A Literary Life Starting from the First Year of High School

October 28th, Friday.

Lin Shubai received the news during math class.

He was struggling with a function problem when Old Chen suddenly appeared at the classroom door and waved to the math teacher. The two whispered a few words in the hallway, the math teacher nodded, and then Old Chen pushed the door open and locked his gaze precisely on Lin Shubai.

"Lin Shubai, come out for a moment."

The class was silent for half a second, then began to buzz with discussion. Liu Yang turned around from the front row and mouthed three words: "Is it—" He didn't finish the sentence, but Lin Shubai understood.

He stood up and walked out of the classroom. The wind in the corridor was colder than it had been a few days ago, making him shrink back – he wasn't wearing his scarf today; Wang Xiulan had said, "It's not cold, why are you wearing it?" completely forgetting who had wrapped him up like a dumpling last week.

In the office, Old Chen held a folder in his hand, his face beaming with undisguised joy. "The results of the regional finals are in."

Lin Shubai remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

First Prize

He opened the folder, inside was an award notification stamped with a red seal, which read Lin Shubai's name, school name, and the words "First Prize in the Regional Finals".

"Sixty people from the city participated, and six won first prize. You are one of them." Old Chen paused, then added, "This is the first time since our school was founded that someone has made it to the national finals."

Lin Shubai was stunned for a moment. He knew this competition was highly prestigious, but he didn't expect to break a school record along the way.

"So," Old Chen closed the folder, "the school takes this very seriously. The principal wants to see you."

"Now?"

"Now. Let's go."

Old Chen turned and walked away, his leather shoes clattering on the floor tiles, his pace twenty percent faster than usual.

The principal's office was on the third floor of the administration building. The door was made of solid wood, with a bronze plaque hanging above it that read "Principal's Office." Old Chen knocked twice, and a strong, resonant voice came from inside: "Come in."

Pushing open the door, Lin Shubai found the office larger than he had imagined. Behind a large, dark-colored desk sat a man in his fifties, his hair neatly combed, wearing a white shirt and a dark blue jacket. Seeing Lin Shubai enter, he stood up and walked around the desk to him.

"This must be Lin Shubai?" The principal looked him up and down, then extended his hand. "Hello, I'm Principal Zhou Zhiyuan."

Lin Shubai shook hands with him. Principal Zhou's handshake was firm, probably to express "I value you very much".

"Sit down, sit down." Principal Zhou gestured to the sofa and sat down opposite him. Old Chen sat down next to him and placed his folder on the coffee table.

"First prize in the regional finals, and then in the national finals. You're the first person in all the years our school has been established to achieve this." Principal Zhou's tone carried a suppressed excitement. "In all my years as principal, what I've hoped for most is for students to go out and showcase themselves on a bigger stage. You've done it."

"Thank you, Principal."

"The school has made all the arrangements. You and Teacher Chen will go to Beijing together. The train tickets have been bought for the 30th, and you'll arrive this afternoon." Principal Zhou took an envelope from under the coffee table and pushed it over. "This is a competition subsidy prepared for you by the school. It's not much, but it's a token of our appreciation."

Lin Shubai glanced at the envelope; it was of moderate thickness. He didn't open it. He nodded. "Thank you, Principal."

"I should be thanking you. I've finally made a name for myself in Shanghai's education scene," Principal Zhou said, leaning back on the sofa with a smile. "The opponents in the national finals are all top performers from various regions, making the regional finals much more difficult. When you compete, just stay calm and perform normally. It would be great if you could win an award, but don't feel pressured if you can't. You've already brought honor to the school."

Old Chen chimed in from the side, "The final round is a live-action assignment, with the topic set on the spot. There's a three-hour time limit and no word limit. It's definitely difficult, but Lin Shubai has the ability to do it."

Principal Zhou nodded, then glanced at Lin Shubai: "Alright, that's settled then. Teacher Chen, please take good care of him on the way."

"Don't worry."

When Lin Shubai returned to the classroom, it was during break time. As soon as Lin Shubai pushed open the door, Liu Yang rushed over like a cannonball.

"How is it? How is it? How is it?!"

At least half the class was looking this way.

"First prize in the regional competition, we've made it to the finals." Lin Shubai lowered his voice, but Liu Yang's volume control was practically nonexistent.

"Holy crap! I knew it! I told you so! My brother could definitely do it!"

Su Wan stood up from her seat, walked over, and asked with a smile, "When are we going?"

"The train is on the 30th, arriving in Beijing that evening. I'll check out the exam venue on the 31st, and the exam will be on November 1st."

"How many days will you be gone?"

"About three or four days. I'll be back after the exam."

"Keep it up, great writer!"

At lunchtime, the cafeteria was busier than usual. Lin Shubai carried his tray to his usual spot, where Liu Yang had already taken a seat. In front of him were three plates: chicken leg, braised pork, and stir-fried vegetables, with an extra bowl of steamed egg custard next to him.

"Did you have an extra meal today?" Lin Shubai sat down.

"To celebrate making it to the finals." Liu Yang pushed the steamed egg custard towards you. "I made this especially for you. Eat it while it's hot."

Su Wan said quietly from the side, "He got you a bowl of food while he was getting food for himself. Don't be too touched too soon."

"That's the thought that counts."

Lin Shubai picked up a spoon and scooped up a spoonful of steamed egg custard. It tasted alright, but it was a bit salty.

"Is it cold in the capital?" Su Wan suddenly asked.

"Around zero degrees Celsius."

"Then wear something warmer. Don't let your hands get so cold that you can't write."

"Don't worry, Ms. Wang Xiulan will make all the arrangements."

Halfway through their meal, Zhang Wei, carrying a bowl of noodles, walked by and stopped to look at Lin Shubai: "I heard you made it to the national finals? Awesome, bro."

"Thanks."

Just as Zhang Wei left, Zhang Siyuan came over carrying a tray.

He sat down opposite Lin Shubai, put down his plate, which contained a plate of scrambled eggs with tomatoes and a bowl of rice.

"Lin Shubai, congratulations!" Zhang Siyuan adjusted his glasses. "First prize in the regional competition, and now in the national finals. Our school's first."

"Thank you. How are you?"

Zhang Siyuan shook his head: "Third prize. Almost."

Zhang Siyuan picked up a piece of tomato, put it in his mouth, chewed it a couple of times, and asked, "When are you going to the finals?"

Number 30.

"It's cold in Beijing, wear more clothes. I went there last winter and my ears almost fell off from the cold."

Lin Shubai touched his ears: "Then I need to buy some earmuffs."

"Why buy earmuffs? If you pull that scarf up, it will cover your ears and face completely, leaving only your eyes showing. It looks like you're robbing a bank."

Su Wan burst out laughing. Liu Yang was even more direct, laughing so hard he almost spat out his chicken leg.