Chapter 10

Time flows like sand slipping through the fingers, silently and swiftly. The morning classes passed as Cheng Xiaoyu wrote and flipped through his notes.

The college entrance exam was far more challenging than he had imagined. After a thorough review today, he realized that his well-laid plans from last night had all fallen through. In this version of China, the college entrance exam for liberal arts subjects was structured as follows: Chinese (150 points), History (150 points), Geography (150 points), Mathematics (100 points), Politics and Economics (100 points), Physical Education (50 points), and English (50 points), totaling 750 points.

Cheng Xiaoyu couldn't help but shed tears, feeling that the ideology of this ancient empire was truly harmful. In his previous life, he had struggled immensely to pass the fourth-level English exam, memorizing words and copying sentences until he was in tears. In this life, he could speak standard American English and mimic a London accent at will, but the English section only counted for 50 points, and there was only one class every two days.

Cheng Xiaoyu opened the simple English textbook and felt a sense of suffocation. "Who was the first man?"

"Who was the first man in the world?" A teacher asked her class, "Who was the first man?"

"George Washington," a little boy shouted promptly.

"How do you figure that George Washington was the first man?" the teacher asked, smiling indulgently.

"Because," said the little boy, "he was first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen."

At this point, a larger boy raised his hand. "Well," the teacher said to him, "who do you think was the first man?"

"I don't know his name," said the larger boy, "but I know it wasn't George Washington, ma'am, because the history books say George Washington married a widow, so, of course, there must have been a man before him."

After reading this passage silently, Cheng Xiaoyu felt utterly defeated. The simplicity of the text was outrageous, and it seemed more like a collection of American jokes than an English textbook. Most of the passages were filled with mockery of America.

The relationship between China and America in this timeline was complex. The Chinese felt superior due to their five-thousand-year-old civilization and rich culture, looking down on the United States, which had only been a nation for a little over two hundred years and lacked a deep cultural tradition. However, they could not ignore America's economic strength, which was slightly greater than China's.

On the other hand, Americans viewed China as arrogant, conservative, and rigid, with a strict hierarchical system and a lack of inclusiveness and severe racial discrimination, which was entirely at odds with the American values of freedom and equality.

This cultural clash led to frequent mutual ridicule between the two countries. The Chinese cultural community boasted of their deep and profound heritage, while the American cultural community emphasized their inclusiveness and openness. The Chinese dismissed this, asking if America even had a culture to speak of, given that they only had sandwiches to eat. They suggested that Americans should study Chinese cuisine before talking about culture.

However, this was only in the cultural sphere. The general public, while not overly admiring of Western culture, did not strongly resist American popular culture, especially among the younger generation. American pop music and movies were still very popular.

American films dominated the global market, with the Oscars being the highest award in the film industry. The second most prestigious award was the Huashan Award for Chinese films.

The Chinese cultural community generally recognized European culture, given Europe's long history and the lack of significant political differences between China and Europe. Although the United States was the leader of Europe, this did not prevent the Chinese from enjoying European luxury goods, supercars, operas, stage plays, and French cuisine. Therefore, despite the low English score requirements for the college entrance exam, many young people still chose to learn this globally popular language.

Cheng Xiaoyu, however, felt utterly hopeless, lacking the innate sense of superiority that came with being Chinese and the confidence of those who had traveled through time. Looking at his current appearance, which only invited ridicule, he could only feel a deep sense of loneliness, realizing that he was moving further and further away from the path to becoming a successful and wealthy man, a CEO, and marrying a beautiful and rich woman, and achieving the pinnacle of life.

As soon as the lunch break bell rang, the big guy at the next table said to Cheng Xiaoyu, "Hey! Buddy, can I take a photo with you?"

Cheng Xiaoyu turned to look at him, puzzled. The big guy immediately showed a wide smile and said, "I'm Wang Ou. You should know me, right! We've been desk partners for so long and haven't even talked!"

Cheng Xiaoyu had been a non-entity in this class for the past two months. If it weren't for his online fame, he probably wouldn't even have been noticed. Most of the students in this class were top scholars who focused solely on their studies and paid no attention to external affairs. Students with poor grades were often overlooked and unpopular. Wang Ou, as a sports student, had poor academic performance but was still better than Cheng Xiaoyu.

Cheng Xiaoyu, wary of the request for a photo, asked, "Why do you want a photo?" At this time, there were no social media platforms, only blogs, forums, and QQ spaces.

Wang Ou laughed and said, "Since you're famous, I'll post the photo on the school forum to get some clicks."

Cheng Xiaoyu didn't respond and stood up to leave. It was lunchtime, and going to the cafeteria to eat was the priority.

Wang Ou, seeing the situation, quickly said, "Bro, don't go! I have some private photos of Gu Manting. Interested?"

Cheng Xiaoyu walked even faster. Wang Ou followed and said, "Bro, you're not interested in Gu Manting? I have some photos of Ji Yunyun from the next class! She has a super hot body!"

Cheng Xiaoyu turned to Wang Ou and bowed, saying, "Bro, let me go! I'll buy you lunch, just don't take my photo!"

Wang Ou hesitated for a moment, then grabbed Cheng Xiaoyu and whispered, "Not interested in these two? I have some exclusive photos of Su Yuxi! What do you think? Consider it!"

Cheng Xiaoyu was instantly defeated by Wang Ou, who was on par with the saleswomen in Zhongguancun who hawked pirated DVDs. He broke free from Wang Ou's grip and gave him the middle finger.

Wang Ou, taken aback, quickly shouted, "The Yangzhou fried rice in the cafeteria is half-price today! You said you'd buy me lunch!"

Cheng Xiaoyu's calm heart was thoroughly disarrayed by the wind.

The cafeteria of Fudan High School was relatively large, but it was packed during the lunch rush. Cheng Xiaoyu and Wang Ou each got two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes, carrying silver stainless steel trays to find a seat. Of course, Cheng Xiaoyu was the one paying. Wang Ou was a typical chatterbox, a tall and muscular sprinter with a gossipy heart. He knew all the famous students in the school. When Cheng Xiaoyu asked why he had approached him, Wang Ou candidly said, "Because you're famous now!" This left Cheng Xiaoyu speechless.

Finally finding a seat, Cheng Xiaoyu ate silently while Wang Ou chattered on about school gossip, such as the school heartthrob Sun Zihao dating two girls, the class beauty Gu Manting and the class president Li Liwei having an ambiguous relationship, and the school basketball captain Chen Jiajun being an idol to many female students but rumored to be gay, which Wang Ou regretted not pursuing as a career.

Although Cheng Xiaoyu had no interest in these matters, he listened to the naive gossip with a smile. He curiously asked why there was no gossip about Su Yuxi. Wang Ou slapped Cheng Xiaoyu on the shoulder and said, "Whoever dares to have designs on the Fudan goddess will be the first to be beaten by me, the head of her security team!" He then asked suspiciously if Cheng Xiaoyu had a crush on Su Yuxi. Cheng Xiaoyu countered, "Would anyone even look at me?" Inside, he secretly criticized the cold-hearted girl. Wang Ou laughed and said, "You're right, a rich kid like you, Su Yuxi wouldn't even give you a second glance!" He then whispered cautiously, "Su Yuxi has a prestigious background. I once saw her in a Maybach." Cheng Xiaoyu chuckled, "That's more expensive than my Ferrari." In this timeline, due to low tariffs, luxury cars were not as rare, but the newly released Maybach Zeppelin was still quite rare, costing over ten million yuan, equivalent to a middle-class fortune.

After the meal, Wang Ou had already considered Cheng Xiaoyu, the chubby boy, a brother. First, Cheng Xiaoyu, as a music student, had even poorer grades than Wang Ou, making them kindred spirits. Second, this wealthy and generous boy was a good match for him.

Wang Ou took out his phone and exchanged numbers with Cheng Xiaoyu, then showed him a collection of photos of beautiful girls from various grades, commenting on them. He then boldly declared that he would delete any posts on the school forum that Photoshopped Cheng Xiaoyu, as he was one of the forum's administrators. Clearly, he was proud of his position.

After lunch, Cheng Xiaoyu and Wang Ou walked back to the classroom, their shoulders touching, and a strong bond of friendship was quietly formed.

Young people in the prime of their lives, carefree and unburdened, are particularly easy to open their hearts. In the most beautiful years of our lives, we can easily find pure and unadulterated friendships. As time passes, such feelings may gradually fade or become even more profound and enduring.