On the day before Wu Yueweiâs university entrance examinations had begun, Xu Tingsheng had given her a call. The two of them had not been in contact since then. Xu Tingsheng thought that he would think of a way to contact her again after the results had been released. It could also be that Wu Yuewei might end up calling him instead.
In the end, even before the university entrance examination results were released, even before a call from Wu Yuewei had come in, Xu Tingsheng first received a call from Libei Senior Highâs Vice-Principal Lou.
âXu Tingsheng, come back to Libei. The people of Libei need you,â Vice-Principal Lou told him.
Xu Tingshengâs head spun a little at the grandiose statement of âThe people of Libei need youâ. Could it be that everyone knew he was âSupermanâ?âŠâUncle Lou, what is it? Youâre scaring me, you know,â Xu Tingsheng ventured cautiously.
Vice-Principal Lou replied, âYou talk first. When you were in our school, did you pick up a junior called Wu Yuewei?â
âIâŠâ
Xu Tingsheng thought, âAs a lofty Principal, you canât speak like this! What âpick up a juniorâ?â
âFirst in Jiannan City, second in Jianhai Province. Get it? We got wind of the news from the Provincial Examination Institute just a few hours ago. Wu Yuewei, first in Sciences for Jiannan City and second in Jianhai Province,â Vice-Principal Lou roared into the phone, the sound of his hand slamming onto the table resounding non-stop from the background.
Vice-Principal Lou was extremely excited. Xu Tingsheng was given a fright as well. He could still accept first in Sciences for Jiannan City. After all, Wu Yueweiâs proficiency was laid out there for all to see. This second in the entire Jianhai ProvinceâŠhad indisputably exploded her results of her previous life till not even its dregs remained.
Of course, this wasnât actually important. Apart from Xu Tingsheng, there was no one else who knew this. Even Xu Tingsheng himself could only venture a vague guess. After all, he had not heard such shocking news in his previous life. Wu Yuewei had gone only to Jianhai University.
The problem now was that this had completely exploded the history of Libei Countyâs university entrance examination results till not even its dregs remained.
With Jianhai Provinceâs overall standard, it was at the forefront of the entire country in terms of education and economics. However, Libei was the least developed county in the least developed Jiannan City of Jianhai Province, being at the very bottom be it in terms of education or economics.
It had already been more than ten years since Libei last produced a Qingbei student. Moreover, Wu Yuewei was even second in the entire Jianhai Province this time.
âThisâŠis a good thing. The schoolâs too worked up? Libeiâs too worked up? âŠItâs all blown up? Thatâs also not something I can do anything about, Uncle Lou,â Xu Tingsheng cheerfully joked.
âStop that cheekiness! Hurry up and scram back for me,â Xu Tingsheng calling Vice-Principal Lou Uncle Lou, it could be seen that the two of them were very close as Vice-Principal Lou naturally had no reservations in directly scolding him over the phone, âIf you donât scram back within two days, Iâll blow up your familyâs supermarket.â
âNo, Uncle Lou. Youâve at least got to tell me whatâs up first, right?â Xu Tingsheng ventured cautiously.
âFine, Iâll tell you. Itâs like this. Just earlier, Wu Yueweiâs form teacher came crying over looking for us principals. Can you guess why?â Vice-Principal Lou said in ill humour, âWhen she called Wu Yuewei to tell her about her results a bit earlier, also casually congratulating her on going to QingbeiâŠsecond in the entire province going to Qingbei, this isnât unreasonable, right? Right?â
â
Rightâ Xu Tingsheng said.
âRight your arse. Do you know what Wu Yuewei said in the end? She said that sheâs still considering. She might not go to Qingbei for sure. Then, her form teacher got panicked and called all around trying to find out why. Finally, Wu Yueweiâs tablemate told her that she might be thinking of going to Yanzhou University to look for you.â
âNo, I canât talk about it any longer. Xu Tingsheng, you scourge! This is first in Jiannan City, second in the entire province, Libeiâs sole Qingbei in thirteen years! She wants to go to your godforsaken Yanzhou University to look for you accursed creature. Sigh, I canât live anymore. Iâm going to blow up your familyâs supermarket! Iâm going to blow you up!â
Hearing Vice-Principal Lou say this, Xu Tingsheng suddenly remembered the day of his graduation when Wu Yuewei had asked for his graduation yearbook and written within it:
âIt will still be a year this time. I will still be asking again-Senior Xu Tingsheng, do you still remember me?â
More than a year having passed, Xu Tingsheng had already more or less forgotten about it. Even if he remembered it, he still wouldnât think that there would actually be someone who would treat their own future as lightly as this. Really giving up on Qingbei, an object of countless peopleâs desires, just because of a single sentenceâŠto study at Yanzhou University instead?
Xu Tingsheng had not applied for Jianhai University or any other famous universities aside from Qingbei University back then, having chosen Yanzhou University instead. This was because Xiang Ning was really too important to him, and also because he had the confidence that with the advantage of rebirth, the difference in university standards already didnât matter so much to him. It was in consideration of all this that he had finally still decided to go to Yanzhou University.
However, it wasnât the same for Wu Yuewei! She couldnât have so deep feelings that warranted such a sacrifice?! This intelligent little girl was actually so silly? So mullish?
This was how it looked to Xu Tingsheng. However, it wasnât actually like this for Wu Yuewei. This girl had even remembered those short interactions between them in his previous life, having remembered it even till the day of her wedding. What about this lifetime then?
The two had interacted much more in this lifetime than they had in the previous. Also, from Wu Yueweiâs perspective, there were too many reasons for her to believe that Xu Tingsheng cared about her. From him dashing towards Bao Mingâs gang for her, to taking on the punishment for the sake of her reputation, to being concerned for her during the SARS period, rushing towards that suspected SARS patient for her without fear of deathâŠ
Also, those fourteen days and night in the quarantine ward, that simple love established upon a single telephone line-all these memories had left a sweet impression within Wu Yueweiâs mind.
Thus, the two saw those past interactions completely differently. Xu Tingsheng had felt guilty and concerned, wanting to make up for what he owed her, while Wu Yuewei had perhaps felt and experienced the most blissful love of oneâs youthful times.
Thus, she might truly make that decision.
âOne word-are you coming back or not? Otherwise, Iâll get the chemistry teachers to help make some explosives right now!â Vice-Principal Lou exclaimed.
Libei Senior High had been yearning for a Qingbei for more than ten years. Just last year, in order to get Xu Tingsheng to risk gunning for Qingbei in filling up his aspiration form, the few higher-ups of the school had all shamelessly rushed straight to the Xu Family to join in a meal, making use of the chance to get themselves drunk to request despite the awkwardness for him to try for Qingbei.
In the end, Xu Tingsheng had missed Qingbei by two marks and gone to Yanzhou University. All of them were still feeling guilty and regretful regarding this even now.
What about this time? This time was different. It was already a given that Wu Yuewei would be able to get into Qingbei for sureâŠwould it end up failing again? All the fragile little souls of Libei Senior Highâs higher-ups were almost unable to stand it no longer.
âIâll come back. I have two exams tomorrow, I donât think Iâll be in time. Iâll be back latest the day after tomorrow,â Xu Tingsheng wanted to return to Libei not actually because of Vice-Principal Lou, but because he couldnât let Wu Yuewei make such a silly decision, accrue a great debt that he couldnât afford to owe at allâŠthat represented that girlâs very fate, future.
âFine. Call me as soon as you reach the station then. Iâll go pick you up,â Vice-Principal Lou said before hanging up.
Xu Tingsheng hurriedly called for a meeting of Huchengâs personnel and arranged the matters of the next few days, also applying for two days of leave from the university as he prepared to return to Libei.
The next day, as Xu Tingsheng was packing his luggage after having finished sitting for his examinations, he received a call from Wu Yuewei.
Wu Yuewei told him her results over the phone. Xu Tingsheng could tell that she was very happy, because he had once said: Get a first in Jiannan City first. Iâm waiting for your good news, waiting to be proud of you.