59: Chapter 59 Paper Submission

After submitting the manuscript, Zhao Yang shut down his computer.

In truth, he was still feeling a bit nervous.

This was only the second time across his two lifetimes that he had submitted a paper.

Although the core idea of this manuscript was borrowed from a paper he had read in his previous life, the main core arguments, evidence, algorithms, and calculation methods were all worked out by Zhao Yang himself.

It was certainly a far cry from the original paper Zhao Yang had seen; one could even say they were two completely different papers.

Therefore, this paper was essentially Zhao Yang's own original work.

Under these circumstances, Zhao Yang was naturally very nervous.

More importantly, if this paper could be published, he could test whether the system would grant him corresponding subject experience rewards for publishing a paper.

If it worked, he would try churning out a low-tier Zone 3 paper just to test the waters.

He wanted to see what kind of standards the system used for awarding subject experience for papers.

It couldn't be helped; his system wasn't like the ones in other novels. It wasn't as intelligent and hardly ever communicated with him.

Zhao Yang had to figure out the system's built-in settings bit by bit on his own.

Thinking of this, Zhao Yang let out a soft sigh.

He wondered what other settings the system had.

He would just have to keep testing it slowly.

He glanced at the time; it was just 10:00 PM.

The Library was still brightly lit; even at ten o'clock, there were still quite a few people inside.

The closing time for the Beijing Forestry University Library was 10:30 PM.

Li Tianqi and Wang Mian were sitting next to Zhao Yang reading, but the books in their hands had quietly changed from Biology textbooks to novels.

He didn't know how these two idiots had managed to get into a 211 university when they disliked studying so much.

Zhao Yang shook his head with a smile.

His gaze shifted to Sun Xu nearby.

Sun Xu was still reading a Biology book. He had a notebook with him—a primary school exercise book with a yellowed cover.

Though it was old, it was very neat; it was clear that Sun Xu cherished this exercise book.

At the moment, he was earnestly taking notes in it.

Watching him made Zhao Yang feel a pang of sadness.

The countryside really wasn't prosperous these days. One had to remember this was only 2008, and the agricultural tax had only just been abolished in 2006.

The situation in rural areas was still quite poor.

Zhao Yang wanted to give Sun Xu a proper notebook, but after thinking about it, he realized he didn't have a good excuse right now. Giving it to him directly might seem like he was pitying him.

That might hurt the guy's self-esteem, so he would wait for an opportunity and a better reason.

"Are you guys still reading? It's ten o'clock, how about we head back to the dorm?"

Zhao Yang spoke softly to the three of them.

"Brother Yang, did you finish your paper?"

Li Tianqi asked Zhao Yang curiously.

Zhao Yang hadn't kept the fact that he was writing a paper from his roommates. After all, it wasn't something he could hide, nor was there any need to.

He lived with them day and night; how could he possibly hide something like writing a thesis?

Regarding Zhao Yang writing a paper, Li Tianqi and Wang Mian had been shocked at first, but after seeing him actually look up references and write...

They gradually accepted it. After all, it had been over ten days, and Zhao Yang spent basically all his free time writing.

"Yeah, I've already sent it to the editor's email. The review process will probably take some time."

Zhao Yang said to Li Tianqi and Wang Mian with a smile.

As they spoke, the four of them stood up from their seats and left the Library together.

The next day.

It was the official start of the semester.

Zhao Yang listened very intently during the first class of the term.

Because he discovered that even though he had self-studied a lot of Biology knowledge—one could even say he'd nearly finished the entire undergraduate Biology curriculum on his own—

His knowledge system still had gaps. There was still a difference between self-study and being taught by a teacher in class.

Zhao Yang's IQ wasn't so high that he could learn everything perfectly without a teacher's guidance.

While he was listening intently to the lecture,

"Ding! User has gained Biology Experience +1!"

"Ding! User has gained Biology Experience +2!"

...

After continuously gaining subject experience, Zhao Yang became even more focused. He studied with extreme diligence.

He concentrated almost all of his mental energy.

It was as if he had been injected with adrenaline.

He had no choice!

According to the system's judgment, subject experience would only increase if he listened to the lecture seriously and actually absorbed the material.

There was no such thing as experience points rising just by wasting time in the classroom.

To this end, Zhao Yang shut out almost all external influences.

He didn't notice at all that Gu Qing was frequently observing him.

So serious!

Gu Qing sighed inwardly.

What kind of person was Zhao Yang, exactly?

Gu Qing felt a bit bewildered. Setting aside the ten or so days of military training, she had been observing Zhao Yang for a long time during this first morning of classes.

She discovered that Zhao Yang, whose mental maturity seemed to be that of a middle-aged man in his forties, could actually settle his mind and listen to the lecture so earnestly.

He wasn't just pretending; he was being truly, incredibly serious!

In the entire class, few people were more attentive than Zhao Yang. His eyes were almost completely fixed on the teacher and the blackboard.

It was as if there was some special magic there attracting his full attention.

What kind of person was he?

Gu Qing was slightly dazed; her curiosity about Zhao Yang had risen to an unprecedented level.

Perhaps she could ask more and observe more during the dinner this weekend; maybe then she could find the answer.

University life was much the same everywhere.

Zhao Yang studied very hard. Over the course of a week, his Biology, Mathematics, and Physics experience all grew to varying degrees.

These were all introductory university subjects, so naturally, they all had associated experience.

On Friday afternoon, the Counselor Li Yan received her salary. After transferring two thousand yuan into Zhao Yang's card, she came over to speak with him.

"I'm sorry... I, I can only pay you back two thousand yuan a month for now, since I still have to live... Of course, I also have a year-end bonus.

When the year-end bonus comes, I'll give most of it back to you."

Li Yan looked at Zhao Yang and spoke somewhat stutteringly.

"It's a small matter."

Looking at Li Yan's exquisite face, Zhao Yang gave a light chuckle.

To have such a beautiful woman speak to him with such an attitude—and she was his Counselor, no less.

In other words, she was still his teacher.

To be honest, Zhao Yang felt very good.

This money was well spent!

Li Yan really was a woman who knew how to dress. Even though most of the clothes she wore were knock-offs, one had to admit—

With clothes and such, it really depended on who was wearing them.

Even though they were fakes, when Li Yan wore them, people couldn't help but believe that these clothes and shoes were the real deal!

"Thank you!"

Hearing Zhao Yang agree,

Li Yan breathed a slight sigh of relief, followed by a sense of powerlessness.

She never expected that she would actually owe money to her own student! This filled Li Yan's heart with a sense of shame.

"Oh, right!"