Resentment from a Single Dog

Morning, library.

Lu Zhou had finally freed himself from the storm of public opinion and came here to study as usual.

As usual, he ran into Chen, who was preparing for the postgraduate entrance exam.

While discussing a Mathematics problem, they happened to talk about what had happened some time ago.

When Chen Yushan heard that Lu Zhou had turned down that offer, her eyes widened.

"You turned down Shunfeng's offer?"

That was an offer with an annual salary of five hundred thousand!

It didn't seem like something he would do...

"Yeah. Was I supposed to quit school and go work for someone in Shenzhen?" Lu Zhou rolled his eyes. "Wouldn't that piss my dad off to death?"

"Oh, right. If you accepted it, you wouldn't be able to continue university," Chen Yushan said, nodding in realization as she poked her chin with her pen. "Then you shouldn't go. Getting a degree is still pretty important."

Lu Zhou smiled.

As far as he was concerned now, that degree really wasn't all that important.

But judging from the tasks assigned by the system, it was more convenient to complete them in a place like school. He could find any book he wanted in the library, download CNKI papers for free, and even talk to professors when he didn't understand something.

Who knew what absurd tasks this lousy system would throw at him after he left campus?

Before he raised his level, he should just stay put and behave. Besides, if he started a business, it would be in high tech. Was there anywhere more suitable for research than a school?

Chen Yushan said, "Oh, right. My aunt asked me to ask whether you're free tonight."

Lu Zhou said, "I'm free. What's up?"

Chen Yushan said, "She wants to treat us to dinner."

"Dinner? Why?" Lu Zhou looked at Chen Yushan in confusion.

One shouldn't accept rewards without merit. Why would she treat him for no reason?

Of course, if someone insisted on treating him, he definitely wouldn't refuse.

Chen Yushan smiled. "Haven't you been tutoring my cousin? This month's exam results came out, and her Mathematics score was unexpectedly good. My aunt wants to treat you to a meal to thank you. And of course, as the person who introduced you two, I deserve some credit too, so I'm definitely going."

Lu Zhou asked with a smile, "How much did she score?"

"116! I heard she was overjoyed when the results came out. So was my aunt. I haven't seen her smile in a long time." Chen Yushan's lips curled upward. "I couldn't tell you were actually so good at teaching Mathematics."

High school Mathematics...

Review outlines, mistake notebooks, and five years of college entrance exams with three years of mock tests.

With those three things, anyone willing to put in the time wouldn't score too badly. As for getting high marks, that still depended on talent. Some people were naturally sensitive to numbers; there was nothing one could do about that, and hard work alone made them difficult to catch up to.

For example, there had been a genius in the class next to Lu Zhou's back in high school. For systems of quadratic equations in two variables, he could see the answer at a glance without writing anything down. Whenever the Mathematics teacher went over exams and came to those stupid points where students lost marks, she would bring up that freak.

As for Han Mengqi, she clearly had some talent for the sciences. At the very least, she never got anything wrong when tested again on things he had taught her once. As long as she was willing to straighten out her attitude toward studying, catching up shouldn't be much of a problem.

Lu Zhou smiled and continued, "Maybe it's because your cousin is about the same age as my little sister. Kids at that age need communication most of all."

"You have a little sister?" Chen Yushan's eyes lit up.

Just then, a heavy cough came from the row in front of them.

A powerful wave of resentment drifted over, making them both shut up instinctively.

It was the resentment of a single dog.

Chen Yushan stuck out her tongue, picked up her draft notebook, and moved her chair back to her own seat.

Talking and laughing in the library really wasn't appropriate. Even quiet voices could affect other people's studies. Lu Zhou realized it too. He smiled apologetically, stopped talking, and went back to chewing through the book in his hands.

Last night, he had stayed up late and finished the last book, Topology. He had now worked through all the Mathematics textbooks on the reading list. The next subject waiting for him to conquer was Information Science.

There weren't many books on Information Science in the list given by the system, only three in total. One involved an entirely new algorithm, while the other two mainly taught advanced C++ knowledge.

The only troublesome thing was that advanced programming knowledge was hard to grasp through books alone. He also needed to study a huge amount of literature alongside them. And picking out the truly valuable material from the ocean-wide sea of computer science papers was no easy task.

It was at that moment that Lu Zhou truly understood just how detestable those real "academic cancers" who flooded journals with garbage were.

In the evening, Lu Zhou packed up his things and went with Chen Yushan to the school gate.

A white Maserati was parked by the roadside, and a girl in summer clothes stood by the open car door.

When she saw them, Han Mengqi rose onto her tiptoes and waved in their direction.

Come to think of it, this was Lu Zhou's first time seeing Madam Yang's car. The high-end model truly amazed him.

As expected of a wealthy person who owned her own company.

A car like this probably cost as much as an ordinary person's home.

The moment they met, Han Mengqi grabbed her sister's arm and said with a grin, "Sis, you're finally out. I've been waiting forever."

The girl was probably the type who was warm toward people she knew but highly guarded around strangers. At least, Lu Zhou had never seen her smile so brightly and without reserve in front of him.

Then again, maybe it was because she had done well on her monthly exam and was about to get a twenty-day summer vacation, so she was feeling a little carried away.

At that moment, Madam Yang opened the car door and stepped out.

When she saw Lu Zhou, she smiled slightly and nodded.

"Teacher Lu, thank you for Mengqi's Mathematics."

"You're welcome. It's what I should do," Lu Zhou said with a smile.

Come to think of it, this was also the first time he had seen a genuine smile on Madam Yang's face rather than a polite one. However, the tension between mother and daughter did not seem to have eased much because of it. At the sight of her mother, Han Mengqi immediately restrained her smile and looked away.

Unbothered by her daughter's coldness, Madam Yang greeted her niece, then smiled and said, "Get in the car," before turning and returning to it.

Han Mengqi claimed the back seat first. Chen Yushan and Lu Zhou exchanged a glance and reached an agreement in an instant.

Lu Zhou: Who's sitting in front?

Chen Yushan: How about... me?

Lu Zhou: Sure.

Chen Yushan opened the door and sat in the front passenger seat, while Lu Zhou sat beside Han Mengqi.

The car started and slowly pulled onto the road.

Han Mengqi glanced sideways at Lu Zhou, curled her lips, and cleared her throat. "Hey, I've got some good news for you."

Feeling that she was probably talking to him, Lu Zhou smiled and asked, "What good news?"

Han Mengqi's eyes shifted. "Um... I'm not telling you yet. Guess what I got on the monthly exam... in Mathematics!"

"116?"

"Tch, the answer leaked, so that doesn't count! My sister must have told you, right?" Han Mengqi pouted unhappily. Chen Yushan's shoulders kept trembling in the front seat. She was obviously trying not to laugh.

If it didn't count, it didn't count. It wasn't like they had bet money.

Lu Zhou looked helpless.

"Mengqi," Madam Yang, who was driving, said softly.

Han Mengqi still pouted, but she stopped talking.

It was obvious that the girl was still a little afraid of her mother.

But thinking about it, anyone would be afraid of a mother who installed more than a dozen cameras around the house, wouldn't they?

Because of the mother and daughter, the atmosphere in the car was strangely stiff. Apart from Chen Yushan occasionally chatting with her aunt, Han Mengqi merely stared out the window with her face turned aside and didn't say another word.

Then Madam Yang, who was driving, suddenly asked, "I heard you turned down SF Group's offer?"

Lu Zhou paused slightly, then smiled. "Yes. Even you heard about it?"

Madam Yang asked, "Planning to start a business?"

Lu Zhou said, "I do have that plan, but for now, my studies come first."

Madam Yang nodded and continued, "If you have any good ideas and need funding, you can call me. I may not be able to help much, but introducing you to a few angel investors won't be a problem. Of course, whether it works out will depend on whether your project itself has something special, as well as how well you prepare your BP and PPT..."

Lu Zhou sat upright and listened very seriously.

These were the experiences of someone successful, things the classroom could hardly teach him.

However, Han Mengqi apparently didn't like her mother's lecturing. She gave a soft snort and muttered, "We're off work already. Can't you talk less about work...?"

Her daughter's words made Madam Yang pause slightly.

The car fell silent once more.