Several days after Lin Yujing entered her solitary retreat, Li Zheng also began his.
Unlike Lin Yujing’s aimless seclusion, Li Zheng had a very clear training objective.
He aid to engage in specialized learning across all subjects before university entry, to light up as many icons as possible.
From geotric topology to differential equations, from nuclear structures to high-energy astrophysics, from radiochemistry to nanomaterials, from mbrane biology to cell differentiation, from the Various Schools of Thought to the Qing Dynasty’s conquest...
Li Zheng, having lifted his seal, found the joy of learning once again.
After being invigorated by this joy, every evening when faced with Jingjing’s teasing, his heart and body remained undisturbed, replying with a re "Oh," deflecting all temptation back.
Right, occasionally he would also use his newly purchased telescope for stargazing, and send the photos to Jingjing, asking if she wanted to join.
Just like that, studying could calm all unrest, could dissolve all desires.
As long as he imrsed in study, no one could sway him.
Except for Zhang Xiaoke.
Li Zheng had no choice but to undergo a dual retreat this ti.
One person in seclusion could sit and ditate quietly.
Two people in seclusion, that’s where the fun begins.
If one must say, in these two months, Zhang Xiaoke truly began to study the way of magic.
Maintaining exercise, continually learning, single-minded focus, every second counts.
Though at first she left dragging her feet each day, Zhang Xiaoke’s adaptability was stronger than she herself had imagined, and within a week, she could leave patting her belly in satisfaction.
This routine continued until June 7th, when Li Zheng, honoring a promise to Liu Xiaodong, headed to the college entrance exam at the Normal University Affiliated School.
Different from those in the competitive circle, there were not many regular students from other schools who knew Li Zheng, and they just saw him as a simply handso guy.
To say he was simple, well, he wasn’t quite that simple.
After nearly a year of aerospace work, along with two months of concentrated professional study from seclusion...
Li Zheng had started to exude an aura of academic power.
With every movent, as if calculating exponents.
With every step, as if plotting parabolas.
His breathing, like waveforms.
Staring, and not finding a single unworthy pupil.
Indeed, unable to find her—Zhang Xiaoke had been assigned to a different examination room to face her own ordeal.
Li Zheng could only walk towards the classroom, listlessly.
That said, he knew it wasn’t right to judge soone solely on learning.
But this environnt was indeed a bit too chaotic.
On his way into the school and up the stairs, aside from a few teachers, he didn’t encounter a single student with an Academic Power close to a hundred.
On the contrary, there were those in the single digits.
Oh? Is that person with an Academic Power of only 8 trying to greet ?
Oh, it’s Ling Shihao.
Pretend not to recognize him... pretend not to recognize...
At least Liu Xin is in his twenties, but this chap really lacks ambition, huh.
Li Zheng entered the classroom, found his designated seat by his test number, and wanted to turn off his Scholar’s Eye to avoid any disturbance.
But with a final sweep, a number by the window suddenly struck his eyes.
[Academic Power: 777]
This intense academic radiance made Li Zheng cry out in shock.
How could this be, what’s with this high school student?
As he exclaid, the long-haired girl by the window turned her head in bewildernt.
"Hm?"
Ah!
[Lin Yujing]
[Academic Power: 777]
[Scholastic Wealth: 256]
Following a lightning-fast exchange of glances, the girl giggled and turned back around.
Li Zheng was left dazed for a long while.
"Are you a groundhog, handso?" the short-haired girl in the row before him turned around and laughed.
Li Zheng frantically rubbed his face.
Two months without seeing her... Lin Yujing seed to have gained an even more charming presence.
No, not charm.
It was an aura of learning manifest.
The sa kind of aura of learning manifest as his own.
If he rembered correctly, the last ti he checked she had only a little over 300 in Academic Power, rely at the level of a regular graduate student.
How... did she reach the level of a postdoctoral fellow...
Now, looking at himself.
[Li Zheng]
[Academic Power: 2134]
[Scholastic Wealth: 174]
This period of ti, he had been studying at full capacity and managed only just over a 1000-point improvent, and even this was becoming increasingly slow.
As for Zhang Xiaoke, who was fully dedicated to preparing for the gaokao, she eventually reached a level of 197. Although she was already not inferior to competition contestants, her full-capacity improvent still did not break 100.
On the other hand.
Why does she have more Scholastic Wealth than !
Because of Grandma?
Because of Grandma, huh...
Silence...
Endure.
Endure in secret.
Soday, what is yours, what is your Grandma’s.
Will all be mine...
"Handso, which school are you from?" the girl in the front row asked again.
Li Zheng looked up and saw a tomboyish girl, with a Scholastic Wealth of only 37, just two Liu Xins, 1/8 of a Qi Yingnan.
Talking to this kind of person could lower one’s Scholastic Wealth.
No, no, no, don’t judge people by their learning.
Li Zheng then closed his Scholar’s Eye, and decided it was best not to use it unless necessary in the future.
"Lake Ying Middle School," Li Zheng replied politely.
"I know Lake Ying Middle School well." The girl got excited, "Do you know Ling Shihao?"
People with low Scholastic Wealth are so annoying...
It seems like low Scholastic Wealth mbers from various schools have ford a network, all knowing each other and taking pride in it, always eager to show off their social circles.
"Don’t know him," Li Zheng turned his head, ready to end the conversation.
"You don’t know Ling Shihao? Isn’t he the big shot?" The girl shook her head in disappointnt, "Never mind, you are so handso that you probably aren’t good at studying anyway. I’ll find soone else..."
Just as she was about to turn back, a boy poked his head in from the door.
"Brother Zheng! How co you didn’t see ." Ling Shihao grinned as he tried to barge in.
Thank goodness for the invigilator. He checked Ling Shihao’s admission ticket in ti and told him to get lost.
The girl in the front row, however, lit up: "Brother Hao, you know him?"
"Li Zheng is our Lake Ying’s big brother!" Ling Shihao gestured while being shooed by the teacher, "Let’s talk after the exam, at the school gate. Don’t go anywhere."
Though Ling Shihao was driven away, the girl got excited.
"Wait, you’re Lake Ying’s big brother?? Hard to tell..." After sizing Li Zheng up and down, she imdiately raised her hand, "Alright, don’t say anything more, I’ll complete the answer sheet and leave it on the corner of the desk, just copy from ."
"???" Li Zheng glared, "Are you joking? This is the gaokao..."
"Don’t worry, precisely because it’s the gaokao and too serious, teachers wouldn’t dare to easily catch soone." Whispering, the girl moved closer to Li Zheng, "I’ve observed these teachers too, they’re all young, they won’t make things difficult for anyone."
"No, just take your test properly, don’t think about these things."
"Hey, don’t be polite. Brother Hao has also helped . We are brothers." With a knowing wink, the girl insisted, "I wanted to copy from soone who’s good at studies, but everyone around is just goofing off. No choice, copy from , Brother Zheng."
"Cough!" A sudden cough ca from the window side.
Lin Yujing glared over, frowning.
Acting shalessly right in front of my face!!
Can’t you just control your Scum Chap force?
Li Zheng spread his hands innocently.
What the heck can I do!
Is it my fault for being handso, excelling in both the pen and the sword, and having wide social contacts?
"Ah, that girl looks like she’s very good at studying..." The girl in the front row looked towards Lin Yujing and asked, "Do you know her?"
"Just a wife inside." Li Zheng said with a twisted smile.
"A sword what?"
"That... my better half, that is."
"The what?"
"Never mind." Li Zheng sighed, "Girlfriend."
"For real?" The girl’s eyes widened in astonishnt, glanced at Lin Yujing, and imdiately got up to squat next to Li Zheng, full of hope, "Then she must pass the answers to you."
"Cough!" Lin Yujing coughed again.
Li Zheng quickly waved his hand, "Go back, she’s getting angry."
"Then rember to pass the answers to ."
"Im! Pos! Si! Ble!" Li Zheng sternly rebuked, "Keep this up and I’ll tell the teacher!"
"What the..." The girl shook her head in disappointnt and went back to her seat, "So la, I won’t help you cheat..."
Man, what a hassle.
After calming himself down, the Chinese language exam officially started.
To this day, taking this kind of test was as routine as breathing to Li Zheng.
He didn’t have to engage his brain at all; his autonomic nervous system was sufficient.
However, when he got to the essay, he had no choice but to get his brain in gear.
[With the successful launch of Yellow River-2, it marks our country...]
[Behind this achievent is a decade of perseverance, countless setbacks. The chief commander of Yellow River-2, Zhao Zhenhua, once openly stated that the day of the first launch failure was the darkest mont in China’s aviation history, but he didn’t have ti to grieve. He took the ti to write an article titled "Belief" to motivate all the rocket engineers...]
[According to Secretary Zhao Zhenhua’s recollection, after repeated "Resets" t with obstacles, the entire team’s morale was on the verge of collapse. At this point, it was the belief...]
[The two young intern engineers left a profound impression on Secretary Zhao Zhenhua. In the most challenging tis, these engineers still maintained their first beliefs, and…]
[In the end, the entire team united to overco the difficulties…]
[Please title your essay "The Power of Belief"…]
As soon as Li Zheng saw this… he got fired up imdiately.
What to do…
I, have beco an essay topic.
What to do…
Li Zheng glanced at Lin Yujing right away.
"Hmm…" Lin Yujing also exclaid with a gape, her cheeks blushing as she turned to look towards Li Zheng.
What to do? We’ve beco an essay topic, what to do!
"Cough…" The teacher in front coughed, "Rember the exam rules, no talking… um, or whispering."
Both of them quickly lowered their heads again.
During this exchange of looks, they shared their thoughts.
Hmm…
After all, we’re guaranteed to advance.
Writing essays, I’ve aid for safety all my life.
Screw the college entrance exam.
It’s about having one final blast of fun!
And so, Li Zheng began like this.
[I still rember the first ti I stepped into the Aerospace First Institute, standing in front of Mr. Qian’s statue… This is the belief in one’s country.]
["Aim for the highest peaks, assault the most formidable bunkers!" Commander Chen Hongbing’s eyes were as piercing as torches… This is the belief in honor.]
Lin Yujing began like this.
[That night on Jianfeng Ridge, watching Yellow River-2 plumt into the distant, unseen ocean…]
[He said to : Let’s go build a rocket.]
[The seed of belief was quietly planted in that mont.]
Sotis, they couldn’t help it.
Having done so many papers, even when you want to let loose, you end up sticking to the topic unconsciously.
This must be because my power won’t let have fun on my own.
Making it just in ti for the earliest opportunity to hand in their papers, they both raised their hands and presented their exams.
For a mont, it was as if they were in a different world.
The teacher was astonished, the students uneasy.
The Lake Ying Duo had returned to the exam hall.
Exiting the examination room, the corridor was still deserted, with only the proctor pointing out the exit route, signaling to keep any strange noises to a minimum.
Walking side by side, after all, they had both been in isolation, having agreed not to et.
It wasn’t until they exited the school grounds and each mounted their bicycles that they spoke.
It was Li Zheng who couldn’t hold back first.
"We have math at three this afternoon…" Li Zheng scratched his face and said, "How about we grab so lunch together and then hang out at my place for a while?"
"Hmm…" Lin Yujing, gripping the handlebars, said, "I need to take a nap…"
"Then, your place?"
"There’s soone at my house…"
"No problem, I don’t need to stand on ceremony with Aunt Shen…"
"It’s my grandpa…"
"???"
"He knows I’m taking the college entrance exam… He specially ca over these past few days to look after , to cook for …"
"Then… should we go to my place?"
"My grandpa ca especially to cook for …"
"Let’s go to your house then."
"I’m afraid he might hit you…"
"Don’t worry, I won’t be at a loss."
"Scum Chap! You mustn’t fight back!"
"Then… let’s just go to our own hos."
"I’m upset!" Lin Yujing lifted the handlebar and slamd it down, turning her head to scold, "Oh, oh strange!"
"What?"
"I share my daily experiences with you, and all you can reply with is ’oh’!"
"Isn’t that you flirting with ?"
"Shouldn’t boyfriends and girlfriends share with each other? You don’t share with either, hmph."
"It’s just doing exercises with Zhang Xiaoke every day, what’s there to share? The changes in Zhang Xiaoke’s weight?"
"And today too, you even hit on the girl sitting in front of you in the exam room!"
"I didn’t want to either…"
"That’s true…" Lin Yujing gritted her teeth and got on her bike, "If you want to co to my place, keep up…"
"Whoosh!"
Li Zheng charged up like the Flash.
"Don’t stick so close!!" Lin Yujing cursed.
"Then pedal faster," he retorted.
"Arghhhhh!" Lin Yujing pedaled furiously.
But it was no use, Li Zheng could keep pace with only 15% pedaling frequency.
"Huff huff huff huff..." Lin Yujing eventually had to hold onto Li Zheng’s shoulders, using him as her engine, "Here... turn left..."
"Oh." Li Zheng turned his head, looking at her flushed cheeks close at hand, and raised his eyebrows teasingly, "I have a bold idea..."
Lin Yujing, frightened, imdiately freed one hand to cover her mouth: "Not here!!"
"Trust , I can handle this difficulty, I’m a top expert now."
"No, no!!" Lin Yujing hurriedly directed, "Watch the road!! We’ll talk when we get ho!!"
"You said it~~"
...
Shen Yuecen, the Study Demon, was a man who planned every detail.
The Chinese exam ended at 11:30.
The clever Little Jingjing surely finished her test by 10:30.
But due to examination hall rules, she could not submit her paper until eleven.
It took an average of 21 minutes and 36 seconds to bike ho from Normal University Affiliated School.
Therefore, having lunch ready by 11:22 was just perfect.
As for preparing lunch itself, that was a matter of ti managent.
Simring rice, preparing soup, each had their own tiline.
Chopping vegetables, washing rice, one must make the most of every minute.
Stir-frying, pouring sauce, should be done right at the last minute.
Finally, at 11:21, all the dishes were served on the table.
Two bowls of steaming rice were filled.
"Ding dong."
The doorbell rang.
Perfect!
Shen Yuecen couldn’t help smiling as he took off his apron, shook off the kitchen slls, and hurried to the door, opening it with great anticipation.
"With this timing, Little Jingjing must also be..."
However, he stopped mid-sentence.
The happy smile gradually froze on his face.
A dashing young man stood awkwardly at the door.
Shrinking back, he looked uneasy.
"Grandma... Teacher Shen, hello..." Li Zheng scratched his head, "Haha... I ca to grab a al... haha..."
"Wrong house." Shen Yuecen was about to close the door.
"Grandpa!!" Lin Yujing appeared from behind Li Zheng, "He has nowhere to eat... It’s so pitiful..."
Shen Yuecen’s face twisted in annoyance.
Veins popped out all over his body.
Pitiful??? With that smug look on Li Zheng’s face, pitiful???
"Grandpa, Grandpa..." Lin Yujing stepped forward, tugging at Shen Yuecen’s arm, "Let him stay for a al... He’s your disciple now, after all..."
"Tsk." Shen Yuecen shot Li Zheng a cold glance.
"Hehe." Li Zheng gave a silly grin.
This wasn’t a silly grin.
It was a cunning smirk!
Putting on airs after taking advantage!
But.
"Grandpa, Grandpa~~~" Lin Yujing implored with increasing sadness in her voice, "It’s been a long ti since we’ve seen each other..."
Shen Yuecen blushed.
But Little Jingjing was just too cute!
How could he possibly refuse her!
In the end, Shen Yuecen didn’t even look at Li Zheng, and with a haughty toss of his head said:
"Just one al."
"Thank you, Grandpa!"
"Thank you, Grand... Teacher!"
"It’s teacher, just teacher, why pause? Are you doing this on purpose?"
"Can’t help it... Grandma... Teacher."
"Eat! No talking!"
"Yes, Grand... Teacher."
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