Genius Playground

He just couldn’t bring himself to empathize with Nan Xiuxiu in this relationship. Today’s date may have been a happy, enjoyable experience for her, but for Jiang Ran, every single second was a torment, a condemnation of his conscience.

’I’ve been deceiving Nan Xiuxiu this whole time.’

’Even though I don’t like her, even though I have no feelings for her whatsoever, I still have to pretend to be her boyfriend and go on dates.’

’This whole charade... for Nan Xiuxiu...’

”It’s just too cruel.”

He moved his arm away.

He opened his eyes.

Jiang Ran decided he couldn’t keep hurting Nan Xiuxiu like this.

She was a great girl. He no longer held any prejudice against Nan Xiuxiu, so...

’I’ll find the right time and tell her the truth.’

Jiang Ran let out a long breath.

’It would still be cruel, but at least all the deception and hypocrisy can end here.’

He rolled over.

He took out his phone.

He continued to search for a way out of his predicament.

To fix the Positron Cannon, to meet Lu Yu, to find the rumored Time Travel Machine... he had to get into East Sea University.

But the problem was...

As a vocational college student, every path was blocked. How could he possibly get into East Sea University legitimately?

He searched through countless web pages and sifted through tons of information, growing more and more disappointed.

But then, suddenly!

He stumbled upon an unexpected clause in the graduate admissions guidelines:

[Special Circumstances: For students with outstanding academic expertise or unique potential, a joint recommendation by three or more of the university’s professors, followed by a successful review, may allow for direct admission, exempting the student from the unified entrance examination.]

”This!”

Jiang Ran bolted upright in bed.

’Graduate school?’

’This is an unexpected but welcome surprise.’

’A rule like this actually exists!’

To make sure it wasn’t fake news, he immediately looked up the regulations for several other universities.

’It’s real...’

’It’s real...’

’The rule is real! It actually exists!’

The regulations varied slightly from school to school—for example, top-tier universities required recommenders to be academicians at a minimum, while regular universities only required their own professors—but the general principle was largely the same.

Nearly all the regulations stated that this exception was specifically designed for academic talents of a truly exceptional nature, hence the special treatment.

At this moment...

Jiang Ran saw a glimmer of hope.

Although the prerequisites were incredibly difficult to meet, there was at least a sliver of a possibility, a glimmer of hope.

”Who would’ve thought.”

Jiang Ran marveled.

”The path from vocational college to a bachelor’s degree is a dead end, but the path from vocational college to a master’s is actually possible!”

He wasn’t sure if he had truly found a loophole he could exploit.

So he dove back into his research.

There was good news, and there was bad news.

The [Good News]:

Aside from requiring the joint recommendation of academicians or professors and a certain caliber of academic achievement, this special rule didn’t have many other strict requirements.

In other words...

Even though he was just a vocational college student, as long as he could get three or more academicians to jointly recommend him and he had genuinely produced top-tier academic research, he could use this special rule to go directly from—

vocational college to graduate school!

In principle, it was entirely feasible.

But.

The [Bad News]:

In all of history...

Ever since the Dragon Country’s education and examination system was established...

...there had not been a single successful case of someone going from a vocational college to a graduate program in the entire country.

”Heh heh...”

Jiang Ran smiled.

’It’s fine. Not a big deal.’

’As long as the rules don’t forbid it, the rest just comes down to hard work.’

Indeed.

The Dragon Country had no successful cases of a student going from vocational college to graduate school to date, but just as his roommate in the top bunk, Roommate #4, had said:

”The world is full of prejudice, but who’s to say a vocational college student can’t win an award in a math competition!”

That’s right.

The world is full of prejudice!

So who’s to say a vocational college student can’t go from vocational college to graduate school!

If there hadn’t been a first one yet, then he’d just have to find a way to be the first!

THUMP THUMP THUMP.

Jiang Ran pounded his fist against the bed board a few times, waking up his buddy in the top bunk.

”What the hell!”

Roommate #4 leaned his head down from the top bunk and grumbled,

”Jiang Ran, are you nuts?!”

”Thanks, man.”

Jiang Ran gave him a thumbs-up.

”And I need to apologize. I was being arrogant at the cafeteria entrance this morning, and I’m really sorry...”

”I genuinely think you were right now. Who says a vocational college student can’t be a competition champion! If we can sign up, we can compete! If we’re eligible, we’ve got a shot!”

Roommate #4 yawned.

”Oh, you’re talking about that Qiu Tongcheng Mathematics Competition.”

He picked his nose and said nonchalantly,

”Oh, that? I already gave up on it.”

?

Jiang Ran was baffled.

”What happened? You were so fired up in the cafeteria at lunch. How could you give up by tonight?”

”Couldn’t get enough people!”

Roommate #4 sounded helpless too.

”The team event has a minimum headcount. I asked around all day and couldn’t even get five people. I’m over it. To hell with it.”

”But there’s still the individual competition,” Jiang Ran reminded him.

”You can sign up for that by yourself.”

Roommate #4 waved a dismissive hand from the top bunk.

”Nah, my strategy doesn’t work for the individual event. I could only gamble on my luck with the team competition.”

Jiang Ran slipped on his slippers, stood up, and looked at his roommate with newfound respect and anticipation.

”I’m all ears.”

”What?”

”Your strategy.”

As a man now on a mission to get into graduate school, Jiang Ran was genuinely asking for guidance.

”Go on, tell me. I want to hear this brilliant strategy of yours.”

”Sigh, alright.”

Roommate #4 had gone to bed so early, clearly feeling a bit dejected.

But since his bunkmate below was asking so sincerely...

...he reluctantly sat up, ready to impart some wisdom.

”Jiang Ran, let’s be real, you and I both know that if I tried to win a prize based on my actual skills, it’d be a lost cause. My only shot was to try some unorthodox method, to take a gamble.”