"Do you still remember this manhole cover in front of you?" Monkey’s tears streamed down. "Back then, when we had no money, you took us to steal manhole covers, which we sold to your family's recycling station for 30 yuan each!"
"So you led us all over the streets looking for manhole covers to steal. It was you who led us to steal this very manhole cover."
"But who could have imagined that Huang He happened to pass by, stepped into the hole, and fell in. He was hospitalized immediately. I heard he was in the ICU for three full days before he was saved, almost dying!"
"Later, they found out that we were the ones who stole the manhole cover!" Monkey recalled these events, appearing extremely distressed.
"How do you know all this? How do you know we stole that manhole cover, and how do you know Huang He found out our identities?" Zuo Sicheng retorted.
"Because my home was nearby, I knew the news about someone falling into the well the next day. So I hid aside and watched. I personally saw Huang He and a woman being rescued from the manhole. That woman was quite beautiful, and I heard she later became his wife!" Monkey inadvertently went off on a tangent.
"As for how I know, don't you forget, we were all arrested later and given a few days of education. With Huang He's family's influence, do you think he wouldn't know who the culprits were?"
"My dad was quite smart. After knowing everything, he immediately arranged for me to go live with my aunt in another province to finish my junior high school. Only then did I feel somewhat safe."
"But the rest of us weren't so lucky. Not only you, boss, but also Pizi, Erchui, Gangbeng, they were all found later and beaten severely, with broken legs at the very least."
"As for you, boss, you were probably the most hated, so you were beaten into a vegetative state. I heard they used a manhole cover to do it, just for revenge!" Monkey said, biting his lip.
"So that's how it was!" Zuo Sicheng recalled some vague memories and scenes from his dreams, which now all made sense.
"You escaped in advance, why didn't you notify me and the other brothers to escape together?" Zuo Sicheng asked.
"I told you, but you wouldn't listen. You said if Huang He dared to retaliate, you'd punch him back into the manhole. The other brothers didn't have phones, and I couldn't find them after looking everywhere. My dad sent me straight to Anhui. I didn't have time to notify them!" Monkey said with anguish.
"Is that so?" Zuo Sicheng sighed, let go of Monkey's collar, and after some thought, said, "So, my medical expenses were also paid by them?"
"Probably. Anyway, Pizi and the others also received medical expenses and some extra compensation. Their parents vaguely knew who was behind it and dared not speak out. After their sons recovered, they all left. I haven't contacted them in years."
"If I hadn't happened to meet you here today, boss, I would have thought we would never have a chance to meet again in this lifetime!" Monkey said.
"So that's how it is!" Zuo Sicheng sighed, glanced at Monkey, and then said, "Monkey, when you ran away alone and left us behind, didn't you feel ashamed deep down?"
"Ah... Of course, I was so ashamed..." Monkey was stunned for a moment, then replied subconsciously.
"That's right!" Zuo Sicheng licked his lips. "By the way, your home should be nearby, are you still living there? Otherwise, could you lend me your place to stay for a while? I just had a falling out with my dad and have nowhere to go!"
"No problem with that!" Monkey was relieved when he heard this request. He thought Zuo Sicheng wanted him to go find Huang He for revenge, in which case he would be doomed.
It turned out he just wanted a place to stay.
"My home is nearby, and I live alone now. I'm feeling quite lonely. Boss, if you come over, we can keep each other company. Just don't drag me out for trouble anymore. I want to study hard and prepare for the college entrance exam!" Monkey said with a serious expression.
"Prepare for the college entrance exam? You've changed..." Zuo Sicheng was taken aback, and then said.
"Don't joke, boss. People change. I realized this when I was living as a guest in another province. The only way to change one's future is through education." Monkey said.
"Then why did you come back to study? Wasn't it good in the other province?" Zuo Sicheng asked curiously.
"This..." Monkey hesitated, then said, "My dad wants me to study here because the chance of getting into Lucheng University is higher. Jiangnan Group takes care of locals quite well. Although Lucheng University is only a second-tier university, the number of people Jiangnan Group recruits from it is the same as from top first-tier universities nationwide. If I get into Lucheng University, I have a high chance of entering Jiangnan Group, and then I won't have to worry about my future for life!"
"Oh!" Zuo Sicheng nodded slightly.
"Boss, aren't you angry that I'm going to work at Jiangnan Group?" Monkey asked in surprise. He thought that after learning the truth, his enraged boss would beat him up again!
"No, just like you, I'm also going to work at Jiangnan Group!" Zuo Sicheng said decisively.
"Boss, you're going deep into the enemy camp for revenge!" Monkey shivered. He didn't expect his boss to become so brave and resourceful after recovering from being a vegetable. The thought of him even daring to infiltrate the enemy's side to work for them was truly terrifying!
"Infiltrate the enemy camp? Revenge? Perhaps!" Zuo Sicheng murmured to himself.
He didn't have much obsession with revenge, even though he knew he had been lying in a hospital bed for four years because Huang He had harmed him.
However, it was not necessarily true that he hated Huang He that much.
Because the Zuo Sicheng of the past no longer existed. The current Zuo Sicheng was a completely reborn personality. His memories began from the moment he opened his eyes in bed.
And for Zuo Sicheng, perhaps Huang He was his true benefactor. After all, if Huang He hadn't sent people to beat him into a vegetative state, this new Zuo Sicheng would not have been born.
Furthermore, if he himself hadn't gone to steal manhole covers back then, causing Huang He to almost die, Huang He wouldn't have sent people to retaliate so ruthlessly.
Everything in the world has its own balance. The bad deeds the past self committed were too many, and the current self had to face the retribution. This was all very normal.
From this, it could be seen that the current Zuo Sicheng was indeed not the former Zuo Sicheng. After all, the former Zuo Sicheng would never have thought about karma and retribution; he would only use his fists to speak.
However, the current Zuo Sicheng had read a lot of literary works. His inner world was rich and delicate, naturally making him completely different from before.
"But this is still not a reason for Huang He to turn me into a vegetative state, so now it's my turn to get revenge!" Zuo Sicheng opened the window, looking at the towering Jiangnan Building outside, and said with a firm and stubborn resolve in his heart, "I'm coming to see you because I only want a sincere apology from you. Will you give it to me?"
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For the next month, Zuo Sicheng basically lived at Monkey's place. He ate, dressed, and used all of Monkey's resources, even buying various study materials, the computer Monkey had bought for himself, and the internet fees, all with Monkey's money. He felt no shame about it.
Monkey was also generous. His family seemed to have become very wealthy and didn't care about these small expenses. He even proactively gave Zuo Sicheng a few hundred yuan pocket money each month.
With money, Zuo Sicheng no longer bothered with that money-grabbing teacher, treating him as if he didn't exist. He diligently studied various programming knowledge. By early February 2004, Zuo Sicheng felt he was ready and decided to register for the Dragon Gate Project and take the exam.
However, when the exam actually began, Zuo Sicheng realized he had overestimated himself. He was taking a programming technology exam, but the questions were somewhat obscure and seemed to lean towards programming for small-screen products. Zuo Sicheng was not well-prepared in this area and ultimately scored 50 points, failing to qualify for an interview.
This made Zuo Sicheng feel a bit down. Although he had also registered for the electronic technology exam, Zuo Sicheng didn't put too much thought into this major, as it was much more difficult than programming. Zuo Sicheng just wanted to enter Jiangnan Group as quickly as possible and then find a way to meet Huang He...
But Zuo Sicheng still went to take the electronic technology exam, as there was no loss if he didn't pass.
The result seemed to be without any miracles. Zuo Sicheng couldn't answer most of the questions on the exam paper. It was only when Zuo Sicheng flipped to the end of the test paper that he unexpectedly saw a very familiar question.
"Huh, that unreliable teacher actually predicted Jiangnan Group's exam question!" Zuo Sicheng exclaimed in surprise upon seeing the question.
"And this is an bonus question, worth a full 60 extra bonus points! If I answer this one correctly, won't I pass the exam directly!" Zuo Sicheng looked at the question again, even more shocked.
"No, this question is not meant to be passable for normal people. If I hadn't spent two days answering this question in advance, I wouldn't have been able to complete it within 4 hours. This question is truly too difficult!" Zuo Sicheng nodded, then grinned and said, "But this is like it's delivered to my doorstep. It seems heaven is helping me!"
Well, Zuo Sicheng still didn't know about Jiangnan Group's reward for answering the question, as Zuo Sicheng had been diligently self-studying during this period.
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"Sigh, when will I ever be free from these damned exam papers!" a middle-aged man wearing glasses and with a golden receding hairline sighed.
"Come on, isn't it comfortable for you to be grading papers? You just give out the points as agreed, which is much better than being tormented by various issues on the front lines and losing hair every day!" said another person nearby who was also grading papers. Both of them were researchers from Jiangnan Group, specially seconded to grade the Dragon Gate Project.
"I thought so too, but seeing these damned candidates and their exam papers makes my blood boil. If you don't know how to answer, just honestly submit a blank paper. What's the meaning of cursing everyone at Jiangnan Group as idiots!" This grader waved a test paper in his hand. On a large blank answer area, someone had angrily written, "You are all idiots who don't recognize talent!"
"Hahaha! Bear with it, just treat it as a joke!" The other person laughed heartily, and the atmosphere in the room finally seemed to ease a bit.
"Hmm, this person answered the questions somewhat diligently, and his foundation is solid, but he's only at the foundational level. He can't answer the advanced questions. What a pity!" This person put down the idiotic test paper and picked up another one, saying.
He was satisfied with this test paper. At least the person had a serious attitude towards the exam, even if their ability was lacking.
However, there were many such people and test papers, and they weren't worth his special attention.
"Eh, this guy actually answered the bonus question, and he answered it very properly, drawing architecture diagrams and writing thousands of words of thought. He's got personality! He actually researched our boss's reward!" This grader initially said with a smile, but soon he couldn't smile anymore.
A few minutes later, he jumped up and shouted excitedly, "Wow, a hundred million dollars! A hundred million dollars!! Too bad it's not mine..."
The scene stunned all the graders in the office.