Restart life

Chapter 78 0076 [Peking University is alright too]

Southern media groups experienced rapid growth last year.

In particular, it has extended its reach to Beijing and Shanghai!
The tentacles that reached into the capital city are the novel *New Capital*.

The tentacles that have reached into Shanghai are called "Dongzao".

The newly established "New Beijing" magazine urgently needs a breakthrough, and this time it is following the lead of the South to stir up trouble.

The East Morning Post was the predecessor of The Paper. Its leaders were either dismissed or brought down. But at that time, its notoriety was not yet apparent. The editor-in-chief came from the Southern Media Group, the deputy editor-in-chief came from Wenhui Daily, and the affiliated unit was Shanghai Media Group.

They plan to go against the Southern Group headquarters and support the special recruitment of exceptional talents, including Chen Guiliang—it's possible that one will play the good cop and the other the bad cop, with brother units taking opposing perspectives to stir up hot topics together.

The East Morning Post asked Chen Guiliang a few more questions to confirm the authenticity of his junior high school experiences.

Then the press conference ended, and after lunch, we were to visit other parts of the school.

Chen Guiliang and his classmates also went to the cafeteria. He was surrounded by his classmates from room 302, and the students from room 301 next door also came to join in the fun. More than a dozen boys were talking loudly and excitedly about what had just happened.

Bian Guanyue was too embarrassed to squeeze through, and simply walked silently alongside Wu Meng.

The topic of discussion among many students, however, was related to errors in the textbook.

Do you think the Chinese textbook will be revised?

"I think it definitely needs to be changed; so many media outlets will be reporting on it."

"I don't think so. I even found errors in my history textbook when I was in junior high. And it hasn't been corrected after all these years, has it?"

How do you know it hasn't been changed?

“During the Chinese New Year, I specifically read my cousin’s history book.”

"If the textbooks are really changed, then Master Chen will be awesome!"

"..."

The group hurried to the cafeteria, rushing to get their food before school let out.

The mealtime was too short!
Chen Guiliang hadn't finished his meal when his mobile phone rang; it was Tao Xue calling.

"Nephew, how did you do today?" Tao Xue asked.

Chen Guiliang replied, "I didn't embarrass Aunt Xue."

Tao Xue sighed, "Sigh, I wanted to fake illness to ask for leave, but the homeroom teacher wouldn't approve, so I didn't get to see the reporter interview you in person. Where are you?"

"canteen."

Less than a minute later, Tao Xue rushed into the cafeteria; she had been on her way there.

Tao Xue looked around and soon spotted the students from Class 11 of Senior Three.

"Senior!"

Tao Xue didn't greet Chen Guiliang directly, but instead walked over to Bian Guanyue's side first.

"Hello," Bian Guanyue said.

Tao Xue smiled and said, "Isn't my nephew quite good?"

"It's awesome."

Bian Guanyue thought to herself: What nephew? He's still my son.

Xie Yang had already finished his lunch quickly. Seeing Tao Xue appear, he went over and added fuel to the fire, saying, "You have no idea, Master Chen was incredibly awesome today. Let me tell you..."

Tao Xue didn't queue up for food; instead, she stood there listening to Xie Yang's story. Her eyes lit up after just a few words, and she regretted not skipping class to be there in person.

Xu Haibo also joined in, vividly recounting what had happened before.

Tao Xue listened attentively, planning to return to her class to promote Chen Guiliang's name again. She would also emphasize that Chen Guiliang was her nephew!
Half an hour later, the senior students' afternoon self-study session began.

Bian Guanyue kept turning his head back, frequently glancing at the second-to-last row.

The more attention Chen Guiliang received, the more embarrassed she became to be too close to him. She even felt a slight sense of inferiority, thinking that her academic performance was too poor and that she was not worthy of the talented Chen Daxia.

It seems strange to adults, but to high school students it seems to be a very normal psychological state.

"Why don't you sit backwards to avoid twisting your neck?" Wu Meng joked.

Bian Guanyue became arrogant again, putting on a cold expression and sitting upright to write her test paper.

Chen Guiliang's mobile phone rang again, this time a long distance call: "Hello, wait a minute, the signal is bad in the classroom, I'll go out and find a signal... Hello, is this Minister Cheng... Hello, you should call your emergency contact."

Damn it, I need to buy a new phone.

Chen Guiliang arrived at the front door of the classroom and called out to Bian Guanyue, who was sitting in the first row.

Upon hearing the sound, Bian Guanyue immediately got up and walked out, but before she even left the classroom, she received a phone call.

"Give me your phone," Chen Guiliang said.

Bian Guanyue quickly handed it over.

"Hello, Minister Cheng, this is Chen Guiliang."

"You weren't affected by public opinion, were you?"

"Fortunately."

“There is a lot of opposition in society right now, and some people at Peking University also oppose it. But the purpose of independent admissions is to select outstanding talents. As long as this principle remains unchanged, we are not afraid of any criticism. After a meeting and discussion at the university, the conditions for your special admission have been finalized.”

"Minister Cheng, please go ahead."

"As long as you pass the first-tier university entrance exam cutoff score, Peking University can admit you. Also, you don't need to come for the independent admission exam; just send us a supplementary application. I'll read you the mailing address."

"Wait, let me get some paper and pen."

"It's okay if it gets lost in the mail, I'll call you and ask you to send a replacement."

Chen Guiliang returned to his seat, wrote down the address, and then asked, "Minister Cheng, may I apply to your university's Philosophy Department?"

Minister Cheng: "Why not the Chinese Literature Department?"

"I'm more interested in philosophy." Chen Guiliang had already boasted about it, so he couldn't go back on his word. He felt it didn't matter which major he chose.

He does indeed quite like philosophy.

Twenty years later, Fudan University's philosophy program is among the best.

However, in 2003, the top five universities for philosophy were: Wuhan University, Peking University, Nanjing University, Renmin University of China, and Fudan University.

This year's rankings won't be released until July, and the top five universities for philosophy will soon be: Peking University, Renmin University, Nanjing University, Wuhan University, and Fudan University.

No matter how you rank them, Fudan University is always fifth.

“You can study philosophy,” Minister Cheng readily agreed, since the philosophy department was also under his jurisdiction.

Chen Guiliang then asked, "Is it necessary to keep it confidential?"

Minister Cheng said, "No need. The list will be announced soon, and the media will definitely be watching closely. Whether you keep it secret or not, it's all the same. Are you sure you want to come to Peking University?"

"Confirmed." "Okay, I'll wait for your application materials. Send them via EMS express mail. Remember, it's express. Don't skimp on postage, to avoid loss."

"I'll mail it out today."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Guiliang noticed that not only Bian Guanyue was looking at him, but all the classmates in the surrounding seats were also looking over.

His deskmate, Qin Shanshan, glanced at the address he had written down: "Peking University?"

"Peking University is alright too," Chen Guiliang nodded.

Bian Guanyue smiled, her face filled with admiration.

Qin Shanshan shouted at the top of her lungs, "Master Chen is going to study at Peking University!"

The quiet afternoon study session immediately became noisy, and many students left their seats.

Guan Zhiqiang, holding the novel, smiled at Li Jun and said, "Hehe."

"Fuck your mother!"

Li Jun was extremely unhappy. He even considered going to a reporter to reveal that Chen Guiliang had been placed on probation at the university.

But Li Jun didn't dare; he always chickened out at crucial moments.

Guan Zhiqiang smiled without saying a word. He had already passed the art major exam and was 100% guaranteed to get into a prestigious art school.

And what about Li Jun?

Haha, just go to college and study!

Peking University's independent admissions program was implemented last year.

Previously, there was a lack of transparent rules, and schools could recruit students however they wanted. Now, not only have detailed procedures been established, but a public disclosure process has also been added—this is an important part of the admissions reform.

For the first round of independent admissions, Peking University was allocated 150 places. However, out of caution, Peking University voluntarily reduced the number of places to 50.

This is the second year of independent enrollment, and the deadline has already passed.

According to the normal procedure, the application materials should have been submitted before December 20th of last year, and the interview and written test should have been conducted in mid-January—which happened to be during the New Concept Writing Competition semi-finals.

Universities have made exceptions for the first-prize winners of the competition, allowing them to submit their materials later, and some universities even require them to take a supplementary written test.

In addition, later independent admissions allowed for a 20-60 point reduction in the admission score. However, the independent admissions process was stricter at this time, and in principle, only a 20-point reduction was allowed, with special cases requiring discussion in meetings.

"Class monitor, I need to ask for leave to send materials to Peking University," Chen Guiliang said.

Li Rui nodded repeatedly: "Go ahead, it's alright."

Amidst the envious glances of his classmates, Chen Guiliang left the classroom with the materials he had prepared beforehand.

Tsinghua University hadn't called yet, and Chen Guiliang was too lazy to wait any longer.

Since Peking University has confirmed that students who pass the first-tier university entrance exam will be admitted through special admissions, and Chen Guiliang is confident that he will pass the first-tier university entrance exam, then Peking University is naturally the first choice.

Especially for those wanting to study philosophy, Fudan University was really "lagging behind" at that time. A perennial fifth-place finisher!

Chen Guiliang also borrowed Bian Guanyue's mobile phone and, on his way to the post office, called Fudan University, Beijing Normal University, and other universities one by one to express his apologies and regrets.

Meanwhile, after Chen Guiliang left, class monitor Li Rui quickly ran to report to the class teacher Liu Shuying.

Upon receiving the news, Liu Shuying immediately went to report to the principal.

Principal Yan was accompanying media reporters on a tour when he paused for a moment, then smiled and announced: "Our student Chen Guiliang is willing to be specially admitted to Peking University with a score above the first-tier university admission line."

The dozens of reporters became even more excited; they had another news story to tell!
Even if President Yan doesn't say anything, Peking University will release the list soon.

Chen Guiliang is not guaranteed admission to Peking University; he must pass the first-tier university entrance exam. He will need to continue studying hard.

……

Magic City, "Grudge" magazine.

Editor-in-Chief Zhao Changtian was in a terrible predicament as universities across the country called one after another, all canceling their quotas for lower admission scores next year.

Not a single spot will be allocated to the New Concept Writing Competition!
They said the pressure from public opinion was too great and they had to temporarily avoid the limelight, and would find an opportunity to resume their activities later.

The problem is that if a competition is interrupted for even one year, the number of participants will inevitably decrease sharply, and even if it resumes, it will never recover.

Hu Weishi knocked on the door and came in: "Chen Guiliang's submission."

"A novel?" Zhao Changtian asked.

"It's a bit like a thesis, but the format is wrong." Hu Weishi said, both amused and exasperated.

She had received all sorts of submissions, but this was the first time she had encountered a research paper, and she didn't even know which section to publish it in.

The article questions whether the textbook on "Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng" is erroneous, and Chen Guiliang sent it out last week.

Moreover, Chen Guiliang deliberately acted naive and unskilled, pretending he had never seen a professional academic paper before, and completely disregarded the fixed format of academic papers. This served two purposes: firstly, it suited his high school student identity, and secondly, it enhanced the article's appeal and lowered the reading threshold.

Zhao Changtian asked, "What are your plans?"

Hu Weishi said, "The latest issue of 'Mengya' features Chen Guiliang's 'Journey to the Sea' in the 'Selected Award-Winning Works' section. As for this article, it was published in the 'Campus Scan' section."

Zhao Changtian nodded and said, "Public opinion is too fierce and complex right now. Publishing two articles in 'Sprout' that lack entertainment value but are of good literary and academic quality can help salvage our image. Publish them!"

If an article is published, a fee should naturally be paid.

"Journey to the Seas" is a poem, and the payment standards are different.

Based on the two articles, Chen Guiliang will likely receive more than 6000 yuan in royalties.

In addition, there is a gold prize in the essay competition.

Even though it's the same first prize, the prize money varies, with the highest prize being 5000 yuan.

Chen Guiliang's "A Journey to the Seas" was rated as outstanding, and the prize money was temporarily increased to 6000 yuan. A unique achievement!
With his first-prize outstanding essay and the royalties from two articles, his total income has now reached more than 12000 yuan.

Once the "Selected Winning Works of the New Concept Writing Competition" is published, Chen Guiliang will receive a royalties.

Before the publishing industry collapsed, writing was a real money-maker!

Zhao Changtian called Li Qigang, the general manager of the New Concept Writing Competition, over: "There will be no quota for lowering the admission score next year, so we can only increase the prize money to attract young people to participate."

"How much should the bonus be?" Li Qigang asked.

Zhao Changtian said, "The highest prize is 10,000 yuan!"

On March 1, the latest issue of "Mengya" was released, featuring two articles by Chen Guiliang.

Moreover, the cover features an extra-large introduction: This is an award-winning masterpiece by the young literary prodigy Chen Guiliang!

This magazine has already sold over 50 copies per issue.

Moreover, the students actually paid for all of them, and one magazine could be circulated among half the class.

Chen Guiliang's article will be seen by at least two to three million students in the next two weeks.

-

(Thanks to the generous donation from the patron "青灯古佛一盏老酒一只烟".)
(Based on reader votes, Peking University is overwhelmingly in first place, while Fudan University only received half the votes. Therefore, Chen Daxia chooses Peking University.)
(End of this chapter)