Chapter 65
Zheng Fa wanted a game similar to the scroll that Senior Sister Zhang used to test the Seventh Young Master.
It needed to display a large number of symbols on the screen based on the Yuanfu (元符, a mystical symbol) for Zheng Fa to select, and ultimately assess the accuracy of his choices.
Zheng Fa was acutely aware that his greatest advantage lay in his knowledge of topology in this world, or more concretely, in the notebook summarized by the old man Bai.
This was the source of Senior Sister Zhang's unwavering belief in his talent for talismans.
Having something that Senior Sister Zhang valued so highly made it easy for him to maintain his genius persona at the Immortal Goods Conference.
What he needed now was to turn the knowledge in that notebook into instinct.
Upon hearing his request, Old Man Bai furrowed his brow and pondered for a moment. "I'm just an old fossil who doesn't really understand computers, but this doesn't sound too difficult."
Zheng Fa nodded; to him, it seemed like a simple web-based mini-game.
"More of those ghostly symbols..." Old Man Bai stared at him for a while before saying, "I won't ask why you want this, but whether it's easy or hard depends on the money."
"What's difficult about it?"
"Money," Old Man Bai replied bluntly. "I can ask some of my former colleagues to see if any computer science students are available to help you, but it won't be free."
"How much?" Zheng Fa felt a bit anxious at this point; he really had no idea about this.
"How much can you offer?"
Knowing Zheng Fa's situation, Old Man Bai asked directly.
Zheng Fa calculated in his mind. He did have some savings.
His parents' pension, combined with their savings while they were alive, amounted to over a million. The community staff had helped him set up a large deposit certificate, which earned about fifty thousand a year in interest.
He didn't plan to touch the principal.
However, with various subsidies, Zheng Fa had a stable disposable income of over fifty thousand a year.
He lived frugally, rarely going out or socializing. He spent less than thirty yuan a week eating in the cafeteria, occasionally buying some roasted chicken on weekends to supplement his nutrition. His monthly food expenses were just over a thousand.
Including other miscellaneous expenses, he managed to keep his annual spending within twenty to thirty thousand.
Having been in this world for five years, he not only maintained that initial million but had also accumulated over a hundred thousand more.
"Eight thousand?"
He thought for a moment, leaving some cash for himself, and nervously stated a number.
"..." Old Man Bai stared at him for a long time before speaking. "I think you have some misconceptions about college students."
"…Isn't it enough?"
"From what I've observed, college students generally share a common trait," Old Man Bai said with a sigh.
"What is it?"
"Poor!"
"…"
"Alright, I'll ask around for you. Just don't be too naive; whatever they say is what it is. Remember to negotiate!" Seeing that Zheng Fa really didn't understand the market, Old Man Bai added a reminder.
…
Old Man Bai acted quickly and soon sent Zheng Fa a business card through social media.
"I asked around, and this student is the most suitable for you."
"Is he the best at technology?" Zheng Fa inquired.
"He's the poorest! Do you think your little project requires much skill? If it weren't for the money, who would want to do it? When I mentioned it to him, the teacher laughed at me, saying that doing this kind of thing would be an insult to their computer science students."
"…"
"This guy recently got a girlfriend and is in dire need of cash."
Got it—love and dignity, sometimes you can only choose one.
The person Old Man Bai introduced had a profile picture of a white cartoon dog, with the leash disappearing into the upper right corner of the avatar. His username was Han Xiaobai.
Zheng Fa sent a friend request, and it was quickly accepted.
"Boss?"
"Hello, do you understand the specific requirements?"
"I do."
"Then may I ask, what’s the price for making such a game?"
Zheng Fa saw the chat box display "typing..." at the top.
Then that line disappeared.
The same prompt appeared again, repeating this back and forth. It took three minutes before he finally saw the other party's reply:
"Fifty thousand!"
Recalling Old Man Bai's reminder, Zheng Fa quickly typed a counteroffer.
"Five thousand!"
The other party fell into a longer silence.
"Boss, that's too harsh."
"Just five thousand."
"I really can't do it; I'm still a student. Can you give me a bit more?"
"I'm in my last year of high school; cut me some slack."
"…"
The other party then sent a long message to plead his case:
"You have no idea; I really can't afford to take less. I recently got a girlfriend who spends like crazy. There are more boys than girls in computer science, and finding a girlfriend isn't easy. I've spent all my living expenses on her! Recently, she wants a new phone that costs several thousand, and I can't even ask my parents for money, so I took this job."
"…"
"You can afford to spend so much on a game at your age; you probably don't understand my struggles. Lately, I can't even afford to eat in the cafeteria…"
"…I really envy you for having parents," Zheng Fa typed, biting his lip.
"???" The other party first sent a string of question marks before saying, "Damn! Five thousand it is!"
That evening, Zheng Fa saw the other party send him a few more messages:
"To be honest, this game isn't difficult; I can just use a free template. The only hassle is inputting those symbols, which is purely manual labor. Five thousand is just about right."
"But this game has no future. If your situation is really as you say, I advise you not to pursue it."
Zheng Fa replied, "Isn't love supposed to be without financial worries?"
"Still lacking, but this game is so trash. I thought you were just a clueless rich kid trying to get scammed. But given your situation, I can't let you waste your money."
"Thanks," Zheng Fa thought for a moment. "I have other uses for this."
"That's good; I just wanted to remind you."
"Then how much is the phone? Let's go with that price."
"Boss, you're generous! I promise to make it quick and good for you!"
…
"Zheng Fa, what are you up to again?" Seeing Zheng Fa suddenly looking dejected, Wang Chen asked.
"Playing a game." Zheng Fa closed his eyes, his mind still lingering on the dense symbols from the computer last night.
"Playing a game!" Wang Chen perked up, patting Zheng Fa on the shoulder. "Have you finally found your way back from the path of being a study nerd? What are you playing? Let's duo queue!"
"A mini-game you haven't played."
"What mini-game is so fun?" Seeing Zheng Fa barely opening his eyes, Wang Chen was genuinely curious.
"Well…" Zheng Fa thought about how to describe it, "it's like giving you a face, and you have to find their parents, grandparents, distant relatives, and even ancestors among tens of thousands of faces…"
"What's so fun about that?"
"You wouldn't understand; I'm honing my talent."
"What talent?" Wang Chen frowned. "The talent for identifying parentage with the naked eye?"
At this point, he looked at Zheng Fa with a hint of sympathy. "I know you feel a bit insecure being with Tang Lingwu, and the pressure is high, but you should trust people a little—at least don’t be so overly cautious so soon."
"?"
…
In the Xuanwei Realm, in Senior Sister Zhang's courtyard.
"The rules for this Immortal Goods Conference have changed; it's no longer about fixed grades but rankings," Senior Sister Zhang said to Zheng Fa and the Seventh Young Master. "This means it's not enough to just have good talent in talismans; you have to be better than others."
Upon hearing this, the Seventh Young Master's expression changed.
"Why? Wasn't it enough to just be classified as high-grade to enter the Immortal Gate?"
Even though he had always been somewhat afraid of Zhang Zhenren, the Seventh Young Master couldn't help but complain.
Zheng Fa understood his anxiety and viewed it from the Seventh Young Master's perspective:
You’re a student who doesn’t perform well academically, and for a major exam, you’ve been burning the midnight oil, drowning in study materials, just to scrape by with a passing score of sixty.
Then the invigilator walks into the exam room and announces that the rules have changed: it’s no longer about the score on the paper but about ranking. Only the top ten will pass, and everyone else fails…
Anyone would explode in that situation.
Senior Sister Zhang shook her head. "This time, families participating in the Immortal Goods Conference are worried about future changes, so they’ve sent their best talents. The number of participants is not only large but also of the highest quality. If we were to stick to fixed grades, many would likely enter the Immortal Gate this time."
"Isn't that a good thing?"
The Seventh Young Master asked, bewildered.
"For you, certainly. But for those who have already entered the Immortal Gate…" Senior Sister Zhang looked at Zheng Fa with a meaningful gaze. "You’re going there to compete for resources."
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