The most glorious moment for a commoner in ancient times, if one were to speak of it, would be none other than passing the imperial examination as the top scholar, followed by a parade through the streets.
At this moment, he would be the focus of the entire nation, a name that all scholars would envy and resent. Simultaneously, a bright future and high official positions would be within his grasp. He wouldn't even need to do much, merely avoid mistakes, and stay in the prestigious Hanlin Academy to compile books, copy ancient texts, and accumulate seniority. In the future, he would at least attain a third-rank official title. Such was the charm of being the top scholar.
By contemporary society, although top scholars still existed, they were now the top scorers of the college entrance examination. At most, their stories of diligent study would be published in local newspapers, serving as a living advertisement for their alma mater to recruit new students three months later, and that would be the extent of it.
They would not receive more benefits, at most being qualified to enter prestigious universities. However, like them, tens of thousands of people would also be qualified to enter schools of the same caliber.
Top scorers of the college entrance examination were actually not valuable in this era.
However, soon not only Chinese people but also commoners worldwide would know that a most dazzling top scholar in history was about to emerge. This top scholar was named Longmen Zhuangyuan.
On February 8th, 2004, the Chinese people had not yet recovered from the joy of the seven-day Spring Festival holiday when astonishing news spread throughout the country via television, newspapers, and the internet.
It was the announcement by Jiangnan Group that someone had claimed the incredibly dazzling $100 million reward they had posted more than a month ago.
However, Jiangnan Group did not disclose specific details, stating that they would hold a press conference on February 10th to announce the specific situation to the world.
Instantly, the entire world was shaken. Everyone who was painstakingly contemplating various programming books at that moment wished they could throw their books out the window and then stomp on them fiercely.
Who knew how much effort they had put in over the past month to win the $100 million? They had never spent so much effort even when pursuing girls. Yet, now Jiangnan Group was telling them that the $100 million had already been claimed by someone else. The bitterness and resentment in their hearts were beyond words.
However, after the bitterness, an even greater curiosity surged: who was this person who had won the $100 million reward, and through what architecture had they achieved it?
It should be known that for more than a month, everyone dedicated to winning $100 million had been immersed in deep thought and research.
They had exhausted themselves and poured their hearts into it, but they could not come up with an architecture that could achieve binary algorithms within the specified semiconductor circuit diagram.
This was simply too difficult. Many people thought it was an unsolvable problem and that Jiangnan Group was just toying with them.
Yet, someone had actually produced the result. This made everyone who had participated in this reward feel as uncomfortable as if ten thousand cat claws were scratching their itch.
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“Who do you think this lucky person is?” Monkey said enviously while watching television, “A prize of $100 million, and it’s after-tax, not a cent of tax needs to be paid. This money is probably enough for me to live for a lifetime.”
“No, let alone a lifetime, it’s enough for ten lifetimes. If I had this money, I’d definitely buy three buildings first to collect rent, so I could earn money non-stop.”
“Then I’d buy a supercar with the remaining money and drive around the streets with loud revving engines, showing off as much as possible.”
“Finally, I’d drive that car to that stinky bitch Fan Rui’s house to let her know how foolish it was to reject my love letter back then and hand it over to the teacher!”
“And finally, I’d find a beautiful wife… no, what’s the point of a wife? A girlfriend is fine, and I’d change one every month, living a blissful life!” Monkey fantasized about the wonderful life he would have with $100 million, while Zuo Sicheng next to him also looked envious.
Well, at this moment, Zuo Sicheng had no idea that he would be the one to receive the reward, because he didn’t even know what the reward question was, and therefore didn’t know that he had already solved it. He was simply envious along with Monkey.
It wasn’t until the phone at Monkey’s house suddenly rang. Monkey picked it up absentmindedly and said in surprise, “Uncle Zuo, what made you think of calling my house?”
“No, Cheng Laoda isn’t at my place at all. I haven’t seen him for years, how could he be at my place? You’re really joking!”
“What? Are you serious? Okay, I understand. I’ll definitely find a way to notify him and tell him to leave quickly!” Suddenly, Monkey’s tone changed drastically, and he was even slightly trembling. Without even having time to speak, he grabbed Zuo Sicheng’s arm and quickly said, “Cheng Laoda, you better leave quickly, leave this place immediately. And don’t take the train, take a taxi. This wallet has over a thousand yuan, which should be enough for you to take a taxi to Qingtian.”
“Qingtian is full of mountains. You can hide anywhere, and those people won’t be able to find you! I have your card number. I’ll find a way to transfer money to your card number in a few days. You must hide well!”
“What on earth happened?” Zuo Sicheng threw Monkey’s hand away and asked fiercely.
“Just don’t ask, please leave quickly, alright?”
“No, my old man called just now, right? He suddenly told you to make me leave, which must mean he’s in danger. Could it be that people from Jiangnan Group have come looking for me? They want to deal with me!” Zuo Sicheng was indeed clever and quickly figured out the situation.
Before Monkey could confirm, Zuo Sicheng directly rushed out the door and ran towards his home.
Although he had fallen out with his old man, although he had lost his personality and memory before becoming a vegetative person, and although this greedy fellow had pocketed millions of yuan he had earned with his life,
The memory of his old man taking care of him with all his might after he woke up was still there. The fact that he had nearly died because his funding source was cut off for nearly a year, and his old man had sold almost everything to treat him was also true. Therefore, Zuo Sicheng had to go back; he had to save his father.
Of course, Zuo Sicheng was not foolishly walking to his death. He still had a few backup plans that could ensure that even if he fell into Huang He’s hands, he could still make the other party wary and dare not harm him.
However, what no one expected was that when he rushed home like a high-speed train, he found that countless neighbors had gathered at the scrap yard, which was usually dirty, stinky, and from which residents would deliberately maintain a five-meter distance when passing by. Now, the scrap yard was crowded with residents, possibly numbering over a thousand, completely surrounding the scrap yard inside and out, making it difficult for Zuo Sicheng to get in.
“What the hell is this?” Zuo Sicheng was stunned. According to his thinking, if Jiangnan Group wanted to capture him, they would surely act secretly, quietly entering the village without firing a shot. There was no way it would attract so many onlookers.
Could it be that Jiangnan Group dared to forcibly abduct him in broad daylight and under everyone’s watch?
So, Zuo Sicheng pushed his way in more urgently. Then he heard the sounds of gongs and drums, even the cheers of lion dances, and could already see fireworks soaring ten meters high in the distance.
In Lucheng, lion and dragon dances were still a common custom. When families had happy events, they would specifically invite lion and dragon dance teams to celebrate. Judging by the sounds, someone was clearly celebrating at his doorstep.
This person seemed to be only his old father, Zuo Muli. But the problem was, Zuo Sicheng knew his cheap father very well. He wished he could stuff every penny into the bank and let it earn interest. He would never spend such unnecessary money to invite a lion or dragon dance team to congratulate him.
If someone said he burned ten-meter-high incense, the incense itself might be two to three meters tall. How much money would that cost!
Although he was puzzled by everything, Zuo Sicheng finally put aside his worries. Such a grand and festive occasion meant that they couldn't possibly be here to arrest him.
Then, Zuo Sicheng pushed his way more diligently. When a neighbor nearby spotted Zuo Sicheng, they shouted, “He’s here, Zuo Sicheng is here! He’s arrived! Hurry up and make way for him to enter!”
“Whoosh!” The entire crowd erupted in a clamor, followed by a commotion. Then, Zuo Sicheng saw the tightly packed crowd around him parting a path centered on him, allowing him to stride proudly to his doorstep.
At the same time, everyone was staring at him with envious eyes, as if he were walking currency.
At this moment, Zuo Sicheng also saw the lion and dragon dance team at the entrance of their scrap recycling center, the three-meter-high incense, and rows of people wearing the group's iconic Han attire, and a smiling man who had appeared on television countless times, waiting for him.
“Hello, I am Huang He, the chairman of Jiangnan Group. I am very happy to meet you, Mr. Zuo Sicheng. You have solved the biggest problem for our Jiangnan Group!” As soon as he saw Zuo Sicheng, Huang He personally stepped forward, smiling broadly, and shook Zuo Sicheng’s hand enthusiastically. Simultaneously, numerous cameras clicked continuously, capturing this historic moment and preserving countless precious historical photographs.
And in the not-too-distant future, this photograph was destined to appear on the front page of all newspapers and magazines.