Chapter 615: Chapter 615

She had no way of tutoring because she wasn’t eloquent enough to teach others, and she didn’t have time to look for part-time jobs either, as it would only make her studies more strenuous.

Even at her worst, Yiyi had "space-time cheating" at her disposal. Although she was pursuing a dual major, the additional major was merely for enhancement. With the Computer Department’s courses inherently more challenging than those of the Calligraphy Department—and since calligraphy classes didn’t pose a difficulty for her—she found her studies relatively easy. The only thing she really lacked was time, as calligraphy lessons meant she had to make up for Computer Department classes, and vice versa. She continued to patch up her schedule this way for the greater part of the semester.

Compared to the Calligraphy Department classes, the real challenge was with her major’s courses. However, with Zhou Mo, her thoughtful boyfriend who explained things even better than the teachers, she saved a lot of worry. A comparison showed how lucky and happy she was. Conversely, the challenges that Zhou Mo faced were far tougher than hers, but his advisor had already considered the time issue and had agreed that he could delay his graduation from the Physics Department. Moreover, students who pursued a dual major were exempted from tuition fees for one of their majors—a huge benefit.

As for Qiao Shan, apart from her well-off family allowing her not to worry about part-time jobs, she was beautiful and cunning, and sweet-talking came naturally to her. Consequently, other male students helped her with academic issues, making her college life carefree and comfortable.

Zhou Mo had been pushing through physics experiments for two days straight, even taking time off from his Computer Department classes. Seeing his profound dark circles, she felt a pang of pity.

"Make sure you remember to take your medicine, and don’t forget the Water Condensation Bead. They’re great for replenishing your strength."

The Water Condensation Bead was a chewable semi-solid formed from Spiritual Spring water, somewhat like jelly but without the bounciness. It was a special Golden Finger that Liang Tian had rewarded her as an acknowledgment of her hard work in her studies. It took about a month to congeal just one milliliter, yet it greatly aided the body’s recovery.

In addition to the Water Condensation Bead, she brewed a lot of Medicine Pills using Spiritual Spring water. Over the past few months, Zhou Mo had been sustained by these because staying up late had become habitual for him. She disallowed him from drinking coffee and tea; instead, she gave him the condensed beads and medicine sugar when his mouth was dry, and she banned him from smoking and drinking.

The medicine she prepared underwent several filtrations with Spiritual Spring water, reducing the toxic properties while preserving the medicinal effects. Everything Zhou Mo ingested was nourishing rather than harmful, reflecting the most significant effort she could make on his behalf.

It seemed Zhou Mo also recognized the benefits of these remedies as, despite his all-nighters, he didn’t feel overly tired, and he had yet to catch even a cold over the semester, with his usual spirits remaining high.

Even his overall well-being seemed better compared to his peers in the Physics Department. Given that he was juggling two fields of study, the effectiveness was evidently excellent. Chapters first released on ⓝovelFire.net

However, Yiyi forbade him from disclosing this secret, so when his classmates asked if he had any "all-nighter remedies," he claimed a natural immunity.

"Why can’t you talk about that medicine?"

"Because it’s a secret recipe! Professor Guan shared it with me, and he doesn’t sell it to outsiders."

Zhou Mo believed at least half of Yiyi’s explanation; after all, everyone knew Professor Guan was an old Beijinger whose family lived in a Courtyard by the Imperial Palace, was extremely wealthy, and his son was the CEO of some company. Naturally, the old Traditional Chinese Medicine doctors he knew weren’t short of money.

On New Year’s Day of 2004, they visited Tiananmen Square to watch the first flag-raising ceremony of the year and then went to the Badaling Great Wall, capturing precious photos with a digital camera. At the same time, Lin Mu’s commercial was airing on television to great effect. He even received several offers for small advertisements. Having such opportunities in just the first semester of college was quite impressive, and both Zhou Mo and Yiyi sincerely shared in his happiness.

After New Year’s Day, they had to start preparing for the final exams, and there were senior students in their Swimming Club who were in their second and third years.

"Don’t be too nervous. As long as you’ve listened carefully during classes at Tsinghua, studied the questions from the question bank, and practiced diligently, you can pass the exams without any issue. Tsinghua is tough to get into, but the final exams here are quite humane."

Despite such assurances, this was their first set of final exams, and they were directly related to the semester’s scholarship—it was natural for everyone to feel a bit tense, especially for her, taking exams for two majors simultaneously.

The exams lasted an entire week, and because of a scheduling conflict between the Computer Department and the Calligraphy Department exams, Professor Guan opened a back door for her, allowing her to take the test separately. Even the dean of the Fine Arts College couldn’t help but scoff coldly at such favoritism.

But Professor Guan had an argument that left the dean speechless, "Next year, I’ll have her win you a Lanting Award to honor our Fine Arts College. How does that sound to you?"

This particular student had already won a third-place prize. Although only Professor Guan knew it was a tiered award, would she have received it without any real talent?

Thus, at the end of the day, it was still all about ability.

Even the exam questions for Yiyi’s solo test were different, and perhaps tougher than the others. Not only did she have to take tests in calligraphy and writing, but she also had to tackle theoretical and historical knowledge related to calligraphy—these required memorization. Without any diligent effort from Yiyi, it was possible she could have faced criticism because Professor Guan had set very high expectations for her, leaving no room for slacking off. His strictness with her was a way of being responsible to everyone.

By mid-January 2004, the school announced a holiday, and classes would resume a month later, after the 20th of February.

While everyone else was packing to go home, Yiyi told Zhou Mo, "I’ll be staying in Beijing over the winter break to continue studying with Professor Guan. As for you,"

"Lin Mu is going to Huairou Film City for extras’ work. I’ve thought about it and decided to join him. It might be a chance to earn some money. We’re both grown up now and shouldn’t keep asking our parents for money. You’re our role model when it comes to studies,"

Yiyi looked at him incredulously, "You? Extras’ work? I’ve heard it’s tough."

Zhou Mo was unfazed, "After using my brain for an entire semester, I don’t want to do any more mental labor. Lin Mu is going anyway, so I might as well join him. The crew provides food and lodging, and if there’s work over the New Year, we’ll stay. We haven’t been home all semester, so our families are used to it. We can just go home a week before classes start."

Lucky for them, they were headed to Huairou, not Hengdian. Yiyi dropped Zhou Mo and Lin Mu at the train station, then she rolled up her sleeves in preparation to continue her small business. During the New Year, making marinated meat was quite profitable, especially since her recipe had been perfected over generations, making it incredibly popular.