Principal Sun nearly had a heart attack.

County No. 1 High School had given Xia Xiaolan tremendous freedom, nurturing this promising student who claimed Fengxian’s top science score in the mock exam. Principal Sun felt vindicated for all his preferential treatment. He had been waiting for this highest-hanging fruit to ripen naturally at the college entrance exam, but now the fruit looked too temptingly red, and that shameless old dog from Fengxian No. 2 High School was trying to snatch it!

Bah, what extra tutoring? Did Student Xiaolan need their special attention?

What terrified Principal Sun was that the Education Bureau leaders seemed somewhat interested in Fengxian No. 2’s principal’s proposal.

“Competing for provincial science champion” was an achievement the city’s Education Bureau leaders desired. Yunan Province was a major province for college entrance exams, with a large population and many candidates – hence the “mock exam” before the actual test. Now that the national standardized test was used, all students across the country took the same exam worth 690 points. If other provinces’ science champions scored 600 while Yunan’s only managed 580, even the Provincial Education Department wouldn’t lose face.

Such glory was worth fighting for – the County Education Bureau wanted city champions, the City Education Bureau wanted provincial champions, and the Provincial Education Department naturally wanted national champions.

Principal Sun firmly rejected this unreasonable fruit-picking request on the spot, but that old dog from Fengxian No. 2 just smiled:

“Let’s get the student’s opinion – what if she’s willing?”

Nonsense, Student Xiaolan would never leave County No. 1!

Principal Sun didn’t blurt this out because he felt uncertain. People naturally gravitate toward better opportunities – what if Xia Xiaolan believed Fengxian No. 2’s teaching quality was superior… No, Principal Sun couldn’t accept such an outcome.

Xia Xiaolan found it strange – hadn’t Principal Sun been happy just moments ago? Why had he suddenly become so melancholic?

Educated people’s melancholy was peculiar – they were sensitive and often didn’t even know why they were sad. Xia Xiaolan just heard Principal Sun say in a downcast tone:

“Stay at school a while longer, someone wants to meet you.”

She could agree to stay longer – Xia Xiaolan wanted to ask about Zhao Gang anyway, though she couldn’t mention it in front of others. After Principal Sun left, teachers from various subjects took turns praising Xia Xiaolan warmly. The English teacher already viewed her as his direct disciple – she had scored full marks again… After the teachers reluctantly departed, it was finally the Class Three students’ turn.

“Xiaolan, you scored almost 40 points higher than our previous top student.”

“Xiaolan, that question you explained to me last time – it appeared on the exam!”

“Xiaolan…”

Great, the students were practically mythologizing her. She really couldn’t predict exam questions – the identical question was pure coincidence.

How could Xia Xiaolan respond to such enthusiastic classmates?

Share lunch, of course!

Sister Huang’s Fast Food had become the gathering spot for Xia Xiaolan and her No. 1 High School classmates. Sister Huang had taken over Zhang’s former shop but hadn’t opened yet. The decoration remained unchanged – she just needed to add various furnishings, which would only take a few days. The shop was arranged through Principal Sun’s connections. Xia Xiaolan hadn’t put in any good words for Sister Huang – her business reputation among the school’s teachers and students spoke for itself. Principal Sun thought it wouldn’t hurt to let Sister Huang expand her business.

This was the power of reputation – Sister Huang’s honest business practices had paid off.

She never imagined that in just a few months, she’d progress from a roadside noodle stand to this. Seeing Xia Xiaolan bring a group of people, Sister Huang was excited: “You all did so well on the exam.”

The students all smiled.

Those who could join Xia Xiaolan and still had the mood to eat at Sister Huang’s must have passed the mock exam.

Looking back at the mock exam after passing, it didn’t seem that difficult – out of 690 total points, failing to score even 280? Those years of study would have been wasted. This wasn’t like 1977 when college entrance exams just resumed – during those two years, students nationwide had lost a decade of education, everyone’s level was low, so admission scores were low too.

For those taking the 1984 college entrance exam, preparation time was abundant. Even with different teaching quality across high schools, how could anyone claim to study seriously for years and not even score 280 points? That would probably be pretending to be serious.

There were also those who tried their hardest but were just too slow, their minds wouldn’t click – nothing could be done about that, and they probably weren’t suited for studying.

Sister Huang wanted to treat everyone, but the students refused:

“We’re treating the city champion to this meal!”

“That’s right, city champion!”

Other customers looked over curiously. Sister Huang felt proud, pointing at Xia Xiaolan: “See her? First place in the city’s mock exam. Not just in Anqing, she’s the best in all of Fengxian!”

That was indeed impressive.

County people were more knowledgeable than rural folks – they knew about the “mock exam,” which students called the mini college entrance exam.

Though it wasn’t the actual college entrance exam yet, being first in the entire city was truly remarkable. Xia Xiaolan wasn’t just a girl, but also beautiful – all of which differed from people’s impression of a “city champion.” Top students weren’t necessarily bookworms.

Xia Xiaolan felt embarrassed – it was just a mock exam, hardly worth being called city champion.

She tried to be modest, but her classmates wouldn’t have it. Xia Xiaolan had to accept the title – she was naturally happy too. Her knowledge came from accumulation in her previous life, reviewed and renewed in this one. From October last year to May this year, her scores improved each time through her efforts. Whether going to Yangcheng for stock or to the capital, when had she ever set aside her high school textbooks?

Every point was earned through Xia Xiaolan’s effort, she had nothing to be ashamed of.

She was happy because her efforts were rewarded – judging from the mock exam results, she would do better than in her previous life’s college entrance exam.

“Xiaolan, which university do you want to apply to?”

When no one else was around, Chen Qing finally couldn’t help asking.

Xia Xiaolan gave him a straight answer, “Hua Qing University, I want to get into Hua Qing University.”

Chen Qing was stunned.

Hua Qing and Jing University were the country’s top higher education institutions, also the two most renowned universities.

University students were called heaven’s proud children, and students from Hua Qing and Jing University truly deserved this title. Since the resumption of college entrance exams, no one from Anqing County had ever been admitted to either school.

Xia Xiaolan’s ambitions were lofty, shocking Chen Qing.

After the shock, it somehow seemed natural. If Xia Xiaolan had scored 465 in the mock exam, with less than two months until the college entrance exam, saying her goal was Hua Qing University would be dreaming. But with 565 points, even if there was still a gap with Hua Qing, she could almost reach its gates on tiptoe!

Obviously, others thought the same – while Xia Xiaolan might not reach the national championship on tiptoe, she could compete for the provincial championship.

Yunan Province’s top science score in the mock exam was 579 points, just 14 points higher than Xia Xiaolan. In the principal’s office, Xia Xiaolan met the visitors Principal Sun mentioned – Principal Qian from Fengxian No. 2 and Principal Luo from Fengxian No. 1.

“Student Xia, if you come to study in Fengxian, what’re the 14 points? We’ll focus on whichever subjects can be improved quickly, and invite provincial-level excellent teachers to tutor you!”