Money Means No Panic

After the competition, they had to begin reviewing for their academic exams. This exam was also crucial; once she passed it, Xi Xiu would move on to intermediate-level courses.

She temporarily stopped going to the virtual training room and left a message for her opponent online, informing them of the situation. After that, she did not bother with it anymore.

Xi Xiu planned to hole up with Zhen and the others for more than half a month, mainly to memorize all kinds of key knowledge. Academic subjects were different from physical training and Martial Skills—they had to be learned by rote.

And so, Xi Xiu welcomed her fourth exam since arriving at the Orphanage.

Time slipped away so easily. She had already been in this world for a full nine years.

Wei Lanshan had been gone for four years without so much as a word. Xi Xiu knew that Wei Lanshan had not contacted her for her own safety.

Over those four years, news about Ye Zhenwei had exploded across the Star Net every half year.

It was difficult for Xi Xiu not to know about her, because Corinne was a rabid fan of Ye Zhenwei.

Whenever there was news about Ye Zhenwei, Corinne would definitely broadcast it throughout the entire Orphanage, calling it "education in loving the Alliance."

Xi Xiu could only think, Corinne was really giving it her all!

From the news, Xi Xiu learned that eighteen-year-old Ye Zhenwei had become engaged to Chris, heir to the Boyuan Family.

His engagement ceremony with Ye Zhenwei had been dreamy and grand. The entire Star Net reported on it for three consecutive days, and Ye Zhenwei became the envy of every young woman in the Alliance.

The Boyuan Family was one of the foremost powers on Capital Star Gaia, and its heir was both exceptionally capable and strikingly handsome.

Chris was twenty-three that year and was currently serving in the Seventh Legion. He had entered the Seventh Legion as a deputy captain, and his future prospects were immeasurable.

Thus, every piece of news about Ye Zhenwei sparked frenzied discussions across the Alliance's star systems on the Star Net. Everyone anticipated Ye Zhenwei's future achievements; perhaps the Alliance would see another female captain, or even a female marshal, in its history.

After that year's public competition, Ye Zhenwei had not participated in any other Alliance competitions.

This left Alliance citizens who wanted another glimpse of the genius somewhat disappointed.

However, after entering the Alliance First Military Academy, Ye Zhenwei had consistently ranked first in her year. That alone was enough to make Alliance citizens proud of this rising star.

The children at the Orphanage etched the name Ye Zhenwei into their hearts. Those destined to serve at the frontier or in the legions prayed even more fervently that they would one day serve under Ye Zhenwei.

With a powerful commander, they would be able to win illustrious military achievements, and they would also have a good place to go after retirement.

Xi Xiu had been forced to learn a great deal about Ye Zhenwei. There was no helping it—Xue Fanhui and Zhen admired her as well, and whenever news of Ye Zhenwei became popular, the buzz in their dormitory would not fade for two or three days.

Having already decided that she would never cross paths with anyone from the Ye Family, Xi Xiu merely let this news about Ye Zhenwei pass through one ear and out the other, without taking it to heart.

Spring arrived on Ningkui Star as scheduled. Xi Xiu took the academic exams and passed them smoothly. She would enter intermediate courses in the next school year, and she chose programming design and Robot Dynamics.

Once she mastered those courses, she planned to buy a body for the chip in her possession. It had been a beautiful promise between her and Sixi, though it was already many years overdue.

After looking into the various materials used for robots, she discovered that buying a ready-made shell was quite expensive. Buying components and materials to make one herself was expensive too. Xi Xiu began calculating how she could earn that money.

After the exams, they would have more than a month of vacation. Xi Xiu went to find Vivian, intending to ask whether there were any work-study programs near the Orphanage.

She wanted to work and earn money!

Xue Fanhui did not understand Xi Xiu's persistence, but she and Zhen still accompanied Xi Xiu to find Vivian. They were family, after all—they advanced and retreated together.

Xi Xiu knocked on the door. "Come in."

Vivian looked up and saw the three of them. She was not surprised at all; she had been wondering why they had not come to see her yet.

"Have a seat. I still have a few documents to check. Give me three minutes." Vivian had a robot pour water for them.

The three girls sat quietly. Vivian soon finished her work, put away the electronic screen on her desk, and sat down across from Xi Xiu and the others.

"Go on. What did you come to see me about today?"

"Director An, I have something I'd like to ask you. Are there any work-study opportunities near the Orphanage?" Xi Xiu asked respectfully and politely.

Before coming, Xi Xiu had looked into the Alliance's student benefits. Although the Alliance waived tuition fees, people had all kinds of ambitions and hobbies, and some liked assembling things themselves.

These raw materials could only be bought with Star Coins. For instance, Xue Fanhui's mechanical design required the purchase of a large amount of materials.

The Alliance had established work-study programs for such circumstances, and some organizations gave priority to hiring these students.

However, the Alliance required students to be at least ten years old before they could participate in work-study programs.

Xi Xiu had been born during the summer-autumn season on Tianning Star. Her ID was from the Mingzhao Star System, but for some reason, the parents listed on that ID had not recorded the girl's birth information. Therefore, when Wei Lanshan registered the ID, she had entered Xi Xiu's actual date of birth.

By that calculation, Xi Xiu would turn ten in autumn.

"This year's latest list hasn't been sent over yet, and there are no vacancies in last year's slots for now. What sort of program are you planning to do?"

"Programming and Robot Dynamics. I plan to design a small model first, so I'll need a lot of materials," Xi Xiu answered truthfully.

Hearing this, Vivian knew it was a money-burning project. It seemed Xi Xiu wanted to take part in a work-study program because she already understood how expensive robot materials were.

A regular robot shell could be bought directly; all it needed was a chip installed inside.

But robot technology had developed rapidly in recent years. New robots that could change their shape and size had appeared on the market, and the raw materials for those robots came at astronomical prices.

Vivian thought for a moment. "This list won't be released until August. I'll contact you as soon as it is."

"Alright. Thank you, Director An." Xi Xiu stood and bowed to Vivian.

Although Wei Lanshan regularly gave Xi Xiu Star Coins, they were probably only enough for daily living expenses. That was why the little girl wanted to earn money herself. Did she want to build or buy a new type of robot?

Xue Fanhui and Zhen decided to stand on the same side as Xi Xiu and joined the work-study program as well. When the time came, the three of them could work together.

Xue Fanhui's entry in the last competition had won an award without any surprise, though not the third prize she had hoped for. She had achieved an excellent second place.

She had received a substantial cash prize. Of the three of them, Zhen was actually the wealthiest.

Her parents had died in an accident, and she had been their only child. All their inheritance would go to Zhen, and she would be able to claim those Star Coins and assets once she turned sixteen.

The inseparable trio decided to work and study at the same time. That way, they would have more Star Coins to spend during their travels. Besides, they needed to maintain good records at the Orphanage and stick together through thick and thin.

The three girls left Vivian's office. On the way, they ran into Shally and Corinne, and stopped to greet them politely.

Xi Xiu had been here for four years. Other than seeing men when she went out, she had never seen Shally's or Corinne's partners. She had never been curious before, but now that she had some free time, her gossiping instincts had awakened.

Ye Zhenwei was engaged to the Boyuan Family's heir, so the Alliance definitely had a marriage system.

Corinne and Shally should not have been very old yet, so it seemed a little strange that neither of them had a partner.

Xi Xiu had already learned how to judge a person's actual age. The markings at the place where the terminal was implanted in the wrist differed for people from each year, and one could roughly identify the year just by looking there.