Chapter 56: Chapter 55 It's Actually Very Bitter!
"Quick, Gu, Chen, come up and catch them."
"Coming, coming..."
"Wait, okay, go!"
"Catch, catch, catch, ult!"
"Good, retreat now, Chen you're out of health, ah..."
...
Watching everyone enthusiastically playing the game, Qiao Ze felt pretty good about it.
It indicated that everyone had adjusted their mental state and should be able to face the end-of-term exams calmly.
That was great.
So he quietly moved to his seat.
He couldn't get involved in such occasions.
After all, gaming really didn't hold any appeal for Qiao Ze, it was even boring to him.
To watch little figures jump around on a tiny screen, he didn't need to download games; just downloading last year's math college entrance examination paper from the internet and staring at it for two minutes would do.
Chen Yiwen, who had just been sent back to the fountain by the enemy team, looked up and greeted him, "Back already? Huh? Why are you wearing glasses?"
"Um..." Qiao Ze thought for a moment and came up with a reason, "Actually, looking at papers can really strain the eyes too."
He couldn't say that it was just to make them feel a bit better.
Qiao Ze figured he still understood such basic human interactions.
Though he had only been in touch for three days, his roommates had actually taught him a few things.
For instance, if you want everyone to get along, it's best not to show off.
But who would have thought his words would still make Chen Yiwen silently bow his head.
The two who were engrossed in their intense game involuntarily trembled their hands.
Then they looked up simultaneously, catching each other's eye.
They seemed to lose interest in the game at the same time and stopped shouting out loud.
Qiao Ze sensed the change in the dorm atmosphere and asked in puzzlement, "What's wrong?"
Zhang Zhou said with a morose face, "Qiao, can we not talk about papers, research topics, and stuff like that in the dorm anymore? It makes everyone feel miserable..."
"Oh!" Qiao Ze nodded and then asked, "Is it okay to look at them though?"
"Yes, of course, you can look, just don't mention it, and we'll be fine!" Gu Zhengliang nodded repeatedly.
Chen Yiwen glanced at the two and disdainfully said, "You can fool others, but you're also trying to fool yourselves? Is it so hard to admit someone is better than you? Is it such a big deal that a pro has come to our dorm?"
"What do you mean, Chen?"
"What do I mean? My plan is set; after graduation, I'm going back home to take over the family business and live a life barely getting by on collecting rent. After all, my math skills are more than enough to manage those accounts," Chen Yiwen said indifferently.
"Chen, don't do that! Are these the words of the man who was once so ambitious, one who wanted to put the class representative under his heel, aimed to get into the Yanbei Mathematics Institute for grad school, and aspired to date the best female PhD candidate of the Math Institute?
If you really go back home to collect rent, then your future is doomed!" Zhang Zhou stopped playing the game and looked up to say exaggeratedly.
Chen Yiwen fell silent for a moment, then looked up at Qiao Ze with a playful remark, "Forget it, I'll leave my future doctor from Yanbei University's School of Mathematics to Qiao Ze to take care of. In the future, I just need to find someone young and pretty for myself."
Clearly, Qiao Ze didn't take it as a joke and shook his head seriously, "I won't go to Yanbei University. I'll stay here."
"Why? It was one thing to stay here during your undergrad, but you're still staying here as a grad student?"
At this point, all three lost interest in playing games, their curiosity turning towards Qiao Ze.
Just as Qiao Ze didn't know how to explain, someone suddenly knocked on the door and peeked half their body in, politely asking, "Hello, is Qiao Ze in this dorm room?"
"Who is it? Looking for our Qiao... Ah, hello, may I ask who you are?" Zhang Zhou impatiently turned his head, only to realize that the visitor seemed somewhat older,
"Oh, my name is Wang Ke, 'Wang' as in 'king', and 'Ke' as in 'science'. I'm a grad student at the institute, and Professor Li Jian Gao asked me to look for Qiao Ze." Zhang Liwei entered the dorm room and said with impeccable manners.
Then his eyes swept around the room and landed on Qiao Ze.
Afterward, Zhang Liwei felt this must be the person his boss said could help him.
Because clearly, out of the four, this guy was the most exceptional.
"No way, dude, you're a grad student?" Zhang Zhou laughed, saying, "If you hadn't mentioned it, I would've thought you were one of our faculty members. Dude, do all the grad students in our institute lose their hair this badly?"
Zhang Liwei glanced at Zhang Zhou, touched his head, and chuckled awkwardly, "Hey, little brother, you'll understand once you do your master's. Hitting an international 4.0 or two domestic core papers along with two lesser ones is not that easy to achieve."
There was no way around it, even if he had assumed a pseudonym, he couldn't bring himself to say he was a doctoral student.
As for going bald...
Wait until you, youngster, get into grad school, choose a challenging topic with great enthusiasm, and then can't figure it out, then you'll naturally understand.
Your journey starts at m_v le mpyr
Not to mention, he had already psyched himself up for this visit, so a little thing like this wasn't going to make him lose his composure.
"Damn, are grad students really expected to be this hardcore now? Doing a master's means publishing international SCI papers with an impact factor of no less than 4.0?" Zhang Zhou nearly leapt up.
Zhang Liwei wished he could slap himself...
He was pretending to be a grad student, so why had he blurted out the doctoral graduation requirements?
He could only vaguely reply, "Yeah, it's going to get harder and harder in the future."
He then lost interest in engaging Zack Zhou further and turned to Qiao Ze, who had been silent, smiling as he said, "You must be Qiao Ze, right? I'm stuck with my paper, and luckily today I ran into Professor Li, who said you could give me some advice. So, I specifically came with my paper to consult with you."
This time, the other three in the dorm had no trace of surprise.
After all, Qiao Ze was even able to provide feedback on professors' published works, and they had humbly accepted it. Guiding a grad student should be a piece of cake for him.
But their hearts still couldn't help but flutter.
It was too demoralizing...
Why did they have to witness this scene in the dorm?
If only I were Qiao Ze, I would be able to show off right now.
However, Qiao Ze clearly had no interest in showing off; he simply nodded calmly and then extended his hand.
While Zhang Liwei was still in shock, Gu Zhengliang couldn't hold back any longer, chiming in, "Aren't you here to ask my Qiao for advice on writing your paper? Hurry up and hand it over!"
"Oh!" Zhang Liwei came to his senses, quickly handing over the paper with the cover he had hastily changed.
Qiao Ze took the paper and started looking over it seriously.
The other three in the dorm room gathered together, whispering among themselves.
Wang Ke, alias Zhang Liwei, stood beside Qiao Ze, awkwardly staring at Qiao Ze's empty bookshelf, lost in thought.
So ashamed...
But what could he do?
Who else understands the woes of a half-baked doctorate?