Reporters had never seen a champion like this before.
Reporter A: "Li Zheng, can you try to keep a smile?"
Li Zheng: "I’m already trying."
Reporter A: "...Well... do you have anything you’d like to say?"
Li Zheng: "I’ve thought about it seriously... everything I want to say, I can’t say."
Reporter A: "..."
Reporter B: "If you can’t, I’ll take over. This, Li Zheng, is there anyone you’d like to thank?"
Li Zheng: "My parents, classmates, teachers, the Chemical Society, the country, oh no... let rearrange that, put the country first."
Reporter B: "..."
Reporter C: "Is there anyone in particular you’d like to thank?"
Li Zheng: "Xu ngxi."
Reporter C: "Who is she?"
Li Zheng: "A classmate."
Reporter C: "Did anything happen between you two?"
Li Zheng: "...I’m here to talk about studying because the teacher said so."
Reporter C: "..."
Reporter D: "So Li Zheng, do you have any study tips to share with other students?"
Li Zheng: "Don’t participate in competitions for subjects you don’t like."
Reporter D: "Why?"
Li Zheng: "Sorry, we’ve reached the ’things I want to say but can’t say’ section again."
Reporter D: "..."
Reporter E: "Let try... Li Zheng, what exactly did you and Ms. Xu Youyou talk about on stage?"
Li Zheng: "Too much to say, you wouldn’t understand."
Reporter E: "You... just try us, maybe we’ll understand?"
Li Zheng: "There’s this alkaloid called Nakadomarin A, it has many rings, let demonstrate for you..."
Reporter E: "All right, all right! You guys ask, I’m done!"
In the end, it was Yu Hong who stepped in, took Li Zheng away, and answered those repetitive questions for him.
In such a chaotic and painful atmosphere.
Li Zheng’s journey through the Chem Competitions.
Hadn’t ended.
It hadn’t even reached a third.
Damn it, when will this ever end...
Maybe, it really was retribution.
Never again would he force anyone to study.
That afternoon, Li Zheng tearfully bid farewell to the Jijing Team.
Worth ntioning is that Ou Xing Zhuo gave Li Zheng a paper in the end.
It was the organic cyclization problem that Zhou Yi had specifically designed to stump him during the Jijing team’s training.
Ou Xing Zhuo hadn’t solved it either, despite spending so much ti, but at least he had written down a lot of the process.
Zhou Yi was too busy, and it wasn’t convenient for Ou Xing Zhuo to disturb him, so he passed it on to Li Zheng just before leaving.
And so, one by one, the provincial team’s vehicles drifted away.
In the end, Li Zheng could only hang his head low and, together with Shi Yang and 38 other buzz-cut males, return to the hotel.
...
December 8th, the terrifying national team training kicked off imdiately.
Just as Wu Shu had said, this was a hell of problems.
It was as if you were doing sothing to the most thrilling part, yet not allowed to stop, forced to continue, with the intensity increasing, making you do it for three tis as long.
Under such intensity, even the most wonderful things would be destroyed.
And moreover, there were 40 young n, doing chemistry problems from morning to night, without a break.
Every now and then, a teacher would co to teach you about cyclization.
Who could stand it?
The only one who could save Li Zheng was Fat Study Sister Doot.
She would refresh by fate, bring new paper and brushes, and guide Li Zheng in composition and shading.
Those sleepless nights were only bearable through these napti drawings.
...
Li Zheng didn’t even know how he had made it through the first week.
All he rembered was that the teacher had said they had the afternoon off.
Yet, brainwashed by chemistry, he just sat idly in his room, completely clueless about what to do.
All because of Chemistry Hell’s number one demon, Zhou Yi.
Ringmaster Cheng Huan, Zhou Yi, not only prohibited Li Zheng from doing physics problems but forced him to focus all his energy on chemistry.
He even colluded with the hotel business center, forbidding Li Zheng from touching any printing services.
The physics textbooks and practice problems he ordered online were intercepted by the front desk.
Chemistry, only chemistry.
Devils, all those who do chemistry are devils!
Just as Li Zheng was on the verge of collapse, suddenly, the sound of a basketball bouncing echoed through the hallways.
Right after, the doorbell rang.
Without thinking, Li Zheng rushed to the door and swiftly opened it.
The visitor was Wei Dongyang, accompanied by several bigwigs from Xiangnan and Xiangbei.
"Play ball, coming or not?" Wei Dongyang spun the ball on his left index finger, and it actually stayed spinning for three seconds before it dropped.
"Ah!" Li Zheng’s eyes bulged, and he yelled out, "Coming!"
Release, he needed to release.
"Hey, really not afraid of dying." Wei Dongyang wiped his nose and laughed, "Us boys play rough, don’t get yourself hurt."
"Hit all you want, if I die, so be it!" Li Zheng’s eyes glittered as he quickly went back inside to change into sportswear and basketball shoes.
"Where’s Shi Yang?" Wei Dongyang asked, looking up.
"He’s hooked up with Teacher Guan, stewing in the laboratory." As Li Zheng spoke, he trembled slightly, "It’s too scary... I never want to sll the lab again."
"Ho!" Wei Dongyang looked around and laughed, "He’ll soon be scared of the basketball court’s sll."
The basketball friends around also chuckled along.
"It’s ti to properly teach that nerd a lesson."
"Hates chemistry but still won the championship, watch how I deal with you."
"Since Li Zheng is here, should we also call over that tall guy from Yuedong?"
"Why not just call everyone who can play?"
"Yeah, yeah, let’s all gang up on Li Zheng, haha!"
...
Ten minutes later, at the hotel’s backyard basketball court.
The crew-cut ballers gathered together.
It naturally turned into a North versus South showdown.
The Northern team, consisting of Li Zheng, Jibei crew-cut, Northeast crew-cut, inner fierce crew-cut, and Lu Dong crew-cut.
The Southern team, led by Wei Dongyang, included Xiangbei crew-cut, Yuedong crew-cut, Zhejiang crew-cut, and Jiangsu crew-cut.
To avoid regional conflicts, the Northern team dubbed themselves "the Salty Team," and the Southerners beca "the Sweet Team" by default.
Both sides also had three to four substitute crew-cuts waiting on the sidelines.
The loser’s punishnt was to eat tofu pudding in the flavor of the other team’s region.
It was truly a battle for the dignity of taste.
The match was about to start.
Aside from Li Zheng.
All crew-cuts began to rub their glasses in unison.
Just as the ball was about to be tipped off.
The distant sound of a luggage suitcase being dragged ca into earshot.
Everyone put on their glasses and turned their heads.
Whoa.
It’s a girl!
In this godforsaken place, a girl finally appeared.
And not just any girl, but a particularly lively and cute one.
With her hair done in a playful slanted braid, her face exuded vitality.
Her upper body was covered with a short white down jacket.
And on the lower half, a dium-short skirt with boots and black stockings.
Not fearing the cold at all.
Good, good, being unafraid of the cold is great.
Not only that, but she also had a mischievous smile on her face, staring straight over at the basketball court.
As if she had just stepped out of a two-dinsional space.
At this mont, all glasses were on the brink of shattering.
Who she was, what she was here for, it didn’t matter anymore.
"Quick, start the ga!" Wei Dongyang roared with a rush of adrenaline, "Sweet Team must win! Tomorrow, you’re all adding sugar for !"
"You little brother, only know how to talk trash." The Salty Team’s leading center from Lu Dong bellowed, "Tomorrow I’ll personally add the salty brine for you, I’ll choke you with it!"
Under this dignified shouting, both sides took up their positions.
Of course, they couldn’t help but steal glances at the girl with the suitcase.
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