Study Monster Cultivation System-Chapter 299 - 298 Study habit

The next day, though time off was allowed, hardly anyone in the department actually took a rest. There was a lengthy report coming up and they would take any extra day they could get.

After enduring for so long, Reset finally took a solid step forward, but there were still many steps to go before reaching the endpoint.

In the technical Reset, five requirements needed to be met.

Accurate positioning, clear mechanisms, problem reproduction, effective measures, and extrapolation of solutions.

At the current stage, the first and third requirements had basically been met.

With this foundation, clarifying the mechanisms was not a difficult task.

The true hurdle remained at the "effective measures" step.

As for the management Reset, Chen Hongbing and Shen Tinglan had already voluntarily demoted themselves and forfeited their annual performance bonuses. They were really only "acting" in their own positions now.

This part of the process had been completed within a week after the 8.8 incident.

The road ahead was long, and no one was relaxing.

No, there were still some who slacked off…

"You really took time off?"

When Chen Hongbing entered Shen Tinglan’s office, he only saw Lin Yujing sitting alone at a desk in the corner. There wasn’t an explosive anger, but there was certainly a bit of surprise and agitation.

Shen Tinglan, focused on typing and not even lifting her head, said, "They’ve been running non-stop for 7X24 over at the Western suburb. Can’t they rest for a couple of days?"

"No, Tinglan…" Chen Hongbing walked into the office with furrowed brows, "I treat each matter on its own merits, but it’s difficult for me to manage when you’re so biased in favor of your son-in-law at work."

"Hmm…" Upon hearing this, Lin Yujing picked up the water jug and sneaked out quietly.

"I’m sorry, Jingjing… I’m used to it, really used to it."

"…"

After Lin Yujing slipped away, Shen Tinglan finally spoke, "He asked for two days off to prepare for the biology competition, and he’s going to ask for another week off for the IPHO. All these have already been approved by you."

"Oh? Right…" Chen Hongbing slapped his forehead, "Who knew back then that they had such capability…"

As he spoke, he pulled up a chair to sit opposite Shen Tinglan, "Why is he still fussing with the biology competition when he’s got a secured admission to university, everything he wants?"

Shen Tinglan continued staring at the screen, "You should ask him yourself."

"It’d be inappropriate for me to ask." Chen Hongbing leaned in closer and said, "Maybe you could advise him? Some competitions aren’t that important—if he can avoid them, he should."

At these words, Shen Tinglan put down the mouse forcefully, pointed at Chen Hongbing, and said, "Chen Hongbing, let me make myself clear. They only expect knowledge from us, nothing else. Don’t apply your methods to Li Zheng."

Updat𝒆d fr𝑜m freewebnøvel.com.

"Hey, hey, hey…" Chen Hongbing hastily raised his hands, laughing it off, "I was just saying, don’t be so serious… You’re not even married yet… Look how protective you are…"

"Hmph."

This time, Shen Tinglan didn’t run away; instead, she deftly took out a pair of earplugs from the drawer, looking very much like Lin Yujing in the classroom.

"Stop, stop, let’s talk serious business." Chen Hongbing said earnestly, "Next, The Sixth Institute will start to improve and optimize the engine, and we can’t slack off. We need to be prepared to redesign the overall structure."

"We’ve been preparing all along." Shen Tinglan glanced at the two new desks in two corners of the office and said, "This will also be the first major project they’ll be involved in."

"Who would have thought…" Chen Hongbing leaned back in his chair and spun around, sighing, "High school students really coming out to build rockets…"

As he turned, he saw Lin Yujing who had just come back from getting water.

Lin Yujing’s eyes lit up as she asked, "Are we really going to be involved?"

"Just to participate, to participate."

Chen Hongbing stood up, allowing Lin Yujing to sit down, then proceeded to explain slowly.

"Jingjing, you must be aware that aerospace problems never exist in isolation."

"Often, it’s not as simple as ’treating the head when it hurts, and the feet when they’re sore.’"

"For instance, with the current engine malfunction, it has been almost confirmed to be The Sixth Institute’s responsibility."

"But we also need to understand that this malfunction occurs only under specific environmental conditions."

"You could say it’s because the engine design is inadequate, leading to such conditions."

"But you could also say, it’s because the overall rocket engineering design is lacking, leading to the conditions that caused the engine failure."

"It’d be great if The Sixth Institute can solve this malfunction."

"But we also need to be prepared for the possibility that The Sixth Institute is unable to completely eliminate the issue, and in that case, we’ll need to find a solution for the entire rocket,"

"Furthermore, if we also fail to eradicate it, then we might as well switch to a different plan and start afresh in a new environment,"

"If it’s like some strange disease that can’t be cured by focusing on the head or the feet, that doesn’t respond to Chinese medicine, and surgery offers no relief..."

"Then we have no choice but to dismiss this person and bring in someone else,"

Lin Yujing mumbled a question, "But if that situation actually arises, can we ensure that a new design will prevent any faults?"

"I don’t know," Chen Hongbing sighed, "It’s like giving up on the previous patient. We do everything we can, run a full gamut of tests to find someone as healthy as possible. But can we be sure that he won’t get sick at all, that he won’t have a headache? We don’t know. We can only strive for ’as healthy as possible’."

"What’s the specific standard for ’as healthy as possible’?" Lin Yujing asked.

"We have a reliability model, akin to a comprehensive physical exam. The standard to meet launch requirements is 97.5," Chen Hongbing nodded, "You can think of it as having a 97.5% success rate."

"So that means..." Lin Yujing frowned, "Yellow 2 encountered that 2.5%..."

"It’s more than just 2.5% ... it might be just 0.25%..." Shen Tinglan took a long sigh, "You’ve seen the fault report. It’s only under those specific environmental parameters that this kind of fault is triggered, and the probability of encountering that environment is definitely lower than 2.5%."

"Okay, let’s stop talking about probabilities, they’re starting to give me a headache too," Chen Hongbing said as he walked out of the office, "In any case, be prepared to give up on this patient. With Secretary Zhao overseeing the operation, we have the full support of the entire aerospace system; this is the largest effort we can muster. If it doesn’t yield results, it will also be the last time."

With that, Chen Hongbing left the office to get in touch with the forces he’d mentioned.

After a moment’s thought, Lin Yujing leaned over the desk and asked, "After the design is completed, can I get a senior engineer title?"

"What are you thinking about… You’re just participating in the process," Shen Tinglan waved his hand, "It’s not as simple as giving Li Zheng your whimsical ideas. I’ve given you the materials; study for two weeks, and I want to see the results."

"Tch..." Lin Yujing grumpily returned to her desk, "Engineering machinery and the like are so annoying..."

"Why don’t you go to another institute?" Shen Tinglan smirked, "They have telescopes, satellites, things that you like."

"Ha, then wouldn’t that mean spending every day in the office with Scum Chap?"

"Li Zheng is far quieter than you," Shen Tinglan couldn’t help but chuckle, "You’re like the cat we had at home, always needing to stir things up every once in a while, never quite tiresome enough."

"Hmm, you’ve hurt my feelings," Lin Yujing started packing up her things, feigning discontent, "I don’t need you."

"Haha, alright, alright," Shen Tinglan poked his head around, "Li Zheng rarely takes two days off. Aren’t you going to take the opportunity to catch up, to overtake him in the bend?"

"You don’t understand, I can’t outstudy him by sheer force, he’s a monster," Lin Yujing said, waving her arms dramatically, "So many, so many books, and he finishes them in a day or two."

"Well, there’s nothing to be done then," Shen Tinglan shook his head, "Not to mention, he’ll qualify for a professional title faster than you. When he becomes a senior engineer, you’ll probably still be just an ordinary engineer."

"..." After a fierce grimace, Lin Yujing reluctantly opened the folder with the materials, "I’ll... look for something difficult that he can’t learn..."

Meanwhile,

Lake Ying Middle School.

Biology teacher Hu Youbin.

Was about to enter his hell.

Li Zheng, fully equipped, appeared in his office.

"To ensure nothing is left to chance, the biology material needs to be covered over two days," Li Zheng said, placing textbooks and exercises onto the desk from his backpack, "Thank you for your hard work, Teacher Hu."

Hu Youbin nervously stepped back, "I... I still have a class soon."

"Principal Liu has already arranged for that," Li Zheng beckoned, "Come, I have some questions to ask."

"But I... I’m not as skilled as Yu Hong and Tao Feifei..."

Hu Youbin glanced back thinking of an escape, only to see Liu Xiaodong standing at the door, watching him with a smile.

"Ay, Old Hu, please help out," Liu Xiaodong said, exchanging a glance with Li Zheng before adding, "Also, your lunch will be brought to you, and there’s no rush to leave this evening. Think of it as overtime; this all counts as job performance tied to the competition."

"......"

That day, a student took action and began a reverse takeover of a teacher’s agenda for studying.

However, this student was humane, giving the biology teacher a 25-minute break at lunchtime, while he himself took the opportunity to slip back to the classroom.

Now, according to the roster, Li Zheng belonged to the senior year’s class one, and was headed to the very classroom that Xu Mengxi and Qiao Bixia previously occupied.

In the heat of noon, Li Zheng’s sudden appearance came without warning.

Plus, the combination of a fitted shirt and casual trousers made him unrecognizable at first glance.

Class one’s students looked on as if they had seen a ghost, stunned by the sight of this figure who walked in confidently.

Li Zheng himself had no intention of putting on airs; as he proceeded, he waved and smiled at his classmates.

```

But such a move made it seem even more like a leader had suddenly come to inspect.

Being in close proximity commands awe, and Li Zheng, who was already quite imposing, had mingled with Chen Hongbing and the others for a while and had become even more formidable.

Li Zheng walked up to his own desk like this.

This spot was, of course, empty.

But his deskmate’s side was exceptionally full.

More than full, actually—Zhang Xiaoke, sprawled and asleep with her leg cocked, had taken up more than half of her own spot too.

Li Zheng sat down in his chair and suddenly slapped the desk.

"Zhang Xiaoke, you’re so chubby—answer the question."

"Ahhh!" Startled awake, Zhang Xiaoke straightened up and faced the blackboard, "C, choose C."

Li Zheng nodded, "Alright, C is the chubbiest."

"???" Zhang Xiaoke turned her head and realized Li Zheng had returned.

Her eyes immediately filled with tears.

Then, clinging to Li Zheng’s shoulder, she began to shake him desperately.

"Master! Master! I’ve missed you so much!"

"Gently..." Li Zheng struggled and said, "Your inertia is too great..."

"I’ve clearly lost two pounds recently," Zhang Xiaoke took a step back and struck a model pose, "Now I have the perfect figure~~"

"Is that how all the fatties console themselves?" Li Zheng shook his head and took out his phone, "I see you haven’t logged into the study app for a week now. What, have you given up on studying too?"

"Ah... wasn’t it because Master didn’t update this week?" Zhang Xiaoke quickly returned to her seat and began massaging Li Zheng’s shoulder, warily looking around as she whispered, "To tell you the truth, Master, I was planning to seize the throne while the tiger’s away. I’m aiming for number one in the monthly test."

Hiss, hiss...

Though her voice was not loud, her expressions were too obvious, making Zhang Xiaoke’s intentions clear to everyone.

The original members of Class One were filled with hostility and disdain.

If they couldn’t beat Li Zheng and Lin Yujing, so be it—they weren’t human after all.

But you, Zhang Xiaoke, with such mediocre quiz scores this term, not making the top ten, you still think of sneaking into first place?

In Class One, that was impossible.

Yet, they had overlooked one thing.

If Li Zheng and Lin Yujing weren’t human.

Was Zhang Xiaoke then a human?

Faced with the doubts all around, Zhang Xiaoke just smiled faintly.

"Hehe, Master... I’ve been secretly hiding my strength. I’ve also been pestering the top three in class with some silly questions... wasting their time."

Li Zheng’s expression tightened as he realized something was amiss, "Then aren’t you wasting three times as much of your own time?"

"No no, that time is relaxation for me," Zhang Xiaoke raised an eyebrow, "Watching others think I’m a dunce, impatiently explaining problems to me, and then looking forward to beating them... It’s a great way to relax."

"Your fetishes are still so dog-like..."

"Master, your fetishes are the outrageous ones, okay?" Zhang Xiaoke gestured, "You just blindly power through with strength and speed, and you’re calling me out?"

"..." Even though Li Zheng was innocent, he realized something, "I’m talking about study habits..."

"Master, a person’s habits in life and in special situations are interconnected,"

"Nonsense..." Li Zheng retorted, "Then your fetish is... pretending to be tied up unable to resist and then suddenly turning the tables and mounting a face-ride..."

"Ah..." Zhang Xiaoke covered her mouth in surprise, "You almost guessed it, but actually it’s the other way round."

"The other way round?" Li Zheng couldn’t help but fall into thought, "So, it’s tying the other person up thinking you can do whatever you want, and then they suddenly hulk out and turn the tables on you?"

"Enough, Master." Zhang Xiaoke turned away covering her face, "Oh no, I’m such a pervert!"

"Er." Li Zheng also turned away with his face covered, "Can’t we talk about something related to studying now that we’ve finally met?"

"We were talking about studying at the start, but you started guessing wildly..."

"It was you who steered it this way."

```

"It’s all because of the quirks you brought up."

As they were talking, Jiang Qinghua returned with a basketball, along with several people from Class One.

"Hey, Li Zheng is back." Jiang Qinghua hastily stuffed the basketball under the lectern, dusted off his hands, jogged over, and gave Li Zheng a handshake. "Did you eat? There’s a new noodle shop at the entrance that’s pretty good."

"Yeah, I ate." Li Zheng, holding Jiang Qinghua’s hand, felt his grip was strong, and looking at his hair and complexion, it seemed to have improved a lot. "You’ve been doing well with taking care of yourself recently."

"I can’t really say I’m focused on health," Jiang Qinghua said with a laugh as he smoothed back his hair, "I’ve just been taking things easy recently, so the pressure has been a lot less."

"Hmph," Zhang Xiaoke folded her arms and scoffed, "if it isn’t because Master and Jingjing aren’t here, no one’s putting pressure on you."

"Hey, Qinghua’s in a pretty good state right now, don’t be like that," Li Zheng complained. "Even though he’s still a few dozen points away from a 985, there’s still time. As long as he follows the study software’s schedule, it’s very stable. Hold on, let me check Qinghua’s study progress..."

Li Zheng then switched on his cellphone and immediately frowned.

"This season’s study progress is less than 3%... Xiaoke is already at 4.8%... If this continues... No worries, a 211 is basically assured," Li Zheng said, looking up. "Right, what did you tell Du Shitong again, that even with a 211 we can still date, right?"

"..."

At that moment, Jiang Qinghua was reminded of the fear of being dominated by the Scholar Demon.

"I... I’ll catch up on the progress tonight..." Jiang Qinghua, feeling wronged, sat down at his seat, "I should probably play less basketball..."

"Ah, you’ve got to relax when you need to. Look at Xiaoke, she’s gotten so chubby, and inside the desk..." Li Zheng said as he blindly pulled out a box of chocolate bars, "it’s all just snacks anyway."

"Say that again and I won’t let you have any!"

"No, you wouldn’t dare." Li Zheng chuckled as he tore open the wrapper and started munching, then slipped a note to Zhang Xiaoke. "While having breakfast, I upgraded the server and got a few test accounts for some study software. Pass these on to the reliable people in the class."

"!" Zhang Xiaoke snatched the note and started counting, "Five, I’m rich!"

"That makes you rich?"

"Ha, everyone’s been scrambling for them," Zhang Xiaoke said with a mysterious air. "Leave it to me, I’ll make sure they go to the reliable people in the class."

Li Zheng, chewing on the chocolate bar, gave it some thought.

Something’s not right.

Given Zhang Xiaoke’s character, she’s likely to swallow the accounts herself, take them to the grave...

"No, I’d better send them out myself." Li Zheng turned his head, trying to snatch them back.

"Haha, too late." Zhang Xiaoke quickly stuffed the note into her backpack and turned around, saying, "Don’t worry, Master, I’ll distribute them. But you guessed right, I won’t give them to people from this class."

"I knew it..." Li Zheng shook his head. "Giving them to students from Ren Da Fu is also good, adding some excellent test samples."

"I can’t give them to Ren Da Fu either." Zhang Xiaoke put away the note, propped her arms under her chin on the desk, and had a deep calculating look, "My grades are already close to Ren Da Fu’s average line. Giving them such a good resource would be like asking for trouble."

"Then... No. 4 Middle School?"

"Of course not," Zhang Xiaoke scoffed. "I can’t give them to any high school seniors in Jijing."

"That’s a bit much."

"It is necessary," Zhang Xiaoke said, tilting her head slightly. "For someone aiming for Ji University, the real competition is only against a few hundred others. In the end, you could lose by just one place, and any slight difference could cause all efforts to be in vain, let alone something as powerful as the Scholar Demon System."

"It’s a study software... don’t rename it on your own."

"Anyway, I’ll distribute these accounts to sophomores and freshmen," Zhang Xiaoke said, touching the phone inside her desk. "There are many who admire you and would be eager for this, they’ll do their best to help test it."

"Admire what... Even if they did, how do you know these people..."

"Hahaha." Zhang Xiaoke burst into laughter. "I’m their leader now. You don’t know, but I answered a question about you on a social platform and instantly I got lots of followers who want to know about you."

"You didn’t even have to mention it and I completely forgot!" Li Zheng stood up in indignation, pressing his knuckles coldly as he smiled, "Like staring at people? Like drawing girls? Little chubby legs?"

"......" Zhang Xiaoke panicked, kicking her legs, "That... that’s just a tactic to attract attention... it’s communication studies, Master, communication studies, I’m doing an experiment in communication studies."

"Cut the crap, and fix it!"

"But that’s the truth," Zhang Xiaoke defended herself. "Compared to top likes, my content means nothing. There’s a guy doing chemistry competitions, Shi something, he said you have no other traits, just that your poo stinks so bad, and he got over two thousand likes."

Li Zheng’s scalp tingled instantly.

What kind of friend is this!

Is this what communication studies have come to?

Do you have to play like this for likes nowadays?