After Mi Zhuzhu finished choosing her clothes, the four of them went to a barbecue stall outside and bought 100 yuan worth of barbecue, along with four bottles of iced cola.
While drinking iced cola and eating potato slices sprinkled with a thick layer of chili powder, Liu Chen couldn't help but smile with her eyes narrowed.
"By the way, Chenchen, I've been playing a mobile app called Weibo recently. Do you want to register for one? I think it's quite interesting. As soon as you refresh it, new messages will appear. Some are interesting sayings, and many girls post beautiful photos on it. Let me show you."
Weibo?
Liu Chen looked at the mobile interface Mi Zhuzhu handed to her, feeling a bit dazed.
This Weibo interface, which could only post one picture and was mostly text, felt like a completely different product from the Weibo of later years that featured nine-picture grids or even paid novels when clicked.
In her ear, Mi Zhuzhu continued to explain to her good friend Chenchen.
"This app just launched, and they say it's in beta testing. I need to give you an invitation code before you can download and log in."
Just launched? Beta testing?
Liu Chen looked at Zhuzhu, who had lost weight to 100 pounds, a stark contrast to the Zhuzhu in her previous life who had weighed 140 pounds.
The thinner Zhuzhu was much more interested in dressing up than before, not only interested in dressing up but also in learning how to dress up.
Thinking of the early internet celebrities from her previous life who could earn tens of millions or even hundreds of millions a year, Liu Chen had an idea.
"Zhuzhu, didn't you want to study advertising and media?"
"Huh? Yes! I feel like my college entrance exam results were pretty good this time. After the scores come out, I'll see if I can apply for Communication University of China."
"Zhuzhu, look, this Weibo is actually a shortened version of a blog, right?"
"Wow! Chenchen, you've hit the nail on the head with just one sentence! No wonder I find it so fun. You know, I usually love browsing blogs!"
"Well, that's not the point. The point is, Zhuzhu, can we try to create a personal account for you on this platform, just as an experiment?"
Mi Zhuzhu looked at the Weibo in her hand and listened to Chenchen's words. For some reason, she vaguely felt that something very important was unfolding before her.
The last time she had this feeling was when she transferred to Shifan Affiliated High School with Chenchen.
"Okay! But Chenchen, what if I want to share two different types of things?"
"Then register two accounts! You can use your dad's phone number to register, it's the same. Anyway, no one will know! As long as you keep the similarities between your two accounts hidden, no one on the internet will find out."
The two women sat together, whispering about the experiment of creating accounts, and they whispered until past midnight.
The QQ group for Class 6 of Senior High, which had been buzzing with activity, was now as quiet as a ghost. The last message was still at 11:59:
"Comrades, you can log in to the webpage first. After 59 seconds, refresh, and you'll be among the first to get in."
"Mi Zhuzhu, look."
Lai Jielun handed his Nokia phone to Mi Zhuzhu, who was engrossed in conversation.
"What is it? Ah!!!! My college entrance exam score!!! Give it to me, give it to me!!! Let me see!!!"
Liu Chen also leaned in. She was very curious. With her teaching over the past year, unintentionally leaking exam types for Zhuzhu to practice, and Zhuzhu's hard work that resulted in a 20-pound weight loss, what kind of college entrance exam score would she achieve now?
Chinese: 138 points
Mathematics: 120 points
English: 130 points
Science Comprehensive: 208 points
Total Score: 596 points
Seeing this score, Liu Chen smiled, because she knew that Mi Zhuzhu's dream was secure.
Mi Zhuzhu, holding the phone, stared at the college entrance exam score, repeating it over and over:
"596 points."
"596 points."
"I, Mi Zhuzhu, scored 596 points."
As she spoke, Mi Zhuzhu began to choke up:
"Wuwu, I actually did it, Chenchen! I really did it! I didn't disgrace you, I didn't hold you back!"
Liu Chen gently patted Zhuzhu's back.
"Silly girl, without you, I would have given up long before the summer vacation of the second year of high school. Besides, look at your small arms and legs now. This year, it's your own effort that earned you this result. Don't worry, based on last year's cut-off scores, you should be able to get into Communication University of China."
Mi Zhuzhu buried her head in Liu Chen's shoulder and said in a muffled voice:
"Really?"
Liu Chen gave a look to Lai Jielun and Ren Mo.
"Really, Mi Zhuzhu, don't worry. With such a high score, you'll definitely get in!"
"Damn! Mi Zhuzhu, your score is even higher than mine! If you don't go to that Communication University, who will?!"
"Vibrating, vibrating."
The QQ group for Class 6 of Senior High started vibrating frantically again, but this time, everyone had tacitly sent nothing but strings of numbers.
Scores after scores continuously refreshed the QQ group's page. Liu Chen glanced at them and saw that the lowest score was 543 points.
Based on her memory of the 2009 college entrance exam admission cut-off scores, this meant that all fifty-two students in the class had passed the first-tier admission line!
Liu Chen could even say that this achievement, whether in the past or in the future, would be considered top-tier in the entire S Province.
After all, this class also had her, the top scorer in science in S Province.
In fact, the students in Class 6 of Senior High did not say in the QQ group that after finishing their college entrance exam papers, they felt that the question types on the papers seemed to have been covered during their senior year?
Of course, they didn't think anyone had cheated on the college entrance exam and knew the questions beforehand. After all, no matter how much you cheated, you couldn't know the question types a year in advance, right?
However, to prevent jealousy, they all tacitly agreed not to mention this, but they understood each other.
"I want to go to Beijing."
"Me too, I want to study in the same city as my Chen-jie!"
"Add me."
"I want to go to Shanghai and experience the atmosphere of the magical city."
"Count me in!"
"I want to study computer science and develop games after graduation."
"I want to study archaeology and explore ancient tombs like Wu Xie in 'Grave Robbers' Chronicles'!"
"I want to study English and become a translator in the future!"
One by one, at this hour of the night, the students of Class 6 of Senior High were dreaming about their futures. They were no longer embarrassed to talk about the future like before, because they were worried that their desired futures were out of reach.
Now that the scores were out, they realized that the dreams they thought were only within reach if they stood on tiptoes were now within their grasp. While breathing a sigh of relief, they couldn't help but start discussing the futures that had been buried in their hearts for a long time.
That night, they talked in the QQ group until the sky began to lighten, and only then did they fall asleep.
...
In the QQ group for Class 4 of Senior High, Grade 12 Middle School.
Since the scores were released and could be checked, no one had spoken in this class group.
It was as if the excitement of the previous half a month was fake.
In reality, most of the students in Class 4 of Senior High were experiencing chaos at home.
Zhou Ran, formerly known as the school bully at Grade 12 Middle School, was now kneeling on the living room tiles, pinching his ears with both hands, and looking down at his knees.
Behind him stood a lean middle-aged man, holding a long feather duster.
"This is what you call a good score?! Huh! You can't even reach the third-tier line! This is the good score you told me about, you son of a bitch!"
"If I had known you were such an idiot! I wouldn't have let your mother give birth to you back then!"
The feather duster was raised high, then brought down fiercely! With a "whoosh," the feather duster landed on Zhou Ran's back as he knelt on the ground.
"Ah!"
Despite being beaten many times since childhood, Zhou Ran still cried out in pain.
"Whoosh!"
The feather duster fell again, hitting Zhou Ran's back. In the end, the feather duster broke, and only then did the middle-aged man stop.
"Crack!" The flame of a lighter flared up. The middle-aged man took a cigarette from his pack, lit it, took a deep puff, and slowly exhaled.
After finishing the cigarette, the middle-aged man threw the butt on the ground and stepped on it with his slippered foot.
"I'll send you to repeat the year tomorrow."
After speaking, the middle-aged man sat on the sofa and turned on the TV, which was tuned to the local news channel where it had been before being turned off.
At this moment, the evening news was being replayed, and a gentle host was smiling as she broadcast the video of Liu Chen being interviewed at the exam venue. After watching it, she said:
"Our channel's 'Secrets Revealed' program will feature an interview with Liu Chen, this year's top scorer in science in S Province, and the story behind Jiang Zhou, the top scorer in arts, at 8:30 PM the night after tomorrow."
Zhou Ran, whose back was bleeding and skin stuck to his clothes from the feather duster, suddenly turned his head when he heard the name and looked at his oversized LCD TV.
On the TV, a screenshot of Liu Chen's video was still behind the female host. She looked exactly the same as when Zhou Ran had met her while dating Hu Qian last summer, or rather, she looked even prettier.
Zhou Ran regretted it. If he had known, he should have treated her better, or pestered her to be his girlfriend. Then he would have had a top-scoring girlfriend, which would have been so impressive to boast about!
But then, his eyes filled with resentment. It was all because of that woman, Hu Qian! If it weren't for her, he would have definitely pursued Liu Chen at that time!
With Liu Chen, a top scorer in science, as his girlfriend, she could have tutored him during their dates in senior high. Where would he have ended up like this, being beaten by his father until his back felt like it was about to crack with every breath!
"Heh! Now you know to envy the top scorer in science?! I told you to study properly when you were supposed to! Now you know to envy!"
"But it's useless for you to envy. With your dull brain, you couldn't become like her even if you studied for eight lifetimes. Continue kneeling and reflecting!"