Ch 33: Those who wronged me are now begging me for mercy

They Say You Can Uproot Trees with Your Bare Hands

Rong Ziyin’s outfit was undeniably eye-catching, with bold colors that clashed vividly. Walking through the campus, he was like a walking landmark. Students passing by couldn’t help but take a second look at him, then a third.

The first look: Who’s the idiot wearing that out in public?

The second look: Wait, this guy’s actually really good-looking. How could you not want to look?

The system was also in distress: Master, don’t you think they’re looking at us like we’re total idiots?

Rong Ziyin wasn’t too pleased either: What choice do I have? This was the department’s requirement!

However, it was clear that the department head’s intention had not been this. When Rong Ziyin arrived at the department head’s office, the man’s eyes widened, and he was speechless for a long moment.

Obviously, he had been blindsided by the sight.

“W-w-why are you dressed like that?” The department head was so shocked that he stuttered.

What he had envisioned was that since Rong Ziyin was handsome, he could just wear something bright and lively, paired with a fluffy, adorable little goose. That would immediately grab attention, creating a healthy, vibrant image for the veterinary department and showcasing their care for animals.

But instead, Rong Ziyin showed up in a red-and-green ensemble that practically assaulted the senses, topped off with pants that looked like they were from the 1980s, making the entire outfit bizarre in every way.

It was only because Rong Ziyin was tall and handsome that he somehow managed to pull off a retro vibe. But if he had been even slightly chubbier, this outfit would have been impossible to take seriously.

The department head took a deep breath and couldn’t help but say, “Rong, I remember I told you to dress in a way that reflects the natural spirit, not one that literally describes it with characters!”

Rong Ziyin, expressionless, responded, “This is the veterinary department’s official uniform.”

Department Head: “…But this color scheme is just…”

Rong Ziyin: “You personally chose it during military training.”

Department Head: “Even your goose will find you embarrassing!”

Rong Ziyin picked up the goose that selectively admired only his face: “It doesn’t seem to think so.”

Department Head: “…”

With three solid blows, the department head was thoroughly defeated.

However, time was running out; the interview team would arrive soon, and there was no time for Rong Ziyin to change clothes. In the end, a girl from the student council, who was there to help, came up with a solution: “How about letting Senior wear something over the short sleeves?”

“What could he wear? Should we borrow a jacket?” The department head looked around, but it was summer, and it was hot, so no one would be carrying a jacket.

The girl had a bright idea. “How about a lab coat from the veterinary department? Senior is already wearing white pants, and the lab coat is long enough to cover most of the shirt. Even if a bit of the shirt shows, it won’t look too bad.”

The department head thought this made sense and hurriedly sent Rong Ziyin off to change. “Quick, don’t ruin that handsome face of yours!” The department head was practically beating his chest in frustration, feeling like he’d gone blind just by looking at Rong Ziyin’s shirt.

Rong Ziyin complied and put on the lab coat as suggested. As expected, it made a world of difference.

The girl from the student council, being quick on her feet, even found a pair of non-prescription gold-rimmed glasses for Rong Ziyin to wear, softening his otherwise indifferent gaze. Suddenly, the gentle and handsome Dr. Rong appeared, looking even better than the current top idols.

“Wow, Dad is so handsome!”

The goose, already obsessed with Rong Ziyin, wanted nothing more than to cling to him, showering him with hearts and adoration for looking increasingly dashing.

Even the department head, a man who wasn’t easily impressed, couldn’t help but nod approvingly.

The crisis of embarrassment was finally averted. After another ten minutes or so, the director’s team arrived. Along with them were two teammates who would be competing alongside Rong Ziyin in the upcoming show.

It was said that over the next two months, these two would be joining Rong Ziyin to form a team and face off against the currently victorious groups of scholars.

Since the other teams had three members each, the show’s producers asked the university to recommend two more people to join Rong Ziyin. The two who came along were the university’s chosen candidates.

Because Rong Ziyin was the main interviewee, the director’s team decided to film the veterinary department last, so they could spend more time gathering material without rushing.

The initial questions were routine, and the team captured some footage of the veterinary department’s usual study and experiment areas.

This part went quickly, and the rest was individual interviews with Rong Ziyin and his teammates. Since they needed to create a trailer, the producers wanted to capture moments that showcased their brilliance as scholar elites.

While the director’s team prepared the questions, they allowed Rong Ziyin and his teammates to rest on nearby chairs and get acquainted.

Unexpectedly, the other two turned out to be people Rong Ziyin already knew—a scholar from the mechanical engineering department and a female scholar from the landscape architecture department, both of whom had worked with Rong Ziyin on papers before.

However, with all three being rather reserved individuals, the atmosphere was a bit awkward.

But with the upcoming rapid-fire Q&A segment looming, a bit of awkward silence didn’t seem too bad compared to their nerves.

“Ten more minutes!” came the call from the director’s team, giving Rong Ziyin and his teammates a heads-up. They mentioned that the questions would primarily test their knowledge in their respective fields.

The mechanical engineering scholar seemed okay, but the girl from the landscape architecture department looked a bit nervous. She already had a stomach ache, and the extreme nervousness made her feel nauseous. She closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair, her face pale.

Seeing this, Rong Ziyin got her a cup of hot water.

“Thank you.” She smiled, trying to maintain a calm demeanor despite her discomfort.

It was understandable; this was her first time in such a high-pressure situation. Even the mechanical engineering scholar looked pale, his legs trembling.

The only one who seemed unfazed was Rong Ziyin, who, after handing the girl the water, even had the leisure to flip through the latest issue of a core journal.

“Aren’t you nervous at all?” the mechanical engineering scholar couldn’t help but ask Rong Ziyin.

Without looking up, Rong Ziyin asked, “What’s there to be nervous about?”

“Isn’t there a rapid-fire Q&A coming up?”

Rong Ziyin: “Yeah? Did you get your scholarship through connections?”

Mechanical engineering scholar: “???”

Rong Ziyin: “Did you pay for someone else to write your papers?”

The mechanical engineering scholar shook his head vigorously.

Rong Ziyin: “Did you get someone else to do your experiments?”

Mechanical engineering scholar: “No way!”

Rong Ziyin: “Then what’s there to be afraid of? If you can’t answer, neither can anyone else. Aren’t you the walking encyclopedia of your department?”

Right! If he couldn’t answer, then others might not be able to either! The mechanical engineering scholar suddenly realized this, and the weight in his heart lifted, restoring his confidence.

The beautiful scholar from the landscape architecture department overheard their conversation and began to question her life choices, wondering where these guys got their confidence from.

Had they never heard of the phrase “learning is endless”? The producers never said the questions would all be within university curricula! Rumor had it that some of the questions were obscure historical facts.

Should she tell them this truth? She hesitated, then thought better of it. Maybe their confidence would bring them unexpected luck.

So, she wiped the sweat from her forehead and continued resting against the chair. The mechanical engineering scholar noticed her anxiety and tried to comfort her, but it only made her more nervous.

Rong Ziyin couldn’t bear to watch any longer and stopped the mechanical engineering student. “Don’t worry! She definitely won’t be nervous.”

Mechanical Engineering Student: “How do you know?”

Rong Ziyin: “Haven’t you heard? The girls in the landscape architecture department can uproot trees with their bare hands! They aren’t scared of anything!”

Mechanical Engineering Student: “Re-really?”

He instinctively moved a little further away from the beautiful female scholar.

The female scholar from the landscape architecture department was also shocked by this statement. She suddenly opened her eyes and stared at Rong Ziyin for a long time, speechless, feeling an urge to use her supposed tree-uprooting strength to smack him.

She thought to herself, How can someone so good-looking say something so ridiculous?

But her nervousness dissipated considerably because of Rong Ziyin’s remark.

However, the next moment, the director’s team called the female scholar to be the first to do the rapid-fire Q&A, and her nerves flared up again.

Rong Ziyin encouraged her, “Don’t worry! If you’re scared, your sweet and sour pork-colored lipstick won’t be as vibrant.”

The female scholar took three deep breaths, but she couldn’t hold back any longer and angrily kicked Rong Ziyin. “Get lost!”

Channeling her inner warrior, she stormed toward the director’s team with renewed determination.

After all, with such an annoying teammate, even a stressful live assessment became something to look forward to!

True to their reputation for being the most realistic production team, the questions they asked were particularly tricky. But real scholars have no fear, and the female scholar naturally did well.

However, the mechanical engineering student, who was observing, couldn’t help but frown.

Rong Ziyin asked, “What’s up?”

Mechanical Engineering Student: “Don’t you think the scope of the questions is a bit too broad?”

The female scholar was likely too agitated by Rong Ziyin to notice, but both Rong Ziyin and the mechanical engineering student, who were listening from the sidelines, realized it right away.

Although they weren’t from the landscape architecture department, they were familiar with the general academic range of some common subjects. For example, one of the math questions asked clearly fell within the scope of graduate-level studies.

But that wasn’t the only issue. To make matters worse, some of the questions in the female scholar’s set even touched on topics related to film and tourism.

The mechanical engineering student started to get anxious. “What should I do? I rarely focus on subjects outside my studies.”

Rong Ziyin thought for a moment and then said, “Don’t worry. People will understand, given your hair! Just make sure to get all the questions related to your field right.”

The mechanical engineering student was momentarily confused. After touching his head, he suddenly understood the hidden meaning behind Rong Ziyin’s words.

The implication was that anyone could tell from his thinning hair that he spent most of his time in the lab, with no time for leisure activities—everyone would understand.

Is this really comfort and not mockery? he thought.

The mechanical engineering student stared at Rong Ziyin with a look that suggested he wanted to punch him to release his anger.

Damn it! He knew all along that Rong Ziyin was never a nice guy.

Fuming, he stood up from his chair and pointed at Rong Ziyin. “I don’t know, but do you? Whoever gets fewer answers right is the loser!”

Rong Ziyin: “Okay, little brother, it’s your turn. Go ahead, little brother.”

Mechanical Engineering Student: “…”

Frustration level: 1000

But the plot didn’t give him time to argue back at Rong Ziyin because the director’s team soon came over to call him in. The female scholar from the landscape architecture department had finished her interview, and it was now the mechanical engineering student’s turn.

However, thanks to Rong Ziyin’s repeated provocations, the mechanical engineering scholar had transformed into a warrior eager to prove himself. He was determined to charge into the battle and use his stellar performance to show Rong Ziyin his true capabilities. He vowed that by the end of it, Rong Ziyin would have to willingly call him “big brother.”

The female scholar from the landscape architecture department, seeing him so fired up, couldn’t help but ask Rong Ziyin, “What did you say to him? He looked really angry.”

“That’s not possible,” Rong Ziyin said calmly, turning a page of the core journal in his hands. Then he summarized their conversation and added, “We just became sworn brothers. He recognized me as his elder brother, so now he’s very excited.”

Confusion level: 1000

The female scholar: Yeah, right! I don’t believe you!

Thanks to Rong Ziyin’s strange but effective motivation, the mechanical engineering scholar performed exceptionally well, answering nearly every question correctly. The crew was impressed.

They had initially planned to leverage Rong Ziyin’s recent viral fame for some buzz and hadn’t expected the Agricultural University team to last very long in the competition.

But the quality of these scholars was surprisingly high—comparable to the top students from prestigious universities like Tsinghua and Beijing University. And they had good looks to boot. The mechanical engineering scholar, though a bit rugged, was tall and strong. The female scholar was stunning, with big eyes, a small face, and a refined air.

Now, the only unknown was Rong Ziyin. If he lived up to his reputation, their next episode was almost guaranteed to trend on social media!

These three were truly the best of the best.

With high expectations, the director’s team had Rong Ziyin sit down for his interview.

They started with some easy questions to lighten the mood, and Rong Ziyin responded perfectly.

Soon, they were nearing the end of the segment, with only two questions left.

One of them was, “Will leaving school temporarily to participate in the competition affect your studies?”

The director’s team was aware that many of these scholars had ongoing research projects.

As expected, Rong Ziyin frowned when he heard the question. “Do we have to leave Beijing for many days?”

Director Team: “At least two months!”

Rong Ziyin lowered his head slightly, seeming a bit troubled.

The director team assumed he was worried about his living expenses since they had done some research and knew that Rong Ziyin had always worked part-time while studying. They immediately felt a surge of sympathy for the downcast young man in front of them and quickly reassured him, “Don’t worry, if you have any difficulties, you can talk to the director team’s brothers and sisters!”

“Um… any difficulties?” Rong Ziyin hesitated.

“Yes! Feel free to tell us anything. We’ll definitely help you out.”

“Well, then I’ll say it.” Rong Ziyin nodded, preparing to speak.

Not far away, the veterinary department head instinctively felt a sense of foreboding.

Sure enough, Rong Ziyin cradled the tiny gosling in his hands, looking very distressed as he said to the director team, “If I’m gone for two months, my geese will have grown up!”

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