The team from Jiangcheng No.1 Middle School gathered in the hotel lobby on time.
Fei Yuncheng had specially changed into a more tailored dark blue jacket today, with the zipper zipped all the way up.
Holding the roster with its curled edges, his eyes swept across each person's face like a hawk's.
"Cheer up, everyone! Those who didn't sleep well last night, pinch yourselves now!"
Fei Yuncheng's loud voice echoed in the lobby, attracting the attention of several passing waiters.
"Have you brought all your documents? Your admission ticket and ID card!"
No one spoke; everyone clutched their transparent file folders tightly.
The air seemed to be filled with the smell of gunpowder.
The bus navigated through the morning rush hour traffic and slowly entered the Hankou Road gate of Jinling University.
As soon as they got off the bus, everyone was stunned by the sight before them.
The main road, which was empty yesterday,
As if by magic, dozens of blue awnings were erected overnight.
The sheds stretched in two long rows, all the way to the foot of the teaching building in the distance.
A banner was hung in front of each tent.
College of Arts, Nanjing University
School of Humanities, Southeast University
Sunan University
There were even people from neighboring provinces.
Zhejiang University Qiushi College
...
It's densely packed with well-known universities from Jiangsu Province and even the surrounding provinces.
Several teachers were sitting behind each tent.
There was a thick stack of beautifully printed brochures on the table.
Whenever a student with a "Fuzhiyao" semi-final competition participant badge around their neck passes by,
These teachers would immediately stand up, their enthusiasm even more intense than a supermarket promotion.
"Hey classmate! Don't go! Look at Xida University! Their humanities experimental class has one of the top five graduate school admission rates in the province!"
"Check out Sunan University! Make it to the finals and get a guaranteed admission to a top-tier university! Don't listen to the nonsense from the other side, our cafeteria has the best food!"
"Hey handsome guy with glasses! How about Zhejiang University's Media Studies department consider you? I think you'd look great on camera!"
...
The students of Jiangcheng No. 1 Middle School had never seen anything like this before.
Zhang Ya's hands had already been stuffed with three or four colorful booklets.
She was completely stunned, her cheeks flushed, and she seemed somewhat at a loss.
Li Bowen, pushing up his glasses, was surrounded by two admissions officers.
Hearing all those terms like "graduate school recommendation rate" and "scholarship," my eyes went blank.
This is no exam room.
This is clearly a talent war that has been staged ahead of time.
Fei Yuncheng walked at the front, straightening the collar of his dark blue jacket again and again.
Looking at the banners of those prestigious universities around him, the wrinkles on his face smoothed out.
He turned around and faced the students from No. 1 Middle School behind him.
"Students, straighten your backs!"
Fei Yuncheng clapped the megaphone in his hand, his voice filled with an undisguised pride.
Do you know what this is for?
"They're panning for gold!"
He pointed to the sunshades: "Those who can stand here to participate in the semi-finals are the gold that has been selected from tens of thousands of candidates across the province! They are the top 20% of elites!"
"These universities are shrewd! They're not here for charity, they're here to poach students! The thresholds that you can't get through even if you beg and plead normally, today, they'll be begging you to even glance at their prospectuses!"
Fei Yuncheng became more and more excited as he spoke, spitting everywhere.
"You all need to prove yourselves! This is just one school in the province."
Once you make it to the finals, all the top schools in the province will be vying for your spots!
"That's when you'll truly be overwhelmed by the choices!"
These words were undoubtedly a shot in the arm.
The students, who had initially been somewhat timid, visibly straightened their backs.
"Director Fei."
Shen Qingqiu, who had been walking at the very back, suddenly spoke up.
She held a bottle of mineral water in her hand, her voice calm, yet it was like a bucket of cold water, precisely poured onto this newly ignited flame.
"Don't be blinded by this show of force."
Shen Qingqiu unscrewed the mineral water bottle and coldly swept her gaze over the students who were treating the brochure like a precious treasure.
"Stop laughing. This is just a vegetable market."
"People are smiling at you now because you have an admission ticket in your pocket."
"If I don't pass the exam, I won't even feel comfortable using these colorful papers as a table corner."
She pointed to the majestic teaching building in the distance.
"'Shortcut' is indeed a shortcut, but in this world, shortcuts are often the most dangerous single-plank bridges."
"Of these thousands of people, only a handful of them will ultimately be able to secure a place in the university through this article."
Even if the rest take a bunch of brochures home, they'll still have to go back and diligently practice questions to squeeze onto that bridge of the college entrance exam.
Shen Qingqiu looked at the crowd, who were gradually calming down, and softened her tone.
"Don't overthink it, and don't take yourself too seriously. Let's get through today first."
"Unless you get that final stamp, everything else is meaningless."
The crowd quieted down.
The feeling of euphoria and expansion that I had just experienced quickly subsided.
Instead, there is a more grounded and weighty sense of urgency.
Lin Que stood in the crowd, watching Shen Qingqiu's back, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes.
This is Lao Shen.
They'll always be there to pull you up when you're feeling most cocky, and to give you a push when you're feeling most timid.
"They're gone."
...
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