Study Monster Cultivation System
Chapter 251 - 250 Ling (second tone)

Surrounded by a crowd, the "prodigy" walked up to Yang Changle and excitedly shook the teacher’s hands.

"Teacher Yang, I often watch your science videos, I never imagined I’d meet you here."

"Ah..." Yang Changle was a bit excited, surrounded by a pack of reporters, forced into pleasantries, "Ah... I also often... often... often watch your TV dramas."

The atmosphere instantly turned cold.

A reporter holding a microphone reminded him, "You... you must be mistaken... This is Huang Lingqi, the only contestant from the Yu Men Physics Competition, not an actor."

"Ah ah ah... right right right, the contestant..." Yang Changle then remembered what he indeed knew, but he had been momentarily confused.

"Haha, Teacher Yang is clearly joking, just teasing me about my appearance," Huang Lingqi said as he smoothed his hair and leaned slightly towards the camera, gripping Yang Changle’s hand as if at an international meeting, gently reminding, "You can take pictures now."

After a frenzy of clicking from the cameras, a reporter thrust the microphone at Yang Changle.

"So, as Ren Da Fu’s physics competition coach, do you also have a high opinion of Huang Lingqi?"

"Ah?" Yang Changle looked bewildered but could only resort to platitudes in front of the camera, "Ah, well, each contestant from the various regions is very competitive."

"So, you think Huang Lingqi’s abilities indeed pose a threat to your students?"

"This... this... each year is different, today the Jijing Team... there are many strong contestants..." Yang Changle scratched his head and looked around, immediately spotting Li Zheng who was comparing faces to the list of stars.

So, Li Zheng was forcibly brought over.

"Ah, this is one of the strongest contestants on our Jijing Team this year, you guys talk, you guys talk..." Yang Changle then retreated next to Qi Yingnan, vigorously wiping sweat from his forehead, "That was close."

"Teacher Yang, isn’t this a bit unkind?" Qi Yingnan swallowed hard, "You could have called me over too."

"Li Zheng is more photogenic..." Yang Changle pursed his lips, "Huang Lingqi, from Yu Men, I remember who he is now, I’ve seen him in the news before."

"Now that you mention it..." Qi Yingnan’s eyes widened, "Isn’t he from that gambling king’s family?"

"Obviously, he is." Yang Changle nodded, "Should be one of the fourth-generation great-grandchildren, belonging to the more active and high-profile younger generation of their family. According to gossip news, he has extraordinary intelligence, could write at two years old, read Three Kingdoms at four, calculus at eight, published papers at ten."

"Go fuck your mother..." Qi Yingnan cursed, only to realize it was inappropriate and quickly gestured an apology, "I didn’t mean that, Teacher Yang... not your mother, his mother..."

"Enough, the more you explain, the more offensive it is." Yang Changle, watching Huang Lingqi effortlessly handle himself in front of the cameras, said, "Then let me enlighten you, do you know why he is so famous?"

"Because he’s a gambling king’s great-grandson?"

"No, because he’s rich."

"..."

"See these reporters? They’re all following his gaze and directions, they’re not here to chase news stories," Yang Changle said with a light chuckle, "In other words, all this attention has been bought by him."

After observing for a while, Qi Yingnan saw it was indeed the case, "No wonder, Teacher Yang... You can enlighten us on such strange knowledge... But, why would he buy attention? Does he really want to act?"

"Ha, what he wants is worth much more than acting," Yang Changle laughed, "You’re a smart kid, think about it."

Qi Yingnan didn’t think at all and immediately clapped his hands together, "Succession rights!"

"That’s probably it, considering the family tradition." Yang Changle nodded, making a face, "Whether he’s really a prodigy is hard to say, but at the very least he has cultivated a smart and agile social image, which is definitely a plus in terms of inheritance."

"Putting it that way, winning the physics competition as a birthday gift for his grandfather makes sense."

"That’s his business, but in any case, they can’t use me and my school as a stepping stone to flatter him." Yang Changle said as he stashed the autograph book away, "Otherwise, the principal will dock my salary again."

Meanwhile, Li Zheng was pushed to the forefront, feeling quite uncomfortable.

Not just him, Huang Lingqi himself felt even worse—

How come this guy is as handsome as I am?

But then he had an idea, and with a beaming smile, he shook hands with Li Zheng.

"Hello, may I have your esteemed surname?"

"No need for formalities, my surname is Li, Li Zheng." Li Zheng felt uncomfortable as he shook hands, "If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving now..."

"Hey, as an outstanding contestant handpicked by Teacher Yang, show some confidence," Huang Lingqi said before turning and whispering an instruction to his assistant.

The assistant quickly ran over and spoke to the reporters.

The reporters immediately got the hint and shoved the microphone towards Li Zheng’s mouth.

"Li Zheng, as this year’s strongest seed player in the Yu Men Physics Competition, what are your thoughts on Huang Lingqi’s participation?"

"..."

"This expression, does it mean you don’t think he will pose a threat to you?"

"I’m going now..."

"Li Zheng, Li Zheng!"

Li Zheng insisted on leaving, and there was no good reason to forcibly stop him.

But Huang Lingqi had certainly achieved his goal.

Facing the camera, he spoke with ease.

"There’s no need for undue attention, as the nation’s champion and the strongest contender, it’s normal for Li Zheng to be confident."

"Personal grudge? No, no, how could that be possible."

"It’s not about a duel of titans, just friendly competition."

"How do I judge it? Hmm, fifty-fifty, I guess."

"My initial goal is still to win the first competition gold medal for the Yu Men region."

"Of course, I will also try my best to fight for the championship, to make great-grandfather happy."

...

On the other side, after Li Zheng had left, he had also roughly heard Yang Changle’s speculations and immediately became anxious.

"Then why did you pull me up there?"

"Ah, it’s more fun when young people are together, it’s really not convenient with my status."

"You’re the teacher, you decide." Li Zheng turned and walked away, "I’m going to find my classmates."

"Don’t be angry," Yang Changle persuaded. "How about this, I’ll exercise some authority and if you want to be in the same room with someone, I’ll help you switch."

"Heh." Li Zheng waved his hand, "Obviously, I can only be in the same room with Qi Yingnan."

"It could be someone else too, I’m also available." Yang Changle beckoned, "I can tell you lots of knowledge."

"No need, I’ll just make do with Yingnan."

"..."

After sorting all this out, Li Zheng returned to the resting area to meet up with his team members.

Interestingly, his team members had somehow developed a tacit defensive formation.

They formed three layers, surrounding the sofa where Lin Yujing was sitting, right in the middle.

A buzz-cut approached Li Zheng and nodded, "Lin Yujing is the only female contestant in this competition, and we’ll protect her for you."

Seeing the determined look in his teammates’ eyes, Li Zheng swallowed, "We’re in a civilized society, we shouldn’t need this kind of physical protection, right..."

Another buzz-cut shook his head and said in a deep voice, "This is the instruction passed down from the previous Dragon Pearl Group leader. Last time, they protected Queen the same way, and still, Queen got hit on."

"That’s right, we must continue the tradition of our predecessors." The buzz-cut patted Li Zheng, "Don’t worry, we won’t let anyone from other teams get within three meters of her."

"Well... thank you..."

"No need, it’s not about you." The buzz-cut turned back, his gaze sanctified as he watched Lin Yujing dozing off on the sofa, "We’re just serving the physics god."

"You don’t need to exaggerate so much, even if it’s a joke..."

"I’m not joking." The buzz-cut said seriously, "It’s just that you’re too close to the god, and you’ve missed her radiance."

"Alright, carry on..."

Li Zheng shook his head and sat on the sofa next to Lin Yujing, "You better dodge them for a while, they’ve started playing guardian of Athens here."

Lin Yujing did not hear, she had truly fallen asleep.

As they were speaking, a chorus of groans came from behind them.

Turning around, Li Zheng saw Huang Lingqi walking over with his hands in his pockets, flanked by a male and a female assistant on each side.

Seeing this entourage, none of his teammates dared to speak. They all bowed their heads and started playing with their phones, pretending to be unrelated bystanders.

They let him in without a word!

What the fuck, weren’t we agreed on protecting the god of physics?

Left with no choice, Li Zheng became the last shield, pulling the suitcase in front of Lin Yujing and sitting on it himself, using his body to block the outside view.

However, Huang Lingqi didn’t seem to care about the god and kept looking straight at Li Zheng as he walked up to him and extended his right hand, "Sorry, I didn’t have time to introduce myself earlier."

Li Zheng, sitting on the suitcase, shook his hand reluctantly, "No need, I already know."

"This student..." the female assistant began, pushing up her glasses, "Isn’t it polite to stand up when shaking hands?"

"It’s fine, it’s fine," Huang Lingqi waved and smiled, sitting on the armrest of the nearby sofa, he casually waved and said, "Go buy us two cups of coffee."

The two assistants promptly left to carry out the order.

"Here’s the thing, I need your help," Huang Lingqi said directly, "I’ve just learned a bit about you, you’re a Chem Competitions champion, and you have a very outstanding artistic talent. I’m very fortunate to meet an opponent like you."

"Thank you."

"You understand all about me too, right?" Huang Lingqi pointed at himself.

"I wouldn’t say completely, just what I’ve heard here and there."

"No problem, I don’t mind," Huang Lingqi nodded and smiled, "I am indeed packaging myself to gain the trust of my elders. Those reporters just now were also hired by me, along with consultancy firms and PR companies, all working together to create a fine and positive image of me, so that I can take over the reins rightfully."

Li Zheng swallowed, "You don’t need to be so frank right off the bat."

"Ha-ha, I have to be frank with friends," Huang Lingqi said as he pulled out his phone, "Congratulations, you’re an elite who’s qualified to appear in my circle of friends, scan me."

"???"

"No, no, I don’t mean any offense, just telling it like it is," Huang Lingqi said as he scanned through his contacts and showed Li Zheng, "Here are 7 academicians, 55 top professors in various fields, and many other competition elite and social celebrities."

Li Zheng just shook his head, "It’s too forced, I don’t like making friends this way."

"I understand, I get it," Huang Lingqi laughed and put away his phone, gesticulating, "Everyone’s time is precious, it’s good enough if talents recognize each other, feelings can be cultivated later."

"Since you’re so frank, I won’t beat around the bush either," Li Zheng sighed, "Neither talent nor feelings have reached a point of recognition yet."

Huang Lingqi briefly paused, then asked, "You said you know me, I’ve won many social competitions and my score in the preliminaries broke 300."

Li Zheng also paused briefly.

With that smug look? 300 in the preliminaries?

"Alright, it’s fine, there are many who don’t like me," Huang Lingqi shook his head, leaning back on the sofa, "Then let’s try a different approach. For this competition, my team hopes to add some plot, create a rivalry flavor, so I’m hoping you can cooperate a bit."

"Impossible," Li Zheng directly raised his hand to refuse.

"It’s not unpaid help," Huang Lingqi said, instantly pulling out a checkbook, writing something quickly and handing it over, "I’m not very good at bargaining, so to save time I just offer the top price—does thirty thousand sound okay?"

"No, you can leave."

Huang Lingqi shook his head, crumpled the check, and replaced it with a new one: "Fifty thousand."

"It’s not about the money."

"Eighty thousand."

"What do you take me for!"

"One hundred thousand."

At that number, Li Zheng heard a faint murmuring sound.

He turned around to look.

Lin Yujing’s eyelids were twitching.

She wasn’t asleep at all!

On the other side, Huang Lingqi pushed the check forward again, "That’s the limit, this time it really is the limit, my family is very frugal. Before I come of age, my daily allowance is only this much."

"Please go back," Li Zheng said indifferently, "I don’t mind selling my talent to make money, and if you spend this money to hire me as your tutor, I would gladly accept, but your current proposal is clearly deceptive. Sorry."

"Sigh..." Huang Lingqi shook his head and sighed, leaning back on the sofa, "I thought the contestants who made it this far would be more mature..."

Just as he was speaking, two assistants came over with coffee.

"You guys drink it," Huang Lingqi said with a frown, waving his hand and getting up to straighten his suit, looking deeply troubled, "Since I can’t create an interesting story, I’ll just have to go through the motions and take the championship."

After he finished speaking, he handed the just-written check to the female assistant, "Go and ask if Yang Changle has time to tutor me."

"Okay..." the female assistant said through gritted teeth, "You could have just told me quietly... there’s no need to do it in front of Li Zheng..."

"Are you teaching me how to do things?" Huang Lingqi laughed, "You, are, teaching, me, how, to, do, things?"

"...No... I’m off," the assistant fled in a panic.

No sooner had the female assistant left than the male assistant approached, "The competition coaches we invited from Russia are about to arrive, and at this time asking Teacher Yang, I’m afraid..."

"Teacher Yang, as the gold-medal coach of Ren Da Fu, how could he possibly agree just like that?" Huang Lingqi looked at the male assistant as if he were an idiot, "I’m telling Li Zheng that he’s not worth the money, that Teacher Yang is the one worth it. Do I really need to spell it out that clearly?"

"I see... I’m dumb..." the male assistant said dejectedly.

"Sorry, my employees don’t understand the subtleties. Making it explicit just takes the fun out of it," Huang Lingqi shook his head and waved at Li Zheng, "I wish you smooth sailing in the rest of your life. Goodbye."

Li Zheng nodded, he certainly did not want to see him again.

A few steps after Huang Lingqi walked away, he suddenly stopped and turned back with a smile.

"Oh, I kept forgetting to say, you don’t have to deliberately shield the girl behind you. She looks... quite plain, no need to worry I’d take an interest in her."

Screech!!!

Instantly, Li Zheng’s blood rushed to his forehead.

Hair-trigger anger.

"I didn’t really care about the championship," Li Zheng shook his neck, "but now, I guess I’ll have to aim for a perfect score."

Huang Lingqi’s face lit up.

So the Achilles’ heel is right behind him!

That makes things easier.

"Okay," Huang Lingqi patted the phone in his pocket, "if you lose, could you give me a swipe and add me as a friend?"

"Impossible," Li Zheng sneered.

"Excuse me, is it impossible to swipe me, or impossible to lose?"

Li Zheng’s cool demeanor wavered for a moment at the question, "Impossible, to lose."

"So it’s a deal," Huang Lingqi gestured, "If I lose... I..."

After thinking for a long time, Huang Lingqi clutched his head in agony, "It turns out... apart from money, there isn’t much else you’re interested in... suddenly I’m so sad... how about, I give you a car?"

"No thanks," Li Zheng spoke firmly, "you need to correct your earlier statement."

"Oh that, I can do it right now," Huang Lingqi smiled, "I was just joking earlier, I’ve never seen such an adorable girl, even sleeping, she looks like an angel."

"..." Li Zheng tilted his head, "If you’re saying that... then let’s drop the matter."

"No way! You already agreed!" Huang Lingqi insisted, nodding vigorously, "If I win, we add as friends; if you win, I give you a car. It’s settled."

Li Zheng shook his head helplessly, "I’ve never heard of such a request..."

Just then, Yang Changle arrived, covering his jacket pocket, and bounced over excitedly.

"Quick, quick, quick, Student Huang, let’s find a place to have a private lesson."

"..."

"..."

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