boyutpedia Chapter 143 Post-match Awards Ceremony
Chapter 143 Post-match Awards Ceremony
Chapter 143 Post-match Awards Ceremony
The awards ceremony was held in the stadium.
Principal Wang stood on the podium, holding a microphone. His voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet gymnasium: "The Innovation Cup Programming Contest is now in its twentieth year."
Over the past twenty years, this competition has produced many outstanding players, but there is one record that has stood for a full sixteen years—" He paused, glanced at Ma Huateng in the audience, "a freshman winning the championship. Before this, only one person had ever done it."
The audience fell silent.
Many people followed Principal Wang's gaze.
Ma Huateng sat there, his expression unchanged.
"Ma Huateng, Class of '89, Computer Science Department, Shenzhen University".
Principal Wang said, "When he was a freshman, he won the Innovation Cup championship that year. No one has broken that record in the past sixteen years."
He paused, then looked in the direction where the Four Heavenly Kings were standing.
"Today, this record was broken. All four freshmen came from the School of Electronic and Information Engineering."
He finished first in Group A in the first round, tied with the defending champion in the second round, and completed all three stages of the final, finishing nearly forty minutes faster than the second-place team.
Applause erupted.
Principal Wang raised his hand to signal for quiet: "What's even more remarkable is that these four team members come from four different majors—Electronic Information Engineering, Electronic Science and Technology, Computer Science and Technology, and Communication Engineering."
He smiled and said, "Our School of Electronic and Information Engineering at Shenzhen University has all four majors."
Some people in the audience laughed, some applauded, and some shouted "The Four Heavenly Kings".
Principal Wang looked at Ma Huateng: "Mr. Ma, you're my senior, what would you like to say?"
Ma Huateng stood up and took the microphone.
He was wearing a dark blue suit without a tie, and standing on the podium, he looked more like a senior alumnus visiting than the founder of a listed company.
"I don't have much to say," he smiled. "When I won the championship back then, there weren't this many people in the audience, and nobody called me Boss Ma."
Some people in the audience laughed.
"Winning the championship as a freshman is no easy feat." Ma Huateng glanced at the Four Heavenly Kings. "Back then, I was alone, but you were four. You have more prestige than me."
Li Hu grinned from below the stage. Chen Long adjusted his glasses. Xu Zang's lips curved slightly. Lin Dong stood at the very edge, hands in his pockets, his face expressionless.
Ma Huateng handed the microphone back to Principal Wang and sat down. Another round of applause followed.
Principal Wang took the microphone: "Next, we will present the championship certificates to the Four Heavenly Kings Team."
Li Hu was the first to step onto the stage. He took large strides, but not in a hurry, with a smile on his face.
He glanced at the certificate as he took it, then waved it at Zhou Lin below the stage.
Chen Long followed behind and nodded as he received the certificate.
Xu Zang was the third one to walk, and glanced at the certificate as he received it.
Lin Dong walked last, and when he received the certificate, Principal Wang held his hand for an extra second.
"Not bad," Principal Wang said in a low voice.
Lin Dong nodded: "Thank you, Principal Wang."
Four people stood in a row.
Some people in the audience were taking pictures, and others were applauding.
Li Hu grinned, Chen Long pushed up his glasses, Xu Zang's lips curved slightly, and Lin Dong stood at the very edge with no expression on his face.
After the awards ceremony, Ma Huateng walked over from the stage.
He walked at a moderate pace and stopped in front of Lin Dong.
Professor Li introduced from the side: "Lin Dong, this is Mr. Ma Huateng, an alumnus of the Computer Science Department of Shenzhen University, class of 89."
"Hello, Mr. Ma," Lin Dong said.
Ma Huateng smiled and looked at him: "Did your team write the input method for the finals?"
Lin Dong nodded: "We wrote it together."
Ma Huateng glanced at him, then looked at Li Hu, Chen Long, and Xu Zang beside him: "Who wrote the word frequency adjustment algorithm for Phase 3?"
"I wrote it," Lin Dong said.
Ma Huateng nodded and did not ask any further questions about the algorithm details.
He thought for a moment and said, "Would you be interested in discussing this input method?"
Lin Dong did not answer immediately.
He turned to look at Li Hu. Li Hu was gesturing to Zhou Lin and wasn't paying attention. He then glanced at Chen Long. Chen Long adjusted his glasses and nodded slightly. He then looked at Xu Zang. Xu Zang didn't look at him, but the corners of his mouth curved slightly.
Lin Dong turned back to Ma Huateng and said, "Mr. Ma, we have other plans for this input method."
Ma Huateng glanced at him but didn't ask about the arrangements.
He took a business card out of his pocket and handed it to him.
It's white, with only a name and phone number, no title.
"Let's talk again another time."
Lin Dong took it, glanced at it, and put it in his pocket.
Ma Huateng turned around and took two steps, then turned back again: "By the way, you can write a paper on that approximate counting algorithm when you have time."
Lin Dong paused for a moment, then nodded.
Li Hu approached unnoticed and whispered, "Fourth brother, did Ma Huateng give you his business card?"
"Um."
"What did he say?"
"He said he'd write a paper when he had time."
Li Hu paused for a moment, then laughed: "Awesome."
When the Four Heavenly Kings came down from the stage, Zhou Lin was already waiting below.
She looked at Li Hu, and Li Hu looked at her. Zhou Lin spoke first: "Congratulations."
"Thank you." Li Hu scratched his head.
Zhao Yu stood to the side, looking at Chen Long, and said softly, "You guys are really amazing."
Chen Long pushed up his glasses.
Zhao Yu smiled and didn't say anything more.
Chen Lu stood at the very back, looking at Lin Dong.
Lin Dong walked over and stopped in front of her.
"We won," Chen Lu said.
"Um."
Are you happy?
Lin Dong thought for a moment and said, "It's alright."
Chen Lu smiled, her eyes curving into two crescent moons. She didn't say anything more, turned and walked away. Her ponytail swayed in the sunlight. Zhou Lin and Zhao Yu followed, and the three of them walked out of the gymnasium, their shadows stretching long.
Li Hu stared at Zhou Lin's retreating figure for two seconds, then Chen Long patted him on the shoulder: "Let's go."
"Where to?"
"Find Zhang Yang."
Zhang Yang sat in the D section of the competition area.
His teammates had left, leaving him all alone. He stared at the black screen, lost in thought.
Li Hu walked over and stood in front of him. Chen Long followed behind, with Xu Cang at the very back. Lin Dong stood a little further away, not going over.
Zhang Yang raised his head, glanced at Li Hu, then at Chen Long and Xu Zang behind him, and finally at Lin Dong.
"What's up?" His voice was flat.
Li Hu looked at him: "The bet, do you still remember it?"
Zhang Yang paused for two seconds: "I remember."
"Then you know what to do."
Zhang Yang stood up, picked up the things on the table, and walked out.
When he reached Li Hu's side, he paused, not looking at Li Hu, and said in a low voice, "It won't happen again."
He left. He walked quickly and didn't look back.
Li Hu watched his retreating figure and scratched his head: "He's pretty decisive."
F
Chen Long pushed up his glasses: "It's better to admit defeat than to refuse to admit it."
Evening, at a grilled fish restaurant.
Seven people sat at two tables that were pushed together.
Li Hu ordered a table full of dishes, saying it was to "celebrate the championship".
Zhou Lin sat next to him, Zhao Yu sat next to Chen Long, and Chen Lu sat next to Lin Dong.
When the dishes were served, Li Hu was the first to pick up his chopsticks, placing a piece of fish into Zhou Lin's bowl.
Zhou Lin glanced at him, said nothing, and lowered her head to eat the fish.
Zhao Yu poured Chen Long a drink, and Chen Long said thank you, his ears turning red again.
Li Hu took a few bites, then suddenly picked up his glass: "Come on, let's toast Lao Si!"
Lin Dong glanced at him, said nothing, and clinked his cup with his.
Li Hu finished his drink in one gulp and grinned, "Refreshing!"
Chen Long also raised his glass: "A toast to everyone."
A few people bumped into each other.
Chen Lu sat next to Lin Dong, eating quietly.
After a while, she asked softly, "Going home for winter break?"
"Um."
'
"When are you leaving?"
"tomorrow."
Chen Lu nodded and didn't ask any more questions.
Li Hu was calling for more food, but Zhou Lin said she couldn't eat that much. Li Hu said she'd take it all home. Zhao Yu and Chen Long were talking very softly, so it was hard to hear.
By the time we finished eating, it was completely dark.
Seven people stood in front of the grilled fish restaurant, their shadows stretched long by the streetlights.
Zhou Lin yawned: "I'm sleepy, I'm going back to sleep."
Li Hu said, "I'll take you."
Zhou Lin glanced at him and smiled, "Okay, you deliver it."
Zhao Yu glanced at Chen Long and said softly, "Then I'll be going now."
Chen Long nodded: "Mm."
Zhao Yu followed Zhou Lin forward, taking a couple of steps before turning back to look at him again. Chen Long was still standing there, adjusting his glasses. She smiled and turned back.
Chen Lu walked at the back, pausing briefly as she passed Lin Dong.
"I'm leaving," she said.
"Um."
Chen Lu glanced at him, smiled, and turned to leave.
Li Hu chased after her, calling out, "Senior Zhou Lin, wait for me!"
The three people walked away.
Chen Long stood there, watching Zhao Yu's figure disappear at the intersection, before turning his gaze away.
"Let's go."
The four of them walked towards the dormitory.
The road was quiet, and the streetlights illuminated the road surface, making it appear white.
Li Hu walked at the front, his pace slower than usual, as if deep in thought. Chen Long walked beside him, occasionally adjusting his glasses. Xu Cang was at the very back, holding no book, his hands in his pockets. Lin Dong walked in the middle, silent.
Upon arriving at the dormitory, Li Hu immediately lay down on the bed and stared at the ceiling.
"What are your plans for winter break?" he asked.
Chen Long sat down at his desk, picked up a book, flipped through it, then put it down: "Going home. For the New Year."
"Nonsense, of course I know I'm going home for the New Year." Li Hu rolled over. "I mean, what other plans do you have besides the New Year?"
Chen Long thought for a moment: "Nothing much. I'll read a book and spend time with my family."
Li Hu then looked at Xu Zang: "Second brother, what about you?"
Xu Zang leaned against the headboard, his eyes closed: "No arrangements."
"You're not going home, and you're not going out to play. What are you going to do during winter break?"
"Read a book."
Li Hu opened his mouth, then closed it again. He turned to Lin Dong: "Fourth brother, what about you?"
Lin Dong sat on the edge of the bed and changed his shoes: "Let's go home."
"And that's it?"
"That's all."
Li Hu scratched his head: "Why are you all so boring?"
Chen Long glanced at him: "What did you arrange?"
Li Hu chuckled: "I plan to optimize that input method again. The version I wrote for the finals was a bit rough, I'll revise it properly during the winter break."
Chen Long pushed up his glasses: "That's rough? Your part ran perfectly fine."
"No problem is no problem, but it can be even better," Li Hu said. "I've looked at Lao Si's approximate counting algorithm several times, and I think it can be combined with my data structure to maybe reduce memory usage even further."
Lin Dong glanced at him but didn't say anything.
He had seen Li Hu do this many times: reviewing, rewriting, and optimizing after a match.
It wasn't assigned by the teacher, nor was it required for the competition; he just wanted to do better. He rewrote it once in the second round, and wanted to rewrite it again after the final.
Chen Long thought for a moment: "My part can also be optimized. The index structure in Phase 1 was written in a hurry, and some parts can be simplified."
Xu Zang didn't speak, but he didn't close his eyes either. He stared at the ceiling, lost in thought.
Li Hu sat up in bed: "Then let's each do our own thing during winter break, and go through it again when school starts?"
"Okay," Chen Long said.
Lin Dong nodded.
Xu Zang hummed in agreement.
The dormitory fell silent. Li Hu lay back down, staring at the ceiling, and after a while spoke again: "Do you guys think that when Ma Huateng gave Lao Si his business card, was he trying to poach him?"
"I don't know," Chen Long said.
"They definitely want to poach it," Li Hu said. "Tencent definitely wants that input method. Fourth brother, why didn't you agree back then?"
Lin Dong leaned against the headboard: "I agreed, so I have to go. I don't want to be tied down so early."
Li Hu thought for a moment and nodded: "That's true. We're only freshmen, what's the rush?"
He rolled over, pulled the blanket over himself, and muttered, "Happy winter break."
"Happy winter vacation," Chen Long said.
Lin Dong didn't speak, but the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
Xu Zang didn't say anything, but the lights went out.
The next morning, Lin Dong carried his suitcase out of the dormitory building.
There were hardly any people left on campus; most of the dormitory windows were closed, and the clotheslines were bare. The banners along the roadside were still up, rustling in the wind. He glanced at them, then looked away and walked towards the school gate.
Zheng Hao's car was already waiting at the door. Seeing Lin Dong come out, he got out of the car, took the suitcase, and put it in the trunk.
"Dong-ge, congratulations on winning the championship," Zheng Hao said.
"Um."
"Uncle Cai and the others said they want to celebrate for you."
Lin Dong opened the car door and got in: "We'll talk about it when we get back to the company."
Inside the company, Uncle Cai was already waiting at the entrance.
Seeing Lin Dong emerge from the elevator, he quickly approached, his face crinkling with a wide smile: "Mr. Lin, congratulations! Champion!"
Zhang Mingyuan poked his head out of the lab, still holding a soldering iron: "President Lin, did we win?"
"Um."
Zhou Chengyu stood up from behind the computer, pushed up his glasses, and smiled without saying a word.
Su Xiaowen leaned against the wall, holding a phone frame in her hand. She glanced at Lin Dong and nodded.
Cheng Chuan jumped out from the corner and shouted "Awesome!" but was glared at by Cheng Yu and shut his mouth sheepishly.
Ding Xiao sat at her workstation without looking up, but her fingers paused on the keyboard for a moment before continuing to type.
Uncle Cai clapped his hands: "Come here, everyone!"
Several people gathered around. Uncle Cai took a bottle of champagne from the cabinet, raised it, and shook it: "Celebrating President Lin's victory—"
"The Four Heavenly Kings won the championship," Lin Dong said.
Uncle Cai paused for a moment, then laughed: "Right, right, the Four Heavenly Kings won! But Mr. Lin, you're from our company, so your victory is the company's victory!"
He pried open the champagne bottle, and the foam spilled out, splashing all over the table.
Zhang Mingyuan took a step back. A drop of liquid splashed onto Zhou Chengyu's glasses. He took them off and wiped them. Su Xiaowen dodged quickly and wasn't splashed. Cheng Chuan reached out to catch it, but Cheng Yu pulled him back. Ding Xiao sat at her workstation, not even looking up, but the corners of her mouth curved slightly.
Uncle Cai poured a glass for everyone and raised it: "To President Lin!"
"To President Lin!" Several people raised their glasses.
Lin Dong held his cup and looked at them.
He took a sip, put down the glass, and said, "Alright, the celebration's over. Time to get back to work."
Zhang Mingyuan was the first to turn around and go back to the lab, followed by Zhou Chengyu. Cheng Chuan was dragged away by Cheng Yu, Su Xiaowen took the mid-frame back to her workstation, and Ding Xiao's keyboard kept clicking. Uncle Cai stood there with his cup, looked at Lin Dong, wanted to say something, but swallowed his words.
"Manager Wang," Lin Dong called out to him.
"Why."
"Keep searching for people within the system."
Uncle Cai nodded: "Understood."
Lin Dong walked into the office and closed the door.
He sat down, turned on his computer, and on the screen was the system framework he had written. Half of the Linux kernel was cut, most of the driver adaptation was written, a small portion of process management was done, and memory management was just beginning. He glanced at it, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes.
almost.
he thinks.
If we hold on a little longer, the system will be up and running.
Then all the phones will be ready.
He opened his eyes and continued writing code.