1 Chapter 1:Reborn in the year 1999
Bang!
A piece of chalk struck Chen Xiao's head abruptly.
Teacher Liao scowled, raising her voice slightly.
"Tomorrow is a consultation, so everyone needs to focus. I just discussed a scoring question, but many of you seem unprepared. Let's continue with this problem and find the distance of x-2y=0. The equation of the smallest circle..."
Chen Xiao jolted, snapping back to reality as he surveyed his surroundings.
A bespectacled teacher stood at the blackboard, jotting down math problems, while a countdown to the college entrance examination hung on the adjacent wall—December 16, 1999, with 205 days remaining (the exam was scheduled for July in 1999).
Chen Xiao was taken aback. He had only had a few drinks and spent one night at a hotel. How on earth did he end up in 1999?
He opened the worn tin stationery box on his desk and used its reflective lining to catch a glimpse of himself.
Physically, he appeared the same, but considerably younger.
His name remained Chen Xiao, yet his life experiences had drastically changed!
In his previous existence, prior to his rebirth, Chen Xiao had resigned from a scientific research institution to embark on an entrepreneurial journey, eventually rising to become the CEO of a technology conglomerate worth billions. His ventures encompassed medical health, artificial intelligence, and more, while romantic encounters were never in short supply.
Memories of his previous self flooded Chen Xiao's mind. As for the current Chen Xiao, although his name and appearance were unchanged, his life experiences were entirely different. Despite his commendable academic performance, his family faced financial difficulties.
Chen Xiao's father, Chen Qiang, worked as an ordinary laborer at the Jiangcheng State-owned Machinery Factory, while his mother, Lin Hui, had no steady employment and ran a stall outside the factory community, selling breakfast items and stationery. Their household struggled under the weight of financial stress.
Both of Chen Xiao's parents, a university professor and a doctor, had tragically perished in a car accident during his early years.
The timing was completely askew!
Prior to rebirth, Chen Xiao had been born in 2019!
If one were to explain it through metaphysics, Chen Xiao had been reborn into a parallel world, resulting in a slight temporal and spatial disarray.
Chen Xiao gazed at this unfamiliar era, utterly dumbfounded!
He didn't desire a rebirth! Going from being a prominent boss to an ordinary high school student, starting from scratch?
The thought of it wearied Chen Xiao.
Math teacher Liao glanced at Chen Xiao once again, banging her hand on the table before inquiring, "Who knows the answer to this question?"
She held high expectations for Chen Xiao. Despite his modest family circumstances, he displayed diligence and was an exemplary student.
Mr. Liao waited for a response, but to her dismay, no hands were raised, and the students appeared perplexed, unsure of how to proceed with the problem.
She called out a name, "Chen Xiao, come up and answer."
Still grappling with confusion, Chen Xiao obediently approached the front of the classroom.
A math problem adorned the blackboard: [Assuming the circle satisfies the following conditions: ①The chord obtained by intersecting the y-axis has a length of 2; ②It is divided into two arcs by the x-axis, with the arc lengths in a ratio of 3:1. Determine the equation of the circle with the shortest distance from its center to the line ι:x-2y=0.]
This question was relatively simple! The 1999 college entrance examination math problems were far easier in this era compared to his own!
Moreover, Chen Xiao had always been immersed in scientific and technological pursuits, making this math problem a manageable challenge.
Picking up the chalk, Chen Xiao commenced writing the solution on the blackboard. "Let P(a, b) represent the center of the circle, and r its radius. The distances from point P to the x-axis and the y-axis are │b│ and │a│ respectively…"
His chalk glided smoothly across the board, his writing firm and powerful. Within a few minutes, Chen Xiao completed the solution.
The classroom hushed in the afternoon, with students breathing nervously.
Teacher Liao stood behind Chen Xiao, nodding in approval at his answer. As expected of a student she had placed her hopes in! No one in the class could solve it except for Chen Xiao!
Shen Wei, a girl seated not far from Chen Xiao, intently observed his problem-solving steps, swiftly comparing them with her own thoughts.
She bit her lip, grabbing her notebook to jot down all the answers.
Meanwhile, Shen Wei's desk mate, Su Qiao, wore a discomforted expression, mumbling incoherently.
As Chen Xiao finished writing, the entire class erupted in warm applause!
"Of course, it's Chen Xiao! Only he could solve it."
"This question was so difficult! I can't fathom how Chen Xiao devised the solution."
Just as Chen Xiao was about to return to his seat, sudden information flooded his mind.
[Influence +3, cumulative influence 3.]
[Technology tree: medical biology (locked); physical and chemical machinery (locked); computer information (locked)...]
[Note: When influence reaches a certain value, one point of future technology can be unlocked. The first technology requires 20 influence points.]
Chen Xiao felt bewildered.
Not only had he been reborn into 1999, but he also possessed a futuristic technology system.
How could he increase his influence?
Merely stepping up to the podium and answering a question before a multitude of people had amazed everyone, thus boosting his influence.
If he were to achieve better grades in subsequent exams, both within the class and across the entire school, would he garner even greater influence?
In 1999, the cusp of a major surge was looming.
The stock market, real estate, bitcoin, and internet technology were on the precipice of explosion. Seizing any one of these opportunities could propel one's success skyward.
Teacher Liao applauded cheerfully, remarking, "Chen Xiao, you may return to your seat. Make sure to get a good rest tonight, or else your performance in class may suffer."
Seeking to accumulate more influence, Chen Xiao chimed in, "Teacher, I have an alternative solution."
What!
Both Teacher Liao and the entire class were flabbergasted!
To be able to devise a solution to such a difficult math problem was already incredible! And Chen Xiao had another one!
Shen Wei's hand remained suspended in mid-air as she looked up at Chen Xiao in awe.
Su Qiao wore an even more discontented expression, still contemplating the initial solution presented by Chen Xiao.
Undeterred, Chen Xiao continued writing on the blackboard. "Solution 2:... treating it as a quadratic equation of b. Since the equation possesses real roots, the discriminant must be non-negative, i.e., △=8(5d2-1)≥0..."
Within five minutes, Chen Xiao concluded his second solution.
Teacher Liao beamed with admiration, scrutinizing the second solution. It was not only more ingenious and simpler than the first, but it also demonstrated a solid understanding of the underlying concepts. This time, Teacher Liao led the applause!
"Excellent! Our classmate Chen Xiao is truly remarkable! Mathematics isn't merely about calculations; it's a way of thinking. I encourage you all to learn from Chen Xiao!"
The students began conversing excitedly:
"It's astonishing! If only Chen Xiao were equally proficient in English, he could top the college entrance examination."
"Mathematics is mind-boggling! This is amazing!"
Shen Wei watched Chen Xiao as he returned to his seat, idly fidgeting with her fingernails, feeling an intense unease. How was it possible that she didn't even grasp one solution?
[Influence +6, cumulative influence 9.]
Jiang Wei, Chen Xiao's friend seated behind him, offered a thumbs-up. "Xiaozi, you're incredible!"
Teacher Liao resumed the lesson, yet Chen Xiao's mind wandered.
He retrieved a notebook and began recording significant details. If the history of this world unfolded similarly to his previous one, albeit with varying levels of technology, certain patterns were bound to emerge.
Drawing upon his knowledge gleaned from news articles, biographies, and the like, Chen Xiao chronicled pivotal events: the inception of Penguin, the release of the free 361 antivirus software, real estate reform, Ali's foray into online sales, the birth of Pingguo mobile phones, the history of A-share bull and bear markets...
