My Apocalypse System Arrives 10 Years Early

Chapter 476: Chapter 319: Jiang Cai’Er’s Choice (Part 2)

The higher-ups at Peking University had also gotten the news from roughly the same channels, but in the end, Peking University couldn’t compete with Tsinghua. That was Jiang Cai’Er’s own choice, however, so there was nothing they could do.

’If anyone else had told them this, they would’ve thought the person was a lunatic. An Extraordinary Being? With a *research* Attribute?’

However, their own positions were quite high. A month before the college entrance exams, they were called to a meeting—a high-level, extremely confidential conference for the scientific research community, personally hosted by the top leader from the Imperial Capital.

The attendees were all heads, academic leaders, or key researchers from prestigious universities and renowned scientific institutions. Among them were numerous scientists from military research institutes. Many of those working on military technology had close ties to the armed forces, with a good number being directly affiliated with the military and holding official ranks.

During the meeting, the Imperial Capital’s leader gave important directives on the future of scientific research. Then, during a tea break, the two presidents overheard some people quietly discussing Li Xiang’s group, with a special mention of Jiang Cai’Er, who was still in high school and about to face her college entrance exams.

Li Xiang had reported the impending Apocalypse, and astronomers had also observed the boundless Black Mist Star Realm. While the general public remained unaware, the top echelons of power had reached a consensus. They, along with other major world powers, were all scrambling to deal with the matter.

Naturally, the focus of scientific research after the Apocalypse would have to shift. This was one of the very purposes of the meeting.

When the two presidents learned this shocking news, it took them several days to process it. Afterward, they both set their sights on Jiang Cai’Er. Once Jiang Cai’Er scored a 748, all their doubts vanished.

They also used their connections to review Jiang Cai’Er’s college entrance exam papers and discovered that the two points she lost were on extremely simple questions—what you could call gimme questions.

’Hmm, so she didn’t want the free points.’

’She was controlling her score!’

’If that’s not a genius, what is? An Extraordinary Being with a research Attribute... and supposedly the only one in the world.’

The two presidents immediately dispatched their most trusted confidants with a single mission: secure Jiang Cai’Er at all costs. If not for the fear of causing too much of a stir or being too obvious, both would have gone to meet her in person.

Ultimately, Tsinghua’s academic programs were a better fit for the Apocalypse.

Luo Feifei had been keeping an eye on the news about Jiang Cai’Er as well. Lately, stories about Jiang Cai’Er were everywhere, flooding social media feeds. Her popularity was starting to rival Luo Feifei’s own, which she found very irritating.

’Still,’ she mused, ’Jiang Cai’Er’s fame is probably just a flash in the pan. It’ll die down eventually. After all, she’s not in the entertainment industry.’

Jiang Cai’Er’s fame as the nation’s top scorer blew up, catching Li Xiang and her completely by surprise. Because of this, they changed their original plan to hold their engagement and college acceptance parties together.

They only held the college acceptance party publicly. The engagement, on the other hand, was a low-key affair where the two families just shared a meal. Li Xiang presented a great deal of gold and jewelry, along with a certificate of deposit for 18.88 million, as the bride price. Traditionally, the bride price is a gift to the bride’s parents.

However, Jiang Jianguo and his wife didn’t accept it, giving it directly to Jiang Cai’Er instead.

With Granny Li Xiang and Jiang Cai’Er’s parents as witnesses, the couple exchanged engagement rings.

Li Xiang had originally wanted to stir up some hype with the 18.88 million bride price, but they both decided it was better to keep a low profile for now.

Jiang Jianguo and Aunt Jiang were also very understanding. Throwing a high-profile engagement party now would just put their daughter on the hot seat.

Even though the semester hadn’t started yet, Li Xiang went with Jiang Cai’Er to Tsinghua University. The admissions office had called to inform her that her three-bedroom, one-living-room apartment was ready. They suggested she pick up the keys and see if she wanted to do any decorating or renovations before school started to make it more comfortable.

What more was there to say? They headed for Tsinghua University at once.

And no, they didn’t use Earth Escape or run there at Extreme Speed in the dead of night. They took a proper flight, mainly because Jiang Jianguo and his wife were eager to see the place too.

With an apartment that large, Jiang Jianguo and his wife could theoretically have moved in to support their daughter during her studies, but they didn’t want to.

For one, they were used to the countryside and couldn’t adapt to city life. For another, they felt they wouldn’t fit in and worried that other students might make fun of Jiang Cai’Er. And thirdly, after eating at Tsinghua University’s various dining halls, Aunt Jiang was forced to admit that her own cooking probably wasn’t as good, and she certainly couldn’t match the sheer variety of options.

The dining halls at Tsinghua Garden had every dish imaginable. Beyond just rice, the staple foods included congee, steamed buns, pan-fried pork buns, dumplings, and noodles... and each of those came in countless varieties. For instance, besides plain white rice, there were onigiri, Yangzhou fried rice, Korean BBQ rice bowls, yakitori bowls, and all sorts of other mixed-rice dishes.

The dumplings came with all kinds of fillings; they could be boiled or pan-fried until golden-brown on both sides.

And the noodle selection was simply dazzling: Chongqing-style spicy noodles, Northwestern beef noodle soup, scallion oil noodles, knife-pared noodles, and so on.

’Everything looked so delicious. Her daughter could eat whatever her heart desired. If I cooked at home, how many dishes could I possibly make for a single meal? Would she have this many choices?’

So Aunt Jiang concluded that her daughter would eat better at the dining halls than she would at home.

And then there was the most important reason of all: they were afraid of getting in the way of Jiang Cai’Er’s studies.

”Xiang’Er, why don’t you live here and take care of Cai’Er,” Aunt Jiang suggested.

Li Xiang waved his hands dismissively. ”That’s even worse. It wouldn’t look good.”

Even though they were engaged, living together right as she started university would definitely create a negative impression.