Chapter 020: The Boss Key

Fifteen years, gone in a fleeting instant.

Zhang Tan watched Liu Jing, and he couldn't help but recall that afternoon's promise. The pure feeling lingered, unwilling to fade.

He shook his slender arms, stepped forward, and gazed at the sky outside the building. Zhang Tan spoke, half to himself and half as a sigh of emotion, reciting, “It is that gentle lowering of the head, like a water lily, shy in the cool breeze, bidding a fond farewell, bidding a fond farewell, in that farewell lies sweet sorrow—Sayonara.”

“Oh! A poet! Did you write that?” Zhu Mingxing exclaimed in surprise.

Zhang Tan broke into a cold sweat. “Have you heard of Xu Zhimo?”

Zhu Mingxing looked puzzled. “Xu Zhimo? I think I’ve heard the name.”

Liu Jing laughed and tapped her. “Xu Zhimo’s poems are in our Chinese textbook, ‘Farewell to Cambridge Again’.”

“I knew it! I remember hearing about him—it was in the textbook,” Zhu Mingxing realized. Then she asked, “But why are you reciting someone else’s poem for no reason?”

“Don’t you think it’s artistic?” Zhang Tan tried to toss his hair, only to realize he had nothing left to toss.

Zhu Mingxing made a face, pretending to gag. “Nonsense.”

Zhang Tan replied calmly, “Mind your manners.”

Zhu Mingxing blinked, “What’s manners? Is it tasty?”

Faced with such a careless opponent, Zhang Tan was left speechless.

Meanwhile, Liu Jing stood by, quietly amused by their banter.

The atmosphere was harmonious.

Yet, discord always lurks. A gust of wind swept past his ear; Liang Wei ran over. “Zhang Tan, didn’t you go to fight for a computer?”

Zhang Tan shrugged. “Why does everyone ask me if I went to fight for a computer? Do I really look that much like an internet addict?”

In 2001, internet addiction had become a well-known term. After the Korean game ‘Legend of Blood’ launched, the phenomenon grew uncontrollable, becoming a hot topic everywhere.

Liang Wei laughed. “You do look the part. I’ve often wanted to ask if you just got out of prison. Why keep your hair like that?”

“Do you know David Beckham?”

“No.”

“Then we can’t communicate.” Zhang Tan changed his explanation. “Short, clean, tidy. High school is a new chapter. A new hairstyle marks a fresh start, right?”

Liang Wei tossed his two fingers’ worth of hair and commented, “Anyway, it’s just ugly.”

When Liang Wei spoke, his gaze unconsciously drifted toward Liu Jing, and his tone was clearly meant to put Zhang Tan down and elevate himself. Especially as he criticized Zhang Tan’s style and flaunted his own hair—the intention was painfully obvious.

If they were just fifteen-year-old naive boys, they might not notice Liang Wei’s motive. But Zhang Tan’s mental age was closer to thirty; he saw right through Liang Wei’s little tricks. Still, he wasn’t about to retaliate over such petty tactics—it would be beneath him.

Besides, Zhang Tan truly believed no one in this school was more charming or capable than himself. The rest were just amateurs.

He wasn’t particularly interested in dating at the moment; he preferred to let things happen naturally.

So Zhang Tan didn’t care about Liang Wei’s insults. He simply turned to Zhu Mingxing and Liu Jing, asking, “Is it ugly?”

Zhu Mingxing replied theatrically, “It’s super handsome!”

Zhang Tan looked to Liu Jing, giving her a questioning glance.

Liu Jing avoided his gaze for a moment, but then answered candidly, “Yes, very handsome.”

So Zhang Tan patted his old deskmate Liang Wei’s shoulder. “Young man, you still have a lot to learn about taste.”

…

The walk was brief; soon they reached the computer lab.

The students who arrived earlier had already chosen their seats. As Zhang Tan entered, Li Dong waved to him. “Zhang Tan, come over here! There’s a computer left—I’ve already turned it on for you.” Zhang Tan had been riding Li Dong’s bike to Shuangdun Town these past few days; they were good friends.

Zhang Tan nodded and walked over.

“Zhang Tan, hurry up, it’s time for CS!” Ding Chunlong called out.

“Coming.”

“Zhang Tan, join my team! I’ll help you crush them!” Wei Wei shouted excitedly.

Cao Yuchuan was not to be outdone. “Zhang Tan, join us. Wei Wei’s skills aren’t up to par.”

“I’ll start with the bots to warm up,” Zhang Tan said, sitting down. Li Dong had already launched the game for him.

From the moment Zhang Tan entered, the whole computer lab seemed to turn its focus to him.

It wasn’t something Zhang Tan tried to create; it was simply that his performance these past few days had made him the de facto leader of Class Five, Grade One. The students had already recognized his authority. High school is a time when idols are born in one’s worldview, and students love to associate with outstanding peers.

Zhang Tan was, undoubtedly, the most outstanding person in Class Five, Grade One at that moment.

This feeling of being the center of the world was like a fine wine—fragrant and intoxicating. Zhang Tan quickly grew fond of it.

“Is everyone in? I’ve already created the room—‘1idong’ in English letters. That’s the room. Join up!” Li Dong shouted.

“All right, I’m in. How do we play the ‘Desert 1’ map? Let’s try ‘Desert 2’—it’s more interesting.”

“Wait, why do I have to enter a game CD key?”

“Just press thirteen 3s.”

“Is everyone in?”

“Hurry up, let’s start! The teacher’s about to arrive.”

The others were shouting and battling each other. Zhang Tan played against the bots alone; it had been years since he last played CS, so his hands were rusty. As soon as he stepped out, he ran into a bandit, and—bang—got his head blown off. This happened several times, but gradually Zhang Tan found his rhythm. With a sniper rifle, he began mowing down the bandits with ease.

Just as the excitement peaked, the bell rang for class. The female computer teacher entered.

She was about thirty, but Zhang Tan had no impression of her at all. Clearly, when he attended computer class years ago, his mind was entirely on the games, completely ignoring the teacher.

“No games allowed. Listen to the lesson first!” That was her opening remark.

Zhang Tan obediently exited his game, but Li Dong beside him kept playing without the slightest reaction.

Soon, the teacher began going around, checking who was still gaming. Li Dong, thinking himself clever, minimized the game, hoping to avoid detection.

“There’s no boss key; it won’t help,” Zhang Tan kindly warned Li Dong.

“What’s a boss key?”

“A boss key is a quick hide shortcut—it hides all windows, so when the boss comes, nothing’s visible.”

As he spoke, the teacher walked past behind them, reached out, and pointed at Li Dong. “You, exit the game now!”

Li Dong tried to protest, “I wasn’t playing a game!”

The teacher didn’t waste words; she grabbed the mouse, opened the minimized window, restored CS, and pressed Alt+F4 to close the game. “If I catch you playing games again, you won’t touch a computer anymore.”

Li Dong hung his head in defeat.

Zhang Tan patted his shoulder, not without a hint of schadenfreude. “My condolences.”