“Jiang Heng, did you go to school before?” Lucy asked curiously.
“Of course, I’ve completed nine years of compulsory education, and I'm a high-achieving student who passed the fiercely competitive entrance exams and got into a prestigious university!” Jiang Heng said proudly.
“Ah? You went to university?”
Lucy was immediately quite surprised. In this world, only a small percentage of people could go to school, and even fewer could go to university. It was practically a one-in-a-million chance.
Like Lucy, she had been trained in hacking by Arasaka since she was a child and had never been to school.
So, when she heard that Jiang Heng had actually gone to university, Lucy was quite shocked. She just didn’t know that the knowledge Jiang Heng learned at university was practically worthless in this world. Compared to the university students here, Jiang Heng was almost as good as an illiterate.
After all, the technological gap between the two worlds was too big.
“Of course, back in those days, I was a popular figure who attracted countless female students…,”
Jiang Heng began boasting, and at the same time, he told Lucy about his wonderful university life.
University was a special time. It was where young people transitioned from the ivory tower into society, and also a period of transition from immaturity to maturity.
Many people were still naive in their first and second years, but by their third and fourth years, they began to worry about the future like adults. Even asking their parents for allowance became a bit awkward.
Jiang Heng’s university was very different from the schools in Night City. The schools in Night City were social gatherings for the rich and privileged. Students mostly came together because of interests, not friendship.
While Jiang Heng’s university also had its fair share of shady incidents, most of it was worth cherishing for a lifetime. Especially when your roommates were all easy to get along with and a bit silly, the entire university life would become interesting.
…
Having never been to school, Lucy was instantly filled with a strong desire for the beautiful campus life that Jiang Heng described. At the same time, she became even more curious about Jiang Heng’s past.
“Jiang Heng, where did you go to university? Are there really such wonderful schools in this world?”
Lucy’s eyes sparkled as she asked Jiang Heng.
“Of course I went to university in Longguo.”
“Longguo? Is Longguo really that wonderful?” Lucy was puzzled. The Longguo in this world certainly wasn’t that wonderful. After all, with such a bad environment, even Longguo couldn’t become Utopia.
During the Fourth Corporate War, Longguo and many other East Asian countries had been greatly impacted. In the face of global disasters, no country could stand alone.
Hearing Lucy’s words, Jiang Heng smiled, turned around, and pinched Lucy’s cheek, saying, “Lucy, this Longguo is not that Longguo.”
After saying that, Jiang Heng continued walking forward.
Lucy stood there in a daze. She couldn’t understand what Jiang Heng meant. But then, she quickly caught up and put her arm around Jiang Heng.
Jiang Heng felt like he was wearing a mask. Lucy knew Jiang Heng’s personality very well, but she knew very little about his past.
For this reason, Lucy felt a bit insecure. She was always afraid that when she woke up, Jiang Heng would disappear like the characters in TV dramas. So, every night, she had to hold Jiang Heng tightly while sleeping.
…
Without dwelling on the university matter, after walking for a while, Jiang Heng and Lucy left the school and changed out of their uniforms in the car, putting on their regular clothes.
Then, Jiang Heng drove towards the company square.
“Are you really so trusting of David? Aren’t you afraid that he’ll take the money and not do anything, or even turn us in?” On the way, Lucy in the passenger seat couldn’t help but ask again.
Jiang Heng had a confident smile on his face and said, “No, others might, but David won’t.”
Why was Jiang Heng so sure? It was because he knew David’s character very well.
To be honest, when he watched the anime, Jiang Heng thought that David and cyberpunk were a complete mismatch. He wasn’t suited to be the main character.
Because the screenwriter had made David a traditional Japanese-style yasaishi protagonist like many other anime protagonists. While yasaishi protagonists were very popular in other animes, they were actually very incongruous in cyberpunk.
Cyberpunk was a world that would devour you without leaving a bone. It was too realistic, too cold, too bleak. There was simply no room for someone like David.
While people like the game protagonist V and Johnny Silverhand, a madman, were actually more suited to be cyberpunk protagonists.
Maybe that was why both V and Johnny Silverhand achieved much more than David.
However, precisely because he knew David was this kind of person, Jiang Heng chose to work with him. At least he didn’t have to worry about David betraying him.
Seeing that Jiang Heng was so confident in David, Lucy didn’t ask any further.