"How did you know?" Ling Zixuan asked, his mouth slightly agape, upon hearing Qi Huan's answer.
"After Xiao Chu told me what happened, I wanted to find out who stole the other five hundred yuan. Later, I used my position as student council president to check the surveillance footage. Then, I used some social connections to investigate Han Lin. That's how I came to this conclusion. As for how I did it, I won't go into details, since I didn't intend to expose him anyway. But..." Qi Huan smiled, a hint of sarcasm in his laughter.
"So that's why you didn't give Han Lin any face, right?"
Qi Huan smiled and nodded. The summer night rain came suddenly and quickly, but it also left just as fast. The lights in the milk tea shop remained on for a long time, keeping everyone sheltering from the rain warm.
University life is wonderful, tinged with a touch of bittersweetness, but everyone who reaches the end looks back on their university days with a gentle smile. Time flies, and now it's senior year; everyone has reached a crossroads in their lives. Qi Huan faces immense pressure from her family. Her parents demand that she return to their company immediately after graduation to take over the management of the family business. When this was discussed, Qi Huan resolutely refused. However, not long after, Qi Huan's father was hospitalized due to a heart attack.
Qi Huan sat helplessly by her hospital bedside, looking at her aging parents. She didn't want to accept their decision, but she couldn't refuse. At that moment, Qi Huan's father spoke up. He had somehow heard about a full scholarship program at the university. However, there was only one spot available for the entire department. Qi Huan's family wasn't short of money, but Qi Huan needed to prove herself again. Her father promised that if Qi Huan successfully secured the full scholarship, she would be free to make her own decisions about her future. As parents, they would no longer interfere.
This offer was an immense temptation for Qi Huan. Although Qi Huan was a very independent-minded girl, from childhood to adulthood, she had followed her parents' wishes, attending their ideal elementary, middle, and high schools, and finally entering this prestigious university. Qi Huan had long been disgusted with this pre-arranged life; she wanted to be completely in control of her own destiny.
Throughout her life, Qi Huan had always been confident and never admitted defeat. But this time, hearing her father's promise, she accepted the challenge, but she lacked her usual confidence. During the summer break after her junior year of college, Ling Zixuan broke up with Qi Huan. Three years of knowing each other and nearly two years of dating left Qi Huan unable to let go. Had Ling Zixuan fallen for someone else? No. Did Ling Zixuan stop loving Qi Huan? No. Did Qi Huan stop loving Ling Zixuan? Even less likely. They still loved each other, but they knew they couldn't be together. Two strong-willed and opinionated people together often experienced intense friction. Ling Zixuan wanted a partner who relied on him, but Qi Huan wasn't.
The most painful emotion in the world is loving someone but being unable to be together. Even more cruel is that Qi Huan and Ling Zixuan, as classmates, still see each other every day. Each meeting is excruciating for Qi Huan. Qi Huan admits that this is the first time she has truly lost, utterly defeated, without even the courage to resist.
In this state, Qi Huan had absolutely no motivation to prepare for the study abroad opportunity. Her school maintained a long-term partnership with a renowned foreign university. This university had extremely strict selection criteria, sending three examiners each year to personally assess applicants. The assessment consisted of four parts: a written test of professional skills, an assessment of English listening, speaking, reading, and writing, an interview, and a fourth part where the examiners selected a hot market topic, and the applicants conducted market research, collected data, and presented their findings, along with corresponding strategies.
Every year around this time, almost all the students in the department sign up to try their luck. However, many are eliminated in the first round of written exams. There's no passing score for the written exam, nor is there a rule of selecting the top students based on their ranking. Instead, the examiners set their own standard based on the difficulty of the questions set that day, and only those who meet the examiners' standard pass the first round. After four rounds of testing, the final score is calculated in a 2:2:2:4 ratio. The student with the highest overall score receives a full scholarship and the sole opportunity to study abroad.
Unfortunately, only six students passed the first round of written exams. And the top scorer was none other than Sima Chu. Some say university is a cosmetic surgery clinic; I think it's more like a dream factory. After more than three years of rigorous training, Sima Chu has undergone a transformation in both appearance and inner knowledge. The former country girl has blossomed into someone indistinguishable from a city girl. This change is from the inside out. Sima Chu's first-place finish in the written exam further demonstrated her abilities to everyone. Of course, Qi Huan's help was indispensable to Sima Chu's successful transformation over these three years. Qi Huan not only provided Sima Chu with tutoring opportunities but also introduced her to high-end gatherings. Whenever Sima Chu had academic questions, Qi Huan would generously share her knowledge. It's no exaggeration for Sima Chu to consider Qi Huan her benefactor.
Time flew by, and the third round of interviews was over. Only two remained: Sima Chu and Qi Huan. They were now the final competitors. However, based on the current total scores, Sima Chu was far ahead of Qi Huan. Everyone was surprised by this result. Why had the once invincible Qi Huan lost her luster? Only Qi Huan herself knew that she had lost to love. Perhaps Ling Zixuan, who had been following the selection process closely, also knew this.
"Sister Huan, do you know how much I cherish this opportunity? When I heard the news, I was so excited I couldn't sleep all night. Finally, there's a shortcut that allows me to change my whole life." After saying that, Sima Chu picked up her beer bottle, clinked it against Qi Huan's, and then took a big gulp. The two of them sat by the playground, enjoying the cool evening breeze.
Qi Huan smiled slightly, nodded, and took a big gulp of his beer. "This opportunity is also very important to me."
"Huh? Sister Huan, with your family's financial situation, it should be easy for you to study at a prestigious university abroad, right?" Sima Chu looked at Qi Huan in surprise upon hearing her words.
Qi Huan glanced at Sima Chu and smiled again. She didn't tell Sima Chu about her father's promise, nor did she tell him about her breakup with Ling Zixuan. Faced with the scores from the first three rounds, Qi Huan was anxious, yet lacked the energy to prepare for the final round of research and presentation.
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