The principal's office at Lingzhou City No. 1 High School!
"Teacher Wang, Chu Ruoxi from your Class 6, Year 3 really did well this year. She's brought honor to our Lingzhou City No. 1 High School! When I attended an education meeting a couple of days ago, they even singled out our school for praise. Haha..."
Principal Ma spoke happily, his eyes full of satisfaction as he looked at Teacher Wang!
Hearing the principal's praise, Teacher Wang felt as sweet inside as if he had eaten honey!
"It was all under your leadership, Principal Ma, that Chu Ruoxi from my class achieved such excellent results."
"Good. Keep up the effort this year, strive to reach new heights, and bring glory to our school..."
"Rest assured, Principal Ma. I'm very confident about this year. Here, this is Liu Zhi, the study representative from our previous class. He underperformed on this year's exam, but he usually scored around 650. He's planning to repeat a year at our school!"
Teacher Wang pointed to Liu Zhi, then handed Principal Ma his past score records!
Principal Ma took a look. His scores on the last few assessment exams had all been around 650, and his heart instantly filled with delight.
With scores like these, if he repeated another year, he might even surpass Chu Ruoxi and give them another student scoring over 700!
Principal Ma set down the score sheet and glanced at Liu Zhi beside Teacher Wang.
"Mm! Not bad."
Just then, Teacher Wang suddenly put on a troubled expression. "Principal Ma, although Liu Zhi usually scores well, he only got 498 on this year's college entrance exam. But our school only accepts repeaters with scores over 550. Do you think..."
Their school did indeed have this rule, and Principal Ma himself had set it. His reason for establishing it was to improve the college admission rate.
In fact, a score of 550 on the college entrance exam already met the cutoff for first-tier universities. Students like these chose to repeat a year because they had not gotten into their ideal institutions.
During their repeat year, they would study hard of their own accord. On the one hand, they created an excellent learning atmosphere. On the other, however poorly they performed on the following year's college entrance exam, they should still score 550. Getting into an undergraduate university should be no problem, which meant a guaranteed boost to the school's college admission rate!
That was Principal Ma's original purpose in only accepting students with scores over 550!
But Liu Zhi, standing before him, had only scored 498 on this college entrance exam, falling short of his required cutoff.
Principal Ma looked over Liu Zhi's past score sheet again!
Finally, he addressed Liu Zhi with a cheerful smile!
"Liu Zhi, which university are you aiming for?"
"Huaqing University!"
Liu Zhi spoke firmly. A large part of the reason he had made Huaqing University his goal was that Chu Ruoxi had gotten into Huaqing. After all, who wouldn't like such a beautiful school belle?
Just moments earlier, he had even fantasized about how excited Chu Ruoxi would be to see him on Huaqing's campus after he repeated a year and got into Huaqing University.
Then he would tell Chu Ruoxi that he had gotten into Huaqing for her. That was the power of love.
He believed Chu Ruoxi would also be moved to tears and become his girlfriend.
And their love story would become a cherished tale at Lingzhou City No. 1 High School!
At this thought, his gaze grew even more unwavering!
Principal Ma was delighted too. He slapped the desk and spoke excitedly.
"Good. For Teacher Wang's sake, I'll make an exception and admit you today. Work hard under Teacher Wang over the coming year!"
"Thank you, Principal Ma. I'll definitely work hard!" Liu Zhi said happily!
"Good. You can go out first! I have something to discuss with Teacher Wang!"
Liu Zhi gave Teacher Wang a grateful look, then left!
"Teacher Wang, Chu Ruoxi from your class really did well this year, but that Jiang Fan only scored 300 on the college entrance exam, the lowest score in our school's history. Isn't that dragging our school's name through the mud?
"Our Lingzhou City No. 1 High School is a key high school, after all. Not only did he lower our college admission rate, he also dragged down our school's overall average score. In the future, talk some sense into trash students like that and get them to give up taking the college entrance exam!"
Principal Ma spoke angrily!
"Understood, Principal Ma. If I find any more academic slackers like Jiang Fan, I'll definitely persuade them to give up taking the college entrance exam!"
"That's right, Teacher Wang. Sometimes you're just too softhearted..."
Just as the two were discussing Jiang Fan, a gatekeeper in a security uniform suddenly burst in.
"P-Principal, b-bad news! Our school has been occupied!"
Principal Ma jumped at the gatekeeper's shouting.
"Little Li, have you had too much to drink? What nonsense are you spouting in broad daylight?"
"I-it's true! S-so many people, guns..."
The gatekeeper gestured incoherently!
The principal's office was on the third floor. Principal Ma walked to the window, pulled back the curtain, and looked out!
He was immediately startled. At the school gates, hundreds of black-clad SWAT officers were swarming in with submachine guns in their hands.
Every one of them was well trained, and they surrounded the entire campus!
A military helicopter was also slowly descending onto the sports field!
Principal Ma stared, dumbfounded!
What was going on with such a huge deployment?
Could there be terrorists at their school?
While he was puzzling over it, he saw two people get out of the helicopter through the window!
One was tall and imposing, clearly a military man. Judging by his bearing, his position probably wasn't low, either.
Beside him was a middle-aged man in a suit and leather shoes. Principal Ma took a closer look.
Holy crap, it was actually the mayor of Lingzhou City!
He hurried out of the principal's office to greet the mayor.
Teacher Wang and the gatekeeper quickly followed him.
Principal Ma was so worked up that his feet failed to keep pace as he went downstairs. He stumbled and nearly fell, saved only by his hand on the railing!
Once on the ground floor, he raced toward the sports field!
Still a long way away, he began shouting between heavy breaths!
"Mayor Deng!"
"I didn't know you would be gracing us with your presence, Mayor Deng. My apologies for not coming out to welcome you!" Principal Ma said as he ran up to Mayor Deng!
Mayor Deng dispensed with pleasantries and went straight to the point. "Does your school have a student named Jiang Fan?"
"Jiang Fan? Yes!"
Principal Ma was puzzled. Mayor Deng had brought such a huge deployment for Jiang Fan.
Could Jiang Fan have committed some offense outside school?
He must have!
Otherwise, why would there be so many armed SWAT officers? It looked like whatever Jiang Fan had done was no small matter!
Could it be murder or arson?
At this thought, Principal Ma hurried to distance himself from Jiang Fan and added!
"Mayor Deng, Jiang Fan was indeed a student at our No. 1 High School, but he's already graduated. Strictly speaking, he is no longer a student at our school!"
Mayor Deng glanced at Principal Ma, then said!
"Where is he now?"
"Where? He's not at school!"
Principal Ma did not know that Jiang Fan and Chu Ruoxi had come to the school!
Just as Mayor Deng was about to say something more, the man beside him stopped him, because he had spotted a boy and a girl walking over from the edge of the sports field!
"Jiang Fan, where are you going? Come back!" Seeing Jiang Fan heading toward the helicopter, Chu Ruoxi called out anxiously!
"Chu Ruoxi, didn't you want to ride in a helicopter? Come on, I'll take you!"
Frightened, Chu Ruoxi jogged over, caught Jiang Fan's hand, and said.
"Are you crazy? That's a military helicopter!"