Although the camping trip had its wild boar incident, none of the four people involved told the teachers in charge.
Still, Iris was affected a little during the finals the next day and was not in her best form.
Fortunately, the whole team had become quite well-coordinated, and with their previous score advantage, Wilmott Academy for Gifted Children still won this camping competition, completing a third consecutive championship.
As the summer vacation gradually passed, Peggy had not lied. After the new term began, she joined Link's class as a new student.
After Peggy's mother Linda spoke with Principal Flora, Flora considered that Peggy was only a little over ten years old and suggested that Peggy board at their house as well, so that the familiar Link could help look after her.
Peggy did not have as many eccentric habits as Sheldon, and they had separate rooms anyway, so Link did not find anything unbearable about it.
The only problem was that Link had to avoid her whenever he discussed the mysteries of life with certain classmates and studied singing in depth.
But that was not a big deal. Link usually sneaked out of Principal Flora's house after Peggy had fallen asleep at night, or brought someone back.
It could be said that Link's life at the new high school remained wonderfully exciting. Naturally, his reputation spread here as well. Even though Link was always selective, his nighttime business remained fairly busy.
Half a year passed like that. Peggy's parents ultimately divorced, but what reassured Link was that although Peggy was depressed for a while afterward, she did not become the troublemaking bad girl she had originally been destined to become.
After that, however, Peggy became much quieter than before and preferred discussing academic matters with Link.
While this accelerated Link's own learning progress, he was still somewhat worried about Peggy. He planned to study more psychology and see whether he could guide her in some way.
It happened to be literature class that day. During class, the teacher called on a student and asked, "Kelly, which line from Shakespeare do you like best?"
"Even love's shadow brings such abundant joy. How sweet it would be to possess love itself."
The line came from Romeo and Juliet. It suited a young girl's romantic feelings and was also a fairly common answer. The teacher nodded, then turned to Link. "Link, which line do you like?"
"People can control their own destinies. If we are ruled by others, the fault lies not with fate, but with ourselves; even if confined within a nutshell, I would still consider myself king of an infinite universe."
Of all the lines Shakespeare had written, Link had remembered those two in particular. After hearing them, the teacher concluded that Link was a very ambitious person.
Having the will to control one's destiny was not a bad thing. It was much better than lying flat like a salted fish. So he smiled and said, "Very good. Based on the recent rumors, I thought your answer would be similar to Kelly's.
Of course, taking control of your own fate is not easy. It is extremely difficult. When I was young, I once wanted to become a scientist like Newton..."
Just then, the classroom broadcast came on. "Link, Peggy, please come to the principal's office."
Hearing the announcement, Link exchanged a glance with Peggy across the aisle. They got up, greeted the teacher, and left the classroom together.
Once they were in the hallway, Peggy asked, "Do you know what this is about?"
"Not sure, but it probably isn't anything bad."
"Being suddenly summoned to the principal's office—what do you think the odds are that it's good news?"
"Probably close to zero," Link said. "You haven't gotten into any trouble, have you?"
"You shouldn't be asking whether I've gotten into trouble. You should think about whether you accidentally dated the granddaughter of a school board member or something."
"I don't think so... Also, Peggy, as an eleven-year-old girl, you shouldn't always talk about these things."
"I don't want to know so much either, but you know how it is. The girls at school often give me snacks I like and treat me to ice cream just to find out when you're free."
"..."
When they met Flora in the principal's office, she seemed very happy and in an excellent mood.
"Excellent. I have good news for both of you. The PSAT scores are out, and both of you got perfect scores. Universities have already called me.
"You can receive full scholarships at any university in the country. Peggy especially—considering your age, they are even willing to provide every possible convenience."
The PSAT was the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test, also known as the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. It was a warm-up for the Scholastic Aptitude Test and, more importantly, a competition for scholarships for outstanding students in the United States.
Getting a perfect score on this test meant that a scholarship was practically guaranteed. In fact, Sheldon had gotten a perfect score on it before, but his parents had not been at ease, so they decided to wait until he was older before letting him attend university.
Being able to get a perfect score on this test was unquestionably good news for Link. Naturally, Principal Flora was delighted as well.
"Every year, quite a few students from our school receive high scores on this test, but perfect scores do not come every year. I never expected two to appear at once this year. I think you can start considering where you want to attend university next."
"Thank you, Flora. We couldn't have achieved what we have without your help." Link was delighted as well. Considering the expensive tuition at American universities, a full scholarship was highly appealing to him.
"Oh, don't say that. I enjoy seeing hardworking young people. Peggy's talent is among the very best I have seen in my decades of teaching, and Link is outstanding as well." Flora smiled. "So, do you have any schools in mind?"
Before Link could answer, Peggy said first, "Link and I discussed it before. We both prefer Princeton University."
"Mm, that is a very good choice. I have some information about Princeton University here, and I also know Princeton's president. If you decide on it, I can help you get in touch."
Princeton University was a world-renowned private research university located in New Jersey and one of the eight prestigious Ivy League schools.
Einstein, von Neumann, Hua Luogeng, Chen Xingshen, Li Zhengdao, Yang Zhenning, and many other great mathematicians and scientists had taught there. Princeton University's mathematics department was indeed one of the strongest in the world!
Link, who had originally planned to become a mathematician, had also carefully considered Princeton University. But after comparing his options, he leaned more toward the California Institute of Technology.
After all, it was not far from either Hollywood or Silicon Valley. Whether for investing in internet companies in the future or for the concentration of beautiful women, it was the best choice for Link.
Moreover, the California Institute of Technology was also a true elite institution. It was not large, with only a little over two thousand undergraduate students and just eight hundred new undergraduates admitted each year.
Yet the school employed a staggering three hundred professors at the rank of Assistant Professor or above, while its physics department was California Institute of Technology's top program and had ranked first in the world for years.
Now that Peggy had said they both wanted to go to Princeton, Link did not immediately object. He planned to talk it over with her after they returned.
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