Study Monster Cultivation System-Chapter 328 - 327 is too big, can’t keep it, if you splash it back, it’s gone

Accompanied by Lin Yujing’s faint snoring, Li Zheng picked up the book he’d brought a while ago but had never gotten around to reading.

The scholar’s aroma was like an old friend, it wouldn’t hook you like an addiction, but once you finished your tasks and met with it, it was always around.

In the gradual sunset, Li Zheng held the book in his left hand and patted Jing softly with his right.

He could think of no simpler, nor more luxurious pleasure.

However, happiness conservation was like a devil’s law that never spared you, no matter the time.

When colleagues finished their meetings and returned one by one to tidy up their stations, for them...

This scene was neither simple nor enjoyable.

They even tiptoed around, afraid to make a sound.

"Ah..."

"Is it so arrogant..."

"Although you know it clearly, it’s still shocking to see with your own eyes..."

"I can’t stay in this office!"

But only one person, he smiled subtly, his talents and achievements hidden.

Chen Hongbing sent a manly look towards Li Zheng from afar.

See? The old man’s move, stable, isn’t it?

The good news was, Li Zheng and Lin Yujing did not attend the dinner party, which avoided many unintended injuries.

After all, some people led by Zhao Zhenhua had clearly set a theme of not stopping until drunk.

In such themes, high-schoolers usually got dragged into toasts by older folks, forced to listen to redundant speeches, nod repeatedly in agreement, reluctantly play along, and the experience was awful.

So, the two of them returned to the neighborhood they first visited in Wenhai, back to the Northeastern cuisine restaurant, where they shared a bottle of beer, toasting over the brightly lit broadcasting tower.

Li Zheng: "Glug, glug... Ah…!"

Lin Yujing: "Mm, glug, mm…!"

After exchanging smiles, they began to dig into the large Northeastern dumplings.

Don’t ask, ask is cultural invasion.

Listening to the people around them passionately debating Yellow 2’s world ranking, Li Zheng and Lin Yujing exchanged knowing looks, smiling without a word.

Don’t ask, ask is enjoying simplicity.

Indeed, after working for so long, not being tired was impossible.

Even learning, Li Zheng hadn’t focused on the same subject continuously for eight months.

Maybe they would come here again someday, but that would definitely be after exploring the glitzy world.

After maintaining their silence for a long time, Lin Yujing gradually turned her head toward her own balcony.

"What if... we stay a couple more days? We have a place to stay..."

"I need to head to Xiangbei the day after tomorrow for the math national finals," he responded.

"Humph!" Lin Yujing put down her cup and started stomping her foot, "Not happy!"

"..." Li Zheng scratched his head, "How about lying down for a bit?"

"Not everything can be slept away," Lin Yujing fanned with her hand, "You need emotional intelligence to coax, think fast."

Having no choice, now as the inferior party, Li Zheng needed to reasonably meet the unreasonable demands of the superior.

But math competition was not something easy to skip.

On one hand, he himself planned to gradually shift his focus to mathematics, on the other hand, there was also the final phase of the basic learning task "Five Subjects Scholar."

Besides, he had already skipped Gu Jianfeng once; after all, he still wanted to benefit from him.

Li Zheng slightly furrowed his brow, squinting at Lin Yujing.

Lin Yujing was tilting her head, looking somewhat upset yet seemingly not that domineering.

Upon thinking it over, she also knew the significance of academic competitions for himself; she surely shouldn’t be forcing him to make such a sacrifice.

"Scum Chap..." Lin Yujing, seeing Li Zheng’s hesitation, began to curl her lips and clench her teeth again, "Where’s your EQ, where’s it? Do I have to spell it out?"

"..." Li Zheng’s eyes widened, realizing something.

Li Zheng pulled out his phone.

Two minutes later, he stood up proudly.

"Let’s go."

"??"

"Let’s go pack," Li Zheng said with a smile, extending his right hand, "Let’s go to Xiangbei together."

"!!!" Lin Yujing raised her hand, then abruptly retracted it, "Who said I’m going with you... I haven’t agreed yet..."

"Oh, then I’ll cancel the tickets."

"Don’t you dare cancel!!!"

"Hahaha." Li Zheng grabbed Lin Yujing and started running, "To save money, I booked a red-eye flight, we’ve got to run back."

"Wait, wait!" Lin Yujing, being pulled madly, called out as she looked back, "Wait..."

"It’ll be fine, I’m pulling you to run faster."

"That’s not the problem." Lin Yujing finally exclaimed after holding it in for a while, "We haven’t paid yet!"

It was then that the owner’s curses belatedly followed.

"Are all college students like this now? Do they all enjoy dining and dashing?!!!"

At the same time, Li Yi received a critical message.

[Xiecheng Travel Network: You have successfully booked a flight... 570 Yuan...]

[Xiecheng Travel Network: You have successfully booked a hotel... 2380 Yuan...]

New n𝙤vel chapters are published on novelbuddy.cσ๓.

Old Li bolted upright in bed.

"Don’t I have a salary now?!!!"

...

Back at the launch site, the large group was still making merry with wine at the restaurant.

The two cautiously peeked at the door; it seemed there was no sign of the gathering ending.

It was Shen Tinglan who spotted them first, swiftly dealt with those around her, and strode forward, pushing the two to hurry outside.

"You better leave quickly... don’t let Zhao Zhenhua see you..."

"Yes, we were just about to go," Li Zheng nodded, "I informed you earlier that we need to leave early tomorrow to head to Xiangbei for the math competition."

"Hmm, I know," Shen Tinglan nodded, taking another look at the two.

Noticed their hands were intertwined.

And the daughter bashfully lowered her head, not daring to look at her mother.

"Ah..." Shen Tinglan’s mouth opened.

That’s it!

When the daughter grows up, you can’t hold onto her anymore!

Although I had anticipated this day would come...

But this is so sudden!

Then looked at Li Zheng.

Even standing with his hands behind his back, he no longer had that aura of commanding presence.

Not only not commanding, but also quite precarious.

You know it’s not something to be proud of, running off with my daughter so swiftly?!

"Uh..." Lin Yujing, seeing her mother not speaking for a while, a bit scared, hid behind Li Zheng.

"Ahem..." Li Zheng coughed, bracing himself against the pressure, "The hotel I booked for Jingjing is the same one as the Jijing Team, separate rooms."

Jingjing?!

Shen Tinglan glared.

Is Jingjing what you call her?!

Alright, you call her that.

But why does it feel so irritating!

How come my daughter who I’ve raised for so many years suddenly has to take the Li surname...

Although I was mentally prepared...

Shen Tinglan’s expression shifted several times, eventually bypassing Li Zheng and patting her daughter on the head.

"Alright, come on out."

"Um..." Lin Yujing lowered her head and moved out, as if she had made a serious mistake.

"Sigh... it’s come to this... what can I do..." Shen Tinglan spread her arms, "If I forbid you to go, would you two elope instead?"

"Hee hee..." Lin Yujing suddenly laughed, grabbing her mom’s arm and shaking it, "I’ll accompany him for the exam and then come home."

"Come back or not," Shen Tinglan chuckled and shook her head, "the poured water..."

Seeing this, Lin Yujing quickly grabbed Li Zheng and whispered, "Say something, Scum Chap..."

"How about..." Li Zheng looked at Shen Tinglan, "I come back with her?"

"Ah..." Shen Tinglan, looking into Li Zheng’s sincere eyes, really couldn’t refuse, just cleared her throat and tried to sound authoritative, "Be sure to take good care of Jingjing when you’re outside."

"Aunt Shen, don’t worry," Li Zheng clenched his fist and nodded, "Where Zheng is, Jing is safe!"

He was still confident about this; after all, he had been saving up Game Coin, ready to invest in combat skills using War Wolf’s level to protect Jingjing.

"Alright then, go pack up," Shen Tinglan gestured towards the restaurant, "I’ll explain to them once they sober up tomorrow, otherwise they’d start dragging you to drink now."

"Thank you, Aunt Shen."

"And good luck with snagging another national first," Shen Tinglan smiled helplessly, rubbing Lin Yujing’s head one last time, "Don’t cling too much, Li Zheng is there to take an exam."

"I know," Lin Yujing giggled, "My math is way better than his, I’m helping him prepare."

"Oh?" Li Zheng was not having it, "Why don’t you first try the previous competition paper and if you score higher than me, then we can talk."

"Bring it on," Lin Yujing narrowed her eyes with hostility. "Fine, let’s consider it a prelude to next week’s duel. I can easily beat you on the plane."

"Doing it on the plane? That’s what you said."

"I said it!!"

"Fine, I love your arrogance."

Shen Tinglan watched as the two figures disappeared into the distance, bickering and teasing.

Inevitably, he felt a bit reluctant.

This home, if even Jingjing left, it really would get a bit cold...

Amidst the slight sadness, Chen Hongbing came over with a glass in his hand.

"What’s wrong? I saw Li Zheng and Jingjing just came by?"

Shen Tinglan stared at the glass, "Aren’t you not drinking anymore? I see you toasting more than anyone else!"

"Water." Chen Hongbing smiled, lifting the glass and shaking it in front of Shen Tinglan’s eyes.

Shen Tinglan sniffed, it really was water.

"But... I clearly saw you pouring it from a wine bottle."

"Then would I not have panicked them using a thermos?"

"But your face is pretty red though."

Chen Hongbing laughed, then pulled out a handful of chili powder from his pocket: "Aren’t you supposed to pull the full trick?"

Shen Tinglan could only cover his face and shake his head, "You really got it."

"I remember Li Zheng was going to a competition..." Chen Hongbing swirled the glass and gestured towards the distance, "Is Jingjing going with Li Zheng too?"

"Yeah, they should be leaving soon."

"Hey, that’s great, to leave whenever you want, simple and straightforward," Chen Hongbing drank a sip of water and smiled, "Aerospace can’t keep Li Zheng, and you can’t keep Jingjing either, let go, what else can you do?"

"I know." Shen Tinglan was still covering his face, "It’s just... really seeing Jingjing following behind a boy...saying she wants to travel far with him... you know that feeling, right?"

"Too well, my daughter isn’t unmarried," Chen Hongbing coughed, then turned slightly shy, looking at the other side of the wall casually, "That place of yours, it has poor direction, heavy Yin energy, and is also small. Now that Jingjing is leaving, why don’t you move to a bigger place too? Plenty of sunlight, spacious..."

"...Stop." Shen Tinglan turned away in fright, "You’ve drunk too much..."

"I’m serious, Ting Lan, and you know I haven’t drunk a drop," Chen Hongbing swallowed a mouthful of spit, shaking the glass of water, "You have to believe me, I can avoid drinking today, and the future as well. It doesn’t matter to me whether I live a few more years or few less, but I don’t want to burden anyone, don’t want a grumpy old lady taking care of me when I can’t handle myself anymore. If anyone is to be looked after, it should be me looking after you."

"...That’s it." Shen Tinglan was ready to slip away.

"Ting Lan, just hear me out for two more sentences," Chen Hongbing suddenly turned around, "When I went to your school for recruitment, the first time I saw you I knew what I was thinking, but I couldn’t. One, I was married. Two, I am very utilitarian, between a competent subordinate and a loved one, I chose the former."

"When you married that grandson, I was out of town and didn’t attend. Actually, I wasn’t out of town; I was at home drinking, I knew what I was thinking, but I couldn’t."

"Later, my ex-wife ran off with a foreigner, and when she took the child abroad, I also knew what I was thinking, but I couldn’t."

"Then, that grandson also ran off."

"I knew even more what I was thinking then, but I was greedy; I coveted my career, I dared not imagine working without you, consulting you has already become my only habit and biggest motivation at work."

"Now, Yellow 2 is settled."

"I’m not greedy anymore, career doesn’t matter, all that’s left in my head is craving you."

"Sorry, this sentence is 20 years too late."

"Looking at it, I too am a grandson..."

"Can’t think of anything more appealing to say."

"All I can do is lay my heart bare for you to see..."

By the end of speaking, Chen Hongbing’s words were firm, and his legs weren’t trembling, standing rigid.

"This is it."

"Acceptable or not, give me an answer."

"..." Shen Tinglan turned back and glared at him, "You really can’t say anything appealing! What ’craving’, what ’acceptable or not’, do you think you’re buying vegetables?"

"..." Chen Hongbing scratched his head and laughed foolishly, "If not, I just leave, why the fuss."

"Did I say no?"

"Then it’s a yes!" Chen Hongbing’s eyes lit up.

But Shen Tinglan raised a finger, "Six months."

"What six months?"

"No drinking, no smoking," Shen Tinglan stated, holding up his finger, "Achieve that, then we’ll talk."

Chen Hongbing’s eyes widened, and he immediately smashed the glass in his hand on the ground, "I’ll go home and smash all the Maotai!"

While he was speaking, Zhao Zhenhua staggered over, "What’s the matter, why smash a glass... Did you not drink well or what?"

Chen Hongbing instantly changed his expression, leaning on the wall, drawing out his voice as he went to pick up the broken glass,

"I——I——I’m not drunk——keep drinking!"

"Hey yo!" Zhao Zhenhua laughed loudly, "Your tolerance really isn’t up to par today!"

"I—okay! I will—fix the cup for you—right now!"

"Forget it, forget it..." Zhao Zhenhua shouted, "Ting Lan, help him back. We’re almost done here."

"Okay..."

It wasn’t until they had descended the stairs that Chen Hongbing dared to relax and asked Shen Tinglan, who seemed deep in thought, "What are you thinking about?"

Shen Tinglan said solemnly, "If you move, you move. Jingjing should have a home to return to, not going back to your place."

Chen Hongbing nodded repeatedly like a pecking chick, "You nod and I’ll move right away! I sold my house to buy a school-district house for our daughter and son."

"Also, if you can really stick it out for six months, I mean if... then don’t start anything else, just keep it low-key..."

"Low-key, definitely low-key, like having a drink... a meal with the best friend!"

"Financially separate, what belongs to your daughter stays with your daughter, what belongs to Jingjing goes to Jingjing."

"No, give it all to Li Zheng. My daughter isn’t even Chinese anymore, give it to his mother."

"It’s for Jingjing, not Li Zheng."

"Then isn’t Jingjing’s also Li Zheng’s? It’s all for the son and daughter."

"Why do I feel like you just want to use me to make Li Zheng call you ’dad’?!"

"I admit I thought about it..."

"!!! You should go find Li Zheng directly; he’s just ahead, go after him, go ahead!"

"Don’t be mad; I just thought about it for a second, how satisfying it would be to have that kid call me dad..."

"Satisfying, huh? Just go be satisfied by yourself then."

"Ah yeah, was I wrong? It’s all my fault..."

...

The next day, at 5:30 AM.

As Lin Yujing, looking like a duck chased onto a plane, finally settled into her seat and tried to doze off,

Li Zheng, he pulled out a stack of test papers.

"Hey, hey, hey, it’s still early," Li Zheng kindly helped Lin Yujing lower the tray table and set up the papers and pens, "Please."

"Ah————yah————" Lin Yujing scratched her head in frustration, "No more please..."

"Needed," Li Zheng said with a cold smile, rubbing his hands, "The print shop at the airport is expensive, don’t let down... my dad’s 20 bucks."

"Let’s do it tomorrow—," Lin Yujing leaned back in her seat, weakly shaking Li Zheng’s arm, "Listen to me, listen to me, I’m the boss this week... "

"Then consider it you giving up," Li Zheng smiled and shook his head, "Next week, you’ll listen to me. I’ve already planned the project, 36 modes of play, 72 outfit sets; I’m starting to prepare the costumes and tools."

"!!!" Lin Yujing suddenly perked up and grabbed the test papers, "Scum Chap, I can beat you in my sleep!"

"Come on, show me you can win."

Lin Yujing vigorously rubbed her face and pouted, "Get me a coffee."

Li Zheng immediately flagged down a flight attendant, "Excuse me, two coffees, extra strong, please."

"Sorry sir, this is an economy flight. Meals and drinks are for purchase. Coffee is 45 yuan per cup. You can pre-order now, but it will only be served after the plane has stabilized after takeoff."

Only then did Li Zheng remember that he had booked a budget flight.

"Then one cup, please..."

"Two cups." Lin Yujing pulled out a 100-yuan bill and handed it over.

"Sure," the attendant smiled, "It’s been a while since I’ve seen young people use cash."

"My mom gave it to me last night," Lin Yujing, perhaps a bit out of it, blurted out without thinking.

"Ah... that’s nice..." the attendant turned to leave.

But then Lin Yujing suddenly looked up, "Sister, how long is our flight?"

"About one and a half hours."

"!!!" Lin Yujing stared at the ’150 minutes’ exam time on the test paper and struggled to ask, "This kind of economy flight... they... they often get delayed, right?"

"Our flight definitely won’t at this time," the attendant said, shaking her watch, "It’ll absolutely arrive by 7:30."

"Ah..." Lin Yujing looked at the test paper and despairingly turned to Li Zheng, "You’re trapping me..."

"What can I do, you asked for it," Li Zheng shrugged and smiled.

"It’s you who forced me to give it my all," Lin Yujing said as she threw a hair tie towards him, "Braid my hair!"

"This, I really can’t..."

"Learn, don’t you love to study!"

"Hold on, let me find a video..." Li Zheng laughed coldly as he opened his phone, "Go ahead and yell. Next week, 36 types, 72 sets, I’ll come at it horizontally, vertically, I’ll mix and match them, how many combinations are there... right, 2592..."

"Mmph..." Under immense pressure, Lin Yujing picked up the pen.

Losing meant being utterly crushed.

Even if not to death, she would be mortified to death.

She absolutely, absolutely, couldn’t lose!