A perfect score on the college entrance exam? The Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng has astonis

"Chen Mo, did Principal Wang call you?"

"I hit him."

"Okay. Can we continue our conversation now?"

Teacher Li's tone became even more enthusiastic.

"Chen Mo, let me briefly tell you about our school—Tsinghua University values ​​students like you highly. Full scholarships, the ability to choose your own major, a dedicated academic mentor, and the possibility of a combined bachelor's, master's, and doctoral program are all negotiable."

After finishing the whole thing in one breath, Teacher Li took a breath and then added a sentence.

"Chen Mo, your grades are among the best in the country, and Tsinghua University is the best choice for you."

Chen Mo remained silent for two seconds.

"Thank you, Ms. Li. I'll think about it."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

Teacher Li clearly did not expect the answer "I'll think about it".

"Chen Mo,"

Teacher Li's voice became even more sincere.

"We can discuss the conditions gradually. Please feel free to share your thoughts and requests. Our school will do its best to meet your needs. Also—"

He paused for a moment, then said something that stunned everyone present:

"Our admissions officers are already on their way to you, so please don't choose to join any other school."

Chen Mo: "..."

Su Wanci: "..."

Tangtang dropped the pearl from her hand again.

Admissions officer.

It's already on its way.

Before Chen Mo could answer, another call popped up on his phone screen.

It starts with 010. Another unfamiliar landline number.

He said to Teacher Li, "Teacher Li, I have a phone call coming in, I'll hang up now."

"Wait, Chen Mo—"

Chen Mo is dead.

He switched to the second call and pressed the answer button.

"Feed?"

"Hello, is this Chen Mo? This is Ms. Zhang from the Admissions Office of Peking University! We've finally got in touch with you!"

Chen Mo: "..."

Su Wanci couldn't help but cover her mouth with her hand.

Peking University also called.

If Zhao Tianyu were still here, I wonder what his expression would be—but he's gone. He ran away.

"Chen Mo, we've all seen your grades. Peking University is very impressed with you—"

"Teacher Zhang,"

Chen Mo interrupted him.

"I'm sorry, I just received a call from Tsinghua University. They had the president provide me with a certificate. Could you please provide one as well?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, then Teacher Zhang laughed: "Of course. Wait a moment, I'll have your principal call you again."

Chen Mo hesitated for a moment.

"The same principal?"

"The same one."

"Won't the principal find that annoying?"

There was another second of silence on the other end of the phone.

Then, in a tone of someone who had been through it all, Teacher Zhang said, "Chen Mo, don't worry, your principal received more than just calls from Tsinghua and Peking Universities today."

"Fudan University, Zhejiang University, Nanjing University, University of Science and Technology of China... your phone will probably be very busy in the next few days. Your president's phone is even busier than yours; he's used to it."

Chen Mo: "..."

Su Wanci finally couldn't help but chuckle softly.

The laughter was soft, like the wind blowing through a wind chime, but it was exceptionally clear at the quiet escalator entrance.

as predicted.

Two minutes later.

Principal Wang called again.

This time.

Principal Wang's tone was slightly different than before... how should I put it...

exhausted?

But there was also an undisguised joy in it?

"Chen Mo, Teacher Zhang from the Peking University Admissions Office has contacted me. I have confirmed again that their identities are genuine, so you can communicate with them with peace of mind."

He paused for a moment.

Then he said something else.

"Chen Mo, in all my years as principal, today has been the day I've received the most phone calls."

"After Tsinghua University, they attacked Peking University; after Peking University, they attacked Fudan University; after Fudan University, they attacked Zhejiang University... I still have seven missed calls on my phone, all from the admissions offices of various universities."

His tone contained helplessness and exhaustion, but even more so, an overflowing pride.

"To tell you the truth, you're now a hot commodity at every school."

"Tsinghua and Peking Universities are vying for you, and Fudan and Shanghai Jiao Tong Universities are also lining up. Think it over carefully and choose the one that best suits you."

He paused, then added a sentence.

"But don't make me call again to verify the truth. As the principal, I've already called you twice today. If I make a few more, I'm afraid I'll start to say the wrong thing."

Chen Mo's lips curled up slightly: "Thank you, Principal Wang, you've worked hard."

"It's not hard work, it's nothing."

Principal Wang's voice was tinged with laughter.

"If you answer a few more calls from schools, I'll have to keep calling. It's okay, go ahead and answer them. I, the principal, will be your witness today."

The phone hangs up.

Chen Mo put his phone in his pocket, looked up, and found Su Wanci looking at him.

Her eyes were so bright, it was as if stars had fallen into them.

She didn't say anything, just looked at him with a slight smile on her lips.

That curve contained surprise, pride, a little bit of smugness that said "I knew you were something special," and something soft and indescribable.

Tang Tang squatted on the ground, clutching a handful of wet tissues, with a few uncollected pearls in front of her.

She looked up at Chen Mo, her mouth agape.

One sentence kept echoing in her mind—

The person she was just mocking, saying "he's good for nothing except being handsome."

Now, however, he's someone that Tsinghua and Peking Universities are vying to recruit.

She lowered her head and continued picking up the pearls. One, two, three—she lost count and didn't want to count anymore.

She just wanted to finish picking everything up as quickly as possible and leave.

Chen Mo put his phone down and turned to look at Su Wanci.

"Let's go."

He said, "Weren't we going to walk downstairs?"

Su Wanci looked at him and suddenly smiled. The smile was very light and faint, but it was brighter than all the lights in the mall.

"Okay." She nodded and followed in his footsteps.

The two walked side by side toward the escalator. Behind them, Tang Tang squatted on the ground picking up pearls, her head down, and did not follow.

As the escalator slowly descended, Chen Mo and Su Wanci stood on the same step, a fist's distance between their shoulders.

"What you just said, 'I'll think about it'..."

Su Wanci suddenly spoke, her voice carrying a hint of laughter she had been suppressing for a long time, "Are you serious?"

"I'm serious," Chen Mo said.

"When Tsinghua University tells you, 'The admissions officers are already on their way,' you reply, 'I'll think about it'?"

"Um."

Su Wanci remained silent for two seconds.

Are you deliberately trying to annoy them?

Chen Mo glanced at her, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

"No, I am genuinely considering it."

The escalator reached the first floor.

As the two walked down, the mall's air conditioning hit them, and the flash mob event in the atrium continued, with music and voices mixed together, creating a noisy and lively atmosphere.

Su Wanci walked beside Chen Mo and suddenly whispered something.

"You said before that you wouldn't let me repeat a year—so that's what you meant."

Chen Mo did not answer, but just kept walking forward.

Su Wanci quickened her pace to catch up with him, turning her head to look at his face.

"Is there anything else I don't know?"

Chen Mo thought for a moment.

"a lot of."

...

...