Chapter 5: The Gossip of 404

Upon hearing this, Xiao Meng could not help but interject, saying: "He must be of Chinese nationality. He has even represented our country in the International Olympiad in Informatics; a non-Chinese person cannot represent us, right?"

With admiration for the great master, the female students of the Department of Computer Science shook their heads respectfully, returned the book to Xiao Meng, and dispersed with a sense of nostalgia.

Lu Shen is very aloof! Although we are roommates, my senior brother does not communicate much with him! Apart from occasionally returning to the dormitory during lunch breaks, Lu Shen basically does not stay in the dormitory.

There must also be an opportunity for a chance encounter

His home is near the school, and he usually goes home to stay.

There is nothing to explain... Xiao Meng was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. Lu Zhihang's attitude towards her was truly puzzling; it could not be described as cold as ice, yet it was certainly devoid of warmth. It was utterly impossible to summarize any patterns in their interactions.

Although Lu Zhihang is quite famous, he is remarkably low-key, and there is very little information known about him.

Xiao Meng's knowledge of Lu Zhihang is indeed limited. The girls could not find out the details, so they began to chat about other gossip regarding this great figure—such as his appearance, which is a topic that interests people even more than his intelligence.

A group of girls took turns flipping through the "trophies" brought back by Xiao Meng, as if passing around a legendary secret manual. Each book that Lu Zhihang gave to Xiao Meng had more than 500 pages, almost all published by publishers affiliated with the American Computer Association. Each book contained notes left by Lu Zhihang, with annotations written alongside many pages.

Xiao Meng thought for a moment: "It shouldn't be difficult for girls to join."

Xiao Meng ignored her classmates' teasing. After pondering for a moment, she said, "I think as long as you are not intimidated by that cold face and take the initiative to talk to him, he should respond."

What is his father's nationality

We should be more realistic; let's learn to walk before we think about flying... The level of the great ones is different from ours

I believe that Xiao Meng's appearance accounts for at least 80% of the effect" Wang Xuan assessed coldly

This should be the truth

During the lunch break, the girls in Room 404 were chatting together when they saw Xiao Meng carrying a large stack of books back to the dormitory. Naturally, her roommates were eager to gossip—upon learning that these books were all from Lu Zhihang, Room 404 fell silent for three seconds before erupting into excitement, and everyone began calling their friends over, even the girls from the two neighboring dormitories gathered around. If someone were to throw a bomb into Room 404 at that moment, only a quarter of the female students enrolled in the Computer Science program this year would remain.

Although it can be seen from that blurry photo that the deity has an outstanding appearance, is there not a clearer photo available? One that could be used as a desktop background! exclaimed a girl in frustration

Xiao Meng was unconvinced. If looks were of any use, he would not have been looking down at her while wearing headphones during their first meeting, not even offering to lend a hand.

I still intend to honestly tackle questions within my ability. Perhaps you can understand the books of the great masters... Keep it up

Indeed, that makes sense

Everyone looked at her in unison and asked, "How did you know?"

In the neighboring dormitory, Yu Feifei animatedly said: "By the way, I heard that he is of mixed heritage"

A long time later, someone finally made the first statement: "Now I understand why others are considered great."

Are you saying that he is actually quite approachable? Some girls are a bit moved.

Wang Xuan asked everyone: "Do you believe it?"

Everyone looked at the girl who had revealed the most information

Xiao Meng interjected: "It might be from Europe"

This matter is undoubtedly big news for Xiao Meng. She carefully recalled the facial features of Lu Zhihang; he is not the type that is obviously mixed-race, but his features are three-dimensional, his face is deep-set, he has a high nose bridge, his hair color is on the lighter side, and his skin tone is fair— in short, upon careful consideration, there are indeed a few mixed-race characteristics.

Do not believe!

Upon learning that Xiao Meng met Lu Zhihang during a club activity, everyone began to lament: "If I had known, I should have joined this Artificial Intelligence Research Society. Is it still too late to join now"

"I don't think so," Wang Xuan said calmly, raising the book in her hand. "Look at this."

Indeed, I cannot understand anything written in this book," Wang Xuan said with a wry smile, raising her hands in a gesture of helplessness

He is enrolled in the experimental class of the School of Information. The School of Information offers several majors, including traditional fields such as Microelectronics, Software Engineering, and Electronic Science, in addition to the Computer Science and Technology major that Xiao Meng is pursuing. Furthermore, there is a small elite education program known as the Computer Science Experimental Class, which includes the word "experimental" in its title, distinguishing it significantly from the regular Computer Science major.

Her English is the worst among the four girls in Dormitory 404, not to mention that these books are notoriously difficult. For a freshman who has not yet solidified their foundation to attempt to understand the most classic works in the field of computer science over the decades is akin to a baby who has not yet learned to walk planning to fly first; it would require an extraordinary level of talent.

Each experimental class consists of approximately thirty students, all of whom are exceptional candidates selected from the best, having received awards in mathematics and information competitions, with the lowest being at the national second prize level. As for the faculty, they are undoubtedly among the top in the country, comprising the most renowned experts invited from both domestic and international backgrounds. There are two Turing Award winners who teach at the school on a long-term basis, along with several prominent instructors who have worked for many years in Silicon Valley. The specialized courses are conducted entirely in English, with a level of difficulty several grades higher than what Xiao Meng and their peers have studied. It can be said that as long as the students in the experimental class are diligent, even undergraduates can publish two to three papers during their university years. However, for ordinary computer science students, "publishing papers" remains a distant dream.

It is a simple truth that those who possess both beauty and intelligence naturally attract a larger fan base

Lu Zhihang is enrolled in an experimental class, which has little interaction with students from the regular Computer Science (CS) program. He joined the university team in his freshman year and is often busy with ACM competitions, spending most of his time in the computer lab. Even his classmates rarely see him. Additionally, he does not participate in group activities and has very little public exposure. The top students in the experimental class certainly disdain engaging in gossip, such as secretly taking and spreading photos of others. As a result, there are not many photos of Lu Zhihang circulating in the outside world; he has only two photos that are known. One is a group photo taken over a year ago after he won the International Olympiad in Informatics while still a high school student, and the other is a group photo taken this year after he won the championship at the ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest.

Mixed race? How do you know?

Xiao Meng did not internally agree with this statement. Although she could not accurately describe Lu Zhihang's personality traits, she was certain that terms like "aloof" and "hard to approach" were indeed too superficial for Lu Zhihang

Everyone was still joking and laughing, but the more they turned the pages, the heavier their hearts felt, heavier than the substantial tome in their hands, to the point where they could no longer even make jokes.

I have an acquaintance who is a senior and his roommate, so I am quite familiar with his situation. His father is a foreigner, and my senior has met him once.

Where does he go if he does not live in the dormitory

What is the nationality of that road god? Could it be that he entered Huada with the status of a foreign student?

Zhang Yuqing interpreted it from another perspective: "With the help of the Road God, perhaps our '404 Team' can achieve good results!"

Zhang Yuqing looked as if she wanted to bite her: "Not on good terms? Then lend you a book?! Does he really enjoy doing charity? Speak honestly!"

Indeed, I find even doing my homework to be excruciating, let alone reading "Algorithm Research"? This is not how one should meet their demise...

He spoke a few sentences in English to me, and I felt it had a bit of a British accent," Xiao Meng said. The pronunciation habits of British English and American English are different. As a student who attended a foreign language school for six years, Xiao Meng could certainly discern the differences between them

I originally wanted to ask Xiao Meng for a book by a master to study... Now it seems there is no need for that anymore

Wang Xuan patted Xiao Meng on the shoulder, her expression full of significance

Xiao Meng was not surprised. She had read an article stating that among mixed-race children, the probability of girls resembling their fathers is 75%, while the probability of boys resembling their mothers is also 75%. It seems that the statement holds true

Today, his attitude was completely inscrutable, "quite close," Xiao Meng thought for a full ten seconds before responding helplessly. "That can't really be said, but you can give it a try."

This is unknown.

I heard that the Road God is quite aloof and difficult to approach, yet I never expected that Xiao Meng actually managed to obtain a batch of books from him

Does your fellow townsman and senior brother know about this situation?

I do not know about this

This is an era that values appearances, and these two photos have spread his popularity at an unimaginable speed, making him the new generation ICON of Huada—at least within the small circle of the School of Information, he enjoys immense popularity

A single remark from Yu Feifei sparked yet another wave of excitement, as all the girls simultaneously exclaimed "Ah—" in surprise, and even Xiao Meng was no exception

Room 404 fell silent for half a minute, with only the sound of pages turning and the sound of breathing.

Yu Qiaowen poked Xiao Meng's waist thoughtfully, her eyes filled with envy and jealousy: "When did you and the master become so close?"

"... ... Aren't we not considered to have a good relationship?" Xiao Meng had no confidence in this at all

Have you seen the photos? He is really handsome

During the "Hundred Societies Battle" at school, she merely filled out a form, and Wang Cong informed her, "You do not need to interview, welcome to join our club" - this illustrates how much the Artificial Intelligence Club anticipates the participation of female members