A Literary Life Starting from the First Year of High School

November 9th, Saturday.

Lin Shubai stood in front of the mirror, wearing a light blue shirt that Wang Xiulan had bought at the department store yesterday.

"Turn around so I can see." Wang Xiulan stood behind him, holding a tie in her hand.

"Mom, I don't wear a tie."

"He's a professor at Peking University; wearing a tie shows respect."

"I was sixteen, and I wore a tie like an insurance salesman."

Wang Xiulan stared at him for two seconds, then put down her tie. "Then tuck your shirt into your pants."

"It's stuffed up."

"Tighten it up."

"It's tight."

Wang Xiulan looked him up and down three more times, then reached behind his shirt collar and tucked the tag back in, took a step back, and nodded: "Alright. Where's your dad?"

"Shining shoes in the living room."

Lin Jianguo was indeed polishing shoes. He sat on the sofa, his left foot on a newspaper, his right hand holding a rag, giving a pair of black leather shoes a thorough polishing.

Wang Xiulan came out of the bedroom, dressed in a dark blue dress, her hair up, and wearing a pair of pearl earrings—she had bought them for her wedding and rarely wore them. Lin Shubai was stunned when he saw the earrings; the last time he saw them was in the family photo, the one of Wang Xiulan in her wedding dress.

"Mom, you look beautiful today."

Wang Xiulan glared at him. "Stop flattering me. Did you bring everything?"

"I brought my ID card, transcripts, award certificates, and sample copies of my published articles."

Wang Xiulan nodded in satisfaction, then picked up a folder from the coffee table, opened it and checked it again to make sure that every document was inside, then closed it and put it into her handbag.

Nanjing Road was packed with people. On Saturday morning, tourists, couples, and families filled the entire street. Wang Xiulan stopped in front of a coffee shop.

Is this the place?

"It's this one."

Three people pushed open the door and entered. A man in his forties, wearing a dark gray jacket over a white shirt and no tie, sat by the window. In front of him was a cup of Americano, and next to him was a black briefcase. He was looking down at his phone and looked up when he heard footsteps.

His gaze swept over Wang Xiulan and Lin Jianguo, then landed on Lin Shubai, pausing for a moment.

"Lin Shubai?" He stood up.

"Hello, Teacher Liu." Lin Shubai walked over.

Teacher Liu extended his hand, and Lin Shubai shook it. Teacher Liu's hand was dry, with a moderate pressure, and he shook it slightly as if confirming something. He glanced at Wang Xiulan and Lin Jianguo, "These are your parents?"

"Yes, my mom and my dad."

Teacher Liu nodded and shook hands with Wang Xiulan and Lin Jianguo respectively. Wang Xiulan's handshake was noticeably too forceful, while Lin Jianguo's handshake seemed somewhat restrained, as if he was afraid of hurting the other's hand.

"Sit down, sit down," Teacher Liu said, pointing to the sofa opposite.

The family of three sat down. Wang Xiulan sat ramrod straight, her hands on her knees, as if she were attending an important job interview. Lin Jianguo sat next to her, his hands clasped on the table, his fingers constantly rubbing together. Lin Shubai sat between his parents, his posture quite casual, leaning back on the sofa.

The waiter came over, and Teacher Liu glanced at the menu: "What would you like to drink? The coffee at this shop is pretty good."

"Three lattes, please," Lin Shubai said casually.

Teacher Liu smiled and said to the waiter, "Three lattes."

Teacher Liu got straight to the point, "Lin Shubai, I've read your essay three times, 'A Young China.' When Professor Qian Xueshen recommended it, he said, 'This essay would get a perfect score in any exam room in any era.' The school still trusts Professor Qian a lot; otherwise, they wouldn't have come to you in your first year of high school. However, we still need to go through the process to understand your current situation, and I hope you can understand."

"Okay, go ahead."

"First, let's talk about your current academic situation. Since you're only in your first year of high school, we don't have mock exam results to refer to yet. Do you have your monthly exam report cards with you?"

"Yes, yes." Wang Xiulan took Lin Shubai's report card out of her bag and handed it to Teacher Liu.

Lin Shubai's grades were good in all subjects, especially in Chinese and English. After all, he had graduated from a top university in his previous life, and with the memory enhancement brought by the transmigration, passing the first-tier university entrance exam would be no problem at all.

Teacher Liu noted down Lin Shubai's grades. "I heard you've also published articles in journals?"

Lin Shubai took out the sample copy of Story Club sent to him from Wang Xiulan's bag. "Yes, I submitted three short stories to Story Club and they were published. I also submitted one to October, which should be the December issue, but it hasn't been released yet. And then there's People's Literature, which you should know about as well."

"Oh, by the way, I also wrote a children's book, which I submitted to the Shanghai Children's Publishing House for publication. It is expected to be released at the end of this month."

Teacher Liu was somewhat surprised to hear this. Of course, he couldn't possibly be completely ignorant of Lin Shubai, but the situation was a bit beyond his expectations. He hadn't anticipated that besides *Story Club*, Lin Shubai had also published articles in *October*, which, although not as prestigious as *People's Literature*, was still one of the top literary journals in the country. Furthermore, Lin Shubai was even preparing to publish a children's book.

Teacher Liu never thought Lin Shubai would lie to him. No normal person would do that, since the lie would naturally fall apart when the time came.

"Okay, I understand. I didn't expect Lin Shubai to be so outstanding. Let me tell you some things to note. First, our special admission requires signing a contract, which will be sent to you in duplicate. You need to send one copy back after signing the contract. Second, if you decide to come to Peking University, after signing the contract, you must fill in Peking University as your first choice when filling out your college application after the college entrance examination."

As she spoke, Ms. Liu took a sip of her coffee. "Do you have any other questions? Or, Mr. and Mrs. Lin, do you have any questions for us?"

Wang Xiulan cleared her throat, took out a small notebook from her bag, and opened it. Lin Shubai glanced at it; it was filled with dense writing—she had clearly prepared a list of questions in advance.

"Teacher Liu, I'd like to ask how many places are available for exceptional admission each year? Is the competition fierce?"

Teacher Liu thought for a moment, "There are about twenty to thirty each year, nationwide. The competition is indeed fierce, but Lin Shubai's situation is very competitive. First prize in the National Innovative Writing Competition, published works in People's Literature and October, and a full-length fairy tale has been published—these are unique among high school students."

Wang Xiulan jotted down a few notes in her notebook, then continued, "If I underperform in the college entrance exam and fall a few points short of the first-tier university cutoff, is there still a chance?"

Teacher Liu's expression turned serious. "Even one point short is unacceptable. This is a regulation from the Ministry of Education, and Peking University cannot break this rule. Therefore, Lin Shubai, you cannot slack off in your academic subjects."

Lin Shubai nodded: "I know."

Lin Jianguo, who had been holding back for a while, finally spoke, his voice a little tense: "Professor Liu, what's the Peking University cafeteria like?"

Wang Xiulan turned and glared at Lin Jianguo, her eyes conveying, "What kind of question is that?" Lin Jianguo shrank back, but the words were already out in his mouth and couldn't be taken back.

Teacher Liu paused for a moment, then smiled. "The Peking University cafeterias are great. There are over thirty cafeterias, offering all kinds of cuisines. Don't worry, Mr. Lin, your child won't go hungry."

Teacher Liu closed the folder, leaned back in her chair, and adopted a more relaxed tone: "Alright, we've finished the important stuff. Lin Shubai, I have a less formal question for you."

"Please speak."

"What do you want to do in the future? I mean, what do you think you'll be doing ten years from now?"

Lin Shubai thought for a moment, "Write something. Keep writing the story."

"Not planning on doing anything else? Like becoming a teacher, editor, or joining the government system?"

"I don't plan to."

Teacher Liu glanced at him, his gaze revealing something—perhaps surprise, or perhaps a reassessment. He had seen far too many students who, when asked this question, answered "I haven't thought about it yet" or "I'll listen to my parents." Few, like Lin Shubai, answered without hesitation, "I'll write something."

"You seem quite certain."

"There's no need to hesitate about things that are certain."

"This is Peking University's admissions brochure, and some other materials. Take a look. If you have any questions, feel free to call me anytime." He then took out a business card from his pocket and handed it to Lin Shubai. "This is my business card; it has my phone number and email address on it."

Lin Shubai took the business card, which read "Liu Xiangyang, Admissions Office, Peking University," followed by a phone number and email address. He carefully put the card into his wallet.

"That's all for now." Teacher Liu stood up, extended her hand, and said, "Lin Shubai, it's a pleasure to meet you. I hope to see you at Peking University someday."

Lin Shubai stood up, shook hands with him, and said, "Thank you, Teacher Liu."

Wang Xiulan and Lin Jianguo also stood up and shook hands with Teacher Liu.

Teacher Liu picked up her briefcase, turned and left, and the family of three sat down again. Wang Xiulan put the small notebook back into her bag, took a deep breath, and stared at Lin Jianguo, "What question did you just ask? How's the Peking University cafeteria? Why didn't you ask how the Peking University restrooms are?"

Lin Jianguo looked completely innocent. "Food is the most important thing for people. Eating is a big deal. Think about it, if your child goes to Peking University, he'll be eating in the cafeteria three meals a day. How can he manage if the cafeteria food isn't good?"

"Why didn't you pay attention to the cafeteria when you were taking the college entrance exam?"

I didn't get into Peking University back then either.

Wang Xiulan was speechless; her lips moved a few times, but she couldn't utter a word. Lin Shubai stood beside her, holding a latte, the cup obscuring half his face, his shoulders trembling slightly.

"What are you laughing at?" Wang Xiulan glared at him.

"I wasn't laughing. I was drinking coffee."

Wang Xiulan sighed, stood up, and said, "Let's go home. Your grandmother is still waiting for news."