The classroom was deathly silent.
Most students stared at the professor in disbelief. A final exam could come with such huge rewards?
A small minority of students were dismissive, idly shaking their legs. "It's just a lousy school," they thought. "The classrooms are so shabby. What kind of scholarship can they even offer after selling everything? Three words: not interested."
The professor took out a paper he had prepared long ago and dryly read,
"In accordance with the Galactic Empire's recently issued resource tilt order for the M78 Nebula, we are providing assistance projects and economic promotion funds for some colony planets. Due to limited slots, our school's board of directors has decided to allocate quotas based on the final exam results of this semester."
Jiang Ye silently thought, "This official jargon is so awkward. In plain language, it means whoever does well on the final exam gets a reward."
The professor continued reading, finally getting to the main points:
"The top student in the class will receive 10 billion yuan in economic promotion funds, a three-year service term from a total of 40 macroeconomists, increased planetary credit rating, and a gene research hospital valued at 12 billion yuan."
"The second-place student in the class will receive 5 billion yuan in economic promotion funds, a two-year service term from a total of 20 macroeconomists, and increased planetary credit rating."
"The third-place student in the class will receive 2 billion yuan in economic promotion funds and increased planetary credit rating."
"Students ranking from fourth to tenth place will receive 500 million yuan in economic promotion funds."
"Alright, class dismissed. Students, please wait a moment, the substitute teacher will be here shortly."
With that, the professor turned and left.
The entire class was stunned.
The small group who had been dismissive were now utterly shocked, their legs stiff and no longer shaking.
A few students smoking by the window dropped their cigarettes onto their desks, completely oblivious.
These rewards were too outrageous!
Billions upon billions were being given away!
Especially for the top three, there were not only money but also a plethora of additional rewards!
Jiang Ye didn't know what macroeconomists were. Judging by the literal meaning, they were likely a group of people who studied the economic conditions of an entire planet. Having their services might lead to faster wealth generation and more rapid economic growth.
As for planetary credit rating, the only known use so far was its connection to attracting investment. The higher the planetary credit rating, the more company resumes received.
Jiang Ye couldn't see his planet's credit rating. This thing should be like personal credit, with a database somewhere.
In short, the higher the better, as it could promote commercial prosperity on the colony.
A gene research hospital, regardless of its specific functions, was attractive enough on its own with its 12 billion yuan valuation. Building one would definitely boost the development index significantly!
Jiang Ye was ecstatic. All these good things would surely be his.
He had already finished the final exam papers, all of which were open-book questions with standard answers. How could he not get first place!
Yue Qilan gently poked Jiang Ye's shoulder with her finger.
Jiang Ye flinched back, looking at her warily. "What?"
"You were smiling just now."
Jiang Ye felt a prickle of unease. "What's it to you? I'll smile if I want to."
"You have the answers, you'll get a high score, so you're smiling, right?" Yue Qilan leaned in and whispered.
Jiang Ye thought, "She's truly a worm in my belly, and incredibly troublesome."
"I don't have the answers, but I've been studying diligently these past few days. I believe I can get first place through my own merit," Jiang Ye whispered back to her. "If you want the reward, study hard yourself! Look at everyone else!"
Yue Qilan looked back and saw that the entire class, uncharacteristically, had collectively turned over a new leaf. Everyone was looking down at their textbooks, some highlighting key points with pens. The concentration on studying had exploded.
She shrugged and also lowered her head to look at her textbook.
Jiang Ye breathed a sigh of relief, finally rid of this troublesome pest.
The teacher arrived and began writing on the blackboard.
Jiang Ye looked up. He had some impression of what the teacher was writing because he had previewed it.
Suddenly, a heavy object landed on his leg.
Jiang Ye looked down. Yue Qilan's long legs were draped over his again, smooth and tender, full of elasticity.
"You like it, don't you? Does it make your heart flutter? You're so smart, you must know how to get it, right?" Yue Qilan whispered.
"I'm not falling for that! I've seen beautiful legs before!" Jiang Ye angrily grabbed her legs and pushed them away. "I absolutely do not have the answers. You study hard yourself!"
"Oh, I can't focus on this book. I just want to sleep when I study. My blood has an antibody to learning," Yue Qilan said with a wronged expression, her eyes half-closed listlessly. "Please, give me the answers. If I get a high score, can I give you half of the prize money?"
Jiang Ye was almost tempted. If he helped her get second place, he could earn an additional 2.5 billion yuan.
However, Jiang Ye still resolutely refused her.
This woman was too shrewd. The prettier the mushroom, the more poisonous it was. If he really gave her the answers, she might sell them for profit, or even blackmail him and report him. In the best-case scenario, she would take the scholarship money and not share it.
In short, he absolutely couldn't give them to her; the risk was too great.
In the following days, the entire class's learning atmosphere completely transformed!
Every morning, before Jiang Ye even reached the classroom, he could hear recitation in various accents echoing down the corridor. More than half the students arrived early for morning study, shouting and roaring until they were oxygen-deprived.
During class, they eagerly answered questions, raising their hands so high that some even stood up or jumped. It was as if they were paid for answering questions.
Moreover, judging by their dark circles, they were all studying late into the night, looking more and more like pandas.
Everyone was competing fiercely, to the death, like spring rolls, flower rolls, and Swiss rolls!
Jiang Ye remained calm. He didn't come early for morning study, nor did he stay up late. He just comfortably attended classes and read books each day.
Looking around at his classmates, he felt like laughing.
"What were you doing before? Now you know how to work hard? Now you suddenly want to study? Now you want to strive for first place?"
"It's useless!
The first place has already been decided. You guys can fight for the remaining spots!
The outcome is set. You are all just cattle and horses!
The most satisfying thing in the world is when others are exhausted from reciting, and you already have the exam papers in hand."
In the blink of an eye, eleven days of classes passed.
All subjects concluded. The 12th day was a review day, with no substitute teachers. Students could review freely. The exams were scheduled for the day after tomorrow and the day after that. After the exams, they would go home.
Jiang Ye figured that with his current level, he didn't need to review. He could get near-perfect scores in all subjects with his eyes closed.
He had been on Yongye Star for a long time and hadn't had a chance to explore. He didn't know if he would ever come back in this lifetime, so he decided to seize the opportunity to go out and have some fun.
Observing the local customs and observing the city's construction was also a form of learning!
On Friday morning at five o'clock, Jiang Ye got up, washed, and changed his clothes.
He used the phone on his bedside table and dialed "00660066."
After dialing, he sat by the window and waited.
Yongye City had no dawn or dusk. The scenery outside the window was always similar: steaming clouds, dazzling buildings, cars rushing like shooting stars, and colorful electronic billboards… it was prosperous, charming, indifferent, and oppressive.
Suddenly, a flying car hovered in front of the window.
The window glass slowly opened, and the car door sprang upwards.
"Is this your taxi?" a black youth with a cigarette in his mouth poked his head out of the car. As he spoke, he turned his head and spat out the cigarette. The cigarette fell from hundreds of meters high, and it was unknown if it would hit any unfortunate passersby.
(I have dyshidrosis, my hands are covered in blisters. I'm suffering so much.)