Chapter 564: Chapter 564 Poor Student
The two of them didn’t arrive early, so they could only get seats near the entrance of the Super Starship, but they didn’t care; just being able to board was enough for them.
They settled in their seats, and the starship was still about half an hour from taking off, so there was no rush.
The starship was noisy, populated by many young faces chattering incessantly.
"Do they need to take exams?"
Shutong didn’t quite understand the interstellar education system.
"No need," answered Fu Yunhe.
Fu Yunhe tried to move closer to Shutong, but as soon as he shifted his body, he was stopped by a soft touch. Looking down, he met the innocent, watery eyes of Yangyang.
Shutong, sitting beside him, thought Yangyang was very cute. She stroked its fur twice and said, "You like Xiao He so much, huh? You don’t even want to sit on your own seat."
Wealthy Shutong had actually bought a separate seat just for Yangyang, though pets didn’t really need tickets.
Yangyang, squeezed in Fu Yunhe’s embrace, just blinked its big eyes and snuggled further into his arms, making its affection clear: it adored him, absolutely loved him.
Fu Yunhe, holding onto Yangyang, felt like tightening his grip; he was certain this sheep was scheming.
"That’s great. If you’re going to live together for a long time, you have to get along well."
"Of course, we definitely will," Fu Yunhe responded with a grit of his teeth, but outwardly he was all sweetness and friendliness.
Underneath the seat, Yangyang’s little hooves kept kicking at Fu Yunhe’s palm, and he resisted just as persistently.
Shutong, pretending to be oblivious, said, "It’s lovely to see such affection between you two. It puts my mind at ease."
Then she turned away, chuckling inwardly. She found the interplay between the man and the sheep amusing as they put on a little show for her.
Of course, Shutong was well aware of their little movements. However, she also knew something else: despite their bickering, if something serious happened, they would go to great lengths to protect each other.
With that thought, she decided to consider it as a fun aspect of their relationship. Otherwise, the dull life at school would indeed be quite mundane.
Fu Yunhe, having seemingly finished his quarrel with Yangyang, continued the prior conversation with Shutong, although he couldn’t get any closer to her.
"Apart from the Imperial Military Academy, other schools conduct unified exams to select students. Those who pass the exam just need to register with the school. Most students here follow that route," he said.
"There’s another group of students who are recruited by schools because of special skills. There are basically these two methods. Moreover, many students will try the Imperial Military Academy’s recruitment before the semester starts at other universities, to see if they can make it."
"Other universities don’t stop their students. The entrance exam at the Imperial Military Academy is held ten days before their term starts. The results are announced the same day, so those who fail still have a fallback option."
Shutong nodded continuously as she listened, finding the examination system quite humane. "If you can get into a better school, we won’t stop you, but not everyone can. You can quietly return, and there won’t be any loss."
That sounded good to her.
After their conversation, they fell silent, just quietly waiting for the starship to embark.
"You can’t come aboard without a ticket; I can’t let you up. Please understand my position."
The voice of the ticket inspector at the entrance of the starship rose slightly as he stood in front of a slim, dark-skinned young man, even blocking the entrance.
The ticket inspector faced the desperate boy, who typically stood tall but now seemed slightly bent.
"Please, I really did buy a ticket; it just got lost. You can check the Light Computer and you’ll know I’m not lying."
The ticket inspector was patient, if nothing else, and said to the student before him, "I’ll check this once for you."
"Thank you, thank you," the boy repeatedly bowed in gratitude, his posture stiffening as he watched the inspector’s actions, his eyes filled with intense hope as if his life depended on it.
After a thorough check, the inspector showed the result to the boy with fairness, "Look for yourself; I really can’t do anything."
Despite feeling sympathy for the boy, rules were rules, and tickets were especially precious during such a busy recruitment season.
Looking at the result shining brightly, a single line stated: No ticket purchase record.
No ticket purchase record! How could it be? Every day after school, he would work in the open-air mines, but because of his youth, he earned very little.
Yet, he bore no resentment because the boss had taken a risk in employing him.
Two years, almost every day with just an hour or two of rest - all to save up for a single ticket. He had bought it, so why wasn’t it there?
The boy’s faith began to waver as he stood at the entrance, confused, unable to grasp many things.
All he wanted was to attend school.
Shutong and Fu Yunhe, seated by the entrance, had a clear view of the scene.
Shutong heard more than just the dialogue; not far behind their seats, she caught the murmuring of a few people talking in low voices but audible enough for her sharp ears.
"He deserves it! An orphaned miner brat thinking he can attend the same school as us!"
"Exactly, he’s just a low-born wanting to climb to our level."
"You’re clever, planting a virus in his Light Computer so he thought he had bought a ticket."
"Humph! Serves him right for wanting to step out of his class. He should spend his life as a miner, forever."
The boy who spoke last actually knew more; he was aware of the miner boy’s remarkable talent.
So good that it turned his jealousy to hatred. He believed someone of such low status should live a diminutive life forever.
Shutong, having heard all this, didn’t particularly care; she usually didn’t concern herself much with people she didn’t know.
However, perhaps because she was in a good mood or because she recalled the man next to her having a similarly humble origin, she tapped Fu Yunhe’s hand.
Fu Yunhe instantly understood and called out,
"Hey, kid, why are you so late? I’ve already bought you a seat!"
Fu Yunhe pointed to the seat next to him, recently vacated by Yangyang, and told the ticket inspector, "We know him. This seat is his."
The inspector was somewhat compassionate but still made sure to ask, "Are you sure this is his seat?"
"Of course, whose seat would it be if not his? This sheep’s?"
Fu Yunhe vigorously ruffled Yangyang’s fur, making it a messy fluff.
Unable to speak in front of strangers, Yangyang had to endure.
The young man understood Fu Yunhe’s intention to help. He gazed intently at Fu Yunhe and then bowed deeply, saying, "Thank you."
He didn’t arrogantly refuse the offer. The seat was too important to him.