Director Yan left in deep disappointment. How could my Shuimu University have such a hard time recruiting a student? This was outrageous! He hurried off to report to the higher-ups.
In a dorm at Shuimu University, Director Tian finally burst out laughing. "Shen Qi, we've been eating and staying at Shuimu's expense these past few days. They're desperate for talent and specially offered you a spot, even handing you the coveted Tsinghua National Finals recommendation. Do you know what that means? You wouldn't have to take the standard college entrance exam after signing; you'd get into Shuimu through its independent admissions program. And what did you do? You sent their admissions director packing! Hey, we're on Shuimu's turf. Aren't you afraid they'll beat you up?"
Shen Qi laughed too. "My dad says you have to have some backbone. Even in front of a top university, you shouldn't act like you're beneath them, or they'll look down on you."
"Joking aside, Shen Qi, where do you actually want to study? You're about to be a senior in high school. What's your plan for the future? If not Shuimu, then Yanda? Or do you really want to study abroad at one of the world's top ten universities? By the way, are you studying for IELTS or TOEFL? Hey, is your English any good?"
"I feel like your English is pretty mediocre. You can't even say something as simple as, 'It becomes difficult to make the integral diverge when the boundary of the integration region turns singular.'" Teacher Tian was genuinely curious about Shen Qi's ambitions, too.
"I used to daydream about Shuimu and Yanda, Yanda and Shuimu. They were like cute anime girls—good for fantasizing about, but not for getting physical with. Now the anime girls have turned into three-dimensional women and are closing in on me, but instead I'm lost. My heart isn't stirred at all. I even feel like laughing." Shen Qi sounded troubled.
Teacher Tian said, "That condition of yours is commonly known as being a pain in the ass."
Shen Qi straightened up and said seriously, "I want to go to the best school. That's a necessary condition. Its name has to sound good. That's a sufficient condition."
"Here in China, Shuimu fits your requirements. But you just told them off... As for the rest of the world, Cambridge sounds nice, doesn't it? Harvard could work too—it's pretty laid-back, and it's number one. What about your major, though? I think choosing a major is just as important as choosing a university." Teacher Tian wasn't Shen Qi's parent or homeroom teacher, but he cared no less than either of them.
Shen Qi answered without hesitation, "I want to major in mathematics."
Teacher Tian offered his advice. "If you stay in China, Shen Qi, you should consider Yanda. Shuimu excels at engineering, while Yanda is stronger in the sciences. As for the rest of the world... You'd better work on your English first!"
Just then, the ringtone chimed and music played. Teacher Tian's phone was ringing. He picked up. "Hello? Yes, I'm the leader of Nanyue Province's Math Olympiad team. Who's this? Oh, Yanda admissions. You'd like to meet Shen Qi? Hold on a moment."
Teacher Tian covered the mouthpiece and quietly said to Shen Qi, "Speak of the devil. Yanda admissions has come calling too. Want to meet them?"
Shen Qi shook his head. "Not today. My dad's arriving in the capital tonight. We can talk tomorrow. Tell them to wait."
Teacher Tian continued the call. "Sorry, Shen Qi just finished the national finals. He needs to rest and recover. Could we meet tomorrow instead?... I know Yanda is the strongest in the sciences, and number one in mathematics... It's all right, Yanda's great. We're not snubbing you. Shen Qi isn't feeling well today... Let's leave it at that and talk tomorrow. Bye."
After hanging up, Teacher Tian was delighted. "Shen Qi, you're something else. You've turned down Shuimu and Yanda in the space of twenty minutes. Look at the treatment the only perfect scorer in the national finals gets—Shuimu and Yanda are fighting to sign you. You're the best, Shen Qi!"
As he spoke, Teacher Tian frowned again. "You've turned down Shuimu and Yanda. If you've really made them angry, you may have no choice but to go abroad. You'd better brush up on your English, just in case..."
At two in the afternoon, the national finals awards ceremony was held at the Chinese Mathematical Society headquarters.
Shen Qi received the first gold medal of his life. It wasn't pure gold, but it was more precious than gold.
System notification: New achievement: National No. 1! Congratulations, host! You placed first nationwide in the individual mathematics competition. Reward: 10,000 × 2 Academic Proficiency Points.
Shen Qi had chosen mathematics as his primary talent, so Academic Proficiency Points earned through mathematics were multiplied by two on top of the base reward.
With his national finals gold medal and first-place individual finish, Shen Qi had earned 20,000 Academic Proficiency Points.
"I've saved up 29,000 points. I'll hold on to them and wait until I have 50,000 before making a big investment."
Shen Qi stroked the national finals gold medal in his hand. He hadn't come by it easily. He'd scored perfectly in every competition, but the process hadn't been easy.
Five of the six national finals gold medalists were snapped up by Shuimu University and Yanda within half a day. Shuimu got three, and Yanda got two. Only Shen Qi, the top scorer in the national finals, hadn't made up his mind.
The twelve silver medalists were sought after, too. They were all admitted to the Golden Autumn Camps at Shuimu and Yanda, where they would undergo assessments in mathematics and general ability that fall. If all went as expected, most of them would become enrolled students at Shuimu or Yanda in the near future.
Shuimu and Yanda were simply that domineering. They wanted all the gold and silver medalists, and the other universities in the elite-school alliance couldn't compete with the two giants.
If they couldn't get a gold or silver medalist, they could try for a bronze medalist.
Two of Shen Qi's teammates had won bronze medals in the national finals. They received special admissions offers from Wuhan University and Zhejiang University, respectively.
Wuhan University and Zhejiang University couldn't compare with Shuimu and Yanda, but they were still prestigious 985 universities, and both had a place on China's top ten university rankings.
Even the three teammates who had received the National Finals Perseverance Award had secured places in independent admissions tests at Sun Yat-sen University and Tongji.
As the old saying went, master the sciences and you can travel the world without fear.
Having a specialty was always an advantage. Master the sciences, and you'd be fine abroad, too. These days, the whole world was short of highly skilled academic talent.
After the ceremony, his teammate Qi Jianhong thanked Shen Qi earnestly. "Brother, thanks. I'll admire you for the rest of my life, and I'll spread your legend all over our high school. I downloaded your base-sixty solution to the final national finals problem and posted it to my Moments. It was absolutely spectacular—out of this world."
Shen Qi waved a hand. "Why are you thanking me? I didn't give you any spending money."
"We all know that without you, our team wouldn't have made it to the national finals, let alone placed sixth as a team. Without those two things, I wouldn't have gotten a spot in Tongji's independent admissions test. Tongji's School of Science has a great reputation in the field, and it's one of my top choices. So, Shen Qi, thank you." Qi Jianhong thanked him with great sincerity.
Shen Qi smiled. "Aren't you the all-around little prince? You've been at the top of your grade at your high school for ages. Even without a special admissions route, you could get into a top university on your own merits."
"There's always a risk with the college entrance exam. What if I mess it up? Plenty of people do. Everyone sees the glory of the top scorers, but who cares about the people who fail and end up looking like losers? Tongji's independent admissions test isn't hard. Anyway, it's less risky than the college entrance exam, and it's a direct admissions track to the School of Science. What if the entrance exam sends me into a major I don't want? All in all, thanks, Shen Qi. I'm off. Hope we meet again." Qi Jianhong waved goodbye.
"Take care. I hope you get into Tongji's School of Science. See you again if fate allows." Seeing his teammate take a big step forward in life, Shen Qi was happy for Qi Jianhong too.
Everyone had left. Everyone.
Only Shen Qi and Teacher Tian remained in the capital. The deputy team leader was taking the other five teammates back to Nanyue Province.
This year's national finals were over, but Shen Qi still had to stay in the capital for a while. He was meeting with people from Yanda tomorrow, after all.
More importantly, the Chinese Mathematical Society had sent a formal invitation to Nanyue Province's Math Olympiad team, inviting Shen Qi to join the National Training Team for the International Mathematical Olympiad.
Joining the National Training Team and accepting an offer from Shuimu or Yanda were two different things. Shen Qi agreed to the Chinese Mathematical Society's invitation without a second thought. It looked like he wouldn't get a break this summer.
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