My System Forces Me to Live off Women-Chapter 155 - 49: Research Group Meeting

Zhao Qingge: "Tomorrow at 8:30 AM, we'll have a meeting for the 'New Century Twenty Years Novel Research' project group, in Room 105 of Building 3. Everyone will present their literature reports. Confirm receipt."

Lin Zhihui: "Received!"

Lu Jing: "Received."

Li Peifeng allowed the two girls to read, but joking about writing a PPT and holding a presentation was just teasing. Although the two girls were upset, they understood what he meant, so after some banter, they each returned to their rooms.

However, just as Li Peifeng settled down to write, he received a WeChat message from Director Zhao in the graduate student group. Now it was really his turn to prepare a report.

Li Peifeng: "(sweat) Do I need to present?"

Zhao Qingge: "No kidding."

Li Peifeng: "But I'm not finished. I've been writing a new book lately... Director, can I skip it? I'll finish it next week for you."

Zhao Qingge: "No, you have to prepare now. I need to see the PPT tomorrow. Reminder: your assigned topic is the development of online literature and its connection to literary history. One, the development process and trends of online literature; two, the pure literary migration in the Internet era; three, the fracture of the new literary tradition and the rise of the 1990-2000 generation."

So heartless!

Li Peifeng sighed, had to put aside writing his new book, and began concentrating on his primary tasks as a graduate student.

Halfway through, he tried to chat with Yun Xin Yue Xing, but they were offline and didn't reply.

Ever since their last phone sex, Yun Xin Yue Xing hasn't been online, and did not respond to photos or messages from Li Peifeng.

This made Li Peifeng's plan to coax Yun Xin Yue Xing into saying "I'll take care of you" unsuccessful.

"Is it because my wife's sage time was too long, or was she scared by my photo?"

While going through literature and working on the PPT, Li Peifeng let his mind wander, figuring he'd find out the person's mental state when he saw Yun Xin Yue Xing at school the next day, so he focused on his work instead.

...

"New Century Twenty Years Novel Research" is a regular project of the National Social Science Fund, with a duration of four years. It is currently in its third year, nearing the end. Previously, it was solely led by Zhao Qingge with the help of three of her 'direct disciples' and some other participating students, totaling ten people, but no other teachers were involved.

The project systematically examines important literary creations, phenomena, and trends over the past twenty years, providing in-depth interpretations and independent evaluations. It also reflects deeply on the crisis of traditional mainstream literature and the negative impacts of pure literary ideology.

Moreover, it provides a detailed description of the development of online literature and its internal mechanisms, and offers bold visions for the future reconstruction of "mainstream literature."

The workload for this project is relatively large, but fortunately, the timeline is long, making it manageable.

Li Peifeng had been involved in this project under Zhao Qingge since his undergraduate days, from traditional pure literature at the start to the emergence of online literature nearing the end.

Although the main theme is controlled by Zhao Qingge, Old Zhao adopted some of his suggestions on online literature...

"Well done, keep it up."

At 9:30 AM the next day, in Classroom 105 of the third teaching building, after listening to Li Peifeng's report, Zhao Qingge slightly nodded her approval and led the applause as encouragement, followed by the other students.

"Thank you."

Li Peifeng smiled, stepped down, and left.

Although the PPT wasn't lengthy, it kept him up until after 3 AM to finish it. Thankfully, Li Peifeng replaced his liver, kidneys, and gallbladder; otherwise, this body couldn't take such a toll.

"It's all quite good, but there are a few points I'd like to discuss…"

As the last speaker, after Li Peifeng finished, Zhao Qingge went on stage to offer her feedback.

Feeling bored, Li Peifeng called up his system page in his mind.

[Savior of Poor Women (Incomplete)]

[Women Hold Up Half the Sky, Rule the Land and Change the Scenery (Incomplete)]

[Please Support Me (2/5)]

Scanning through the three tasks, Li Peifeng also checked the amount required for the next lottery draw.

21,276 yuan.

Recently, Li Peifeng hadn't intentionally tried to make girls spend money on him or give him gifts, so the amount hadn't changed much. However, since he was mostly buying groceries for the two girls at home, the required amount had decreased a bit.

Li Peifeng did not plan to sell his conscience for the sake of prizes by deliberately manipulating women into spending money on him, as that was akin to committing a crime, and no prize was worth that. However, if the other party voluntarily gives him gifts when in a good mood, he would humbly accept, at worst returning the favor next time, which would satisfy his conscience.

"But the condition is not to give me anything too expensive, I truly cannot afford it, I'm poor..."

Penny-pinching Li Peifeng gathered his thoughts and checked his bank balance on his phone, only to realize how shocking it was.

It turns out that the 4 million yuan saved from years of manuscript fees and selling copyrights had dwindled to only 3.1 million.

After reviewing the spending records, he understood why. Buying jewelry had cost 380,000 yuan, and giving Wenyue 500,000 for a startup accounted for 880,000 yuan, plus recent miscellaneous expenses which also added up.

Even though a 3 million yuan deposit would be considered a substantial amount for an average family, Li Peifeng felt anxious about it.

"This's not okay. Damn, these small expenses add up too fast. Is 3 million enough for me to marry a few wives in the capital? Am I destined to be a kept man someday?"

"Next, I'll assign tasks for the next phase..."

While Zhao Qingge continued speaking on stage, Li Peifeng pondered ways to make money.

Writing novels was too slow, and relying on Huang Tianxuan for drug development profits seemed distant. Illegal means weren't an option, leaving only the possibility of cheating.

"Open the lottery wheel."

Currently, Li Peifeng didn't have any opportunities for a draw, but completing the [Please Support Me] task would provide one, so he wanted to see if there were any valuable items in the wheel, especially those that could be monetized.

"Tch."

After a quick look, Li Peifeng clicked his tongue: "In his lifetime, Peifeng is no less than others; he still has to rely on his own efforts."

...

"Director, do you have a moment?"

"What's up?"

After the meeting, Li Peifeng found an opportunity to enter Zhao Qingge's office...

"Just wanted to chat with you casually."

Sitting in front of her computer, Zhao Qingge adjusted her glasses, her expression unchanged: "Go ahead."

Li Peifeng wanted to gauge Old Zhao's attitude and see if he could get her to say 'I'll support you,' because coming to school shouldn't be for nothing. But considering their relationship at school, how could he lead Old Zhao to say this?

After thinking for a while and not knowing how to start, Li Peifeng blurted out: "What are your thoughts on the current Ukraine-Russia conflict?"

Zhao Qingge's mouth curled up slightly in what seemed like a smile: "Not interested."

"Ah, okay."

Stammering, Li Peifeng recalled the project group meeting and added: "There's one thing about our project that I've never understood, even though I've been working on it with you for years."

"What don't you understand?"

Li Peifeng hesitated: "Do you think studying this serves any purpose? No offense, but it feels like we've spent time and effort on it, and it doesn't seem to serve any purpose other than being academic for academic's sake..."

Zhao Qingge smiled slightly: "By writing this, I can get funding."

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