Jin Li was immediately deterred. "Teacher, I don’t want to die!"

Tan You smiled. "It’s good that you feel that way. I know you love singing and dancing, and you enjoy being the center of attention, but I still have to advise you against taking that path. It’s a thorny and difficult road."

"Besides, you don’t have any powerful backing. It’s incredibly difficult for someone from an ordinary background to make it. Plus, you’re just too beautiful. A delicate flower like you would find it hard to survive in such a fierce storm."

Jin Li nuzzled her cheek against Tan You’s shoulder. "But studying is so hard for me. I’m not as smart as everyone else. I have to study for two more hours every night when I get home, just to barely maintain my current ranking."

Zheng Xue said with a stern expression, "I’m not smart at all. I put in extra study time when I get home too. I don’t just go straight to bed."

The four boys silently raised their hands, a clear sign that they also worked hard after getting home. Jin Li’s anxious heart gradually calmed down. "So, does that mean I’m not doing too terribly?"

"Of course not," Tan You said, stroking Jin Li’s braids. "When I said you’re not ’smart,’ I didn’t mean you’re slow with your studies. I meant *here*,"—she tapped her temple—"you’re not quick-witted enough. In the dog-eat-dog world of entertainment, you would easily be taken advantage of."

Jin Li said, "It’s not that I’m dead set on joining the industry. I just want people to see me sing and dance; I really enjoy it. Of course, if I could earn a little money from it, that would be even better."

Tan You thought for a moment. "In that case, I recommend you become a streamer. A talent streamer. Of course, the condition is that you have to wait until after you get into college. Once that happens, I won’t stop you from doing whatever you want."

Jin Li immediately protested. "Does that mean you’re going to wash your hands of me once I get into college, Teacher? Absolutely not!"

Not to be outdone, Zheng Xue chimed in, "Teacher, you can’t just abandon us..."

Tan You chuckled. "By then, you’ll have seen a much wider world. You probably won’t think I’m that important anymore."

"Never!" the six of them retorted in unison. A boy who was usually very quiet suddenly spoke up. "Teacher, can you teach me how to do this? I think it’s so cool!"

The moment he said it, everyone nodded vigorously. ’To be able to slip into a company’s backend without a trace... that’s just way too cool!’

Tan You glanced at them. "Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Computer science takes a lot of time to learn, so don’t let it interfere with your regular studies. Besides, do any of you even have a computer at home?"

"We can go to an internet cafe!" Song Yuan blurted out. The next second, his scalp prickled in fear.

Just as he’d feared, Tan You’s eyes narrowed. "Minors in an internet cafe? It sounds like you’re itching for a lesson!"

Song Yuan immediately backpedaled. "Teacher, I swear I haven’t been since I started studying with you! That was all in the past! Teacher, you can’t hold old grudges like that!"

Tan You squinted. "Fine, I’ll let it slide this time. If you’re all really interested, I’ll recommend a couple of introductory textbooks. If you can’t understand them, then there’s no point in wasting any more effort on this."

Li Xiuzai, the quietest of the boys, looked at Tan You. "Teacher, how long have you been studying this?"

Tan You answered, half-joking and half-serious, "I started when I got to college and have been learning ever since. I’m twenty-seven now."

In reality, she had spent far more time on it than that. As the saying goes, ’Hard work makes up for a lack of genius.’ In Liuu Yuming’s world, Tan You had poured her all into computers for nearly fifty years. Aside from the time she spent helping Liuu Min with her studies, most of her life had been dedicated to computer science.

Even with all that, Tan You was still not a top-tier hacker, merely a second-rate one. It just went to show that sometimes, talent is an enormous chasm that simply cannot be crossed by hard work alone.

Li Xiuzai’s eyes widened. "That’s such a long time? I was wondering how you could afford a house so quickly when you’re just a civil servant, Teacher. So this is it—being a hacker really pays well."

Tan You shot him a sideways glance. "Is money all you think about?"

Song Yuan’s curiosity was piqued. "Teacher, could you show us? How do hackers even make money?"

Unable to withstand their pestering, Tan You finally caved. "Fine, I’ll give you a little demonstration. As it happens, I just accepted a new task yesterday."

The six students immediately grew excited. Even Jin Li, who had no particular interest in computers, was now full of anticipation. She knew her own limits; she wasn’t that interested in the ’learning’ part, she was just plain curious.

She logged into a forum and began browsing the available tasks. Zheng Xue grew curious. "Teacher, some of these pay really well."

Tan You explained, "The higher the pay, the harder the job. I just said I’d give you a little peek, so there’s no need to take on anything too difficult. On this forum, the simpler tasks involve things like building firewalls for companies or maintaining game engines."

"Of course, there are more complex jobs, but those often come with other complications. You have to be careful not to get burned."

’In a society where powerful conglomerates run rampant, I rarely do anything to stick my neck out.’ After all, Xu Yanxi was just an ordinary civil servant, and the Xu family wasn’t wealthy or influential. If she drew the wrong kind of attention, it would be very difficult to get out of trouble.

After accepting a small task, Tan You got to work at her computer. To the students, the lines of code were like a foreign language. It wasn’t long before some of them started getting headaches and couldn’t bear to look anymore.

When Tan You finally looked up, she saw that only Li Xiuzai remained by her side. The boy even had a pen and paper in hand, and he was periodically jotting down notes. From the looks of it, he was actually absorbing some of it.

Tan You raised an eyebrow. "Can you understand any of it?"

"Of course not," Li Xiuzai said, shaking his head. "But I find some parts of it really interesting. I just wish my English were better; I have to think for a long time before I can figure out what some parts mean."

Tan You studied Li Xiuzai with a curious expression for a long moment. "Go to my study. On the third shelf, grab the fourth and fifth books from the left."

Li Xiuzai hesitated, his eyes darting between the computer screen and the study. He clearly didn’t want to move an inch.

Tan You shook her head. "Song Yuan, you go!"

"Alright. Don’t tell me Xiuzai actually has a talent for this? Man, I’m jealous!" he muttered, quickly fetching the books Tan You had described.

Tan You thrust the books into Li Xiuzai’s hands. "You read these for now. I’ll quiz you later to see how much you’ve absorbed. You won’t understand what I’m doing on screen anyway, since you’ve never had any exposure to this field."

Li Xiuzai stopped staring at Tan You’s screen. He took the two books, sat down across from her, and quickly became engrossed. The living room fell quiet, filled only with the sound of Tan You’s fingers on the keyboard and the murmur of the other students discussing their work.

By dinnertime, Li Xiuzai was less than a third of the way through the first book. If Jin Li hadn’t called him to go set up their street stall, he likely would have kept reading indefinitely.

When his name was called, his eyes were still a bit unfocused, but in the next instant, they lit up like lightbulbs. Seeing his expression, Tan You knew Li Xiuzai was genuinely hooked. She lowered her gaze and smiled to herself. ’Could it be? Could a half-baked hacker like me actually end up discovering a future hacking legend?’