Seeing that the time was almost right, Shen Qingqiu slowly picked up the file folder.
"Sizzle—"
The sound of the seal being torn open was particularly jarring in the quiet classroom.
She pulled out a thin sheet of printing paper from it.
"but……"
Shen Qingqiu changed the subject,
The gentleness in her eyes and brows returned, even more pronounced than before.
"What's worth celebrating is that all three students from our class who signed up passed the preliminary round."
"boom!"
The classroom erupted in chaos.
"Awesome! All passed!"
"I knew our class was blessed by the God of Literature!"
"That's a 20% advancement rate! Ours is 100%!"
Zhang Ya suddenly covered her mouth, and tears instantly streamed down her face.
The feeling of weightlessness, as if she had been pulled straight from hell to heaven, made her tremble all over.
Li Bowen let out a long breath.
He felt as if his spine had been removed, and he slumped into the chair.
"Quiet."
Shen Qingqiu tapped the table, a smile playing on her lips.
"I'll read out the specific ratings and comments. You should all be aware of this. You won't be so lucky in the semi-finals."
"Zhang Ya".
Zhang Ya immediately stood up, her legs still weak.
Rating: B-
Shen Qingqiu read aloud: "Comment: The writing is delicate and gorgeous, and the emotions are sincere and moving."
Although the theme is somewhat conventional and lacks originality, it excels in its solid foundation and complete narrative.
It stands out among similar works. Advancement.
"Thank you, teacher! Thank you, teacher!"
Zhang Ya bowed while wiping away tears.
B-!
Although it wasn't the best, given that elimination rate, it was already the greatest affirmation for her.
"Li Bowen."
Li Bowen stood up, supporting himself on the corner of the table; his hand was trembling as he pushed up his glasses.
Rating: B.
Shen Qingqiu glanced at him, her eyes filled with approval:
Comment: The entry point is unique and the logic is rigorous.
To transcend the petty joys of a young lady and express the joy of scientific research in the context of national celebration.
It is a rare work of rationality, yet it is not without warmth.
Advancement.
"yeah!"
A boy in the back row started whistling.
"Bowen is still doing well! From now on, you'll be called Bowen (meaning 'steady')!"
The whole class burst into laughter.
Li Bowen finally smiled, though the smile looked a bit naive.
The two forms have been read aloud.
The previously lively atmosphere in the classroom suddenly fell into a subtle silence.
All eyes, as if drawn by gravity, began to converge on the back corner.
Lin Que sat there.
He was still twirling that black ballpoint pen in his hand, and he hadn't even changed his posture.
He leaned lazily against the wall, as if the class meeting had nothing to do with him.
Everyone remembers.
On the day the exam was over, Zhao Zichen and Li Bowen both asked Lin Que what he had written.
He said it meant "passing the imperial examination with flying colors".
In the past, everyone would have thought Lin Que was a sure thing.
But just now, Teacher Shen was saying,
"The simpler the question, the deeper the trap."
"Only a fool would waste an opportunity on trivial matters."
Passing the imperial examination with flying colors—that's the ultimate achievement!
If not written well, this would be a classic example of a rambling, disjointed account.
It's a mediocre piece that the examiners would glance at and throw away.
Just now, Zhang Ya and Li Bowen were rated B- and B respectively.
Those were all people who avoided the minefield, or danced on the minefield.
What about Lin Que?
Wu Di stopped nagging and nervously gripped Lin Que's sleeve, his palms sweaty.
"Brother Que... your 'passing the imperial examination' title... it shouldn't be too cliché, right?"
Lin Que didn't say anything, but simply pulled his sleeve out of his hand.
On the podium.
Shen Qingqiu held the last form in her hand.
She didn't read it aloud like she had the previous two times.
She lowered her head, looking at the few words on the paper.
There was even that special mark that seemed out of place in the grades column.
One second.
Two seconds.
Five seconds.
A full ten seconds passed.
Shen Qingqiu just stood there, without saying a word.
The silence was like an invisible hand, gripping the throats of the entire class.
"Oh no, this is definitely a problem."
"Could it be that he barely passed? A C- rank?"
"Even a C- grade is a pass, it's better than not passing."
Just as the whispers began, Shen Qingqiu suddenly looked up.
She took a deep breath, her eyes, which usually held a scrutinizing quality,
It was now eerily bright, staring intently at the boy in the back row who was still twirling a pen.
"Next."
Shen Qingqiu's voice was somewhat hoarse, as if he was suppressing some kind of enormous emotion.
"Lin Que!"
...
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