he game of the stock market. Perhaps because dealing with people at work had made him weary, Daji would usually light a cigarette after lecturing them and giving them their annual academic goals befor...Chapter 88: Verbal Sparring

... Upon receiving an email from Redmond, Washington, which was sent by Microsoft Headquarters...

This letter instantly made him a celebrity at school.

The email stated that the player plugin Zach wrote had greatly benefited Microsoft. They sincerely invited Zach to join Microsoft after high school graduation with an annual salary of $700,000.

A yearly income of 700,000 dollars was almost unimaginable in China and represented a symbol of upper society and capability in America.

Although many students at this school came from prestigious families and didn't lack money...

American education generally doesn’t emphasize the pride of one’s family wealth and power but rather their own abilities. A salary of 700,000 dollars was a significant demonstration of personal capability that could astonish many people.

For a mere high school student to be noticed by Microsoft was something that made the whole school feel cool, making Zach somewhat famous overnight.

Zach immediately became news in the school newspaper and even newspapers around Exeter City.

Now, this ordinary person who had just started showing his sharp edges was dancing joyfully at a party thrown for him.

"If you have excellent grades, it doesn't guarantee admission to Harvard. But if you participate in extracurricular activities and win awards, or become the president of clubs like debate teams, school newspapers, yearbooks, or magazines, your chances are very high. You might even receive a generous scholarship!"

"If a student has average grades but excels in extracurricular activities, prestigious universities will still fight for him! Especially Harvard values leadership skills, sportsmanship, unique personalities, and special talents that can't be found just by looking at grades. And now I've easily received an offer from Microsoft; I can't think of a reason why Harvard would reject this honor!"

The party was a huge success, with Zach surrounded by his friends congratulating him.

After the party ended, Zach met up with Su Cen. His face showed excitement as he asked, "How did you know Microsoft wanted to hire me!" Because in previous conversations, Su Cen had accidentally mentioned that Microsoft would recruit Zach.

Su Cen smiled and replied, "I said if I were the president of Microsoft, I'd definitely hire you. A person who could write a computer game like 'Four Jobs Adventure' at such a young age and develop a plugin for playing videos—why wouldn't they want to have him on their team"

Zach was quite surprised. "Su, does the mysterious East give you this enigmatic quality You're different from anyone else I've met. If my exchange program ends, I'll miss you. Of course, there's also Tang; she's the most beautiful Asian girl I've ever seen."

Su Cen simply smiled. "I think we might see each other more often in the future."

Zach was silent for a long while. This somewhat proud student then patted his pants and said, "For what I said before, I apologize. I now understand the significance of you entrusting your company to me. By the way, how much did you invest into this company Your annual scholarship amount"

"Ten thousand US dollars."

Seeing Zach's shocked expression, Su Cen shrugged and said, "Compared to Microsoft’s offer to you, this isn’t anything."

Zach shook his head. "No, you gave me fifty-five thousand US dollars for our shared dream. This is completely different from what Microsoft offered me. I was foolish before to overlook the importance of it. Su, I sincerely apologize to you."

Mark Zuckerberg did not attend the preliminary interview with Microsoft, which surprised many people. The reason he gave was, "I heard they require employees to start work at eight in the morning every day; I can’t wake up that early."

Zach’s excuse made everyone laugh and sigh simultaneously, causing quite a stir on campus.

The head of Zach's dormitory issued a clarification: He just wanted to attend Harvard University.

For the time being, Zach and Su Cen became well-known figures among Exeter Academy students. Even Phillips Academy, which had an ongoing rivalry with Exeter Academy, was aware of them.

Su Cen’s life suddenly opened up; girls from other dormitories would invite him to join their parties, openly expressing their attraction towards this Chinese exchange student who was smart, humorous, and even eloquent.

On the sports front, Su Cen received invitations to participate in baseball club, ice hockey, wrestling, frisbee, fencing, basketball club, and rowing team.

Zach gladly introduced some of his friends to Su Cen. He also got a copy of the initial template that Su Cen provided for assistance. Besides necessary school activities, he stayed in his dormitory for an entire week before coming out again to tell Su Cen that he had made numerous modifications to the original website template.

This surprised Su Cen. After all, these accomplishments were what a team from Sichuan University of Electronic Science and Technology worked on for two months. Zach, who stayed in his dormitory for only a week, managed to modify it into an American version; this clearly demonstrated his abilities.

Sometimes, one’s ability to achieve something might indeed depend on talent.

“May I ask what our next step is” Zach, holding a glass of red wine at the restaurant and leaning comfortably against a soft sofa, asked Su Cen excitedly.

Su Cun smiled and said, "Since we have decided to play this game, we must act accordingly."

"!" It's like a war chess game. The first step is to conquer Phillips Exeter Academy." Mark Zuckerberg’s fist landed on the chessboard map in front of him. This was a map representing the world 1500 years ago. There were countless tales of conquest and dreams, but this young man stubbornly spoke some words that others might consider foolish.

"The first step is Phillips Exeter Academy. The second step... let me think for a moment. Perhaps it's nearby Philips High School, maybe Harvard in Boston, or Yale in Connecticut. We should go to more places. We'll visit MIT and Stanford, we’ll go to Pennsylvania." We want to conquer and rule the whole United States!

Through Phillips Exeter Academy’s student council, Su Cun successfully contacted the school's senior management. They hoped that the school would provide access to its student database for them to complete the preliminary data source of their online roster, making the high school's entire student directory appear on this online list.

This bold move by the two of them to approach the school’s management team prompted discussions regarding the online rosters. In order to gather intelligence, Su Cun and Zuckerberg distributed questionnaires throughout the school for a public opinion survey.

The majority of students marked "very excited" on their responses. The following Friday, these surveys were placed in front of the school’s leadership at a meeting.

As a result, the school agreed to provide them with a lecture to persuade the board members and management personnel. This event greatly raised the attention of newspapers around Exeter City. Two high school students holding a lecture to convince their school's leadership to open up student data was sensational enough happening at Phillips Exeter Academy.

On Monday, before Mark Zuckerberg’s and Su Cun’s lecture, a large number of reporters from Boston and neighboring states arrived.

The auditorium used for the debate gradually entered over thirty expressionless old men. Although there were some ladies among them, compared to their demeanor, it felt dull to Su Cun.

When the principal passed by Su Cun's side, he took a special look at him. He must have been impressed with this exchange student from China recently.

Su Cun and Mark Zuckerberg were dressed in suits. Compared to Zuckerberg who seemed rather nervous, more students surrounded them nearby. Tang Wu was also among the crowd. Some of the exchange students came to support Su Cun, and it seemed that these students had adapted well to their time in America.

"Mr. Su, Mr. Zuckerberg, we are surprised by your idea. First, let us acknowledge your creativity. However, do you know how presumptuous it is for you to demand a school, especially Phillips Exeter Academy, to open its database just to contribute an online roster You must understand that unless the FBI requests it, no prestigious high school in America would allow such access to student privacy. Even if it's limited to photos and contact information.

The listening session entered its critical phase. The school used tradition and propriety as shields, rejecting Su Cun and Zuckerberg’s arguments without budging.

Of course, they could request students to register on their own websites, but in terms of spectacle and hype, nothing compared to directly confronting American high school traditions.

"What I want to say is that if Phillips Exeter Academy merely sticks to its reputation as a prestigious institution without making any reforms or compromises, then five years later, ten years from now, when all high schools across America are using this online roster method, allowing us to contact friends in other buildings directly from our dormitories, uploading and sharing music, videos, and personal stories on it—will the school still be able to justify its opposition today"

Su Cun spoke with some agitation. This left Zuckerberg speechless; he had never seen Su Cun so agitated before.

Would someone say, "Those old guys at Exeter Academy didn't know how terrible their decision was. Their stubborn minds, like turtles', blocked a global trend!"

The indifferent and slow manner of the board members and management made Su Cen feel extremely angry inside, perhaps because it was the inherent coldness in American nature taking effect.

Or maybe because of their perspective, they had to刁難麵前這兩個學生的創意，但這一切讓蘇燦感到氣憤。因為他知道這是可行的，他知道這就是未來的趨勢。

When one possesses the truth, there's nothing that can make these truths be criticized or attacked. Even if someone tries to suppress it in their heart, they feel an overwhelming anger.

So when words like "old guys," and "stubborn turtles" that would make Americans cringe came out of Su Cen’s mouth one after another, Zack felt his heart thumping at the back of his throat.

The entire auditorium was silent, not a sound could be heard.

All the professors wearing glasses were straining their eyes to see through their lenses at the student on stage.

A murmur ran through the crowd.

Finally, a board member took off his glasses, stood up from his seat and read aloud, "I declare the decision of the school board. We have unanimously decided not to change the rules."

"However, we might consider hiring you two as consultants for Exeter High School."

One of the board members later recalled, "We agreed because I certainly don't want to be a turtle myself."

A week later, Ren Ran was launched at Exeter High School.

The entire school's students were eager to experience this long-awaited campus network directory.

This was Su Cen and Zack's first battle, and they successfully won over customers in American high schools with their victory, firmly establishing themselves in the market of a thousand people at Exeter Academy. This marked their stable first step forward.

The second month passed quietly as Su Xiaocan and Tang Xiaowu’s return to China drew near.d asked, "Lin Luoran""Oh, who are you" Lin Guiran's voice came over the line, though her panicked tone revealed her state of mind.“Your big brother.”The voice on the other end softened but then change...