Let us calmly discuss the issues present in these two chapters.

Looking at the heated debates in these two chapters, the main issues seem to be that the protagonist’s intelligence has been downplayed, and that Zhimeng Leng’s character has been made deliberately aloof and too impressive. Let me address these two points.

First, has Huang He’s intelligence been diminished?

Of course not. Huang He had already foreseen that the traffic this time would explode and had pre-approved 150 million yuan for Zhimeng Leng to purchase equipment. Although this wasn’t written out explicitly, it can be inferred from other plot points.

Therefore, all the problems that arose this time were actually within Huang He’s expectations and were all part of his arrangements. He simply delegated all the tasks to Zhimeng Leng, and didn’t anticipate that things would escalate quite so dramatically.

Additionally, Huang He did indeed act a bit carelessly, because he believed that the concurrent online traffic couldn’t possibly be that high—after all, this is 2001, and user traffic couldn’t possibly compare to the astronomical levels of 2021. In fact, the 2.5 million concurrent users are something I, as the author, have exaggerated for dramatic effect; in reality, such numbers would be impossible. So Huang He made a miscalculation. The servers he prepared, with the 150 million yuan budget, could actually handle up to five million concurrent users. He just didn’t think things would get so intense, and was caught off guard by the overwhelming response.

So, Huang He’s mistake was a matter of misjudgment, not diminished intelligence. After all, even Zhuge Liang had his lapses—can’t Huang He have an occasional oversight? Is that really a sign of lowered intelligence?

Second, has Zhimeng Leng’s character been elevated too much?

This is partly true. Zhimeng Leng is meant to be a character with both high intelligence and high emotional quotient, and she was always designed to be superior to most people. To showcase this, there naturally need to be situations that highlight her abilities, so Huang He does serve somewhat as a foil to her.

But isn’t this a good thing? When the brother-in-law nods off, the sister-in-law steps in to fill the gaps. And as for questions about how a high school student could be so extraordinary, the answer is simply that I’ve given Zhimeng Leng some “author’s privileges.”

Finally, let me share my own feelings as the author. When I saw so many readers’ criticisms this time, I was initially quite angry, because I felt my plotting and characterization were beyond reproach.

However, after thinking it over, I understand your feelings. After all, at this point in the story, the plot may indeed leave some readers dissatisfied, and since this novel is meant to be a feel-good story, such moments might seem out of place.

Here, I want to assure everyone that this book will definitely remain enjoyable all the way through. There may be a few less satisfying moments due to my occasional creative missteps, so I ask those readers who feel displeased to bear with me a little longer.

After all, Huang He can be the perfect protagonist in my story, but I, the author, can’t be perfect in real life. Thank you all for your support.