I'm a senior in high school, and the Emperor Development System has arrived!

Chapter 1: Me, a high school student, and you want me to ascend the throne?

On a sweltering summer day, the classroom window was half-open, and the cicadas outside chirped incessantly, as if protesting against the long summer.

On the blackboard at the front of the classroom, large characters were written in white chalk:

Countdown to the 2026 National College Entrance Examination (Gaokao) —

293 days.

Chen Zhou frowned, his brows furrowing into a deep "川" shape, and then stared intently at the blackboard.

The countdown to the college entrance exam in the upper left corner of the blackboard was far less glaring than the golden text box floating in front of me:

In August of the first year, the new emperor ascended the throne.

[The state was established under the name Chen, and the world prospered.]

[Your Majesty, please establish an era name.]

The game interface of "Emperor Development Project" floats in the air, radiating a mysterious golden light.

Chen Zhou raised his hand and pinched his thigh hard.

"abandon...abandon..."

I could hear my classmate Li Bin reciting vocabulary words. His listless and weak voice perfectly illustrated the meaning of the words he was memorizing.

In classrooms.

As the morning classes were about to end and the senior class (8) was about to leave school, the air was filled with excitement and restlessness.

The students would occasionally look up at the clock on the wall, their eyes filled with eager anticipation, wishing that time could fly by like a wild horse.

Still somewhat incredulous, Chen Zhou rubbed his eyes and found the words still floating before his eyes.

He was puzzled.

Not a buddy?

I'm just a high school student, and you expect me to become emperor?

It’s too cruel!
Chen Zhou was quite familiar with the game interface of "Emperor Development Project" in front of him.

This game was a mobile game he downloaded during his summer vacation for leisure and entertainment.

As the name suggests, the game allows players to play the role of an emperor, handling government affairs, recruiting talents, managing the harem, and conquering all sides.

The game is really fun, how did it get into my head?
Chen Zhou was somewhat puzzled.

However, this system is somewhat similar to the Imperial Seal of the State.

Before I got it: It was just a broken stone.

Upon finding it: I have been ordained by Heaven, and my destiny is one for ten thousand generations. I will live to a ripe old age, command ten thousand soldiers to rule the world, and unite the world as one. This is truly the mandate of Heaven!

Chen Zhou casually entered the game's reign title "Qian Yuan" into the system, and a flash of golden light appeared before his eyes:
[His Majesty, with the well-being of all people in mind, has established the reign title "Qian Yuan." "Qian" represents Heaven, supreme and vigorous; "Yuan" signifies the beginning, the start of a new dynasty, and a renewal of all things.]

[By imperial decree, two hundred taels of silver are bestowed upon Your Majesty. May Your Majesty continue this grand ambition, exert yourself wholeheartedly, befriend the virtuous and distance yourself from the wicked, implement benevolent policies throughout the land, comfort the people, and forge a great and prosperous era.]

After a few lines of text faded away, an ancient-style interface reappeared:

Name: Chen Zhou

Text: 22

"Martial Arts: 26"

"Charm: 37"

"Imperial Might: 200"

「技能:玩梗lv5、开车lv4、毒舌lv3、火影格斗lv3、篮球lv2……」

Note 1: Consuming Imperial Might can enhance attributes and skills (click here for details)

Note 2: Imperial majesty originates from system tasks and His Majesty's daily activities.

Chen Zhou looked at his various attributes. Apart from his charm value, which was barely acceptable, the rest were simply terrible, about the same as an ordinary person.

If a candidate with this attribute were to appear on the list of candidates for the imperial examination, the Ministry of Rites would be thoroughly purged from top to bottom. The severity of this would be no less than if someone had broken a piece of rebar.

Fortunately, the establishment of the reign title rewarded 200 Imperial Prestige, which could be used to increase two attribute points.

Chen Zhou stroked his chin, frowning, struggling with which attribute to improve. Just then, Li Bin, standing beside him, noticed his furrowed brows and seemed to misunderstand something.

Li Bin gently put down the vocabulary book in his hand, its cover slightly worn and pages curled, sighed, and whispered words of comfort:

"Elbow, there are plenty of fish in the sea, why be hung up on just one?"

“I know you love Yu Xinyan deeply, and you like her fair skin, beautiful face and long legs, but she is obviously a scumbag. It’s not good for you to keep being strung along like this.”

"If you ask me, you should just let her go. You're so handsome, and there are so many pretty girls in our school. I'll introduce you to a couple more later, guaranteed to be different from your looks."

"Jiang Xia also likes you quite a bit, aren't you going to consider it?"

Chen Zhou, whose XP had been exposed by Li Bin, turned around, put down his research on the system, silently held up three fingers, and slowly said:

"First of all, I was blind to have liked Yu Xinyan before."

"Secondly, I consider Jiang Xia my younger sister."

"Thirdly, I really love contrasts, could you introduce a few more?"

Li Bin rubbed his forehead, looking defeated by Chen Zhou.

Fortunately, judging from his appearance, he had indeed come out of Yu Xinyan's place.

"Dingling bell~"

The school bell rang crisply, instantly breaking the dull atmosphere in the classroom.

Li Bin immediately slammed the vocabulary book onto the desk with a decisive motion, the book hitting the desk with a loud "bang".

He stretched, drawing out the last syllable of "abandon," as if venting his utter boredom with the word:

"I've memorized this stupid word eight hundred times, why am I still stuck on the A? There are too many people after school, it's so crowded, let's go to the bathroom first!"

Chen Zhou stood up, the chair scraping against the floor with a screeching sound. Before he could even steady himself, Li Bin grabbed him by the neck and dragged him out the door.

But before the two could leave the classroom, a beautiful figure appeared before them.

It's Yu Xinyan.

Her figure, as graceful as a willow in spring, leaned lightly against the railing, her almond-shaped eyes sparkling as if they held a pool of clear spring water.

With such an alluring appearance, it's no wonder Chen Zhou was captivated.

Seeing this, Li Bin's alarm bells went off. His eyes widened instantly as he looked at Yu Xinyan warily, his tone filled with obvious hostility. He questioned her:
"What are you here for?"

Yu Xinyan seemed not to hear him, completely ignoring Li Bin, and instead smiled directly at Chen Zhou, her lips curving upwards into a sweet smile:

"Two servings of custard buns from the South Gate tomorrow morning."

Last semester, Chen Zhou, in order to win over Yu Xinyan, brought her breakfast for free for the entire semester, rain or shine.

But it was the day before the final exam.

As Chen Zhou was preparing to deliver the shumai to the empty classroom as usual, he inadvertently heard Yu Xinyan's smiling voice coming from inside the half-open door:
"Why isn't that idiot here yet? He's starving to death!"

"Xinyan, don't be afraid of going too far!" Her best friend's voice was mixed with the clinking of nail polish bottles. "I think he really cares about you."

“What’s the use of caring?” Yu Xinyan scoffed. “Last week, the sports committee member from Class 2 gave me an SK-II set, and yesterday that repeat student from Class 3 transferred 520 yuan to me directly.”

"What about Chen Zhou? All he does is send these cheap breakfasts—but there are advantages to being such a sycophant, at least he's always there when you call."

"..."

As they talked, the two of them chuckled.

Chen Zhou, who was outside the door, heard this conversation and his heart shattered into pieces.

He only felt a small red ball hanging on the tip of his nose.

How did chasing after a girl turn him into a big boss in Gotham City and a pillar of the Joker?

No, no one told me you had so many fish in your pond before I started pursuing you.

It's a shame he spent so long bringing breakfast for Yu Xinyan.

This money was spent in a way that was even more upsetting than accidentally giving it all to my bald boss while watching a movie.

PS: Regarding attributes, based on the game, the average value for ordinary players is 20.
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(End of this chapter)