Chapter 52: The Start of the Term

The next day, Zhou Xuan called Deng Cheng and asked him to find some design blueprints for a rural villa.

Blue Sky Group was in the real estate development business, so they certainly had their own architects; designing a few simple rural villas would be no problem at all.

Hearing Zhou Xuan’s request, Deng Cheng readily agreed. "No problem. I’ll have our firm’s most senior architect handle it for you. Do you have any basic requirements?"

Zhou Xuan thought about his family’s current home and said, "Our foundation is on a hillside; it’s basically a flat area carved directly into the mountain. The footprint is about three hundred square meters, with an additional one-hundred-fifty-square-meter yard. I want to build a two-and-a-half-story house. The first and second floors should be designed at two hundred square meters each, and the third floor at one hundred square meters, with a balcony covering the remaining space. The bathrooms, gym, study, and living room should all be to villa standards, while taking the practical realities of a rural setting into account."

Deng Cheng was surprised that the villa requirements were so straightforward. He laughed, "No problem at all. A small house like that is a piece of cake; I can get it done in two days. By the way, don't you need a wine cellar or a basement?"

Zhou Xuan paused and declined, "Thanks, Brother Deng, but I don't live in my hometown full-time. It’s not worth the effort to add all that. Later on, I’ll buy a nice place in Rongcheng myself, and you’ll have to give me a good discount then."

"In that case, fair enough. I’ll mail the designs to you in a couple of days. If you ever see a villa of mine you like, I’ll have my dad give you one," Deng Cheng replied with a chuckle.

Zhou Xuan laughed, "How could I possibly accept that?"

"Haha, well, you can just come visit my dad more often. He’d be delighted. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll even gift you an entire building!"

*A villa is one thing, but an entire building? He must be joking,* Zhou Xuan thought to himself.

With the design plans settled, Zhou Xuan arranged with his parents to head back over the weekend to pack up their belongings and move everything from the current house into the side shed. Once the new house was finished, they would move their things into it and then tear down the shed. As for his grandparents, they would stay at his uncle’s house for a few months until the new home was ready.

Furthermore, his father began contacting brick factories to arrange for the purchase and transportation of materials. Consequently, after discussing it with his mother, they decided to ask his aunt to come help out at the clothing store.

Just like that, because of the construction, everyone in Zhou Xuan’s family was set in motion. His father took overall charge, his mother managed the shop, his grandparents were responsible for cooking for the construction crew, and Zhou Xuan and his younger sister continued their studies.

February 17th marked the first day of the second semester of ninth grade. Their homeroom teacher wrote the countdown to the high school entrance exam on the chalkboard: 121 days remaining.

Looking at the class, their homeroom teacher, Mr. Liu, offered some encouragement: "Students, there are only one hundred and twenty-one days left until the entrance exam. I hope everyone continues to work hard, study consistently, and strive for excellent results so you can get into the First High School."

Zhou Xuan looked at the youthful faces around him and muttered to himself, *Students truly have it rough. After the middle school entrance exam comes the college entrance exam, and after college, it’s off to work.*

*The idea that things get easier after you pass an exam is absolute nonsense. Even once you’re working, who can ever truly relax?*

As for the entrance exam, Zhou Xuan had no concerns. He decided to use this semester to review the entire high school curriculum. Then, he would spend just one more year in high school before taking the college entrance exam early, allowing him to head to Rongcheng for university by next September.

Beyond that, Zhou Xuan needed to delve deeper into computer science. With his current brain, he was certain he could master the most cutting-edge technology, manufacture advanced products, and generate astonishing profits. Given that he also possessed memories from the next few decades, if he couldn't succeed with all these advantages combined, he might as well just give up.

"In last semester’s final exams, Zhou Xuan was once again the top student in the grade. I hope everyone will follow his example, study hard, and keep pushing forward for the entrance exam," Mr. Liu said, recapping the results and calling on the class to strive for better grades like Zhou Xuan.

Seeing his classmates turn to look at him, Zhou Xuan rubbed his nose and lowered his head in embarrassment.

*Hard work?* Zhou Xuan certainly couldn't claim that; he had lost count of how many times he’d asked for leave after the midterms last semester. The fact that he could still rank first in the grade left the other students truly at a loss for words.

Throughout the morning, Zhou Xuan felt the atmosphere in the classroom was much more tense than the previous semester. It made sense; if you didn't get into the First High School, you would have to settle for the Second High School or a vocational school. The odds of getting into an undergraduate program from there were slim—only a dozen or so students managed it each year.

The First High School was different. Much like the municipal top-tier schools, at least seventy percent of its graduates went on to undergraduate programs every year, with dozens or even hundreds hitting the top-tier cut-off scores. It wasn't just that the best students went there; the teaching quality and faculty were also the best in the city. Indeed, studying in a good environment was the best way to improve and make progress.

During lunch on the first day of school, Zhou Xuan ate with Liu Yixue and presented her with a gift he had brought back from the provincial capital. Seeing the hair clip and the famous palace-style pastries from Rongcheng, Liu Yixue was beaming with joy.

"Why did you go to the provincial capital? You were away for two or three days, and you never mentioned it to me before." Although Zhou Xuan hadn't told her about the trip, she was thrilled to receive the gifts.

Zhou Xuan replied, "I had some business to take care of. If there’s a chance next time, we should go together."

"Ah!" Hearing this, the bashful Liu Yixue turned red instantly and said shyly, "I’m not going!"

"Haha, but Rongcheng has so much good food and so many fun places to visit."

Hearing this, Liu Yixue felt a flicker of interest, though she was too embarrassed to say she wanted to go.

Seeing her reaction, Zhou Xuan laughed, "My sister and Zhou Lin will be going too, and you can just share a room with my sister. What were you thinking, haha?"

"Even so, I couldn't go until after the entrance exams anyway. Besides, I’m not a monster like you who can skip classes all the time and still rank first." Liu Yixue was genuinely puzzled; why was it that no matter how hard she worked, her grades still couldn't beat Zhou Xuan’s? It was truly frustrating.

Seeing her playful expression, Zhou Xuan couldn't help but tease, "What can I say? I’m just a genius, a total academic superstar."

"Pfft, you’re so full of yourself," Liu Yixue rolled her eyes, looking adorable.

"Hahaha, what can I do?" Zhou Xuan spread his hands in a gesture of helplessness.