Chapter 22: Admission – When School Starts, I’ll Give You a Gift.
Imperial Star Academy moved quickly. Within a few days, news arrived—Yu Xia’s exam results were out.
Although he couldn’t get the exact transcript yet, through Major General Ning, Yu Xia already knew he had been officially admitted. The admission notice was already on its way.
At this, even with Dr. Yu’s repeated warnings to maintain his composure and avoid intense emotions, Yu Xia couldn’t help but get excited. He paced around his ward several times until even Xiao Jin couldn’t bear it anymore.
“Yu Xia, stop spinning in circles. Come eat something to calm your heart. You can’t get too worked up.”
Yu Xia sat down on the edge of the bed and took a large gulp from the water glass Xiao Jin handed him. Finally, his excitement began to level off. “I was just a bit thrilled.”
Major General Ning, sitting on a chair in the ward, nodded understandingly. “It’s understandable.”
After all, Yu Xia wasn’t like those two little brats in her family who showed absolutely no emotional fluctuations after getting into Imperial Star Academy. Yu Xia was, after all, a normal person.
She patted Yu Xia’s shoulder. “Professor Wen is already on a starship coming here. He’s personally bringing your transcript and admission notice.”
Yu Xia tilted his head. “Professor Wen? Not the proctor from before?”
Ning Qing replied, “No. Professor Wen is the one who will be responsible for observing your condition at Imperial Star Academy. He is also the only person in the entire academy, besides the principal, who will know your exact mental power rank. At school, your health will be entirely under Professor Wen’s care. He’s coming early to understand your situation in person. After all, your Mental Power Disorder is indeed quite troublesome.”
“Even Lu Yao back then didn’t have a case as severe as yours.”
Lu Yao only had a Level 5 Mental Power Disorder back then; Yu Xia had Level 6. Such a condition required meticulous care; one lapse in attention could result in an emergency room visit.
Yu Xia sat cross-legged on his bed and looked at Ning Qing. “Major General Ning, do you know Professor Wen? What is he like?”
Ning Qing was fairly familiar with Wen Lun. “Professor Wen’s full name is Wen Lun. Even within the entire Imperial Star Academy, he is an exceptionally professional professor in the field of mental power. I heard he personally went to the principal to request the right to record your observations at the academy. However, he also gave his word: during your time at the school, he will absolutely guarantee your safety and minimize the impact of the disease on you. Of course, with MPD, it’s impossible to have zero impact. It’s hard enough to even alleviate it without side effects. Even Professor Wen can only say he will minimize it.”
Yu Xia already had a good grasp of his situation. He knew that only by slowly improving his constitution could he cure his illness. Other methods only treated the symptoms, not the root cause. He couldn’t even use soothing agents too often; over-reliance would lead to drug resistance. The worst-case scenario would be reaching a critical moment where his mental power couldn’t be calmed.
Yu Xia nodded. “I understand.”
Professor Wen arrived three days later. With him came Yu Xia’s transcript and the admission notice issued by Imperial Star Academy.
Professor Wen solemnly placed the two documents into Yu Xia’s hands. “Student Yu Xia, congratulations. You are now officially a student of Imperial Star Academy!”
Perhaps influenced by Professor Wen, Yu Xia’s previously anxious mood suddenly became solemn. As he received the admission notice, he unconsciously straightened his chest.
After giving him the notice, Wen Lun sized Yu Xia up from head to toe before finally patting his shoulder. “Your spirit looks good. I heard you’ve been exercising on your own lately, is that right?”
Yu Xia nodded. “Yes. It’s an exercise plan formulated by the hospital based on my physical checkup reports. The intensity is still light; they don’t dare make the plan too intense yet.”
Wen Lun was satisfied. He said, “This hospital is reputable enough. Fine, I’ll go speak with the hospital staff to learn more about your case.”
Before leaving, Professor Wen specifically exhorted Yu Xia, “As far as I know, your Mental Power Disorder gap is currently the highest in the entire Empire. There hasn’t been a gap this high before. Generally, at Level 4, there’s a risk of becoming a vegetable from mental power shock. You are at Level 6, so you must be extra careful. Keep your emotions steady. Especially after arriving at school—some people might say unpleasant things to your face. No matter what they say, do not argue with them. The more you argue, the angrier you’ll get, which is bad for your condition. If something happens, report it directly to your tutor or a professor.”
“Your situation is special. There is no shame in ‘telling on’ someone. The academy will definitely give you a satisfactory answer.”
Yu Xia felt touched. His eyes curved as he thanked Wen Lun with a smile. “Thank you, Professor Wen. I understand!”
Before leaving the room, Wen Lun said to Ning Qing, “This kid seems quite well-behaved.”
Ning Qing agreed wholeheartedly. “He is indeed very well-behaved.”
Inwardly, she added: He’s nothing like that brat in my house who only knows how to fish for info and make me write reports. But this well-behaved kid will likely be hooked away by my brat sooner or later.
Thinking of this, she felt quite proud!
After Professor Wen left, Yu Xia had originally planned to go to the fitness center, but Ning Qing talked him out of it. “Let’s skip the workout today. Wait until Wen Lun finishes his handover with the hospital before we make any decisions. Why don’t you take this chance to browse the virtual network? I noticed you’ve only been logging on for a quick look before bed lately. Your mental power might be accumulating too much; your condition is dangerous as it is.”
Yu Xia thought about it and felt Ning Qing was right.
Lately, because he had dropped the pressure of exams and focused entirely on exercising, he had rarely used the holographic helmet. These past two days, he did feel like the mental power in his brain was piling up heavily; he needed to consume some of it.
He picked up the holographic helmet from the side. “Then I’ll go wander around the virtual net.”
Perfectly timed—he hadn’t yet looked at the basic theories of mechanics that Qing Zheng had given him. Now that it was confirmed he’d be a freshman in the Mechanical Department, he could start reading those files.
Seeing Yu Xia put on the helmet, Ning Qing stood up and left the room to handle the documents she needed to transfer. Before leaving, however, she sent a communication message to Qin Yizheng.
[Yu Xia is on the virtual net.]
Far away on Capital Star, Qin Yizheng—who was currently working out in his home gym because he had nothing else to do—received the message from his mother. He hurriedly took a shower and dove into his holographic cabin.
Then, he saw Yu Xia standing in front of the Physical Education Hall.
Looking at Yu Xia now, he felt somewhat awkward. He kept remembering the figure on the treadmill he had seen during the call with his mother. It was a bit different from the figure standing before him now, but he knew they were the same person.
Qin Yizheng walked up to Yu Xia’s side. “Do you want to go inside and look?”
Yu Xia shook his head. “Not really. But I’m not sure what I want to do today.”
Previously, he logged on because reviewing in the virtual community was much more efficient than in reality. Now, he was a bit lost. Many people said the virtual network was the culmination of interstellar technology and were addicted to it, yet Yu Xia still found it a bit dull.
Qin Yizheng looked at Yu Xia and suggested, “How about going to see a movie? Let’s try a holographic movie on the virtual network.”
Yu Xia was genuinely shocked. “It’s already holographic; you can do a holographic movie inside it? Like a nesting doll?”
Qin Yizheng shrugged. “I’m not entirely sure either. I heard it’s a brand new technology that premiered recently. It’s only available in the Central City of the virtual world. You were reviewing before, so you probably haven’t been there yet. Regardless of the movie, let’s just go wander around together. Didn’t you always want to see the virtual world?”
Yu Xia thought about it and agreed.
When he first entered the virtual world, he had been full of curiosity. But at that time, he was suppressed by exams and couldn’t relax. Now that he finally had time to do what he wanted, that initial interest had faded.
Perhaps once they got there and saw some novelties, his interest would return.
The reason the virtual world could be called a “world,” besides its realism, was its sheer size. Central City was the most prosperous area in the entire virtual space.
As Yu Xia followed Qin Yizheng into Central City, he couldn’t help but be stunned.
The entire Central City was no different from a massive plaza in reality—shopping malls, entertainment facilities, everything was there. It was a dizzying sight.
Yu Xia grabbed Qin Yizheng’s arm. “Qin-ge, there are so many people here!”
Qin Yizheng grabbed Yu Xia’s hand as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “Mm. It’s easy to get lost in a place like this in reality. But in the virtual world, it’s different. As long as you set the coordinates or a specific destination, the system can guide you. That way, people can meet up quickly.”
Yu Xia recalled the first time he had received coordinates from Qing Zheng and felt his face heat up. “So if there are coordinates, the system guides you?”
Qin Yizheng clearly remembered that time as well, a smile touching his lips. “Mm. I sent you coordinates before, but you didn’t seem to know how to use them.”
Yu Xia bit his lip, feeling a strange sense of embarrassed annoyance.
Seeing him like this, Qin Yizheng coughed lightly and considerately changed the subject. “By the way, you should have received your admission notice from Imperial Star Academy by now?”
Mentioning this, Yu Xia perked up. “Yeah! I just got it today, along with the transcript. I did pretty well and was admitted directly to the Mechanical Department. No need for professional reassignment!”
Qin Yizheng smiled. “In that case, to celebrate your successful admission, I’ll give you a gift when school starts.”
Yu Xia was surprised. “What gift?”
Translator’s Note:
Chapter 22 brings us the formal admission! ٩(^ᗜ^*)و Our Tulip is officially an Imperial Star student.
A few fun notes:
- 套娃 (Tàowá): This refers to Matryoshka dolls (Russian nesting dolls). Yu Xia using it to describe “holographic tech within a holographic world” is a very common Chinese slang for things that are recursive or nested.
- The “System Guidance” excuse: Qin Yizheng is a smooth criminal! He uses the excuse of the system’s “navigation” to hold Yu Xia’s hand. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) Our ML is finally making his moves!
- Professor Wen Lun: He seems like a very kind and protective figure. In Interstellar/ABO novels, having a specialized doctor who understands your unique “constitution” is a major plot point.
- “Fishing for info” / “Incapable”: Referring back to Chapter 21, the author keeps emphasizing that Qin Yizheng is a “genius” at mechas and command but “clueless” in love according to his mom.
See you in the next chapter!
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