Still Have to Go Out

That was too blunt, like it instantly ignited the scene.

Shi Huilan didn't say anything and just turned to leave. Chen Yuanguang rubbed his head, thinking that if he messed up, he messed up. Anyway, he had no desire for procreation in this world.

He thought about it. It was probably because Lin Ran was a live-in son-in-law, and Shi Huilan had a good relationship with her mother. After learning that Lin Ran had likely cheated and even ordered someone to hit and kill her childhood sweethearts' parents, she couldn't wait to personally send her father to prison.

Anyway, there was no death penalty now, so being locked up for a lifetime was also a good thing, according to Shi Huilan's original words that Chen Yuanguang found in his memory.

This world was very novel. Before, he had to guess what the future would be like, depicting it through literary works combined with his own imagination. Now, the future was directly laid out before him, no longer requiring imagination.

While achieving everything in one step, it also lost the hazy beauty of fantasy.

Chen Yuanguang found it difficult to feel a sense of belonging in this timeline. He was more like treating this as a golden finger. He would eventually return to modern society and put the golden finger to use.

It was like reading a webnovel about time travel back and forth. The place he came from was home, and no matter how good the place he went to was, it was just a temporary stop.

After completing the Knowledge Download, Chen Yuanguang felt he needed some rest. He silently thought "exit" and returned to 2018.

Breathing in the familiar scent of his pillow, lying in a room without constant temperature and humidity control, Chen Yuanguang felt inexplicably relaxed.

"Yuanguang, how have you been feeling lately? You've settled down, I guess.

I came to New York for an exchange program when I was in high school, so it's not too new to me. I have some old classmates in New York, and they keep asking me to hang out every day, but I really don't want to move.

Maybe it's because the environment has changed. Besides going to class every day, I just want to lie at home and hibernate."

Chen Yuanguang estimated it was ten in the morning in New York time. He called, and Lin Jia seemed like she hadn't chatted with anyone for a long time, constantly pouring out her thoughts.

"How have you been these past two days? I see your book hasn't been updated for two days since your last leave request. Aren't your readers rioting?

Or is it because I left that you've been a bit creatively dry lately?" Lin Jia laughed.

In Lin Jia's opinion, Chen Yuanguang had no idea how to date, yet he could effortlessly come up with all sorts of scenarios in webnovels and even give advice in his reader group. He had never been in a proper relationship himself, yet he taught others how to date.

Chen Yuanguang said calmly, "I still plan to study abroad, I just haven't decided where yet."

After the high-intensity Knowledge Download, Chen Yuanguang changed his original idea. It was too strange for a webnovel author to dabble in things like room-temperature superconductivity, artificial intelligence, and new materials.

The technology he would introduce in the future needed a bigger halo and a more convincing background to endorse him.

Under such a premise, getting a doctorate abroad and adding a layer of prestige seemed particularly necessary.

"Okay, but you need to hurry. It's September now, and various application periods will end from December to February next year. You'd better find a study abroad agency.

Like New Oriental or New Channel, let them help you plan properly. You need to take the TOEFL and GRE during the remaining time, and prepare the necessary materials.

Because you don't have any research experience and haven't taken the TOEFL or GRE yet, time will be a bit tight," Lin Jia chattered on.

The days without Chen Yuanguang were indeed a bit lonely.

When they were together, they could chat about anything under the sun. Now, whether it was her roommates or some high school classmates, they couldn't connect.

She hadn't known her roommates for long, and her high school classmates knew her background, which made her subtly feel like they were trying to please her.

Lin Jia's father had the spectacular feat of picking her up from high school in a helicopter. After that, various rumors about her spread throughout the high school, all centered on her family being extremely wealthy.

"No need," Chen Yuanguang said. "I'm thinking of applying for a doctorate. I don't think these agencies can give me very good advice either."

Most study abroad agencies primarily handle master's degree applications. To put it bluntly, as long as you pay enough, they can help you find various ways to reach your destination.

If walking doesn't work, then take the waterway.

However, PhD applications are different. The vast majority of PhD applications to overseas universities have nothing to do with study abroad agencies. Applicants can get in even without using an agency.

Another point is that Chen Yuanguang didn't want to find a study abroad agency at all. He was confident that he could easily get offers from top universities through email.

If the Matrix Helmet were still here, Chen Yuanguang would definitely not choose to study abroad. He would definitely stay in China, not even leaving Jiang City.

Now that the Matrix has become a point in his brain, there are more options.

Go to the top universities, get a PhD as quickly as possible, and build a reputation as a genius. This is the current plan.

"A PhD? It's not that I'm trying to discourage you, but with your GPA and academic record, you can at most apply to universities ranked around 100 in the US. Even if you boost your TOEFL and GRE scores, you'll only reach around 50.

Ivy League or top public universities are almost impossible," Lin Jia got straight to the point. "If you want to come to New York, how about the State University of New York?"

"Stony Brook University, perhaps. Stony Brook University is also in New York City. Long Island isn't far from Manhattan.

If I were to go to Buffalo or Binghamton, they are only in New York State, not New York City."

The State University of New York, like the University of California, is a public university system. It is composed of many campuses, the most famous of which should be Stony Brook University. Yang Zhenning taught there for over thirty years, and Tian Gang, the head of the mathematics department at Yanjing University, also taught at Stony Brook University initially.

Chen Yuanguang said, "Let's take it one step at a time. I'll apply widely, and I'll go wherever accepts me."

It's their good fortune to be able to recruit me, Chen Yuanguang thought to himself.

"You need to prepare for your study abroad application. Do you still have time to write your book?" Lin Jia asked.

Chen Yuanguang smiled wryly, "I'm afraid I don't have time. I'll just have to end it with an outline. Anyway, I'm writing a romance light novel, which doesn't have a strong main plot like other genres that require filling in all the holes.

For a book that completely relies on characters like this, it's almost enough to just explain the endings of the main characters."

"How have you been feeling over there recently?" Chen Yuanguang changed the subject. He didn't want to continue this topic, as it always made him feel like he was going to have a rushed ending. This feeling was very bad for a web novel author.

Lin Jia said, "It's not bad. New York is colder than Jiang City. I don't want to get up every day. Because Columbia University is in the Manhattan area, the public safety here is quite good, but the cost of living is a bit high."

Chen Yuanguang scoffed, "If even a young lady feels the cost of living is high, then it's really high.

It seems New York isn't suitable for me. I'll see if there are more suitable opportunities for me in Boston."

As he searched for information on the internet, Chen Yuanguang thought very clearly. Several large characters were prominently displayed on the browser page of the computer in front of him:

"2018 10th China Science Fiction New Star Competition"