"Whirr... whirr..."
With the deafening roar of its rotors, the helicopter slowly rose into the air, then flew southeast!
On the sports field, a police officer spoke into his radio. "Pull out. Destination: Happiness Residential Complex!"
Upon receiving the order, all the SWAT officers climbed into the military off-road vehicles and sped away!
Lingzhou City No. 1 High School fell quiet again, as though nothing had happened!
On the sports field, Principal Ma, Teacher Wang, Liu Zhi, and the others all craned their heads in disbelief, watching the helicopter in the distance.
It felt like a dream!
As the SWAT officers left with their submachine guns, Liu Zhi could no longer hold himself up. He collapsed to the ground, unable to get back up.
The foreheads of the other students were also covered in beads of sweat.
Only then did Teacher Wang finally regain his ability to speak. He stammered to Principal Ma!
"P-Principal, wh-what's going on?"
Only then did Principal Ma pull his thoughts back from his terror. At the sight of them, his temper immediately flared.
"Jiang Fan was offered recommendation-based admission to Capital University. As long as he agreed, they even offered our school two more recommendation slots. But you ruined everything! You won't be teaching the honors class this year."
"What? Jiang Fan was offered recommendation-based admission to Jing University?"
Teacher Wang looked utterly dumbfounded, while the students' eyes widened in disbelief.
Jiang Fan, recommended for admission to Capital University? What kind of joke was that?
Capital University was one of Dragon Country's top five institutions. With Jiang Fan's intelligence, which had earned him only 300 points on the college entrance exam, how was that possible?
"H-how is that possible..."
"Hmph! Why wouldn't it be possible? Jiang Fan invented a material for solar photovoltaic panels..."
The more Principal Ma spoke, the angrier he became. The two recommendation slots for Capital University that had practically been in his hands had gone up in smoke because of Liu Zhi and the others.
Those were two recommendation slots for Capital University!
Just thinking about it made his heart ache!
Principal Ma looked at the chief culprit, Liu Zhi. He was still sitting on the ground with vacant eyes, and foul odors wafted from him from time to time!
"Teacher Wang, as for him, our school does not accept students of such rotten character!"
With that, Principal Ma stormed off. He still did not want to give up, so he decided to go to Jiang Fan's home and try to persuade his parents. Perhaps there was still a chance!
Aboard the helicopter!
Wearing noise-canceling headphones and a seat belt, Chu Ruoxi sat in her seat.
As excited as a child on her first roller-coaster ride, she pressed against the window and kept looking down!
Every so often, she spoke to Jiang Fan!
"Jiang Fan, look! Wow, our school looks so tiny!"
"Jiang Fan, look! We're flying higher than the television tower!"
"Jiang Fan, look! Is that Lingzhou West Lake? It's so beautiful."
"..."
Jiang Fan smiled as he responded to Chu Ruoxi.
That was how the world was. When we looked at the things we took for granted from another angle, we would discover a different charm to them!
Zhou Huaide watched the two with a smile, filled with endless emotion. It was wonderful to be young.
"Wow! Jiang Fan, fiery clouds! They're magnificent!"
Jiang Fan looked diagonally behind them through the window.
The setting sun on the horizon was a brilliant red, and its lingering glow draped the earth in a thin veil. Everything around them looked like yellowed photographs, with a distinct charm of their own.
The clouds nearest the setting sun were like cotton set ablaze, a sea of fiery red, while those a little farther away were yellow, orange, deep red...
It was as though some mischievous cloud baby had accidentally knocked over the palette in the heavens, painting the sky in such colors and dressing it in such beauty.
Chu Ruoxi had never seen such a beautiful sky, and it was so close to her, as though she could touch the clouds simply by reaching out!
She turned to look at Jiang Fan beside the window. The sunset's lingering glow lit up his face with a vivid radiance, leaving her momentarily entranced!
Only when the helicopter slowly descended did it land in an open square in front of Happiness Residential Complex!
The area had already been cordoned off, and no one was there!
Once the helicopter had landed and its rotors had stopped turning, Jiang Fan and Chu Ruoxi removed their noise-canceling headphones and stepped out!
Zhou Huaide led Jiang Fan toward the residential complex. When they reached the entrance, Chu Ruoxi was stopped because she was not a resident!
Just as Jiang Fan was about to explain, Chu Ruoxi spoke!
"Jiang Fan, I won't go in. My dad just messaged me to come home!"
"Okay!" Jiang Fan replied!
"Then I'll see you tomorrow," Chu Ruoxi said with a smile!
"See you tomorrow, classmate Chu Ruoxi!" Jiang Fan said with a smile as well!
Then Zhou Huaide led Jiang Fan into the complex.
Only then did Chu Ruoxi remember that she had not added Jiang Fan on WeChat. She turned, only to find that he had already gone inside!
"Never mind. I'll do it tomorrow!"
At Jiang Fan's home!
As soon as Jiang Fan returned, Elder Long and Elder Qiao, who had been gathered around Jiang Jingguo and Li Guiqin, immediately stood up and surrounded him!
"Young Jiang Fan, I'm Qiao Shan from Huaqing University..."
"Young Jiang Fan, I'm Elder Long from Dragon University of Science and Technology. You're welcome to join our university. As long as you join us, you'll be my student from now on..."
Elder Long and Elder Qiao scrambled to introduce themselves to Jiang Fan!
Seeing that no one was beside Jiang Fan's parents now, the representatives from the other universities seized the opportunity and immediately gathered around them!
"Mr. Jiang, I'm from Jing University's admissions office. The terms our university offers are definitely better than those from Dragon University of Science and Technology and Huaqing. As long as Jiang Fan comes to study with us, he can get household registration in the Capital, and the university can give you an apartment in the family housing compound. You can move straight to the Capital..."
Meanwhile, the admissions officer from Dragon Country Peking University took Li Guiqin by the arm and said.
"Sister Li, you've heard of Peking University's reputation, haven't you? It's one of Dragon Country's top, first-class institutions. Our university doesn't bother with empty frills. As long as Jiang Fan comes to study with us, he'll receive a one-time reward of one million yuan and a monthly stipend of ten thousand yuan..."
Jiang Jingguo and Li Guiqin were utterly stunned. That morning, they had still been worrying about their son's schooling, yet that afternoon, representatives from Dragon Country's top universities had gathered in their home to fight over Jiang Fan. They would never have dared imagine this even in their dreams!
"Sister, listen to me. Peking University's terms are only so-so. As long as your son comes to our university, he'll be guaranteed admission straight through to a doctorate..."
"..."
Jiang Fan's home was extraordinarily lively, like a vegetable market in the early morning.
At the sight of this scene, black lines instantly covered Zhou Huaide's forehead!
But he could not delay the important business at hand. He had to take Jiang Fan to the Capital today. A group of experts, professors, and researchers were still waiting there.
Jiang Fan's file had indeed passed the supercomputer's calculations, but there was much they did not understand about the controlled nuclear fusion formulas and data within it.
That meant Jiang Fan had to explain it. On the one hand, these professors and experts thirsted for knowledge; on the other, and more importantly, they needed to assess Jiang Fan face-to-face!
"Everyone, please quiet down. As for which university Jiang Fan attends, I have no say in that. But as you all know, we still have important matters to attend to right now."
As Minister Zhou Huaide finished speaking, the representatives from the various universities all stopped talking. They understood.
"Jiang Fan, get ready. You'll leave for the Capital with me in ten minutes!"