Restart life

Chapter 68 0066 [Ms. Bian Guanyue, our school has high hopes for your son]

Chengdu Railway Station.

"goodbye!"

Goodbye, see you on QQ!

On their return journey, the 39 athletes from Sichuan traveled by three separate trains.

Because there are only three direct trains between the two places each day!
The Lunar New Year is just around the corner, and it's the peak of the Spring Festival travel rush for migrant workers returning home. It was the staff at *Mengya* magazine who helped me book my train tickets; buying them myself would have been extremely difficult.

Chen Guiliang didn't take a plane when he came, and he certainly won't take one when he goes back.

Once he leaves on his own, other contestants will inevitably post defamatory comments, and who knows how many people are envious and jealous of him.

Upon arrival at their destination, several local students from Chengdu left.

There are six people left on this trip: three from Dafu City, two from Longdu City, and one from Tiancheng City.

"We went to buy tickets too."

"Are there no tickets left today? The station hall is packed with people."

"Buy tickets for tomorrow, and find a hotel to stay in tonight."

"Then be careful. Goodbye."

The three from Dafu City also left, leaving only Chen Guiliang, Milan, and Zeng Jing.

Zeng Jing is a boy from Tiancheng. He won the second prize this time. His home is next to Longdu City.

"Shall we buy train tickets for tomorrow?" Zeng Jing asked.

Chen Guiliang said, "Let's just take a bus. Train tickets are hard to buy; the hall is full of migrant workers returning home. I reckon the train tickets for tomorrow morning are definitely sold out, and it's hard to say whether we can get tickets for the afternoon."

"Okay, then let's take the car."

The three of them dragged their suitcases out of the train station, and as soon as they stepped out of the hall, they were surrounded by people engaged in illegal transportation.

"Are you leaving Zizhou or not? We're just missing the three of you."

"Emei, Emei, get in the car and we're leaving."

"Yazhou, Yazhou. The long-distance bus station has no tickets..."

Chen Guiliang encountered someone going to Longdu and asked, "How much?"

"One hundred each," the other party replied.

What kind of car do you drive?

"Golden Cup".

"How many more people are needed?"

"Four or five."

"Here's four hundred yuan, let's go right away."

"Row!"

During the Spring Festival travel rush, you're bound to be ripped off; normally it's only fifty or sixty yuan for the fare.

Chen Guiliang was too lazy to haggle and just accepted it as payment for his accommodation in Chengdu that night.

If you really want to negotiate the price, you can probably get it down to 70 or 80. But the driver will definitely keep waiting for others; a van can fit ten people in (plus a mountain of luggage).

The group continued walking, encountering various intermediaries along the way.

When asked if he needed accommodation, Chen Guiliang ignored him.

Until a middle-aged woman, speaking with a heavy regional accent, said, "Save the people?"

Chen Guiliang couldn't help but chuckle and replied, "NO."

Milan didn't understand, so she caught up a few steps and asked, "What did she just say?"

Chen Guiliang said, "Let's go with her to save humanity."

Milan was completely baffled.

Zeng Jing was trying so hard to suppress his laughter that he almost suffered internal injuries.

When we came to a newsstand by the roadside, a migrant worker couple was waiting there.

The illegal transportation agent who brought Chen Guiliang there said, "Please wait a few minutes, I've already called the driver."

Milan got bored while waiting, so she went to the newsstand to buy a newspaper.

She specifically looked for articles related to the New Concept Writing Competition, but unfortunately, she didn't find anything useful. This is because very few newspapers from Shanghai are sold in Chengdu.

For example, the Shanghai Youth Daily is only distributed in Shanghai and its surrounding areas.

Southern Weekly and Life Weekly are weekly publications, and the new issue will be available for sale tomorrow.

The Global Times, for example, would never report on the New Concept Writing Competition.

After much deliberation, Milan could only find Wenhui Daily.

She pointed excitedly at the supplement and exclaimed, "Chen Guiliang, your article!"

Zeng Jing ran over to take a look and exclaimed, "Damn, if you include the comments, it almost took up three-quarters of the page! Bro, you're famous!"

Milan bought three newspapers, keeping one for herself, saying she could take them home as souvenirs.

By the dim light of the newsstand, Chen Guiliang carefully read Dong Hongkang's review article. The entire article was full of praise, first analyzing and extolling the poems and prose, then saying that Chen Guiliang was a leading figure among contemporary young writers, with a mature writing style that also possessed the vigor and passion of youth.

"Drip!"

A Jinbei minivan drove up. The vehicle wasn't too badly damaged, but there were already two people inside.

The migrant worker couple by the roadside were the first to climb into the car. They didn't dare put their luggage in the trunk, but instead took the trouble to guard it themselves, placing the bags at their feet or carrying them directly.

Chen Guiliang first took out four hundred yuan to pay for Milan and Zeng Jing's fare, and then went to put away their luggage.

……

The van arrived at Sweet City first, and Zeng Jing got out and waved goodbye.

Then we went to Longdu, but due to the terrible road conditions, we didn't get there until after 3 a.m.

The couple insisted that the driver take them back to their village. After some arguing, the driver only agreed to take them to the station.

Chen Guiliang and Milan didn't get involved; they got out of the car and hailed a taxi. After dropping Milan off outside a residential area, Chen Guiliang took another taxi to his uncle's house.

Aunt Lin Chunhong opened the door with a yawn. She was overjoyed to see Chen Guiliang and called out, "Feng Tao, your nephew is back!"

Feng Tao came out wearing a coat, beaming with delight, and asked, "Guiliang, can you get a guaranteed admission to Tsinghua or Peking University?"

"Where did you hear the news?" Chen Guiliang asked.

Feng Tao said, "Brother Gang called me and told me."

"Are you choosing Tsinghua or Peking University?" Lin Chunhong asked quickly. She hadn't even finished high school, but that didn't stop her from knowing how prestigious Tsinghua and Peking University were.

Chen Guiliang was both amused and exasperated: "It's still uncertain. Whether Tsinghua and Peking University will even accept me is still up in the air."

Lin Chunhong pressed further, "Didn't you say that Tsinghua and Peking University were vying for your talents?"

"It's just a rumor," Chen Guiliang asked. "How did Brother Gang know about it?"

Feng Tao said, "Tao Xue saw it online."

……

More than ten hours ago.

Tao Xue was playing as a female Taoist priest in a private server set up by her brother, having a great time.

Her phone rang, and after she answered, her roommate Yu Tian said, "Quickly log in to the Mengya Forum!"

"What's wrong? I'm playing games," Tao Xue asked.

Yu Tian said, "Your senior nephew won first prize and is famous on the forum!"

Tao Xue quickly exited the game, carefully browsed the posts on the Mengya Forum, and then rushed to her brother's house next door. "Brother, come quick!"

"I didn't get back until midnight last night, can't you let me sleep a little longer?"

"Chen Guiliang is famous!"

These days, Tao Chenggang is busy promoting the game "Abyss Legend" in neighboring cities and counties, looking for more internet cafes to cooperate with in operating the game.

With the Spring Festival approaching, he plans to take a break.

I also contacted the game development team via the internet and mobile phone, planning to try making my own game next year.

The initial startup capital is only a few hundred thousand yuan. The plan is to sell two internet cafes first, while continuing to operate the private server and other internet cafes. Once the money is almost spent, sell two more internet cafes; there's no shortage of buyers for these things.

We'll keep selling off all the internet cafes.

Tao Chenggang was dragged to the computer by his sister. After reading a few posts, he exclaimed in utter shock, "Damn, that's awesome!"

“I’m also going to participate in the New Concept Writing Competition when I’m a senior in high school,” Tao Xue said.

Tao Chenggang poured cold water on his sister's enthusiasm: "You can write this kind of article?"

Tao Xue said, "I'm also very good at writing essays."

"Focus on your studies, play fewer games, and read fewer extracurricular books." Tao Chenggang slapped her on the head.

Tao Xue covered her head, furious: "Don't hit my head anymore! Hitting me too many times will make me stupid!"

"You talk like you're so smart," Tao Chenggang said, running to the refrigerator to find something to eat. "Where are Mom and Dad?"

Tao Xue said, "Dad worked the night shift last night and is sleeping now. Mom went to work."

Tao Chenggang brought out half a plate of braised dishes, eating as he directed, "Go cook rice quickly."

"I can only cook rice, I can't cook dishes." Tao Xue reluctantly went to wash the rice.

She poured the rice into the rice cooker and started cooking it. Then she ran back to the computer and kept smiling foolishly at the posts.

Tao Xue then logged onto QQ and left messages for her classmates one by one: "My nephew won first prize in the New Concept Writing Competition, he's Chen Guiliang from the senior year of high school. You guys should go check out the Mengya Forum, Tsinghua University, Peking University, and a bunch of other top universities are vying for him!"

Finally, Tao Xue couldn't resist and called Bian Guanyue again.

"Senior, what are you busy with?"

"Do the test paper."

"My nephew won first prize."

"Really?"

"Haha, you didn't know? Bye."

……

Bian Guanyue stared blankly at her phone, feeling a pang of sadness.

She assumed that Chen Guiliang had called Tao Xue to share the good news, but hadn't informed her.

Bian Guanyue opened her laptop and searched on Baidu for the keywords "Chen Guiliang" and "New Concept Writing Competition First Prize".

Soon a bunch of search results appeared.

The main focus is on major forums and the official website of Mengya.

Bian Guanyue muttered to herself, "That little rascal is lying to me again. She saw it online too."

Bian Guanyue browsed the posts again and again when her phone suddenly rang.

"Hello, is this Ms. Bian Guanyue?" came the voice of an unfamiliar man from the other end of the phone.

Bian Guanyue replied, "Yes, that's me. What can I do for you?"

The man said, "I am Chen Sihe, the head of the Chinese Department at Fudan University."

Bian Guanyue was completely bewildered and subconsciously said, "Hello, Director Chen."

“Chen Guiliang left this number as an emergency contact,” Chen Sihe said with a smile. “Are you Chen Guiliang’s mother?”

"Huh?" Bian Guanyue was a little confused.

Chen Sihe said, "That's right. Fudan University has always attached great importance to cultivating outstanding literary talents, and we have high hopes for your son. We held an emergency meeting yesterday and secured some more favorable conditions..."

“No,” Bian Guanyue quickly explained, “I’m Chen Guiliang’s classmate. Not his mother!”

"..." Silence fell on the other end of the phone.

Bian Guanyue asked, "Director Chen, are you still there?"

Chen Sihe sighed noticeably: "Hello, Bian Guanyue, could you please try to persuade Chen Guiliang? Fudan University is very sincere in its offer. Please tell him that the original undergraduate admission score remains unchanged, and with his usual grades, he'll definitely be fine. Furthermore, he can choose any humanities major, and if he wants to pursue graduate studies, he can be recommended. There are also opportunities in the student union and joining the Party..."

"Wait a minute, let me write this down." Bian Guanyue was afraid she had missed something.

After making the call, Bian Guanyue jumped up and danced around in silent celebration.

She was happy for Chen Guiliang, and even happier that Chen Guiliang had designated her as his emergency contact.

Bian Guanyue stopped doing her test and wandered around her bedroom.

Knowing that her grandparents were out playing cards, she walked into the living room with the steps of a traditional opera performer, raised her hand as if gently waving a folding fan, and sang a cheerful excerpt from the Sichuan opera "The Legend of the White Snake": "Spring is beautiful, a hundred flowers are in bloom, willows line the Su Causeway. Painted boats play flutes and drums, and flower girls cross the blue stone steps. This world is better than Penglai, who would want to return to Mount Emei to cultivate asceticism?"

"Meow meow~~~"

The calico cat I bought a few days ago has now become tame. It crawled out from under the sofa and pounced around her feet.

"You're happy too?"

Bian Guanyue picked up the kitten, rolled onto the sofa, and lay down, playing with its pink paws.

"Meow~"

"Ouch! I'll bite you!"

"Meow~"

"Come, I'll teach you to dance."

Footsteps sounded outside the door, followed by the sound of a key being inserted into the lock.

Bian Guanyue immediately put the kitten down and walked back to the bedroom as if nothing had happened: "Grandpa, the rice cooker is cooking rice, you can just stir-fry the vegetables."

……

In Sichuan, newspapers and magazines were relatively quiet, with only the supplement of Wenhui Daily attracting limited attention.

But the situation is different in the Yangtze River Delta region.

With so many newspapers working together, even the worst newspapers would at least give it a short article, and some even devoted half a page to a detailed report.

Some newspapers have compared Chen Guiliang to Han Han and Guo Xiaosi, saying that Han Han was a race car driver and Guo Xiaosi was a plagiarist, and that these two have already ruined his promising future. How can we ensure that Chen Guiliang will not repeat their mistakes?

Some people also took the opportunity to discuss education, whether or not such specialists should be specially recruited, and how to train them if they are specially recruited.

"Composing a poem in seven steps," "Universities vying for students," "Chen Guiliang angrily confronting Guo Jingming for plagiarism"... These true and false stories are truly eye-catching and have quickly sparked heated discussions in the Yangtze River Delta region.

It wasn't until the Southern Weekly was published that it finally sparked nationwide discussion.

The Southern Weekly's headline was: "Seven Steps to Top Universities: How to Balance Special Admissions for Gifted Students with Educational Equity?"

The Southern Weekly reporter is adept at stirring up trouble. He listed the award winners from the first and second graduating classes who were admitted through special admission programs, many of whom have faded into obscurity. He then added fuel to the fire by describing the fierce competition among universities for Chen Guiliang. Finally, he discussed the hotly debated issue of educational equity in the past two years.

They even said that Chen Guiliang's usual grades were only good enough for a second-tier university. Is it really reasonable for him to be admitted to Tsinghua, Peking University, or Fudan University?

After this report was published, the major newspapers indeed started a war of words!

The media in Sichuan were slow to realize that a talented person had emerged from their province; they only learned about it through newspapers from other provinces. They could only hastily reprint related news or repost posts from online forums.

The Xihua City Daily is the best-selling newspaper in Sichuan. Reporter Chen Feng (pen name) set off on the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month. He couldn't wait even though there were only two days left until New Year's Eve, and drove straight to Longdu.

He didn't have Chen Guiliang's contact information, so he could only go to Fushi County No. 2 Middle School to find the leaders and teachers.

(End of this chapter)