Chapter 105
Fengran's experiment didn't go too smoothly because Afu said that her doujinshi was finished and asked Fengran to review it. If there were no problems, she would publish and bind it and sell it at the fan convention at the end of the month.
I don’t know what kind of misunderstanding Afu has about the word “gentleness”. She’s been looking at the black and white comic strips until her mouth is dry and her eyelids are burning. She’s marked sixty out of eighty pages, making her seem like she has an apricot addiction. Feng Ran even has to reflect on what she did to leave such a wild impression on Afu.
[Afu: Oh dear, it's just part of the setup, part of the setup! Don't worry about it. It was just dumplings made for the sake of vinegar. Otherwise, next time you can give me some details about your relationship, and I'll make something a little more artistic.]
That being said, it was really troublesome to explain to others that she and Shen Shiqian had been reborn, and it might not be a good thing. She didn't really trust others, since Shen Shiqian hadn't revealed this to anyone close to him. So she could only let Afu make up a cliché story about them falling in love at first sight.
[Afu: Ranran, are you coming to the fan convention? This is probably my last convention this year. Renault just reviewed our choices recently. Sigh, I haven't even thought about the future yet and they're already urging us to choose. Oh, I heard you're taking the college entrance exam next year. Have you decided on your major yet? Are you going back to school?]
[Afu: But it's not a big deal if I don't come back. Basically, everyone who has decided on their major is out there looking for professional tutors to help with their major entrance exams. Very few people are coming to school to review their academic subjects. If I hadn't yet decided on my major, I wouldn't be staying at school either.]
The Empire's education system emphasizes independent choice. While entrance exams cover basic, standardized academic subjects, certain specialized institutions or programs require prior application. These exams include additional subjects; failure to meet the requirements in these additional subjects will result in rejection regardless of high academic scores. Conversely, excellent scores in these additional subjects may suffice for admission if academic scores meet only the minimum academic requirement. These additional subject scores do not affect subsequent university applications. Even if an applicant fails an additional subject, they can still apply to regular universities and programs, making it a multi-option system where choices are independent of each other.
However, the extra subjects are generally quite difficult. The homeroom teacher will advise students who are unsure of their future career aspirations to prepare for a maximum of two extra subjects, as they will not have the energy to handle more than that. Of course, if the aspiration is a military academy, it is a different story, because at least three extra subjects need to be prepared. In such cases, the teacher will usually recommend that students go to the military academy's direct admission class upon enrollment.
[Feng Ran: I haven't decided yet either.]
[Afu: Ugh, I knew it. Hmm, could we apply to the same school? I don't want to be separated from you. You have to tell me when you've decided on your school.]
[Fengran: Okay, what about basil?]
[Afu: He doesn't need us to worry about him, he already chose! He chose Chengming Medical University, and he's already submitted the application form. He even won an award in that competition he participated in before, so his score got extra points. I haven't seen him at school since he submitted the application form.]
[Afu: Although Chengming University has high academic prestige, it's far from home. If possible, I'd rather stay in Qilia. But with my inconsistent study habits, I'm not even sure if I'll meet the admission requirements there.]
Feng Ran didn't reply, so Afu just kept attacking:
[So I probably won't have much time to play after this. My mom is alright, but you have no idea how intimidating my dad and cousin are. It's like they'll hire eight tutors for me the moment I choose my major!]
[Fengran: This shows they have high hopes for you.]
[Afu: These expectations are too heavy for me. Let's not talk about this anymore. So, Ranran, do you want to come to the fan convention with me?]
[Fengran: Sure.]
[Afu: Yay!]
Basil ultimately chose medical school. Although Feng Ran had a premonition when he transferred to a regular class, she still couldn't remain completely calm when it actually happened.
But Feng Ran really hadn't considered her own aspirations. Her past life's experiences were of no use. In fact, the reason she suddenly applied to the military academy was because Luo Le gave up her guaranteed admission, which made her feel guilty and she felt she couldn't bear not to do something.
So she went to the military academy on behalf of Luo Le. The experience of being treated differently due to her physical disability was quite unpleasant, but she met Shen Shiqian there. It's hard to describe what it feels like for someone who is in the dust to see the light, but for a moment she truly believed what he said: that she would have a bright future.
As for what happened afterward, let's not talk about it. But now that she's thinking about these things again, Feng Ran, who has seen through everything, has begun to question the authenticity of the light itself. However, it would be too troublesome to eliminate all the factors that could cause misfortune. Even if she doesn't choose anything, time will push her forward.
Ultimately, she had never seriously considered what she wanted to do in the future. After being reborn, she might have thought about taking revenge on Shen Shiqian and then finding a habitable planet to start her retirement life, but now that desire had faded.
During dinner, Feng Ran brought it up with Shen Shiqian.
"Shen Shiqian, the school has started reviewing applications, and I haven't decided where to fill them out yet. What should I do?"
Shen Shiqian paused slightly as he picked up some food for her: "Aren't you going to the Capital Military Academy?"
Feng Ran propped his chin up and removed the carrot from his hand: "Why would I go there? Don't you know how hard it is to get into your alma mater? And do I look like the kind of person bursting with a sense of justice and mission who aspires to join the army to defend the country?"
Shen Shiqian pressed Feng Ran's chopsticks down with his own: "Don't be a picky eater, Ranran. Didn't you apply to a military academy in the first place?"
Feng Ran: "I didn't take the exam for myself, and you know I wasn't happy there at all."
Although he could barely be considered happy while researching mechs in the equipment room, Feng Ran chose to ignore it: "But it's quite annoying to have to think about these things now, since I just want to stay at home and do the research I want to do."
Shen Shiqian: "I thought you would set up your own laboratory and openly challenge the Academy of Sciences."
Feng Ran complained, "How extreme or radical am I in your eyes? I can't be bothered with those insignificant characters! Every tech expo shows me garbage."
She grumbled, "But I have had that thought before, but when I think about it carefully, I feel uncomfortable getting involved with them."
Shen Shiqian: "Or do you want to replace them and establish your own research center? That way you won't have to go through the roundabout way of finding materials on the black market every time you need them. If Princess Sherry is willing to give you the authority, you can set the approval standards yourself."
It sounded very tempting, but Feng Ran was quite cautious: "But doesn't this sound like I'm serving the Empire?"
Shen Shiqian: "It's different, Ranran. You have enough power to negotiate all of this. This can just be your private research center, just like at home. You can choose to publish and share these results to benefit the world, but you also have the right to refuse. The power they give you is the bargaining chip that matches your deal. You don't have to bear any responsibility."
It sounds plausible, but this alternative form of political independence is a new form that the Empire has never seen before. Even the regional governors of the outer lord stars with regional autonomy do not have completely free rights and must abide by the constitution established by the Empire.
Although Fengran's small workshop doesn't need as much autonomy as a territory, the formulation of approval rules involves large departments such as the courts, the supervisory bureau, and the academy of sciences. If she were to participate in it casually, it would be quite a big deal.
But being able to enjoy oneself without caring about the lives of others seems pretty good, so Fengran decided to keep this option for the time being.
Feng Ran: "Hmm, I'll think about it."
Shen Shiqian, still harboring ulterior motives, said: "Are you really not going to consider the Capital Military Academy anymore? With your abilities, Ranran, getting in wouldn't be a problem at all. And don't you regret not graduating properly back then?"
Feng Ran was caught in a dilemma: "But I really feel uncomfortable there!"
Shen Shiqian: "I guarantee it will be different. There are many people in the military who serve as combat instructors at the school. Li Er is also there. Everyone is very nice. No one will dare to bully you. You can do whatever you want. I'll back you up."
Feng Ran: "Come on, it's not like you have a great reputation in the academy."
If Feng Ran hadn't stayed in the equipment room instead of listening to the lecture, given how badly Shen Shiqian had been blacklisted by the academy's asset management department, he wouldn't even have had permission to enter the equipment room.
It's hard not to say that this was a destined encounter.
Feng Ran realized this, but instead of saying anything, she shifted the blame to Shen Shiqian: "You really are something else, I don't even want to talk about you, you're always scheming in your head."
Shen Shiqian sighed helplessly, looking exceptionally sincere: "Ranran, I just want to meet you again, and sincerely hope that everything since we met will be a beautiful memory."
Feng Ran felt her words were blocked by a warm current surging in her heart. Her calm and composed facade was cut into a human-shaped gap along the dotted line in the infinitely long silence. An enormous amount of love poured in through the gap, savagely and brutally covering her face with heat.
She darted to Shen Shiqian and buried herself in his arms, hiding her shy expression from him, her voice so soft it was almost tingling:
"I'll think about it."
Shen Shiqian hugged her back: "Then may I ask, Miss Ranran, is there any chance that I could drive the composite heavy mech that you modified in the equipment room?"
When Fengran designed that thing, they didn't care about the pilot's life or death. Driving it is no more exciting than skydiving. Judging from Shen Shiqian's bad habit of liking extreme operations, he could throw himself out during the jump.
She nudged Shen Shiqian: "Think about the good things, I'll build you an even cooler one later."
Shen Shiqian lowered his head to kiss her, but less than two seconds later Feng Ran was violently pushed away. She became inexplicably angry, her eyes filled with a crescent-shaped spring of clear water.
"Don't kiss me if you haven't brushed your teeth, or you'll taste like carrots!"
Logically speaking, Shen Shiqian wouldn't force Feng Ran to accept things she dislikes. However, Feng Ran recently started her second round of repair treatment. For newly regenerated cells, even with her 3S-level mental strength, the layered repair process still poses a challenge to cell stability. Xing Tong suggested that she could reduce the oxidative stress damage that might be caused by the repair process by consuming some carotene from her diet. That's why Shen Shiqian started to enthusiastically cook various vegetable dishes for Feng Ran.
He readily excused himself, saying, "But Xing Tong said that eating more of these things will help your treatment and recovery."
Upon hearing this, the data from the omnipresent Star Eyes nearly exploded.
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