Nie Yan answered question after question without breaking a sweat. By the time they were 30 minutes into the exam, he was roughly half-finished. He glimpsed around him and noticed the majority of others had burrowed their heads into their papers in frantic thought. Looking back at his own screen, he guessed he would score just over 700 marks, which should be enough for what he wanted. If he would score significantly higher, he would be thought of as a monster. So, he put in glaring mistakes in the latter half of the exam.
Two hours flew by, marking the end of the examination. The grades were publicly listed on the main screen in front: Xie Yao took first place with a grand total of 763 points, with Nie Yan taking a close second at 731 points. Third seemed to be roughly 590 points, while the greater part of the remaining grades were occupied by the 300s and 400s, quite unbearable to look at compared to the top scorers.
Truth be told, even those marks were nothing to look down on. In fact, incorrect answers did not represent inability; rather, the system evaluated the incorrect solutions and nonetheless gave partial marks. It judged fairly, since each person did have their own strong and weak subjects.
Zhai Hao looked at the list of grades, then looked at Nie Yan sitting a bit farther away. "Damn, what a monster!" he exclaimed, unable to keep the gloom away from his tone. Nie Yan was already so skilled in martial arts, and now his studies were on another level as well! He would likely have no problems being recruited by the Top Military Academy.
Xie Yao glanced at Nie Yan with slightly widened eyes. I didn't think his academics were this good as well!
Behind the podium, Yang Boyi smiled, pleased with Nie Yan's results. In his office a bit earlier, he was quite amazed to hear that the new student had defeated Liu Rui. He was also informed that Nie Yan had transferred over from Ningjiang, supposedly squeezed in for a small fee. Quite frankly, he expected Nie Yan to be lacking in all departments, but to his surprise, it was the complete opposite. Without a doubt, it would be worth it to foster his talents. So long as his academics were sufficient, he would have no difficulty entering the Top Military Academy. And now, he was amazed once again. His academics were beyond sufficient—they even matched Xie Yao's, the top student in the class! He estimated that Liu Rui, on a good day, could probably graze the 600 marks, and even that was pushing it.
"I didn't expect for your academics to be this good!" Xie Yao exclaimed as she looked at her new desk-mate.
"It was decent." Nie Yan kept about a modest tone. He felt a tinge of guilt, knowing very well that he scored so highly not because of hard work, but rather his rebirth.
In the eyes of his classmates, Nie Yan did indeed appear humble and collected—an entire world of difference from Liu Rui, who would have been itching to let everyone know the tiniest of accomplishments.
Xie Yao recalled Nirvana Flame, who was similarly collected no matter what he came across. Only when his guild was provoked would he become firm and haughty. As she further recalled such memories, the thread differentiating the two in her mind became all the more thin.
Xie Yao's thoughts were thrown into shambles. Are they the same person?
Yang Boyi held Nie Yan in an increasingly high regard. From what he had seen of Nie Yan, he was much calmer than Liu Rui, whose arrogant attitude was undesirable.
I really lucked out this time, Yang Boyi thought. The end of the year bonus is pretty much mine already! It was truly a brilliant decision to accept Nie Yan back then.
"All right, we'll end it here today. You're free to go. Tomorrow we'll begin full lessons. First class will be kickboxing, so don't forget to prepare!" Yang Boyi said, as he explained a good deal of their class work.
He pulled Nie Yan to the side for a quick word; it was no doubt the usual speech about hoping he would become a part of the class soon.
The teacher was a pretty good one. In the student reunions of Nie Yan's past life, many would mention him with a great deal of respect.
There were no signs of Xie Yao in the classroom by the time Nie Yan returned. He ran to the school entrance, and caught up to her there. She was chatting with a group of other female students, but Nie Yan cared not for any of that. He threw himself immediately into the group and started up a conversation with them as well.
"Xie Yao, do you want me to walk you home?" Nie Yan asked.
"Hey Nie Yan, you seem pretty eager to please her, huh? Are you into Xie Yao? You better step up your game then! There's probably not a boy, maybe not even a girl in our school alone who isn't interested in her. At this pace, you'll never win her heart!" Xia Ling teased.
A few other female students also started poking fun at Nie Yan.
"Your outer appearance isn't attractive enough. Look at your clothes! Even if you don't own a Solun, at the very least you should have a Karlna. Otherwise, you'd be hardly presentable to ask our goddess out!"
"Sure, you have good marks, but for a man it's most important to be kind and gentle!"
The female students let out a slew of criticizing remarks, but they were of course just joking. Even they had to admit that Nie Yan had many attracting features such as his calm demeanor, and more notably, his strength—Liu Rui's flight through the air continued to be an image deeply imprinted in their memories.
These female classmates held nothing back, and Nie Yan laughed along with them. He was unperturbed. He didn't care if the fact he was pursuing Xie Yao was out in the open.
"I've got to go now!" Xie Yao quickly said, breaking up the embarrassment as she escaped the scene in a hurry. "My family's here to pick me up."
Xie Yao bid farewell to her fellow classmates. She met Nie Yan's eyes, but quickly shifted them away and jumped into the car.
The vehicle drove off.
All traces of her seemed to vanish, leaving nothing apart from a slight emptiness in Nie Yan's heart.
"With Xie Yao gone, I bet you're feeling pretty lonely. If you asked to date me right now, I might even consider it!" A moderately beautiful female classmate teased Nie Yan on the side.
"Hey, aren't you being a bit disloyal? Xie Yao just left, yet you're already eyeing what belongs to her." Xia Ling giggled, gently pushing her classmate aside.
"This is called the early bird getting the worm! If I don't act now, I won't stand a chance later!" the female classmate retorted.
These classmates of his were simply too intrepid! Nie Yan wanted to find an excuse to go his own way as soon as possible! He looked far off in the distance and said, "My chauffeur is here to pick me up, so I'll be taking my leave as well."
His classmates saw a car pull up, after which Nie Yan jumped in. Seeing the car drive off, several female classmates exclaimed in admiration.
"From the way he dressed, I didn't expect him to be rich too. He actually has his own personal driver. That car was a Model 7 series Vanguard. Even the cheapest package goes for a minimum of ¥3,000,000."
"A rich person wearing such cheap clothes, now that's what you call being low-key…"
The female classmates discussed in high spirits. Nie Yan's exceptional talent in martial arts and academics paired with his decent family background made him the perfect catch in their eyes. In an instant, his popularity surpassed that of Liu Rui.
Nie Yan wiped the sweat from his forehead after getting into the car. Those high school girls were fearless. Nevertheless, the first day of school was very fruitful. He got to take revenge on Liu Rui, leaving him unable to return to school for the next few days, and he managed to leave behind a good impression on Xie Yao.
Nie Yan checked the clock. It was still early. He decided to go get lunch first, then make a visit to his parent's company which was on the right track and expanding at an astonishing pace. Everything was unfolding the same as it did during the previous timeline. His father used the funds amassed from reselling the smuggled metal to buy a large building. After hiring some talented employees, the company quickly began operations.
Although this sort of business was risky, the profits were sky-high. By investing some funds to purchase raw ores from abroad, then transporting them into the factory for refinement, the company could earn a 900% return by selling them to military enterprises. With the connections Nie Yan's father developed at the border, a round trip would take no longer than two to three days. This moneymaking speed was even faster than a banknote printing machine!
Furthermore, there was no need to worry about competition since Nie Yan's father held an exclusive trade contract.
In the previous timeline, the company quickly developed to the greatest heights in its field. Like many other companies with a surplus of money, it eventually expanded into other areas. The first thing to come to mind was the number one trending virtual reality game, Conviction. With Nie Yan's cousin, Ah Chen, in charge, a report was submitted to his father's desk.
Nie Yan was unable to dissuade his father. All he could do was pay attention to how the company fared in Conviction. In the future, his father would invest an enormous amount of funds to get the War God Tribe going. It was already in the initial phases of discussion.
Since the competition in Calore was too fierce, the starting point of the War God Tribe would be the second largest city in the Viridian Empire, Nisode City. For the time being, it wouldn't have any contact with Asskickers United. The guild's name was still War God Tribe. Nie Yan didn't know how the guild would develop in this life. But with the strong backing of his father's company, it definitely wouldn't be too bad.
When the time was appropriate, Nie Yan planned to hand over everything he had built inside the game to his parents. In the future, Asskickers United and the War God Tribe would join together to defeat Cao Xu's forces!
Another thing that made Nie Yan feel more at ease was that at his urging, Luo Ming's group would have no part in the company. Even after they came over and cried and begged several times, his father remained firm on his refusal. Just why were his parents currently working hard to earn money? His mother and father persevered for the sake of giving him a brighter future, especially now that he had matured. They felt extremely gratified.
No matter how flawed Luo Ming and the others were, his parents would've still forgiven them because they were blood related. However, when they began hounding Nie Yan, they crossed the bottom line. Nie Yan was their nephew by blood, but the way they treated him was no better than a sewer rat!
So no matter how much Luo Ming and the others begged, Nie Yan's parents didn't let them anywhere near the company.
Nie Yan let out a sigh of relief. These hidden dangers were removed. External dangers were nothing to be afraid of. What was truly terrifying was dangers from within! If Luo Ming and the others were allowed to enter the company, it was the same as letting the fox into the henhouse!
After visiting his parent's company, Nie Yan's mood improved greatly as he was freed of many of his worries. Furthermore, he had received an update. The auction house at the heart of Calore and the Mercenary Auction House were sold to Nie Yan for 1,700 gold and 1,600 gold respectively. It was much cheaper than the previous timeline, but he still expended quite a bit of funds. Due to his fierce increase in the bid, it was likely he scared off all his competitors. From their perspective, there were other virtual properties that had potential to rise greatly in value, and were no worse than the auction house at the center of Calore or the Mercenary Auction House.
Of course, Nie Yan experienced the growth of this game once already, and he knew they were completely wrong. The auction house at the center of Calore and the Mercenary Auction House were absolutely the most profitable virtual properties!
Nie Yan checked his balance. He still had 2,600 gold remaining. It was enough to bid for another property! However, he would check over all his options first and decide which was most worth it.
By the time Nie Yan returned home and ate dinner, it was almost time to get back online. He wondered what sort of changes he would see after the new expansion was implemented.