Study Monster Cultivation System

Chapter 156: It’s still not allowed there.

On the return subway ride, Li Zheng wanted to take a quick nap, but just as he closed his eyes, his phone began to vibrate intensely.

He took out his phone and saw messages from Yu Hong bombarding him one after another.

[Yu Hong: You rejected Zhou Yi’s contract?]

[Yu Hong: Do you know what you are doing?]

[Yu Hong: Our school hasn’t produced a Ji University Elite in almost ten years, Li Zheng!]

[Yu Hong: Ji University Chemical Institute—I didn’t even make it!]

[Yu Hong: I know you prefer physics, but are you so confident about getting into Ji University Department of Physics?]

[Yu Hong: What’s so great about physics? Its practical techniques are already outdated. At this stage, those in physics are all big charlatans, do you know that? Either they try to swindle government funds for colliders or rack their brains over nonsense like quantum mechanics and string theory, all unverifiable. It’s a swindle after all.]

[Yu Hong: I think you’ve been swindled.]

[Yu Hong: You’ve read too many novels; who else believes them besides novelists?]

[Yu Hong: Actually, even novelists don’t believe them, they just use these notions as material to hoodwink students like you who don’t know anything.]

[Yu Hong: Chemistry is different. It still has a lot of room in applications, solving real-world issues from environmental pollution to pharmaceutical research. There’s a way forward in every direction.]

[Yu Hong: Are you trying to infuriate me to death!]

Li Zheng felt helpless; every time he just typed a few characters to reply, Yu Hong sent another new message.

This anger from Li Zheng was understandable.

Moreover, much of what Yu Hong said was not mere scaremongering.

Theoretical physics indeed felt somewhat like a dead end, mainly because observational methods were far behind theoretical conjectures.

Or rather, geniuses like Einstein, Maxwell, and Schrödinger had guessed almost all the observable scientific phenomena for the next 100 years ahead of time.

However, Yu Hong’s arguments were somewhat extreme.

At least in subfields like astrophysics, laser physics, and particle physics, there was still much worth exploring.

As for a sudden emergence of a Newton or Einstein,

coming up with something like gravity or the theory of relativity on a whim,

such events were now virtually impossible.

Moreover, even though the job prospects in chemistry were also not great, it was at least better because of the high demand for chemical industry across society, much more than just persisting in the ivory tower of theoretical physics.

Li Zheng, just about to finalize the wording for his response, found Yu Hong had already sent another message.

[Yu Hong: Forget it, it’s really impossible to communicate with you.]

[Yu Hong: I knew at first glance you didn’t like chemistry, and your poor performance in it was one thing, but inexplicably excelling in it were you trying to provoke me?]

[Yu Hong: Enough said.]

[Yu Hong: If you don’t bring home the national scholarship, see how I’ll deal with you!]

[Yu Hong: Don’t think I don’t have ways to handle it.]

[Yu Hong: I’ll separate you and Lin Yujing into different classes—believe it or not??]

WTF???]

He had that move up his sleeve?

Li Zheng’s eyes widened in surprise. Just as he was about to reply, Yu Hong quickly retracted the previous message.

You know what a slip of the tongue is, huh?

[Yu Hong: Come to my office tomorrow at noon.]

[Yu Hong: Bring the reimbursement bills with you.]

This finally made Li Zheng feel relieved.

To tell you the truth, Teacher Yu, I have actually saved quite a bit of those.

Based on previous experiences, Li Zheng had grown more mature.

He immediately took a screenshot, not giving her a chance to deny it.

On the other end, Old Li and Ning’er were not as incensed as Yu Hong.

Even though Ji University is a good school.

But no help could be gotten; the whole family disliked chemistry.

...

The next morning, Li Zheng, now used to waking up at around 6:15 AM, went downstairs for a forty-minute run to ease up, followed by the usual routine of a shower, breakfast, browsing, and responding to posts. Just as he reached the parking area at the school gate around 7:50 AM,

something felt off today.

The eyes of the students parking their bikes looked somewhat surprised.

From inside the school, the sound of the broadcast echoed, a typical female voice present in every school’s broadcasting system—

[Great news! Li Zheng, a student from our 10th grade, class four, has been selected for Jijing’s Chemistry Team as the top student of the city. Wishing Li Zheng the best on behalf of Jijing and our school in the upcoming National Chemistry Olympiad! Great news from our school...]

F***, it was still on loop.

Li Zheng, embarrassed, bowed his head and locked his bike firmly.

As he walked toward the school entrance, enduring the stares and whispers from all around, his embarrassment deepened.

It’s not that he opposed being admired for his looks.

It was just that for him at the moment, this achievement didn’t hold much value.

There were many stronger competitors; such a level would barely get a mention in the school magazine in Ren Da Fu, definitely not warranting such fuss.

Moreover, he achieved this first place when Shi Yang was in poor form and arrived two hours late.

The more they touted it, the more upset he felt.

Just as Li Zheng was almost reaching the school gate,

"Master!"

A remarkably friendly voice came over.

Even Li Zheng couldn’t resist and burst into laughter when he looked up and saw Zhang Xiaoke.

There she was, dressed in the standard blue and white school uniform with a red armband on her arm denoting her role as the ’duty student’. She carried a bit of a student committee member vibe.

Of course, that was just an illusion.

On closer inspection, one could see that she had modified her uniform: the waist was taken in, the collar was smaller and tip-tilted, and there were various shiny miscellaneous items added, along with her hairstyle and eyelashes which were just on the verge of breaking the rules.

She actually turned the school uniform into her own "Xiaoke style"!

Seeing Zhang Xiaoke pounce over zealously, Li Zheng was genuinely shocked, "What’s this? A celestial maiden dance?"

"Scram!" Zhang Xiaoke slapped his shoulder while taking advantage of the momentum, then started sizing him up, "Master, you seem off as well… How does it feel… more… lifted somehow?"

She was staring at Li Zheng’s butt when she said that.

Though Li Zheng didn’t mind being admired for his handsomeness, that area was off-limits.

"Why have you become so corrupt, and I’ve just been gone for a few days?" Li Zheng turned and chastised, "Been slacking off with your studies, huh? See if I don’t flunk you!"

"Haha, come at me," Zhang Xiaoke laughed heartily, hands on her hips, boasting, "Not gonna lie, I feel like I’ve had a breakthrough recently, stronger by not just a little bit."

"Alright," Li Zheng couldn’t help but flex his fingers, "True to your style, always making me look forward to it."

While he was speaking, another familiar voice came through.

"What’s going on, what’s going on? Let’s go, why are you standing there? You, you, you, what is the duty student doing?"

Zhang Xiaoke panicked and quickly turned back to her original place.

Sun Xiubin strode over quickly, adjusting his glasses as he shouted, "The duty student is supposed to check the dress and hairstyles, are you here to chit-chat? Who are you talking to? Who are you talking to?"

Turning his head, Sun Xiubin caught Li Zheng walking with his hands behind his back.

Actually, Li Zheng wasn’t intentionally walking with his hands behind his back this time; he was merely covering his butt, not wanting it to be on display.

Yet, he still looked imposing even without being angry.

"Director Sun, good morning," Li Zheng glanced at Sun Xiubin, nodding slightly.

That single glance scattered Sun Xiubin’s authoritative aura.

Of course, it wasn’t solely due to his imposing appearance.

It was mainly because Li Zheng, by now, was already the Light of Lake Ying.

Saying nothing of being first in the provincial team, entering a prestigious college was a done deal.

A presence like this.

Even Assistant Principal Sun Xiubin had to show him some respect.

Even if Li Zheng openly dated someone at school, she, Sun Xiubin, could now only seethe in silence.

Let alone teasing a duty student.

"Good… good morning, Student Li Zheng," Sun Xiubin managed to swallow all her accusations, somewhat avoiding Li Zheng’s gaze.

Li Zheng glared.

Every time that expression appeared, it would invariably accompany a mad harvest of vitality values.

Everyone had been peaceful for a long time, so why this again?

...

Not until Li Zheng reached the classroom door did the daunting broadcast end.

This caused him to be greeted with hoots from the whole class as soon as he entered the classroom.

"Damn! Brother Li, I’ve missed you so much!"

"Awesome, Li Zheng!"

"You’re even cooler than Yu Hong now, right? During class, can you ask her a super tough question? I want to see her struggle."

"How come… your figure suddenly looks so lifted?"

Li Zheng barely responded to the various noises as he struggled to make it to his seat.

He glanced instinctively.

Lin Yujing’s desk was empty.

He wasn’t sure if she hadn’t arrived yet, or wasn’t planning to come at all.

Just as Li Zheng was pondering, a familiar yet cold voice came from behind him—

"Not here yet."

Li Zheng shuddered, turning his head to look.

Unlike his own situation.

Jiang Qinghua seemed to have aged a bit suddenly, with dark circles already forming under his eyes. Although his hair didn’t seem to have thinned, a closer look at the division point of his hair seemed to have receded slightly.

Following traditional Chinese medicine.

His kidneys seemed to be failing.

"Are you… okay?" Li Zheng asked with a trembling voice.

"I’m fine," Jiang Qinghua grinned, "Just knew you’d look there first. Guess that’s a kind of telepathy."

Li Zheng shuddered again, "I was just wondering how she’s doing with physics."

"Hehe, then you’ve asked the right person," Jiang Qinghua said, pulling out a small green book, the title glaringly obvious—

"Physics Competition Tutorial".

"You?" Li Zheng was stunned.

"Yeah, I also registered for the physics competition with Teacher Tao," Jiang Qinghua nodded vigorously, "Man’s gotta be harsh on himself, you’ve always been like that, right?"

"That’s true… but you have to watch the extent…" Li Zheng said sympathetically, "You can’t overexert yourself too much."

"I haven’t, I’m in bed by ten every night, no staying up to study," Jiang Qinghua said, as another physics competition textbook slid off his lap and fell onto the floor.

Li Zheng looked down at the large, somewhat wrinkled yellow book—

"500 New Solutions to Physics Problems in Russian High Schools."

"Damn, just the title sounds cultish."

Jiang Qinghua hurriedly picked up the problem booklet and said, "It’s only reasonable to look at a couple of problems during morning reading."

"Don’t do this, Qinghua... the core of studying isn’t about overkill..."

"Exactly." Liu Xin felt even more sympathetic, "Come on, Brother Li, save him. Recently, even while playing basketball, he kept mumbling about the trajectory of arcs or something..."

At that moment, the warning bell finally rang, and the horrifying cycle of joyful announcements finally ended.

Upon hearing the sound, Liu Xin started a countdown.

"Lin Yujing is 10 seconds away."

"9..."

"..."

"3..."

"2..."

"1!"

The countdown ended, and the three of them looked toward the classroom door simultaneously.

But nobody was there.

"Huh? This can’t be wrong." Liu Xin wondered, "Could she really have taken the day off?"

Li Zheng hummed, "She must be secretly reviewing physics at home."

"She doesn’t need to do it secretly, Brother Li, Miss Lin is upfront about it," Liu Xin said, pointing at Jiang Qinghua, who was looking down at the tricky Russian problems, "That, now, is what you call ’doing it secretly.’"

Jiang Qinghua cursed, "I just don’t want to be too high-profile. What if I don’t even make it past the preliminary round..."

"Don’t think about the outcome, be confident." Li Zheng turned and nodded, "At the Chem Competitions prelims, I saw someone break down on the spot. Such a desperate mindset might be the reason for failure. If possible, try not to think about the outcomes. Isn’t the study itself wonderful?"

"That’s... true," Jiang Qinghua scratched his head, "I feel much more relaxed when doing physics papers now."

After scratching his head, he also shook his hand, flinging off the loose hair.

"Right, that’s the way." Li Zheng dared not look at how much hair was on the ground, just smiled, "To tell the truth, by now, you should be able to outdo me in physics."

"Ah haha—" Jiang Qinghua scratched his head and laughed, "No way, not that fast."

"I’ve been doing nothing but reading Chinese for two hours a day. I haven’t touched anything related to chemistry lately." Li Zheng smiled with pursed lips, "I’m afraid I’ll bomb the monthly test."

"No way, you just stop pretending haha," Jiang Qinghua got excited and scratched off another handful of hair.

He had gotten used to the scene and simply grinned and clapped the hair off his hands.

"Stop scratching, please keep some hair," Liu Xin said sympathetically, holding Jiang Qinghua’s hands, "And, my Brother Li is not one to pretend. If he says he didn’t touch it, then he didn’t."

"True words." Li Zheng sighed, "I’m so unpracticed, I almost forgot the formula for gravitational force..."

"Then... you really need to get a feel for it again," Jiang Qinghua laughed, "Now, using those formulas has become so natural for me, I don’t even have to think. It’s purely muscle memory."

"Impressive," Li Zheng nodded firmly.

"Hey, it’s just solving a few more problems," Jiang Qinghua began scratching again.

While speaking, Li Zheng’s ears twitched.

Listen carefully.

There was a sound in the hallway.

Very faint.

But it could only be that sound.

"Um...hmm hmm hmm..."

She wasn’t secretly studying physics at home?

Soon, Lin Yujing appeared at the classroom door, but in a state of being captured and escorted by Zhang Xiaoke, still struggling with muffled noises.

"Hereby, the duty student and vice-class monitor declares, your hair is too long." Zhang Xiaoke escorted Lin Yujing towards the window, her face full of a wicked smile, "Punishment: face scrunching!"

"Hmm?"

What followed was a series of indescribable scenes.

Unexpectedly.

Although Lin Yujing was captured, she suddenly reversed her body with a backhand, and managed to wrap Zhang Xiaoke into it.

Then, she pinned her down on her own desk and completed a counter-attack.

In the end, she grabbed Zhang Xiaoke’s wrists with one hand, while the other hand madly invaded Zhang Xiaoke’s face.

"Face scrunching!"

"Ah pu uru…" Zhang Xiaoke’s carefully styled hair and curled eyelashes were completely ruined, and her whole face seemed to be blown by a hurricane as she struggled and pleaded for mercy, "No...I can’t...please spare me..."

"Phew." It was only then that Lin Yujing let go and then, subconsciously, she looked toward Li Zheng’s seat.

They locked eyes.

Both panicked for a moment and looked away.

Then, feeling silly about panicking, they glared fiercely at each other again.

Afterward, they squinted their eyes and tried their best to express disdain for each other.

In the back row.

Jiang Qinghua watched this series of synchronizations.

Clutching the Russian 500 problems on his lap.

No expression whatsoever.

He had long since become as steadfast as rock.

No panic, no anger, no jealousy, no depression.

This was Qinghua’s "Four No’s" principle.

Obviously, Yu Jing only paid attention to those who could match her academically.

You, Li Zheng, think I, Qinghua, can’t learn?

At worst, I’ll just be a dumb bird learning to fly early, dying on physics competitions a few months before you.

Just like you said, Li Zheng, heaven rewards the diligent.

As long as I take down these 500 Russian problems.

Maybe, it will be me who goes to the physics competition finals with Yu Jing.

When Qinghua snapped back to reality, she realized that Yu Jing had already brought Zhang Xiaoke over to this side.

"Hmm." Yu Jing pushed Zhang Xiaoke back to her seat and told Li Zheng, "Keep an eye on her."

"Sorry for the trouble," Li Zheng admitted his fault, aware it was his own issue.

Zhang Xiaoke could only helplessly slam the desk: "Damn… I didn’t expect her to be so strong..."

"For strength, I’d still recommend a senior," Li Zheng whispered, "As long as you win over Qiao Bixia, you can do whatever you want to Yu Jing."

"!" Zhang Xiaoke had an epiphany, "That makes sense."

"She runs slow, can’t catch me." Yu Jing turned her face to leave, then suddenly stopped and asked without turning around, "Signing up?"

"Didn’t sign, outright refused," answered Li Zheng. "No way, physics and math are just more appealing."

"~~~" Yu Jing finally relaxed and bounced back to her seat.

Zhang Xiaoke was shocked: "What did you just say? Refused what?"

"Nothing much."

"It wasn’t Ji University’s contract, was it?" Qinghua also panicked, dropping the 500 Russian problems.

Li Zheng lowered his head to pack his bag: "That contract is too exclusive, I dare not sign."

"Let me translate," Liu Xin raised his hand, "As a die-hard fan of Brother Li, I still remember what he said during the school-wide speech, it’s something like he could get accepted anyway, signing it would mean less freedom,"

"That’s too much," pondered Zhang Xiaoke, "Just make sure Yu Hong or Liu Xiaodong don’t find out, or they’ll kill you."

"They already... know about it," Li Zheng’s face darkened, nervous about facing Yu Hong at noon, "Let’s not spread the word, the professors at Ji University’s Chemical Institute are all nice, I don’t want to embarrass them."

Liu Xin immediately pounded his chest: "I definitely won’t tell."

"Don’t you trust my lips?" Zhang Xiaoke licked her lips and blinked.

"I’m just a physics learning machine," Qinghua picked up the 500 problems again.

As class was about to start, Yu Jing uncharacteristically came back around and slapped a piece of paper on Zhang Xiaoke’s desk.

"There’s a reward."

After saying this, she twisted around and ran back to her seat, entering a prone sleeping position within a second.

"What?" Zhang Xiaoke, puzzled, opened the folded paper. She screamed in shock upon seeing the content, "Physics problems?"

Qinghua put down the 500 problems again, eyes red, as she strained her neck to ask: "For...Li Zheng?"

"For Xiaoke, I guess," Li Zheng gestured.

"What did I do?" Zhang Xiaoke looked bewildered, "Also… except for the master, who uses this as a reward..."

"Wait!" Liu Xin’s eyebrows tightened, suddenly raising his hand, "I get it now."

Facing this physics problem, Liu Xin was probably the least qualified to speak.

But Li Zheng had to admit, this mature-looking man had an extraordinary intuition for bizarre questions; the less reasonable things were, the more his opinions were worth listening to.

"Listen to my analysis," Liu Xin gestured, "Yu Jing’s statements are always very concise, omitting a lot of content, leaving only a core word for us to infer."

"Firstly, my intuition tells me she’s in a good mood right now."

"People in a good mood want to give red packets, want to feel happy."

"Thus, she gave out this problem."

"But please note, she said ’there’s a reward,’ but there’s also a ’there’ at the beginning."

"Isn’t that very redundant? Doesn’t that completely clash with Miss Lin’s speaking style?"

"So, I believe that the ’there’ hides the most crucial content."

"’There’s’ a reward."

"Physics problem."

"See what I mean, everyone?"

"The problem itself is not the reward."

"It means, whoever solves it, gets the reward."

Liu Xin settled back in his seat with a heavy tone: "I don’t stand a chance, but you three can all give it a try."

"Childish," scoffed Li Zheng, "I haven’t even glanced at the competitions since midterm exams, I haven’t touched physics, there’s no way I can solve the problems she’s capable of setting now."

"Hmm..." Zhang Xiaoke looked at the problem and said, "I may not be able to solve it... but I understand it... maybe I could give it a try."

"Cough…" Qinghua coughed, "I’m actually preparing for the competition, it doesn’t matter what problem I do, let me try."

"Hold on," Zhang Xiaoke quickly pulled out her DIY cartoon shiba inu dog head pencil case, "I’ll make two copies for you both, we can do it at the same time."

"Now that you mention it, since it’s a problem from Yu Jing, I might as well give it a shot," Li Zheng glanced at the problem and loosened up a bit, "There’s no shame in not being able to solve it."

"Right, no shame," Qinghua’s lips curled up.

Now is the time.

Half a month’s all-in gamble.

It’s time to reap the rewards.

This time, we face each other head-on.

Let our strengths do the talking!