How Much Harder Did I Have to Work? Blast Out of the Milky Way?

Just as Li Dong set his sights on Shanghai.

Shanghai, Zhangjiang High-Tech Park.

Huaxuan Technology Headquarters Building, inside the R&D Center Director's office.

Lin Wei rubbed the bridge of his nose as he looked at the newly compiled 16th Huaxuan Cup Semifinal Evaluation Report on his desk.

"Director Lin, are we really putting that question on 'Immersion Linewidth Error Compensation' into the final exam?"

Standing across the desk from him was Old Zhou, the person in charge of setting the questions for this year's Huaxuan Cup.

He spoke with a bitter smile.

"Isn't that asking too much of a bunch of high school students?"

This was no ultra-difficult competition problem. It was a genuine engineering challenge.

If this problem could be solved perfectly, it would dramatically improve the yield rate of immersion lithography machines.

It could be said that whoever solved this problem would help free China's semiconductor technology from constraints and resolve part of the core bottlenecks imposed by foreign giants.

That would be an achievement worthy of enshrinement in the imperial ancestral temple!

But expecting a bunch of high school students to solve an engineering problem that gave even top research teams headaches?

Old Zhou felt that Director Lin was being a little too naive.

If they put such a question on the test and nobody could do it, wouldn't that make the final question effectively useless and turn it into free points?

Lin Wei shook his head dismissively.

"Old Zhou, just put it in."

Old Zhou nodded. Since the leader had spoken, he would simply carry it out.

"Actually, the surprises this year's Huaxuan Cup has given me have already far exceeded my expectations."

Lin Wei pointed to several semifinal papers.

"Look, these students' papers are quite interesting."

"That Wang Yifan from Beijing Renmin University Affiliated High School, Zhou Siyuan from Shanghai Middle School, and Qiao Fan, a first-year student from Chengdu No. 7 High School—on the final experimental question about lithography resolution, all of them proposed immersion lithography and Multiple Exposure solutions. Their theoretical foundations are solid, and their thinking is clear."

Old Zhou agreed.

"Indeed. Students from these long-established elite schools are impressive. Their competition students' knowledge of optics is nearly on par with undergraduates from our top universities."

"But..." Lin Wei pulled out one paper from beneath the stack.

"Although their answers are quite good, they all stayed within the established framework."

Lin Wei looked at the name written on that paper.

"Jiangcheng No. 7 High School, Li Dong..."

"Only his answer has the kind of spark I find truly inspired."

Lin Wei pushed the paper titled [Dual-Beam Laser Interference Maskless Lithography] toward Old Zhou.

At the sight of the title, Old Zhou swallowed.

"The optical simulation Engineer Zhang and the others have been running through the night—is it based on this student's idea?"

"That's right, it's his. Once the simulation succeeds and is implemented, we'll have to properly thank him." Lin Wei leaned back in his chair.

"Although this solution can currently only be used in a relatively narrow range of specialized processes and cannot completely replace EUV or DUV for large-scale exposure of complex logic chips, the entry point is viciously sharp. This Li Dong is well suited for engineering. His instincts are far too keen."

"Old Zhou, I can even say this: based on Li Dong's answer to the final semifinal question alone, he already qualifies for an offer from Huaxuan Technology."

"As long as he is willing, after graduating from university, it may even be possible for him to enter the R&D headquarters of our parent company, Guowei Equipment, directly without an interview."

Old Zhou was stunned.

Straight into Guowei Equipment headquarters? That was a core confidential unit that countless students from elite 985 and 211 universities fought tooth and nail to enter without success!

"Still, I want to see more."

Lin Wei looked out the window without speaking, as though waiting for something.

Just as Huaxuan Technology's executives were placing high hopes on Li Dong.

Inside the principal's office at Jiangcheng No. 7 High School.

Bang!

Principal Wang slammed his palm onto the desk.

"I'm furious! This is downright outrageous!"

Principal Wang's face had turned livid with anger as he pointed at a local news story on the computer.

Zheng Hua, standing across from him, wore an expression as though he had swallowed a fly.

Why hadn't No. 7 High School publicized Li Dong's first-place competition result yet?

Was it because they did not want to?

No! It was because they did not know how!

Because No. 7 High School... lacked experience.

In all the years since this third-rate high school had been founded, when had it ever produced some prodigy capable of reaching the Huaxuan Cup finals?

So when news arrived that Li Dong had earned a perfect score in the preliminary round and held firm at the top of the semifinal list, No. 7 High School's publicity department was completely at a loss.

Their usual publicity work amounted to writing press releases like "Our School Holds Spring Sports Meet."

When it came to an academic competition like this, they had no idea how to build momentum through the media, did not know how to highlight the selling points, and even spent ages checking banner dimensions.

Just as No. 7 High School was still slowly figuring out how to make a big splash and prepare for next year's admissions.

Jiangcheng No. 2 High School made its move.

Jiangcheng No. 2 High School and Jiangcheng No. 6 High School had always been the two giants among Jiangcheng's public high schools.

But why must Yu exist if Liang had already been born? No. 6 High School had consistently held No. 2 High School down for years, leaving No. 2 High School as the aggrieved eternal runner-up.

In this Huaxuan Cup semifinal, Zhao Ziwei from No. 6 High School had underperformed and ranked outside the top ten.

Meanwhile, No. 2 High School had produced an outstanding student named Zhang Zeyu, who had overperformed and placed seventh on the list!

Logically speaking, seventh place was nothing to brag about, considering he had not even made the top three.

But the problem was that, for some unknown reason, Huaxuan Technology had deliberately added a small line beneath the list: "Rankings are in no particular order."

The principal of No. 2 High School saw it and realized an opportunity had arrived!

No particular order, was it?

So before No. 7 High School and No. 6 High School could react, No. 2 High School's publicity office rushed out a press release overnight. By the next morning, every major local social media account and the education section of the city evening paper was filled with...

<Celebrating Our Student Zhang Zeyu for Outshining the Competition and Successfully Advancing to the Huaxuan Cup National Finals! Showcasing the Excellence of Jiangcheng Students!>

The article never mentioned his exact ranking. It only said, "With his outstanding foundation in physics, student Zhang Zeyu stood out among tens of thousands of examinees across the province and earned a place in the national finals."

The press release also subtly took shots at No. 6 High School, implying that Jiangcheng No. 2 High School was the true leader in Jiangcheng's science education.

As for Li Dong, the actual first-place student?

He was not mentioned at all!

"That Old Zhang! What a shameless bastard!"

Principal Wang was so angry that he started cursing outright.

"Damn it, after he pulled this stunt, parents all across Jiangcheng think their No. 2 High School is number one! They all think that Zhang Zeyu is the best in the entire province!"

Although Zheng Hua was angry too, he still tried to calm him down.

"Principal Wang, calm down. Please calm down."

"How can I calm down?" Principal Wang glared. "We're clearly the real first place! Our Li Dong is the actual number one! And what the hell is wrong with Huaxuan Technology? Why not just publish the scores? Why insist on this nonsense about rankings being in no particular order?"

No. 7 High School was now in an extremely awkward position.

If they followed up with a celebratory announcement claiming, "Our Li Dong is the real first place," would Jiangcheng's parents believe it?

No. 7 High School? That No. 7 High School with its pitifully low university admission rate? It took first place?

People would definitely think No. 7 High School was riding No. 2 High School's coattails and trying to save face by bragging.

"Forget it, Principal Wang." Zheng Hua sighed.

"Let them celebrate. I believe in that kid Li Dong. Once he reaches the finals, he'll definitely bring back a genuinely weighty ranking!"

"Then the scores will be laid out clearly on the table. Let's see how No. 2 High School can keep claiming to have outshone everyone!"

In truth, amid this farce, the top students within No. 2 High School also felt rather awkward.

The real academic elites knew exactly what was going on.

They had naturally checked the official website and read that list. Even if the officials said the rankings were in no particular order, anyone with a brain knew who the real boss was.

So when ordinary students who did not know the truth excitedly discussed how "Zhang Zeyu is amazing, he brought glory to the school and outshone the entire province," those elite competition students tacitly kept quiet. They even felt that the school's publicity tactic of twisting the concept was genuinely beneath them.

Yet Li Dong, the real protagonist, acted as though nothing had happened.

Because he was genuinely busy right now.

Chinese, English, biology—what subject did not require memorization? Even though his memory far surpassed that of ordinary people, cramming in so many knowledge points still felt a little overwhelming.

On Friday evening, Li Dong returned home after school.

The moment he stepped inside, he smelled the fragrance of cooking.

Li Qin was carrying a plate of stir-fried greens out of the kitchen. When she saw her son return, she casually started chatting.

"Xiaodong, did you hear? There's a student named Zhang Zeyu at Jiangcheng No. 2 High School. I heard he got first place in the province in some physics competition! When I went grocery shopping today, several aunties at the market were talking about it."

No. 2 High School's publicity had clearly worked. To outsiders, what else could "outshining the competition" possibly mean if not first place?

Li Dong paused while changing his shoes.

Zhang Zeyu? The best?

"Mom..." Li Dong raised his head helplessly. "Actually, I'm the first-place student on that list."

Li Qin froze for a moment.

"The competition you mentioned before was this one?"

Li Dong nodded.

But then Li Qin said.

"What's there to publicize about that? It doesn't add points to the college entrance exam, does it?"

Li Dong: "..."

"My Xiaodong is still the best. He came fifth in this month's exam."

Li Qin said this as she carried the dishes over.

In her mind, what use were such empty honors? They neither guaranteed admission nor added points.

"Oh, right. Your sister Lu Yao messaged me on WeChat again a couple of days ago, asking whether you wanted to continue tutoring."

The moment Li Dong heard that she wanted to tutor him again, he hurriedly refused.

"No, Mom. I have things to do this weekend."

"What could you possibly have to do? Going to an internet café to play games again?"

Li Qin poked her head out from the kitchen, her brows slightly furrowed.

"No!" Li Dong answered honestly. "I'm going to tutor someone else this weekend. I can even earn some tutoring money."

Li Qin stopped what she was doing, then said seriously.

"Then make sure you tutor them properly. Money doesn't come easily."

Li Dong nodded. Since he had taken the job, he would definitely do it well.