Chapter 8

  "Ah... what was it, shouldn't be Hummer, anyway German stuff, expensive for a reason, known as the Rolls-Royce of hiking boots, probably around 200 euros or dollars. Actually, this should start from the German army boots during World War II..."

  Don't even mention hamburgers, chicken gravy mashed potatoes and hot American clear coffee made Chen Huacheng's mood great.

  Also started having fun chatting with a group of kids about the most expensive outdoor shoes they bought in their previous life, but had few chances to wear.

  As he spoke, Chen Hua suddenly woke up. This group of kids in front of him looked like they came from a wealthy family, with parents who were very capable and had good grades. What about himself? These clothes that cost "tuition fees" to buy, and the brand names that his parents couldn't afford...

  "Chen Huasheng?" Dong Xuemin pushed her. This girl was often beaten down by these arrogant and extraordinary top male students, making life uninteresting, now a Chen Huasheng who sweeps the eight directions has come from heaven, she's so excited that she's about to die. "What are you spacing out for? Want some fries?"

  "Don't eat fries, I advise you to eat less of this junk food too, or you'll become a fat woman."

  "...will get fat?"

  "Yes, a big belly and high blood pressure."

  Oh no! Dong Xue-min hastily stuffed half a pack of potato chips into the hands of a boy standing next to him.

  That boy, uh, was it the first prize or the math Olympiad winner, glared over fiercely.

  Chen Huaixing smiled and comforted him, "It's okay, you'll burn it off when you run back home later."

  Dong Xue-min spat out the potato chip crumbs that were still in his mouth - fortunately, he didn't spit them onto anyone's face.

  "What's wrong with you!" Chen Huan didn't mean to joke. "The saturated fatty acids in the fried potato sticks, and the starch converted into glucose, I reckon running three or four kilometers should be fine, jogging is okay too."

  "Chen Haoteng, you've studied really deeply!" Another young boy said slowly. Dammit, I didn't remember the name, and it didn't match up either.

  "Your nose has blackheads, large pores, and a shiny T-zone. You might get acne too. Try to eat less fried food."

  "Ah, what's a blackhead?" Dong Xue-min panicked, "Do I have one too?"

  Chen Haotian lifted her chin and took a look, "Not serious."

  "What if there's dandruff?"

  "Squeeze it out, suck it out, in short, don't clog it in the pores, or the pores will get bigger and bigger"

  。”

  That self-proclaimed handsome boy's face turned blue. "How did you suck it out? With your mouth?"

  "Take a look at him," said Chen Huai, "You can go to the beauty salon and tell those aunties that you want to get rid of blackheads and shrink pores. Then pay attention to the tools they use and their techniques, and then take a look at what they come up with - huh, you'll feel very accomplished."

  Dong Xue Min didn't understand, but as long as she knew she was still considered pretty, that's all that mattered. Blackhead? The name itself sounds scary!

  The boys were all choked by Auntie's words and couldn't eat their meals.

  "Chen Huaicheng, what were you just thinking about?" Dong Xuemin finally picked up the conversation that had been interrupted. It was also because earlier she looked so distant and lifeless, as if she was about to evaporate. "You look like a wax figure."

  "......Oh, I'm thinking about which major to take in college. This determines which subjects I'll take for the college entrance exam."

  "I'm definitely arts, what about you?"

  "Haven't decided yet between English language and literature, or finance and accounting."

  "Wow, you're so imaginative." Dong Xue Min and her classmates had never thought of something that far-fetched; they were only in their first year of high school.

  "No way, my physics will never make it into the top ten. I can only give up on science."

  "Go! Your English is the best in the first and second classes."

  "Oh, right, I remember during the pre-exam, there was someone whose English score was tied with mine for first place, wonder if it's this person now."

  "Is the sword in the bridge dancing? The tide is retreating. The numbness is trampling the shrimp, and the crab is dividing the hurry. The relatives are rushing to the shore, and the shrimp is instructing the Σ-shaped shellfish."

  "Pang Hua." Chen Xuan nodded. Sorry, I didn't remember earlier. "It's not easy to have such English scores in science subjects, are you planning to go to the US for undergraduate studies or graduate from China and then pursue a master's degree in the UK?"

  "I haven't thought it through yet." Having been hit by Chen Huai's blow, I had lost all confidence. Now, with all roads blocked at once, not even a hint of mystery remained.

  "That's why Tsinghua is still a good choice. After all, its ranking in Asia is not bad, and the tuition fee is low, only a few hundred dollars, which is much cheaper than one or two thousand dollars per year. Moreover, as long as your Gaokao score is high enough, you don't need to worry about other things like social activities or special talents. The most annoying thing is that even if it's a famous school, some majors are still very bad, not even ranking in the top 20 in the US, so it's not worth attending."

  "Chen Hui's lecture was very practical. However, she did not expect that even students like Dong Xue Min, who considered themselves to be quite elite, didn't understand these things either."

  "That side's tuition is indeed expensive." However, if it's not one of those top-tier Ivy League universities, the threshold and tuition aren't that high... It's just that now, in Chen Huasheng's mouth, majors after the top 20 are nothing but trash! Thinking carefully, it's not even worth studying abroad. And, $10,000 to $20,000 per year, for four years including living expenses, um, how much is that in RMB?

  Pang Hua was completely disheartened. From his appearance to his lifestyle, even his studies abroad, everything was criticized until he had no energy left to speak.

  "Chen Haicheng, which school are you planning to take the exam for?"

  "The exam can be taken as a minor." Chen Huan's eyebrows arched, and he began to enthusiastically talk about his plans: "I must work part-time, otherwise I really can't afford the things I want. If I major in English, it's easiest to earn tuition fees through part-time jobs. But after graduation, there will be fewer career paths, so I plan to minor in finance or law, having a foundation in two majors, whether for graduate school or job hunting, it'll be more impressive."

  "Law? Are you going to work in the court? It's not easy to get in there!" Someone jumped out to avenge his buddy. Basically, today the girls spoke less and the boys more. But as soon as Chen Huai-cheng appeared, all the firepower was directed at her, yet she still couldn't gain any advantage.

  "Who says studying law means you have to be a public prosecutor, judge or lawyer?" Chen Hui responded with a look of disdain. "If you don't understand maritime law, you'll get cheated when doing foreign trade; if you don't understand civil contracts, you might get deceived when making sales; and if you don't understand the law, you'll suffer greatly when getting married or divorced."

  Suddenly, there were many coughs. There were also several adults around me who were coughing too.

  "I'm telling the truth," too true, "Dong Xuemin, bring some food and drink over, or else get a big bag of potato chips for everyone to share."

  "... Aren't you afraid of getting fat?" Dong Xue-min found it a bit strange.

  "Sleep late tonight and read more books."

  Dong Xue-min didn't think much of it and happily went shopping and paid for things.

  The ones left behind were almost suffocated to death.

  Hehe, actually as long as the birthday boy is happy it's all good. She brought helpers today, one person took on five arrogant and sharp-tongued guys, result: total victory!