Chapter 117: Literature Has No First, Beauty Has No Second

The thought that she, too, had made a wish upon that strange "star" filled Yao Xueqin with panic.

She had spent all of yesterday refreshing news feeds and forums, only to grow more anxious with every click. There was no doubt about it: someone was suppressing the story. It was a nationwide, large-scale suppression of buzz. The mere sight of it terrified her! She didn’t know how to use a VPN to access foreign websites, so she remained unaware of the discourse happening abroad. However, that thing had undeniably circled the globe. When it hovered over the superpower in the Western Hemisphere, it was still broad daylight there. Judging by the leaked footage, they had scrambled a massive number of fighter jets. Was that the standard reaction to a normal comet?

"The cutoff score this year might be around 420!"

Yao Xueqin turned to Zhu Xiaoying, joining the circle's discussion in the most natural way possible. "The overall difficulty this year is among the highest in recent memory. Last year’s exam was the easiest in a decade, but there have been years when the cutoff hovered around 420, so I expect this one will be similar."

Zhu Xiaoying’s face fell. "Does that mean I have no chance of getting into a bachelor’s program?"

"Not necessarily!" Yao Xueqin, who clearly knew more, added, "There’s still the voluntary application adjustment phase later. If the score is around 410, I think the chances are still quite good."

Zhu Xiaoying brightened up instantly.

Among the girls, Yao Xueqin was certainly beautiful. If she weren't, she wouldn't have been so irritated when the boys in the Honor Class chose Zhao Yutong as the "class beauty" over her. After all, literature recognizes no first place, and beauty recognizes no second! Look at that certain queen who wanted to kill Snow White simply because the magic mirror said she wasn't the fairest in the land. Of course, that was the queen of the past. In the upcoming *Snow White* movie, the magic mirror must have been blind. Then again, perhaps the queen in that film was just asking who sold the whitest powder.

Because of his profession, Yao Tong had seen many cases; when his daughter was young, he kept a strict watch and warned her about many of these scenarios. Yao Xueqin had indeed heard stories of dealers betraying each other over turf wars, only for the police to round them all up.

Qian Shu had never liked Yao Xueqin. When he saw her walking over, he stepped aside. Other boys nearby, however, couldn't help but crowd around to talk to her. As they chatted, Yao Xueqin smiled and turned to Zhang Wuyong. "Once the score cutoffs are out, do you have any schools or majors you're thinking of applying to, Zhang Wuyong? I don't know much about these things, and I'm worried sick!"

She pulled it off quite naturally! Brilliant! She quietly complimented herself. Her score was very close to his, making this the perfect opportunity to "ask for advice."

Qian Shu interjected coldly from the side: "Don't ask him, he doesn't know anything!"

Zhu Xiaoying added, "You really shouldn't ask him. He’s clueless. You should go ask Zhao Yutong."

Zhang Wuyong remained relaxed and nonchalant. "Sorry, I’m not really familiar with this either. I’ve left it all to Yutong."

Yao Xueqin: "..." She had been inexplicably fed a mouthful of "dog food."

She wanted to pry for more information, but the other boys nearby were chirping away about their own scores and the schools they hoped to attend. Who cared about that? Even though she didn't care at all, she had walked over to the Class 2 side, so she was forced to listen to them.

On the other side, Zhang Wuyong, Qian Shu, and Zhu Xiaoying wandered off, chatting idly about other topics.

"Let's head back to the classroom first," Zhang Wuyong said, looking at Qian Shu and Zhu Xiaoying. "They should be handing out the graduation certificates soon."

Once he received his high school diploma, his "Seamless" title mission would be complete. He was quite curious about this title task; he wondered how it differed from "Blood-Hand Butcher."

Zhu Xiaoying sighed, "Let's go, let's go! I'm telling you two, since you can both get into bachelor’s programs, you have to pull me up with you."

Zhang Wuyong couldn't help but say, "Is that even something we can just 'pull' you into?"

Zhu Xiaoying rolled her eyes and pouted. "You guys are so heartless, leaving me behind in a junior college."

Zhang Wuyong countered, "Didn't you seem very confident just a moment ago?"

Qian Shu chimed in, "That's perfectly normal! When you're daydreaming, you feel like you did great, like you performed beyond your potential and the test was hard enough that the cutoff is low, so you'll definitely get in. Then, as you think about it, your conscience suddenly kicks in, you realize the cutoff couldn't possibly be that low, and you start crying again..."

Zhu Xiaoying snapped, "Qian Shu, you're looking for a beating!"

Qian Shu said, "I'm serious! Even if you repeat the year, as long as you switch to liberal arts, with your ability, getting into a bachelor’s program won't be a problem. Why must you insist on hitting a wall?"

Zhu Xiaoying gritted her teeth. "I'm not repeating. I'd rather go to junior college."

"Wait, wait, hold on!" a voice called from behind.

The three stopped at the edge of the playground and looked back. They saw Yao Xueqin sprinting toward them.

Her golden, curly hair fluttered in the sunlight. She wore a white English-print short-sleeved top and grey casual trousers.

Qian Shu said coolly, "Zhang Wuyong, she's looking for you."

Zhu Xiaoying giggled, "Zhang Wuyong, she's looking for you!"

Zhang Wuyong felt a headache coming on; he didn't want to get too involved with Yao Xueqin.

"Qian Shu... Qian Shu!" Yao Xueqin panted as she reached them.

Zhang Wuyong and Zhu Xiaoying turned to look at Qian Shu in unison... So, she was looking for you?

Qian Shu was taken aback. "What is it?" It was clear he didn't want to get too entangled with her either.

"About what happened in tenth grade, I'm sorry!" Yao Xueqin bowed her head before him. "I know it's far too late to apologize now, but I am sorry."

Qian Shu looked at her bowed golden curls, surprised. Then he smiled slightly. "It's all in the past! Anyway... I accept your apology."

"Thank you!" Yao Xueqin kept her head low, looking ashamed, and walked away in the other direction.

"You can tell she mustered up a lot of courage to come over," Zhu Xiaoying said, watching her. "No matter what happened before, we probably wouldn't have had any chance to see each other again anyway."

"Yeah," Qian Shu said, turning back toward the classroom. "I'm surprised, too. It seems she really has changed a lot."

"What exactly happened?" Zhu Xiaoying asked, burning with curiosity. "Were you in the same class in tenth grade? Wait, I think I heard you mention that."

Qian Shu said calmly, "I had a friend who got into a fight with another guy because of her back in tenth grade..."

Zhang Wuyong and Zhu Xiaoying nodded in unison: "Uh-huh! Sure!"

*The friend you're talking about is yourself, right?*

"No, what's with that attitude?" Qian Shu protested. "The friend I'm talking about really isn't me."

Zhang Wuyong and Zhu Xiaoying patted his shoulders on either side. "It's okay, it's okay. Even if it was you, it wouldn't matter."

Qian Shu grew angry. "It's really not me! Let me finish!"

Zhang Wuyong suddenly had an epiphany. "Your friend got into a fight with a guy..."

Zhu Xiaoying gasped in shock. "And the guy your friend fought was actually you?"

Qian Shu’s face went black. "You two are doing this on purpose, aren't you?"