Study Monster Cultivation System
Chapter 211 - 210 Lake Ying Partners

At 9 a.m. sharp, after several days away, Zhang Tao returned to the laboratory classroom.

In every training class, there must be some award issued at the end, just like the "you did great" that appears after completing a game.

Even though such awards hold no actual value, they serve as a nice psychological comfort, making one feel that the money spent wasn’t wasted.

Sometimes, some students or parents also collect these awards, choosing a day to show off.

But this time, it was different.

Being at the top might well mean signing a contract ahead of time.

Once a person has an idea, they begin to make assumptions automatically.

Take the first classification test, for example. Wasn’t it just a theoretical assessment?

The final lab class of the course was indeed an experimental assessment, right?

The head of the department personally presided over both the first and last, wasn’t this clearly an assessment for signing contracts?

Zhang Tao stood before the lecture podium, observing the students’ eager, expectant expressions.

She nearly believed it herself...

Using the results of this kind of training course as the basis for giving contracts carried immense risks, and she would only consider it when she was extremely confident and faced exceptionally promising students.

Unfortunately, other than the sudden emergence of the Lake Ying Partners, no one during the week had shown themselves worthy of such an investment.

This included Qi Yingnan.

Qi Yingnan’s grades were indeed outstanding. If he could maintain his current status and continue to improve steadily over the next four months, securing his ranking, joining the provincial team was certain.

But who knew if he could maintain this status or continue to improve steadily?

As for Duan Peipei, even if she maintained and improved her status, she could only aspire to "strive for the provincial team". In an official competition, achieving such a ranking might not even warrant a contract, let alone in a training class.

In contrast, cases like Li Zheng and Lin Yujing, if placed in Jinghua Physics Department’s current undergraduate pool, would be at the top already, and even if they slacked off for the next two years, their abilities would still be more than sufficient.

Of course, these standards of judgment weren’t absolute...

Take experiments, for example... According to most teachers, these two really struggled, not even reaching the average level, and they stubbornly refused to part ways, rejecting Fu Xuefeng’s well-meaning advice.

This personality trait shouldn’t necessarily result in penalty points. People who like physics, who enjoy the pleasure of exploring experiments on their own rather than being handed the tricks to the solutions, that’s actually a good thing.

However, this impractical and disobedient attitude, added to their previous refusal to "start a contract at the beginning of the year"...

Zhang Tao felt she had already sensed the presence of Ji University in them.

Running a training class was supposed to be a good thing.

The students were good students too.

But using Jinghua’s resources to fatten up Ji University’s intake...

Just thinking about it made her angry.

This anger wasn’t overwhelming, but when Zhang Tao spoke at the podium, she deliberately avoided looking at the Lake Ying Partners to prevent increasing her frustration.

"Everyone knows that today is the last day of the training."

"Over the course of this week, we’ve gone from spring oscillators to the Hall effect, from magnetic field distribution to expansion coefficients, completing a comprehensive consolidation and enhancement of the experimental component of the physics competition."

"Today, we’re just conducting the final practice session, and we’ll grant a small award based on the results."

"This award is only of commemorative significance, it’s not recognized outside, so please maintain a proper attitude and don’t be too nervous."

"Similarly, although today’s experiment matches the difficulty of the retest, it cannot predict your prospective retest experimental results, as there are so many different experiments, it’s like drawing lots, and no one knows which one will be drawn this year."

"I’m saying this just to ask everyone to relax a bit, don’t be so tense."

After these words, the tension in the classroom did not lessen in the slightest, every person’s expression remained strained.

Zhang Tao could only sigh, even though the casual manner of the Lake Ying Partners irritated her.

But the utility-focused attitude of the whole class also displeased her.

After much thought, there was no other explanation.

It was all because of Ji University.

Thinking of this, Zhang Tao felt irritated again and couldn’t help breaking her composure, casting a look towards the experiment table by the window.

Li Zheng didn’t avoid Zhang Tao’s gaze at all and straightened up, facing him squarely.

He mysteriously seemed very confident.

Zhang Tao grew embarrassed and voluntarily shifted his gaze, sizing up Lin Yujing next to him.

Lin Yujing was looking down, mumbling "hmm hmm hmm," with no clue what she was doing.

"Are you feeling unwell?" Zhang Tao inquired, pursing his lips.

Lin Yujing, head still bowed, did not realize the teacher was speaking to her.

Seeing this situation, Li Zheng simply crossed his arms in front of his chest, exuding an aura of authority without showing anger.

"Woke up late and was eating a bun," Li Zheng explained.

"..." Zhang Tao didn’t know where Li Zheng’s assertiveness came from and after contemplating for a long time, he said skeptically, "You’re not allowed to bring food into the laboratory."

"You’re right," Li Zheng replied with a casual smile, "so before entering the room, I stuffed them all in my mouth. Now I’m just chewing, purely because I stuffed too many and my face swollen like a hamster’s. That’s why I’m afraid to look up... Ouch! Ouch, ouch... stop stepping on me, stop stepping on me..."

"..."

It wasn’t just Zhang Tao; even other teachers and classmates in the class were casting angry glances toward the Lake Ying Partners.

Indeed, this was also part of their daily playing house routine: every morning, Li Zheng would bring breakfast for Lin Yujing.

The two of them always ended up fighting.

As they fought, they would start laughing.

They challenged each other with questions.

The punishment for a wrong answer was a pinch on the face.

Although Li Zheng never won,

It seemed like a victory every time his face was pinched.

While everyone in the lab was diligently working on securing contracts, they were the only two enjoying the fun of playing house.

Bitter, way too bitter.

How about simply kicking them out?

At this moment, Fu Xuefeng stepped forward to suggest, "Director, we’re short on time. Let’s not bother with them and start the session."

Zhang Tao gritted his teeth, turned his head back, and continued arranging the experimental assessment.

Fu Xuefeng then heaved a sigh of relief and cast a distant glance at Li Zheng.

Li Zheng smiled silently and nodded slightly.

Fu Xuefeng glared at him to issue a warning before retreating.

At that moment, Zhang Tao still didn’t know.

His right-hand man had already become one of Lake Ying’s people.

The arrogance of the Lake Ying Partners was partly due to Fu Xuefeng’s indulgence.

No, it wasn’t indulgence but a special personalized educational concept learned from Teacher Tao Feifei.

A few minutes later, with a command from Zhang Tao, exam papers were distributed, and the final experimental training officially began.

Nobody spoke; all were engrossed in scrutinizing their questions.

Although still paired up, everyone consciously stopped communicating and merely shared the experimental desk.

But things were not that simple.

Just two minutes later, someone started moving, first seizing some experimental equipment in hand and then looking down at the problem.

Stimulated by this person, more and more people sprang into action.

Even scrambling for equipment.

It was then that many realized.

The spirit of sharing exists only in peacetime.

Now, the training class had plunged into a state of dark warfare.

Equipment and resources were limited, whoever seized the important and unique resources first dominated the war.

The first to realize this struck first to gain the advantage.

Those who hesitated or failed to grasp the essence of this dark warfare had to willingly hand over the initiative and replan, starting with other steps.

Seeing the atmosphere in the class darken further, including Zhang Tao the three teachers all frowned.

Zhang Tao had repeatedly stated that this was just a training exercise, although a pointless prize would be awarded, it wasn’t an exam, and cooperation was entirely possible, so such behavior was unnecessary.

It was for this reason that they hadn’t prepared individual sets of experimental equipment; the plan was for everyone to share and complete the experiment cooperatively.

However, it seemed that everyone was seeing red, determined to secure a good score at all costs.

Seeing that the situation was unfavorable, Zhang Tao had no choice but to speak up again, "I’ll say it once more, this isn’t a test, just set aside the equipment you don’t need, take it as you use it, and you can collaborate."

Under Zhang Tao’s warning, those hoarding the equipment reluctantly returned it to its place.

But there were still a few who pretended to use the equipment, faking engagement while their eyes were still fixed on the test papers, still reviewing the problems.

Of course, there were peaceful teams as well.

For instance, Qi Yingnan and Duan Peipei.

Although they hadn’t explicitly said anything, Duan Peipei had voluntarily stepped back a bit, indicating that she would first tackle the simpler experiment, leaving the major one to Qi Yingnan.

This was not for any other reason, but mainly because Duan Peipei knew she was not strong enough to be contracted in this training class, while Qi Yingnan still had a chance to compete.

Having been schoolmates and having received a lot of guidance during experimental practices, it was only right to give way.

Even so, Qi Yingnan was grateful and nodded earnestly at Duan Peipei.

Another peaceful team was naturally Lake Ying Partners.

They reviewed the questions slowly and methodically, one of them even sneakily eating a bun.

Zhang Tao glared.

Liar! They still brought buns inside.

How shameless does one have to be to speak so confidently?

Fu Xuefeng naturally caught Zhang Tao’s anger and hurriedly whispered, "My fault, my fault, Lin Yujing studies till very late every day… doesn’t have time to go to the cafeteria… so I allowed her to eat in the lab."

"How late is very late?" Zhang Tao asked.

"I don’t know exactly, just that she always looks terribly tired…"

"I know," Ding Ying interjected, raising her hand, "Report to the director, Lin Yujing always sleeps by ten o’clock."

"What are you stirring up!" Fu Xuefeng quickly corrected, "Er… mainly, you see… considering she’s such a good potential student, I wanted to build a closer relationship, to try to recruit her if possible."

"Ah?" Ding Ying asked, "Didn’t you say their experiments were not good, no need to rush to contract them?"

"!" Fu Xuefeng couldn’t help but glare furiously.

Never chatting with you again!

Zhang Tao wasn’t really angry about that, only sighing, "Just let her eat, look how hungry she is… but this atmosphere isn’t good…"

"Yes," Fu Xuefeng also sighed, "Everyone thinks they might get a contract, it’s changed the whole vibe."

Ding Ying pursed her lips too, getting serious, "Just like the professors scrambling for project funds."

Upon hearing this, Fu Xuefeng shivered and quickly nudged Ding Ying with his knee.

This time Ding Ying realized she had misspoken and immediately shut up.

Facing limited resources, striking first to win the competition was always correct.

It was the same for students wanting contracts as it was for professors wanting research outcomes.

Having a good project naturally helped, and even if not, they would find ways to package a good project, secure funding, and worry about the rest later; this was also the practice among some insiders.

And some of these students fighting fiercely over equipment would probably become such professors in the future.

Of course, associate professors like Fu Xuefeng, who primarily focused on teaching, were not yet involved in such murky waters; at the moment, he was merely being cautious, watching Zhang Tao’s expression, worried about Ding Ying saying the wrong thing and provoking her.

Zhang Tao, however, just sighed.

"Little Ding is not wrong either."

"But who really knows which direction in scientific research is right and which is wrong?"

"Taking time into consideration, a certain direction might yield no results in three years, but could be a breakthrough in ten years; it’s hard to say."

"Of course, some people don’t have a clear subjective understanding and are merely scrambling for resources to boost their own influence. Nobody likes such people."

Seeing that Zhang Tao was not shying away from the topic, Ding Ying gained some courage and nudged her lips toward the students.

"So you see... Except for Li Zheng, Lin Yujing, and Qi Yingnan, it’s impossible to offer contracts to the other students right now; haven’t they also started without a clear idea, just messing around? Moreover, as you said, this is not an exam."

"Logically, more or less," Zhang Tao glanced around the dark advanced class and suddenly smiled, "But, thanks to your reminder, this could indeed be an exam. The more intense the situation, the better it tests a person’s character. Those who can still collaborate comfortably under this pressure will certainly not be bad in the future."

"Brilliant, Director!" exclaimed Fu Xuefeng, unwittingly picking up Li Zheng’s catchphrase, "Shall I go supervise the exam?"

"Yes, go ahead, I’ll join you," Zhang Tao indicated. "We need to include this data for future references. Jinghua doesn’t just look at scores; we’re equally strict about the research style."

No one knew.

The exam had just begun.

In this brief half-hour of monitoring, the three teachers saw all walks of life.

Some were scrambling, some were angry, some secretly sabotaged their teammates, some covertly checked their phones.

And some...

were playing house!

On the surface, playing house seems like a child’s game.

But after all, it is a game.

Any game can be played well, played expertly, played to astonishing levels.

And Li Zheng and Lin Yujing, without realizing it, had become top-tier players in playing house.

Unlike anyone else, they didn’t regard this as an exam, but purely as playing house.

The essence of playing house is manipulating little figures to wake up, sleep, cook, eat, bathe, and so on.

To collaborate seamlessly, one must time things just right and plan effectively, steaming the food when the other is just getting hungry, filling the bathtub when the other wants to bathe, going out to buy groceries at just the right time, and never repeating the same weekly menu.

After a week of training, Li Zheng and Lin Yujing had become China’s strongest playing house players.

After a brief review of the topic, the two started their respective clever manipulations.

Li Zheng: "I need the platinum resistance temperature sensor for 28 minutes."

Lin Yujing: "Received. I’m done with the orthogonal grating, using the measuring microscope frequently, placed it in the middle. How’s your progress on the second problem?"

"First problem one-third complete, a bit tough, I won’t ruin the game experience by telling you the difficult parts. I’ve reset the instruments, and anything no longer needed will be placed in front right for you to retrieve anytime. You’ll need to wait another hour for the main equipment for the next step."

"Then I’ll slow down to ensure precision, burp..."

"?"

"Ate too many buns..."

They had no idea that this mortifying conversation was completely overheard.

Three teachers, from three different positions, were paying full attention to them.

Although they were speaking, their hands never stopped moving; their actions were swift and graceful. What was terrifying was that they seemed to have a shared timeline in their minds, clearly knowing what they and their partner needed at each time point and dynamically adjusting to achieve optimal planning.

The three teachers even saw their unnecessary movements and incomprehensible arrangements.

Yet often, 20 minutes later, they would suddenly realize the setup from the third minute in a step.

Li Zheng even predicted that Lin Yujing had forgotten her water bottle and was too shy to ask, so he took the opportunity to pass a bottle of mineral water to her.

It was merely a physics experiment in playing house, yet they played it with a flow as smooth as running water, a grand layout, and a taste of a thousand-mile storyline.

This made the three teachers reluctant to watch anyone else, only silently standing by to appreciate and savor its cleverness.

If you were to consider the two individuals separately, they had naturally seen many more impressive experts than Li Zheng and Lin Yujing.

But in terms of collaboration in this environment,

Li Zheng and Lin Yujing were the kings of playing house!