Chen Xu sneered: "Gambling is fine, but let's gamble big. A thousand yuan is really nothing to gamble with. What are you looking at? A thousand yuan isn't even enough for me to earn in three days. Do you think I'd be so bored as to gamble with you?"
Everyone knew that Chen Xu made money from the game "My Home, My Land," so they couldn't refute his arrogant words... If he were a spoiled brat who only knew how to spend his parents' money, they could confidently say, "You don't have any money at all. Try earning a thousand dollars yourself and see what happens!" But Chen Xu genuinely earns tens of thousands a month through his own abilities. There's no denying that!
Chen Xu patted Huang Chong: "You can't afford to gamble too much, so let's just make it 10,000. For Dr. Li's assistant team leader position, 10,000 is more than enough. If you win, I'll give you an extra 10,000 in addition to resigning, how about that?"
Chen Xu originally wanted to say 100,000, but 100,000 yuan would be a bit too much, so 10,000 yuan would be more appropriate... Seeing their hesitation, Chen Xu simply tore off even that last bit of pretense and sneered, "Alright, stop whispering. If you want to make a call, then make it. Do you really think I don't know that this was instigated by your Dean Lai?"
Upon hearing this, the expressions of the group changed, and one of them almost blurted out, "How did you know?"
How could Chen Xu not know? He's not an idiot! Do you really think his IQ is below 80?!
A thousand yuan isn't much for Chen Xu right now, but it's a huge sum for an average student! These days, the average student's monthly living expenses are only around five or six hundred yuan, and some even less! A thousand yuan is enough to live comfortably for two months in university!
Especially considering the students from the Life Sciences Department who came for internships this time, none of them come from particularly wealthy families and can casually throw around thousands of dollars. The fact that they took out a thousand at once shows not only their confidence but, more importantly, that the money definitely wasn't theirs!
If it wasn't them, then who else could it be? They'd love for Chen Xu to give up his position.
Besides that loser Dean Lai, who else could it be?
Chen Xu watched as a guy sneaked off to the back to make a phone call, couldn't help but chuckle, walked up to him, snatched the phone, and said, "Dean Lai, what you did wasn't very ethical. Teaching your students like this isn't a good thing. If I made a call to the newspaper, this would definitely be on tomorrow's front page, you believe me?"
There was silence on the other end of the phone for a long time, and Dean Lai was furious. How could Chen Xu, that shrewd man, have found out so easily?
If it were just a student, a dean could easily crush him, but the problem is, Chen Xu is now the darling of the computer science department. Those damn college leaders are watching him more closely than they're watching pandas. Who would dare to touch him? The next day, Old Huang would definitely come over with a kitchen knife and fight him to the death!
Moreover, for a dean to resort to such despicable means, if it were exposed, his life would be in trouble. So after a long while, Dean Lai laughed and said, "Chen Xu, you've gone a bit too far with this joke. I didn't say anything, so don't jump to conclusions."
Chen Xu chuckled, "Dean Lai, don't pretend. Everyone knows what's going on. Since you've made your move, I'll take it. Ten thousand yuan, I don't want more, just ten thousand yuan as the wager. If you win, I'll not only walk away but also give you another ten thousand yuan. Is that alright? Don't worry. A bet is a bet, and I won't go around telling everyone. But if you're too scared to bet, then don't let your students cause you any more trouble. To be honest, I pity them. They can't beat me in a fight or out-argue me, and their IQs are pitifully low. They'd better just do their jobs honestly."
Dean Lai was furious. Chen Xu could only hear heavy breathing coming from the phone receiver. After a long while, he finally said, "Let Huang Chong answer the phone."
Chen Xu chuckled: "Then don't blame him if that kid loses. I have to make this clear first, a bet is a bet. If you don't trust him, then you can do it yourself. I don't think you're bullying the younger generation, but if you don't keep your word, then don't blame me for learning from the leader!"
Huang Chong showed a hint of gratitude upon hearing this, but quickly took the phone and meekly agreed. Chen Xu chuckled and said, "Then we don't need to wait until tomorrow, let's start now. I'm going to the bathroom." When Chen Xu came out, he placed his laptop on the table and said, "So, did your Dean Lai agree? If he agrees, let's begin."
Huang Chong gritted his teeth and sat down in front of the computer.
Although this is clearly taking advantage of Chen Xu, Chen Xu himself doesn't care, so why should he care?
Huang Chong had practiced mental arithmetic extensively as a child and even participated in math olympiads, winning prizes. Therefore, he possessed strong reaction time and logical thinking skills. His final score on this test was 987, placing him in the top ten across the entire community network. He simply couldn't believe that someone like Chen Xu could beat him.
Because children of Chen Xu's generation have already moved beyond the era of forced mental and written arithmetic training. Years ago, math teachers would have students practice their calculation skills during class, instead of relying solely on calculators for problems like they do now. Moreover, Huang Chong had specifically practiced... his father was a math teacher who made him practice mental arithmetic from a young age. For example, if he was suddenly given the number 55 multiplied by 98, and couldn't answer, he'd get a slap across the face...
What a miserable childhood!
But seeing Chen Xu's confident and nonchalant demeanor, Huang Chong felt less confident himself.
But he couldn't back down now, so he took two deep breaths and said, "Can we begin?"
Chen Xu nodded with a forced smile, picked up the mouse to test the sensitivity, and then looked at a female student from the School of Life Sciences behind him and said, "Could you please not stand behind me, you muscular lady? It makes me nervous..."
That kid really deserves a beating!
The girl stormed off, and Chen Xu was now alone. There was no one behind him anymore, so there was no need to worry about him cheating in this web game. Besides, everyone was right in front of him.
Now that both sides were ready, one student took on the role of starter: "3, 2, 1... Go!"
He said he had been careful at the beginning, drawing out the last syllable of the "2," and then winking at Huang Chong before saying "start." This bought Huang Chong less than a second... Life may be short, but that's enough time to answer a question and get a point!
Huang Chong frantically moved the mouse, but then he saw that Chen Xu was moving even faster than him!
This game requires thinking time. For example, the boxes that fall in the first level are arranged like Tetris blocks, but you can't find the answer without calculating.
Huang Chong was quick at mental arithmetic. He had also played the game and knew some patterns, such as how to quickly calculate the number of boxes based on their arrangement. However, Chen Xu hardly needed to think at all; he simply clicked the mouse wildly across the screen!
If Chen Xu were just randomly clicking, that would be one thing, but the problem is, this game gives a short "beep" sound for each correct answer, but a long "click" sound for each wrong answer... and Chen Xu's game just kept beeping non-stop!
Huang Chong panicked. He regretted turning on the sound, but it was too late to turn it off. Chen Xu was beeping two or three times per second, so fast that he didn't even need to think to get the correct answer. What's worse, his hand speed was much faster than Huang Chong's... For example, a number keypad appeared on the screen, and Huang Chong had to think for a moment while pressing the numbers. But Chen Xu didn't need to think at all!
When Huang Chong finished the first round, he realized he had only answered 47 questions in one minute, getting 35 correct... If he hadn't panicked, his score would have been even better.
There was a break between the first and second rounds. During this time, a few students from the School of Life Sciences couldn't help but turn around behind Chen Xu. Suddenly, the huge score on the table made everyone gasp!
The screen reads: "Answer 176 questions, 176 correct!"
The difference alone is more than Huang Chong's!
Is he even human?
Or is this guy's brain a computer?
Upon learning the result, Huang Chong's face immediately turned deathly pale... a threefold difference! This clearly showed that he was on a completely different level... the other guy could answer nearly three questions in a second!
"There's no need to compete anymore." Huang Chong lost all confidence, his face filled with dejection: "I've lost!"
Chen Xu smiled smugly. At that moment, no one noticed that the tattered digital sports watch that was always with him on his left wrist was now gone...
Chapter 180 Birthday
Undoubtedly, Chen Xu's high score wasn't due to his actual skill; he simply clicked around on the computer, and Xiao Min automatically calculated the score for him. No matter how good a human's mental arithmetic is, it can't compare to a computer's speed—it's a matter of processing speed. Xiao Min's calculation speed was instantaneous for such simple questions; Chen Xu only set it to three questions per second to avoid suspicion by winning hundreds of thousands of points.
As for comparing intelligence, Chen Xu felt that if he had such a good thing and didn't make use of it, but instead foolishly tried to compete with others, then that would be truly stupid!
Upon hearing Huang Chong concede defeat, Chen Xu chuckled and stood up, saying, "It's alright if you admit defeat. I'm not the kind of person who likes to push people to the brink. Hmm, the bet this time..." Chen Xu deliberately dragged out the word, seeing the nervous looks on their faces—after all, it was ten thousand silver dollars; they were probably going to get a good scolding when they got back. Chen Xu chuckled again, "Let's leave the bet for now. From now on, just focus on your work and don't bother me again, understand?"
"Understood, understood!" Huang Chong and the others nodded hurriedly like chickens pecking at rice. They knew that Chen Xu had let them off the hook, and Chen Xu had also gotten away with it. If they had really taken the ten thousand yuan, they would have seriously offended Dean Lai, which was not worth it. Ten thousand yuan for peace and quiet was a very good deal.
Chen Xu took his laptop back to the bathroom and turned Xiao Min back into a watch. Just then, his phone rang. Picking it up, he saw the number was Guan Yi. Chen Xu answered, "Beautiful lady, what brings you here?"
"You're still not off work?" Guan Yi's charming voice came from the other end: "What are you doing? Hurry up and come downstairs, Gao Xiaojie and I are waiting for you downstairs."
"Huh?" Chen Xu asked in surprise, "Why are you waiting for me?"
"We're waiting for you to treat us to dinner!" Gao Xiaojie's cheerful voice rang out, indicating that she was indeed with Guan Yi. The two women chuckled, and Guan Yi said, "We found a restaurant with pretty good food. So we're taking you there to try it, and you can pay the bill!"
Then came another burst of silvery laughter.
Chen Xu shook his head. They were trying to extort him again. Actually, he quite liked this kind of extortion, because the places Guan Yi and her group chose were usually not expensive, and it wasn't that they were short of money or stingy. They just wanted to find an excuse to call him out and rip him off, satisfying the two women's desire to fleece people.
Sigh. Zhan Jing would never do something like that!
Chen Xu smiled and said, "Okay. Wait for me, I'll be right down."
But when Chen Xu came downstairs, he was immediately so surprised that his mouth dropped open.
At the main entrance of the life science laboratory building, three beautiful girls stood gracefully. Two were chatting and laughing, while one stood quietly to the side with a warm smile on her face. When she saw Chen Xu, the girl smiled first, a smile as warm as the sun.
The identities of these three women are self-evident. But the clothes they're wearing today are absolutely stunning.
What were those three women thinking? They were all wearing cheongsams?!
Guan Yi was wearing a red patterned, straight-fronted cheongsam. Seeing Chen Xu come down, she gave him a provocative look. That one glance sent a chill down Chen Xu's spine… This woman was incredibly alluring. A cheongsam is a garment that accentuates a woman's figure, and Guan Yi's devilish figure… well, let's just say it was breathtaking. The woman's curves were perfectly showcased by the cheongsam, making her exceptionally charming. And, faintly, one could see her long, shapely, snow-white legs at the slit in the cheongsam's hem.
Gao Xiaojie's cheongsam was a white, round-necked, short dress with floral trim. Because Gao Xiaojie was petite and delicate, this short dress accentuated her slender, white legs. Although her bust wasn't as "ample" as Guan Yi's, this outfit made her resemble a small white flower blooming in a field. Coupled with her radiant smile, she was quite eye-catching.
Some girls are quite pretty, but their smiles might not be very attractive, especially the kind of exaggerated, carefree smiles that can distort their faces. However, Chen Xu felt that Gao Xiaojie was at her most beautiful when she smiled so cheerfully and carefree; that genuine cheerfulness and innocence was unforgettable.
Zhan Jing likes blue, and she was wearing a navy blue long dress. In terms of height and figure, Zhan Jing was like a small horse crossing a river among the three girls… neither as tall as Guan Yi nor as short as Gao Xiaojie.
However, her well-proportioned figure made her a natural clothes hanger. In Chen Xu's memory, he rarely saw Zhan Jing wearing clothes like this. In contrast, Guan Yi, that vixen, dared to wear anything, especially low-cut and revealing clothes. In her words, women should dare to show their most beautiful side. Gao Xiaojie's clothes were mostly casual and sporty, making her look lively and cute. As for Zhan Jing's clothes, there was rarely anything particularly eye-catching about them... If Guan Yi was a rose and Gao Xiaojie was a white daisy, then Zhan Jing was a blooming orchid. She didn't need any clothes to adorn herself; she only needed to stand there, and people could naturally feel her beauty and her composure.
The three beautiful women in cheongsams standing there naturally gave off an extraordinary aura, attracting the attention of many passersby. The men and women from the School of Life Sciences following behind Chen Xu, seeing these three famous campus beauties waiting for him downstairs, couldn't help but sigh in unison… Indeed, the gap between them and Chen Xu was simply too vast.
Chen Xu rubbed his nose, smiled wryly, and walked up to them, saying, "Ladies, are you going to a costume party or a birthday party tonight? Why are you dressed like that?"
No sooner had he finished speaking than Guan Yi and Gao Xiaojie spoke up at the same time. Guan Yi said, "Heh, isn't it good-looking?"
Gao Xiaojie raised an eyebrow: "Why can I only wear this dress to the ball? Can't I wear it at other times?"
Zhan Jing remained smiling serenely, without saying a word.
The three women's expressions were quite different; it was rare to see them together. Chen Xu smiled wryly and said, "They look good, of course they're wearable. Um, I'm speechless... Where are we going to eat? Didn't you say you found a restaurant with good food?"
"All you ever think about is food!" Gao Xiaojie gave him a disdainful look, then smiled and said, "A Thai restaurant opened on the pedestrian street. There are little girls doing belly dancing there. Let's go check it out and have some curry crab while we're at it."
"Thai food?" Chen Xu thought for a moment. "I've never had it before. How does it taste? Is it authentic?"
Guan Yi chuckled: "If it were really authentic, we wouldn't have taken you there. I've been to Thailand, and many of their dishes are made with fruit and vegetables, and are spicy and sour. We just can't get used to it. You know, foreign food in China tastes much better than their local food, at least for our own Chinese palates."
Chen Xu chuckled upon hearing this. Many foreign restaurants in China have adapted to Chinese culinary traditions, so it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them "selling dog meat under the guise of mutton," but the food is indeed much better than what you'd find elsewhere. Speaking of food, no country can really rival China… It seems his dad recently went to Germany again and had an authentic German meal. It was so sour, and the sourness wasn't the vinegar flavor Chinese people are used to; it tasted more like lemon juice… His mom said that after a month in Germany, his dad lost 20 pounds. The first thing he did after getting off the plane was eat a bowl of authentic mixed noodles—he was starving…
Chen Xu's attitude towards foreign cuisine has always been one of trying something new, and the prices there are definitely not suitable for everyday meals. Chen Xu also has a good appetite, so he was quite enthusiastic when he heard about the new restaurant, especially since there were even young girls doing belly dancing!
The four hailed a taxi and arrived at the Thai restaurant called Ye Xiang Kitchen... This was quite in line with the style of Thai cuisine, as the use of coconut milk in cooking is a major characteristic of Thai food.
The four chatted and laughed along the way, but the driver was also seeing three beautiful women in cheongsams for the first time, so he was a little distracted while driving, which gave them a few scares along the way.
When talking about Thailand, one can't help but mention its most famous features... You might say temples and elephants? Come on, none of those compare to Thailand's ladyboys! Gao Xiaojie said, "Chen Xu, if you dare to do what your friend did, get a girl pregnant and then cause her to miscarry, I'll send you to Thailand to become a ladyboy, so you can experience what it's like to be a woman!"
Chen Xu was speechless. He knew that Wu Yu's matter had nothing to do with him, so why did he have to drag him into it? However, he knew that it was better to keep quiet. Gao Xiaojie was already very feminist, and Guan Yi was also very feminist. And when it came to this kind of thing, don't think that Zhan Jing was quiet and didn't say anything. This woman was not to be trifled with!
The journey was truly agonizing. After finally arriving at their destination, Chen Xu paid the bill and darted out of the car like a thief. He followed the three women obediently upstairs to their reserved private room. However, as soon as he pushed open the door, Chen Xu was immediately dumbfounded.
All the guys from the dormitory were in the private room, as were Tang Bixuan and Er Ya, and on the table was a large cake.
Happy birthday, third brother!
Chapter 181 Birthday Gift
Chen Xu looked at the large cake in front of him with great surprise. He turned around to confirm, "Is today April 11th?"
At this moment, he saw Guan Yizhan and Gao Xiaojie take out a very delicate little box from their bags, which was tied with a bow. Hearing this, Guan Yi touched his forehead and said in an exaggerated manner, "My God, someone can even forget their own birthday!"
Chen Xu scratched his head sheepishly. To be honest, this wasn't the first or second time he'd forgotten his own birthday. Well, guys are bound to be a little forgetful; he wouldn't forget his own birthday, but he often forgot today's date…
Generally, other people would have their parents to remind them, but the problem is that Chen Xu's parents are just as forgetful as he is... This made Chen Xu feel seriously that he had met the wrong people!
Fortunately, people remember his birthday now. To be honest, Chen Xu hasn't had the habit of celebrating his birthday for many years.
Looking at the three girls behind him, Guan Yi smiled charmingly, her eyes curving like crescent moons, like a cunning little fox who had just succeeded in her scheme; Gao Xiaojie smiled brightly, though a hint of disdain lingered on her face, probably because she was ashamed that he had even forgotten her birthday; while Zhan Jing remained as indifferent as ever. This feeling suddenly filled Chen Xu's heart, and he awkwardly said, "Thank you."
"Hey, you're not going to cry from being so touched by us, are you?" Gao Xiaojie exclaimed dramatically, "Here's the gift, I had a lot of trouble choosing it!"
Chen Xu did feel a long-lost urge to shed a tear for a moment, but he held it back when he heard her words. He rolled his eyes at her and pretended to be disdainful, saying, "Why spend money on gifts? It's such a waste. How about this, you kiss me on my birthday, and I'll kiss you on yours. That way we're even!"
"Go to hell!" Gao Xiaojie slapped Chen Xu. Chen Xu chuckled, thinking to himself that different women reacted differently. He had asked Guan Yi a similar question before, and she would just coquettishly offer her face and say, "Want a kiss?" If you actually dared to kiss her, she'd immediately slap you...
Hmm, I wonder how Zhan Jing would react...
Chen Xu carefully put away the gift, laughing and joking. However, Wu Yuan and his two scoundrels had pooled their money to give him something in a small box; he couldn't tell what it was. But Chen Xu knew Xiao An and Lao Dong didn't have much money, so it didn't matter. Honestly, the fact that they remembered to celebrate his birthday made him very happy!