Chapter 52: A New Challenge

Wang Donglai never expected things to turn out this way.

To claim he wanted to challenge the science stream in front of the top science student in Qin Province—if it had been anyone else with a smaller heart, they might have thought he was being provocative.

Fortunately, Xu Zhibin was not that kind of person, and Wang Donglai could read his intentions.

"Hello, Wang Donglai, the top liberal arts student. Gaokao score: 737."

The two men shook hands and shared a smile.

"Why didn't you go to Tsinghua or Peking University?"

"You didn't either!"

"It's different for me. This is my doorstep; I've gone to school here since I was a kid. I couldn't be bothered to leave!"

"The director of the admissions office came to my house personally. It was hard to refuse. We're from the same hometown, after all. You should understand."

"Alright, alright, so that's how we're playing it? I've suddenly developed a bit of curiosity about you."

"Don't, don't, don't! Please don't do that. I may not be in a relationship, but I haven't thought about anything happening with the same sex."

"Pah! I'm in Dorm 408 of Zhongying College. Which dorm are you in?"

"Zhongying 404. But I'm heading to the library; I'll head back to the dorm tonight."

"Fine then. I'll head back to my dorm first. See you later."

"See you."

After parting ways with Xu Zhibin, Wang Donglai headed toward the library once more.

At the same time, he opened the piece of paper he had taken from the office.

A list of book titles was written on it.

*Higher Algebra, Mathematical Analysis, Analytic Geometry, Probability Theory, Higher Geometry, Differential Geometry, Complex Variables, Real Variables, Differential Equations, Modern Algebra, Elementary Number Theory, General Physics, Computer Science...*

Seeing the books listed on the paper, a smile curled at the corner of Wang Donglai's mouth.

"Just when I was getting sleepy, a pillow arrives."

Having just accepted the side quest "The Advancing Scholar," Wang Donglai needed to read a vast amount of material. Before he could even decide what genre to focus on, his target had arrived.

A year's worth of curriculum for the Mathematics Experimental Class?

There were twenty-three books in total. If he really pushed his speed, he could finish them all in just two days.

Of course, finishing them didn't mean Wang Donglai would master them perfectly or achieve high scores in assessments.

However, with the Tangdu Jiaotong University library at his disposal, even if the experience points gained from finishing a book weren't as high as those from economics or computer science books bolstered by the system, he could still trigger a qualitative change through quantitative accumulation.

This was also a perfect opportunity for Wang Donglai to experiment: exactly how many times greater was the experience gain with the system compared to without it?

With [Speed Reading] and [Photographic Memory], combined with the system's real-time feedback, reading had long since become an enjoyment for him.

...

On his way to the library, Wang Donglai took out his phone and called home to report his situation.

Thanks to his Gaokao results, his family had gained an extra 440,000 yuan.

After paying back the money borrowed from relatives, 400,000 yuan remained.

Originally, Wang Yanxing and Cao Shuxian had thought about tearing down their old house to build a new three-story building with this 400,000 yuan.

But Wang Donglai rejected the proposal.

Of the 400,000 yuan, he suggested keeping 50,000 and using the remaining 350,000 to open a supermarket in town with his eldest cousin's father-in-law.

In his previous life, his eldest cousin had also approached Wang Yanxing, wanting him to invest money to become a shareholder and earn dividends.

However, Wang Yanxing had no money at the time and had to pass.

Later, the supermarket chain expanded across several towns, the business became booming, and the cousin made a small fortune, buying a 300,000-yuan house and a 130,000-yuan car.

That was why Wang Donglai was encouraging Wang Yanxing to invest now.

It wasn't that he wanted Wang Yanxing to make massive wealth from the supermarket, but rather to find a suitable job for Wang Yanxing and Cao Shuxian.

The supermarket was close to home, the work was easy, and they would be shareholders.

It would give them a sense of purpose and be a respectable way to earn a living.

Things went exactly as Wang Donglai anticipated; he could clearly hear the excitement in Wang Yanxing's voice over the phone.

After instructing them to take care of their health, Wang Donglai hung up.

Next, he communicated with Zhou Rui regarding the company's arrangements.

The core work had already been completed by Wang Donglai; now, Zhou Rui only needed to implement it step-by-step according to the established plan.

In 2012, internet giants were nowhere near as domineering as they would be in the future.

During this period, the performance of *Neihan Duanzi* had left Wang Donglai quite satisfied.

Regarding Galaxy Technology, Wang Donglai had been clear from the beginning.

IPO and financing!

It wasn't just *Neihan Duanzi*; he intended to intercept Douyin and Pinduoduo as well.

Even so, Wang Donglai felt that to achieve his ultimate goals, this would likely not be enough.

To solve the "chokepoint" problem of semiconductor chips alone, he estimated he would need tens of billions in capital investment.

He did not share these thoughts with Zhou Rui.

"If a ruler is not discreet, he loses his ministers; if a minister is not discreet, he loses himself; if affairs are not handled with discretion, they lead to harm." Wang Donglai understood this principle well.

After hanging up, Wang Donglai frowned.

Because he had thought of something.

As the company grew larger and responsibilities increased, he would likely have to devote a massive amount of time to the company rather than to school.

Logically speaking, even if Wang Donglai dropped out now, he could still carve out a world for himself.

However, doing so did not align with his philosophy.

Building a persona as a "top scholar" was very important to him.

Simply being rich was not his goal.

A business empire is never built solely on money.

Walking along the campus paths of Tangdu Jiaotong University, many thoughts raced through his mind.

"What are you doing right now? Do you have time for dinner tonight?"

"Have you bought your things yet? Do you want me to go with you?"

Two text messages had arrived simultaneously.

Looking at these messages, Wang Donglai let out a soft sigh.

He realized he had truly run into trouble.

As for romance, he had absolutely no interest right now.

While he still experienced physiological impulses and thoughts, the moment he considered his current situation, he didn't want to waste time on them.

Without the system, he might have become a playboy, jumping from one relationship to another to enjoy life.

But he happened to possess the system.

What man has not fantasized about holding the power of the world in his hands, where a single word carries the weight of nine tripods?

Compared to that, women didn't hold much attraction.

Moreover, once his career was successful, women would not be in short supply.

The cheapest things in the world are unaccomplished tenderness and a heart that is penniless.

When spoken by a woman, this sentence sounded incredibly ironic.

Wang Donglai had already witnessed the cold reality once.

This time, it was his turn to go and see a different kind of scenery.

"I'm reading in the library."

After sending the text, Wang Donglai arrived at the library.

He put his phone away and headed straight for the mathematics section.

Following the list, he located the books one by one.

Finally, he carried them all to a nearby seat and began to read.

From beginning to end, Wang Donglai knew he was not a genius.

Even with the slight boost to his intelligence attribute, he could not compare to those born with freakish natural talent.

Especially in mathematics—this subject was the foundation of all sciences, profound and vast.

The students recruited into the "Qian Xuesen Experimental Class" were all top-tier geniuses; every single one of them had been a legendary scholar in their respective high schools.

As a saying on the internet goes

When you are in a certain circle, everyone around you will be just like you.

Just like at Tsinghua and Peking University, every student there is a top scholar.

Even a student ranked last in their major at Tsinghua or Peking is a scholar that a third-tier university could never dream of matching.

While somewhat absolute, the logic held true.

What Wang Donglai needed now was to rapidly raise his mathematics level. Only by producing real results could he shut the mouths of those who doubted him.