Study Monster Cultivation System
Chapter 222 - 221 Advanced! Quantum Emotional Intelligence!

The icy chill of the library, waves of cold air surged through.

Even Li Zheng could sense the seriousness of the situation.

It wasn’t that he had rationally figured anything out.

It was purely instinct.

The most primal, fearful instinct of a male animal.

"Then... let’s not call them then..." Li Zheng gulped and said, "Indeed... their level of physics... they might not understand it."

"No, why wouldn’t we call them?" Lin Yujing herself showed no signs of warming up.

"No, I mean, don’t you want to be alone with me..." Li Zheng began, then suddenly his eyes went wide.

Up to now, he had been pondering from the standpoint of friendship, his mind filled with the gaming and mutual appreciation between experts, which was why the idea to invite Zhang Xiaoke and Jiang Qinghua to join had popped up in his subconscious.

But if Lin Yujing only wanted to go alone with him...

That seemed to be... a bit overstepping the bounds.

Although high school students shouldn’t be engaged in such things...

But if Lin Yujing insisted on it...

Yielding... would also be acceptable.

"So that’s how it is." Li Zheng had a sudden realization, clapped his hand to his fist and said, "Good, just the two of us will go, I promise you."

"??!" Lin Yujing instantly bristled, "I... I don’t want to go alone with you!"

"Huh?" Li Zheng was baffled again.

Why was she angry again?

Isn’t that what she meant?

Wait... hold on.

According to the ironclad rule he had summed up over the years, when a woman is angry, you should listen to her words in reverse.

With this thought, Li Zheng’s logic finally smoothed out, and he regained his confidence.

"No, you do want to," he said confidently. "Alright, let’s stop this verbal dispute, I get it, let’s book the tickets."

"!!" Lin Yujing frantically raked her hair, then slapped her phone down, "Super angry! I’m not reading this anymore!"

Following the "reverse listening to women’s words" rule, her meaning should be that she’s not angry and does want to watch...

But looking at the current situation... it seemed not quite like that.

After all, every rule has its conditions of application.

Like classical mechanics, it doesn’t work well on a microscopic scale.

And Lin Yujing seemed to have broken through the rule space of "reverse listening to women’s words"...

At this moment, she had entered a state where her hair covered her face, unobservable.

Was she angry or not? Did she want to go or not? Was there any overstepping?

This level of complexity had already surpassed the realm of classical EQ that Li Zheng mastered...

It had upgraded to quantum EQ.

And Schrödinger’s anger.

Too hard, quantum is indeed difficult...

"Whoosh!" Zhang Xiaoke suddenly pushed the door open and called out, "Are you playing games behind my back while I’m not here?"

No, they weren’t.

Zhang Xiaoke only saw a girl with messy hair, angrily hunched over a desk.

And a guy standing there, dazed, his thoughts overloaded.

"Master, you bullied Jingjing again." Zhang Xiaoke quickly decided, ran over and hugged Lin Yujing, rubbing her head, "What did Master do to you? I’ll avenge you!"

"Umm..." Lin Yujing just shook her body, muttering without words.

After all, how could she explain such a thing?

Zhang Xiaoke could only glare at Li Zheng: "Then you tell me!"

"I..." Li Zheng rubbed his forehead and said, "My mind is really confused right now, let me think over it further..."

Having said that, he bowed his head and flipped through the competition textbook.

At this point, he could only hope to find inspiration for a breakthrough in physics.

Old Li had only just walked in the door, seeing the state of the two, sighed.

No more help from him; he could only assist to this point.

It was already inappropriate, and if he continued, he feared the parents could make things difficult for him.

...

In the silence, Li Zheng accelerated his study on quantum mechanics, but the more he studied, the more muddled his mind became.

The mathematical content involved was too much, and there was a lot he still couldn’t understand.

Forcing an advanced study felt indeed quite unpleasant.

Amidst his distress, his phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated.

He slowed down and took out his phone to check it.

[Lin Yujing: Do you really want to go?]

"Oh?" Li Zheng had an epiphany.

Despite having done nothing, she was no longer angry on her own initiative.

Indeed, one should not indulge, just let it be.

Learned something new, indeed.

Looking up again, Lin Yujing appeared as if nothing had happened, her chin propped on her hands as she looked down at her book seriously.

Saying one thing and meaning another.

Great, after being left alone for a while, things had come back onto a familiar track for him.

Quantum EQ be damned; that domain can’t be calculated, better to honestly follow the classical EQ.

Li Zheng promptly replied.

[Li Zheng: Yes, I do.]

[Lin Yujing: Be clear, who wants to?]

[Li Zheng: I do.]

[Lin Yujing: You want to go with whom?]

This time facing the question, Li Zheng had experience.

He at least knew what the wrong answer was—process of elimination was the way to go.

[Li Zheng: I want to go with you, just you.]

[Lin Yujing: ~~~~~]

Li Zheng wiped his sweat.

He had never found the tilde so adorable.

Stable, the tilde is the most reliable.

[Lin Yujing: Remember, it was you who said that, not me wanting to exclude Zhang Xiaoke.]

[Li Zheng: Alright... I said it...]

[Lin Yujing: Alright?]

[Li Zheng: Yes, it was me.]

Soon after, Lin Yujing sent over two electronic movie tickets.

February 5th, 3 p.m., Chang’an Cinema.

[Lin Yujing: Being late equals death.]

[Li Zheng: Aren’t we going together?]

[Lin Yujing: !]

[Li Zheng: My house is more on the way, come to find me by bike at 2.]

[Lin Yujing: ...]

[Lin Yujing: 7 kilometers, by bike?]

[Li Zheng: It’s a bit far, don’t forget to pump up your tires.]

[Lin Yujing: I’m getting angry.]

[Li Zheng: Alright, alright, alright... no more cycling... See you in front of the cinema.]

[Lin Yujing: What if I’m late=?]

[Li Zheng: Dead.]

[Lin Yujing: ~~~]

It finally ended.

Too difficult, exams are simpler.

Isn’t a pure competition of grades more attractive, Master Ye?

...

That afternoon, Jiang Qinghua called to say that the doctor had advised him to stay in bed for a week, so he feared he wouldn’t rejoin the team until after the Spring Festival.

No idea what kind of bump he had, pressing it seemed to cause so much damage.

So, for the next few days, it was combinations like Li Zheng, Lin Yujing, and Zhang Xiaoke.

Life was rather leisurely.

It seems that the only one who really came to study was Zhang Xiaoke alone.

Li Zheng and Lin Yujing spent most of their time reading leisure books or bringing laptops to do some strange things, even going out to play basketball from time to time.

Only Zhang Xiaoke was either walking or studying.

Did she want to play? Of course, she did.

But it wasn’t time yet...

Zhang Xiaoke looked at Li Zheng and Lin Yujing playing basketball outside the window, squinting her eyes and clenching her teeth.

So you want to play... you want to play...

I will let you understand what "Heaven rewards the diligent" means!

Thirty years in the east, thirty years in the west!

...

Before the Lunar New Year’s Eve, Li Zheng came up with the latest study plan for Zhang Xiaoke and Xu Mengxi, along with two pounds of practice problems, before daring to take an extended holiday.

It’s worth mentioning that some of Xu Mengxi’s classmates, unable to get Li Zheng’s software, turned to borrowing copies of her homework instead, thinking there was some special secret to success, and that just practicing it would suffice.

Even though Xu Mengxi repeatedly explained that it was purely personalized improvement, those few still didn’t believe it and insisted on following whatever Xu Mengxi did.

Li Zheng, on the other hand, couldn’t be bothered with such matters.

In any case, he feared a few more would be crying after the next mock exam.

...

On New Year’s Eve, the Li family had a rare reunion, going to the grandparents’ house for a New Year’s dinner, and since Old Li was an only child, the gathering was small and quiet. The evening was very focused, and around nine o’clock, the elders were nearly ready to rest, so the family took their leave early.

But the morning gathering on the first day of the Lunar New Year wouldn’t be as relaxed.

After all, Li Zheng hated the Spring Festival.

On one hand, he couldn’t go to school during the Spring Festival holiday, and before, you could light firecrackers, with blasts continuously sounding off, making it impossible to study properly or sleep well.

On the other hand, he hated family gatherings.

It’s not that he was unwilling to honor his elders, honoring elders is something that could be done at any time. Occasionally, he would bike to his grandparents’ or maternal grandparents’ house to have a meal, chat, and convey his parents’ regards. It was a very normal thing to do.

But at the real large family gatherings... the problem wasn’t with the elders; the elders were all very harmonious.

The problem was with some people from his parents’ generation.

To be more specific, certain elders from his maternal grandmother’s family.

Ever since Li Zheng could remember, every such family gathering had been an arms race.

"Did you sign Zheng Zheng up for the XX class?"

"Oh, you didn’t sign up for that class? How is he going to get into XX primary school then?"

"XX middle school had an exam yesterday, our XX took it..."

"Zheng Zheng didn’t go? I specifically called to tell you about it."

"How did Zheng Zheng fare in his end-of-term exams this time? With all his hard work, he must have made it into the top three, right?"

"Oh... fourth place isn’t bad; we only got second. By the way, which school is Zheng Zheng attending again?"

I find this kind of conversation really annoying.

And it’s always asked by an elder, so you have to respond with a smile.

There will always be people better than us, the world is full of Wus, Ou Xing Zhuos, Shi Yangs, Lin Yu Jings with fierce competitiveness.

Tugging at the small handful of people in my own family for comparison... what’s the point?

This year, this annoyance persists.

Just as Old Li started the car on our way to Grandma’s house, Ning’er began to boast.

"Let me tell you, Li Yi, this year I’m not sparing anyone’s feelings," An Ning said, massaging her temples as if she was gearing up for battle. "If anyone dares to talk nonsense to me, I’ll plaster their face with Li Zheng’s award certificates."

"Hey... we’re all family... there’s no need, no need..." Li Yi tried to soothe her while driving, "Your sisters didn’t mean any harm... they’re just sharing educational experiences..."

"Then they can keep it to themselves," said An Ning, flicking her bangs before giving a snort of laughter. "I don’t provoke others unless they provoke me first. If they don’t bring it up, neither will I. But if they start with their insinuations, they can’t blame me for what happens."

"Why bear such a grudge between sisters…" Li Yi shook his head, "You too… don’t stoop to their level. You’re better than that, just ignore them."

The mention of this only made An Ning angrier.

"It’s precisely because I’m better than them that they can’t outdo me, so they drag Li Zheng into constant comparisons," she adjusted the rear-view mirror and addressed the boy in the back seat, "Look at how bullied he gets, he used to cry every time we headed to Grandma’s house."

"I didn’t…" Li Zheng swallowed his saliva, "It was just a pure dislike…"

"You did cry, I remember. Your brother had Lego, you didn’t, and you cried."

"Did I ever like Lego?" Li Zheng, his face full of question marks, countered, "If I cried, wasn’t it because he had the supplementary tutoring books and I didn’t?"

"Well, it’s the same difference," An Ning firmly nodded. "Son, prestige is something you fight for yourself. You’re doing great. This year, if anyone talks nonsense, we won’t hold back."

"...It doesn’t bother me, it just wastes my time," Li Zheng glanced at his phone, "but I need to leave by two in the afternoon, I have other things to do."

"So early? What’s the matter?" An Ning inquired.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Li Yi quickly interjected with a laugh, "Don’t pry, he’s an adult now, let it be."

An Ning, of course, caught some intel from Old Li’s expression.

First surprise, then acceptance.

After all, doing well in school certainly earns you the right to do as you please.

Before 10 a.m., the family stepped through the doorway of An Ning’s childhood home.

An Ning and her two sisters joined their mother in the kitchen to make dumplings.

Old Li, along with his two brothers-in-law, Li Zheng’s uncles, sat down with the father-in-law to discuss the state of the world.

Discussing the state of the world sounds grand but 90% of their time was spent cursing the President of Magnesium Country.

In this respect, the peoples of both China and Magnesium Country are in complete agreement.

Thanks to the President, he has provided fodder for billions of family gatherings; since his election, awkward silences have been a thing of the past.

Meanwhile, Li Zheng joined his cousins in a small bedroom.

Even though he wasn’t comfortable with their mothers, his relationship with them was always excellent.

The main reason, which goes without saying, is this:

They truly excelled in their studies.

Cousin Luo Junzhe, attending his senior year at Normal University Affiliated School, was cruising toward 985 as secure as ever.

Unlike most academic overachievers, he was a bespectacled guy with parted hair; a change in hairstyle would reveal his vibrancy.

Cousin He Qian entered Jijing Chemical Engineering University last year, majored in the prestigious Chemical Engineering.

Though also wearing glasses and a ponytail, she was much, much thinner than senior sister Shen Yi Yun.

For years, they had been the older siblings who were way ahead of Li Zheng in academic achievements.

However…

Every time the three of them got together,

they absolutely never discussed academic topics.

In the bedroom, just after cousin Luo Junzhe closed the door, he looked at cousin He Qian with a suggestive gaze: "Come on, tell us, how far along are you?"

"It’s nothing... it’s just starting..." His cousin fanned herself furiously and scolded, "Don’t you dare tell my mom though, or she’d interrogate me all day about where he’s from, what his family does, how many are in his household and stuff like that. It would drive me crazy."

"I believe that; Auntie is indeed quite frightening," Luo Junzhe moved closer, rubbing his hands together with a grin. "I’m just wondering if he’s handsome... Come on, show me a picture so I can see if he’s a catch or a total dud."

He Qian tossed her head: "Nope."

"You must have WeChat Moments or something, right?"

"Nope."

"Okay, then I’ll go ask Aunt if she has it."

"Stop messing around!" He Qian grabbed Luo Junzhe to stop him, then turned to Li Zheng, "Can’t you just be like Li Zheng and sit still for a moment?"

"Him? Sit still? Ha." Luo Junzhe laughed, "I’m openly bad, but he’s sneakily bad, and he’s got a bigger impact than I do."

As he spoke, he started observing Li Zheng.

Li Zheng had been looking pensive, as if something was on his mind.

Seizing the gossip moment, Luo Junzhe asked curiously: "What are you thinking about? Don’t tell me... you’ve also got something going on?"

"I do." During his deep thoughts, Li Zheng asked gravely, "Do you guys, have Legos?"

"..." After exchanging long looks, his cousin and cousin’s sister eventually replied, "Yeah."

"You actually have them..." Li Zheng rubbed his chin and frowned, "Did I cry over this when I was little?"

"Yep." Luo Junzhe nodded vigorously, "I remember. I was in third grade, you were in second grade, and you cried."

"You’re not lying to me?" Li Zheng was genuinely puzzled, "How could I possibly cry over something like that..."

"Here’s what happened," He Qian cleared her throat and explained, "At that time, we brought Legos to play at Grandma’s house. You didn’t want to play; you just wanted to do your homework. But we insisted on getting you to join in, and while pulling you, we accidentally tore your homework book. You cried, cried the whole afternoon, cried yourself to sleep. When you woke up, you continued crying, and since then I’ve never dared to interrupt your studies again."

Li Zheng clapped his hands together in excitement and raised his eyebrows: "That’s more like it. That’s the spirit! Just like me!"

His cousin and cousin’s sister were accustomed to this attitude, completely avoiding any further conversation on the topic.

This was precisely why they never discussed studying together.

Whenever the topic of studying came up, Li Zheng would take the conversation very deep, too deep.

Seeing the discussion veering into the territory of studying, Luo Junzhe quickly joked to change the subject: "Speaking of which, I made some progress on this standardized test. Guess why?"

Nobody asked.

"Hehe..." Luo Junzhe had to answer his own question, "Bro also has a girlfriend now~~ A sweet young sister from first year~~"

He Qian sighed: "Deceiving innocent young girls..."

"Wait a minute!" Li Zheng suddenly became nervous, "If she’s under 16... and you’re over 18... you’ve got to be careful."

"Buzz off, I’m doing well with your sister-in-law. Here, let me show you a picture."

He then flopped down on the bed with Li Zheng, showing off a photo on his phone.

Indeed, the girl in the photo was cute.

But...

The more Li Zheng looked, the tighter his brow furrowed: "Have you hidden something from me?"

"Huh?"

"She’s from your junior high section, isn’t she?"

"How can you tell?"

"I’ve seen the Normal University Affiliated School’s uniform; it’s different from this one." Li Zheng’s tone becoming more serious, "Bro, the bottom line is ninth grade. In a situation like yours, Teacher Luo Xiang has said..."

"Shut up! We’re classmates, just classmates." Panicked, Luo Junzhe tossed his phone aside, "Is it easy for me to have a single romance? Now I won’t even dare to talk to her because of you."

"Serves you right!" He Qian laughed loudly, "You’re nearly taking your college entrance exams and still fooling that young girl. Did your grades drop?"

"Heh, sorry, I’ve leaped up more than a dozen places." Luo Junzhe transformed worry into joy, "Number 87 in the whole district. Ji University’s Elite is a challenge, but Ren University Zhongke is within reach."

"F*ck..." He Qian cursed outright, "That’s just infuriating."

"The title of the first academic prodigy of the third generation in our family is about to change hands! Hahaha!" Luo Junzhe laughed heartily and patted Li Zheng, "We welcome the challenge next year, young man, don’t let poverty stunt your dreams."

Li Zheng thought for a moment and then asked, "So your district’s standardized test includes Western Market District too, right?"

"Yeah, we’re in the same district, but not the same grade," Luo Junzhe casually replied before asking, "Is the top student in your senior year as tall as I am?"

His cousin’s blasé question sounded arrogant, but it was really just spoken on a whim.

"Our top student is only ranked around the 400s..." Li Zheng sighed, "The gap really is huge."

"It can’t be helped. It’s only in primary school where the averages are close; from middle school on, the top students all clump together." Luo Junzhe sighed, "Don’t look at me boasting here—in our school, I’m just about managing to stay in the top ten."

After rambling on and on, Luo Junzhe finally noticed He Qian furiously giving him the eye.

He suddenly realized... they had inadvertently started talking about studying once again.

This was the second biggest reason why they never discussed studying together.

For fear of stimulating Li Zheng.

Li Zheng was of course not bad himself, it was just that the two of them were too strong.

Besides, Li Zheng could have nearly made it into the Normal University Affiliated School at the middle school exam, but he firmly decided to choose a school closer to home...

I guess that’s just his personality, nothing much to say about it.

Fortunately, a call to eat from outside timely broke the awkwardness.

The two of them hurriedly nudged Li Zheng towards the living room.

Soon, the table was surrounded by a large family, and steaming hot plates of fragrant lamb and vegetable dumplings were served one after another.

The uncle-in-law also opened a bottle of good wine, pouring a glass for his father-in-law and the two younger brothers.

Since the ladies were in charge of driving, it was inconvenient for them to drink, so they just bustled back and forth between the kitchen and the dining table.

The harmonious atmosphere probably lasted for about twenty minutes.

As the big aunt, the second aunt, and Ning’er finished their work and sat at the table, the scent of gunpowder, as in previous years, appeared.

"Ah, the pressure on kids nowadays is really too great." The second aunt lamented while pouring vinegar, "Jun Zhe isn’t that worn out, I make him go to sleep at 11 every night, I don’t want him to overexert himself, sigh, a few points short is a few points short."

Li Zheng and his cousin shook their heads simultaneously.

Please, just let him overexert a little bit.

Sometimes, being kidney-deficient is safer.

Big aunt jumped into the conversation, "Right, back then Qian Qian also went to bed after ten, the 985 universities are more or less the same, all that struggling seems hardly worth it."

The second aunt perked up at this, "That’s right, how did Qian Qian rank in the district during last year’s college entrance exam? We could use a reference, set a target school."

"How could I remember that." Big aunt looked over at He Qian, "Do you remember?"

"I don’t remember." He Qian shook her head repeatedly, "Besides, I’m from Haidian, that’s not comparable."

"Mom, don’t talk about this." Luo Junzhe quickly intercepted a dumpling into Grandma’s bowl, "Here’s a big one for you."

"Alas, I just don’t have a clear idea, ranked 87 in the district; it’s neither high nor low. I just want to know which school can ensure a bottom line..." The second aunt said while turning to look at An Ning, "Is there a unified exam in your senior year too?"

In an instant, An Ning’s brow grew stern.

Just as she was about to speak, Li Yi suddenly raised his glass to stand up, "Come on, come on, Happy Spring Festival, happiness!"

The two uncles-in-law immediately caught on, rising in unison, making a ruckus to gloss over the situation.

However, no sooner had everyone settled down than the big aunt asked, "A rank of 80-something in Western Market should still be okay, right? They might not reach Jinghua Jida, but Ren University should be possible."

"But we are science students, Ren University doesn’t have many good programs," the second aunt said as she once again turned to An Ning, "Right, Zheng Zheng also studies science, doesn’t he?"

"Yes." An Ning continued eating dumplings, head down.

"With Zheng Zheng’s strength, he has to be first or second in the science class, right?"

At this point, the uncle-in-law suddenly stood up, "To the health and longevity of mom and dad!"

The other two sons-in-law immediately followed suit, offering their well-wishes, managing to get through another round.

Yet, it was still not over.

The second aunt suddenly asked again, "Did Qian Qian participate in the chemistry competition that year? That gives quite a few extra points, doesn’t it?"

"I don’t quite remember... it seems like the Chemical Engineering College had a 40-point reduction at the time?" Big aunt asked her daughter.

Fang Qian sighed and nodded.

Big aunt then smiled, reassuring the second aunt, "We can’t do that; we only reached the province’s second tier. To get Jingji’s point reduction, one has to score higher. Nowadays, it takes such a reduction even to dare to apply to Jingji. Choosing chemistry as a second option, we could only go to the Chemical Engineering University."

"Ah, Jun Zhe is just too casual... back then, I told him to do some math or physics competitions, but he wouldn’t. He just foolishly took the exams." The second aunt seized the opportunity to turn to An Ning once more, "By the way, has Zheng Zheng prepared for any competitions? Although it’s a bit late to start now, it could still be worth a try."

This time...

In principle, it should have been the turn of the second uncle-in-law to propose a toast.

But he was a man both shy and afraid of his wife.

Half-standing, he sat back down.

In this tense atmosphere, An Ning merely smiled.

"We’re prepared, all five subjects."

"???" Big aunt and second aunt’s dumplings dropped back into their bowls from their chopsticks.

"You... serious?" Auntie Two’s mouth gaped wide open, "Five subjects in one year? Is there even enough time for that?"

"The chemistry exam is already over," An Ning said, continuing to eat her dumplings self-absorbedly.

"Took... took it at a lowered score?" Auntie One pressed on.

"No," An Ning shook her head.

Auntie Two hastily said with a smile, "Ah, this lowering of the score is tough..."

"No lowering of the score," An Ning wiped her mouth, "I’ve been recommended."

Pfft!!

This time, not only the aunties but even the uncles were thrown into a frenzy.

The cousins stared at Li Zheng with wide eyes.

Li Zheng was quite embarrassed and could only try to raise his drink, "To Grandma and Grandpa..."

"Hold on a second..." Auntie Two interrupted, frantically raising her hand to ask, "Which school’s recommendation?"

"Where could it be?" An Ning said with a shake of her head and a smile, "Only recommendations from two universities could truly be considered recommendations, right?"

Clang...

Auntie One got so frightened that she spilled her cup, and as she cleaned up, she asked, "To get that recommendation... I remember you need at least a national first place, right?"

"Yeah, about that," An Ning wiped her mouth and stood up, "The dumplings in the pot are about done. I’ll go serve them."

Before she could leave, Luo Junzhe slapped the table and yelled.

"Holy shit! It’s really a national first place, number one in the whole country!"

The family gathering plunged into uproar, as they started to snatch Luo Junzhe’s phone.

Luo Junzhe quickly sent the news link to the family group chat.

Then, a bunch of them began to bow their heads over their phones again.

And indeed it was Li Zheng...

With a huge award medal, looking like a total scumbag.

Auntie Two even suspected the link was Photoshopped, so she switched to a different website, only to find the same search results.

At this point, she finally fell into disorder.

Staring blankly at Li Zheng, she asked, "So you... don’t have to prepare for the college entrance exams... Didn’t even take the general exams, right?"

"Pretty much, Auntie Two... stop asking...," Li Zheng said with sympathy.

"Hey... Auntie is just concerned about you," Auntie One raised an eyebrow and pursued the questioning, "Just tell us which place."

Li Zheng looked left and right, unable to avoid it any longer.

Old Li had no choice, from a distance, and with his eyes closed, he nodded.

"Second place," Li Zheng had no option but to give this answer.

Auntie Two trembled and reminded him kindly, "It’s not the whole school... it’s the entire district."

"Right, second in the whole district."

"Woo—Woah—Fuck!!" Luo Junzhe stretched out a long tune and asked, "What was the score?"

"I already said stop asking..."

"No, I just really want to know what the score for second place roughly is."

"732," Li Zheng sighed, "The first place got 735, my classmate."

Upon hearing this, Auntie Two’s chopsticks dropped as well.

There, now it’s settled.

She won’t talk about these things at the dinner table in her life again.

Amidst the frozen atmosphere, An Ning returned cheerfully with freshly boiled dumplings, placed them on the table with a laugh, and said, "Okay, can we eat properly now?"

"Eat! Eat! Eat!" Li Yi led the charge, picking up his chopsticks.

"The dumplings really taste great this year!"

"Get some more for mom and dad."

"You... don’t keep giving me dumplings... my bowl can’t hold anymore..."

"Good job, Zheng Zheng, come, help me eat my dumplings..."

After a big roundabout, the family reunion finally returned to its original atmosphere.

Presumably, there won’t be such awkwardness in the 2020 gathering, will there?

Oh right, one more thing.

Happiness, it turns out, is conserved.

Just after dinner, Auntie Two dragged Luo Junzhe off to a small bedroom.

"Why can’t you study a bit harder?"

"I’m in my senior year, and I go to bed before eleven, which senior student sleeps that early?"

"Tell the truth, are you dating someone?"

"What’s there to celebrate about being number 87? Look at Li Zheng, he got a recommendation from Ji University without even raising his head."

"I could tell when you were little, you and He Qian just knew how to mess around with those toys, while Li Zheng didn’t bother with Legos."

"What are you waiting for, hurry up and learn something from him."

Luo Junzhe was scolded by his mom for reasons he couldn’t fathom.

Clearly, his mom’s unhappiness had been transferred to him.

There was no helping it; he was at the bottom of the happiness food chain—

His own family’s child.

No matter what, that was the bottom line.

Fortunately, he still had a younger brother to bully.

After dinner, He Qian and Luo Junzhe ganged up on Li Zheng, giving him a good rubdown.

"That’s for showing off!"

"Holding onto such a big award and not saying anything, just waiting for today, huh?"

"You really were just bottling up mischief!"

Li Zheng let them do it until they ran out of steam, then easily broke free, standing casually.

He glanced at the wall clock, imposing even without anger.

"It’s after one o’clock..." Li Zheng dusted off his clothes with a light sigh, "I should be going."

Luo Junzhe started to swear laughingly, "After getting me into this mess, you think you can run?"

"Li Zheng, you’re dead," He Qian said as he began searching around, "I remember there’s a Lego set left right here at Grandma’s."

"Good!" Luo Junzhe immediately caught on, "Nobody’s allowed to leave this afternoon, play Legos with me, play till second grade."

"Stop messing around, enough already," Li Zheng said with a laugh, "Being late will get you killed."

The older cousins were both taken aback.

New Year’s Day...

A date...

Being late means death...

"You rascal!" Luo Junzhe was about to explode in distress, "Sneaking off? Studying and flirting at the same time?"

"That’s going too far... a date on New Year’s Day..." He Qian took a hard sniff, "We college students are not even that rushy."

"You’re thinking too much," Li Zheng hastily explained, raising his arm, "It’s that friend who got first place, we’re both sci-fi enthusiasts, planning to watch ’Wandering Planet’ together."

Luo Junzhe didn’t bother with all that nonsense, going straight to the heart of the matter with his question, "Male or female?"

"Does it matter?" Li Zheng countered.

"It matters," Luo Junzhe replied earnestly.

"Why do you guys make it so hard..." Li Zheng sighed, "Female..."

"Damn!"

Hearing the outcome, He Qian rolled up his sleeves.

"Shall we, give him another beating?"

"I’ll hold him, you hit!"

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