Chapter 25: Treating Classmates with Unity and Friendship
Such a mocking title immediately grabbed everyone’s attention the moment it appeared on the forum.
Clicking through to read the content only reinforced the title’s audacity—just two words:
“Let’s grind!”
Simple, clear, and unadorned. Those who saw these two characters instantly grasped Rong Ziyin’s meaning.
With two months left until the deadline, ranting on the streets was useless. Better to grind out papers instead.
With connections, a provincial journal could expedite publication in a month. Put simply, if they worked fast enough to write and successfully publish three papers in the shortest time possible, they’d secure an opportunity no matter what.
As for the review period, many advisors at the Agricultural University had connections in academic circles. If they could pull some strings with provincial core journals, papers meeting the requirements could still get published.
So what’s there to fear? A true scholar surges against the current!
Thus, after posting his message, Rong Ziyin settled down with purpose, booting up his computer to begin drafting his papers.
Rong Ziyin was known for his decisive action, especially regarding his own pursuits. Once he made up his mind and confirmed his choice was sound, he would stop at nothing to achieve his goal.
Take this thesis, for instance—it wasn’t that Rong Ziyin believed he could do it, but rather that he would make himself do it.
Time was tight; not a single second could be wasted. So after posting, Rong Ziyin prepared to start writing immediately.
Meanwhile, over at the Agricultural University, everyone reading the post nearly choked on their spit, convinced Rong Ziyin must be out of his mind.
“Fuck all-nighters for a thesis! Even growing cabbage takes time—doesn’t writing a thesis require research results?”
“He’s just showing off. If provincial journals are so easy, why’s he still stuck in the village? Shouldn’t big shots have snatched him into labs already?”
“Hmph. I’ll just wait for the final result to see what crap he churns out.”
Yet Rong Ziyin had already drafted his title.
“My first paper is underway. Progress report every hour.”
So he’s serious?
The forum erupted in shock.
The system was even more stunned—Rong Ziyin had already opened the document.
System: Host, can you really pull this off?
Rong Ziyin: Mm, relax!
As he spoke, Rong Ziyin posted his title in the thread, simultaneously revealing the title of the paper he had originally intended to submit to a core journal.
What on earth did this mean?
Many couldn’t make sense of Rong Ziyin’s move. Some even thought the two titles were quite similar—was he planning to write the same paper?
[Confusion Level: 8900]
As soon as these two headlines appeared, many students following the thread offered emotional support to Rong Ziyin.
But there were also several “aha moments” among them—clearly, those academic stars had fully grasped Rong Ziyin’s meaning.
Creating three papers out of thin air was impossible, but they could certainly churn out three papers!
Sometimes, for specific reasons, the academic world does resort to padding resumes with fluff papers.
Even so, such papers must contain substance and not be overly vague. Others might struggle, but these top students who’ve actually achieved results? They’re fearless!
As long as they didn’t include the core findings, they could branch out and speculate on other aspects of their research.
Moreover, they’d been working on these projects for a long time. Though rushed, with some effort, they could indeed churn out three papers.
So, they weren’t yet at the end of their rope!
If they can push through!
These top students, who moments ago were bitter over lost opportunities and dimmed futures, suddenly surged with excitement.
Rong Ziyin’s latest reply struck like a bell tolling in their hearts, sending involuntary shivers through their bodies.
Rong Ziyin: I’ve already started! Anyone too scared to join is a wimp!
“Holy shit! That’s fucking right!”
“Three papers? My personal record was pulling an all-nighter in the lab for three straight days. This is nothing!”
“You’re the fucking wimp! Whoever finishes last is the real wimp!”
Rong Ziyin’s words suddenly ignited the fiery spirit within these academic elites, setting them ablaze.
Young scholars with genuine talent, no matter how they appeared on the surface, harbored a certain pride. How could they tolerate others trampling on their heads?
Moreover, they never considered themselves inferior to Rong Ziyin. If he could write, so could they.
Soon, someone replied, “Social Sciences here. Document open, preparing first paper. Title is…”
Next, Mechanical Engineering chimed in, “Reference materials all set.”
Landscape Architecture: “I’m starting too!”
…
As their replies poured in, the remaining observers felt a surge of restlessness.
Initially, everyone in that thread had mocked Rong Ziyin. But when this group of academic stars responded with their participation, those onlookers finally realized Rong Ziyin wasn’t just talking big—he intended to assemble this team to crank out three papers in record time. To reclaim the lost opportunity to submit to the core journal.
“But… is that even possible? We only have two months left!”
“No way. The timeline’s too tight. Impossible.” Skeptics kept questioning them.
Just then, counterarguments emerged.
“No, no, no! I think they can do it! I just saw that hottie from Landscape Architecture heading to the lab with her notebook!”
“Same over in the guys’ dorm! That senior from Hydraulic Engineering just left too!”
“Holy crap! I’m in Mechanical Engineering—our class group chat says the top student went to see their advisor. Looks like they’re going all out too.”
“My goodness, have they lost their minds?”
Yeah! Have they lost their minds?
Witnessing the sheer madness of these students’ actions, nearly the entire school was stunned.
Yet the hourly progress reports that followed made it crystal clear: they were truly going all out! This was both a desperate bid to secure a final outcome for their years of effort and a fierce rebellion against this sudden twist of fate.
They refused to accept it!
They refused to accept the arbitrary cutoff imposed by the core journal’s sudden reporting policy. More than that, they were determined to see who among them would ultimately fail to complete their thesis—who among them was truly the unqualified trash without genuine academic merit!
Academic research is a long and arduous path, and they never admit defeat!
The atmosphere on campus was suddenly electrified by these paper-grinding academic titans. Yet among them, the most intimidating presence was undoubtedly Rong Ziyin.
Because Rong Ziyin also had a job.
Unlike those who could freely immerse themselves in the lab, constantly researching and reaching out to their advisors for help, Rong Ziyin had only the materials he’d brought from school and a single computer with access to CNKI.
Moreover, during the day, he was frequently called upon by villagers who needed him to examine their livestock.
Fortunately, the villagers recently learned about his thesis writing and rarely disturbed him unless it was urgent, granting him a relatively quiet environment.
Later, seeing how busy he was, the couple running the snack shop grew concerned he might overwork himself. They began delivering meals to his office in various ways, making sure he didn’t forget to eat.
As the village chief put it, “Our young Doctor Rong is working hard to advance himself! If his paper gets published, it’ll be a source of pride for our village.”
Thus, surrounded by this well-meaning support, two days later, Rong Ziyin posted another update: “One paper is finished. Starting on the second.”
This time, the thread truly exploded. Not only were those waiting for results stunned, but even the academic stars who’d started writing papers alongside Rong Ziyin were dumbfounded.
“One paper in two days? Is this Rong Ziyin even human?”
“And he still has to treat chickens, ducks, and geese whenever they get sick?”
“I don’t care—I’m going all out!”
The top students pumped themselves up, feeling spurred on by Rong Ziyin’s speed. They redoubled their efforts, working feverishly to prepare.
It was now 1:30 AM. Rong Ziyin had finally finished the preparatory work for his second paper and was about to head back to shower and change clothes.
Meanwhile, on the forum, the sleep-deprived top students were still reporting their progress. Rong Ziyin watched for a while, feeling like something was missing.
System: Nothing missing! Aren’t they all here?
Rong Ziyin thought for a moment: No, that rich kid isn’t here.
System: Does he count?
Rong Ziyin: Since it’s a group activity, not inviting him feels like excluding him.
“We should show solidarity and friendship toward our classmates.” As he spoke, Rong Ziyin opened Alipay and transferred ten cents to the rich kid’s account, adding a note: “Come on! Get writing that thesis!”
Back in Yanjing, the rich kid—who’d just smoked an entire pack of cigarettes in frustration—saw the message and immediately slammed his phone down in rage.
What kind of bastard does this?!
[Rage Level: 4000]
To him, Rong Ziyin’s invitation was pure schadenfreude.
His situation was dire—he couldn’t find a suitable ghostwriter for his thesis. If the entire school abandoned him, his failure would seem inevitable. But Rong Ziyin’s public mockery had ignited everyone’s resilience.
Now the forum was ablaze with fervor, yet he remained conspicuously silent. Consequently, many at the university were already speculating that the core journal had received a targeted complaint against him, leading to the thorough investigation.
In the past two days, even his advisor and grandfather had pressed him for answers.
His advisor, in particular, had even advised him to follow Rong Ziyin’s suggestion and water down his paper, going so far as to draft a direction and topic for him.
But the crucial point was this: the rich kid knew nothing! What good were a direction and a topic? He couldn’t write a damn thing!
Thus, under immense pressure, the rich kid was on the verge of collapse. And to make matters worse, Rong Ziyin was taunting him.
The rich kid, overcome by impulse, wanted to fire back, but suddenly found himself at a loss for words. Yet in that brief moment of silence, Rong Ziyin had already replied again.
“Forget it. You should just go to bed early. After all, you’re dealing with Mediterranean-style seborrheic alopecia. Get some rest, don’t get too worked up, and keep your mindset level—otherwise you’ll just go bald faster.”
The rich kid’s vision instantly went black. Rong Ziyin had hit the nail on the head—he really was going bald!
The system watched the 8,000 gold coins instantly land in its coffers, feeling inexplicably convinced that the rich kid’s baldness was entirely due to Rong Ziyin’s relentless fleecing.
Over the next week, Rong Ziyin finally spared the poor lamb of a rich kid due to overwhelming busyness.
The agricultural university also provided conveniences for these studious overachievers striving to churn out their theses. Libraries and labs remained open 24/7 for them, and advisors went out of their way to support their beloved students.
Yet despite this collective effort, Rong Ziyin’s progress remained the fastest among them all.
“Rong Ziyin, do you even sleep?” one of the hardest workers finally snapped. Exhaustion overwhelmed him, tempting him to just give up.
He desperately wanted to know how Rong Ziyin maintained such terrifying speed.
Rong Ziyin’s reply came swiftly.
“Of course I do. At least six hours a day.”
“So you spend the rest of your time grinding away at your thesis?”
Rong Ziyin: “Not now. I have work to do.”
“What kind of work?!” the person blurted out instinctively.
Rong Ziyin promptly uploaded a photo: a chicken strapped to an operating table, with Rong Ziyin reaching inside its abdomen as if extracting something.
What the hell is this?? The person stared at the photo for ages and still couldn’t figure it out.
After careful observation, someone from the veterinary department replied, “Looks like this chicken is egg-bound. Rong Ziyin is performing surgery to remove the egg.”
Rong Ziyin promptly confirmed, “Exactly, it’s an egg extraction surgery. If you’re interested, I can demonstrate it in person sometime.”
“No thanks, I’m good!” the person quickly declined. It wasn’t for any other reason—it was mainly the phrase “egg extraction” that inexplicably sent a chill down his spine.
Another day passed. The intense workload began taking its toll on many of the top students.
That afternoon, one girl couldn’t hold back any longer. She posted that she couldn’t take it anymore—her stomach hurt, her head ached, her eyes burned, and her hair was falling out in handfuls. All she wanted to do was cry.
People in the thread rushed to comfort her, but the girl’s mental state had completely shattered. The more they tried to console her, the more agitated she became.
Just then, Rong Ziyin appeared.
Everyone assumed Rong Ziyin would comfort her—after all, he was the one who initiated this all-nighter to finish the paper. But they all overlooked one crucial thing: for a straight guy, the concept of “romantic nonsense” is utterly foreign.
Rong Ziyin: “Should we call 120?”
What the hell kind of response is this?! The girl’s mental state is falling apart, and you suggest calling an ambulance? The entire forum was stunned.
The female academic superstar was so furious she burst out laughing. What the hell? Who does Rong Ziyin think he is?
Gritting her teeth in fury, she dragged herself to the infirmary, downed some stomach medicine, and got an IV drip. After half a day’s rest, she was back to being the unstoppable female warrior.
But after this little hiccup, Rong Ziyin realized these guys were so swamped they didn’t even have time to eat. It was genuinely pitiful.
Thus, he naturally began to stop being a good person. Especially at mealtimes, whenever anyone entered the thread, they were guaranteed to see Rong Ziyin’s “beastly” remarks.
“Taking a break. The guy from the snack bar just delivered my breakfast.”
“Taking a break. The guy from the snack shop just deliver
ed my lunch.”
“Taking a break. The guy from the snack shop just delivered my dinner.”
Kung Pao Chicken, Boiled Sliced Pork, Twice-Cooked Pork, Sweet and Sour Pork Loin, Fish-Fragrant Shredded Pork—three meals a day, and they were quite sumptuous.