Rebirth 08: Equipment God

Chapter 139 A Frenzied Call for People!

"Excuse me, I must have misheard you because I was too far away. You meant you're definitely applying to Tsinghua University, right?"

In the hallway, Zhai Da, who was about to open the door, was blocked.

"I mean I won't apply to Tsinghua University."

Tsinghua University admissions officer:
Where did you get up to the rooftop from? I'll go check!

That shouldn't be the case. Didn't I leave the Kyoto University students behind? We got several speeding tickets along the way. Did they contact us beforehand?

"You're thinking of applying to Peking University?"

Zhai Da shook his head and entered the room with Lu Wei: "No, well, thank you really, but we don't need to talk anymore."

Just as I was about to close the door, I noticed that the other person had stuck one foot into the crack in the door. The footwork was so natural that it was completely unnoticed.

The admissions officer's smile remained unchanged: "Student, how do you know you won't get into Tsinghua University if you don't look into the situation?"

He has been in charge of the provincial college entrance examination for seven years, and in those seven years he has never failed to produce a top scorer!
The top scorer in the humanities came from Tianyi High School, which is basically the headquarters of Peking University, so there's little hope for him. Besides, the top scorer in the sciences is even more prestigious.

They're a couple!

They wouldn't be dismissed with just a few words.

Zhai Da looked at the foot and recalled the rumors he had heard online before, saying that Tsinghua University and Peking University were extremely fierce in their competition for the top scorer. Someone once called the top scorer frantically to prevent his peers from contacting him, which made the top scorer so angry that he turned off his phone. Then he went offline to persuade the top scorer.

There was also a case where the top-scoring student was blocked at his doorstep, and Tsinghua University and Peking University almost got into a fight outside. In the end, the Peking University students took the top-scoring student and fled overnight, offering the whole family a free trip to northern Beijing to avoid the harassment from Tsinghua University. They even confiscated his mobile phone.

In short, in order to compete for the top scorer, these people not only offer tempting conditions, but also act somewhat excessively, even fighting each other.

But Zhai Da wasn't having any of it. He slammed the door shut tighter and tighter, until the other person's shoes, which had been trying to cut in line, were deformed: "Teacher, isn't this inappropriate?"

The admissions officer knew this was the golden hour; once the Peking University representatives arrived, things would get messy again: "Zhai, how about this, I'll take you to a five-star hotel for a buffet, and we can chat at our leisure?"

At least we can't let anyone from Kyoto University run into us.

Zhai Da laughed and said, "You're really amazing! You even built a hotel for me. Dongyang County doesn't have a five-star hotel!"

Click, the door finally closed.

"Zhai! No way! Four-star is fine too!"

"Not even four-star! The highest is three-star! And there's no buffet!"

Ignoring the commotion outside, Zhai Da turned to Lu Wei and shrugged: "Becoming the top scholar is great, but it's more troublesome than I imagined."

This is just the first one to arrive; I expect Kyoto University will be here soon too.

Moreover, shouldn't universities like Nanjing University and Southeast University also try to recruit provincial top scorers, even if it's just a formality?
Shouldn't the entrance look like a vegetable market?
Zhai Da thought for a moment and decided to call Yu Xiaoli. Logically speaking, both he and Lu Wei had their mothers' contact numbers for the college entrance exams, so they should have contacted their mothers first before these people blocked their door offline.

However, I found two text messages on my phone from unknown numbers, which had been sent a long time ago but were buried among a bunch of messages from classmates.

"Xiao Da, my phone is broken and I can't charge it. I sent this message using your Aunt Li's phone. Don't worry, I'll be home after get off work."

Okay, I see.
------

Outside the door, Liu Tiejun, an admissions officer at Tsinghua University, frowned deeply.

This is troublesome. This year, there are three top scorers from different provinces. The liberal arts student has already secured a spot at Peking University, which was a gamble in advance. Tsinghua University also had a gamble, but neither of them got in.

What's more, the two of them were together, which made them an incredibly lucrative target!
"Did you get through on the phone? The contact person for both of their college entrance exams is the same person, which should be Zhai Da's mother."

The deputy said awkwardly, "I've been trying to call, but the phone has been switched off the whole time."

"Why would it be switched off...? Could it be that Kyoto University is directly targeting the mother? What a despicable tactic!"

Even if someone is in arrears, they can still top up their account; but if the phone is off, they're truly helpless.

Just then, another group of voices came from the hallway: "Teacher Liu, you're much faster than us. Isn't it a bit unethical of you to speed like this all the way?"

Liu Tiejun turned his head, his anxiety vanishing instantly, replaced by confidence: "Teacher Wu, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. However, you can go back now. Zhai and Lu are already planning to return to Beijing with us and are packing their luggage." Most students hadn't even checked their scores yet because of their internet cards, and Liu Tiejun was already implying that Zhai Da and Lu Wei were about to leave for Tsinghua University.
Wu Xiong, an admissions officer at Peking University, felt a sudden jolt, but he managed to calm himself down: "That can't be right. Young people should always listen to different perspectives to gain a clear understanding. They should also be interested in Peking University's training program."

"No, no, no, this child has wanted to go to Tsinghua University since he was a child."

"No, no, no, let's compete fairly. Let's talk openly and honestly. You're not going to be stuck outside, are you?"

An invisible confrontation has begun.

At this moment, perhaps because too many people had gathered in the hallway, the door of the apartment two doors down opened, and an old man poked his head out and said, "What's all the noise about! What are you doing here!"

The people from Peking University, who were nearby, immediately said, "Sorry to bother you, sir. We are from Peking University's admissions office. Does Zhai Da live in room 301?"

The old man scanned him warily from head to toe: "Peking University? That's a scam, isn't it? Why are you asking about Xiao Zhai?"

One of them immediately held up his work ID: "Sir, we're not scammers. Are you acquainted with Xiao Zhai?"

The old man stared at him for a long time, then suddenly changed his expression to a smile: "Oh my~ Little Zhai is going to Peking University? I know him very well! I even played his ding-ding when I was a kid!"

Wu Xiong immediately gave a signal, and one of the accompanying teachers followed the old man into the house to find out what was going on.

"Then you must tell me, what method was used back then?"

"Let me explain in detail. Come, let me pour you a glass of water."

The battle for control is essentially an intelligence war; only by identifying the weaknesses can we find the right solutions.

They were particularly puzzled as to why Lu Wei and Zhai Da were living together, since they shouldn't be related by blood, yet they had the same phone number and address.

Not long after, another new person entered the corridor. A middle-aged man with a receding hairline, accompanied by three or four others, jogged over and grabbed Wu Xiong's hand, saying, "You must be Professor Liu from Tsinghua University? Oh dear, Maofang Middle School has been so unwelcoming!"

Liu Tiejun inside coughed lightly: "This way, Principal Wang!"

Then he looked triumphantly at Wu Xiong, thinking, "I've managed to get this amazing combination of the principal and the dean of studies from Maofang Middle School."

What do you have to fight me with?!

Wu Xiong sneered: "You want to call in reinforcements, huh? Anyone can do that!"
Not long after, the director of the Dongyang County Education Bureau, who had just received the good news, also arrived with his team, running all the way: "Hello, teachers from Peking University! Principal Wang is here too? Congratulations!"

They were recruited by professors from Kyoto University.

Wu Xiong thought to himself, "Just because of the name Peking University, even a small county-level education bureau would have to take a taxi over with just one phone call!"
I'm in such a rush that I don't even need an invoice!

The locals in Dongyang were overjoyed. Zhai Da's previous estimate of 450 points was, after all, an estimate. Not to mention the decades since the founding of the People's Republic of China, even going back several centuries to the Sui and Tang dynasties when the imperial examinations first appeared, there had never been a top scholar (Zhuangyuan).
So when Maofang Middle School reported it, it was just good news at most, but no one took it seriously. If it were a county that frequently produces top scorers, they would probably have made a big deal out of it.

Now, surprises are more joyful than waiting, and you reap a lot of rewards without much effort!

The director of the education bureau beamed with joy: "Oh my, Maofang Middle School has produced two top scorers! This is a major achievement resulting from the long-term efforts of our county's education work!"

The bureau chief is the bureau chief, and the county bureau is also a bureau; a single sentence can define the nature of the matter.

Principal Wang was dumbfounded: "Huh? Both top scorers are from the wool textile industry? And that Lu Wei too?"

Where did this come from? Wait, that name sounds familiar.

"I left in a hurry, and the teacher who reported to me didn't seem to explain clearly. Who is Lu Wei?"

Liu Tiejun from Tsinghua University explained, "Lu Wei tied for first place in science, but she applied for the exam herself. However, her original school registration in her file is Maofang Middle School. Wait a minute, wasn't she one of your repeat students? She couldn't have really been self-taught, could she?"

Principal Wang was stunned for a moment, then suddenly pounded on the door: "Zhai Da! Open the door! It's me, your principal!"

"I'm here to deliver Lu Wei's student registration certificate! Open the door quickly!"

She definitely repeated a year of high school! She absolutely had to!

At most, it's just their negligence—they didn't have time to submit it, the data was lost, the teacher was negligent, or the archives exploded!
He can find someone to take the blame! But we can't let these two top scorers get away with it!

Gradually, more and more people appeared in the hallway.

　There's an extra chapter today.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)