Chapter 7: Graduate School Entrance Exam?

Li Ping’an felt a bit bashful from his sister’s praise. He picked up a piece of braised pork and chewed thoughtfully. To his palate, it was just an ordinary dish, not nearly as extraordinary as his sister had described.

He shook his head slightly and said, “I think it’s just average.”

“No, no, no, it’s really delicious—much better than the braised pork in our school cafeteria,” Li Ya quickly denied, furrowing her brow at the memory of the unpalatable meals served there.

“You have no idea how awful the school cafeteria food has become,” she lamented.

Li Ping’an pretended not to hear her complaint, quietly eating without replying. After all, he was an alumnus of that very school and knew all too well how the food tasted.

Back in the day, whenever the class bell rang, students would rush to the cafeteria as if charging into battle, desperate to get their share. Though the food was bland and often lacked any richness, occasionally even infested with nauseating bugs, strangely, no one ever got sick from it.

After the meal, the young girl took it upon herself to wash the dishes diligently. As she scrubbed, she would occasionally peek over her shoulder, eyes full of anticipation and mischief as she looked at Li Ping’an.

“Brother, can I do my homework tomorrow instead?” she asked cautiously.

Li Ping’an, who was checking messages from classmates in the group chat, glanced up at his hopeful sister and said, “If you don’t do your homework, what will you do? And let me make it clear—you’re not allowed to play games.”

“Watch TV!” Li Ya answered without hesitation.

At that, Li Ping’an’s gaze shifted to the LCD television in the living room, which hadn’t been turned on for years. Without broadband and with the old-style satellite dish long obsolete, the TV had become nothing more than a useless ornament in the house.

He didn’t respond immediately but stood and plugged in the power cord. To his surprise, the five-or-six-year-old television still powered on, though its resolution left much to be desired.

Only then did he turn back to his sister and say, “You’re lucky—the TV still works.”

As he spoke, he went to the drawer and retrieved the dusty remote control. Unsurprisingly, pressing buttons produced no response. After all, it was hardly shocking that the batteries were dead after so many years.

But this minor inconvenience was no match for Li Ping’an, a top science and engineering student. Nowadays, most phones came equipped with infrared functionality; if not, the phone was either too old or too advanced. The Xiaomi phone he held happened to have infrared.

After some fiddling, Li Ping’an successfully connected the TV to the wireless network and played a random drama.

When he looked back, he found that his sister had already tidied the kitchen and was sitting on the sofa behind him like a clever little sprite, her eyes glued to the screen, a satisfied smile lighting up her face.

Catching his gaze, the little girl chuckled softly.

He hadn’t gone upstairs to tinker with his AI project after being away for half a year; instead, he chose to keep his sister company. The siblings sat together on the couch, watching a film that held no appeal for him.

Meanwhile, his sister was utterly captivated, eyes unblinking, fully immersed in the movie.

“Remember the day I brought your clothes to school? Your homeroom teacher messaged me,” Li Ping’an broke the silence.

“Huh?” Li Ya tilted her head, confusion in her eyes. “What did they say?”

“What else? Of course, about your grades. They even asked me to help analyze them,” Li Ping’an replied calmly.

Hearing this, Li Ya waved it off nonchalantly. “Ah, I thought it was something serious. The monthly exam was just a fluke. Honestly, compared to you, brother, I’d rather just lie low.”

Her tone was light, as if the matter of grades didn’t bother her at all.

Li Ping’an’s mouth twitched slightly, a hint of helplessness stirring within.

Though they shared the same mother, his sister’s academic performance was merely average at best. At this rate, after high school, she might only get into a regular first-tier university.

Of course, there was always the possibility that she might suddenly excel once she entered high school and make great strides.

In the past, Li Ping’an would have patiently guided her to study harder, hoping she’d achieve better results in the future.

But now, the AI learning device in his mind gave him new hope and offered his sister a better path.

Three years—there were still three full years before she took the college entrance exam.

Li Ping’an firmly believed that with the artificial intelligence technology he possessed, three years later, their small family would live a prosperous life.

When the movie ended, Li Ya’s eyelids drooped, drowsiness overtaking her.

Seeing this, Li Ping’an softly said, “Wash up and get some rest.”

“Okay~” Li Ya yawned widely, lazily stretching as she asked, “Brother, can I turn on the air conditioner?”

“Do you think we can’t afford to use the air conditioner?” Li Ping’an smiled in reply.

“Alright! Long live brother!” Li Ya perked up immediately, cheering as she ran to her room.

In the slightly chilly room, Li Ping’an lay on the bed, scrolling through the lively discussions about graduate school in the class chat.

His heart was restless.

“Maybe I should wait for the right opportunity and pursue a part-time graduate degree,” he thought.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to follow his classmates and directly enter graduate school after his senior year.

But if he chose full-time graduate studies, presenting his various technical documents could easily spark disputes over ownership.

He didn’t want to end up empty-handed, accused of stealing technology, and tarnished by a notorious reputation.

If he found himself in such a predicament, rebuilding his career would be almost impossible.

Moreover, his sister would also suffer the consequences.

He dared not gamble their futures on the treachery of others.

In his view, technology was only truly reliable when it remained firmly in one’s own hands.

Lost in thought, his phone suddenly vibrated.

Li Ping’an wondered who could be messaging at such a late hour. Picking up the phone, he saw someone in the dorm chat had tagged him.

PS: Thank you, Caomin Haogan, for your generous tip. ღ(´･ᴗ･`) Sending love