Study Monster Cultivation System

Chapter 169: Helping adults achieve beauty

Li Zheng returned to his room, only to find that Ou Xingzhuo and Wu Shu were also there.

At this moment, Shi Yang was just lying on the bed, covering himself with the blanket, not speaking, but his body seemed to be shivering.

Li Zheng couldn’t help but burst into laughter, "You jerk, you aren’t crying, are you???"

Shi Yang didn’t respond, but Wu Shu cursed first.

"How could you go without calling us? Am I just a mascot as this Queen?"

Ou Xingzhuo, sitting at the desk with his legs crossed, lifted his glasses and said, "I’m the oldest among us, after all. As the big brother, I feel offended."

"The more people, the angrier the teacher gets." Li Zheng walked over to Shi Yang’s bed and grabbed a book to fiercely hit him on the butt, "Alright, Zhu Zaizai has played his part, the big deed is done, can’t we just study properly now?"

Shi Yang twisted and rolled to the side, finally making a sound from under the blankets: "I wasn’t crying... I’m just furious. I feel so stupid..."

"Then better study hard. If you don’t get a good ranking, then you really are stupid."

"Got it... You go out first... I’ll take a shower to calm down..."

"You take your shower, why should I go out?"

"Alright, alright." Wu Shu got up, laughing, "So you want me to go, huh? I don’t want to spoil my eyes anyway. Anyone wants to come to my room for Go? I’m staying alone."

"I’ll go," Li Zheng immediately grabbed his English textbook, "I don’t know how to play Go; I’ll study."

Ou Xingzhuo instantly panicked, "Then I... I’ll go too, I know how to play."

"Shi Bao’er?" Wu Shu looked towards Shi Yang, who was curled up, "Do you want to visit the Queen’s room?"

"All Hail!" Shi Yang couldn’t resist that, throwing off the blankets and leaping up, "As the Knight Captain, I must go."

However, he did not know that Wu Shu had already taken out his phone and was clicking away, capturing all his red-eyed crying photos.

Wu Shu then bowed his head and started working on his phone: "Zhu Zaizai’s crying photos, I’ve posted them in the group."

Li Zheng quickly pulled out his phone ready to save, "Make sure it’s not a flash photo."

"Gross, I’m not looking," Ou Xingzhuo stood up and pushed Li Zheng, "Let’s go, it’s been a while since I played Go."

"Let’s go~" Wu Shu then fiddled with his phone and left the room.

Li Zheng was supposed to follow out, but seeing Ou Xingzhuo’s eagerness, he seemed to sense something.

After weighing for a moment, Li Zheng feigned an urge, "Zhuo, you go ahead, I suddenly need to poop."

"Hmm?" Ou Xingzhuo paused, hastily swallowing his saliva, "That means... I’m going to Wu Shu’s room alone?"

"Or do you want to poop with me?"

"Forget it... forget it..." Ou Xingzhuo hurried to the door, then turned back, "Then you better hurry... just me and Wu Shu in a room... doesn’t feel quite right..."

"Got it, close the door, bye."

As soon as the door closed, Shi Yang sat back on the bed, laughing and cursing, "Really, Zhuo, can’t you just be straightforward like me?"

"Can’t help it, some people are just more reserved." Li Zheng also lay back on the bed, flipping his chemistry textbook, "He was so eager to play Go, he should’ve just gone. Why wait for me to push him?"

"Wait... weren’t you supposed to poop?"

"That was an excuse, that’s social intelligence," Li Zheng tapped his forehead, "You really should grow some brains."

Shi Yang had a sudden realization, "No wonder you’re Brother Zheng, playing the good Samaritan here..."

"Exactly, they are Go masters dueling, I, a total noob, better not disturb them."

Shi Yang’s eyebrows tightened again.

He always felt that everyone’s understanding of playing the good Samaritan seemed a bit off.

Well... Li Zheng was so clever, and he had a girlfriend, and there was Senior Sister Shen, his level was there, and he was likely not wrong.

The mistake must be his own, definitely his own lack of purity.

Ou Xingzhuo must really be eager to play Go.

Shi Yang didn’t think any further, digesting Brother Zheng’s social intelligence while going to the restroom to wash his face.

After washing and drying, he looked in the mirror and slapped his cheeks hard, trying to cheer up.

But it still wasn’t enough cheer.

Looking at Zhu Zaizai in the mirror, he muttered puzzledly, "Speaking of, Brother Zheng, I remember you once said you needed to ’reflect on yourself three times a day,’ right? That not only makes one formidable but also boosts one’s EQ, right?"

"That was said by Zengzi; I’m just passing it along," Li Zheng turned a page in his book and said, "’Be quiet, don’t disturb my study.’ This I said."

"Hmm… then I’ll reflect a bit myself..." Shi Yang murmured to the mirror.

"Thinking about it now, the root cause of this matter... indeed stems from my personal desires, no denying that..."

"But the national team, representing our country’s strongest high school chemistry capabilities, shouldn’t they send the strongest four?"

"Removing the rule that only one person per province can join the national team wouldn’t affect the provincial quotas for the national competition, nor the number of national gold medals each province gets."

"Each province would still send however many people were needed, sign whatever contracts necessary, ensure whatever direct admissions were needed, without any impact."

"It would just make the national team stronger."

"That’s why over 200 people signed it."

"You know about last year’s Icho, right? 3 gold, 1 silver, and ranked second overall."

"The expected three-time team championship was snatched away."

"It was snatched away by the very team I least wanted to lose to..."

"That year, the four seniors of our national team ranked fourth, seventh, in the teens, and in the forties."

"It was certainly a good performance, but why not use a stronger lineup to compete for first place?"

"It’s clear, so why are the teachers so angry?"

Shi Yang reflected in front of the mirror for a long time, then suddenly his eyes widened.

"I get it, it’s because of personal desires."

"If I hadn’t been so strong, if I were a weakling, thinking only of the strongest national team, the teachers wouldn’t be angry, right?"

"Turns out I’m just too strong!"

Li Zheng in the bedroom couldn’t stand it any longer and scolded, "You’re completely wrong, just stop."

While he was speaking.

Ding Dong—Ding Dong—

The doorbell rang.

Shi Yang smiled, washed his hands, and went to open the door muttering, "Xing Zhuo is really a coward."

Upon opening the door, he saw a big bespectacled baby face.

"Dean Zhou..." Shi Yang quivered.

Zhou Yi walked in with a smile, closed the door behind him, then raised an eyebrow and asked, "Calm down yet?"

"Calm down... just examining my own conduct..." Shi Yang immediately softened.

Li Zheng also hurriedly got up to greet, "Dean Zhou..."

"It’s alright, no big deal." Zhou Yi waved his hand and pulled up a chair, sitting down with the back facing him, "Just sit on the bed, I’ll tell a story and then leave."

Li Zheng and Shi Yang looked at each other, then they both respectfully took a seat on the bed.

Given Zhou Yi’s status, he really had no obligation to take care of them.

They could only be flattered by his concern.

"Relax, it’s not a lecture, just a story, a true one." Zhou Yi said as he removed his glasses and spoke indifferently, "Shi Yang, everyone calls you Cobalt God, right? Do you know, last year in the Chem Competitions there was another ’god’, a girl named Pleasure God."

Shi Yang nodded blankly, "She’s quite famous... but the one who lagged behind last year, ending up in the forties... that’s her, right?"

"Yes, but it wasn’t her fault."

"Wasn’t it because she underperformed?"

"No, she performed at her normal level."

"...Is that so?" Shi Yang was even more stunned, and then began scratching his head in reflection, "I... I even criticized her online, blaming her for dragging us down..."

"You weren’t the only one saying that." Zhou Yi sighed deeply, "After that competition, she gave up chemistry. Even now, she occasionally encourages other Chem Competition students, but she never touches chemistry herself anymore. Anyway, she is a very good girl."

"..."

"Not just you, Shi Yang, I make mistakes too." Zhou Yi looked out the window, his gaze showing rare confusion, "Last year’s issue with Pleasure God, as the leader of the national team, it was my inescapable responsibility. This year, it is my duty to bring the team championship back to our country. I will no longer ignore the mental state of students."

Li Zheng and Shi Yang only then realized that though Zhou Yi was always friendly and approachable, mixing well with the students, the pressure he bore was immense, no less significant than that of any leader.

Shi Yang looked down, clutching his pants, "I know my mistake, Dean Zhou... I won’t cause trouble anymore, no more trouble."

"Good, Last year’s Pleasure God said the same thing." Zhou Yi smiled wistfully, "You should hear the story through. The ins and outs of the Chem Competitions are no longer very clear, only this story is left."

After Li Zheng and Shi Yang nodded attentively, Zhou Yi’s tone softened, and he began his gentle narration.

"The initial Chem Competitions didn’t have a rule of only one person per province in the national team."

"The whole country was united—with one heart to glorify our nation."

"To get as many gold medals as possible and rank as high as possible in the team standings."

"Over time, through one competition after another, we eventually became the absolute powerhouse in the Chem Competitions."

"In this process, Xiangnan, as a powerhouse province, contributed tremendously."

"Gradually, everyone realized that to get an international gold, you didn’t need to select just the top four; frankly, any four out of the top ten, or even twenty, could perform well and achieve similar results."

"From then on, external competition gradually turned into internal competition."

"In the words of you young people, every province felt ’I could also do it’, any participant could bring home a gold, the glory should be shared."

"In this context, the national team selection for the Chem Competitions added a rule requiring four players from four different regions."

"Xiangnan obviously wasn’t happy about this, but the thing is, even with this selection method, the national team still clinched the team championship that year."

"As a result, this rule, supported by the majority, stabilized permanently."

"Xiangnan’s enthusiasm took a big hit, and other provinces are catching up, so in the last three years, there hasn’t been such an absolute advantage."

"But even so, Xiangnan is still strong."

"Each of the top finishers from the Xiangnan Team could legitimately enter the national team."

"But by the rules, only one could go."

"Who would it be?"