lso worth pondering. This affirmed her own excellence and made her aware that if she were to intervene forcefully again, the backlash might be beyond her control and expectations.A smart woman should...Chapter 112 Graduation 0

Despite many people's fantasies of how the second half of their senior year could have been more enjoyable, allowing this last meaningful and unforgettable period of time to slow down even further. Or perhaps events involving school celebrities like Su Cen might have unfolded, creating回味無窮的各種突發件，在多數人腦海中聳立以後離開會想念這一切的界碑。

However, there's no denying that life is still just life and won't be filled with so many dramatic moments.

Even if many want to remember the boys running under the large plane trees on the playground, dripping with sweat, or the girls flipping through drawing paper in the art building or dressing elegantly during art celebrations, stirring their hearts.

All of these memories will be replaced by solving mathematical functions, memorizing conic section theorems, understanding aromatic hydrocarbons equations, and calculating electromotive forces as they prepare for the final exams that are akin to a holy war on D-Day in Normandy.

Time fast forwards to the last thirty days before the exam. Classes see large-scale truancy. Except for classes with a 70% rate of students admitted to key universities, other ordinary classes see a significant drop in attendance.

Sometimes, a class that originally had ten students only has two or three left. Even when faced with this situation, the top-notch teachers from No.27 High still lecture calmly at the blackboard without acknowledging the truancy phenomenon. Perhaps these veteran teachers who have seen many graduating classes believe that this year's group is relatively better than previous ones.

The authority of class advisors begins to wane as graduation approaches, leading to a relaxation in strict control measures. Usually strict advisors become accustomed to turning a blind eye and occasionally flex their muscles by warning students, still maintaining some level of respectability despite the overall disappointment.

As dusk sets in, sometimes it rains, but school remains bustling with activity the next day.

Wang Guiwen enters solemnly, scanning everyone's heads before settling his gaze on Su Cen, "Su Cen, did you not hear me calling your name or were you deliberately ignoring me"

The previous evening during second study hall period, Wang Guiwen unexpectedly arrived in the classroom and saw Su Cen leaving with a backpack. Of course, it wasn't just Su Cen who was truant; there were also others like Wang Weiwei and Lin Zhouwu heading to the gymnasium to watch Lin Luoran's basketball game. However, Su Cen stood out, noticed by Wang Guiwen instantly. Unable to call him back, Wang Guiwen seethed inwardly, wondering if Su Cen didn't know his teacher was holding his graduation remarks.

But then again, considering Su Cen’s capabilities, he probably doesn’t take the teacher's comments seriously anyway.

In fact, despite teaching for years, Wang Guiwen has often thought about giving students negative evaluations but never followed through with it.

The first period of the morning is unlikely to see truancy. Apart from those selected as aviation pilots or preparing for overseas studies and thus staying away from school, attendance in the class remains fairly high. Even when they do skip classes, it's usually after second or third periods.

Before everyone in class, Su Cen is called to stand up and apologizes, "I really didn't see you, Teacher Wang, I'm very sorry."

Xiao Yunyun and Wu Shimiao, who naturally hold a good impression of Su Cen, also dislike Wang Guiwen. As a teacher biased towards male students, he is not considered qualified in their eyes. He values the males highly, rumored to be due to his past experiences.

Before transferring to No.27 High, he taught at a mediocre school where students were difficult to manage. His desire for face and refusal to give it up led him into conflicts with them, even resulting in one student poisoning his tea with potassium permanganate. After seeking medical help and reflecting on the incident, Wang Guiwen began favoring male students more as a way to establish authority among them.

From the perspective of the class members, Wang Guiwen is merely using Su Cen to show off his power, finding him rather pretentious for someone his age.

To Wang Guiwen's surprise, he could see some remorse on Su Cen’s face. He nodded and said, "Sit down, don’t let it happen again."

In the afternoon, Lin Zhouwu returned to school with a grimy face. Finding Su Cen, he complained, “Su Cen, you must take revenge for us! My face has nowhere to hide!”

After inquiring into the situation, it was learned that internet cafes near No.27 High were filled to capacity recently. Wang Weiwei, Lin Zhouwu, Zhang Xian, and Zhuang Zhiyu frequently visited these places, even dominating the largest "Jingwei" internet cafe. The cafe hosted a team competition they had prepared for by purchasing Microsoft's gaming mouse, looking quite professional.

However, Wang Weiwei’s group was challenged at a critical moment by an unexpected team and suffered defeat. Their concern wasn't just about being defeated but the special nature of their opponents—students from Yude High who skipped classes to challenge them.

Su Cen arrived at Jingwei internet cafe which was bustling daily, attracting students from nearby schools including No.27 High. The team that had beaten Lin Zhouwu and his friends turned out to be a group of girls as per Lin’s information.

Seeing these Yude High girls, Su Cen couldn't help but feel amused—whom did one think the female gamers in China's electronic scene were Even before it was common for women to dominate games in later years, there already existed this all-girl StarCraft team. These girls from prestigious schools who still enjoyed playing StarCraft must have been part of the more "rebellious generation" of the 1980s; yet at least three among them were model students in their teachers' and parents' eyes.

Zhuang Zhiyu and Zhang Xian recognized half of these girls.

One was a girl from Chengdu Military General Hospital, raised by its director. She challenged the boys recently because Zhang Xian had been boasting too much with Wang Weiwei and his friends.

In this era, activities like night clubs, internet cafes, KTVs, and bars were common social outlets for these circles. As high school students, they naturally faced more restrictions at places like nightclubs and bars but found internet cafes the most popular place to relax. Hence, instead of being drawn by instant messaging apps, these girls delved into gaming.

One must not assume that girls don't play games; especially in schools like Yude High and No.27 High, students wouldn't be unfamiliar with such activities. Currently, these girls aside from studying hard, also listen to songs by artists like Whitney Houston. Those who had computers early on to play 'Strange Tales of the Immortal' didn’t lag behind boys much, initially enjoying games like "Heartbeat Story" and "Princess Romance Cultivation."

There were exceptions too. For instance, the girls who defeated Wang Weiwei's group boasted: “Hey, aren't you guys mighty Anyone else want to challenge us If not, we'll play ourselves! The prize money today is enough for a McDonald’s celebration!”

The posture was very bold and unrestrained.

In the internet cafe, many people who understand StarCraft were surrounding them layer by layer. The atmosphere was quite heated. In this best-of-three match, their opponent had already won one game. Seeing that Lin Zhouwu couldn't hold his own, he rushed back to school to find Su Chen and bring him over. He was their last ace.

Su Chen only realized how lively it was today when he arrived at the internet cafe. There were many familiar faces from school there. Girls who played games did so; those chatting with friends chatted away. Some accompanied their boyfriends, while others held food boxes and ate dinner despite having to endure the smell of sweaty feet from all the men in the internet cafe. Among these girls, quite a few were well-known figures at school. This was likely one reason why there was such an influx of people.

During this year and a half, Su Chen hadn't seized opportunities when he needed capital to make his four hooks happen, resulting in Bei Dao becoming the most popular instant messaging software domestically. He also didn't get involved with Legend's proxy server; after receiving $10 million from ChinaNet, Chen Tianqiao dedicated himself to it wholeheartedly, and it was now in a trial play phase that had become trendy. As these trends emerged, he developed Shushan Chain Store, Dunhuang Mall, and Bolo Media. His only achievement in the industry was establishing Wangoudi while he was in America.

Gaining is also losing; there's no way one reborn person could accomplish everything under the sun. Let some things be trendy. Moreover, Su Chen had his own plans.

Su Chen recognized quite a few people at this Jincheng Internet Cafe. The number of people who knew him was even greater. For someone like Lin Zhouwu, who was outstanding in academics and conduct at school, had the title of "three-good-student", and was known for his bravery in doing what is right, no one would believe he couldn't also play games well.

When Zhang Xian stepped down and Su Chen sat down opposite them, a girl from Yude Middle School sneered and said, "The substitute player has come on. Is this the person you called to beat us Are you capable or not We hope it will be more comfortable for us!"

"Comfortable How uncomfortable can it get We're all men; we have no choice but to perform well! I guarantee that you'll be satisfied!" Lin Zhouwu, though losing the match, still didn't miss an opportunity to use indecent remarks.

The surrounding people burst into laughter. Su Chen shook his head at such lowbrow behavior.

Although these girls were used to joking around like this, they spat in response as it was on their opponent's home turf; their desire for victory grew even stronger.

Fu Mine's eight people chose a disadvantageous map.

The psychological factor of being away from home put the girls at a disadvantage. Su Chen further demoralized his opponents with shameless sneak attacks.

Caught off guard, these girls unfortunately became victims of his tactics. The coordination among the four girls could be described as an exemplary case; they must have studied many strategies posted online recently. Individually, Su Chen wasn't afraid of any one of them, but collectively, their overall quality was clearly superior to Wang Weiwei's, Lin Zhouwu's, and Zhuang Zhiyu's.

Su Chen won the second game narrowly.

In the third game, the girls adjusted their strategy. As soon as units were produced, they sought out Su Chen's base, focusing on attacking his small dogs and machine guns. They didn't stop sneaking attacks; wave after wave of assaults continued to devastate him.

Ultimately, due to Su Chen's three companions failing to produce units fast enough in this extreme rush tactic compared to the girls' coordination, they lost. Su Chen was eliminated first, and his teammates followed suit without hesitation once he withdrew, not giving the four crazy women a chance to torment them further.

The female team from Yude Middle School triumphed over No.27 High in this critical match.

However, these girls knew it was solely due to their shameless tactics; someone had secretly informed them of Su Chen's base location behind his back. This allowed them to counter him with pinpoint accuracy and ferocity, overwhelming any reinforcements from other teams.

Upon standing up, they realized that sweat had formed on their palms, and the girls were drenched in perspiration—indicative of the pressure Su Chen exerted through the computer screen. They could only conclude two things about him: he was meticulous and relentless.

The reason why even playing a game left such an impression was due to Su Chen's level of accomplishment.

Later, there were verbal sparrings, but they were trivialized among friends who knew each other well. This only amused the wolves in the internet cafe further.

After trading insults, the internet cafe owner handed out the 400 yuan prize money to the female team. The girl wearing a ring worth $2,000 and a necklace over $1,000 stuffed it into her wallet and said casually to Wang Weiwei's group, "Since we don't have any cash on us, call Luo Ran too; let's go for McDonald's."

Su Chen declined their invitation, saying he needed to attend evening study sessions. In fact, his friends knew exactly why he refused without needing to think and didn't press him.

The female team complained a bit but eventually accepted it. A long-haired girl said, "Alright, good student, go back to class obediently then; we won't force you." Although they were unhappy in their hearts, they understood his situation—these girls had already been arranged for success, whereas others hadn't.

These girls knew this, so the closer it got to exams, the more they played around and acted up.

As for Wang Weiwei's and Lin Zhouwu's families, even if someone could enter Peking University, was education really that important in their eyes

No major incidents happened at McDonald's. However, when everyone started chatting about Wang Weiwei's recent conflict with the Kong brothers, these girls couldn't help but cover their mouths and whisper: "So you're the one who got publicly dumped by someone during a meeting at Dynasty Hotel You didn't even have the guts to retort!

Although these four girls' families were at most on Zhang Xian, Zhuang Zhiyu's level and did not reach the first-tier status of Wang Weiwei or Lin Zhounv, such incidents had long been circulating among high-level circles in Rongcheng. Their families could be considered marginally informed about this information, placing them on a third-tier fringe; below this, the news wouldn't spread much.

"The actual situation is mistaken. How could water be poured over Kong Qi We're merely friends of those involved. Today it was Su Zhan who almost got doused with water. We were just unsatisfied with how the hotel handled the incident. As for being disrespectful, there's no such thing." Wang Weiwei hurriedly shook his head to clarify, thinking to himself that he understood why Kong Family members looked so displeased; this matter had been distorted into something extremely unpleasant as it was passed down orally.

Since Wang Bo took office in Rongcheng, his governance has always been steady, prioritizing stability above all. He hasn't pursued drastic changes. Given the nature of his position, he couldn't afford to do so either. As long as Rongcheng's leadership remains united and functions smoothly, attracting investments across various sectors and implementing central policies correctly, if Rongcheng continues to develop at an annually increasing pace, this would be clear evidence of his achievements, propelling him towards political stardom under the support of his faction.

Zhao Lijun captured Zhang Jun, referred to as "China's Number One Robber," who was armed with a large amount of firearms and ammunition, hand grenades, and had participated in four bank robbery cases. Zhao Lijun brought down this major criminal gang responsible for multiple lives, adding another substantial achievement to his record after dealing with Liu Cheng.

If one were to劃定一個條條框框，勾個圈圈界界， find two of the brightest political figures in Southwest China, Wang Bo and Zhao Lijun would undoubtedly be at the top. Zhao Lijun is even hailed as a "Sword Against Evil" by the Ministry of Public Security, recognized as an exemplary hero.

Of course, if dealing with Liu Cheng was a boost to Su Zhan's efforts, then apprehending Zhang Jun was entirely Zhao Lijun's accomplishment.

As these political figures rise in Southwest China, Su Zhan will soon depart this region for the economically advanced southeastern coast of China, setting sail on another chapter of his corrected life journey.

At night in Rongcheng, buses carry weary office workers heading home from late shifts; streets see aimless pedestrians while overpasses teem with traffic. The cityscape is illuminated by lit high-rises and skyscrapers but lacks a subway system, rivers, or the sound of boat horns. This exemplifies one of China's many inland cities striving towards modernization.

Tang Wu’s home lights up brightly.

“You chose Nan University” Tang Mu looked at the documents on the table, slightly furrowing her brows.

"I think Nan University suits me better," Tang Wu replied with a straight face.

Tang Fu felt that mother and daughter were like two people locked in battle; he smiled and said, "Nan University is good too. I often visit there, so it wouldn’t be difficult to look after her. Given our daughter's capabilities, where she studies shouldn't matter."

Mu Hui stared at Tang Wu for quite a while before saying, "You chose Nan University on your own; Mom didn't interfere much. In Xiahai, we didn’t deliberately arrange for you to enter the First High School through connections either. We let you attend the Third Middle School based on your original household registration. Since then, neither Dad nor I have worried about it. Getting into the First High School and transferring to No. 27 High were both due to your excellent academic performance."

"Mom isn’t against you for any specific reasons or opposing your choice of school. You're old enough now; you should be able to make your own choices. If you believe Nan University’s major suits you better than Tsinghua, then go there. Ultimately, attending a prestigious university doesn't guarantee success. Even among the best universities in China, not all students are outstanding. Having unrealistic expectations for everything to be top-notch is impractical; only what suits you best can truly be considered good."

"I understand," Tang Wu nodded.

Mu Zhan looked at Tang Wu thoughtfully before asking again, "What university does your classmate intend to apply to"

Tang Wu was taken aback for a moment and replied after some hesitation, “Nan University.”

She never intended to deceive her mother. Although sometimes she wasn’t pleased with her methods, her overall goal was always what’s best for Tang Wu.

Even though Tang Wu wasn't sure if Mu Wei referring to Su Zhan as "that classmate" indicated disapproval, she didn’t want to hide the truth from her parents.

The atmosphere turned somewhat silent and cold.

Mu Zhan looked down at Tang Wu with a top-down perspective of eighty degrees. Her gaze was sharp and discerning. “Lowering your standards for him”

Tang Wu knew her mother had misunderstood, but she didn’t clarify, not wanting to deceive Mu Zhan. Yet, in figuring out Mu Hui's stance, Tang Wu showed some cleverness.

Mu Xuan smiled and said without waiting for a reply from Tang Wu, “Sometimes stopping to wait doesn't necessarily yield the outcome you desire. But one should try at least once, right Well, Mom isn’t angry about your choice of Nan University over other universities—it proves your rationality. If he can't get into the university you're waiting for, it just means he lacks that capability. A man needs to have certain abilities. Let’s not dwell on this topic further; since there's no exam now, you should start studying books related to your major at university. Learning more in university isn’t bad—women who read a lot become smarter. The smarter a girl is, the better she fares both at home and in society.

The last month was quite intense, with both studying and playing reaching extremes. There was an endless sense of wanting to play soccer every day after school until sunset; lovers would walk six thousand meters on the playground until it turned dark, with bright stars overhead.

Students exchanged yearbooks, and as one of the most popular figures in the school, Su Zhan received so many that he almost couldn’t finish writing them. The pile of yearbooks was even thicker than a stack of exam papers. For the first time, Su Zhan realized how daunting it is to write these things; in his past life, the total number of yearbooks he received wouldn't exceed ten, whereas now they were sufficient for binding into a book.

Some names written with pencils on the yearbooks even puzzled him—he didn’t know who they referred to at all and had never met them before.

Hence, Su Zhan left many of these yearbooks unwritten. He simply stuffed them into his drawer; the owners likely found this situation complex as well since they wouldn't remember receiving specific ones from certain individuals either.

But it was obvious that Su Can's thoughts were not wise, and the classmates who didn't receive his yearbook would come to him in class to ask for it. Su Can felt a sense of urgency and embarrassment as if he was rushing to complete something.

The summer days were悶熱和煩躁的。

Some people started discussing Sun Man, one of the most popular girls at No. 27 High School. As the leading actress of both the school TV station and radio station, there were always new stories about her, and they never seemed to end. Perhaps some students in the school ignored her other talents due to her appearance and outstanding performance at the school TV station; although her grades weren't top-notch, they were still better than average, especially in English.

She participated in many activities after class every day, including fitness and tutoring a senior student from Sichuan Conservatory of Music. That's why she was able to achieve a high score on the TOEFL test and get admitted into Emory University in the United States for business and liberal arts.

In fact, this was her only choice because her science subjects were weak; if she had really taken the exams, her scores would have been average at best among all the students at No. 27 High School, barely qualifying her for an ordinary university in China. Therefore, by choosing to study abroad through this method, she could achieve a leapfrog progress.

When American universities offered her admission, everyone thought she was leaving school early and wouldn't have to stay there anymore. But unexpectedly, she still stayed at the school, attending classes like all other students every day.

People assumed that she just couldn't bear to leave behind the three years they spent together.

The last day of high school came, and on the eve of a two-day holiday before the college entrance exam, all senior three students were waiting for the announcement that tomorrow was a holiday.

Sun Man's pleasant voice came from the broadcasting room.

"Today is a special day. After today, we will be taking the college entrance exam; I hope everyone can achieve their best results." The speech稿是這樣的，但是孫蔓卻突然說不下去。

She suddenly spoke into the radio, "Many people are leaving today, including me. I thought my last days would be extraordinary, but in reality, they were ordinary. Every day sitting here playing music and songs that can evoke our memories and speak words we cannot say for us, sharing all of this is very memorable."

Many people recalled the past days when after class and dinner, they walked around the school listening to Sun Man's voice; it was indeed a pleasure. The subtle romantic feelings between boys and girls were even more intense; sometimes music played at an appropriate moment could replace words that couldn't be spoken.

The feeling was unparalleled, existing only in the dim memories, penetrating through time and space, etched onto the circuitry of memory.

Sun Man's voice sounded again, "During my two years as a broadcaster at the broadcasting club, I have been playing songs for everyone. Today, I want to play a song for myself."

"You should have done this sooner," said an excited boy who stood up, only then realizing that he was being stared at by his entire class and even their homeroom teacher.

Soon, voices from other classes supporting Sun Man were heard, although she couldn't hear them in the broadcasting room.

The song was "..." from the movie Notting Hill插曲。

The overall tone wasn't sad, but what Sun Man said at last added a finishing touch: "This song is for all of you and my friends. I want to say to everyone, graduation happiness! Su Can, graduation happiness!"

Those who were moved to tears by the song and Sun Man's gratitude felt it was too coincidental that “Su Can” appeared suddenly; why couldn't they be mentioned Why not them

The music played until the end with the clamor from the teaching building, and there was no further development.

Later, people in the broadcasting club said Sun Man left after playing the song, disappearing from everyone's sight at No. 27 High School like a legend.

A giant panda-like Su Can remained as grade 01-2 of high school.

The last days were supposed to be extraordinary but turned out to be ordinary in the end; on the eve of the college entrance exam holiday, some students tore books while others slammed desks and chairs, making the entire teaching building seem like a den of bandits.

Many people who had feelings for each other wanted to confess but only wrote vague words in yearbooks. Many things inside their hearts could not be said out loud, accompanied by setting sun and graduation, forever remaining unsaid.

Su Can was notified to return to school on the ninth to attend the graduation ceremony and have a group photo taken; every student who had been directly admitted to university also received this treatment without taking the college entrance exam. This made others extremely envious.

Then, each holding large piles of books, they left that school in a rush before being able to properly reflect on their numb senior year.

Their high school where they had cried and laughed together, experienced heart palpitations, and heard bicycles and girls' laughter.

Su Can felt he had ended his reborn three years rather gracefully, even if it wasn't particularly vulgar.

I pondered for a long time before finally writing this chapter. Tomorrow I will take a leave of absence to ensure I don't miss anything; rest and properly organize everything.abroad to come into contact with more things and exchange ideas from around the world, but in reality, there are many examples of people who only enrich themselves through overseas study instead of us...