Age of Legends

Chapter 343 Accept Your Challenge
Some are rising, some are falling.

In July 2001, two things were the talk of the town in Fuzhou: the success of a locally produced reality dating show featuring ordinary people, and the complete shutdown of Shengfeng Express, with its manager, Zhao Tao, being taken away for investigation.

Because Zhao Tao was quite famous in the underworld of Rongcheng, he was often talked about, and various rumors spread.

So even before the investigation concluded, there was already a wave of voices digging into the backgrounds of Zhao Tao and his group.

The general impression is that Zhao Tao and his gang dominated the express delivery market, forming a criminal organization.

Some leaders even proposed at the meeting to thoroughly investigate the chaos in the express delivery market and to investigate whether some anonymous reports were true.

Unlike the hustle and bustle of society, the school campuses in Fuzhou seem to be far removed from all that. In the sweltering and oppressive July, some classrooms are adorned with signs that read, "Seven days left until the final battle!" or "Sprint to the last kilometer!" During evening self-study sessions, parents wait at the school gate, offering their students fruit, chicken legs, barbecue, and even oral liquids that claim to have brain-boosting effects.

Some were still buried in endless practice problems, while others, due to lack of sleep, would simply nap at their desks. Of course, there were also those who slept soundly from beginning to end, most of whom probably slept through the entire high school year. Zhang Chen sometimes saw the confusion in their eyes; he had once been one of them.

In this era when bookstores were ubiquitous and quite prosperous, the bookstores on the streets were crammed with all kinds of tutoring materials and practice papers. Outside some tutoring centers, parents gathered in groups to discuss their children, their expressions even more serious than the students they were sending in.

During this period, a special atmosphere permeated Fuzhou: on one hand, there was a sense of unease and tension in society, as if it were another world, with undercurrents of power and interests surging; on the other hand, the young people in the ivory tower were about to enter the examination hall and face the first real crossroads in their lives.

That year, 454 million students took the college entrance examination, and the admission rate was 59%.

Yude School gave students a three-day break before the college entrance examination. On the one hand, the school is also an examination site where preparations begin, and on the other hand, resting at home helps students relax in the final stages.

On the last day of evening self-study, unexpectedly, many people did not rush to leave after the bell rang, but lingered in the corridor. Some people tore up books and threw them into the courtyard while shouting, which attracted some others to follow suit. However, it did not become a large-scale event, and after being scolded and interrupted by the teacher, they slunk away.

A large group of people walked side by side as if they had made an appointment.

Although the homeroom teacher, Zhou Ming, put on an emotional performance during today's class, his emotional appeal ultimately had little effect. On the one hand, he reminded everyone of his efforts over the past three years, urging them to repay him by getting good grades and coming back successful in the future, and not to forget him.

What's strange is that Zhou Ming didn't look at Zhang Chen today. He probably got some news from society and learned that Huang Huifen's company was spending a lot of money on land acquisition and operations because some real estate trends in Rongcheng have recently started to collectively speak negatively about Huang Huifen.

Some media outlets even claimed that Huang Huifen's cash flow was not smooth, that she was operating with debt, and pointed out that her capital costs were high and that her projects faced the risk of becoming unfinished. The report even directly called her a "housewife who came to the real estate industry halfway through," who had not received professional real estate training and did not understand financial models, and whose so-called project investments were "entirely based on enthusiasm."

These articles, taken together, portray Huang Huifen as a female real estate businesswoman who "rushed around recklessly, lacked professional knowledge, and relied solely on brute force and connections," as if her success today was entirely due to luck and had no method whatsoever.

After failing to secure land from Liu Qi, Huang Huifen's project is unlikely to replicate its previous success, and it is highly probable that it will be recalled by the bank due to a broken funding chain.

Therefore, Zhou Ming no longer considers Huang Huifen to be a successful businesswoman, and even suspects that her family may incur huge debts due to future business failures.

Therefore, Zhou Ming no longer seems to need to fawn over Zhang Chen as much, and even feels that his previous understanding was superficial.

Zhou Ming's final speech failed to generate much excitement; on the contrary, Qin Guimei and her students were all in tears. Zhou Ming was furious and turned away.

They lingered after school, and by the time they came downstairs, a huge line had already formed.

Zheng Xue and Shen Nuoyi were the leaders, with Zhang Chen and Wang Shuowei as the famous left and right wings. Next were Tian Jiayi, Li Runjia, and Xu Rui. Then, through Xu Rui, Zhuang Yanyue, who was on good terms with her, also came from Class 7 and joined the team.

Those who have created bulletin boards still recount the interesting stories from their time creating bulletin boards in their second year of high school.

Li Jiajun silently watched Shen Nuoyi's tall and slender figure, feeling happy at this moment, walking with her through the last part of the high school campus.

When someone asked about everyone's aspirations, everyone immediately perked up their ears and looked at Li Runjia and Shen Nuoyi.

That year's college entrance examination involved taking the exam first, then estimating scores, and filling out college application forms based on those scores. Finally, admissions were based on the final results and the applicants' choices.

"Li Runjia must be from Tsinghua or Peking University, which one are you?"

Li Runjia finally said, somewhat awkwardly, "Peking University contacted me and wants me to go directly to their medical school for a PhD." "Wow, that's awesome!"

"Eight years of schooling?"

"Yes."

"So you still want to take the exam?"

"If we're going to take the test, why won't we?"

"What kind of benefits are there? Otherwise, why would you study for eight years?" someone continued to gossip and delve deeper.

But she was still criticized by others: "Why are you asking so many questions? You can't just say what kind of discounts you're offering!"

Li Runjia maintained a mysterious smile.

Just like his previous life. Zhang Chen didn't know what conditions Peking University offered Li Runjia, but in the end, he still did very well in the exam, probably ranking first in his subject, and entered Peking University, becoming a famous neurosurgeon.

On the other hand, Shen Nuoyi is the one who has changed.

Shen Nuoyi got high scores back then, but she wasn't outstanding. And now, everyone's focus is definitely on asking about Shen Nuoyi's situation.

"Nuoyi, what about you? Have you been looking for me?"

“They haven’t contacted me.” Shen Nuoyi shook her head.

Everyone sighed, but then realized it was normal. These days, Tsinghua and Peking University graduates are highly sought after, especially in the fiercely competitive Sichuan province.

Although Shen Nuoyi's grades are currently in the top five at Yude High School, they haven't reached the level of Li Runjia, who is number one, so she shouldn't be on the shortlist. But that's still uncertain, because the final results will reshuffle the deck.

However, this situation of estimating scores and filling out college applications has its unique characteristics. If you haven't communicated with Tsinghua or Peking University beforehand and haven't filled out any applications, but your score is already high enough, then you can't change it. Later generations' system of filling out college applications after receiving scores is certainly much more humane, which directly led to fierce competition among top universities to poach students after the scores were released.

At this moment, Peng Xin paid no attention to the questions everyone was asking Shen Nuoyi; his target was a man.

The only man in his eyes was Zhang Chen.

His bespectacled, frog-like appearance from the movie came closer, and the eyes behind his thick-rimmed glasses, which were heavily nearsighted, shone with an unusual light.

Zhang Chen stammered, "What...what are you going to do?"

He said solemnly, "Zhang Chen, you must write your college entrance exam essay well."

"Why, why?"

"Because I will be serious and write a masterpiece! I will defeat you there."

The fighting spirit in the boy's eyes was more magnificent than the clouds in the sky, like a raging fire that burned across the entire horizon.

So cringey! Is this what high school kids are like...?

However, Zhang Chen nodded and said, "Man, you have successfully piqued my interest. I accept your challenge."

(End of this chapter)