After typing thousands of words in one breath, Wang Shuo let out a sigh of relief.
The writing process was difficult. These things had been haunting his mind, but they seemed somewhat beyond his control. When he wasn't focused, these contents were mostly just words flashing quickly through his mind. But when he concentrated on a particular word, more detailed information would emerge. It could be a string of numbers, a profound text, or a confusing pattern.
Wang Shuo didn't bother with the specifics and just went with his instincts, writing whatever came to mind. After finishing, he took a closer look and found some parts even he couldn't understand.
Frowning, he decisively deleted the parts he didn't comprehend. After a thorough review to ensure there was nothing else he couldn't understand, he bit his lip and clicked upload.
It's just a random write-up, he thought, it doesn't matter if it's right or wrong. Just consider it a lesson paid for with money.
After comforting himself with these thoughts, Wang Shuo looked at the remaining few digits in the upper right corner of the page, clenched his teeth, and closed the forum. He was afraid he might be tempted to read the works of some other great author again. For a poor person like him, every forum point was precious.
Forcing himself to resist the urge to continue reading, Wang Shuo closed the forum page and carefully erased his browsing history. Although it was his own computer and usually no one else used it, it was better to be cautious. After all, the nature of the forum was evident from its location – this was not a website operating in the light.
He casually clicked on a link from a news website and scanned the article. It was about a new invention from a Japanese company, seemingly an impressive robot that perfectly replicated the appearance of a human female. It could engage in conversations and even perform some physical actions.
Wang Shuo searched for the progress of robots in China and found that all existing products were still at the level of Japan twenty years ago. Although some were covered with artificial silicone skin, in terms of appearance, neither the texture nor the fineness could compare to the product of the Japanese company mentioned in the report, not to mention other functions.
"If only I had the ability, these robots with limited movements, limited expressions, and imperfect language and emotional settings are not up to scratch."
He silently lamented the inadequacy of Chinese technology companies and fantasized about having his own technology company one day, creating his own technological products.
As soon as this thought crossed Wang Shuo's mind, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his head, as if what had happened at noon was repeating itself.
"Oh shit."
Wang Shuo only managed to utter two words before collapsing to the ground, seemingly having fainted.
"Host's thought and consciousness fluctuation is abnormal, beginning judgment..."
"Judgment result: Host has voluntarily accessed the database... Permission check shows no abnormalities... Beginning repair of intelligent modules..."
"Intelligent module repair in progress... Repair progress: 0.001%..."
"Missing key sequences... Unable to continue repair... Activating guidance mode..."
"Executing host enhancement sequence... Enhancing host's brain domain... Beginning execution..."
"Enhancement complete..."
As the voice faded, Wang Shuo, lying on the ground, had already opened his eyes. He looked aroundly and touched the blood covering his face, finally recalling what had happened to him.
"Oh shit."
Wang Shuo was at a loss for words. First, his head was dizzy, then he fainted and left a large pool of blood from his nose. Did he have some incurable disease? Stroke? Brain hemorrhage? Brain edema?
Or something even worse... Brain cancer?
It should... not be that unlucky, right? He was only eighteen, with a bright future just beginning. God wouldn't be so heartless as to let him die so young, would he?
He rushed to the bathroom and carefully cleaned the blood from his face, but the bleeding from his nostrils just wouldn't stop. In the end, Wang Shuo had to stuff his nostrils with two wads of toilet paper and change them every few minutes.
Looking at his own comical appearance in the mirror, Wang Shuo couldn't help but smile bitterly. He thought he was decent-looking, not as stunning as Lao Si, but at least he could pass for a handsome guy. However, now he seemed to have strayed far from being handsome.
His hair was a mess, his face was yellow, his cheeks were thin, and the two white balls of tissue stuffed in his nostrils were glaringly obvious, along with the bloodstains stuck to his collar.
It was absolutely terrible.
Especially his complexion, which didn't resemble that of an eighteen-year-old youthful boy at all, but rather looked like someone suffering from prolonged malnutrition. What was even worse was his stomach, which Wang Shuo could hear growling.
After straightening up his appearance and changing into a clean T-shirt, Wang Shuo threw himself back onto the bed, resting his head in his hands and staring at the ceiling, his mind involuntarily starting to ponder his future life.
He knew his family's situation well; it wasn't good, but it wasn't bad either—it was just passable. They were better off than some and worse off than others, with no worries about food and education.
His dad was a researcher, his mom was unemployed, and the family lived off his dad's modest salary.
"I guess I'll have to find a part-time job," Wang Shuo muttered to himself. Saving a bit for the family seemed necessary, as his parents weren't having it easy.
"Growl..."
Hearing the sound, Wang Shuo's face twisted in distress. It seemed that life should indeed start with having a full stomach. Thinking about how Lao Da or others might be feasting at that moment made Wang Shuo even hungrier.
He considered calling Lao Da and the others but decided against it in the end. Keeping face was paramount. He had said he wouldn't go, and he wouldn't. A real man, a single spit and it's a nail.
But then, how would he solve the problem of his dinner?
After much contemplation, Wang Shuo finally took out his phone and dialed Zheng Jun's number.
"Hey, boss, is there a seat?"
Let's worry about saving face after the stomach is full...
After confirming the location, Wang Shuo grabbed his jacket and dashed downstairs, running at his fastest speed ever for the sake of food.
Public transportation was out of the question at this hour, so Wang Shuo looked towards the school gate where a taxi had just pulled up. Without a second thought, he opened the car door and got in.
"Hey, this is the car we called!"
Just as Wang Shuo was about to close the car door, a voice suddenly came from beside the taxi.
Only then did Wang Shuo notice that two girls had appeared next to the taxi. One was tall and slender, dressed in a light blue long dress with shoulder-length hair; the shorter one had a ponytail, wearing a yellow casual T-shirt and cropped pants, showing her white ankles, seemingly not wearing socks.
At this moment, the girl in yellow was questioning him with an angry expression, while the girl in the blue dress stood quietly beside her.
Wang Shuo ignored them, surprised to find that he had observed their clothes, appearance, expressions, and heights with just a glance. When did his observation skills get so good?
Seeing that Wang Shuo wasn't responding, the girl in yellow got even angrier. She held onto the car door and demanded, "I'm talking to you! Did you hear me? This is the car we called, why are you sitting in it?"
This time, Wang Shuo finally understood the situation, but he wasn't the type to back down. Moreover, he was already in the car; there was no way he would get out.
"I got in first, how do you know it's the car you called? Did you use Didi?"
"You! The driver stopped because we waved!" the girl in yellow exclaimed.
"Well, then, the driver might have stopped because he saw me waving. Plus, I got in first, so it's my ride," Wang Shuo said nonchalantly. "Let go, you might get your hand pinched, and I don't have money to treat you!"
"You!" The girl in yellow was clearly not used to arguing, her face turning red with anger, but she couldn't find the words to respond.
"What about me? Hurry up and find another car. You don't have to stick to this one. If you can't find one later, don't blame me for not warning you."
"You! You!" The girl in the yellow dress pointed at Wang Shuo, her neck starting to redden.
"Alright, Xiao Lan, don't get yourself upset." Seeing that the girl in the yellow dress was about to explode with anger, the girl in the blue dress spoke up gently to console her.
"But he took our car!"
"It's okay."
"Xiao Ting, can you please not be so calm every time? I'm about to explode with anger."
"Okay, okay, don't be angry. I know Xiao Lan is the kindest, she wouldn't get upset over something like this." The girl in the blue dress smiled softly and took the yellow-dressed girl's hand to comfort her.
"Hmph!" The girl in the yellow dress rolled her eyes, "There are no more cars now. We've waited for half an hour, and this is the only taxi. You figure it out!"
"Alright, I'll talk to him." Saying this, the girl in the blue dress turned her head towards Wang Shuo, her voice so soft it seemed to melt, "This student, Xiao Lan has a fiery temper, please don't mind her. Can I ask where you're going?"
It was only then that Wang Shuo got a clear look at the girl in the blue dress. She had been keeping her head down, lost in thought, and now that she looked up, she was indeed stunning.
At least Wang Shuo had never seen such a beautiful girl before.
"I'm going to the street full of snacks." Wang Shuo, having little resistance to beautiful girls, revealed his destination without hesitation.
"That's great." The girl in the blue dress smiled slightly, "Xiao Lan and I are also going to the street full of snacks. I wonder if we could..."
"If it's on the way, then hop in." Wang Shuo looked very reluctant, but since he had taken their car, although he had argued passionately and persuasively, it was still taken. Ah, it just didn't feel right on conscience.
"Thank you, student." The girl in the blue dress maintained her sweet smile, as if she had practiced it.
"Don't keep calling me student. My name is Wang Shuo, a freshman this year."
"Qin Xiaoting, and this is my good friend Qin Lan." Once in the car, Qin Xiaoting introduced herself and the girl in the yellow dress next to her.
Wang Shuo could hear Qin Lan, the girl in the yellow dress, let out a soft hum.
"Are you two also freshmen?" Wang Shuo was curious.
"Yes. We just made new friends, so we decided on a place to meet up." Qin Xiaoting nodded.
"Same here." Wang Shuo said and then fell silent. Qin Xiaoting was very beautiful, but she had nothing to do with him.
As Wang Shuo remained silent, Qin Xiaoting also sat quietly in the back seat, occasionally whispering something to Qin Lan next to her.
Wang Shuo occasionally caught words like "car", "something", "get-together", "pick-up", but since they had nothing to do with him, he didn't pay close attention.
Half an hour later, the taxi arrived at the destination.
Wang Shuo, driven crazy by hunger pangs throughout the journey, consciously paid the fare, too preoccupied to say goodbye to the two girls in the back seat. He hurriedly got out of the car and dashed towards the location sent by his senior.