Cutting-Edge Technology R&D Center

Chapter 16: The Garbage Disposal Program

After arriving in town, Wang Hao parted ways with Fang Bing. Once he got home, he said a quick hello to his parents and slipped into his bedroom, while Zhang Xin and Zhang Nan followed him in. Unlike them, Zhang Xin came back out looking utterly speechless. “Sweetie, why did you come out?” Zhang’s mother asked, looking surprised. “It’s boring. My brother’s writing code… I can’t stand code—I don’t even understand it,” Zhang Xin said listlessly. “You don’t have many days left of vacation. You and Zhang Nan should head back to Changnan City early to get back to school,” Wang Hao’s father said after lowering his head and pondering for a moment. They had come this time purely to cheer on Wang Hao; Zhang Xin and Zhang Nan’s high school hadn’t started vacation yet, and their academic workload was still quite intense. “Dad, you’ve got a top-scoring teacher right here and you’re not using him—you actually want to send me back to school? I’m not going back. Just let my brother teach me. Anyway, he’ll have time to tutor me after the college entrance exams. Think about it—I’m taking the exams tomorrow, Xiao Nan will take them the year after next, and with my brother included, we’d be a family of three top scorers. Just imagine how proud you’d be…”Zhang Xin wrapped her arm around her father’s and said in a playful, pleading tone. A hint of hesitation flashed across Mr. Zhang’s face, but before he could speak, Mrs. Zhang interrupted him. “That’s fine with me, but I have one condition,” Mrs. Zhang said. “Whatever you say,” Zhang Xin said, sensing a breakthrough. She immediately turned around, wrapped her arm around her mother’s, and said ingratiatingly. “Here, you and Zhang Nan will cook every day,” Zhang’s mother said casually. Zhang Xin’s face immediately fell, but she gritted her teeth, nodded, and said In his room, Zhang Nan watched as Wang Hao’s fingers moved so swiftly they left afterimages, and lines of code appeared rapidly on the computer screen. Admiration shone in his eyes. At that moment, Wang Hao was completely immersed in his coding. If he’d had a computer yesterday, he would have wanted to turn all these ideas into code right away. This was a massive undertaking that would take a considerable amount of time—which was precisely why he’d wanted to take a leave of absence. This problem had been plaguing him for a full month. He had mastered all his high school material back in his freshman year, and now that he’d finally found a solution to this month-long puzzle, he didn’t want to waste any more time at school. He intended to use this time to verify whether his approach was correct. The next day, Zhang’s father took Wang Hao to Gan City No. 1 High School to request a leave of absence for Wang Hao before the college entrance exams. “Teacher Zhou, that’s basically the situation. I’d appreciate it if you could approve this,” Mr. Zhang said with a light chuckle. “The college entrance exam is just around the corner. This period is so crucial for the students—and you’re requesting a leave of absence at a time like this?” Ms. Zhou looked utterly incredulous; she hadn’t expected Wang Hao’s father to propose something so outlandish. “It’s like this: my wife and I are both professors at Changnan University, and we’d like to tutor our son in the time leading up to the college entrance exams,” Mr. Zhang said, his face flushing slightly. The tutor he was referring to was none other than Wang Hao—the very student who had topped the provincial college entrance exams a year earlier. However, Mr. Zhang’s words had a very noticeable effect. A hint of hesitation flashed across Ms. Zhou’s face, but after verifying Mr. Zhang’s identity, she finally nodded. In the days that followed, Wang Hao’s home was bustling with activity, especially during mealtimes. “Xiao Nan, are you stupid? What kind of soy sauce did you hand me? This is oyster sauce for seasoning!” Zhang Xin’s angry voice echoed from the kitchen. “Aren’t they both seasonings? Here… this one’s right.” “Xiao Nan… I told you to wash a few chili peppers, not to just hand me the Lao Gan Ma…” “They’re both spicy—same… same.” Wang Hao shook his head as he emerged from his bedroom, listening to the kitchen that sounded like a war zone, and couldn’t help but smile wryly. “Xiao Hao, now that you’re done, why don’t you study a bit? The college entrance exam is only four days away. Oh, right… Xiaofang brought your admission ticket over.” Wang Hao’s father watched him emerge from the bedroom with a wry smile on his face. He gave a soft chuckle, took out a bag, and handed it to Wang Hao. “Okay.” Wang Hao nodded slightly, taking the bag containing his admission ticket. He didn’t really need to study—the knowledge he’d mastered was etched into his mind, impossible to forget—but he didn’t want to refuse his father’s kindness. The three days leading up to the college entrance exam were designated as vacation days, specifically to allow students to relax and be in the best possible condition to face what was, for them, a crucial turning point—the college entrance exam. At that moment, Wang Hao’s class was in the midst of their final evening study session of senior year. Ma Ling watched Fang Bing pack up his things, a hint of hesitation flitting across her face. But as she saw him about to step out of the classroom, she gritted her teeth and followed him. At that moment, Fang Bing seemed somewhat out of place among the others in the classroom. Ever since the Caoshan incident, his classmates’ distrust of Wang Hao had made him realize that his relationship with these high school peers was actually no different from Wang Hao’s—spending so much time with Wang Hao had made his outlook far more mature than theirs, and he simply couldn’t find common ground with them. “Fang Bing is only suited to hanging out with that misfit, Wang Hao.” “Yeah, but speaking of which, what has Wang Hao been up to these past ten days or so? He can’t possibly have been so devastated by what happened on Caoshan, can he?” “Who knows? But if that incident on Caoshan had happened to me… I’m sure I’d be feeling pretty lousy too.” A few classmates chatted in hushed tones, their voices tinged with emotion but without much malice—it was just a normal conversation. Yet, not far away, one student lowered his head, a hint of guilt flashing in his eyes. That person was none other than Ma Ye. After returning from Caoshan, he’d gone to the hospital for a checkup. Upon learning that he’d been bitten by a Green-Slim Wang Snake on Caoshan, all the doctors marveled at how lucky he’d been to survive. But the more they said this, the more guilty he felt toward Wang Hao, whom he had misunderstood. In fact, over the past ten days or so, he’d barely been able to focus on his studies; his mind was filled with the calm expression on Wang Hao’s face—the calm with which he’d treated him, and the calm with which he’d declined his offer of help. After watching Fang Bing leave, Ma Ye also stood up. He needed to find Fang Bing, because Fang Bing was likely the only one in the class who knew where Wang Hao lived. He had to apologize—he had to apologize for his mistake... Ma Ling hurried to catch up with Fang Bing, who was walking at a brisk pace, and finally managed to stop him on the playground. “Class President, what’s up? Isn’t it time for the next class?” Fang Bing asked, looking a bit puzzled. “The college entrance exams are only three days away. Can’t you focus on studying instead of acting like Wang Hao—completely letting himself go? And his parents are acting just as recklessly,” Ma Ling said, frustrated that he wasn’t living up to his potential. “Hao Ge is acting up? Haha.” Fang Bing chuckled softly and spoke again, “Class President… if there’s nothing else, I’ll be heading out now.”