Lin Xiaohe had no idea about the uproar online. She was busy watching Marshal Chu sign the appointment letter.
The appointment letter for the student council president came in both electronic and paper versions.
The paper version would be sent to the Central Military Academy’s archives for safekeeping.
The appointment letter for the Agriculture Department carried a faint floral scent, kind of like roses.
Seeing Chu Huai Zhi sign his name with his usual flamboyant, dragon-and-phoenix style, Lin Xiaohe finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She logged directly into the system and started filling out the registration materials: “Marshal Chu, how many students does our department have? The registration rules say the number of participants must be within a hundred.”
Lin Xiaohe already knew the Agriculture Department was a niche major, so she was planning to sign up a hundred people.
“Three humble shoemakers can outsmart one brilliant strategist,” as the saying goes.
A hundred agriculture students should be able to make it to the finals, right?
Cassian stared at Chu Huai Zhi with a cold sneer.
Lin Xiaohe hadn’t heard back from Marshal Chu yet, so she turned her head. “Hmm? You’re not going to tell me you don’t remember how many people there are, are you?”
For someone as careless as Marshal Chu, that was entirely possible.
Chu Huai Zhi looked up at the sky, then down at the ground, but just couldn’t bring himself to look at Lin Xiaohe. He said quietly, “Just you.”
Lin Xiaohe turned her head mechanically and looked at Cassian. “Really?”
Cassian had already figured out how the honorable Marshal Chu had managed to recruit talent for the school.
“All thanks to his personal charm,” my foot. It was clearly through deception!
Cassian was practically drowning in guilt and shame. His conscience was aching. “That’s right. Just you.”
Chu Huai Zhi spoke up weakly, “This is actually a good thing! All the resources and funding are yours!”
Lin Xiaohe knew she’d been tricked.
Now, all she wanted was to know just how deep this hole was.
“You said you’d give me all the department’s funding. How much money do we have?”
Chu Huai Zhi opened the account and showed her the balance. “You know, each department has to rely on its students to compete for resources. We’ve never participated in the big competition.”
So, sorry about that. After all these years, the Agriculture Department’s funding is only five million.
Lin Xiaohe’s heart was trembling.
She closed her eyes, unable to face this harsh reality.
Instead of latching onto the wealthy Gaia, she had chosen the Central Military Academy, which was full of lies and only looked good on the surface!
No, it didn’t even look that good on the surface, because she was in the Agriculture Department!
Her heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys all ached. The sharp pain with every breath was mocking her stupidity.
“How many teachers do we have in our department?”
Chu Huai Zhi said awkwardly, “If you want, you can be both a teacher and a student. You could get an extra teacher’s allowance.”
Lin Xiaohe’s brain automatically translated that: No teachers, all self-study.
Her spirit was completely drained. Clinging to one last shred of hope, she said, “Can you help pay my 30 million bail? Consider it compensation for tricking me.”
If I can’t have 100 million, 30 million would be okay too.
Chu Huai Zhi showed her his credit record with a troubled look. [Amount due: 666,666,666.66]
Wow. Just wow. The former Marshal of the Federation was barely scraping by on loans.
Lin Xiaohe made a “six” gesture with her hand and said with deep emotion, “Chu Huai Zhi, just be a decent human being. Since you’re already stuck in this hole and can’t climb out, why do you have to drag me down with you?”
The sight of Lin Xiaohe leaving the office was so desolate, it looked like she was carrying a burden heavier than life itself.
After she was completely gone, Cassian let out a long sigh. “Marshal Chu, you shouldn’t have brought her into this. She’s still a kid.”
Chu Huai Zhi’s demeanor changed completely. Gone was the hesitant, mousey attitude. His eyes were deep and commanding, and his whole presence felt like a battleship sailing through dark space—lonely, but charging straight ahead.
“Originally, I wasn’t planning to get her involved. But her performance was just too amazing. An eighteen-year-old Stardust Plant Manipulator! Her future has limitless possibilities. She can work miracles!”
Cassian looked at Chu Huai Zhi’s stubborn expression and felt incredibly irritated. “Can’t you just let that matter go? By now, even Kaylin Reno probably won’t give you any more money.”
“This is the last time.”
Cassian tugged at his hair in distress. “So you’re placing all your bets on Lin Xiaohe? But her mental strength is only one point!”
Chu Huai Zhi’s eyes were resolute. “I’ll find someone to help her get treatment.”
“What about the Secret Prison? That place is really dangerous. The prisoners in there are all kinds of weird and unusual.”
Chu Huai Zhi thumped his chest confidently. “Crisis always comes with opportunities. I have connections inside the Secret Prison.”
……
Lin Xiaohe had a face full of despair.
Her future was ruined. Her prospects were wrecked!
This bloody, painful lesson taught her that even the hero of the Federation, the guiding light of the Federation, the respected Marshal Chu, was also a cunning, untrustworthy fox.
Honor doesn’t equal character!
Lin Xiaohe found an artificial tree at random and squatted down, her head hanging low.
The students passing by pointed and whispered about her.
“She’s Lin Xiaohe! That fallen genius with a mental strength of only one point.”
“Lucky for her, she got into the Central Military Academy. But unlucky for her, she also got into the Central Military Academy. The school is packed with talented people, geniuses everywhere. She’s probably feeling pretty inferior. Look how sad she is.”
“Look on the bright side. She got into the Agriculture Department. No battlefields, no getting killed.”
“Huh?! Our school really has an Agriculture Department? What do they teach?”
“Probably farming?”
“Tsk, tsk.”
Lin Xiaohe was completely absorbed in her own world and didn’t pay any attention to the students’ whispers.
Until Cassius appeared in front of her. “Lin Xiaohe, I’ve seen what you can do in the examination hall. You’re really strong, a qualified military officer. Even though the goddess of fate wasn’t on your side, don’t give up on yourself.”
Lin Xiaohe was heartbroken, devastated. She’d been tricked by the same man twice! Two whole times!
Cassius sighed and took out all the cash from his wallet, placing it at Lin Xiaohe’s feet. “You should really prepare a payment QR code. Okay, I get it, your pride won’t allow that. I understand.”
He put down the star coins and left without looking back.
One good deed a day made his chest shine bright!
With Cassius taking the lead, the other students hesitated for a moment, then also took out their cash.
Some people didn’t have cash and even ran back to their dorms to get some.
“Lin Xiaohe, my deepest condolences.”
“Ah, buy yourself something good to eat. Life isn’t all about fighting and killing.”
“You’re still the brightest little cub in the Sixth Star Ring. You’re great.”
“Don’t worry. Even though you might get picked on at school, looked down on, and disrespected, once you’re outside, your fellow students will have your back.”
A hot post appeared on the StarNet Military Academy forum.
[“True human kindness exists: Fallen genius panhandles on campus”]
Lin Xiaohe pulled herself together and was about to pack her things for the Secret Prison when she noticed a whole pile of star coins in front of her!
Had the heavens finally taken pity on her?
She waited there for a long time, and after triple-checking with the campus patrol robots that the money was indeed hers, she unceremoniously took it.
At last, a little ray of light in her miserable life.
She could face the drama of the Secret Prison again!
……
After she was sent to the Secret Prison, her departure from the Central Military Academy sparked a lot of speculation.
The most believable theory, the one that got the most agreement, was: [Lin Xiaohe was locked up for street begging and damaging the image of the Central Military Academy!]
