Chapter 6, Notebook

The R programming language has recently become particularly popular, yet it is not included in the undergraduate curriculum, nor is it available as an elective course. Everyone hopes to gain more knowledge about it, so Xiao Meng sent a message to Wang Cong—my roommate also wants to learn about this language; can he come to audit the class

Wang Xuan comfortingly patted her shoulder and said, "Trust me, it would be a waste for you to learn from a master of such caliber. Teaching you at our level is sufficient."

Xiao Meng helplessly said: "The day before the exam, I had a fever and was not feeling well..."

Even if Xiaomeng cannot find a partner, she will still participate in the individual competition, but the feeling of having companions is truly wonderful. After all, that is why it is said that humans are social beings

As he held the stack of books in both hands, Lu Zhihang lowered his gaze once more, revealing a contemplative expression.

There is giving and taking, and this is the way of friendship—although whether one can become friends with another remains a mystery, a good beginning is essential

The more often one goes to the computer room, the more likely one is to encounter acquaintances. She also took three members of Team 404 to participate in an event organized by the Artificial Intelligence Association. At that time, the three members of Team 404 were solving problems in the public computer room, while the Artificial Intelligence Association was holding a club activity next door, inviting a doctoral degree holder in big data to give a lecture on R language to everyone

What a pity. It is said that winning the first prize can guarantee admission

Many people view university as a "rest stop" where one can "take it easy," but for Xiao Meng, the busy state of study is no less demanding than that of the third year of high school

His expression did not reveal any joy at receiving the gift, but his words were still quite pleasant, "Thank you"

Xiao Mengxin rode away on her bike, feeling satisfied. Although it was difficult to tell from Lu Zhihang's expression whether he liked the gift, she was certain he wouldn't dislike it—she had a vague feeling that the kind of gift Lu Zhihang would appreciate must be something extremely practical. This portable notebook was far more useful to him than other gifts.

After checking the balance on the card, Xiao Meng made up her mind to be more frugal in her spending from now on

The computer science major that Xiao Meng is in is one of the most academically demanding departments in the entire school, a fact that became apparent starting from the first semester of freshman year. From Monday to Friday, there are at least two important lectures each day, covering various foundational subjects in mathematics and physics that are required for science students, as well as foundational courses in computer science. The remaining time is occupied by general education courses and electives, such as ideological education.

"No need to thank me," Xiao Meng smiled, her eyes curving gracefully. "Senior brother, I hope this notebook is useful to you."

No," Xiao Meng said, "the overall level of information competitions in our province is not high, and Huada does not look favorably upon it. Even if I win first prize, it will not guarantee me a spot at Huada; I must achieve at least second prize in the national competition to have a chance for direct admission. I can only take the college entrance examination.

Wang Cong asked the two young ladies: "Do you belong to any clubs? You can join our club just like Xiao Meng."

She is quite afraid that this great figure will, like two days ago, leave without saying a word after hugging the book, and when returning the book, deliberately places the notebook that has been prepared for a long time on the top layer

After much contemplation, Xiao Meng selected two exquisite and elegant notebooks from her collection, which theoretically should be quite suitable as gifts for a male recipient. Notebooks are not particularly valuable, but they are extremely practical for those engaged in academia, as no matter how capable one is, there is always a need to take notes. Even if one possesses a photographic memory, a thoughtful notebook is essential for organizing thoughts when tackling problems, even if it is just used as scratch paper! Based on her research of the books borrowed from Lu Zhihang, he seems to enjoy writing by hand, as many corners of the pages bear traces of calculations.

Xiao Meng has a small hobby, which is collecting various kinds of stationery, especially notebooks. Since starting university, she has spent one-fifth of her living expenses on buying different notebooks

"Senior brother, you have given me such great help, and I have nothing to thank you with, so I am giving you two notebooks." Xiao Meng spoke very quickly, as if someone were chasing her from behind

Books from abroad are quite expensive, especially the large volumes in the field of computer science, with each book priced no less than fifty dollars. It is somewhat comforting that there are used books available online—although they are not cheap either, they are still significantly less expensive than new ones. After purchasing and photocopying these books, Xiao Meng's monthly living expenses are basically depleted. Fortunately, their parents have great trust in the two sisters, knowing that they spend money with a plan, unlike the parents of other classmates who send living expenses once a month. At the beginning of the semester, their parents directly transferred half a semester's worth of living expenses into the sisters' accounts.

Wang Xuan, after this period of practicing problems, discovered that Xiao Meng seemed to be hiding her true abilities: "I believe your level is beyond just a provincial second prize."

While still in high school, Xiao Meng heard from senior students who were admitted to Huada that at Huada, exam scores are very important, as every point is converted into grade points, and the grade point average determines whether you can pursue further studies in the future

Thank you, I have joined the club, "Zhang Yuqing said.

Take your time, Xiao Meng encouraged the two of them

Regarding the team formation behavior of the other three roommates, she was trying on her cosplay outfit and cheerfully expressed, "You all keep up the good work with your studies, and in the future, you can become experts and teach me how to code!"

There are indeed not many individuals like Xiao Meng, who revolve their club choices around their major. Joining a club requires a social cost—such as time. For Wang Xuan, whose foundation in computer science is not solid, this cost is still relatively high.

While speaking, a hint of genuine surprise appeared on Lu Zhihang's usually expressionless face

This year, a peculiar phenomenon has emerged in the Computer Science department: although the number of female freshmen is low, their overall quality is relatively high, with appearances generally above average and pleasant personalities. How could the male students not welcome them?

After discussion, the three individuals formed the "404 Team" under the guise of a dormitory, with Xiao Meng, who had won the second prize in the provincial competition (the highest honor of this dormitory), serving as the team leader. They registered on the ACM competition website of Huazhong University of Science and Technology.

Is this the gift you gave me

Xiao Meng's father is a person with profound philosophical thoughts. He educated the twin sisters from a young age, teaching them that it is better to observe what a person does rather than what they say. Lu Zhihang's attitude towards her is completely unenthusiastic, yet his help is genuine and tangible. She is not someone who is ungrateful; when others help you, you must express your gratitude. However, merely saying the words "thank you" feels as light and insubstantial as floating duckweed, lacking any weight. So, what should one use to express gratitude?

The variety of clubs at Huada is truly vast, encompassing arts, public welfare, culture, and more. No matter what your hobbies are, what sports you enjoy, or what dreams you pursue, you can find an organization that suits you. Even if you have no interest in clubs, there is still the library waiting for you

Borrowing money from one's sister is not a good idea, as both sisters have the same amount of living expenses. Moreover, Xiao Wei is somewhat more generous with her spending than Xiao Meng; otherwise, she would not be so invested in earning royalties from her book.

Wang Xuan also shook her head

As for another girl in the dormitory, Yu Qiaowen, she only became acquainted with the computer science major after entering university, and her current programming skills are not much more advanced than "hello, world"

As the highest-level programmer among the 404 team, Xiao Meng quickly realized that Zhang Yuqing and Wang Xuan's foundational skills were not as strong as he had imagined. Information competitions are relatively extravagant for high school students, and schools with insufficient strength are unable to cultivate a sufficiently strong competition team.

Taking the other three girls from Dormitory 404 as examples, each of them has their own unique hobbies. For instance, Yu Qiaowen is someone who enjoys dressing in eccentric outfits for cosplay, which is why she joined the anime club. Zhang Yuqing, on the other hand, joined the sports club, as she is quite skilled at table tennis. Only Wang Xuan has not joined any club—Wang Xuan is quite clear about her own positioning; she knows her foundation is relatively weak and feels that her energy is limited. She believes that the cost of cultivating hobbies outside of her studies is not low. Since the beginning of her time at school, she has set the goal of "focusing on achieving a high GPA, and if possible, improving her ACM score as well," with the consideration of pursuing further studies abroad in four years.

Wang Cong smiled and said welcome, and thus Wang Xuan and Zhang Yuqing successfully entered the venue. Xiao Meng briefly introduced them, and the two cheerful girls, Wang Xuan and Zhang Yuqing, quickly began chatting with the other members of the club

Zhang Yuqing said: "My middle school does have a competition class, but our school primarily focuses on mathematics competitions! Those of us who participate in information competitions are like the stepchildren!"

At Huazhong University, the academic workload is heavy, and the students are all top achievers from high school. With the exception of a few students with poor self-discipline, no one is willing to fall behind after entering university. The classmates study diligently, generally striving for high GPAs, and the teachers enforce strict discipline, with considerable homework assigned after class. In such a small group where everyone is striving hard, if one does not put in effort, they can be eliminated in an instant.

The notebook has a beautifully crafted soft cover in gray and brown. Lu Zhihang lifted his head from the notebook and looked at Xiao Meng again

After having lunch on Thursday afternoon, Xiao Meng called Lu Zhi Hang to return the book to him—Xiao Meng had already realized that his chances of being at school at that time were quite high; no matter how great a person may be, as long as they are a student, they inevitably have to attend classes at school.

Generally speaking, the ACM programming competition requires participation in teams. After the start of the school year, she began to seek teammates. Zhang Yuqing and Wang Xuan, who share the same dormitory, showed some interest in this. Both had some exposure to information competitions during high school, although their performance was not very good. However, they are familiar with the basic knowledge of competitions, making them quite good teammates for Xiao Meng at this stage.

Regarding the required courses in her major, Xiao Meng currently feels that they are manageable and not too difficult; however, she is very ambitious and does not intend to merely excel in her major courses, but is determined to take on the challenge of the ACM Programming Contest.

Lu Zhihang nodded and walked into the boys' dormitory holding a book

For our county, Wang Xuan said helplessly, it is already quite good to have someone of my level. Although I only received a third prize in the information competition, it is still the best result.

The four books that Lu Zhihang lent her are all available for sale domestically. Xiao Meng gritted her teeth and placed an order online, and then she made copies of all the remaining books.

In addition to attending classes and completing assignments, the three young women in Dormitory 404, who are eager to participate in the ACM programming competition, often take a pile of books to the computer lab to practice problems whenever they have time, and everyone's schedule is always packed

Yes. The notebook is not worth much... If you don't mind, please accept it

This means agreeing to accept it. Xiao Meng let out a sigh of relief, and his mood became much lighter