Restart life

Chapter 81 0079 [Yearbook? School Intranet!]

On the blackboard, a countdown to the college entrance examination (Gaokao) began one day.

Chen Guiliang stopped studying so frantically, eating and sleeping normally, and adjusted his schedule.

I really don't want to memorize English vocabulary!
But I still set a goal of memorizing 15 words every day. I don't memorize new words on weekends; I only review what I've learned this week.

Chen Guiliang is not crazy, but Bian Guanyue is.

She spent a lot of time studying vocal music starting in the second year of junior high school. Her knowledge of even junior high school material was weak, let alone high school level. In her senior year of high school, she suddenly gave up on the arts entrance exam and focused on her academic subjects; barely making it into a second-tier university on the first mock exam was her limit.

Now that Chen Guiliang has such a high score and is going to Peking University, Bian Guanyue feels inexplicably anxious.

After the mock exam, Bian Guanyue rarely communicated with Chen Guiliang.

She usually sits in the classroom, either reading and doing exercises or dozing off at her desk, studying for about fourteen hours a day.

There are even more ruthless students in the class who study for sixteen hours a day!
“Keeping your mind clear is more important than just studying,” Chen Guiliang advised when he had the chance. “If you study for more than ten hours a day for several days, your brain will turn to mush.”

Bian Guanyue said, "It's alright. I'll lie down and take a nap during breaks and lunchtime self-study."

"How are you feeling?" Chen Guiliang asked.

Bian Guanyue said, "I'm improving every day. Wu Meng is especially amazing; she taught me a learning method that has made my thinking much clearer than before."

Wu Meng achieved the highest score in the city's mock exam.

She and a boy from the No. 2 Middle School took turns getting first place, while others could only get third place no matter how hard they tried.

Class monitor Li Rui's grades fluctuated greatly, ranging from third in the city to ninth in the city. Anyway, he was still a top student.

Chen Guiliang chatted with Bian Guanyue for a few minutes before returning to his seat to study.

During this period, he turned a deaf ear to what was happening around him and couldn't be bothered to pay attention to newspapers or public opinion.

I only learned about current events when my roommates were discussing politics late at night, such as when Chen Shui-bian was shot.

The magazine *Mengya* received another payment for a manuscript, but it was for the first anniversary of the outbreak of the Iraq War, which saw tens of thousands of people around the world protesting. Taking this opportunity, *Mengya* plans to publish Chen Guiliang's article, "A Declaration Against the American Invasion of Iraq," in its next issue.

They're pretty good at jumping on trending topics.

The Nokia phone rang; it was Tao Chenggang calling. He probably learned about Chen Guiliang's newly acquired phone number from Tao Xue.

"Guiliang, congratulations on getting into Peking University," Tao Chenggang said as his first words.

Chen Guiliang said, "You have to pass the first-tier university entrance exam; you're only halfway there."

“Getting into a top-tier university is easy for you,” Tao Chenggang said after a few more words. “I’ve started a game company in Hangzhou.”

"Hangzhou?" Chen Guiliang was quite surprised.

Tao Chenggang said, "I used to work in Hangzhou, so I'm quite familiar with the city and know a few old friends. Starcom's China headquarters is also in Hangzhou, so if we run out of money in the future, it will be convenient to ask my old employer for investment."

Chen Guiliang asked, "What's the current situation at the company?"

"We just got our license. It's called Bailian Network Technology Co., Ltd.," Tao Chenggang said. "We've brought in two partners, both of whom are technical experts who used to run private servers. The game development team is tentatively set at eighteen people, and we've also hired two general helpers."

Chen Guiliang smiled and said, "Congratulations, congratulations, may your wealth increase greatly."

Tao Chenggang said, "I've only invested a few hundred thousand yuan so far. I'll slowly sell the internet cafes to raise more money later. The two partners have also invested, each holding 30% of the shares, and they've agreed to let me continue to invest. Your shares will be counted under my share. When you come to sign, they'll be transferred to your name separately. We'll discuss the specific amount when we sign."

"We'll see when the time comes," Chen Guiliang said, clearly not wanting to get involved.

Once Tao Chenggang sells off the internet cafes and invests more in the company, it will definitely dilute the partners' shares, eventually leading to his absolute control of the company.

If Chen Guiliang gets involved, he'll just be a minor shareholder, number four.

If Starcom invests again in the future, who knows how the equity structure will change?

By the way, Shanda's new game "Age of Heroes" is about to be launched.

Due to excessive interference from Shanda's top management, intense conflicts erupted during the game's development. With limited resources allocated as the public beta approached, the project team became increasingly disaffected and considered leaving Shanda en masse, already in private contact with Mr. Shi (Shandong's CEO).

……

At the end of March, Chen Guiliang had a day off and went home.

He even became a celebrity in the village, and his program "Longdu News Broadcast" had extremely high viewership in rural areas.

Chen Guiliang didn't need to publicize it himself; the whole village knew that he had been "recommended" to Peking University.

"Hey, the college students are back!"

"Guiliang, which is better, Peking University or Sichuan University?"

"After you graduate, you'll probably be assigned to be a cadre."

"Guiliang, it's time to change your household registration to urban."

"..."

The villagers have all sorts of different understandings of Peking University, and sometimes their words are both funny and exasperating, but that doesn't stop them from knowing that Peking University is awesome.

The second aunt's attitude made a complete 180-degree turn. Every time she bought meat, she would buy more and make sure to bring a plate to Chen Guiliang's family.

"Your Majesty, I'm back."

Chen Guiliang called out, but before his grandmother could respond, the kitten darted out.

"Meow~~"

"Go aside."

Grandma was busy in her private plot of land. She came back with a sickle and said, "Your parents have gone to plant corn."

"Didn't they rent a factory to raise rabbits?" Chen Guiliang asked.

Grandma said, "I haven't been back for seven or eight years. There are people willing to farm the paddy fields, but most of the dry land has been abandoned. Last month we were busy planting rice and transplanting rice seedlings, and this month we have to clear land to plant corn. How can we have time to raise rabbits?"

Chen Guiliang's land is similar to that of other villagers, with one-third being paddy fields and two-thirds being dry land (mostly mountainous land).

Dry land is unwanted even when given away; after a few years, it has become hardened and overgrown with weeds, and reclaiming it would be exhausting.

Fortunately, the number is not large.

The villagers were allocated only about 1.5 mu of land per person, including both paddy fields and dry land.

In Northeast and Northwest China, the average person owns dozens or even hundreds of acres of land, which is unimaginable for farmers in southern Sichuan. They still believe that farmers across the country only have one or two acres of land.

As darkness fell, my parents finally returned.

As soon as Chen Xinghua got home, he lay down, too exhausted to straighten his back.

Liangliang's mother, Yao Lan, asked with delight, "Liangliang, are you really going to study at Peking University?"

"He can definitely study." Chen Guiliang spoke clearly to his parents.

Lying in bed, Chen Xinghua said, "Last week, your grandfather held a birthday banquet, and your great-uncle, great-uncle, and great-aunt all came. They specifically asked if you had been admitted to Peking University through the recommendation program. Your uncle-in-law Zhong also came."

The father's tone was three parts excitement and seven parts pride.

The elders he mentioned earlier were all his grandfather's relatives from the city. Chen Xinghua had been treated differently since childhood, and this time he was finally being taken seriously.

Especially that Mr. Zhong, who is Chen Xinghua's cousin's second husband—the number three leader of a salt factory on the verge of bankruptcy.

Unlike other state-owned enterprises, salt factories only had production rights, not sales or pricing rights. How much to produce each month, at what price, and where to sell were all dictated by higher authorities. With redundant staff, aging equipment, and a shrinking market, all the salt factories in the city were barely surviving.

As a leader, Mr. Zhong rarely returns to the countryside to visit relatives, but this time he actually deigned to come and have a drink.

“Come on, come on. You can move around if you want,” Chen Guiliang said.

He knew what his father was thinking; he was simply trying to regain some dignity after being discriminated against in the past.

The mother, Yao Lan, said irritably, "We didn't visit each other before, so why are we visiting relatives now? Even when your relatives in the city send over old clothes, they let that family (Second Uncle) choose first, and only give us the ones they don't want."

The father fell silent.

Chen Guiliang maintained his smile.

When he was little, he often wore hand-me-downs from relatives in the city.

If there were any old children's clothes, his cousin Chen Guirong would be allowed to choose first, while Chen Guiliang could only pick up what his cousin had left over.

If the children's hand-me-downs are all gone, then pick up the remaining adult hand-me-downs. For example, cut the pant legs in half so the children can wear them as wide-leg pants.

Chen Guiliang wore these kinds of old clothes until junior high school.

The current situation is that the father wants to visit relatives in the city. Now that his son has become successful, he can have face wherever he goes, making up for the grievances he suffered in his childhood.

And what about the mother?

But they have to cut off all contact with their relatives in the city.

Chen Guiliang didn't know which side to take, so he simply kept quiet and let his parents decide for themselves.

Yao Lan said, "Liangliang, you have to make something of yourself. Buy a house in a big city in the future, don't go back to the countryside. Get a big city residency, be more of a city person than your dad's relatives in the city!"

Chen Guiliang was both amused and exasperated. In his mother's words, "city person" had become an adjective.

“Okay, I’ll be more of a city dweller than them from now on,” Chen Guiliang said with a smile.

Grandma didn't participate in the discussion; she quietly served the food and then watched TV while holding the kitten.

She has become indifferent to these things.

After spending a night and a half at home, Chen Guiliang went to school again.

There are many exams in the senior year of high school.

The second mock exam is coming up soon, and I've even started writing in my yearbook.

"Master Chen, you must write well, and it would be best if you could write me a poem!"

Qin Shanshan, a second-generation smoker and Chen Guiliang's deskmate, slammed a yearbook in front of him.

Yearbooks, such distant memories.

Chen Guiliang stared blankly at the thing, then suddenly remembered Renren and Renren.

In what year was Renren.com launched?
Maybe I can make one during my university years.

"Write quickly, write quickly," Qin Shanshan urged.

Chen Guiliang found it very interesting; the yearbook was printed with all sorts of questions, such as "Your favorite color" and "Your favorite celebrity," and so on.

Qin Shanshan watched him finish filling out the form and asked expectantly, "Could you write a poem?"

Chen Guiliang carefully considered his thoughts for a few minutes and wrote—

A Gift to My High School Deskmate, Qin Shanshan

The ink on the window is of varying shades, and each stroke of the brush reveals its own unique character.

The past days have faded like ink on paper, yet the words we exchanged are still wet.

Qin Shanshan's mouth dropped open, her face filled with surprise. Although she didn't recognize the character "洇", she still thought the poem was exceptionally good.

"Haha, thanks, here you go, Alps."

Qin Shanshan grabbed a handful of candy for Chen Guiliang and then went to find other classmates to write in their yearbooks.

As she walked up to each classmate, she would point to Chen Guiliang's poem and say, "Look, Master Chen wrote this especially for me."

This made all the classmates extremely envious. The next day, they all rushed to buy yearbooks and then stuffed them in front of Chen Guiliang, begging him to write poems.

That evening, Qin Shanshan returned home and proudly presented her yearbook.

"Dad, Mom, look at the poem Chen Guiliang wrote for me! I gave him my yearbook, and he wrote it in just a few minutes."

Qin's father was the deputy head of the Mass Organizations Section (Trade Union Office) of the tobacco company. He often wrote all sorts of documents. When he saw Chen Guiliang's poem, his eyes lit up: "What a talented man!"

Qin's mother asked with great anticipation, "Does he like you? He wrote such a beautiful poem for you."

Qin Shanshan rolled her eyes: "He has a girlfriend."

Qin's father found paper and pen: "I'm going to copy this down and give it to the young people in the department tomorrow, so they can learn from it. What kind of rubbish do they usually write?"

After showing off to her parents, Qin Shanshan went to turn on the computer.

She's not a literary youth, doesn't frequent the Mengya forum, and usually prefers to post casually on the Tianya forum.

Chen Guiliang, the prodigy who was admitted to Peking University through the special admission program, has written another new poem!!!

"Hehe, I'm Chen Guiliang's deskmate. We're almost graduating from high school, so I asked him to write in my yearbook, specifically asking him to write a poem. And in less than ten minutes, the great Chen had written this poem..."

Chen Guiliang is somewhat famous on Tianya Forum, especially in the "Literary Works" section.

"Damn, even a random poem he writes is this awesome."

"I'm so envious. I wish I had a deskmate like that."

"Haha, I copied it. I'm a senior, and I copied it to give to my classmate."

"OP, why do you call him Hero Chen?"

"The whole grade calls him Hero Chen. He did a lot of things before he became famous. Last year, the senior year canceled computer classes..."

"As expected of a young man, no wonder he could write a line like 'Hoping to illuminate the Milky Way with my faint light.'"

"Qin Shanshan, what are Chen Guiliang's usual test scores?"

"I scored 30 points above the first-tier university admission line in the mock exam a while ago."

"I thought he was only good at one subject and his overall grades weren't good, but it turns out he got into a top university based on his own abilities."

“Little sister, why don’t you invite Chen Guiliang to the “Literature and Poetry” section as well? We can exchange ideas about poetry with him. I’m a middle school Chinese teacher, and I taught my students the poem ‘Journey to the Sea’ about two weeks ago.”

"Okay, I'll talk to him. But I can't guarantee he'll come."

"..."

Qin Shanshan was listless in class, but she was full of energy when browsing forums, reading and replying to posts until late at night.

Chen Guiliang's poem was secretly copied by many student netizens, who used it as their own to show off in front of their classmates.

(End of this chapter)