(shaved ice) at the cafe, used a spoon to scoop up the ice shavings. However, her mind was filled with the scene she witnessed just now."No, actually just then, Chen Cong probably wanted to charge ov...Chapter 85 Two Butterflies Stirring the Monsoon

Picking up their luggage and stepping out of the airport terminal in an environment predominantly populated by Caucasians, the two individuals noticed an elderly Chinese man holding a sign that read "Afs" (project name). After observing the ID cards hanging around their necks, the old man smiled and said in English, “Welcome to America.”

They followed the project team to a church where exchange students from various countries gathered. Then, they all boarded a bus heading towards Exeter City, approximately eighty kilometers away from the airport.

In the bus, the teacher leading them introduced in English: "New England's Granite State, Exeter is a mysterious city. It houses secret clubs of Ivy League universities and Masonic lodges established by founding fathers of America. There are also scattered secret passages from early governments. The local elites form various private clubs and secretive groups, which have become a longstanding tradition in New England. Recently, there were news reports calling for stricter regulation of these secret organizations as they've proliferated to an uncontrollable degree. Once you're at the school, you'll understand what activities are discouraged."

Fortunately, despite hearing conversations from people with different accents, all his efforts practicing English pronunciation before this trip hadn't been in vain. With two lifetimes of experience behind him and having barely passed the CET-4 level exam in his previous life, he easily overcame the challenge of mastering proper pronunciation.

Tang Wu, on the other hand, was attentively listening to these conversations with keen ears. Even for someone as excellent as her, she needed some time to adapt to this environment. A few students from India and South Korea seemed particularly interested in Tang Wu when they saw her.

The central city of Exeter is home to the prestigious Exeter School, which is nestled among lush forested surroundings along a path known as "Water Street."

As the bus reflected the serene sky outside, its architecture, though aged by time, still resembled its early 20th-century appearance. Many shopkeepers in the area remain proud of their tin domes and exquisite wood carvings.

The scenic Exeter School was their destination, but upon arrival, they only felt a sense of emptiness without any welcoming committee as expected. In stark contrast to the formal welcome ceremonies at Chengdu's No. 27 High School for exchange students, this place seemed indifferent—highlighting how hospitable our country is.

The two teachers from the school greeted them upon arrival and apologized for the absence of a student-organized welcoming ceremony due to strict rules prohibiting mobile phone use on campus. They then introduced the facilities such as the library, science center, observatory, music building, ice rink, rowing grounds, dormitories, teaching buildings, and the eight cardinal rules that students must follow.

A Canadian student beside Su Can whispered, "I've heard Exeter School is highly exclusive; it seems to be true."

The Exeter School ranks among America's top high schools. Many political and military figures have graduated from here, where third and fourth generation rich kids with their connections congregate, though not forming a unified clique. American social dynamics prevent any single person from gaining significant influence here; discussions about the founding fathers often involve multiple people.

No powerful individuals mean no prestige barriers; everyone is a local hero with independent autonomy, so they won't give anyone's son special treatment. This differs fundamentally from conditions at home. However, basic political struggles and de facto hereditary systems do exist.

The group arrived at the sports hall where both male and female students were mixed together, their cheers echoing throughout. When the exchange students entered, they immediately caught the attention of about a hundred people on the court.

A middle-aged teacher called over several playing students and said, "Tell our new exchange students the rules here."

One student named Porter was the school team captain with an extremely handsome Western appearance. When he saw Tang Wu, he gave her a charming smile and then joked, "In our court, there are almost no eight cardinal rules binding us; perhaps the only thing to note is that one isn't allowed to climb on the roof." Laughter ensued.

Most students were from grades 10 to 12. Students like Suen Chan and Tang Wu who came straight from grade 12 were not common, and among these exchange students, only Suen Chan stood out in height. A player named Aigle standing opposite him said with a laugh, "I heard that Chinese students are good at solving problems but never participate in club activities. Is this true"

The crowd laughed, with some girls even shouting, “Wow! Chinese student!” The teacher seemed content to let them talk.

Tang Wu looked at Suen Chan and felt a bit nervous. This was their first encounter overseas, regardless of whether it was the general attitude or deliberate provocation; such enthusiasm was overwhelming. Suen Chan just shrugged and said, "That's not true."

The student named Aigle narrowed his eyes and sneered, "Is that so" Then he threw the ball high into the air with a clatter as it hit the ground and bounced towards Suen Chan.

Suen Chan caught the ball firmly in the next moment. The rebound force numbed his hand, but he knew if he couldn't make an impressive start, then all he could do was keep losing face.

The instant he grabbed the ball, he jumped; it flew from his hands, arcing over the tall boy and clunked onto the backboard before dropping through the hoop.

The students watching on the sidelines froze momentarily. The players in uniform opened their mouths in surprise while Aigle shouted, "Wow!" He shook his head and gave Suen Chan two thumbs up.

The exchange students felt very proud, but some Koreans weren't entirely convinced; if someone had taunted them, perhaps they could have performed a slam dunk despite being only 1.6 meters tall.

Su Cen thought to himself that the chances of luck playing a significant role in this shot were high. During his training sessions with Xia Hai and Lin Luoran, he admitted that his ball skills couldn't match up to Lin Luoran's or even those American students. However, there was still room for differentiation; his greatest advantage lay in being an accurate shooter.

Amidst the friendly but teasing voices around him, Su Cen looked around. Was there anyone he wanted to find among these people The school had nine dormitories that were allocated to him and Tang Wu after she shook hands with him and requested not to interfere in his "personal territory." Apart from this, his experience here was similar to his previous life's boarding school days.

Su Cen was still reminiscing about the parting moment under half-lit skies at the dormitory entrance with Tang Wu. This girl far away from home had a hint of loneliness, and she seemed much brighter only when seeing him. However, it appeared that Tang Wu didn't lack friends; her roommates and new female classmates were quite interested in her. Yet, Tang Wu soon figured out what was behind these girls' interest.

"Eagle is our school team's strongest forward. He earned the title of 'Outstanding Attacker' for his best goal last year and caught the eye of a recruiter from Harvard Business School. Is your classmate, that Chinese exchange student, interesting to you His shots are quite beautiful, aren't they" "I find him rather charming; I wonder if he's equally impressive as a dancer" A blonde girl said longingly. Tang Wu didn't know what expression she had.

Su Cen spent his first day at Exeter Academy this way: His roommate Tillery brought in a group of boys and girls dressed in various costumes, then shut the door and told him sarcastically, "We are part of the Dungeons & Dragons club. As your roommate, don't you think it's appropriate for us to participate together"

Therefore, Su Cen felt foolishly joining this dragon-slaying game, realizing that hearing about secret clubs being prevalent in this academy wasn't baseless; he was experiencing such activities firsthand.

Unfortunately, late at night, a large group of the school's higher-ups came knocking with loud footsteps and turning door handles. They were caught out, and Su Cen was summoned to the principal’s office. The stern-faced principal believed it was inappropriate behavior for an exchange student to break school rules by participating in forbidden underground club activities from day one. Su Cen wanted to say that he had no intention of joining this kind of ridiculous game.

The first impression made on his new school wasn't very good, and now all students back at the school in Chengdu would be watching him and Tang Wu's every move in America. To achieve straight A’s, Su Cen felt that the confidence he had earlier was somewhat unrealistic.

On a Monday morning, Su Cen knocked on a dorm room door. This student dormitory looked like any other at Exeter Academy—neat but with personalized touches. Notably, in the center of the room was a table with one of America's popular board games, Risk placed upon it. It reminded him of the Civilization series tabletop versions; players aim to conquer regions and continents on a medieval war-themed map until they dominate the world.

Seated before this table was a young man with a crew cut, prominent cheekbones, and a high nose bridge that made him stand out. He pointed to the seat when he saw Su Cen enter the room, saying "Please take a seat."

The man's eyes twinkled, beneath his innocent exterior lay a look akin to a patient spider waiting for its prey, subtle but not unnoticed by Su Cen. It was still uncertain who would be the spider or the fly.

After sitting down in front of the boy, he started off by taking control of Asia, Australia, and Africa.

Su Cen controlled the strength of Europe and North and South America. Both sides started to advance and nibble away at each other's territory, with twelve faces divided into five levels determining the course of battle. This game allowed one to fully experience how strategy and luck are crucial in deciding the outcome of war, mirroring the mindset behind countries' military development in the real world.

Su Cen knew that the man in front of him was a natural strategist and undoubtedly an expert at this kind of tabletop board game. Both sides were evenly matched opponents. Four hours had passed from 2:30 PM to nearly 7 PM.

The final battle between both sides took place at Su Cen's home doorstep on the European battlefield, where one last inch made all the difference and resulted in his defeat. The man got up and extended his hand toward Su Cen, "You're very skilled; you almost rule the world... Zack, if I’m not mistaken, you are that Su Cen who can find my dorm from the school directory. Nice to meet you… Finally met."

In this extremely ordinary private high school, Exeter Academy, two completely unremarkable hands crossed over an ocean and shook in front of each other; something that should not have happened did happen by some twist of fate.

Years later, when this man was interviewed by Forbes, he would recall it as a destiny arrangement.

"My success is largely due to my partner. If he hadn't sent me the first email and if we hadn’t had such an important handshake, I don’t think I’d have ever reached where I am now. I might still be working at Microsoft or Google, just another employee, certainly not a CEO, nor would I joke about ruling the world."

Su Cen recalled information about this man from his memories of the future: "Mark Zuckerberg, founder of American social networking site f△ and dubbed as 'the second Gates.' According to Forbes’ conservative estimates, Mark Zuckerberg has an estimated net worth of 1.5 billion dollars. The social network he founded is America’s largest and a model that others aspire to but have never been able to surpass, with assets already reaching 400 million dollars. In the 2010 Forbes Global Young Wealth List, Mark Zuckerberg was ranked first. He has become the youngest self-made billionaire in history." When Mark was dubbed as the world's youngest billionaire in 2008, he was only twenty-five years old.

But now, the face of this seventeen-year-old man in front of Su Cen was still immature and unremarkable. They were merely two butterflies on either side of different oceans.

Just like all stories that never happened, they were quietly waiting, unremarkable and forgotten by everyone; if anyone mentioned them standing at the pinnacle of society, people would sneer in disbelief. This wait continued until one day when their fates crossed paths and brought them together.

This was a critical moment now. I'm writing slowly but trying to fully reflect Su Cen's value as a reincarnated person here, however it goes.

I apologize for making you all wait so long; I will do my best to maintain quality and output.s 13 on the court. Class 7 followed his lead.Soon, however, the commotion quieted down; the crowds around the basketball court dispersed, only to be replaced by a group of people who pierced through l...