Chapter Twenty-One: Maturity Knows No Age

Jiang Xiwen deliberately kept Fan Qiang in suspense, fully aware of his intentions. Fan Qiang could get his hands on some software projects, and Jiang Xiwen naturally planned to take advantage of that. However, he would not reveal his intentions so quickly; instead, he would let Fan Qiang gradually understand that treating him as a cash cow was out of the question. Only mutual benefit was the foundation.

Returning home to fetch his manuscript, Jiang Xiwen hurried to the school's computer classroom. As expected, Fatty Qi was there, immersed in tinkering with a virus program he’d somehow acquired. Jiang Xiwen told Qi Huanchang about Zhao Fei coming to compete the next day, but the fellow only muttered a response before burying himself back in the keyboard.

Jiang Xiwen paid him no mind, took a few blank floppy disks, started up the computer, and began typing his manuscript in, one page at a time. Writing on the computer was so much more comfortable—far faster than the handwriting of previous days. With half the afternoon still ahead, he seized the free time to write, storing the work on disk, so he could hand the manuscript to Gong Xiang tomorrow.

Unnoticed, six o’clock came; Jiang Xiwen’s stomach began to rumble. He greeted Fatty Qi, who was still locked in battle with his program, saved copies of his manuscript both on the computer and the disk, and then left.

Early Monday morning, Jiang Xiwen arrived at school promptly at seven, handed the novel manuscript to Gong Xiang, and then headed straight to the computer classroom.

No sooner had he entered than Qi Huanchang exclaimed eagerly, “Xiwen, did you write this novel? It’s fantastic! What happens next—do you have more?”

“Want to read it? If you do, then behave yourself and stay put. I’ll be writing in the computer room every day, and lucky you, you’ll be my first reader.”

“Come on, hurry up and write! You really can do everything, huh? Even writing novels!” Qi Huanchang invited Jiang Xiwen to sit at the classroom’s designated computer from yesterday, full of enthusiasm. Jiang Xiwen felt a little proud; in his previous life, he’d had some readers, but never such diehard fans.

For the next hour, Qi Huanchang abandoned his programming, staring expectantly as Jiang Xiwen wrote the next installment. Only when the noise outside the door grew did the two shift their attention.

“Jiang Xiwen, didn’t you ask me to come? Why don’t you show yourself?”

“Who is it? There’s no class right now—which grade?” Qi Huanchang, eager to read, was annoyed at being interrupted.

Jiang Xiwen quickly walked to the door and told the supervising teacher, “This is Zhao Fei from senior third year, my friend. Let him in.”

The teacher replied grumpily, “Fine, you’re the principal’s designated treasure now, so I guess I have to listen to you.” With that, he no longer blocked Zhao Fei.

Zhao Fei strode in without so much as a glance at the teacher, sneering, “Well, such a big classroom, and only you here.”

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“Zhao Fei?” Qi Huanchang’s tone softened immediately upon seeing him. This student was his pride, unruly and disliked by other teachers, but Qi Huanchang appreciated him. His mind was sharp, his logic strong, and he was exceptionally talented in computer programming.

“Teacher Qi, you’re here too!” Zhao Fei was a bit embarrassed. He detested all teachers, except for Qi Huanchang, whom he respected a little. Much of what he knew, he’d learned from this portly teacher.

“Yes, you haven’t been here in a while. Senior year must be busy. I overheard you two say you’re friends—you’re here to see him?”

“Fatty, what’s with your memory? Didn’t I tell you yesterday? Zhao Fei’s here to challenge me,” Jiang Xiwen interjected with a smirk.

“Challenge?” Qi Huanchang was a little surprised.

Fatty? They’d only known each other a few days? Zhao Fei felt jealous—the only teacher who’d ever treated him well now seemed gone, granting his promised spot to this kid.

He resumed his icy tone: “Yes. I want to know why Teacher Qi didn’t choose me for the computer competition. The past two years, I was banned from competing because I got into fights. This semester, I’ve been diligent, not missing a single class, just so I could compete, but all of that…”

Damn, how could I forget? Qi Huanchang silently wiped his brow, smacking his forehead, unable to find words.

He recalled promising Zhao Fei that if he behaved, he’d have a spot in this year’s competition. But now there was only one spot instead of three, and this kid clearly knew, coming to confront him.

Seeing Qi Huanchang’s expression, Zhao Fei’s eyes filled with disappointment. “Teacher Qi, I won’t make things difficult for you. Set the problem, and I’ll compete against Jiang Xiwen. If I win, I want a spot in the competition.”

This was hardly making things easy. Qi Huanchang was deeply troubled. He knew Zhao Fei would likely lose, but he had indeed forgotten his promise. Even if they didn’t compete, Zhao Fei should have had a spot.

Jiang Xiwen, observing their expressions and conversation, deduced the situation. He knew Zhao Fei’s temperament was extreme; only by overpowering him could he truly help.

“Zhao Fei, I thought you came to compete with me to prove your ability. I didn’t expect you to care so much about a hollow reputation. If you keep this up, you’ll never become a master programmer,” Jiang Xiwen said disdainfully. “But if you lose, you must promise me one thing.”

“Xiwen…” Qi Huanchang tried to interject, but Jiang Xiwen cut him off, “Don’t worry, Fatty.”

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Zhao Fei’s brow furrowed; he spat, “Enough talk, let’s start. Forget those boring typing contests—let’s use netbsp;” The problem was easy for Jiang Xiwen, but both Qi Huanchang and Zhao Fei knew it was Zhao Fei’s limit.

Qi Huanchang resolved that no matter the outcome, he would apply to the principal for a spot for Zhao Fei. After all, there were originally three, only temporarily reduced.

Ten minutes—just ten minutes. Jiang Xiwen completed Zhao Fei’s problem. When the finished program appeared before Zhao Fei, he was stunned.

“Zhao Fei, don’t be upset. There’s nothing shameful here. Xiwen’s skills surpass even mine—that’s why I had him compete. As for your situation, I forgot my promise. I apologize. I’ll talk to the principal and make sure you compete as well,” Qi Huanchang said sincerely.

“Zhao Fei, though you lost…” Jiang Xiwen said calmly, “I won’t stop you from entering the competition. What I asked you to promise was to study diligently, and listen to Teacher Zhao Gang. With your intelligence, you can catch up on all your courses in a semester and get into university. There, you’ll find many skilled programmers to learn from. When you feel you’ve surpassed me, seek me out—I’ll always accept your challenge.”

“Get lost!” Zhao Fei shouted angrily. “I can’t beat you, so even if I enter the competition, I won’t get first place. What’s the point? I won’t beg you. Qi Huanchang, I once considered you a teacher worthy of respect, even a friend—and you played me.”

Jiang Xiwen’s tone grew cold. “A capable person doesn’t whine here. If I were you, I’d grit my teeth, study hard, and surpass my rivals.”

Qi Huanchang sighed, stepped forward to pat Zhao Fei’s shoulder, but Zhao Fei shrugged him off forcefully, glared fiercely at Jiang Xiwen, and strode away.

“Xiwen, this…” In the few days he’d known Qi Huanchang, he’d always been straightforward, but today he hesitated twice. Jiang Xiwen could see that Qi Huanchang liked Zhao Fei and felt guilty for hurting this student whose self-esteem needed protecting.

“Fatty, don’t worry. This kid’s extreme temperament needs to be provoked from the other side. Trust me, he’ll figure out what to do.” As he spoke, Jiang Xiwen gazed at the classroom door, his eyes resolute and filled with unshakeable confidence.

This kid seems older than me—such a look made Qi Huanchang feel he was hallucinating. He rubbed his eyes quickly, and when he looked again, Jiang Xiwen was back to normal.