Study Monster Cultivation System

Chapter 154 - 153 is exactly what I want

Li Zheng was helping Shi Yang out of the laboratory when most people had already moved to the adjacent classroom to rest and discuss. Only a few were still anxiously waiting.

Especially Father Shi, who quite felt like he was back in the days waiting outside the delivery room.

Seeing Shi Yang emerge with a big smile, he was the first to go up and help: "How did it go, is it done?"

"It’s done, it’s done." Shi Yang widened his eyes, raised his hand, and said, "Zhou Chenghuan... Zhou Chenghuan just shook hands with me."

"Keep your voice down!" Father Shi raised his hand and slapped his son on the head. "You don’t call the dean that to his face."

"Hehe, I think he was quite happy..." Shi Yang chuckled foolishly.

At this moment, Father Shi’s tense expression finally relaxed a bit, but he still felt that his son might not be reliable and turned to ask Li Zheng, "How did it really go?"

"Uncle, rest assured, it’s definitely fine, go back and get an IV."

"Reliable!" It was only after this that Father Shi was overjoyed. He took his son from Li Zheng’s hands, saying, "I’ll take him back to the hospital first, let’s meet up after Shi Yang has recovered."

As they were talking, Wu Shu and Ou Xingzhuo approached.

Before they could speak, Shi Yang glared at them: "Ugh, ugh, ugh... All hail..."

Ou Xingzhuo quickly took out his phone and started operating it: "Aughing to one’s face, that’s an additional offense."

"Haha, you dog group owner!" Shi Yang laughed. "You’re even spicier than I imagined."

"Not bad, an additional 30 days of silence for you."

Wu Shu, on the other hand, had a serious look: "Don’t eat recklessly once you’re better, otherwise Li Zheng’s sacrifice would have been in vain."

"Sacrifice?"

Li Zheng quickly pushed Shi Yang: "Don’t worry about it, go back and recover."

With some pushing and pulling, Shi Yang eventually followed his father and left.

Ou Xingzhuo then handed a piece of paper to Li Zheng: "The letters of regret for the three of us are already written; this is yours. If we read them together later, it won’t be as embarrassing."

"No worries, I can do it myself." Li Zheng took the letter of regret, glanced at it, and exclaimed in surprise, "It’s in classical style?"

"Sorry, I just grabbed a second prize from New Concept in my freshman year." Ou Xingzhuo said with a raised eyeglass and a smile, "Everyone sees the cause now; it’s not embarrassing, justice lies within people’s hearts."

Wu Shu also took out her own copy and waved it: "It’s no big deal. Besides, the three of us bowing together is probably the pinnacle of Hu Zengwu’s life, right?"

Li Zheng and Ou Xingzhuo couldn’t help but laugh along.

"However, I’m still a bit disappointed." Ou Xingzhuo took off his glasses and slowly started to clean them. "I thought Ji University was a more open and pure place, but it turns out there are still such people in charge."

"Don’t say that, Dean Zhou is very good." Wu Shu quickly looked back to make sure they weren’t overheard before she whispered, "Senior Sister Shen is also very good."

"Their goodness is expected. Why else would we fight so hard to come here?" Ou Xingzhuo, holding his glasses, shook his head and said to himself, "Damn it, I’ve caused trouble countless times since I was young, and I’ve never written a self-criticism. I didn’t expect that the first self-criticism I wrote would be at my long-sought haven, in such a manner."

Li Zheng could naturally sense his unwillingness. Ou Xingzhuo, this prick, is probably the most prideful person he had ever met in his life.

"How about I do it alone?" Li Zheng suggested.

"No, I want to remember how I feel right now, and so do you," Ou Xingzhuo put on his glasses again, hugged Wu Shu and Li Zheng with one arm, and stared down the corridor, whispering, "The age of youth is over. From now on, we have to climb higher, and not let down the generations to come."

Li Zheng instantly got goosebumps all over.

Damn, that was too provocative.

Then he looked at Wu Shu.

She actually... listened to him.

She seemed to be contemplating something or simply lost in a daze.

Fortunately, the last few students who had just finished their experiments came out just in time, and Ou Xingzhuo finally let go, returning to normal.

Shen Yiyun also came out at that time, and the three hurriedly presented their letters of regret to her.

"It’s alright now, Dean Zhou has taken care of everything. However, I’ll still give these to Teacher Hu; we likely don’t need to read them in public," Shen Yiyun was also quite exhausted throughout the whole process. At that moment, looking at the three of them, she felt a bit envious, like she was forcibly fed dog food.

It wasn’t clear if it was friendship or ideals.

Maybe it was just that kind of beauty that would eventually fade away.

...

After that, everyone at the camp gathered in the cafeteria for a meal under Shen Yiyun’s organization. Although it wasn’t a huge feast, it was still a small farewell dinner.

Meanwhile, the training teachers and members of the Chemical Society were in the meeting room, eating box meals while discussing. Zhou Yi insisted that the list be released tonight.

Upon hearing this news, those gathering in the cafeteria didn’t rush to leave; they all wanted to wait until the list was out before going.

Moreover, the next day there was the Golden Autumn Camp theory exam, so many people simply weren’t leaving at all.

For tomorrow’s exam, Shi Yang definitely wouldn’t be able to attend, and Wu Shu and Ou Xingzhuo had already secured their spots; they weren’t interested in camps like these.

Li Zheng suddenly felt everything to be dull and tasteless, and so he informed Shen Yiyun that he would not participate in the subsequent activities either.

Shen Yiyun had no objection to this. Li Zheng was virtually a sure member of the provincial team. There would be many contract opportunities during the national finals, and signing with a gold medal would certainly carry more weight.

After eating in a hurry, Shen Yiyun returned to the meeting room to participate in the discussion.

In the cafeteria, the forty or so people dragged on until after eight o’clock. Just when it was about to close, Shen Yiyun came running back with her phone, laughing at the bunch of students stretching their necks waiting for the news.

"You’re not leaving unless the list is out, right?" Shen Yiyun chuckled and raised her phone, "The list is final, and it will be published on the Chemical Society’s official website tomorrow."

The scene suddenly quieted down, and everyone stiffened as if awaiting their judgement to be handed down.

"Ready?" Shen Yiyun gave a final reminder, "For those who have the Golden Autumn Camp exam tomorrow, I suggest you wait to check until after you’ve finished the exam."

No one moved.

Who could hold back?

Alive or dead, let’s just get it over with.

"Alright," Shen Yiyun looked at her phone screen and said, "As before, the order of the list is the order of the total scores."

"The 2018 32nd National Chemistry Olympiad final, the list of Jijing City team members is as follows—"

"Lake Ying Middle School, Li Zheng."

"Renmin University Affiliated Middle School, Wu Shu."

"City First School, Shi Yang."

"No. 18 Middle School, Zhang Yiran."

"Renmin University Affiliated Middle School, Ou Xingzhuo."

...

For Li Zheng sitting at this dinner table, after hearing the name Ou Xingzhuo, there was no need to listen further.

But around him, the students whose names were called still jumped up excitedly or pumped their fists.

Across the table, Li Zheng, Wu Shu, and Ou Xingzhuo looked at each other, knowing this would happen but still feeling a little thrilled.

However, their reasons for excitement were somewhat peculiar, mainly because they could hang out together again in half a month.

Ou Xingzhuo was the first to rise, nodding at Li Zheng, "Let’s not waste time, see you at the national finals."

Wu Shu also extended his right hand to Li Zheng, "Don’t be swayed by Ou Xingzhuo’s fancy talk, see you at Lu Dong."

"Don’t rush off," Li Zheng quickly stood up, "I want to ride home in the Porsche to show the neighbors."

"Get lost, gas is expensive," Ou Xingzhuo was ready to leave, but gave Wu Shu a sidelong glance and got playful again, "Unless... it’s on the way."

Li Zheng shouldered his backpack and said, "I live near Lake Ying, just head south, that’s on the way, right?"

"Not at all, goodbye," Ou Xingzhuo turned to Wu Shu, "How about you?"

"Oh, my dad’s here to pick me up," Wu Shu shook his phone with a smile, "Go enjoy your drive alone."

"Hmph... good, I’ll save on gas..."

"Come on, at least give me a lift to the subway station," Li Zheng shamelessly edged closer.

"I don’t care," Ou Xingzhuo turned his face and walked away.

"Weren’t we supposed to take on the world together?" Li Zheng pursued persistently.

"Keep your voice down..." Ou Xingzhuo’s face turned red.

"Isn’t our youth supposed to end together?"

"Enough... I’ll take you... I’ll take you..."

Just as Li Zheng was stubbornly trying to hitch a ride with Ou Xingzhuo, Shen Yiyun, who had just finished reading the list, suddenly ran over.

"Li Zheng, don’t leave yet," Shen Yiyun grabbed Li Zheng’s left shoulder, seemingly afraid of being overheard, and whispered excitedly, "Dean Zhou wants to see you."

"This late?" Li Zheng didn’t quite understand.

"Heh," Ou Xingzhuo immediately turned back and patted Li Zheng, "Congratulations."

"Idiot, it’s about the contract!" Wu Shu hit Li Zheng hard, "Congratulations, junior!"

"???"

...

When Li Zheng entered the conference room with Shen Yiyun, only two people remained inside.

One was a female teacher who had never appeared before, looking too young and delicate to seem like a regular teacher.

The other was naturally Zhou Yi.

They were deep in conversation, occasionally bursting into laughter, obviously long-time colleagues.

They were so engrossed in conversation that they didn’t notice Li Zheng and Shen Yiyun enter.

"Dean Zhou, Teacher Huang, Li Zheng is here," Shen Yiyun reported.

"Oh, oh," Zhou Yi quickly ceased his chat, turned to Shen Yiyun, "Thank you, Yi Yun, go and rest."

"Okay." Shen Yiyun gave a fist bump to Li Zheng and then took his leave.

Zhou Yi pulled a chair closer and waved at Li Zheng, "Come, sit down."

Once Li Zheng was seated, Zhou Yi introduced, "This is Teacher Huang Ying from the admissions office, responsible for the contracts."

"Hello, Teacher Huang."

"Hello," Huang Ying shook hands then looked down at Li Zheng’s file, "I see your grades peaked in high school, right?"

"Yes."

"Hmm, it’s usually the boys that peak late, but to reach your level is quite rare," Huang Ying raised her hand, "You start, Dean Zhou."

"Right, it’s getting late, I’ll cut to the chase," Zhou Yi smiled at Li Zheng, transitioning from a New Year’s well-wisher to a direct-sales guru.

"I’ll be clear with you, normally, you’d have to wait until after the Golden Autumn Camp to sign a contract."

"So don’t talk about today’s meeting to anyone."

"Teacher Huang has come all the way here, which wasn’t easy, so you should thank her properly afterward."

"As for why we want to sign you early."

"To be honest, your chemistry level is very strong, but it’s not strong enough to have Teacher Huang rush over here in the middle of the night."

"It’s actually some other matters beyond chemistry that prompted me to make a decision."

"You and Shi Yang are friends as well as rivals."

"And you’re both very close in terms of ability."

"It’s fine to join forces, but to stand by and watch is also acceptable."

"I’m aware of the incident with Old Hu, and I’ve read your letter of apology."

"There were misunderstands involved, and your approach may not have been entirely correct, but it’s enough to show your potential."

Zhou Yi paused before he asked, "Yi Yun has told you about the experiment training, right?"

"What?"

"The national team provincial quota."

"Yes," Li Zheng nodded, "It was mentioned at the end, according to the rules set by the Chemical Society, among the four members of the national team, each province can have only one representative."

Zhou Yi pursed his lips, turned to the admissions officer, and explained, "Teacher Huang, you understand what I mean now, right? Both he and Shi Yang have a good chance of making the national team, but only one can go. In that context, during the previous assessment, he managed to make such a decisive call without hesitation. A student like that is exactly who I want.

Even if the grades weren’t as good, which is not the case since he was first in the provincial selection."

"You flatter me, Dean Zhou, I just didn’t think that far ahead..." Li Zheng’s face was burning red, "And besides, at least half of the credit for my experiment skills goes to Shi Yang. I asked him a similar question, and he responded with your own words about ’internal competition and external competition,’ which I think is quite right."

"He said that?" Zhou Yi was delighted, "That kid Shi Yang, always trying to outsmart me whenever we meet, he must have been a fan for a long time now, haha!"

Teacher Huang Ying, beside him, covered her face and laughed, "Dean Zhou, please have a little self-restraint..."