My Study Chat Group is Full of Real Big Shots

Chapter 97: Chapter 94: A New Chapter

Li Dong walked toward the entrance of Zhejiang University.

The intense experiments made him decide to head to the convenience store outside the university gates for an iced coffee to cool his nearly overloaded brain.

Meanwhile, outside the gates of Zhejiang University, two men dripping with sweat were being firmly blocked by a security guard at the turnstiles.

”Sir, we’re not from some admissions team. We’re just parents...”

”Nope, still not allowed! The School of Life Sciences has a confidential experiment today. No outside vehicles or personnel are permitted entry!” The guard wasn’t buying it.

The two teachers were getting a little anxious.

「Half an hour earlier...」

In a home in a high-end residential complex in Hang City, the admissions teams from Shuimu University and Yan University, both stationed in Jiangzhe Province, had been having a pleasant conversation with this year’s top science student from the province.

Then, the phones of both team leaders vibrated at almost the same time.

It was an ID photo and a message. The message was simple: The perfect-score science top-scorer from Sichuan and Chongqing. At Zhejiang University. Go get him!

Although the teachers on the admissions teams were confused, ’Why is the top scorer from Sichuan and Chongqing at Zhejiang University?,’ when it came to poaching talent, they were professionals.

The leaders of both admissions teams were old foxes.

The Jiangzhe top scorer in front of them was also a prize, so neither let on that something was wrong.

The leaders remained perfectly composed, smiling as they continued to chat with the Jiangzhe Province top scorer about his life goals and academic plans.

Meanwhile, their subordinates from both sides found an excuse to slip out the door, rushed downstairs, hailed a taxi, and raced toward Zhejiang University at lightning speed.

Just as they were being blocked by the guard outside the campus, a teacher from Yan University suddenly saw Li Dong walking out of the university gates.

”Li Dong!”

The teacher from Yan University threw decorum to the wind and yelled from across the turnstiles.

Li Dong was startled by the sudden shout and walked over, confused. The moment he stepped through the turnstile, he was hemmed in by the two teachers, one on his left and one on his right.

”Hello, Li Dong! I’m Teacher Zhang from the Yan University admissions team...”

”Li Dong, I’m Teacher Liu from Shuimu University! Our Shuimu engineering program is number one in the country...”

The two teachers instantly entered battle mode. The teacher from Yan University was even preparing to unleash the eight-hundred-word speech he had mentally drafted in the car.

However, Li Dong frowned.

’I’m really tight on time right now! The program in the PCR machine will finish in just over an hour, and I still have to go back and run the gel electrophoresis.’

’When I get back to the hotel tonight, I have to keep grinding through low-level C++ memory pointers and multi-threaded algorithms. My brain cells are already fried; I really don’t have time for this.’

”Hello, Teachers,” Li Dong cut them off crisply. ”Excuse me, if I go to Yan University, can I get directly into Yuanpei College?”

The teacher from Yan University nodded without hesitation. ”You can! Pick whatever major you want!”

”Alright, I’ll choose Yan University, then.”

Li Dong made his decision, just like that.

”Teachers, I have an experiment to get back to, so I have to run.”

After speaking, Li Dong walked around the two admissions teachers and headed straight for the convenience store across the street.

A light breeze blew through the gates of Zhejiang University.

The teacher from Yan University stood there, completely dumbfounded.

’Just like that... I won?’

As he watched Li Dong walk away, a sense of absurdity washed over him.

’I just secured a perfect-score science champion... just like that?’

’But... why don’t I feel any sense of accomplishment?!’

Beside him, the teacher from Shuimu University was ashen-faced, a look of utter disbelief on his face.

’But I haven’t even said anything yet!’

In truth, this wasn’t an impulsive decision from Li Dong.

Even before checking his scores, he had already given a great deal of thought to Shuimu and Yan University.

Shuimu’s engineering and applied physics programs were undeniably the best in the country.

At the Huaxuan Cup, he had indeed demonstrated a top-tier intuition for practical engineering.

But Li Dong knew deep down that what he truly yearned for was fundamental theoretical physics.

Working on practical engineering implementation? Solving the pain points of photolithography machines? He could do that, but it would just be something on the side, like a casual flex to earn some research funding.

He was the Group Leader of the Cyan Dragon Study Group, after all!

Every day, he watched legends like Newton, Einstein, Maxwell, and Gauss in the group, who could divine the truths of the universe and reshape humanity’s perception of spacetime with just the flick of a pen.

Under this subtle and imperceptible influence, the brand of pure theoretical science had long been seared into the depths of his soul.

In comparison, the Yan University physics department, with its deep heritage and focus on fundamental theoretical research, was his true battlefield.

...

A few days later, after successfully obtaining the sequencing data for the Alpine Willow Chrysanthemum positive knockout strain, Li Dong said goodbye to Professor Zhang Minfang and returned to Jiangcheng.

As his status as the provincial top scorer was confirmed, Sixth Middle School put Li Dong’s name on the most conspicuous LED screen at the school entrance, playing on a 24-hour loop. He was basking in endless glory.

At the same time, Sixth Middle School officially submitted Li Dong’s physics paper on ”Rotation-Induced Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking” to the organizing committee of the Qiu Chengtong Middle School Science Prize Asian Region on the school’s behalf.

Although Li Dong was about to graduate and enter university, since the paper was submitted within the high school application period, he was still eligible to compete.

That afternoon, Li Dong found time to return to Seventh Middle School to visit Old Yang.

As he passed the principal’s office, a sharp CRACK rang out, followed by Principal Wang’s impotent rage.

”Sixth Middle School has gone too far!! He’s a student we at Seventh Middle School recruited! The top scorer we produced!”

He arrived at Old Yang’s office and chatted with Old Yang and Zheng Hua for the entire afternoon.

As he was leaving, Old Yang clapped him on the shoulder, his eyes filled with pride and high hopes.

「That evening.」

In a large restaurant in Jiangcheng’s old town.

It was the graduation dinner for Class 2, Grade 12 of Jiangcheng Seventh Middle School, which also served as a teacher appreciation banquet.

Most of the subject teachers were there.

Li Dong hadn’t really wanted to come—he’d even skipped the one for Sixth Middle School—but Liu Liang was the one who invited him.

Li Dong genuinely considered Liu Liang a true friend. He was the buddy who had idled away the first two years of high school with him, only to grit his teeth and try desperately to catch up after Li Dong’s own meteoric rise.

Liu Liang had done well on the college entrance exam. While he hadn’t pulled off a miracle and gotten into a first-tier university, he had solidly tested into a decent second-tier one.

When Li Dong pushed open the door to the private room, it was already full.

The lively atmosphere in the room turned a little awkward when Li Dong entered.

”Dongzi’s here, come sit!” Liu Liang walked over and slung an arm around Li Dong’s shoulder.

”You’re really something else! The provincial science champion with a perfect score! I, Liu Liang, can say I was deskmates with the provincial champion in my lifetime. That makes it all worth it!”

Li Dong smiled and gave him a light punch on the arm.

”Getting into a second-tier university has gone to your head, huh? Get outta here.”

Li Dong was pulled over to the main table where Old Yang and Zheng Hua were sitting.

Just as Li Dong came in, Jiang Yizhou went to the restroom and stayed there for over an hour...

Li Dong didn’t notice at the time; Liu Liang told him about it later.

Most of their classmates were in the private room, but Li Dong didn’t see Misha.

”Misha didn’t come?” he asked casually.

Liu Liang said in a low voice,

”She didn’t come.”

”She actually did very well on the entrance exam this time, second in the school with a score of 615.”

”But she wasn’t satisfied and decided to repeat the year.”

”Where is she repeating?”

”Sixth Middle School,” Liu Liang clicked his tongue.

”I heard her younger brother helped out. Plus, her academic foundation is pretty good, so it was only natural that she got in.”

After hearing this, Li Dong nodded slightly and said nothing more.

After three rounds of drinks, the atmosphere in the room had become lively again, but Li Dong sensed that something was a little off.

Everyone’s attitude toward him had completely changed.

Back at Seventh Middle School, nobody’s grades were anything special. They’d joke around without a care in the world, even mock and trade insults with each other.

But now, when his classmates came over holding sodas or beer to toast him, they all wore stiff, reserved smiles.

Their tone of voice... it no longer sounded like they were talking to a classmate.

”Li Dong, don’t forget about us when you’re rich and famous.”

”Here’s to you, Brother Dong. Wishing you a brilliant future at Yan University.”

This sense of distance completely separated him from them, as if they were from two different worlds.

A heavy feeling settled in Li Dong’s chest.

He understood it wasn’t that his classmates were being snobbish, nor that they were jealous.

It’s just that when someone who used to wallow in the same mud pit as everyone else suddenly sprouts wings and soars to the heavens, even becoming the provincial champion...

The vast disparity makes people instinctively feel awkward.

Even classmates he’d been somewhat familiar with could no longer see him as an equal.

Li Dong sat for about forty minutes, then found an excuse and stood up.

”Teachers, everyone, I have something to take care of at home, so I have to leave now. Please, enjoy the rest of the meal.”

Watching Li Dong’s departing figure, the classmates in the room seemed to let out a collective sigh of relief. The atmosphere became more natural, and the sounds of drinking games and rock-paper-scissors once again filled the room.

...

The next two months flew by.

As the provincial science champion, Li Dong’s bank account welcomed a second wave of wealth.

The Jiangcheng City Government awarded him 200,000, the district government awarded 100,000, and Sixth Middle School gave him a 100,000 top-scorer scholarship.

Li Dong’s bank balance had now steadily surpassed the 1.3 million mark.

With this huge sum of money, the trajectory of his family’s life also changed.

Li Qin quit her job as a supermarket stocker.

Meanwhile, his uncle Li Yang’s Dongyang Hardware Factory, leveraging its connections with Huaxuan Technology, was so swamped with orders that its scale expanded by more than tenfold.

Li Dong took one million from his account and invested it directly into his uncle’s factory for a stake in the business.

Li Qin also went to work at her brother’s factory, taking on the role of Financial Director.

...

「Late August.」

The Jiangcheng High-speed Rail Station was bustling with people.

It was filled with students and their parents, all heading off to university.

Outside the entrance, Li Qin was a sobbing mess.

”Xiaodong, when you get to the Capital City, you must call Mom! When it gets cold, remember to wear more clothes. The food there isn’t like our Sichuan and Chongqing food, if you can’t get used to it...”

Li Dong wiped his mom’s tears away.

”Mom, the food in the Yan University cafeteria is great, so you don’t need to worry.”

”The factory is so busy. You just need to take care of yourself and Uncle.”

Standing to the side, Li Yang patted Li Dong’s shoulder.

”Alright, Sis. Xiaodong is a top student at Yan University now. Don’t act like you’re sending a kindergartener off to school.”

Li Yang looked at Li Dong, his eyes full of pride.

”Xiaodong, study hard when you get to the Capital City. If you don’t have enough money, just call your uncle. Your uncle can support you now!”

”I know, Uncle.”

With that, Li Dong shouldered his backpack, pulled his suitcase, and turned toward the ticket gate.

After going through security, he looked back.

Seeing his mother still wiping away tears and his uncle waving, Li Dong smiled, raised his hand, and waved vigorously.

”I’m off! You two take care!”

Next stop, the Capital City, Yan University.