I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times

Chapter 73: Comparing Misery

Zheng Fa envisioned a game similar to the scroll Senior Sister Zhang had used to test the Seventh Young Master. It would display a large number of talisman diagrams on the screen, allowing him to select the correct ones, with the system evaluating his accuracy.

He understood his biggest advantage in this world lay in its underdeveloped knowledge of topology—or, more specifically, in Old Bai’s notebook.

That notebook was the foundation of Senior Sister Zhang’s unshakable belief in his talent for talismans. If it could make her hold him in such high regard, it would be enough to maintain his genius persona during the Immortal Talent Conference.

Now, all he needed was to internalize that knowledge until it became second nature.

When he explained his request, Old Bai furrowed his brows thoughtfully.

“I’m a bit of a fossil when it comes to computers, but this doesn’t sound too hard.”

Zheng Fa nodded, thinking this project was likely no more complex than a simple web game.

“Those diagrams again...” Old Bai stared at him for a moment. “I won’t ask why you’re doing this. Making this game is both easy and hard.”

“Money,” Old Bai said bluntly. “I can ask some former colleagues if they know any computer science students who’d take on the job, but it won’t be free.”

“How much?” Zheng Fa asked, nervous because he had no idea about the costs.

“How much can you afford?” Old Bai asked directly, aware of his situation.

Zheng Fa did a quick mental calculation. He had savings—his parents’ pension and life savings totaled about one million yuan. Thanks to a large fixed deposit arranged by the community, he earned about 50,000 yuan a year in interest.

He was determined not to touch the principal.

Living frugally, with annual expenses of about 20,000 to 30,000 yuan, he had saved an additional 100,000 yuan in the five years since arriving in this world.

“Eighty thousand?” Zheng Fa ventured cautiously, leaving himself some liquid funds.

Old Bai stared at him for a long moment before finally saying,

“I think you’ve misunderstood university students.”

“Not enough?” Zheng Fa asked nervously.

“In my observation, university students share one common trait,” Old Bai said dryly.

“What’s that?”

“Poverty.”

“...”

“Alright, I’ll ask around for you. Don’t be a fool and just agree to whatever price they quote—haggle a bit!” Old Bai added, noting how clueless Zheng Fa seemed about the market.

Old Bai moved quickly and soon sent Zheng Fa a contact via social media.

“I found someone suitable for you,” Old Bai said.

“Are they the best in terms of skills?” Zheng Fa asked.

“They’re the poorest! Do you think your project needs some top-tier genius? Honestly, the guy I talked to laughed at me, saying this kind of work is beneath their department.”

“...”

“This guy recently got a girlfriend and is desperate for money.”

Got it—sometimes, love and dignity couldn’t coexist.

The person Old Bai recommended used a profile picture of a white cartoon dog, its leash disappearing off to the top right corner. Their username was "Han Xiaobai."

Zheng Fa sent a friend request, which was promptly accepted.

“Boss?” came the first message.

“Hello. Are you clear on the project requirements?”

“Yes.”

“May I ask how much it would cost to make such a game?”

The typing indicator appeared—“Typing...”—but disappeared repeatedly. After three minutes, a reply finally came through:

“Fifty thousand!”

Recalling Old Bai’s advice, Zheng Fa immediately slashed the price.

“Five thousand!”

A longer silence ensued.

“Boss, that’s too harsh.”

“Five thousand,” Zheng Fa insisted.

“I really can’t do it for that. I’m still a student. Could you give me a bit more?”

“I’m a high school senior. Go easy on me,” Zheng Fa replied.

“...”

The other side typed out a long, sympathetic explanation:

“You don’t understand. I really can’t lower the price. My girlfriend spends a lot of money. It’s hard to get a girlfriend in our department where guys outnumber girls. I’ve been spending all my allowance on her! She’s been eyeing a new phone that costs several thousand, and I can’t bring myself to ask my parents for money. That’s why I took this job...”

“...”

“You’re lucky to have parents,” Zheng Fa replied, his lips pressed tightly together.

“???” A string of question marks came through, followed by:

“D***! Five thousand it is!”

Later that evening, Han Xiaobai sent another message:

“Honestly, this game isn’t that hard. You can use a free template to make it. The only tedious part is inputting all the diagrams. Five thousand is barely worth it.”

“But honestly, there’s no future in this game. If your situation is really as you described, I’d advise against wasting your money.”

Zheng Fa replied, “Are you no longer short on cash for dating?”

“I’m still broke. This game is so bad I thought you were just some clueless rich kid, and I wanted to scam you. But hearing your story, I can’t let you waste your money.”

“Thank you,” Zheng Fa typed after a moment. “I have other uses for this.”

“Alright, just making sure. By the way, how much is the phone? I’ll pay that as the final price.”

“Boss, you’re the best! I promise to do this quickly and well!”

“Zheng Fa, what are you up to now?” Wang Chen asked, noticing Zheng Fa looking exhausted.

“Playing a game,” Zheng Fa replied, eyes closed as if the dense talisman diagrams from last night’s screen were still imprinted in his mind.

“Playing a game?!” Wang Chen slapped his shoulder in excitement. “Finally! You’ve stopped being a lone academic wolf and joined the rest of us. What are you playing? Let’s team up!”

“It’s a small game. You haven’t played it.”

“What kind of small game is that fun?” Wang Chen asked curiously, seeing how drained Zheng Fa looked.

“Well...” Zheng Fa thought for a moment. “Imagine you’re given a face, and you have to find its parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, and even ancestors from tens of thousands of faces.”

“What’s so fun about that?”

“You wouldn’t get it. I’m honing my talent.”

“What talent?” Wang Chen frowned. “Identifying family ties by eye?”

At this, his gaze turned sympathetic. “I know being with Tang Lingwu makes you feel insecure and pressured, but you should at least trust her—you’re planning too far ahead.”

“?”

In the Xuanyi Realm, at Senior Sister Zhang’s courtyard.

“This time, the rules for the Immortal Talent Conference have changed,” Senior Sister Zhang told Zheng Fa and the Seventh Young Master. “It’s no longer about rank assessment but a competition for placement.”

“What does that mean?” Zheng Fa asked.

“It means your talent alone isn’t enough. You have to outperform everyone else,” she replied.

Hearing this, the Seventh Young Master’s expression darkened.

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