Born in the 1980s, she was remarried and became a stepmother; a cold, rough man doted on her, pinchi

Chapter 208 Preparing for Doctoral Studies
Back in the dorm, Shi Ning plopped down at her desk and eagerly opened the book Jack had recommended.

Those densely packed words used to give me a headache, but now they feel quite familiar.

Amy sat down next to him, organizing her notes as she said, "Shi Ning, is this book really that good?"

Shi Ning didn't even look up, replying, "You bet it is! It feels like opening the door to a whole new world!"

Amy smiled and said, "Okay, take your time reading. If you don't understand anything, we can discuss it."

Time flies, and Shi Ning's studies and life are going more and more smoothly.

Every day before dawn, Amy would call out, "Shi Ning, get up! Let's go to the library and save a seat!"

Shi Ning mumbled a reply in her sleep and quickly got up. She went to the library and stayed there all day.

When faced with difficult theories, Shi Ning would mutter, "What is this all about? It's so convoluted!"

Amy leaned closer. "Let me see, or should we look at a different document?"

The two of them would argue back and forth, often until their faces turned red.

"No, I think it's like this..."

"Look again, it's clearly like that..."

After arguing, they suddenly realized, "Oh! So that's how it is!"

That day, the professor announced that the topic of next week's discussion class would be cultural differences in international economic cooperation.

Upon hearing this, Shi Ning began to ponder it.

After class, she pulled Amy aside and said, "I'm planning to prepare in advance, can you give me some ideas?"

Amy patted her chest and said confidently, "Absolutely! Let's find some academic papers to look at first."

For the next week, Shi Ning spent all her time in the library, researching and taking notes.

“Amy, look at this case. Companies in Country A have a strict hierarchy, and decisions are made at the top level.”

“Companies in Country B are different; even their frontline employees can participate in decision-making. Wouldn’t this lead to conflict?”

The two were having a lively discussion.

During the discussion class, Shi Ning took a deep breath and was the first to raise her hand.

"From a cultural perspective, the power distance and individualism index of different countries can influence cooperation decisions and communication. For example, companies in country A and country B, one with a clear hierarchy and the other emphasizing collaboration, are prone to disagreements during cooperation. I think establishing a cross-cultural training mechanism can help resolve this..."

As soon as she finished speaking, the classroom erupted in applause, and the professor nodded in approval, saying, "Shi Ning, this viewpoint is novel, and your analysis is spot on."

After class, the professor called Shi Ning to his office. "Shi Ning, you've made tremendous progress! From being too afraid to speak up to now having profound insights, I'm very pleased. There's an international academic conference next month on the theme of cross-cultural communication and cooperation. I recommend you attend; it will greatly help you broaden your academic horizons and enhance your research capabilities."

Shi Ning was both surprised and delighted, and quickly said, "Thank you, Professor, I will definitely prepare well!"

In preparation for the seminar, Shi Ning went into overdrive.

She told Amy, "I need to thoroughly study all the relevant cutting-edge findings."

So, I was constantly running back and forth between the library and the dormitory, so busy that I didn't even have time to eat.

Amy felt sorry for Shi Ning, "Shi Ning, eat first, your health is the most important thing!"

"No, I still have a lot of materials to read."

"The data won't disappear, don't exhaust yourself."

Only after Amy's repeated persuasion did Shi Ning reluctantly stop and hurriedly shovel a few mouthfuls of rice into her mouth.

However, when preparing, Shi Ning encountered a major problem.

Her research required firsthand data, and she contacted many companies, only to be rejected by all of them. Frustrated, she said to Amy, "What should I do? I'm hitting walls everywhere."

Amy encouraged her: "Don't give up. Why don't you try the school's alumni network? Maybe some alumni working in related companies can help you."

Shi Ning's eyes lit up. "That's right, how come I didn't think of that!"

The two immersed themselves in the alumni database, searching for several days, and finally contacted an alumnus who was a senior executive at a multinational corporation. Touched by Shi Ning's persistence, the alumnus agreed to provide the data.

Shi Ning jumped up excitedly, "Amy, that's great! Thanks to your idea!"

As the date of the seminar drew closer, Shi Ning repeatedly rehearsed his speech.

"Amy, can you listen to this and see if there are any other problems?"

"Yes, speak a little slower here for clearer expression."

"And here, let's delve a little deeper into the case analysis."

With the help of Amy and other classmates, Shi Ning became more and more prepared.

Finally, the day of the seminar arrived, and Shi Ning, dressed in formal attire, walked into the venue.

Looking at the room full of scholars and experts, she was so nervous that her palms were sweating.

Just then, she saw Amy in the audience, who gave her a thumbs-up.

When it was Shi Ning's turn to speak, she took a deep breath and walked onto the podium.

His voice trembled slightly at first, "Respected experts and scholars, what I want to share today is..."

As she spoke, she regained her confidence, and her voice grew louder and louder.

After he finished speaking, the audience erupted in applause.

After her speech, many scholars and experts gathered around to exchange ideas. A senior professor patted her on the shoulder and said, "Young lady, your research is very valuable. Keep up the good work, and you have a bright future!"

Shi Ning's eyes immediately welled up with tears. "Thank you, Professor. This journey has been so difficult."

After returning from the seminar, Shi Ning became famous at school. Her classmates looked at her differently, saying, "Shi Ning, you're amazing! Please mentor me in the future."

"Yes, let's participate in academic activities together."

Shi Ning smiled and agreed, becoming more cheerful and confident, and actively joined several research groups.

During a group research project, we encountered a complex topic that involved knowledge from multiple disciplines.

Shi Ning said, "I'd like to think of a solution from the perspective of cross-cultural studies. What do you all think?"

The group members nodded in agreement. They then worked together to research, analyze data, and discuss solutions.

"There seems to be something wrong with this data. Please double-check it."

"Can this solution be further optimized?"

After several months of hard work, the research report was completed, and Shi Ning won first prize in the school's academic competition. Shi Ning also received a scholarship.

She excitedly called home, "Mom, I won a scholarship! Thanks to my teachers, classmates, and Amy for their help."

Mom was beaming on the other end of the phone, "My darling, you've really made something of yourself!"

Time flies, graduation is just around the corner.

Shi Ning decided to pursue further studies and obtain a doctorate, to conduct in-depth research on cross-cultural communication and cooperation.

When applying to schools, I received many offers of admission from prestigious universities thanks to my excellent grades and rich experience.

She discussed it with Amy, "Which school do you think I should choose?"

"This world-class university is excellent; it has a great platform and abundant resources."

"Okay, that's it!"

On the day they left school, Shi Ning and Amy hugged each other tightly.

Amy said, "Shi Ning, you will definitely become more and more outstanding. Don't forget to keep in touch!"

Shi Ning nodded with tears in her eyes, "Definitely, thank you, Amy, I wouldn't be where I am today without you."

"Why are you thanking me? Aren't we best friends? Remember to call me when you get home."