Study Monster Cultivation System
Chapter 269 - 268 Scum Chap

It was almost 11 p.m.

Not just Lin Yujing, everyone had been feeling sleepy for a while.

There were significantly fewer people in the meeting room, though the live stream continued to be heated with discussions.

[Haha, buzz cut got 89 in English, still worse than me!]

[This is probably what being biased in subjects looks like.]

[Middle part did alright though, got 140 in English, but seems like he won’t finish Chinese.]

[The girls are getting sleepy, my heart aches for them.]

[Buzz cut is getting sleepy too, how come no one pities him.]

[Didn’t Teacher Yang go over to remind him to perk up.]

[That’s too cruel, the kid is about to cry.]

[I couldn’t last this long even playing LOL.]

At 11 sharp, Li Zheng had already flipped open the essay paper.

This time, the essay required writing a speech advocating "Love for labor, starting with myself."

As long as one didn’t use "Marxism Philosophy" and "Capital", or acidly discuss the relationship between labor, capital, and value, it was hard to go off track.

If one could write something like "We are the dust of this world, but heroes of our own," then aiming for full marks was feasible.

Of course, one could be gutsy, like changing it to the "Xuelang" formula—

I look at all of you, full of envy.

You possess the rights that the previous generation dreamed of.

The choice to decide where to labor.

Freely going to an under-construction site to carry bricks or to a major corporation to work 996...

Stop, stop, playing like this in the college entrance exam essays is really risky.

Li Zheng chuckled softly to himself and looked up at Lin Yujing.

She had been on the verge of falling asleep for a long time, her pen had dropped several times, and she probably could have slept dead away had there been a pillow.

Even though she clearly couldn’t hold on, she was still overestimating her capability by playing this game.

Could it be...

Was she exploiting his sympathy? Giving a hand?

"Hey," Li Zheng tapped on the table, "wake up."

Because her ear was against the table, Lin Yujing jolted up, dazed momentarily before hurriedly wiping her drool off: "Was... was dreaming... lots of watermelons and chaps."

"Have you ever seen a chap..."

Lin Yujing frowned and thought it through, "Now that you mention it... seems like it was a raccoon..."

"Alright." Li Zheng’s eyes swam with frustration, "If you’re here, you should do it properly. I’m not going to let you win."

"Who needs you to let me win…" Lin Yujing rubbed her face and shook her head, trying her best to focus on the exam paper.

But soon, her eyelids began to stick together again and her head started drooping.

"I don’t care anymore." Li Zheng shook his head helplessly, "In any case, I can’t think of any creative travel destinations, I can only go along with clichés, like romantic Turkey, no wait, Turkey is at war... Then, Los Angeles with black people... No, that feels even worse, nowadays writing lyrics really doesn’t require brains…"

"You’re the one without a brain, loser." Lin Yujing remained in a disengaged state, listlessly propping her face, "If you can only think of those places... Wow, that’s pathetic, you should be speared in a watermelon field, tss tss tss..."

"Wait, in the watermelon field, is it me or the chap?"

"Ahem!" Yang Changle suddenly coughed, "Although this isn’t an official exam, it’s best not to disturb other students, okay?"

Li Zheng had no choice but to keep quiet, watching helplessly as Lin Yujing drifted off to sleep again.

Without a brain?

Loser?

What on earth was going on?

Li Zheng tried to calm himself down, attempting to pull some information from his muddled thoughts.

What he knew now was that Lin Yujing did not have a strong desire to win.

Yet she seemed to still have certain standards for travel destinations.

The problem was that these two points were contradictory.

If she was adamant about wanting to go somewhere, she should be trying hard to win.

Usually for minor things, she would indeed occasionally manipulate the situation, betting on her giving a hand.

But in such a serious exam competition, giving a hand was nothing but an insult to both parties.

Combining all these points.

Lin Yujing did have a clear destination in mind.

She was also aware that she would likely lose.

She clearly understood the location would be decided by her.

Yet she had no intention of revealing the location, nor did she want him to give a hand.

From this perspective...

Li Zheng suddenly widened his eyes.

Sweat began to seep out on his cheeks and back.

He, always composed in his responses, suddenly displayed the kind of tension that one feels between life and death.

Four hours later, Li Zheng finally uncovered the surface of the question—

[Do we want to go to the same place?]

At first glance, it seemed like a nonsensical question filled with feminine emotional hues.

But upon closer examination,

It appeared to hold understandings and ideals within.

For some reason, Li Zheng’s right cheek started itching again.

He thought it was a freebie question.

But how could Lin Yujing possibly set a freebie question?

A life-threatening question.

It had to be a life-threatening question.

As an audience, what we saw was a completely different scene.

[It looks like Li Zheng is stumped by the essay question?]

[That expression doesn’t look right... It’s as if someone is holding a knife against him...]

[What kind of essay question could have scared him this much?]

[Looks like it’s about the honor of labor...]

[He must have thought of some profound philosophical issue, right?]

[As expected of Li Zheng, even an essay question can trigger an inner rational critique.]

[His depth of thought is indeed on a different level.]

Soon, everyone became absorbed in such a series of admiration and speculation, looking forward to Li Zheng’s statement, almost like a cautionary famous saying.

Finally, 40 minutes later, Li Zheng stood up.

He handed over his paper wordlessly and then rushed out of the meeting room.

The crowd suddenly realized.

They then remembered that, in reality, marathon runners had indeed shown expressions like Li Zheng’s during races.

Ultimately unable to hold it in, they ran while doing their business, leaving a trail behind.

He really was holding in a big one!

And indeed, Li Zheng had gone to the restroom.

However, he just sat on the toilet holding his head.

His eyes full of bloodshot veins.

This was trouble, now we were really in trouble.

Women care a lot about tacit understanding.

For instance, when it’s a woman’s birthday and you ask her what gift she wants,

She will definitely say whatever.

But when you actually give her something at random,

She will definitely be angry.

"You don’t even know what I like!"

"You don’t understand me at all!"

"Our personalities don’t match."

"Let’s break up, scum!"

It can even be said that every "whatever"

Is a life-threatening test.

Although friendship should come first and studies are important during high school,

In such a failed evaluation, going separate ways...

That’s a huge loss indeed!

Li Zheng anxiously took out his phone.

11:42 AM.

There were 18 minutes left until the end of the exam.

Li Zheng didn’t have much time left.

...

At noon sharp, Yang Changle announced the end of the exam.

Lin Yujing finished her essay just in time.

Du Zicheng hadn’t managed to write his essay.

Qi Yingnan hadn’t managed to do his Chinese exam.

The reference was obvious by now.

Due to the ongoing marking, the final grading only took about ten minutes.

After repeated confirmations, Yang Changle wrote everyone’s final scores on the whiteboard.

[Li Zheng: Time used 4 hours 40 minutes.]

[Chinese: 139][Math: 150]

[English: 147][Science Comprehensive: 298]

[Total Score: 734]

…

[Lin Yujing: Took 5 hours.]

[Chinese: 140][Math: 148]

[English: 143][Science Comprehensive: 298]

[Total Score: 729]

…

[Du Zicheng: Incomplete]

[Chinese: 78][Math: 142]

[English: 140][Science Comprehensive: 284]

[Total Score: 644]

…

[Qi Yingnan: Tried hard]

[Chinese: 0][Math: 137]

[English: 89][Science Comprehensive: 224]

[Total Score: 450]

The people who had hung in there in the live broadcast room until now

finally got the smackdown they wished for.

[The gap between me and the top students isn’t about effort... it’s more like a species gap, the kind you classify in taxonomy.]

[This is 734! Isn’t that enough for the top scorer?]

[Lin Yujing clearly slept for half an hour in the Chinese section, how did she still score higher than Li Zheng in the end?]

[Qi Yingnan really had it rough... Look, he’s almost dead.]

[The theoretical limit for normal humans is probably like Du Zicheng…]

[Teacher Yang, organize a four-hour extreme version next time and include Qi Yingnan as well.]

Yang Changle took advantage of the atmosphere and swiftly wrapped up his educational mini-video recording.

"A kid asked me, ’Is the college entrance examination really that hard?’"

"Now, a few students have answered with facts. The college entrance examination is not at all difficult. It is possible to finish in five hours and to score over 700 points."

"Essentially, since the exam is aimed at all the high school students nationwide, it has to cater to the average level."

"For students like the three here, other than Qi Yingnan, who exceptionally excels in their studies, the exam no longer has selective power."

"The reality is just like this. You’ll notice that the students who get admitted to Jinghua Jida each year only have a few points separating them. If they took the exam again, it might be a different set of students passing."

"For these students, academic competitions are an excellent supplement, through which selection of top talents with more extreme problems can be achieved."

"At the same time, for a student like Qi Yingnan, who clearly has an unbalanced skill set but is extremely talented in one area, it’s also a chance for out-of-ordinary selection."

"Some say the college entrance exam is a marathon, but isn’t life too?"

"In this life marathon, the college entrance exam is just the first leg."

"I hope every kid enjoys the unique beauty of this long run and shows off their flair,"

"and why not time yourself for five hours and post the scores you get in the comments and barrage."

"I’ll pick three lucky viewers to send the 2020 new edition of ’Five-Year College Entrance Examination Three-Year Simulation.’

[Enough, Teacher Yang!]

[There’s a problem with this approach you’re taking.]

[I’m crying, I’m even worse than Qi Yingnan!]

Amidst a barrage of criticism, the live broadcast ended, and Yang Changle successfully completed his mini video, happily packing up his phone stand.

Many people cursed enough and left, but the three contestants still stood their ground.

Lin Yujing leaned sideways on the table, seemingly suddenly wide awake, fiddling repeatedly with a marker on the desk as if waiting for something.

Du Zicheng, on the other hand, furrowed his brows, looking deep in thought, yet his mind was racing.

Nanny Ganni! Nearly 100 points off! Nanny Ganni!

Qi Yingnan simply slumped in his chair, facing upwards, breathing deeply, struggling to live.

"Alright, that’s enough hard work for everyone, let’s wrap it up," Yang Changle said as he picked up the stand, "If it were me in high school, I would probably only score around what Du Zicheng did."

"…" Du Zicheng glared resentfully, wanting to say something but not daring to.

In the end, he straightened up, facing the opposite wall, and said, "Tell Li Zheng, this time I... I... I give up, okay? I admit I’m just a normal person... I accept it..."

Du Zicheng said slowly, clenching his fists.

"But our Xiangnan Porridge God definitely isn’t a normal person."

"He will surely make Li Zheng experience what I’m feeling right now."

"See you at the math competition."

After these words, Du Zicheng covered his face and ran out.

"Ah... after all, he was also a local top student, it hit him hard..." Yang Changle shook his head and then turned to Qi Yingnan, "Don’t keep sitting there, let’s go."

"Ah..." Qi Yingnan got up dazedly and shook his head before asking, "Don’t you still have a book with your autograph?"

"Yes, I just mentioned it, ’Five-Year College Entrance Examination Three-Year Simulation’."

"Enough!!! I don’t want to hear about the college entrance examination anymore!!"

And that was how Qi Yingnan made his escape.

Seeing him gone, Lin Yujing could only sigh, picked up her pen, and stood up, following Yang Changle and Tao Feifei out of the meeting room and cautiously stepped into the elevator.

In the elevator, Tao Feifei sensed something was off: "Strange... Li Zheng, the kid, finally wins once and he’d definitely want to brag about it... so why did he just sneak off this time? Lin Yujing, do you know what’s up?"

Lin Yujing leaned against the elevator corner, her expression drifting, and shook her head.

"Alright, the silly boy, who cares about him," Yang Changle laughed, "Lin Yujing, you should go rest. Being half-asleep and still scoring 730, I suspect you’ve reached the realm of solving problems in your dreams."

Tao Feifei covered her face and laughed: "I don’t know if she can solve problems, but she definitely listens to lectures in her dreams at school."

"Hahaha."

Yang Changle and Tao Feifei left the elevator first, and Lin Yujing took another ride up to the top floor.

With a "ding" sound, she sighed again, listlessly entering the hallway.

What if he misunderstood?

It was definitely not meant in a frivolous way.

Walking along, she suddenly scratched her head and stomped hard.

"No, no, no!"

"You should know!"

"How could you not think of that?"

"You scum chap! I’ll sting you! Hsss hsss hsss!"

Just as she was metaphorically stinging the air, she suddenly saw something.

She looked up sharply.

There, a man was sitting by the door to her room, leaning against it and daydreaming.

Lin Yujing blushed and turned her back to him.

"This question... so hard..." Li Zheng mumbled thoughtfully.

"I can’t understand what you’re saying..." Lin Yujing, with her back turned, fanned her hand, "You’ve won, can’t think of a place, then leave it, move away."

Li Zheng grimaced as he rose to his feet and stepped up behind Lin Yujing.

"How about next time we just talk directly? My brain structure isn’t meant for guessing these things."

"..." Lin Yujing didn’t even look at Li Zheng, just gritted her teeth, "There won’t be a next time."

"Oh? So sure about that?"

Li Zheng smiled and finally made up his mind, lifting his hand to scratch an itch on his right cheek that had been bothering him for ages.

Then he straightened up and spoke softly,

"So you’re planning to go to the South China Sea to watch the satellite launch alone?"

Whoosh!

Lin Yujing trembled all over, her eyes welling up, she turned and punched Li Zheng.

"Scum chap!!! Hsss hsss hsss!!"

"Hahaha, so is this level all you’ve got?" Li Zheng laughed heartily, looking entirely smug, "How could I not know about the satellite launch at Wenhai Base in August? Actually, I figured it out as soon as the plan was set, I was just watching and waiting, your level is just so-so."

The more Lin Yujing listened, the angrier she got, and after hitting him hard, she turned and walked away.

"My mom has a secret viewing spot, and I’m not taking you."

"Haha, I just asked her, and she already told me."

"?!!!?!!!"

"..."

"Didn’t you already know?"

"... Listen to my explanation."

"Also, you’ve been whispering behind my back with my mom?"

"Not... there was a communication relay involved... come on, let’s talk inside."

"Go back to the melon patch and get stung, you scum chap!"

Bang!

The door slammed shut, and Li Zheng was locked out.

Li Zheng scratched his head for a long while, and finally, from inside came the voice,

"Book the tickets!"

Li Zheng asked cheerily, "Which day exactly?"

"Ask my mom."

"Oh."

"Not... don’t talk to my mom!"

"No worries, I contacted your mom indirectly through my dad."

"Ahhh! Another big scum chap!"