at Exeter Academy to enter the domestic university's recommended list or achieve his intended goal, he won't regret it.

If there truly exists a God, then the opportunities before him should be divine gifts.

Three months is actually not long.

The last night before leaving, Su Cen saw Tang Wu's house brightly lit. Mu Xuan and Tang Wu’s father were preparing luggage for her departure. However, Mu Xuan was puzzled by the absence of any signs of displeasure on Tang Wu's face.

The next day at Chengdu Airport, in a hurry to avoid missing their flight due to Tang Wu’s father's tardiness, Mu Xuan drove Tang Wu to the airport lobby where she saw Su Cen carrying luggage and waving at her. He then took the shoulder bag from Tang Wu, saying, "Hello Auntie, during this American exchange trip, I will take good care of Tang Wu."

November late in the year 2000.

A cold front swept across China's southwest, causing a sudden drop in temperature. At that moment, Chengdu was dark and overcast with clouds gathering and winds blowing.

Su Cen and Tang Wu, challenging their fates' forces, transferred at Chengdu Airport to Shanghai Pudong International Airport. There they met up with the international exchange students and project team. Then, everyone dispersed from there, heading towards different parts of the world.

They boarded an international flight, following the warm southeast monsoon of the Pacific Ocean, leaving behind the Eurasian Plate in their minds as they flew directly to Boston's Logan International Airport in the United States, bathed in sunlight and passing through mountains and oceans that were vaguely visible.alysis suggested that his unwillingness stemmed from a kind of inferiority complex. Even though he was reborn, there were often times when he felt this way in front of both Lin Luoran and Tang Wu."Alt...