Studying Makes Me Rich - Chapter 1

On a rainy night, heavy rain poured down on Zhou Xiu's body as she waited for her sponsor. The cold wind blew onto her neck, causing her to shiver and her lips to tremble while turning white. She was like a stubborn and ordinary wild grass growing in a corner, dressed in extremely thin clothes that caught the attention of those passing by.

Despite her discomfort, she refused to take shelter in KFC to warm up. The rainwater poured into her cheap plastic shoes, and she carried a heavy snake-skin bag on her back, wearing thin clothes on her slender shoulders. Everything about her seemed out of place in the bustling metropolis.

Suddenly, a black sedan slowly stopped in front of her. A middle-aged woman with exquisite makeup got out of the car holding an umbrella. Her face was cold and indifferent, but there was a hint of surprise when she saw the girl.

"Zhou Xiu? Get in the car," Ms. Xi said.

Ms. Xi's gaze fell on the snake-skin bag on Zhou Xiu's back, and she suddenly felt embarrassed. She explained with trembling lips, "This is...a little something from my parents."

Zhou Xiu was not tall, at most 1.6 meters, but the snake-skin bag she carried seemed taller than her, making her look comical. Ms. Xi's good friend had rescued a rural girl who was picking herbs in the mountains by chance some time ago. Her friend was indignant on the phone, recounting Zhou Xiu's story:

Zhou Xiu went to high school and was the top student in the high school entrance examination. But you know what? Because of her cousin's 50,000 yuan dowry, her grandparents took the money and married her off to a man over 30 years old when she was so young! I paid for her, but..."

Ms. Xi had received a hot potato from doing a good deed. Although she did not have the same overflowing sympathy as her good friend, providing food and clothing for a young girl was just something she could easily do. She said politely, "Get in the car."

The driver put Zhou Xiu's snake-skin bag in the trunk, and she got on the car dazedly, only to find a young man in the car. He was wearing a light grey diamond-patterned sweater with a British style, and his sneakers were so clean that they looked like they had just been taken off the shelf in the store. The real leather car mat in the car was also flawless and pure white. The heating in the car was very sufficient, making people unable to help but yearn for it.

However, as soon as Zhou Xiu lifted her foot, her cheap plastic shoes split open, revealing her red toes that were frozen inside. The shoes kept dripping dirty water, and Zhou Xiu felt embarrassed, shrinking her toes back.

The young man in the car slowly lifted his head, and his handsome face seemed to have been soaked in sunshine, with raised eyebrows and a unique teenage arrogance and confidence. He casually glanced at Zhou Xiu as if looking at roadside garbage.

He was cold and contemptuous.

Zhou Xiu's face felt a little hot, and she turned her head away, using the cloth handed to her by the butler to wipe away the dirty water.

"Close the car door, hurry up. I have another appointment to go to later," Ms. Xi commanded impatiently.

Zhou Xiu whispered, "Oh, okay.

......................

After moving into the Xis' house, Zhou Xiu found that the evening was uneventful and unremarkable. It seemed as if nothing had changed even though there was one more person in the house.

Mrs Xi rushed off to a meeting and didn't return until late at night. 

Young Master Xi, the young man of the Xi family, didn't pay any attention to Zhou Xiu.

Zhou Xiu took a hot shower and snuggled into bed. She had a long dream that night, in which she experienced a nightmarish life.

In the dream, although Zhou Xiu avoided the fate of marrying an old man from a mountain village, she fell hard for Xi Shaoyuan, the young master of the Xi family.

In her senior year of high school, Zhou Xiu's father fell seriously ill and needed 50,000 yuan for surgery. Zhou Xiu felt too embarrassed to ask the Xi family for money, so she worked tirelessly during the holidays to earn the money she needed. At the same time, Xi Shaoyuan, who was celebrating his girlfriend's birthday, casually spent 300,000 yuan on a bracelet. 

Zhou Xiu saw the price tag of the bracelet in Xi Shaoyuan's study, and her heart trembled as she counted the long string of zeros. If she could marry into a wealthy family... all the troubles in her life would disappear.

She started dressing according to Xi Shaoyuan's preferences and went to great lengths to please him.

In the end, she didn't win Xi Shaoyuan over, but the people in his circle had long looked down on women like "Zhou Xiu" who dreamt of marrying into a wealthy family.

Finally, Xi's mother discovered Zhou Xiu's intentions, and she was severely humiliated and sent back to her hometown in the mountains to marry an old man...

"I supported you to eat, dress, and study, and this is how you repay me by seducing my son?"

Lightning flashed outside the window, and a silver light appeared with a loud thunderous sound.

Zhou Xiu woke up sweating profusely.

The dream was too real.

【Hello, young one. Do not doubt it, the dream you just experienced is your life to come. Remember, relying on mountains will cause them to collapse, relying on people will lead to disappointment, and relying on men is useless.】

【This is the learning system. Please make sure to seize the time to learn and enrich yourself!】

【It is difficult for people from humble backgrounds to become successful. The Galaxy Interstellar Foundation for Supporting the Underprivileged is dedicated to serving you through our learning system.】

As she wondered what awaited her back in the mountains, Zhou Xiu felt lost and uncertain. The woman she saw in her dream who had become so paranoid and obsessed with Xi Shaoyuan was unfamiliar to her.

Zhou Xiu ignored the strange voice in her ear and got up to eat breakfast. She was woken up by the housekeeper of the Xi family for breakfast. She was stunned to see Xi Shaoyuan Yuan dressed neatly and properly. The night before was too hazy, and she didn't get a good look at the young master of the Xi family. His appearance was truly stunning.

However, when Zhou Xiu remembered the dream from the previous night, she realized that falling in love with him would mean being sent back to her hometown in the mountains to marry an old man. Zhou Xiu couldn't help but tremble and take a step back.

The housekeeper looked at Zhou Xiu curiously and said, "You don't know each other yet? Come on, Zhou Xiu, introduce yourself to the Young Master."

In her dream, Zhou Xiu had been overjoyed to introduce herself, but Xis Shaoyuan had remained indifferent. Now, Zhou Xiu calmly said, "My name is Zhou Xiu."

Xi Shaoyuan vaguely replied with a sound, not bothering to even lift his eyelids, maintaining his lazy posture while eating his breakfast. It seemed as if Zhou Xiu was just an insignificant passerby to him. As she sipped her porridge, she thought to herself, "Indifference is truly Xis Shaoyuan's real nature."

The housekeeper sent Zhou Xiu to Yude Middle School for registration. Zhou Xiu walked into her new classroom feeling heavy-hearted. Before coming to the big city yesterday, she had been full of expectations for her new school and classmates. But the prophetic dream from the night before had dampened her spirits.

They rejected her, looked down on her, and bullied her with great malice. Wearing the baggy school uniform, Zhou Xiu's thin face and prolonged malnutrition made her look ordinary with average looks. Obviously, this type of transfer student couldn't stir up any interest in the boys and girls.

"Hello, everyone, my name is Zhou Xiu." After a hasty self-introduction, Zhou Xiu sat in her assigned seat and turned into a little transparent figure in the corner. 

【Believe me, studying can make you rich, while men cannot.】

【Hey, are you there? Hello to you. I need you to reply.】

After a night of learning, the study system absorbed the civilization of this era and quickly adapted to the trend of the times.

As noon approached and the final physics class ended, Zhou Xiu's stomach growled at just the right time.

Xi Mu was a highly career-driven woman, but she didn't pay much attention to the finer details of life. On the first day of school, she forgot to give Zhou Xiu any pocket money.

Zhou Xiu and Xi Shaoyuan were not familiar with each other. She would rather go hungry than deliberately borrow things from him in order to get closer.

She crumpled a piece of waste paper and shifted her focus by going through test papers. 

After finishing a multiple-choice question, she rubbed her stomach.

【"Ding--Please try to independently solve a math problem. A correct answer will be rewarded with 10RMB."】

That annoying voice rang out again.

Zhou Xiu's gaze fell on the math test paper, and she didn't believe the sentence. But it was better than nothing, so Zhou Xiu started to solve the math problem.

It was a geometry problem, and Zhou Xiu sharpened her pencil, drew auxiliary lines, and patiently solved the problem step by step.

She frowned and became annoyed several times, even wanting to throw away the scratch paper.

As expected, a prestigious school was incomparable to a primary school in a remote mountainous area. Zhou Xiu racked her brains.

Hua Xu was Zhou Xiu's deskmate. She had just woken up and found that there was a new desk mate beside her, a silent girl.

She looked pale and malnourished. An entire morning had passed, and she hadn't said a word.

Usually, only Hua Xu was cold to others, and no one was cold to her. However, Hua Xu met her match for the first time.

Obviously, her new deskmate had no interest in her at all. Hua Xu was very satisfied.

After school, Hua Xu took out her makeup kit slowly and carefully, touched up her powder, and reapplied her lipstick. Her new deskmate didn't leave, instead, she took out her math test paper and began to work on the last problem. In the back row, two girls were sitting quietly. One was writing her test paper while the other was doing her makeup. They both knew better than to disturb each other.

Yude school's math teacher, Lao Wang, is notorious for being a weirdo. He likes to play pranks on everyone by giving them strange and difficult problems. 

Feeling bored, Hua Xu casually flipped through the reference answers.

She actually got it right..." Hua Xu glanced at Zhou Xiuyi and knocked on her desk.

"After you finish your homework, let me copy it."

Her tone was a bit arrogant, but Zhou Xiuyi didn't mind.

"Oh, you can find your own way."

【Correct answer, 10 RMB reward has been deposited into your pocket.】

Zhou Xiu finished several difficult math problems in one go and was ready to rest for a while by leaning on the desk.  However, when she unconsciously put her hand into her pocket, she felt a bill. Taking it out and looking at it, she saw the portrait of Mao Zedong smiling at her in a gray-blue color. 

Rubbing her eyes, Zhou Xiu was stunned.

Zhou Xiu was sure that her pocket was empty, and that this money was indeed "created out of thin air."

【"Please enjoy the fruits of your labor in a timely manner. Trading knowledge for labor is incredibly sweet." 】

Making money by studying? It sounded too incredible, but the money in her hand reminded Zhou Xiu that it was real! It lay quietly in her pocket, giving her a sense of security. In her mind, she began to imagine all sorts of food - steaming hot noodle soup, soft and sweet steamed buns, eggs with fragrant scallions. Zhou Xiu tightly grasped the money, swallowing her saliva.

She quickly headed towards the school cafeteria. The cafeteria of Yude Middle School is very generous. The soup is free, and so are the white porridge, rice, and steamed buns. Even the free things taste good.

Zhou Xiu ordered some meat, which cost ten yuan per serving due to the rising price of pork, which surprised Zhou Xiu

After ordering the meat, she regretted it a little as it was a bit expensive.

Zhou Xiu was starving. The braised pork was fragrant, and the meat juice was thick and dense, stewed fat but not greasy.

She ate five steamed buns in one go until she was so full that she hiccuped. She rubbed her stomach and squinted her eyes, feeling unprecedented satisfaction despite the pain in her wallet.

In the cafeteria on the second floor, at a fancy table.

"Ha ha! How long is that girl going to keep eating? She's already eaten five!"

"She's a transfer student, and I heard her family is having financial difficulties. The water cup she's using was donated by Project Hope!"

Xi Shaoyuan heard the voices and glanced casually. He happened to see the impoverished student his mother was sponsoring. He saw a bowl of porridge on her left and a bowl of rice on her right, with an empty tray in front of her.

He looked away.

"She looks so skinny, isn't she afraid of overeating and dying?"

Hua Xu, who had always regarded money as dirt, fell into contemplation as she watched her tablemate go get a free serving of fruit. Her tablemate seemed... a little poor?

Previous

Next