Liu Chen held a piece of Meimei brand pork jerky in one hand and placed the other on her desk, eating. Although it felt like she was advertising, Liu Chen swore the jerky was genuinely delicious, otherwise, she wouldn't be able to stop eating it.
As Liu Chen was eating the jerky, the English exam papers were being graded.
"Your English exam is full marks."
After saying this, Liu Chen put down the jerky in her hand and looked seriously at the teacher grading the papers. After waiting a few seconds and seeing that the teacher seemed to have nothing else to say, Liu Chen prompted:
"Teacher, since I've passed the second-year exams, can I now skip ahead and become a second-year student in my major?"
The teacher grading the papers hesitated when Liu Chen asked this. After all, he was only here to supervise the exams and grade the English papers; in reality, he didn't have the authority to decide on skipping grades.
The bullet comments in the live stream doubled in an instant while the teacher was silent.
'No way? The academic god has been testing for a whole day and can't skip grades?'
'Shitty Shuimu, you tricked the academic god!'
'Academic god, I'm from the department next door, you're welcome to transfer to our school!'
'...'
Seeing the barrage of comments questioning, the teacher became even more anxious, breaking out in a sweat. He looked at Liu Chen with a hint of blame in his eyes.
Why did he have to experience such a complicated situation?!
Liu Chen felt the young teacher's gaze but remained unfazed, waiting for Shuimu University to give her a response.
The two remained locked in a stalemate for five minutes. Just as the number of online viewers and bullet comments in the live stream began to surge wildly, the office door was finally pushed open from the outside.
"Student Liu Chen, congratulations, you have successfully skipped grades. From now on, you are a second-year student in our university's Food Science department."
Liu Chen stood up and turned towards the door, spotting Professor He Long. Hearing Professor He Long's words, Liu Chen knew her grade skipping was secured!
-
'Campus Belle Academic Whiz Skips Grades Successfully'
'Campus Belle Academic Whiz Becomes Academic God'
'Question: Are the final exams for second-year students at Shuimu University always this difficult?'
'Question: Shuimu University's failure rate?'
For the entire night, these four topics, with unprecedented strength, surged to the top of the trending searches, occupying the first, second, third, and fourth spots respectively.
Uninformed passersby who clicked on them then angrily withdrew.
"It's clearly one trending topic, but they split it into four, what a scam! Outrageous!"
At this moment, Liu Chen was sitting at Professor He Long's dining table. In front of her was a bowl of chicken that melted at the touch of chopsticks. If Liu Chen wasn't mistaken, Gastrodia elata had also been added to this chicken soup.
Madam He, Zhen Yu, sat diagonally opposite Liu Chen. Seeing that Liu Chen had finished the soup in her bowl, she quickly took it to refill it and placed it back in front of Liu Chen.
She couldn't help but complain:
"The school is really something. It's one thing to have exams, but they made you take them consecutively. Aren't exams mentally draining? You just got sick from overexertion before the semester started, and they're still putting you through this!"
Liu Chen smiled at her words and didn't explain, knowing that her teacher's wife was simply concerned about her.
Seeing Liu Chen smile instead of complaining, Madam He felt even worse:
"This afternoon, those old men who set the exams tried to renege on their promise. Fortunately, our Old He still has some use; he argued with them. How can they bully such a good girl like you?"
Hearing his wife mention him, He Long quickly waved his hand:
"Why talk about these things? They weren't really trying to renege; they just felt it would be troublesome later if they set this precedent. But they eventually came around. University is for imparting knowledge, after all. As long as the knowledge is learned thoroughly, how many years you actually spend studying isn't the most important thing."
Liu Chen nodded in agreement at his words.
"Regardless, I still thank you, teacher. Otherwise, this grade skipping today might have been much more complicated to finalize."
Despite saying she wouldn't bring it up, He Long's lips unconsciously curved upwards when he heard Liu Chen's thanks.
After drinking the second bowl of soup, Liu Chen glanced at the closed door of He Siyu's bedroom, assuming no one was there. She looked up at her teacher's wife and asked curiously:
"I haven't seen Siyu姐 much lately?"
Madam Zhen Yu rested her arms on the dining table. Hearing this, the smile on her face deepened.
"That child is in her room. She's participating in a garden design competition recently. The first prize winner gets to work in landscape planning. Not long before you arrived, she just submitted her design draft online and is now sleeping. If you ask me, your teacher He and I don't expect her to pursue these things."
Although she said she didn't expect or care, Madam Zhen Yu's face revealed a proud expression.
Liu Chen nodded, her eyes fixed on her teacher's wife, and said earnestly:
"Madam, don't worry. Siyu姐 is so capable, she'll definitely succeed. By the way, Madam, when will the results of this competition be announced?"
This time, Professor He Long answered before Madam He could:
"The selection results will be out on April 3rd and will be publicly announced on our university's official website."
Liu Chen nodded, indicating she had noted it.
Afterwards, she chatted with the couple about the Los Angeles shooting incident before heading back to her dorm with the snow pear soup made by Madam He.
Opening the dorm room door, she saw the living room lights were on.
"Sister Cancan?"
Liu Chen looked at Qin Cancan, who was sitting on the living room sofa, and then at the small cake on the table.
Qin Cancan stood up shyly when she saw Liu Chen:
"Our lab watched your live stream all day. We wanted to celebrate your successful grade skipping, but we forgot to ask you first."
Knowing Qin Cancan's thrifty lifestyle well, Liu Chen could almost imagine her hesitation when choosing the cake.
"I was invited to Professor He Long's house for dinner. But as the saying goes, people have two stomachs, one for eating and one for dessert. Coincidentally, Madam He asked me to bring some snow pear soup back to share with you."
Saying this, Liu Chen raised the insulated container in her hand a little higher so Qin Cancan could see it.
The dorm, which no longer had heating, was a bit cold at night. Liu Chen retrieved a large blanket from her room, and they sat on the sofa, sharing it. Qin Cancan drank the snow pear soup while Liu Chen ate the cream cake.
Qin Cancan seemed to sense something and looked out the window: "It's raining."
-
The rain came quietly but incessantly. For several days, it didn't stop, causing waterlogging in many low-lying areas of Beijing.
Students who had been looking forward to the weekend couldn't help but sigh and obediently stayed in their dormitories.
Unlike her classmates who had canceled their weekend plans, Liu Chen was up early on Sunday morning.
Considering she was going to sign a film and television contract today, Liu Chen chose to wear a black trench coat, a knitted sweater underneath, and slim-fit jeans, paired with sturdy work boots with thick soles.
Holding a black umbrella with a peach-pink interior, she walked across the Shuimu University campus. Occasionally, alumni passing by would pause upon seeing Liu Chen, then look at her with admiration.
They had seen the live broadcast from a few days ago on Weibo. The difficulty of those exam papers, according to professional assessments, was such that even third-year students might not be guaranteed to pass.
Yet, this junior student had managed to complete all the papers, and with a score of at least eighty points on each.
Amazing!
Liu Chen noticed the furtive glances directed at her, smiled slightly, and continued walking towards the school gate.
Her cars, driven by Dong Tian and Xia Tian, were already waiting at the school entrance.
As she approached the G-wagon, the rear door opened from the inside. Liu Chen stepped onto the running board, got in, and closed the door in one fluid motion.
Dong Tian was still driving, with Xia Tian sitting beside Liu Chen in the passenger seat. "Boss, our colleagues in City C report that there have been no suspicious individuals recently."
Liu Chen nodded and leaned against the glass window, appearing to be resting with her eyes closed. In reality, she was contemplating how far the National Security Bureau had progressed in their investigation of clues. The mastermind would naturally not dare to make a move.
However, so much time had passed, and with the new factory district in City C nearing completion, Shuimu University and her contracted production lines would soon be operational. If she were the mastermind, she would definitely wait until production began to act.
Firstly, the factory area would be large, and the staff complex. It wouldn't be difficult to infiltrate and commit an act before disappearing.
Secondly, it would deal a blow to her business, forcing her to return to City C due to work-related issues, which would also provide a good opportunity for the mastermind to act.
With this thought, Liu Chen, while appearing to have her eyes closed, was browsing through her system inventory.
Soon, her gaze fell upon an item she had always considered to be of little use.
— Incomplete Resume
At this moment, Liu Chen was looking at a resume she had used before, Yu Bing's resume. The resume currently displayed Yu Bing's information.
Name: Yu Bing
Gender: Female
Age: Twenty-nine
Skills: Online Price Comparison (Intermediate), Home Cooking (Beginner), Sales (Intermediate), E-commerce Sales (Intermediate)
Current Loyalty to Host: 85 (Excellent), risk of betrayal if loyalty drops below 50.
Favorite Foods: Meimei Sausages, Meimei Brand Pork Jerky, Stinky Tofu, Hot Pot, Hot and Sour Noodles
Current Health Index: 75 (Long-term late nights detrimental to health)
Current Status: Working
The form also listed her home address and family members. Liu Chen glanced at it and was somewhat surprised. Yu Bing's loyalty to her was as high as 85?
It was even at an excellent level according to the system!
She glanced at the thick stack of incomplete resumes in her inventory, and Liu Chen had a rough idea. She really needed to keep a close eye on the factory's recruitment plan in a few days.
Just as she finished thinking, the car stopped. Liu Chen opened her eyes and looked out the window; they had arrived.
Today, she was here to sign the contract and pay the investment for the "Empresses in the Palace" crew. Liu Chen didn't want to appear too eager, so she made a request.
The investment of twenty million could be paid in full, but in return, her friend Lai Jielun needed a role with a decent amount of screen time.
The director found this request not unreasonable. Moreover, his drama was an ensemble piece, with even the male lead having less screen time than the third female lead. As for the third and fourth male leads, their roles might not even be as significant as a sixth male lead in other dramas.
Lai Jielun had arrived at the office building entrance early today. In the past half hour, he had nervously washed his hands in the restroom three times, eliciting a look of pity from the young receptionist.
What a handsome young man, why is he so prone to frequent urination?
After Liu Chen, along with Xia Tian and Dong Tian, arrived at the building and took the elevator upstairs with Lai Jielun, the two receptionists' eyes widened as they exclaimed in unison:
"That person just now looked so familiar!"
"That beauty was so handsome! Are those two behind her bodyguards?"
"Sigh... that beauty has poor taste, falling for a man with frequent urination, tsk tsk."
"Sigh... should we... remind her when she leaves later?"
-
Liu Chen was currently sitting in the conference room. The director had asked Lai Jielun to audition to assess his acting skills before assigning him a specific role.
"Alright, Lai Jielun, perform the scene where Prince Guo first meets Zhen Huan."
"Pfft!"
The tea Liu Chen had just taken into her mouth and hadn't swallowed yet was sprayed out upon hearing the director's words. Fortunately, the conference table had been moved to the corner for the audition, only dirtying the floor in front of the chairs.
Seeing the investor's strong reaction, the director began to wonder. Could this Liu Chen have read his novel?
Oh! If that's the case, it would explain her idea of investing.
As for Lai Jielun, he now held the script, took a deep breath, slowly exhaled, placed the script on the table in the corner, stepped forward, and got into character.
Liu Chen looked at Lai Jielun, dressed in a black sweater and jeans, standing in the middle of the conference room. She was somewhat surprised. Although she often saw Lai Jielun talk about acting in plays and being an extra in their small group chat, she had never actually seen him perform before.
Now, seeing him, Liu Chen felt that the role of Prince Guo might have to be recast.
Indeed, after watching Lai Jielun's performance, the director's eyes lit up, and he exclaimed:
"Young man, you're good, very good! You've captured the essence of Prince Guo in this scene. Come, come, try this one next, this is also an important scene."
In the end, what was supposed to be a favor turned into a showcase of Lai Jielun's acting prowess. After a full two hours of auditions, the director reluctantly said:
"Young man, you have great talent. I'll give you the script for Prince Guo first. Take it home and read it. If you have any questions, call me."
Liu Chen took a sip of the cold tea in her cup and finally signed the investment contract with the director. When signing, Liu Chen specifically glanced at it and was pleasantly surprised by the generous terms.
According to the proportion of investment, she would receive one-tenth of the profit. This meant that as long as "Empresses in the Palace" was still profitable, she would receive one-tenth of the money.
Clutching the contract, Liu Chen smiled.
Good heavens, this would be her money tree for the next decade!