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As they reached the entrance of the villa, Zhuo Rohan hesitated for a moment and looked at Chen Rui, asking, "Are we really just going to go in and find him like this? Is that okay?"
Chen Rui smiled lightly. "What do you mean, 'is that okay'? Have you forgotten how you went through the Dream Assessment? We simply called you down to the staff dormitory and then..."
Chen Rui cleared his throat a couple of times, skipping over the awkward part, and continued, "In any case, we have a way to temporarily erase or make you forget your memories from this period. Of course, if it's something that spans a longer time or is too deeply ingrained, then there's nothing we can do."
Seeing Chen Rui's slightly awkward expression, Zhuo Rohan chuckled and pressed the doorbell of the villa.
To allow students to better experience living alone, each student was assigned their own villa or residence. Since the school did not permit outsiders inside, many students often left their doors unlocked; after all, everyone was quite wealthy and no one wanted to engage in such petty behavior.
At this moment, ringing the doorbell was a sign of respect. After all, barging into someone else's home was rather impolite. Besides, who knew what Li Zheng was doing right now? It would be quite awkward if they walked in on an embarrassing situation.
After a few seconds, Li Zheng's voice came through the intercom. "Teacher Chen! Please come in; the door is unlocked."
The two entered Li Zheng's residence. The interior of this villa featured an all-wood design; both the floors and furniture were made from various types of wood, giving it a classic and elegant appearance.
Li Zheng was sitting in the living room wearing a bathrobe and smiled at the two as they entered. "Teacher Chen, what brings you here at this late hour? You must be tired!"
Chen Rui didn't respond but merely chuckled lightly. Zhuo Rohan looked at Li Zheng in his bathrobe and teased, "Wow, why are you going to bed so early, Young Master Li? The sun has only just set!"
Chen Rui glanced at the clock mounted on the wall; it was only 8:20 PM. Given the lifestyle of this era, most people typically went to bed after 11 PM, with young people usually sleeping between midnight and 7 AM. There were hardly any who would change into a bathrobe and prepare for bed at 8:20 PM like Li Zheng.
Li Zheng laughed heartily and joked back, "Do you think just because I'm wearing a bathrobe means I'm going to sleep? Does that mean when I go to the cafeteria I'm just going to eat? I could also be going to cook!"
Zhuo Rohan couldn't be bothered to argue with him. After giving Chen Rui a knowing glance, he turned his attention elsewhere.
Chen Rui settled onto a mahogany sofa and looked at Li Zheng with a smile. "Li Zheng, we need your cooperation with something."
"Alright, I'll cooperate with whatever you need. But first, let me guess—you're here specifically to invite me to participate in the graduation exam, right?" Li Zheng said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Chen Rui remained unfazed, but Zhuo Rohan, sitting nearby, nearly spat out the water he had just taken a sip of. He looked at Li Zheng in confusion. "How did you know that?"
"It's easy to figure out," Li Zheng replied with a grin. "There are only five of us in our class. First, you disappeared for a while; then after you returned, Li Chunbo vanished too. After that, everything seemed fine for a bit, but suddenly all four of you disappeared at the same time. How could that not raise my suspicions?"
Chen Rui didn't interrupt Li Zheng; he simply listened quietly as he spoke. Zhuo Rohan, on the other hand, tried several times to interject but ultimately remained silent since Chen Rui wasn't speaking.
"Moreover," Li Zheng continued, "after my old classmates returned from their disappearances, they all seemed different. Of course, these changes can only be noticed by those who have spent time together. We've been in the same class for over three years, so I can pick up on these subtle differences. Whether it's you or Li Chunbo or even Ye Yi, who just finished his assessment, the biggest change is in your demeanor—simply put, you all give off a different vibe now."
Chen Rui slowly clapped his hands in applause for Li Zheng and chuckled. "Well done! But if that's the case, why come out and say anything? Wouldn't it be easier to stay quiet and pretend you know nothing to pass the assessment?"
Li Zheng shook his head and sighed. "I don't know what form the assessment will take, but based on what past graduates have conveyed and the state of those few people, I believe it varies from person to person. So hiding it wouldn't benefit me much; on the contrary, bringing it up could serve as leverage."
Chen Rui fixed his gaze on Li Zheng and asked, "What kind of leverage?"
"A chance for me to choose my own assessment method!" Li Zheng replied with a calm smile. "Since I already know this assessment is tailored to individuals, I hope to set my own questions. I believe that would be most beneficial for me."
Chen Rui fell silent for a moment before slowly nodding in agreement with the proposal.
Li Zheng's eyes lit up with excitement as he asked, "Really? The content I propose for the assessment is quite simple—it's this game launch we're currently working on. I want to use its performance as my score."
Leaning back slightly with a hint of sarcasm in his smile, Chen Rui said, "Haha, you're really trying to take shortcuts! You should know that this game's popularity and attention have reached an extremely high level. Even if you do nothing at all, it will still perform well."
"No!" Li Zheng exclaimed loudly. "My score will be calculated as zero based on the current popularity of the game. I'll use its current state as a starting point and aim for breakeven before graduation as my full score."
Chen Rui squinted slightly. He knew that while this game was indeed very popular, no online game could rake in a fortune during its initial launch phase. Moreover, the design concept of this game left little room for monetization. Chen Rui could only think of one or two ways to recoup costs in a short time, but doing so would significantly shorten the game's lifespan.
"Without affecting the game's longevity!" Chen Rui added a prerequisite. "If you can manage that, then I’ll agree."
"Not a problem!" Li Zheng replied decisively.
"Then it's settled. I look forward to your results!" Chen Rui clapped his clothes and stood up, turning to Zhuo Rohan. "Let's go."
Although Zhuo Rohan was filled with doubts, he silently followed Chen Rui out of the villa.
Walking along the cherry blossom path on campus, Zhuo Rohan asked, "Are we really going to let his assessment results depend on that game Hook? Doesn’t that contradict the orders you received?"
Chen Rui smiled lightly, gazing at the moon in the sky, and sighed. "This assessment only has pass or fail; there are no scores. Therefore, how can we determine if he has passed based on the game? The most important point is that what matters in this dream is not the outcome but the process. It’s about honing your mindset during the dream. As Li Zheng said, after experiencing the dream, you will undergo some changes in various aspects, especially in temperament! It may sound boastful, but the difference between those who have experienced the dream and those who haven't is like that between a child and an adult."
Zhuo Rohan exclaimed, "Is it really that exaggerated? While I admit that the dream has indeed elevated my mindset, I don’t feel like I've grown that rapidly."
"If you did, it would be abnormal! Such things are usually felt by those around you," Chen Rui said with a slight smile as he looked at the brightly lit villas and apartment buildings among the cherry blossom trees. He chuckled bitterly. "With so many students here, you will all become top figures in Chinese society in the future. As your chief examiner, I bear a heavy responsibility."
Zhuo Rohan ran ahead of Chen Rui and stared at him intently. "Really? But I feel like you're just brushing it off! It's one thing for us to handle Ye Yi and Fan Xiaohu's assessments, but how can we just gloss over Li Zheng's? Even you know that game performance cannot be used as a criterion for assessment."
Chen Rui smiled and countered, "When did I say I would use game performance as Li Zheng's assessment result? I just mentioned that what matters in this assessment is not the result but the process!"
"What do you mean?" Zhuo Rohan asked in surprise. "Breaking into someone's home at midnight is a criminal act."
Chen Rui chuckled softly and said nothing more, continuing to gaze up at the moon.
At one o'clock the next morning...
Four men dressed in casual clothes rushed into Li Zheng's villa. Before Li Zheng could fully wake up, they pressed a towel soaked in sleeping pills against his mouth and quickly carried him away.
The security measures at Jinghua University were strict, and it was incredibly difficult to sneak in from the outside. Even once inside the campus, the omnipresent surveillance cameras and security personnel provided maximum protection for safety.
Yet this group of people managed to carry a senior student out of his villa right under everyone's noses without a single security guard intervening.
The reason was simple: their destination was the school's administrative building...
After much effort, they finally brought the unconscious Li Zheng to the administrative building. One of the female 'kidnappers' sighed, "What have I done to deserve this? Why did I have to get involved in this mess with you guys!"
The male 'kidnapper' in front of her frowned and replied discontentedly, "Stop complaining. I’m not even bothered by it. I'm a Senior Executive at a State-Owned Enterprise; if someone at my level can do this, why can't you?"
Another taller male 'kidnapper' chuckled wryly, "Alright, alright, we're here now; stop arguing. Let's finish this quickly so we can get back to sleep! What are you dragging this out for?"
"Hey! Lao Gao! You can sleep; I can't! If it weren't for that jerk pushing me into this, I wouldn't be working so hard!" Ruan Yu pointed at Chen Rui and scolded.
Zhuo Rohan shouted irritably, "Enough already! Just get it done and move on! Do what you need to do! You all keep going; I'm heading out first!"
"Hey! Don't sneak off! We’re counting on you for support..."
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