Lei Shengli waved the report card in his hand when Old Zhao grabbed his arm abruptly.

“Teacher Lei, why are you back so late? The Principal has asked about you several times!”

Yes, Principal Sun had inquired multiple times before, but after learning about the number of students who passed the cutoff score and Xia Xiaolan’s results, he had turned into a typical scoundrel who’d forgotten his promises, dismissing Lei Shengli’s whereabouts completely. Why rush about those students’ scores? The provincial top scorer was from Anqing No. 1 High School – with the greatest honor secured, Principal Sun was exceptionally calm.

Old Zhao couldn’t say that, of course. After expressing the school leadership’s concern, Lei Shengli’s eyes welled up with tears, feeling he hadn’t let down the organization’s trust, especially after losing a shoe at the Provincial Examination Office. When he finally found that shoe, its upper was completely ruined – a testament to how ruthless those reporters and teachers from other schools had been.

Wearing his damaged shoe and clutching the report card, Lei Shengli was quickly grabbed by Old Zhao’s swift hands and pushed into the school.

Others weren’t allowed in without Principal Sun’s permission!

“We’re reporters!”

“We have the right to interview!”

“Why did that person get to go in…”

It was infuriating. When had the “uncrowned kings” ever been blocked before? Except for classified facilities, they could go anywhere in the country. Today, they were stopped by a county high school security guard – this was ridiculous! If the provincial top scorer hadn’t come from Anqing County No. 1 High School, they wouldn’t even bother coming here for interviews, even if paid!

They wanted to just leave!

But no, they had to stay calm. There was only one provincial top scorer – if they didn’t interview the top scorer, were they supposed to interview the second-place student?

If the second-place student had scored 615 points, they could at least ask where they lost that precious point that cost them the top position – that would be newsworthy. But with a full 45-point gap – the top scorer at 616 points and second place at 571 – what was there to interview about? Listening to someone explain 45 minor mistakes would surely be tedious.

Security guard Old Zhao stood firmly at the gate. Even with reporters’ spittle flying in his face, he remained unmoved.

Did they think they were entitled to see Xia Xiaolan?

Without Principal Sun’s and Student Xia Xiaolan’s permission, Old Zhao stubbornly kept the gate closed.

“Provincial top scorer? If you want to interview Student Xiaolan, you need the Principal’s permission!”

Old Zhao’s stance was firm. A reporter’s eyes lit up, “Then can we interview you?”

“The Provincial Top Scorer Through a Security Guard’s Eyes?” – that title could work, a fresh angle indeed.

Old Zhao, gripping the baton at his waist, was completely stunned. Having lived most of his life, could he appear on TV and in newspapers? His first reaction wasn’t excitement but rather concern about the unpatched hole in his uniform from last night. Had he known he’d be on TV, he wouldn’t have worn this torn uniform!

Old Zhao removed his hand from the baton and awkwardly tugged at his hem, trying to hide the tear in his uniform. Some unscrupulous reporter seized the moment and quickly snapped a photo with a “click.”

This was good material too – so this was what Anqing County No. 1 High School was like, where even security guards had to wear torn clothes, suggesting how financially strapped the school must be.

That they could produce the top scorer under such difficult conditions – this was another angle for the story. Principal Sun, if he knew about this, would be mentally screaming in protest – the school wasn’t that poor, they could certainly afford proper uniforms for their security guards. But Principal Sun wouldn’t bother explaining; he’d thank this reporter profusely – after all, how else would they secure additional funding from above?

Old Zhao’s key observations about Xia Xiaolan were:

“She’s exceptionally polite, courteous to everyone. She always chats with me about recent happenings whenever she comes to school… This child is the most outstanding student I’ve encountered in all my years as a security guard.”

Old Zhao spoke from his heart – it wasn’t because Xia Xiaolan had offered him cigarettes. Any student who could achieve the province’s top score while studying at home would earn the same praise from him. But Xia Xiaolan rarely came to school, so Old Zhao didn’t know much about her.

Besides knowing about her problematic relatives, what else could he say?

It wouldn’t be appropriate to discuss troublesome relatives in front of reporters – after all, family problems should remain private.

Just as Old Zhao was struggling with this dilemma, Principal Sun came running out, saving him.

“Here to interview Student Xia Xiaolan? Well… alright, please come in, reporter friends.”

…

Of course, everyone was delighted about having the provincial top scorer.

Next came the interviews with the provincial champion. Xia Xiaolan had wanted to keep a low profile – while she aimed for the best university, she hadn’t wanted to become a celebrity student. But how could Principal Sun pass up this opportunity to promote Anqing County No. 1 High School, especially given Xia Xiaolan’s unique circumstances – her arm still in a cast, for instance?

Wasn’t that inspiring enough?

If not inspiring enough, Principal Sun had other stories to share with the reporters.

What could Xia Xiaolan say? She suspected Principal Sun had mastered the art of “fake crying” – if she refused, he might burst into tears again.

So Principal Sun led the large group into the school, gradually revealing bits of the provincial champion’s secret history like squeezing toothpaste.

“Student Xiaolan transferred to Anqing County No. 1 High School just last year. The moment I saw her, I knew she was a promising student, and our school had to accept her.”

A transfer student?

The Principal mentioning this surely had more to come – if she’d only studied there for a year, how could they claim credit for the top scorer’s outstanding performance?

The reporters pursued Principal Sun with questions. Teacher Wang lagged, never imagining his superior could be such a brazen liar. What nonsense about spotting talent at first sight – he spoke as if he’d personally supervised Xia Xiaolan’s entrance exam. Who would’ve paid attention to a transfer student then? Wang had delegated the task to Teacher Qi, who passed it to newcomer Little Sun.

Wang heard Principal Sun continue his shameless boasting:

“Not only was Student Xiaolan a transfer student but she was given special permission to enter senior year directly. She only had a middle school education before and had dropped out for several years. Well, due to difficult family circumstances, Xia Xiaolan never gave up her dream of education, and finally returned to school last year…”

Principal Sun’s solemn expression was perfectly measured.

The reporters were stunned by this information overload.

So, the provincial champion had dropped out after middle school, stayed home for years, then transferred to Anqing County No. 1 High School last year, started high school, took the college entrance exam this year, and achieved the province’s top score in science?

Some reporters glared at Principal Sun angrily – even lies should have limits! Were they being treated like children?

Principal Sun wasn’t nervous about this part – everything he said was true.

As they walked and talked, the reporters were initially overwhelmed by Principal Sun’s presence but later realized he was including too much self-promotion. Anqing County No. 1 High School wasn’t that big, yet Principal Sun had led them around three times – when would they meet the provincial champion?!

Some reporters protested, and gradually everyone joined in. Principal Sun coughed twice:

“In any case, Student Xiaolan is very different from your typical image of a provincial top scorer!”

Principal Sun was truly a master of building suspense. Some reporters belatedly realized they were being led by the nose by a county high school principal, thinking Principal Sun was wasting his talents here – with such skills in suspense-building and narrative control, he should at least be editor-in-chief at a provincial newspaper. Under his leadership, the provincial paper would surely sell out!