Zhang Chunjiang was drowning his sorrows in alcohol and was sobbing uncontrollably. Ma Xiaohua was very embarrassed, but she also realized that Zhang Chunjiang had his eye on the young girl who was conducting the investigation. Unfortunately, his feelings were unrequited, and as a result, Zhang Chunjiang got hurt.
“Zhang Gong, don’t cry. There are plenty of fish in the sea. You might not find another one like this. I’ll introduce you to an eighteen-year-old tomorrow,” Ma Xiaohua comforted her.
Zhang Chunjiang chuckled: "Sister Ma, are you cursing me? I'm ten years younger than her, so I'll be her father?"
Ma Xiaohua also felt that it was a bit much to introduce an 18-year-old girl to Zhang Chunjiang, who was already an older single man. She chuckled and said, "Don't you men all want to mate with young girls? Look how beautiful you are when you smile. Don't always have such a long face. Come on, come on, it's rare for me to treat you to a meal. Let's eat together."
While the Home Inn computer company was bustling with people eating and drinking, Luo Xiaowei was on QQ again in room 404 of the girls' dormitory at Donghai University. "It's not Zhang Chunjiang. I tested him. First, he had never even heard of the website 'hacking' before. Second, although he knew about the Red Star scanning software and those three vulnerabilities, judging from his questionnaire, he had no ability to solve them at all."
"Perhaps he's been hiding his true strength?"
Luo Xiaowei smiled calmly: "So you're doubting my charm?"
The other party sent a grinning emoji, "I believe you. If you used seduction, I'll believe you're not him. That leaves only your classmate Zhao Qiang. Give me the result tonight."
Luo Xiaowei was a little embarrassed: "Others are fine, but he is from the same school as me. It wouldn't be good for me to talk to him."
"Please help me out. It's not like I'm asking you to date him. I'm just asking a question. Once I understand, we'll be strangers. If you help me this time, I'll help you out again next time, okay?"
Luo Xiaowei smiled mischievously: "Just to help you? I want you to grant me one request unconditionally, but I need to think carefully about what request can stump you."
"Alright, alright, it's just one request. Go investigate now, I'll be waiting for your good news."
The dinner party at Home Inns Computer Company hadn't ended when the door creaked open again, and this time Wang Yidong came in. Seeing the three employees huddled together eating and drinking, Wang Yidong was only stunned for a moment before laughing and saying, "Well, you're having a feast behind my back."
Ma Xiaohua said, "Mr. Wang, we're out of wine for you. Go out and buy some yourself."
Wang Yidong waved his hand and said, "I've already eaten at home. You guys eat quickly. Zhang Chunjiang and Zhao Qiang will accompany me to the municipal government this afternoon."
Zhang Chunjiang was in a much better mood and said, "What's wrong? You said you were petitioning, we won't do that."
Wang Yidong said, "The municipal government is clearing out warehouses, and we're bringing back some old computers to disassemble and dismantle parts."
Ma Xiaohua said, "Great job, Mr. Wang. You've even managed to get in touch with the municipal government. I bet you got it recycled at a bargain price. You've made a fortune again."
Wang Yidong said, "We haven't even seen the goods yet. If they're all 386s, we'll lose a lot of money this time."
Since there was work to be done in the afternoon, Zhao Qiang and the others hurriedly ended their meal. Wang Yidong went out and contacted a truck. The three of them headed straight for the Donghai Municipal Government. With Wang Yidong's shrewdness, he certainly wouldn't have brought back the 386 machine. This trip was obviously very profitable. Of course, he would also give kickbacks to the people who handled it. But this was something Zhao Qiang couldn't know.
As for Luo Xiaowei, she wandered around the Home Inn computer company twice in the afternoon, but she couldn't find Zhao Qiang. Finally, she couldn't help but ask the store's accountant, only to find out that he was out working. There was nothing she could do but go back to school to wait. It was said that Zhao Qiang would get off work at nine o'clock and return to his dormitory between nine-thirty and ten o'clock. So Luo Xiaowei stood downstairs at Zhao Qiang's dormitory at nine-fifteen.
"Isn't that Luo Xiaowei, the campus belle of the Foreign Languages Department?" Someone spotted the beauty immediately.
"Yeah, who is she waiting for all by herself? I haven't heard that the beautiful Luo has a boyfriend. Why would she come to our geology and mineral resources department dormitory? Who the hell got lucky?"
"Does waiting outside the men's dormitory mean you're waiting for men? You're so prejudiced."
"Are you waiting for a woman in the men's dormitory instead of a man?"
Luo Xiaowei vaguely heard the whispers of the boys around her. She was filled with resentment, but Zhao Qiang didn't have a cell phone and almost never went to class. It seemed she had no other way to find him except to wait, unless she didn't want any definite news tonight and decided to wait until tomorrow. But the woman on the other end of QQ was too anxious, so Luo Xiaowei could only grit her teeth and continue waiting.
Volume 1 [013] Refusal
Zhao Qiang returned to school satisfied after a hearty meal. Wang Yidong had made a fortune and was treating everyone to dinner that night. Since it was the boss's treat, Zhao Qiang naturally accepted without hesitation; his belly was bulging with oil. He felt that ever since he started working part-time at the computer company, his luck had been nonstop. He wished he had found a company like this in his freshman year, otherwise he would have gone almost three years without eating meat—of course, the little bit of meat in steamed buns doesn't count.
"Zhao Qiang!" someone called out to Zhao Qiang. Zhao Qiang looked up and couldn't believe his eyes. He thought he had been seeing things because of the three bottles of beer. He could only rub his eyes and look again. Sure enough, it was Luo Xiaowei from the Foreign Languages Department. She was the dream girl of all the boys in the school. Otherwise, Zhao Qiang would not have named his little white cat Xiaowei. Wouldn't it have been better to just call her Xiaobai?
Seeing Zhao Qiang's dumbfounded expression, Luo Xiaowei felt a little smug. It wasn't surprising that Zhao Qiang recognized her; there were probably no male students at Donghai University who didn't know Luo Xiaowei. Luo Xiaowei recognized Zhao Qiang because of the surveillance video she bought for 500 yuan today, which showed Zhao Qiang's image all over the place.
"Are you sure you're calling me?" Zhao Qiang pointed to himself, somewhat nervously.
Luo Xiaowei said, "Yes, I'm Luo Xiaowei from the Foreign Languages Department. Can you walk with me?" Luo Xiaowei had already noticed that many boys had gathered around her while she was waiting for Zhao Qiang. Although they all pretended to be busy or leisurely strolling nearby, their eyes never left her. Surrounded by so many people, Luo Xiaowei really couldn't ask Zhao Qiang if he was 'Dark Night Legend.' Even if she asked, Zhao Qiang might not admit it in front of so many people, so she had to find a better place.
Zhao Qiang touched his forehead; it was a little hot, but not enough to cause a fever. Could it be that Luo Xiaowei had a fever? The boys around him, upon hearing Luo Xiaowei's invitation, all gaped in astonishment. Luo Xiaowei inviting a boy out for a walk? Was that even possible? After all, Luo Xiaowei was the most introverted and cautious school beauty, and there had never been any rumors about her with any boy.
Zhao Qiang shook his head: "Sorry, it's too late, I need to go back and rest."
With a thud, a boy bumped his head into a pine tree in the greenery. Another boy was even more unlucky, crashing into a concrete utility pole and getting a big bump on his forehead. Two other boys walked towards each other and bumped into each other. Everyone ignored their pain and glared at Zhao Qiang with fierce eyes. This guy actually refused Luo Xiaowei's invitation? You know, when Luo Xiaowei first came to university, she received at least dozens of invitations every day. But because of her overly cautious and self-respecting attitude, few people invited her in the past three years.
Luo Xiaowei was surprised that Zhao Qiang would refuse. It was unbelievable to her. Although Luo Xiaowei was not complacent or proud because of her appearance, she had been flattered by men for a long time. She thought that as long as she asked, Zhao Qiang should be happy to follow her. This stark contrast made it difficult for Luo Xiaowei to adapt, and she even began to doubt her own appearance.
"There's something I'd like to ask you," Luo Xiaowei explained calmly.
Zhao Qiang sensed the unfriendly gazes around him. Knowing his own situation, he knew he could never have any interaction with a girl like Luo Xiaowei. Rather than worrying about it later, he decided to cut his losses now. Zhao Qiang refused again, saying, "It's really too late. Let's talk about it tomorrow. I need to go back to my dorm to rest. Goodbye."
After saying this, Zhao Qiang didn't give Luo Xiaowei a chance to speak and stepped into the dormitory building. Although Luo Xiaowei was very angry, she couldn't follow him in; that wouldn't be in line with her usual personality. So Luo Xiaowei could only leave sullenly. It seemed she really would have to wait until tomorrow to find him and get some answers. That was all for today.
Zhao Qiang entered the dormitory, and several of his roommates followed him in. Liu Dazhuang gave him a thumbs up and said, "Brother Zhao, you're really awesome. You rejected Luo Xiaowei's invitation to her face. You're a real man in Donghai City."
Wang Xiaonian said, "Zhao Qiang, are you stupid? What a great opportunity! Maybe Luo Xiaowei is moved by your hard work in supporting herself for three years and is interested in you. You've really offended her this time by rejecting a beautiful woman's invitation."
Hu Le said, "Yeah, Zhao Qiang, we're all envious of this opportunity. You're really not a man."
Zhao Qiang, however, didn't share their concerns. He said, "Brothers, we know our own abilities perfectly well. Don't get your hopes up. She and I are like two parallel lines that will never intersect. So don't get carried away and fall for her, or you'll be the ones who suffer in the future."
Liu Dazhuang nodded: "Zhao Qiang is right. None of the four of us are good enough for Luo Xiaowei. Thinking too much will only cause us more trouble. Xiaoqiang, I support you."
Zhao Qiang looked his three roommates up and down and said, "Strange, why are you all here tonight? Aren't you going to the internet cafe?"
Hu Le said, "Don't you know the midterm exams are coming up soon? The class monitor even talked to you tonight. I think you should get a cell phone soon, or you'll miss the exams!"
Zhao Qiang's expression changed. Who wouldn't be afraid of exams? Especially since he had been skipping classes a lot lately, he was afraid he would fail!
Back in her dorm, Luo Xiaowei angrily opened her laptop, went online, and sent a message: "I failed!"
The other person's profile picture lit up quickly. "No way, I really believe in your charm."
Luo Xiaowei was even angrier, "Zhao Qiang is not a man at all!"
"Are you planning to give up now?"
Luo Xiaowei thought for a moment, then gritted her teeth and said, "No, I still want you to owe me a favor. He said it was too late today, so I'll go see him again tomorrow. The more he avoids me, the more it means he has something to hide! I just don't understand. He's only been using computers for a few days. I found out about his computer knowledge from the side, and apparently he doesn't even know about some common hardware. Do you think he could be the creator of that system?"
“Some geniuses cannot be judged by common sense, and my company is currently lacking geniuses. Please, Xiaowei, you are my only hope.”
Luo Xiaowei didn't dare to make any definitive statements, saying, "I will do my best."
Upon hearing that there would be midterm exams, Zhao Qiang opened the box under his bed and began rummaging through his textbooks. The poor kid hadn't even touched many of his textbooks. He borrowed Wang Xiaonian's notes and studied late into the night, highlighting the key points.
Knock, knock, knock. Someone was knocking on the door. If it were his roommate next door, he probably wouldn't be so gentle. Liu Dazhuang jumped off the bed to open the door: "Who is it? It's so late. Class monitor?" Liu Dazhuang was only wearing a pair of briefs. Standing outside was class monitor Xu Xiaoya. There was a difference between men and women. How could he not feel embarrassed in this state? He quickly closed the door again.
Five minutes later, the four girls in the dormitory, dressed neatly, opened the door to greet her again. Xu Xiaoya was an outgoing girl, always carefree. Although she was beautiful and had a great figure, her decisive way of doing things often made people overlook her gender and beauty. Otherwise, she would not have visited the boys' dormitory late at night. At least Luo Xiaowei would not have done that. She was a reserved girl and would never have come to see Zhao Qiang if she hadn't been 'tempted' by her friend.
"Zhao Qiang." Xu Xiaoya entered the dormitory, found a stool and sat down. The first person she called out was Zhao Qiang. Zhao Qiang was a little nervous. After all, Xu Xiaoya was the counselor's mouthpiece, and Zhao Qiang always felt a lot of pressure when facing her.
"Yes, did the class monitor come to see me specifically?" Zhao Qiang asked tentatively. It was already 10 p.m., and Xu Xiaoya wouldn't have come to the boys' dormitory unless it was something important, especially since a pretty girl like her should have some self-respect.
Xu Xiaoya said, "Yes, do you know how many days you haven't been to class?"
Zhao Qiang thought about it and realized that it had indeed been a while. The school had probably only become his dormitory. As a student, he had forgotten his duty. Zhao Qiang felt ashamed. He lowered his head and made a confession gesture, hoping to gain Xu Xiaoya's sympathy and get her to criticize him less.
Xu Xiaoya was very satisfied with Zhao Qiang's performance, and then said, "The midterm exams are coming up soon. These exams are very important, as they affect part of our graduation grades. But I'm worried about whether you can pass in your current state. Our counselor, Teacher Liu, has given me a notice that no one in our class can fail the midterm exams!"
Zhao Qiang held up his notebook and said, "I'm just using a borrowed notebook to highlight important points. I'll definitely work hard."
Xu Xiaoya shook her head: "It's like binding your feet after getting on the sedan chair. Do you really think it's that easy? I'm just here to give you a heads-up. It's best not to go out to work these next few days. If you don't get your diploma, you'll always be just a handyman and won't get any respect. You should know which is more important and which is less important. These are my notes. You can throw that one away. Although Liu Dazhuang and the others are better than you, they're only slightly better. You don't need to look at their notes. All four of you should redo the key points, and then each of you should use your own abilities to memorize them in the next few days. Take heed."
After saying that, Xu Xiaoya stopped arguing and got up to leave the dormitory. The guy next door came out to use the public toilet and saw Xu Xiaoya. He screamed in fright, then covered his crotch with both hands and ran back. Xu Xiaoya, however, went downstairs leisurely as if no one was there.
Volume 1 [014] Is it really not you?
After being reprimanded by their class monitor, the four roommates dared not take it lightly and worked through the night, finally finishing the key points before dawn. After that, they really showed their unique abilities. Liu Dazhuang planned to compile the key points of each subject into a booklet and then find a copy shop to print it down. Hu Le tried to copy the key points on his stomach and thighs to practice cheating during the exam.
Zhao Qiang had considered cheating, but he knew that the midterm exam, which even the counselor took seriously, would likely not be as lax in proctoring as before. So, he decided to focus on memorizing before the exam and figure out whether he could actually do it on the day of the exam.
"It's late! It's late!" someone shouted in his ear. Zhao Qiang threw down the textbook next to his pillow and fell asleep while reciting the key points. By this time, it was already bright outside. Wang Xiaonian shouted as he put on his clothes, "If we don't leave now, we'll be late. If that happens, we'll have to skip class again today."
Zhao Qiang had already decided to go to class today, so he got up with his three roommates, washed their faces and brushed their teeth, and then rushed to the classroom without even having breakfast. Fortunately, Liu Dazhuang was leading the way, otherwise Zhao Qiang would not have known where to go today, let alone which textbook to bring.
A group of boys were circling around the classroom, refusing to go in and reserve good seats. Wang Xiaonian asked in confusion, "Are they stupid? Do they know the four of us are coming to class today and deliberately leave the good seats for us?"
Liu Dazhuang spotted the girl at the end of the corridor immediately and exclaimed, "It's Luo Xiaowei!"
Remembering what happened last night, Zhao Qiang quickly hid behind Hu Le, but Luo Xiaowei had already seen him and waved at him, calling out, "Zhao Qiang, come here for a second." Her voice was sweet, and many boys' hearts fluttered like deer.
Sigh, Zhao Qiang knew it couldn't be anything good, otherwise Luo Xiaowei wouldn't have come to him so many times. But refusing her in front of so many classmates would make him look like a complete idiot. Helpless, Zhao Qiang could only hesitate on the spot. He hoped the bell for class would ring soon so he would have an excuse.
Sure enough, Zhao Qiang only dawdled for half a minute before the bell rang for class. Zhao Qiang said to Luo Xiaowei, "Sorry, class has started and time is a bit tight. We can talk about it later."
The boys watching nearby were furious. They thought to themselves, "Zhao Qiang, you're so ungrateful! You've hardly come to class this semester, and now you realize you're short on time? If Luo Xiaowei had invited me, I'd skip a month of classes for it."
Zhao Qiang tried to squeeze into the classroom but was blocked. If he hadn't braked in time, he probably would have bumped into that ample chest. It was Xu Xiaoya. Zhao Qiang blushed and took two steps back, saying, "Class monitor, we're going to be late, move aside!"
Xu Xiaoya glanced at Luo Xiaowei at the end of the corridor and asked Zhao Qiang, "What does she want with you?"
Luo Xiaowei is a campus beauty at Donghai University, but Xu Xiaoya is no pushover either, almost on par with her. However, her personality is too fiery, so she is not treated like a goddess by the boys. Instead, because of her work in the class, most of the boys treat her like one of the guys.
In response to Xu Xiaoya's question, Zhao Qiang said, "How would I know? Why don't you go ask, class monitor?"
Xu Xiaoya glared at Zhao Qiang and said, "Go, go ask him, and come back and tell me later."
Zhao Qiang pointed to the classroom and said, "Forget it, class has already started."
Xu Xiaoya said, "I've never seen you this proactive before. Don't worry, I'll take care of explaining to the teacher this time. I'll give you half an hour. If you don't finish the task, all the classes you missed before will be brought up and you'll be held accountable."
Zhao Qiang felt dizzy. What was wrong with Xu Xiaoya? To be honest, she was quite favored by the teachers. If she were to intervene, Zhao Qiang would have some room to maneuver even with his failed courses. However, Zhao Qiang knew his own limitations; his relationship with Xu Xiaoya wasn't worth such treatment. Nevertheless, she should be able to cover up Zhao Qiang's absence if she wanted to.
At Xu Xiaoya's call, all the boys at the door went into the classroom, leaving only Zhao Qiang and Luo Xiaowei not far away. There was no way to avoid it now, so Zhao Qiang had no choice but to bite the bullet and walk over. He had to find out why she was looking for him, otherwise he wouldn't be able to explain it to the class monitor.
Luo Xiaowei smiled faintly. She could see and hear what was happening here. Although she was very unhappy about being rejected by Zhao Qiang, she couldn't care less about the mission she had to carry out. She pointed to the grove of trees downstairs and said, "Let's go for a walk."
Zhao Qiang was taken aback. That was something only couples would do. He immediately objected, "That's not a good idea. We don't seem to know each other very well."
Luo Xiaowei smiled: "What, is Senior Brother afraid I'll eat you up?"
Luo Xiaowei is a junior, and Zhao Qiang is a senior, so calling him "senior brother" is quite reasonable. Zhao Qiang said, "You can't eat me, but I don't want to become the public enemy of my male classmates. You'd better hurry up and get to the point."
Many boys, even after entering the classroom, were still unwilling to give up, peering out through the glass windows. Did they really think Zhao Qiang would go up and forcibly kiss Luo Xiaowei? If that were the case, Zhao Qiang would probably be beaten to a pulp in the next minute. Men probably all have this mentality: if they can't have something, they don't want others to have it either.
Luo Xiaowei turned and walked downstairs, leaving behind only a low voice saying, "If you're a man, come with me."
Zhao Qiang was furious. He thought to himself, "What did I do to you? We didn't even know each other before last night." But it was a matter of male pride, so Zhao Qiang couldn't refuse to go. Besides, he was genuinely curious, and to be honest, he wasn't entirely without a little bit of anticipation. Could it be that heaven was moved by his years of hardship and was sending him a woman?
Once inside the grove, the view from upstairs was finally blocked, and Zhao Qiang felt a little relieved. Luo Xiaowei seemed to breathe a sigh of relief as well; it was a miracle she had held out this long. Now they could finally get to the point: "Senior, have you been working part-time at the computer company all these years?"
Zhao Qiang said, "No, we only made contact a week ago."
Luo Xiaowei said, "No way, the post you made using 'Dark Night Legend' is really technical. I admire you so much."
Luo Xiaowei's bright eyes were fixed on Zhao Qiang. Such a beautiful girl, her direct gaze could be captivating. Luo Xiaowei had carefully considered why she went straight to the point. She was worried Zhao Qiang wouldn't admit it, so she was playing a psychological game. She would notice the slightest hint of something in Zhao Qiang's expression and then press her further.