Chapter 39: At First, No One Cared

In 2012, at first, no one paid much attention, but only after time had passed did people realize with shock just how much had happened in that year.

That year, the internet finally found its voice, gradually influencing everyone.

Products blooming like a hundred flowers emerged one after another.

The wealth and status of internet tycoons also gradually replaced that of traditional wealthy elites as time went by.

Of course, none of this had anything to do with Wang Donglai.

At this moment, he was still at home, reading books in a monotonous fashion.

There were dozens of books brought back from Tangdu, all specialized computer science books that Wang Donglai had specifically asked Wang Yanxing to purchase while in Tangdu.

Before reading these books, Wang Donglai's understanding of programmers was limited to the stereotype of wearing uniform plaid shirts, having the most expensive hair on their entire bodies, and being forced into early retirement by age thirty-five.

As for programming, his idea was that a program runs, bugs appear constantly, and while writing more new features, one is simultaneously hunting for new bugs.

Only after reading the books did Wang Donglai gain a general understanding of computer programming.

First, there were programming languages, divided into Java, Python, C, C++, and so on.

Each language had its own unique characteristics, much like the martial arts sects in wuxia novels; different languages were divided into different factions, constantly debating with one another.

C was one of the most popular and widely used high-level programming languages in the world, and it remained the mainstream of modern programming. In operating systems, system utility programs, and scenarios requiring hardware manipulation, C was clearly more useful and superior to other high-level languages, which is why many large-scale application software were written in C.

In addition, C possessed advantages such as strong graphics capabilities, portability, and powerful data processing abilities, making it suitable for writing system software, 3D and 2D graphics, and animations.

To put it in a single sentence, C was a high-level language for numerical computation.

Java was an object-oriented programming language capable of writing cross-platform application software. It was the collective term for the Java programming language and the Java platform (namely JavaSE, JavaEE, and JavaME) launched by Sun Microsystems in May 1995.

Boasting excellent versatility, efficiency, platform portability, and security, it was widely used in personal PCs, data centers, game consoles, scientific supercomputers, mobile phones, and the internet, while also possessing the world's largest professional developer community.

It was easy to learn, highly interactive, and possessed strong cross-platform capabilities, often used to develop business-related web applications.

As for C++, it was a very widely used computer programming language.

It was a general-purpose programming language with static data type checking that supported multiple programming paradigms. It supported various programming styles such as procedural programming, data abstraction, object-oriented programming, and generic programming.

The tedious explanations, combined with obscure professional terminology, meant that Wang Donglai's learning speed for programming could not be fast at all.

Although he possessed the abilities and skills of [Speed Reading] and [Photographic Memory], which allowed him to read through these books very quickly, without the experience boost from a Reading System, his understanding of these books relied entirely on his own comprehension.

Because he had no computer, Wang Donglai could not perform any practical operations; he could only study these books intensely to prepare himself.

An average programmer might master one language and perhaps be familiar with a few others.

But Wang Donglai did not want that. The prospects of the internet were too vast, and since he had many things he wanted to achieve, he had to master all of these programming languages.

How could a boss who didn't understand programming make people believe he could create interesting software?

Even Wang Donglai found these books extremely laborious and dull to read, and Wang Qingchen felt the same. However, Wang Qingchen believed in Wang Donglai's vision and understood the future importance of programming.

Therefore, no matter how uninteresting or difficult they were to read, Wang Qingchen patiently studied them bit by bit.

Time passed bit by bit.

The moment he opened his eyes in the morning, he would start reading. He would read until ten o'clock to cook and eat, and after eating, he would continue reading.

From dawn till dusk, he had no other activities besides reading.

Meanwhile, in the Class 14 group chat, classmates were sharing their entertainment every day.

Surfing the web, traveling, eating feasts, buying new clothes, shopping...

Some shared their lives to invite the envy of others, while others lurked in silence, feeling a sense of injustice.

This group chat had been specially created by Song Yi, supposedly to make it easier for everyone to stay in touch.

During this time, Wang Donglai spent every day studying books intensely, having no mental energy to pay attention to the idle chatter in the group chat.

Even when Song Yi and Dang Caizhi invited him to go to the county town to have fun, Wang Donglai politely declined.

He read books every day, occasionally chatting with Chen Mengni or Guo Xing to summarize what he had learned that day.

It was monotonous and dull, yet Wang Donglai found joy in it.

Now, he was gradually gaining a sense of enlightenment. The System might be his greatest "cheat," but his confidence no longer relied solely on the System.

Ninety-eight days of high-intensity study had allowed Wang Donglai to become accustomed to this level of intensity; he had even come to relish and enjoy it.

If anyone else could develop such a feeling toward studying, they would likely be able to build a significant career.

Time flew by.

Soon, the day for the release of the Gaokao results arrived.

Wang Yanxing and Cao Shuxian returned, because Wang Donglai did not want to lack people to share the joy with on such a momentous day.

"Brother, the results come out tomorrow. Are you nervous?"

Although Wang Chenyue was asking Wang Donglai, her face was filled with anticipation, trepidation, and nervousness.

"The Emperor isn't worried, but the palace maid is!"

Glancing at Wang Chenyue, Wang Donglai said calmly.

"Brother, are you really not nervous? I'm nervous to death! I'm so looking forward to the results tomorrow. You have no idea—lately, whether it's my homeroom teacher or the substitute teachers, they've all been asking what major I want to choose. They even test me on purpose and call on me in class to answer questions. It's just too much!"

"Even my classmates know that the top student in the entire senior grade is my brother—that legend who jumped from 300-plus to nearly 700 points in just three months."

"Brother, you've made my life difficult! Those teachers probably think I'm a limitless learning genius just like you, and they're all determined to cultivate me into the next top scorer."

Although Wang Chenyue's tone sounded somewhat like a complaint, the upturned corners of her mouth proved her true feelings.

"I think you're actually thrilled. You say you're annoyed, but why haven't you pulled that smile down?"

"Having a legendary top-scorer brother like me—it feels pretty prestigious, doesn't it?"

Wang Donglai closed his book and said to Wang Chenyue with a smile.

"Average, just average!"

Wang Chenyue shook her head and pretended to be disgusted as she ran off.

With the Gaokao results to be announced tomorrow, the Class 14 group chat was already filled with wailing and lamenting.

Some acted profound, saying nonsensical, melancholic things.

Some acted heroic, claiming they wouldn't go to school but would go work in society to become bosses in the future.

Some were nervous and worried; even though they knew they wouldn't make it into an undergraduate program, they held onto a sliver of hope, waiting for a miracle.

However.

Someone suddenly asked about Wang Donglai in the group, which instantly made the people of Class 14 excited.

While they were at school, their feelings hadn't been deep enough.

But after the Gaokao was over and they returned home, they realized belatedly just how incredible a classmate who could potentially be the top scorer in the liberal arts category truly was.

Yet, when they wanted to build rapport, they found that Wang Donglai never spoke in the group. If they hadn't checked the member list, they would have thought he hadn't even joined.

Privately, many took the initiative to add Wang Donglai on QQ.

Wang Donglai did not refuse these friend requests and chose to accept them, but he did not engage in much conversation.

After a few simple words, he would end the chat, using the excuse that he needed to study.

"Looking forward to Wang Donglai's good news tomorrow!"

"In the future, I can loudly tell people I have a classmate who is the top scorer in liberal arts."

"Tsinghua and Peking University... I wonder what it will be like in those supreme institutions. Does the big shot need an assistant? I'm available!"

"Big shot, please carry us to glory!"

Message after message flashed through the group.

Amidst the crowd of praise, a sentence suddenly drifted by.

"The results aren't even out yet. Who knows if that person actually has the ability? You guys are sucking up so much, it's disgusting!"

This sentence fell like a stone into the water, instantly creating ripples.

"Liu Feng, did you eat shit? Your mouth is so foul!"

"Are you sick? If there's something wrong with your brain, go get it treated!"

"If you're just jealous of someone's good grades, you don't have to be so sarcastic. If you just stayed quiet, we wouldn't assume you were dead."

A wave of condemnation against Liu Feng erupted in the group. Through the internet, everyone seemed to have gained an extra measure of courage.

Wang Donglai was unaware of what was happening in the group.

Because, at this moment, he was reading.