Chapter 111: National High School Computer Competition (Part III)

"Xiao Qiang, I will never forget that moment; it was the most unforgettable instant of my life." Chu Qitong smiled as she looked at the floppy disk in her hand. "Don't worry, I will help you explain things to Su Xin. I assume you didn't plan on keeping it from her forever, did you?"

"Sigh, forget it. I'd better tell her myself." I waved my hand, signaling that I didn't want to talk anymore, and focused intently on typing on my keyboard. After a rushed and simple lunch, the competition resumed. The second round started quickly, but it dragged on for a long time. Because the task for this round was software development, it was a genuinely difficult challenge for contestants who were only at a high school level of knowledge and experience. After more than three hours, many had already dropped out due to an inability to complete the task, and in the end, only forty contestants finished.

If the drafting competition was a clash of hidden talents, then the software development segment was an utter disaster. Developing software is such a demanding task that even university students might struggle, let alone high school computer enthusiasts. A large portion of the software created by the forty contestants consisted of the simplest programs—mere basic formatting or image alignment tools that could be written in a few hundred lines of code. The judges shook their heads one after another, awarding nothing more than passing grades.

Chu Qitong wasn't as lucky this time, receiving only 70 points for a simple drawing-flash program she developed, while Fu Ming received 75 points for a program that changed desktop icons. Out of the thirty-eight contestants, not a single one managed to score above 80.

Because of the earlier rankings, Song Jie’s and my software were the last to be announced. The software Song Jie designed was a small tool for calculating hospital bills. Though small, it was highly practical and possessed significant utility, catching everyone’s eye. After deliberation, the judges awarded him 90 points.

While I was capable of designing much more sophisticated software, I didn't want to be overly flashy, so I created a small computer internet-assistant program. I had assumed this tool, which would definitely have many users once released, would outperform Song Jie's, but I was wrong. I hadn't considered that in 1997, the internet was still in its infancy, and its penetration rate was pitifully small compared to general computer usage. In the eyes of the judges, its practical value was not as high as Song Jie’s, and I only received 88 points.

With this, Song Jie and I had each won a round, and our total scores were tied. This meant the first and second places would be decided between us, while the third and fourth would be fought over by the two beautiful girls, Chu Qitong and Fu Ming. There were nearly ten contestants representing Z Province, and the fact that all three of us from C City had broken into the top four left the others looking at us with newfound respect. I believe that if the C City Director of Education were watching this on television, he would be grinning from ear to ear.

The final, most intense round—the one that would determine the victor—began under the host’s announcement. Chu Qitong and I were designing our blueprints at a furious pace. This was a design competition, and the requirement was to produce a blueprint for any object within three hours. While this didn't require programming knowledge like the software round, tools like CAD were something that even university students in this era might not be familiar with, let alone high schoolers. In my previous life, during my university mechanical drawing courses, we still drew by hand; there was no such thing as using CAD software on a computer. This shows just how difficult this task was.

For other contestants, this might have been their first or an unfamiliar encounter with CAD, but on my monitor, one blueprint after another was taking shape rapidly. My design speed was nearly a hundred times faster than theirs. After an hour, my CAD blueprint was finished. After some refinements, I opened the other large-scale software I had prepared before the competition started and began to work. This time, I wasn't just going to win; I was going to win in a way that would leave everyone stunned!

Time flowed by like water, and after the audience’s anxious wait, the three hours for the third round passed quickly. All contestants submitted their floppy disks to the inspectors. Since this was the final round, everyone was incredibly nervous—the moment to decide the final rankings had finally arrived.

The rankings had already been sorted, so the four of us—myself, the two girls, and Song Jie—were the last to have our designs revealed. We began by observing the designs of the other contestants.

CAD drafting was indeed a bit too difficult for high schoolers in 1997. Many contestants’ drawings were chaotic, not even resembling parts. A proper blueprint must be formal, as in real life, these drawings serve as the reference for workers to manufacture samples. They must indicate diameters, radii, lengths, widths, and heights clearly, and include front, side, and cross-sectional views. Out of eighty-six contestants, fewer than a dozen produced truly standard blueprints. The judges’ scores were very low; often, when a drawing was displayed, a judge would immediately score it a 10, causing some in the audience to nearly laugh out loud.

Finally, amid the anticipation of the crowd, it was the turn of the four of us vying for the top three spots. The first to appear was the blueprint of a bearing designed by Fu Ming, who was currently in fourth place. It was a part intended for a tank. She had designed it in great detail, likely because she had seen such blueprints before; after all, she came from a military family, and such defense-industry components are not something just anyone can see. This time, the judges were very satisfied, all awarding her 90 points.

Fu Ming’s high score immediately made Chu Qitong nervous. I patted her arm to comfort her. "Don't worry, it’s just a competition. It’s the participation that counts. Besides, making it into the top four is already quite good."

"Tch, it’s easy for you to say! I don’t want fourth place; I want third!" Hearing Chu Qitong’s retort, I really regretted trying to comfort her. What was I thinking, asking for trouble like that?

Soon, Chu Qitong’s design was displayed. It was a blueprint for a digital portable music player. The internal parts were complex and diverse. It seemed this little witch must have studied the structure of such players at her father’s company; otherwise, she couldn't have been this impressive. It appeared she was genuinely interested in digital products. Since this was a national competition and we didn't know the content beforehand, there was no way to prepare. Being able to draft such a design in such a short time meant she must have participated in her father’s company’s product development.

"I must say, your father seems to value you highly. You even have access to such important product research blueprints." I smiled at her, knowing that in terms of complexity, she had completely outperformed the others. Sure enough, shortly after I spoke, the judges awarded her a high score of 95. Third place belonged to Chu Qitong.

"Phew..." Chu Qitong exhaled, as if a great weight had been lifted, and gave me a sweet smile. "It’s your turn now, Xiao Qiang."

"Heh, no problem." I shrugged carelessly, as I already knew I had won before the competition was even over. This final round was not just the key to winning this competition; it was the focal point through which I intended to catch the attention of the state leader. Naturally, this blueprint had to be earth-shattering!

During the five-minute break before the host announced Song Jie’s work, this incredibly handsome man walked over to my seat and chuckled, "Congratulations, Xiao Qiang. To get second place with your level is truly not easy. However, you still lost to me. It seems Su Xin belongs to me."

"Oh? So, Young Master Song is such an impatient person?" Hearing this, I felt quite annoyed and retorted with a cold laugh, "The competition isn't over yet, and you’re already crowning yourself the winner? Don’t blow your own horn too hard, or you’ll be even more embarrassed later."

"Heh, whether I am first is only a matter of time; it’s an obvious fact. Xiao Qiang, you are a talent, but you are still lacking when it comes to matching Su Xin. A girl like her belongs to the noble and elegant; only I, Song Jie, am a match for her. I advise you to wake up sooner rather than later, so you don’t have to suffer too much in the future."

Faced with Song Jie’s naked threat, my impression of him hit rock bottom. Hearing his words, I feigned surprise. "Oh, what should I do? I have a bad habit: I don’t like men who are too handsome. Because whenever I see those tall, handsome guys with delicate, tender skin, it reminds me of those people who are very famous in Thailand..."

"Xiao Qiang, watch your mouth! Be careful, or you won't even know how you died!" Hearing my words, Song Jie finally showed a hint of anger. "You’re just a high schooler from a tiny place like C City; how dare you speak to me like that? Have you lost your mind?"