Chapter 48: Playing Up the Contrast, Are You?

Within the Little Cherry Blossom territory, at this very moment, an unusual calm had settled. It was a stark contrast to the chaos and uproar from just half an hour earlier, when shouts demanding accountability from Shang Xia had filled the air. From top to bottom, silence prevailed.

The official Little Cherry Blossom account had quietly removed all previous announcements that demanded explanations from Shang Xia; no trace of arrogance remained.

Watching the livestream, Lin Yang couldn’t help but feel a slight admiration. The domestic technology was indeed impressive—far surpassing his earlier expectations. He had thought the missile might fall short of the system’s technical standards, but it had achieved perfection.

Just as he prepared to close the livestream, a phrase spoken in the chat caught his attention, causing a subtle shift in his expression and a brief pause in his movements.

“Director Zhao, hello! The initial missile test was a tremendous success, truly exhilarating. Many netizens have praised your institute’s secrecy—there was no prior hint at all, and suddenly, this huge surprise was unveiled,” the host said excitedly, interviewing a representative from the Great Science Institute.

To everyone’s astonishment, the person being interviewed was none other than Zhao Zizhen himself.

Smiling faintly at the host’s words, Zhao replied, “Well... in principle, I shouldn’t say much, but I can share a little. We do have some even more advanced technologies that have been quietly mastered. It won’t be long before we bring you an even greater surprise!”

The chat exploded with comments like “Awesome!” and “666!” The host’s eyes widened with curiosity. “Could you perhaps reveal a bit more about what kind of technology this involves, Director Zhao?”

Zhao smiled mysteriously. “That must remain confidential for now. Please stay tuned—I promise you won’t be disappointed.”

Sensing the moment, the host shifted to another question. “Director Zhao, netizens have noticed that previous products developed by your team always had meaningful names. However, the recent intercontinental missile announcement did not mention a name. Everyone is curious: what will this groundbreaking missile be called?”

Zhao turned directly to the camera, smiling warmly. “This missile is called ‘Classmate.’”

“Classmate?”

The host was momentarily stunned, and many viewers in the chat were equally baffled. Then the comments flooded in, filled with disbelief and humor.

“Classmate? Such a powerful missile with such a cute name?”

“Playing on contrast, huh?”

“This feels like the principal suddenly calling out ‘classmate’ in a creepy way...”

Many jokes and playful remarks filled the chat, as the name seemed almost impossible to reconcile with such a formidable weapon.

After a brief pause, the host quietly asked, “Director Zhao, is there a special meaning behind naming this missile ‘Classmate’? If you don’t mind, could you share the story behind it?”

“Of course,” Zhao nodded. “The missile was named ‘Classmate’ because it was developed with the help of a recently graduated high school student. We originally wanted to name it after him, but to protect his privacy, we chose this more general name instead.”

The chat instantly fell silent for a couple of seconds. Did they really hear that correctly? Such a fierce missile was developed with the help of a mere student?

No one doubted Zhao’s words—after all, he was the director of a prestigious institute, and a weapon of this caliber could not be a mere gimmick. This revelation was all the more shocking.

Especially the phrasing: Zhao said it was developed *with the help* of this student, implying that the student played a crucial role in the missile’s creation.

Netizens were absolutely stunned.

“My goodness, did I hear that right?! A recent high school graduate, yet the difference between people is so vast—I’m still getting scolded three times a day at home!”

“Same here! Now I’m scared that when my parents see this news tomorrow, it won’t just be scolding—they might actually come after me.”

“Hahaha, I can already hear my parents saying, ‘Look at others, they’re graduates who can develop missiles, and you just eat and sleep all day!’”

“This is it—purely ‘the other kid’ in the eyes of parents. I’ve decided: from tomorrow, I’ll start cleaning and washing dishes, or else I probably won’t last at home!”

“But honestly, I’d rather have more geniuses like this around—even if it means getting scolded three times a day!”

Zhao Zizhen’s behind-the-scenes anecdote had indeed shaken everyone. For a while, not just the nation but the entire world speculated about the identity of this extraordinary student.

Some factions in Western countries immediately issued orders to uncover the identity of the student Zhao mentioned, willing to do whatever it took.

A graduate with such remarkable talent was a source of immense pressure for these foreign powers.

The interview soon ended without any further mention of the previous announcements from Little Cherry Blossom. This deliberate silence left the people of Little Cherry Blossom deeply unsettled.

Tonight was destined to be sleepless.

Western powers were kept awake by the power of the Classmate missile, while countless domestic netizens were eager to learn who this remarkable student was.

For a time, the word “classmate” became a trending keyword across major news outlets.

Lin Yang, upon hearing the missile’s name, was momentarily taken aback. He had never imagined Zhao Zizhen’s team would choose such a name—truly a generous nod to him.

He then closed the livestream. As the broadcast ended, a flood of netizens rushed to Little Cherry Blossom’s official account, posting inquiries about the consequences promised after the seven-day period.

Meanwhile, Lin Yang suddenly received a system notification.