Sister Xue coughed awkwardly and suddenly pointed to the front with a quivering finger. 
Qin Guan craned his neck from the back seat and saw Shao help Fang open her Mini Cooper. Shao sat in the driver’s seat.
"How did they get together? Qin Guan, are you having an affair with her?"
"What are you talking about? Do you think I’m that kind of guy?" Qin Guan pretended to be angry. 
Embarrassed, Sister Xue exhaled a cloud of smoke. "I thought she wanted to take advantage of you, like those actresses. I had no idea. That sister is really open-minded. She’s from a foreign country. This is so romantic!"
Qin Guan smiled helplessly. Open-minded is an understatement. The truth would shock the audience. Fortunately, my heart is taken, or the outcome might have been different.
Neon lights were shining in the dark night. It was so late that even the moon had fallen asleep. Qin Guan crept up to his dormitory, hung his suit on a hanger and lay down on his bed.
There was a distinct difference between the noisy party and his roommates’ snores. Qin Guan tried to recall some important information. Did I have the snow beef tonight? That’s terrible! The mad cow disease will break out in Japan in a few days! Then what? I’m so sleepy. I should just sleep. 
Another note was added to the dormitory snoring concert. This was the nature of ordinary life. The simpler, the better. His girlfriend would never laugh at him for his moderate aspirations.
Qin Guan didn’t tell Cong Nianwei about the incident at the party. Most men had their secrets, and they kept them for self-protection or because they were ashamed.
Hand in hand, they arrived at the training centre in the Handian District, which had been recommended by Cong Nianwei’s tutor.
In the following days, they’d have to take the TOEFL, GRE or GMAT exam and apply to American universities with their scores.
Time was pressing. Cong Nianwei had no time to waste.
Both of them were good at English. What they needed was just some training before the exams.
As the last ones to get there, they stood out among the group of students dreaming to go abroad.
As soon as Qin Guan entered the classroom, he noticed that the students were divided into two groups.
The tutor was not there, so all the students looked at the two freshmen. The leaders of each group waved at them. "Sit here!"
Silence prevailed.
"Hey, those are hillbillies over there. Steer clear of them, or they’ll break your fragile hearts!" said the student on the left side, who was wearing a fashionable outfit with golden chains.
    The student on the right side seemed more serious. He sneered at them, saying, "Look at their binder covers and shirts before you decide. Even money couldn't compensate for their low IQ!"
Qin Guan and Cong Nianwei looked down and saw the logos of their universities on their shirts and binder covers.
The student on the left raised his middle finger towards the student on the right. "You are a just peasant! Students of famous universities are different from each other. Look at the boy's Polo shirt and pants. Would a f*cking poor student be able to afford that?" 
Smiling, Qin Guan and Cong Nianwei exchanged a glance with each other before walking to the middle of the two groups, where two calm guys were seating.
They were writing swiftly without looking up. "Rich kids are on the left side and poor students relying on scholarships are on the right."
Qin Guan pulled up the chairs in front of them and sat down. "We are neither."
The two students raised their heads to size them up.
"No wonder you didn't choose a side then. Are you going to study performance or art overseas?" the handsome guy asked Qin Guan.
The other guy stared at Cong Nianwei and said, "Maybe he’s a rich second generation heir going abroad for his girlfriend. Let’s not invade their privacy." 
Cong Nianwei smiled and offered her hand. "Hello, I’m Cong Nianwei. This is my boyfriend Qin Guan. We’ll be applying to different departments in the same university in the US. New York, as expected."
The gentle student insisted on his viewpoint, "You are from QH. Judging by your age, you have only two options: Columbia or New York University. As for your boyfriend..."
Qin Guan didn’t feel offended. "My goal is MBA at Columbia."
The student was shocked. He sized them up again and shook hands with them. "He Ming. And this is Guan Jian."
The four of them shook hands with each other. The two group leaders coughed unnaturally, but remained silent.
The tutor entered the classroom and the lesson began. Cong Nianwei listened to him carefully, but Qin Guan felt that the lesson was too simple. His gifted memory was the best tool for learning vocabulary. 
Cong Nianwei was jealous of Qin Guan's confidence. She was good at professional studies, but Qin Guan was talented in characters and language.
He Ming was doubtful of Qin Guan. As an international student, who had travelled all over the world with his parents, he dared not look down upon the GRE. How could that handsome guy be so confident? 
The GRE full mark was 1,600, but Qin Guan was sure that he would get at least 1,100 points. TOEFL focused on speaking, listening, reading and writing. Ivy League universities set high standards for that exam.
Qin Guan began to yawn impatiently. He had originally thought there would be some kind of secret to success. Could I skip some classes? 
The annoyed tutor counted the 99th yawn of the striking freshman. Pretending nothing had happened, he announced they would be taking a 15-minute break.
As soon as the tutor went out with his teaching material, Qin Guan became the center of the room. In 2001, most students would choose the US as their destination, as the country was famous for its money, freedom and dreams.
Some fashionable girls gathered around Qin Guan, attracted by his looks. Cong Nianwei’s sour look didn’t stop them.
"Hey, I know you! You are VOGUE’s cover boy!"
"He’s a model? But he’s Zhang Changzhong, the toy boy from ‘Daming Palace’!" 
The brave girls wanted to push Cong Nianwei away and take the seat beside Qin Guan. Qin Guan stood up to protect Cong Nianwei.
"He is so tall! And he has such a nice figure!" 
"Yes, he deserves to be a model! Take a photo with me!" 
The girl tried to lean on Qin Guan's chest.
The leaders of the two groups were watching them happily. Qin Guan patted his desk, making everyone fall silent. 
Then he pointed at Cong Nianwei and said, "This is my girlfriend. We are preparing to go abroad, just like you are. I hope we can all enjoy a good studying environment."
Guan Jian, who was sitting behind Qin Guan, kicked the spare desk beside him and said, "Lan Jin and Cui Jun, control your groups. They are too noisy."
The atmosphere was getting charged. Lan Jin, a red-haired boy, waved at the girls, indicating that they should keep a distance from the two demons.
The girls from Cui Jun's group, who had originally been watching silently, took this chance to walk away.
Qin Guan looked at Guan in appreciation. Guan grinned and said honestly, "Don't thank me. I was also annoyed." Then he buried his face in a book and fell asleep.
He Ming smiled and glanced at both sides. The two leaders bent their heads unconsciously.
Nothing else happened. It seemed that Qin Guan and Cong Nianwei had been accepted by He and Guan. No one dared speak to them on their own initiative. 
Guan didn't show his face until the class was over. When he stood up, Qin Guan realized he was even taller than him.
Compared to him, He Ming looked much more preppy. They parted ways in the parking lot. One of them got in a military car with a plate number "甲A" [1], and the other got in an embassy car [2]. They drove away, leaving smoke behind them.  



Qin Guan was reborn and sent back to his final semester in High School 18 years ago. Getting a second chance at life, he works hard to turn things around and eventually become a Prince Charming. What will his life be like the second time around? What will he have to go through? How will he succeed in turning from a loser into a Prince Charming? Read this story carefully and find out!

- "Well, how is the trip a dumb thing, why did you stay there so long"? Aunt Feruzeh said with a note of anger.

"Why didn't you even call, didn't answer calls, yours must worry?"

"You didn't even call them when you arrived in town, you idiot," said the aunt.

"Go and call!" Aunt screamed at Dara.

Dara was dumbfounded, and why was this aunt yelling at him, he was young, did not understand that they were worried about him, although he was no longer a child, he was still a baby for his parents.

Dara returned five minutes later, with a embarrassed face, Barno thought with a smirk, "Cousin must have gotten from both Aunt Banu and Uncle Parviz and from grandmother Aba Biya with grandfather! Firuz!"

They lived in the house of an average aunt. Grandfather and Grandmother had their own house, it was on the same site with the average daughter. Since they lived in the same quarter, the old people visited each month for each of their children.

Echidna, Barno, could not restrain herself and loudly laughed - Hihihihihi!

"Well, that got stick from Grandparents!"

"And Aunt Banu, she will still be chewing on you for two or even three days!"

Barno said.

What she immediately got from Aunt Feruzekh.

"Stupid girl, how dare you laugh at my little sister!"

"Go better help set the table!"

"So the guests will look at you, and think that you are sharp on the tongue and rumors will go that you are that spiteful girl, the grooms will bypass our house!" Aiming at himself an imaginary rigor with a smile, Aunt Feruzekh noticed.

Barno, with a flushed face, ran into the kitchen. Thus, Aunt Feruheh defused the situation.

The whole crowd of drivers and travelers went to wash their hands and then eat.

On the table there were already steaming large bowls with meat broth seasoned with potatoes, carrots, turnips, onions, celery root and large pieces of lamb on the bones. With finely chopped dill and celery leaves. Sour cream was in large bowls on the table right there, black bread is a legacy from the culinary preferences of the second empire. In Asia, it is usually not customary to eat brown bread, eat tortillas, but in Small Ahn, there was a mixture of European and Eastern traditions.

Barno, sat down at the table the same way, the sleepy cousin Shadydy left the room, he arrived late from the university, was busy writing an article on his work. Shady was writing a doctoral dissertation.

In Small-An, a two-stage system of obtaining degrees was adopted. Candidates of Sciences, and then Doctor of Sciences. After if the doctor taught, he was awarded the Professor. During the second empire - obtaining the title of professor, it took at least six months or even a year. But with gaining independence from the empire, Small-An began to assign the title of professor literally 3-4 days after the date of application for the assignment of the title.

Sometimes it was possible to see a very young doctor of sciences at the age of 25 at the university. This was due to the fact that the reforms of higher education also affected Small-An.

Because of this, a couple of years ago, the degree system was changed from the imperial Prussian system to the American one, but with its own local characteristics. And she became single-stage - just defended Ph.D. 

But they were already considered doctors of science. They immediately became professors, they managed to get two or three educations. In economics, law and information. Just getting a bachelor's degree. Some of the wealthy families that came from large clans or former political bosses sent their children and grandchildren to study at foreign universities in the EU, USA, UK and Singapore. Those that were poorer gave their children to foreign branches of universities in Small-An. They studied for two years in Small Ahn and two years in China or Turkey. Training was free.

Having received a master's degree or a Ph.D. there, they went through nostrification in Small-An ... and then went to work in those countries where they studied.

Then they came to Small-An, and began to implement the rules that were in those countries in which they studied. But these implementations were not systemic in nature. Therefore, we tried this, this or that. As a result, this did not affect the education of Small-An very well. Until finally it was not put in order, returning to the system of the second empire. And just Shady, now was going to defend a good work on the history of the Silk Road. He was very thoughtful, demanding of himself, a scientist. He was offered an easier way to become a candidate of sciences - a doctor, but he refused. Considering that this will not bring him any benefit as a scientist or science. He was told that he was too whispering to live, you need to be able to step over your beliefs and morality, then you can achieve great results.

But like the whole Mirza-Bobo family, Shady strove to follow an honest path, a path of enlightenment. The doctoral work and position obtained in such an easy way was a burden for him. Not honestly received, then you will be responsible to your soul

The second version. 

Agriculture is a very interesting activity. Like the sale of products. Not to mention the cooking, healing cooking. The development of tourism. 


All this will be in this novel. Perhaps the continuation of the first novel, but not a fact.

What is the story about? The story of a graduate student who decided to become a farmer. He sold his apartment and started to run his business with the money he received. Farm, online shop, farm shop. Decided to sell organic food.

Who is this guy? Former student of the Faculty of History. His relatives are historians and artisans, scientists. Great-grandfather Farmer. Grandfather - oriental sweets manufacturer. His ancestor ... Dara is the hero of another novel "'Jiang' Magic Coin" ...

What happens to him? He finds magic coins that have already become a magic entity, he has an all-powerful system. The main character does not immediately use it ...

Why should I care? It is interesting. But not at once. Not from the first pages, there is interesting historical information, there is an understanding of everyday life, traditions, oriental subtleties of doing business.

Almost reality but in a fantastic wrapper.

Pros - good content, many different historical facts about the Silk Road, Eastern Trade, Household reflections on politics and economics, there are interesting ideas for organizing your own business in tourism and farming.

Cons - bad form, that is, the text of the novel is rough, grammar and syntax is lame. There are mistakes.

Overall assessment of the story if to be objective:

Writing Quality - 2 stars
Stability of Updates - 4 stars (3-4 times per week from 500 to 3000 words for one chapter)

Story Development - 4 stars
Character Design - 3 stars
World Background - 3 stars

Overall result: Who wants to learn new things about farming and about the world after the Cold War, who is interested in the first place content, can be sure that he/she will not waste his/her time in vain.

Whoever likes the good form of the syllable, he/she can immediately leave, having pulled his hat, striking his/her horse sideways with spurs, plunge into the depths of the prairie.


Tags - Farming, Cooking, Health, Folk Medicine, Magic, History


-----------------------------
This is a work of art. Any resemblance to real people or real events is purely coincidental.

"Hmm.. let's just ignore all the people then. " 

They sat there talking and teasing each other for some more time before heading to their respective homes. 


ONE YEAR LATER

Shradha walked into  Computer Science department. She had to meet the dean of the department regarding her project. After discussing for 45 minutes about the project, the dean wanted to speak to her regarding future plans and higher studies. He gave examples of a few seniors who were currently pursuing masters abroad and urged Shradha to think about masters. He seemed to think that with her grades, projects and coding experience all the good universities were within reach. He had said it would increase her value in the job market. Shradha had promised to research further about scholarships and other things for his sake. 

"At home, dad wants to increase my value in the wedding market; here the dean wants to increase my value in the job market. Why are people behind increasing my value !?" Shradha murmured jokingly. She walked to her scooty thinking Nishant would have enjoyed that dialogue. 

Within one year, a lot of things had changed, not just for Shradha and Nishant, but for others as well.  Prithvi and Rohan were integral part of their life and 4 of them hung out a lot at Rohan's apartment. Technically it was a shared place between  Prithvi and Rohan but  Prithvi paid only a small part of the rent while all other expenses were taken care by Rohan. They knew very well how to balance each others family and financial situation. Rohan was from a wealthy family in Delhi while  Prithvi was from a lower middle class family in Bengaluru.  Prithvi stayed in hostel as his home was far from college and daily commute was tiresome, but he visited home regularly. Rohan accompanied him most of time as  Prithvi's parents knew that he was homesick. So they showered Rohan with love and care. Rohan's family was grateful to know that someone was taking care of their precious son well. So they had never objected Rohan even when he spent a lot of money for  Prithvi. Both families were happy about their friendship.

Nishant had been spending a major part of his day in their apartment. He thought that their apartment was the perfect place for him to work on his writing. He would go back home mostly for eating and speaking in the night. Sheela had been really unhappy about this development, but there was nothing she could do. Her son did not respond to her emotional blackmails like earlier. In a way he had grown immune to her words. He would just smile and get on with his work. Nishant always tried his best not to be rude to Sheela or fight with her. He would just listen to her without actually listening to her and never argued back. This was the tactic his father had taught him secretly and this trick saved Nishant from stress. Then again, he hardly spent time at home. Writing had become one of the important part of Nishant and somehow Rohan's bachelor pad was the perfect place for him to be creative and write. Nishant had also been taking more responsibilities at lit club and he had been the chief editor of the college magazine for the last few months. 

***

****Ongoing re-write****


‘Agar Tum Saath Ho’ means ‘If you are with me’ in Hindi. These simple words could explain how shradha felt about Nishant. He was her sole source of energy; He was the only person who could sense her emotional distress and calm her down easily. He was her best friend, her guide, and also whoever she wanted him to be. To Nishant, Shradha was like a breath of fresh air. She always pushed him beyond his comfort level and helped him rediscover himself. She was his strength and also his weakness. 

Shradha was the girl who was considered as ‘bad influence’, while Nishant was the ‘good guy’, who was role model to many students and even parents. They had nothing in common except for the fact that both of them were lonely and maybe a little broken. 

Nishant and Shradha came together by coincidence. Their relationship started with simple friendship, which slowly grew into strong bond. He could show his silliness only in front of her while she could afford to show her real self only to him. Despite constant opposition from their family, Shradha and Nishant had continued to be ‘best friends’ and nothing else. 
They were each others ‘first’ in many things and even when the whole world could see how they were already in relationship, Nishant and Shradha could not see the obvious.
When they finally realized they have been in love the whole time, all it took was changing the status on social media.

****

Ren Xiaosu asked Yang Xiaojin quietly, "What's university life like?"
Yang Xiaojin gave it some thought and said, "Classes are rather flexible, but the exams can be extremely strict. There are relatively fewer students admitted into universities, and most of them will continue research with their advisers after graduation. It's said that universities were very lenient with their admissions in the past, but now they're recruiting fewer and fewer students over time. They've become more like a research base these days, and there are only around 20 universities scattered across the hundreds of strongholds in existence. The heads of these universities have already begun to streamline their student recruitment and organizational structures. They go all-out to make breakthroughs in their identified fields of research."
"Oh." Ren Xiaosu nodded. "Do the students get any subsidies?"
"Hmm…" Yang Xiaojin realized her words had fallen on deaf ears. After talking so much, Ren Xiaosu's only focus was on whether the students would get any subsidies? She said calmly, "No, there are no subsidies."
"Are you serious?" Ren Xiaosu did not believe her.
Yang Xiaojin said lightly, "You are not suited for scientific research, so don't go and be a burden to the other university students."
"How can you say that!" Ren Xiaosu said unhappily, "Why am I a burden?!"
Yang Xiaojin ignored him. Jiang Wu, who was standing at the lectern, said, "If you want to qualify for the university in Stronghold 109, there are only four subjects you'll be tested on: math, physics, chemistry, and biology. Each subject has a maximum score of 150 points, and the cutoff point for admission last year was 560 points. That is to say, if you want to qualify for university, you'll have to score above 140 points in each subject."
Ren Xiaosu gasped. He had taken a mock exam the day before and could only manage to score 140 points in total on four subjects...
He looked at Yang Xiaojin and asked, "How can I get 140 points in every subject?"
Yang Xiaojin glanced at him. "You can get that by skipping a few multiple-choice questions per section."
Ren Xiaosu was speechless. He couldn't understand it at all. Was a hopeless student like her who paid no attention in class qualified to act as though she were a model student?! 'We aren't that different!'
However, Ren Xiaosu felt that something wasn't right. He decided to ask his mind palace, "What is Yang Xiaojin's proficiency in math?"
"Intermediate."
He was very happy when he heard that from the palace. Although her intermediate proficiency in mathematics was definitely better than his, she still wouldn't be considered a model student.
Eh, wait a minute!
Ren Xiaosu rephrased his question. "What is Yang Xiaojin's proficiency in math at the senior high level?"
"Perfect."
Ren Xiaosu realized that by adding in the two words "senior high," the assessment was completely different! Fuck! In fact, senior high math was considered the most basic level of mathematics.
"What's Yang Xiaojin's proficiency in physics at the senior high level?"
"Perfect."
"What is Yang Xiaojin's proficiency in chemistry at the senior high level… Forget it, I'm not asking anymore." Ren Xiaosu sulked. When a hopeless student like him saw Yang Xiaojin sleeping in class every day, he felt a warmth in his chest, knowing that someone else would be accompanying him at the bottom of the class.
But at this moment, he realized he was the only hopeless student in class.
When does one feel the loneliest? Times like these are when one feels loneliest.
Yang Xiaojin glanced at him and then asked, "Are you aiming to go to uni?"
Ren Xiaosu replied, "I'm not qualified."
Yang Xiaojin was surprised.
… 
For the following day's exams, Ren Xiaosu went to the examination room after locating it. When he looked around, he found no one he knew in the entire classroom. For today's exams, Ren Xiaosu had come with the mindset of just participating. The results were not as important as the fact that he attempted it.
In the past, examinations were also held in the town's school, but they were all conducted by Zhang Jinglin in the form of an oral test. In contrast, the examinations here were conducted on test papers.
Ren Xiaosu felt that Zhang Jinglin was just trying to save money on buying paper, so he tested the students by asking them questions one by one. After all, paper was not exactly cheap these days.
How would Zhang Jinglin feel If he learned his image in Ren Xiaosu's mind was like this?
At this moment, a girl who was seated behind Ren Xiaosu patted him on his back. "Student?"
Ren Xiaosu turned around and looked at the girl. "What's the matter?"
"Um, how are your grades? Can you let me copy your answers?" This girl was relatively good at communicating, so she started a conversation with Ren Xiaosu.
The school had segregated the students to prevent those who knew each other from cheating. However, that would not stop everyone's enthusiasm to cheat.
All of a sudden, the voice from Ren Xiaosu's mind palace said, "Quest: Help your fellow student complete her exam."
Ren Xiaosu was shocked on the spot. He wondered whether the palace had positive or negative fundamental values. How could it even encourage him to aid someone in cheating?
But for Ren Xiaosu, nothing else mattered as long as there was a quest for him to do.
Ren Xiaosu looked at the girl and said, "Don't worry, I'll let you copy mine!"
The girl beamed with joy. "Thank you so much!"
"Gratitude received from Li Mo, +1!"
Ren Xiaosu thought, 'This is killing two birds with one stone. Not only can I complete the quest, but I also earned a gratitude token.'
When the exams began, Li Mo was surprised. She observed Ren Xiaosu from behind and discovered he was writing diligently and answering the test questions. What a good student!
Halfway through the examination, Ren Xiaosu shifted his body to the side and allowed Li Mo to copy his answers.
When she finished copying and felt satisfied, the bell finally rang. Then the teacher went around to collect the tests.
Li Mo looked at Ren Xiaosu happily and said, "I never expected you would answer all the questions. You're amazing. Did you know how to do all of them?"
Ren Xiaosu smiled and said, "No, I don't."
Li Mo was confused.
It didn't matter whether he knew the answers or not. He just had to complete the quest. The palace's quest required him to help a fellow student "complete" the test, so Ren Xiaosu could not leave any questions blank. What would he do if the palace judged him to have failed the quest if he did not answer a question?
To be honest, it was really quite tiring to fabricate answers for every question on the test.
On his way back home at night, Ren Xiaosu saw Xiaoyu waiting at the door of the shop. When she saw Ren Xiaosu, she reacted as though her savior had arrived. "Xiaosu, you've finally returned. Old Wang has been arrested."
Ren Xiaosu frowned. "What's going on? Tell me all the details."
"Many people from the Public Order Division came over today." Xiaoyu explained, "They said we didn't obtain a license from the stronghold to sell the drugs and that the in-house doctor did not have any medical qualifications. So they arrested the person in charge here."
Ren Xiaosu let out a sigh of relief. Although Old Wang getting arrested was a serious matter, it was fine as long it wasn't related to supernatural beings.
He was most worried that his secret would get exposed and lead to the Li Consortium targeting him. If that happened, it would truly be a serious matter.
"Did they say anything before they left?" Ren Xiaosu asked.
"Those people from the Public Order Division said that you'd have to make a trip down to their office once you got back." Xiaoyu said.
Ren Xiaosu thought for a while and said, "There's no hurry. Fatty Luo should be coming over to the shop later. I'll ask him about what's going on first."
He also wanted to get Wang Fugui out quickly, but he could not be rash when dealing with this matter. He had to check out the situation with Luo Lan first before deciding on the most suitable way to handle it.


This is a brand new story.
Survive the darkness, see the light
There is no right or wrong, it just depends on which side you are standing on.
To be a god, or to be a man.
To be good, or to be evil.
Just what is...the highest order of weapon that humanity has?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After a great catastrophe struck, the world was set back many years and humanity started living in anarchy.
With time, society started building up again and people were now living in walled strongholds and fringe towns across the land.
Humans have also become distrustful and ruthless in an unforgiving society where the strong survive and the weak are eliminated.
Growing up in such an era, Ren Xiaosu had to fend for himself.
After an incident, he gained supernatural powers...

"I can't believe you," my best friend, Alex, stated. "You're so dead."

I stared at her, pouting. "Don't you think I know that?!!"

Alex suddenly changed the subject, suddenly becoming sympathetic. "How is it at home?"

I sighed because I knew where this was going. Alex and I have been best friends since we were kids. She knew everything about me and what my lifestyle was like at home. I'm actually glad that she's my best friend with everything that's been going on, it's good to have someone to talk to and just let out the stress.

"Do you think he's going to be at your house?" Alex asked out loud. "Or if he might show up here?"

I groaned. "Please don't jinx anything, Alex. I'm so dead if he does show up both here and at my house."

"Kaylanna Grey, please come to the office. Kaylanna Grey, please come to the office," the Principal's voice rang through the loud speakers. Alex sat up straight and stared at me, horror written all over her face. "Do you think he's here?"

"Let's pray and hope not," I commented, collecting my things and shoving them into my bag. I walked out of the room and to the office where Principal Worthorn stood, waiting for me. I walked into his office and took a seat. "Is there something wrong?" I asked.

Principal Worthorn took a seat and started typing on his computer. He turned the computer around and showed me my grades. I was completely confused because my grades were perfect. All A's and one B. I didn't understand why he was showing me a receipt of my grades. 

"You can go to Harvard," he said. "Or any Universities that you like."

I let out a breath of relief since I wasn't in his office because I thought I was in "trouble". "Oh, well, yeah. I haven't decided which University I wanted to go to yet."

"Kaylanna, you're going to graduate in a few months," he stated. "A lot of Universities want you and there's a lot of scholarships waiting for you. I think you should take advantage of that."

I nodded, understanding. "Yes, sir."

He folded his hands together and smiled. "Well, that's all, Kaylanna. You may go back to class and hopefully I hear from you soon on what you plan on doing."

I smiled back and left his office, sighing. With everything that's been going on, I haven't even decided on where I want to go yet. I haven't had the chance to look at anything nor have I had the chance to hang out with my best friend. I'm so caught up in cleaning up after my parents that I don't have time for myself. 

I was walking to my third period class when I bumped into someone's chest and fell, landing on my butt. "Ouch."

I looked up to see a blonde haired guy looking down at me. "Are you okay?"

I coughed. "Um, yeah."

He held out his hand for me which I gladly took and pulled myself up. I dusted off the imaginary dust from my jeans and smiled. "I'm so sorry."

"What's your name?" The blonde guy asked. "I'm Carter, by the way."

"Carter," his name rolled off my tongue. "As in Carter DeSantos."

He scratched his neck. "Yeah."

"Are you here for me?" I asked. He looked extremely confused. "What?"

Crap!

"Uh, nothing," I stated. "Sorry."

I pushed pass him and ran down the hall and around the corner. I clung onto my chest, inhaling deeply before slowly exhaling. "Holy, fuck."

"Are you okay?"

I jumped up and turned to see Alex leaning against the wall. I slouched against the wall in relief and looked at her. "I'm totally fine."

"Doesn't look like it," she pointed out. "C'mon, before we're late."

I silently thanked her for not asking any more questions and leading us into class. I took my usual seat in the back and opened up my notebook to start writing down notes. I felt a tap on my shoulder and tilted my head. "What, Alex?"

"There's a party tonight," she said. "You have to-"

"I can't," I interrupted. "They would kill me."

"Kaylanna," Alex whine. "C'mon."

"Alex," I said. "You know what happened the last time I snuck out. I was almost beaten to death because of that party."

Alex stopped pushing it. "I'm sorry."

I shook my head. "It's okay, it's not your fault. This is just my life."

Alex and I stopped talking about what happened for the rest of class time and only focused on our work. I hated talking about what had happened last year and pretended that it didn't and pushed it to the back of my mind. I was fine. I was okay.

Kaylanna Grey comes from a broken family where her father is abusive and her mother is a drug and alcohol addict. She doesn't know what love is. Hell, she's never received love except abuse and hatred. One particular day, though, she goes to the cafe and comes face to face with the devil himself; Myles DeSantos.

Myles DeSantos is a man who shows no mercy. He's strict with things such as his "business" and being the leader of the Italian mafia. He has no shame and will kill you if things don't go his way. But just like Kaylanna, he doesn't believe in love. He thinks that love is a curse.

When two different worlds come into contact, will both of their perspectives on love change?

Fang Ping, whose head was swimming with ways to earn money, was once again crushed by reality.
When he walked out of his room, he found Fang Yuan who had been waiting for him at his door for a while now.
The moment she saw Fang Ping, Fang Yuan groaned pitifully. "I'm hungry!"
"Why don't you get something to eat if you're hungry?" Fang Ping replied nonchalantly.
Hearing that, Fang Yuan puckered her small lips and complained, "I've no money. And we ran out of leftover rice too. 
"The 50 bucks that mom gave us two days ago were meant for our three days' worth of lunch. 
"The money's with you now. So, where should we go for lunch?"
"Spending money for lunch?" Fang Ping felt attacked. He replied dryly, "Why didn't you bring this up this morning?"
He remembered how happy the brat looked when she ate the skewers he had bought for her!
Fang Ping had no doubt that this little brat would spend the last 10 bucks if he allowed it.
The main point was that he only had 10 bucks left. This brat seemed reluctant to use her own 5 bucks. Unless she was planning to suck him dry?
It would not be unexpected at all.
Fang Yuan replied blatantly, "Of course we need to spend money on food. You took all the money so I don't have to think about getting food. 
"Fang Ping, I'm hungry! It's almost one now. I want to eat!"
"Hehe!"
"Fang Ping, I'm super hungry. I'm so hungry I don't think I'll be able to walk…" Fang Yuan rubbed her small, childish belly and pretended to be miserable.
Fang Ping struggled between laughing and crying. He extended a hand and gently pinched her chubby cheeks. Eventually, he gave in and said, "Alright, let's eat. And I thought I really used up your pocket money. Thankfully it's food money. I almost forgot about this myself. But of course, you're aware of this, aren't you? 
"You little brat, should you be plotting against your brother this way? Now, we'll have to discard our previous agreement…"
"No!" Fang Yuan shook her head vigorously. With a reluctant expression on her face, she paused briefly before fishing out 5 bucks from her pocket. Her eyes lingered on the note and she said, "This is for you. You said you'll buy tasty things, clothes, and a computer for me… You better keep your promise."
Despite always fighting Fang Ping, Fang Yuan was close to her brother.
Although currently impossible, since Fang Ping promised to buy her good food and pretty clothes, the little girl was looking forward to the day Fang Ping graduated from university and fulfilled his promise.
For the sake of that future, Fang Yuan relented and decided to contribute all of her remaining assets. She had eaten Fang Ping's 5 bucks worth of skewers in the morning anyway.
The little lady calculated it all out with her hypothetical abacus. Fang Ping felt humored, yet at the same time, helpless.
Fang Ping was now convinced that he was powerless without some amount of money on himself.
…
After returning from their meal, Fang Ping was utterly bankrupt. If he did not need those ten thousand bucks to pay for his tuition fees, then he could still consider himself somewhat wealthy.
Fortunately, the pair of siblings ate 5 bucks worth of fast food each. 10 bucks were just enough for them.
Fang Ping could not bear to use the little lady's 5 bucks. She was already studying in junior high. A girl like her could always use some pocket money.
Without money, the siblings had no intention to go out in the afternoon.
The hard truth was that if Fang Ping did not bring the ten thousand bucks with him, he would not be able to pay to use the public toilet if he needed to pee on his way.
Fang Yuan had homework to complete. She was well aware of her older brother's financial crisis and thus, chose not to irk him any longer. She went to her room and worked on completing her homework like a saint.
Meanwhile, Fang Ping returned to his room too. He started making plans for his future.
There were only two things on Fang Ping's mind currently — one, prepare for martial sciences exams; two, earn money.
Improving his family's life was still secondary as it was not extremely urgent.
The main issue was that without money, he would not be able to pass his martial arts exam.
In spite of having that system that was not quite as reliable, Fang Ping thought he would still be able to become a martial artist.
The problem was… To be a martial artist, one had to be strong in Vitality?
What about cultivation methods?
How to train one's physical body and achieve breakthroughs beyond one's limit?
When it came down to questions like these, Fang Ping had absolutely no answer at all. Without professional training, there was no telling when he would attain the necessary knowledge. Obviously, Gaokao was the fastest shortcut to achieve that.
For that purpose, Fang Ping definitely had a lot of planning to do.
… 
Around three in the afternoon, his mother, Li Yuying returned home with dinner that she had picked up on her way home.
Despite working a half-day job, her actual working hours were nearly eight hours. It was not as easy as most people thought it was.
Fang Ping handed over the bank card and showed her the ten thousand bucks he took. Li Yuying had no intention to hold on to the money for safekeeping and allowed Fang Ping to pay for his martial sciences exam registration himself.
Intuition told her that her daughter and son must have ran out of money, so Li Yuying handed Fang Ping another 50 bucks to pay for meals.
Perhaps worried that her daughter would be scammed by her son again, Li Yuying personally gave Fang Yuan another 20 bucks this time. With the money in her hand, the little brat's smile stretched from ear to ear.
Fang Ping felt the urge to tell his mom that he did not scam the brat! It was the cunning brat who kept pushing her older brother's buttons!
….
7th April, Monday.
Compared to his previous state of confusion, Fang Ping appeared to be more at ease as he returned to school today.
His deskmate, Chen Fan, arrived earlier than Fang Ping.
When Fang Ping arrived, Chen Fan was already halfway through his practice test. It was uncertain if he started on the test in the early morning or he worked on it earlier than that.
Since Chen Fan was not signing up for the martial sciences exam, he focused all his efforts on the social sciences.
He might not make it through the martial sciences, but if he managed to enroll in a prestigious university in social sciences, he would still be highly sought after compared to the graduates from the typical social sciences universities.
Upon noticing Fang Ping's arrival, Chen Fan put down his writing utensil and looked up. "Fang Ping, have you completed the math practice test that our teacher gave us the day before yesterday? Let's compare answers."
"What?"
Fang Ping laughed dryly. Did he know if he completed his set himself? The test was given to him the day before yesterday and he had not touched his school bag for the past two days. Now, only God knew if he completed it.
Fang Ping's facial expression gave Chen Fan his answer. Chen Fan furrowed his brows and said, "Fang Ping, we don't have much time left before Gaokao. I know we haven't got a lot of classes now and everything is revision-based, but perhaps if we practice a bit more, we'll be able to pass our Gaokao?"
"You're right. You're right. Lil Fan Fan, everything you say is true. I've been so dazed recently, I'll do it as soon as I can."
"You…"
Chen Fan felt somewhat resigned. It was not because of Fang Ping's choice of terms of endearment to him though, since that was not the first time the fellow called Chen Fan that.
In Chen Fan's eyes, Fang Ping had given up on himself.
In this society, even though martial artists possessed a higher status than the common folk, even the common folk was segregated according to social status.
They could be the wealthy, the poor, the ones with some power, employees working for someone else, the ones who worked in large enterprises, workers in factories…
All of them lived completely different lives.
Sun City No.1 High School was the best High School in Sun City. Fang Ping's Year 3 Senior exam results did not stand out but it was not all that bad either.
If Fang Ping worked harder, there was still hope for him to enroll in a National Key University.[1]
If sudden good fortune ever found him, it would not be impossible for him to get into some name-brand schools after all the good students signed up for martial sciences exam.
However, if he gave up now, he would have problems enrolling in National Key Universities, what more the name-brand universities.
As Fang Ping's deskmate for two years now, Chen Fan knew that Fang Ping's financial background was similar to his own, although Fang Ping was slightly less fortunate than him. Having to feed two children cost more after all.
Chen Fan had half a mind to say something to Fang Ping but when the words almost spilled out of his mouth, he swallowed them back down. Fang Ping appeared to be slacking off slightly just for the past two days.
Mid-conversation, Yang Jian (future crumb-catcher) from the front row turned around and said with a smile, "Fang Ping, Chen Fan, have you seen the news?"
Fang Ping rolled his eyes. 'As a future bearded buffoon, your interest in gossip is unnerving,' he thought.
Chen Fan did not bother answering Yang Jian too. He spent all his free time working on his practice tests. Where would he find the time to keep up to date with the news?
Yang Jian was not bothered by their lack of response either and continued, "There's another leak on the Internet! It says that the battle between Grandmaster Ma and Tam will be held at the end of this month. 
"Also, the location of the battle has been revealed to be here, in our country, China!
"Now, all the reporters are flocking over there. Maybe there will even be a video…"
Yang Jian spat everywhere during his speech. After all, globally, a battle between Rank-8 grandmasters rarely occurred.
Perhaps there were a few before, yet they were either too young to remember or the battles were held in private. Outsiders could only know the result, not the process.
It was different this time. It probably had something to do with the advancement in information technology that enabled news to travel fast, giving everyone information beforehand. With the Internet's assistance, perhaps they could even watch the battle via livestream.
After gossiping about Brother Ma's battle, Yang Jian quickly changed the subject to himself, "The registration for martial sciences exam begins today. My dad says I should sign up no matter how much it costs. The ol'Yang family has high hopes for me passing my martial sciences exam and becoming a martial artist.
"The pressure on me is so high right now. What would I do if I don't pass? Can you give me some suggestions?"
Fang Ping chuckled. "Say, are you bragging? Or are you bragging?"
Yang Jian smirked. He quickly shook his head and said, "I'm not! I'm feeling intense stress right now. You know very well how things are for me — among the Five Stages of the Martial Sciences Exam, it's already not bad if I can pass three. Anything more than that is impossible!"
"The Five Stages of the Martial Sciences Exam?"
Initially, Fang Ping had no interest in what Yang Jian was saying at all.
Yet now, there was nothing but burning curiosity in Fang Ping's eyes.
[1] National Key Universities previously referred to universities recognized as prestigious and received a high level of support from the central government of the People's Republic of China. The term is no longer in official use but it remains part of the vernacular, as evidenced by numerous Chinese media articles.


Fang Ping finally settled an issue after wasting half an hour of his life. He wasn't dreaming nor acting —for God's sake, if acting in a movie could restore his youth, then the film crew deserved a trip to heaven immediately!

After verifying that he had reincarnated, Fang Ping felt a wave of panic before settling down and accepting the truth.

What was the truth? It was that he had indeed reincarnated into a younger version of himself, and since he was equipped with his knowledge of the future, he was going to seize the day and become the next-big-thing in the business world! He was going to be rich!

That was that, until his friend interrupted him.

"So are you signing up for the martial sciences exam?"

What? Was this a joke? Or had he been handed the wrong script? Was this even the right universe? What was martial sciences? Why did the exam cost 10 thousand bucks to sign up? Loaded with questions, Fang Ping will soon realize that he might not have struck the jackpot as he had initially thought...

'Foundational Chinese Medicine'
This introduction to Chinese medicine, written according to the Encyclopedia, was a writing of basic theories. The first chapter was the preface but Lin Fan added slightly more, an overview of the origin of Chinese medicine and its developments in the past thousands of years. Anyone who studied Chinese medicine needed to know its history. If one didn't know the history, how would that person learn Chinese medicine?
Hence, before the first chapter, Lin Fan added in the history of Chinese medicine.
He buried his head in it and wrote furiously, occasionally stopping not because he didn't know what to write next but because he felt that his writing was too good, so he needed to stop for a moment and admire his own masterpiece.
The first segment, second segment...Second chapter, first segment: The Theory of Yin and Yang.
The Encyclopedia only included a word description and didn't have any images. If he added an image, it could add some vividness to the book.
The Earth consists of Yin, Yang, and the five elements and the human body was the same. Hence, using the human body to explain the five elements was not a bad choice.
*writing sounds*
The sound of pen against paper emanated inside the shop.
Fraud Tian and the rest were a little startled, wondering what Lin Fan was doing.
Lin Fan seemed to be very different that day and Wu You Lan was a little worried. "Brother Lin, what are you doing?"
Lin Fan didn't even look up. He smiled and replied, "Ming Qing asked me to write new basic teaching materials for the students."
"Er!"
At that point, everyone in the shop knew that Lin Fan's medical abilities were extraordinary, so they didn't doubt him. However, they had never thought that he would be writing teaching materials. That was rather shocking.
Chinese medicine was a large field of knowledge. Those who were able to write teaching materials were basically all expert professors aged seventy or even eighty-plus. As of now, Lin Fan was only twenty-something. For him to be writing Chinese medicine teaching materials, it really was shocking.
…
Shanghai's First Chinese Medical Academy.
Zhao Ming Qing was also working on this matter. He had already given the word that the First Chinese Medical Academy's foundational teaching materials will all be replaced with new teaching materials in future.
This news spread like a tornado within the academy. Everyone was in disbelief.
The current teaching materials were written by several old Chinese doctors decades ago and had been used until now. Now that he said they would be replaced, the students felt that it was inconceivable. After all, there were basically no teaching materials on the market right now that could compare to those they were using.
Some of the meddlesome students started to protest.
Of course, they didn't protest openly but they posted complaints on the Internet, expressing their unhappiness.
A student from a certain dormitory was furious and he immediately wrote a post and posted it on the Internet.
"Ever since Shanghai's First Chinese Medical Academy's Director Zhao Ming Qing discovered the medicine for anorexia, he has started to go crazy. Now, he wants to completely replace the teaching materials that we have been using for decades…"
The post was very long. The first part was normal. It just expressed his discontentment and puzzlement at the decision. But the later part consisted of his personal thoughts about the downfall of Chinese medicine and blamed it all on these old Chinese doctors.
They were unprofessional, constantly changing and thus, causing unceasing unrest in Chinese medicine, causing it to be unable to steadily develop like Western medicine.
This matter didn't attract much attention in the beginning. But after some people added fuel to the fire, this post was brought to Weibo and even became trending.
The next day!
When Zhao Ming Qing saw the post on the Internet, his heart shifted. He was a little angry. After reading the post, he could only say that this was abandoning oneself and not forging ahead for Chinese medicine.
Reporters gathered around the entrance of Shanghai's First Chinese Medical Academy.
When Zhao Ming Qing appeared, the reporters surrounded him.
The reporters didn't understand this kind of situation but they just felt that it was a big piece of news. When there are people protesting, that means there is definitely an issue. Hence, they wanted to find out more.
"Director Zhao, do you have any comments regarding that post on the Internet?"
"Is the Chinese Medical Academy going to abolish the current teaching materials and introduce new ones? According to our knowledge, the Chinese medicine teaching materials that still remain now are not many and the ones that are used now are the best there are."
"The various Chinese Medical Academies around the country have all expressed unhappiness towards your decision to abolish the old teaching materials. They feel that it is against the regulations."
The reporters kept asking questions, one after another.
The surrounding students spectated the scene. They knew that this was an eventful period for the academy and they also knew about the replacement of the old teaching materials.
To outsiders, this may not have been a significant thing but to them, this was incomparably significant.
Nowadays, the Chinese Medical Universities' teaching materials were all chosen by the Education Department and they weren't allowed to be changed without instructions being given.
Otherwise, it would be difficult to manage. If all the schools were in disarray in terms of teaching material, that would not be a good thing.
"Everyone, please quieten down," said Zhao Ming Qing calmly, "I understand that this matter will have repercussions but even so, this must be done because the reason why Chinese Medicine is declining right now has nothing to do with what illnesses it can treat. It is due to do with a lack of resources and manpower. The old edition of teaching materials are very good but times have changed and Chinese medicine must change as well. It has to stay with the times. That's why I'm going to replace the foundational teaching materials.
A reporter said, "Director Zhao, Chinese medicine is a crystallization of knowledge. It doesn't decline like scientific and technological products but it should get better with time. Don't you think this move is a mistake, Director Zhao?"
"Director Zhao, which books are you selecting as your new teaching materials?"
"Director Zhao…"
The reporters were questioning him excitedly. They made Zhao Ming Qing at a loss for words for a moment.
Then, Zhao Ming Qing waved his hand. "This interview shall end here. But I will declare that as the Chinese Medical Academy's Director, I put my students first. That's why I feel that changing the teaching materials is necessary. As for which books I have chosen, I can say this: They're much better than any other books that have been used as teaching materials in history.
Uproar!
The reporters were stunned. They didn't expect Director Zhao to answer with so much swagger and so much self-confidence.
Better than any other teaching material in history. Those were some really big words.
In the office.
Zhao Ming Qing made a call. "Teacher, there's an issue with the reforming of teaching materials."
Lin Fan replied, "What do you think of it?"
Zhao Ming Qing said, "I trust Teacher. That's why we must replace the current teaching materials."
"Then it'll be fine. What's the point of thinking so much? I'm very busy right now. Your teacher has been writing so much every day that my hand is sore. Teaching materials are teaching materials after all. The rigorousness of the content is exceptional. My brain is about to explode," whined Lin Fan.
Zhao Ming Qing was a little embarrassed. "Thank you for your trouble, Teacher."
The next day!
The Education Department held a large conference.
Shanghai's First Chinese Medical Academy was under their management. The whole nation's Chinese medical academies had the same teaching materials. It was all regulated. Now that Shanghai's First Chinese Medical Academy wanted to change its teaching materials, that was against the regulations and they had to stop it.
These teaching materials were crystals of knowledge left behind by predecessors. They were written by famous Chinese medical masters decades ago.
Why would they want to change them?
This Zhao Ming Qing was really ridiculous.


I am Lin Fan and I've become a jack of all trades just because of a powerful Encyclopedia. 
In the first ever competition organised for trolls, all the other contestants lost. The crowd exclaimed, "Brother, you're so good at trolling." 
Lin Fan replied, "But I've never been trolling..."

The biggest problem in Kazakhstan had been the treatment of professionals.
It was common for professionals to have secondary jobs after their primary work in order to make ends meet. Such a payment scale was unfair for many professionals. Doctors, for example, were paid at the level of ordinary civil servants. So, many competent doctors left Kazakhstan. Most of the doctors working in public hospitals in Kazakhstan were no better than nurses in Korea. People would have to risk their lives to get an appendectomy in the country.
For that reason, rich people would rather travel abroad to get medical attention. If there were patients that needed immediate attention at night, it was hard to find doctors since they were working at a different place for their second job.
What good was it to benefit the entire nation free of medical charges, when medical standards and services were poor? If people could not receive proper treatments, it would be better to activate private hospitals and let people pay for their medical bills while the government paid part of their fees.


"Dr. Kim, can we bring in more medical staff from Korea?"

"I've asked my friends in Korea to help me. Even though they'll be paid highly here, they're hesitant about their children's education."

"I'm planning to build international schools in every big city. Would that help them? With a few years of their help, I think Kazakhstan's medical level will improve so much."

"It's true that Kazakhstan has a much better image than before because of the recent changes that you brought here. But it's still not a very appealing place for Korean doctors with their renowned medical abilities. We've got no choice but to let them choose."

"Is there anything that's attractive about Kazakhstan for the Korean doctors?"

"The educational part is the most important for them. And securing an advanced public order should come first. They want their children to learn from such a high-end culture."

"Civic awareness is not going to happen overnight, so that's not possible. Why don't we attract world-class universities all over Kazakhstan then?"

"Those universities will be reluctant to do so, even for their reputation and image. Do you think international scholars will want to come to Kazakhstan?"

"Don't worry. We should bring in a bunch of professors from Oxford, Cambridge or Imperial College of engineering. We can also bring them from Stockholm University in Sweden or Goethe University in Germany."
 
 
The reason that Youngho was confidently saying to Doctor Kim Dong-sung that he could bring in the world's leading academics was because he did favors for UK and Sweden. Not only they formed a military alliance but companies from those countries were now making their foray into Kazakhstan. Their governments would send even exchange professors if Youngho asked. Also, Youngho had connections in Goethe University in Germany. If he offered exceptional salaries and benefits to professors, they would be intrigued to come.
 
"There are good universities in Astana and Almaty. We won't have to build new ones. With proper support, the universities will be developed on their own. I'm talking about the Royal College."

Kim Dong-sung had a better idea that surprised Youngho.
 
"A Royal College?"
 
"How about building it in the royal territory?"
 
"Who's going to come to a new university with no history or tradition?"

"Your Highness, the Arirang Autonomous State became famous because of your unconditional support. If people heard that you're making a royal college, of course, they'd want to come."
 
"Well, that sounds like a good idea. This time, I'll start educational reform in Kazakhstan."
 
"You could also make extensive changes to the outdated educational facilities across the country this time. In ten years, you'll see big changes."
 
Even ten years were short.
It would take a long time to grow talents who could achieve the Nobel Prize.
The Nobel Prize was not an absolute standard for a good education, but it was the result of the efforts of world-class scholars. If Kazakhstan made great investments in education, Kazakhstan would have Nobel Prize winners one day.
 
***
 
Jabayev Kim, a Koryoin was appointed as a Korean ambassador and came to the Arirang state to receive the certificate of appointment. It was because external procedures, such as establishing diplomatic ties with foreign countries and dispatching ambassadors, should be approved by the monarch.
Technically, the monarch had the power to appoint ambassadors at the same time as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, but in reality, the monarch's role was to appoint the people whom the Prime Minister, the head of the administration, had recommended, though the monarch could reject the recommendation. Without the monarch's approval, no one could be appointed as ambassadors and sent to other countries. Any practical work of the royal family was done by Youngho instead of the true monarch—Fatima since she did not want to get involved in political matters and business work.
The distance from Astana, the capital, to the Arirang state was about 1,500 kilometers long. Since many officials would have to travel to the state, Youngho offered a 12-seater jet for them. It flew back and forth to the capital twice a week. Since Fatima did not want to stay in Astana, they were suffering to travel such a long distance.
Nazarbayev's palace was now open for public, and a new one was being built in the capital now but it would take years until it would be finished.
 
 
"Ambassador. Welcome. I'm sorry that you had to travel this far."

"No. Your Highness, I came with great ease with the royal jet."
 
"There will be no such inconvenience when the palace is built in Astana."
 
"I can't believe there's such a beautiful city standing in this barren zone. If the palace wasn't here, who would visit here? This is the first time I've visited the West."
 
Kazakhstan was a huge country. Having lived on the east side, which was a developed part of the country,  Ambassador Kim had never visited the west side of Kazakhstan in his life even though he was nearly 60.
 
"Have you ever been to Korea?"
 
"About ten years ago, I visited Korea for a week because the Korean government invited the Koryoin leaders in Central Asia. Korea had a remarkable development. I was very proud that Korea was doing well."
 
"Didn't you feel sorry that the Korean government has not been active in restoring the nationality of the Koryoin people?"
 
"I don`t think there will be any more Koryoins who are willing to return to Korea now. Most of them in Kazakhstan are loyal to Kazakhstan and the Kazakh royal family."
 
 
It was true that Koryoins' state had changed because of Youngho.
Although racial and ethnic discrimination disappeared with the adoption of constitutional monarchy, Koryoins were treated as a rather special group since Youngho was a Korean.
 
"When you go to Korea, please promote Kazakhstan to Koreans. Let them know that this is a land of opportunity. We will accept both investment immigration and employment immigration."

"I wonder whether or not Koreans will want to come to Kazakhstan. They live in a far better environment than us."
 
"Because there are too many people living in a small piece of land, Korea is a place of severe competition. Its unemployment rate among young people is quite high. We should try to persuade them to come here to work."

Young Koreans with high academic background and computer skills would quickly change Kazakhstan's standards.
 
"I understand, Your Highness. Since you're well-known to Korean people, they'll be interested in Kazakhstan."
 
"Yes, you can use my name or whatever. Please attract as many young Koreans as possible."
 
"Would you give Korean companies tax exemption?"
 
"No, Korean companies will be treated like other foreign companies. However, Korean companies are already at an advantage since they won't have a language barrier because of the Koryoin people here. You know, this is a place where you need to speak Kazakh in order to communicate. English or French won't work."

"I should highlight that. These days, Korean companies in China are struggling all the time, so I'm going to recommend that they move their production facilities to Kazakhstan."

"It will not be easy because labor costs are higher here than in China, but you could still recommend it. Especially, daily necessities factories are more than welcome."

"Do you have any other things to say to the Korean government?"

"Not much. Please tell them that any resources that Korea needs, we'll provide them as a priority."
 
"The Korean government will thank you for your consideration."
 
"I believe they're expecting your visit to Korea. When are you planning to visit Korea?"
 
"I don't know. I have so many domestic schedules now. Just tell him I'll be visiting soon."
 
While the royal family's visit to Korea would create a great sensation, it was not the time to go on a leisurely. Russia and China were not immediate threats, but southern Central Asia was continuing to get on Youngho's nerves.
 
***

The Caspian Sea and the Black Sea were not connected from the beginning, but the Soviet Union's opening of the Volga-Don Canal had allowed ships up to 5,000-ton cargo ships to travel the two seas.
While it was a historic event that the isolated sea could be connected to the outside world, the problem was that the canal was controlled by Russia which was always unpredictable.
Since only trusting the canal was not reliable, Youngho was planning a separate logistics system in the Caspian and the Black Sea, assuming that the canal might get closed one day.
So, he was trying hard to buy a beach in Georgia near the Black Sea. Um Sang-taek, who was the manager of the Arirang Hotel in Batumi called Youngho that it was not possible to purchase a beach.
 
"The treaty that you can't send a warship into the Black Sea unless your country shares the Black Sea's coat is the obstacle. They'd let you have a royal dock, but don't even dream of a sending a warship."
 
"Hey, if we bought an island and make it a Kazakh territory, that'll solve the problem."
 
"If that was possible, would the West have stayed still? They would've bought islands a long time ago. There's no way you can bring in warships into the Black Sea unless you buy a Greek island."
 
"What? Can you buy Greek islands?"
 
"I need to check if they're suitable to moor warships. I also don't know if the Greek government will agree to it."
 
"We might not even have to moor warships. We need to escort our freighters that will cross the Mediterranean or the Atlantic anyway. Greek islands have the perfect location for that purpose."
 
"I'll see if I can buy an island. You should solve the problem of docking warships at the government level."
 
"I'm sorry for bothering you when you're busy writing your dissertation."
 
"No, I'm sorry that I can't help you more."
 
"That's fine. Get that freaking Ph.D. It'd be nice to have a doctor friend."
 

Um Sang-taek went to university to learn Georgian in the first place. He had been continuing his studies ever since, and now he was working toward his doctoral degree. It would have been difficult to manage his time since he was also the hotel manager.
Anyway, since the Black Sea would not allow warships from foreign countries, Youngho had to give up bringing in warships. It was fortunate that Greece was selling its own islands.
Greece had always been lashing with Turkey over the territorial issue of a small island in the Aegean Sea that was connected to the Mediterranean. Since it was a small sea, there was nothing to do about the territorial waters. It was a pride dispute. It seemed that Kazakhstan could use the dispute between the two countries to get an island.
It was better to say that the royal family was buying an island for a leisurely purpose than to say that the Kazakh government would be buying it.
To do so, he had to find a middleman, and there was a company suitable for the role.
It was the Turkish company, Koç Holding, that was dying to get uranium resource from Kazakhstan.

Empire of the Ring is a Korean modern fantasy epic adventure novel that sets in the nations of the Caucasus mountain range which separates Europe and Asia. The nations of Caucasus are regions of many conflicts over territories, ethnicities, and religions. The story begins as Lee Youngho, a warm-hearted Korean merchandiser, takes a business trip to a disputed territory of the Caucasus nations to sell Korean unmanned security systems only to get misconstrued as a spy and caught by Armenian militia. Youngho eventually gets involved with the militia and CIA to help out people of the regions from conflicts and works toward a birth of a new empire in Caucasus.

This is an ongoing novel from Korea with more than 750 chapters as of today. The pace can feel a little bit slow in the beginning but as the story unfolds, you will be drawn into the world of Caucasus. If you are a modern fantasy/adventure lover, you will enjoy learning about different regions and cultures in Eurasia and Eastern Europe as Youngho travels around the places. Happy reading! 

*Disclaimer: The following contains depictions of religion and ethnic disputes. We do not support the author's views, we are only translating and editing the novel. This fictional novel is inspired by real-world people, places, and events — the author has taken these people, places, and events and embellished them as characters with conversations and backgrounds as done in fiction.

Hi I'm raven, and I'm 20 years old. I go to university called "star line Universities". I made alot of friends in there and I'm the top student, I go to the library to get my reality out of mind but..... Sometimes it doesn't help. You must be wondering 'why I'm ignoring reality?' Well the thing is I have a very abusing mother and big brothers, I have two big brothers there 26 years old, but they never seem to help me out when I'm i  trouble at home they just help the other one then their own sister. One day on Tuesday night 11:20 am the teacher was teaching the class, she knew about my family problems.. So she would let me out of class 1 hour or 30 minutes early. I went to a store get some food and go to the university library and I was aloud to eat there and read, so I decided to go with a historical book side. The librarian said "sweetie I know your issues at home, are u alright there? Is there any problems u need help with?"
I sighed and said "it's the same, I have to fake my smile everyday and use make up to cover the scars, nothing has changed, but there's no problem one day I'll try and move out of the house if I have enough money!"
The librarian smiled and said "if your looking for a historical myths book I have the right one for your choice, would u like to read it? I got it today it came 30 minutes before u came"
Well I had no choice I said "sure!", because I need to set my mind off from reality why not try it out.
University ended i went straight home and I my bruises back on my face, I was devasted on what they said today..... They said "mistake, we wish we never accepted the offer those dumba** bi*** said, can't believe your "father" never noticed you getting beated up by us, I bet he would actually join us! Hahaha"
I covered the bruises and scars and went to change. I was curious why the librarian gave me that book. I went to bed ate a quick snack and I went off sailing through that book. It had few writing and more images.....i thought it was a manga book but... It wasn't because the front cover looked like a normal historical book. I couldn't finish it because it was a big book I read half of it tho. I went to bed and slept it off. The next day I woke up in the middle of the forest!!

Raven's life was worse at the start but it will get better once for all in the unknown world

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