Back in 1978, I was admitted to Northwestern Polytechnical University.

Chapter 1 Provincial Top Scorer, Tsinghua and Peking Universities Are Snatching Him Away!
Coughing and gurgling, bubbling and bubbling...

Drumming, cymbal playing... all sorts of sounds kept flooding Qin Liang's ears. He turned over, buried his head in the pillow, intending to sleep a little longer, but unexpectedly...

The pillow was a bit prickly, and it jolted him awake.

This doesn't feel like a latex pillow; it feels more like... buckwheat hulls?

Qin Liang slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was the kerosene lamp hanging on the wall, with many black dots on it and a fly buzzing around it.

The walls around the room were covered with newspapers, and the one closest to us was the front page headline with the words clearly visible.

The resumption of the National College Entrance Examination (NCEE) marks a major reform in college admissions this year!

There are some smaller characters below.

...The process involves voluntary application, a unified examination, preliminary selection at the prefecture/city level, school admission, and approval by the province, municipality, or autonomous region...

The newspaper was yellowed, so it looked like it was more than six months old. This scene... seemed familiar.

Yes, it must be a dream.

Never mind, I'll sleep a little longer. The sixth-generation fighter jet just completed its maiden flight, and all the technical staff got a day off. Everyone went home, collapsed into bed, and didn't even have time to check online comments. I need to get some rest too...

Boom!
Just then, the door was pushed open, and a loud voice rang out: "Old Qin, Old Qin, your Liangzi got the top score in the province! The higher-ups are here! Where's Liangzi? Quick, call him out!"

Then, chaos erupted outside.

Qin Liang couldn't sleep at all and sat up abruptly.

They won't even let me sleep in my dreams, that's too much!
Boom!
Just then, the kerosene lamp on the wall suddenly fell down and hit him squarely on the head. It hurt terribly.

Wait, that hurts! This isn't a dream!
Qin Liang pinched his arm hard again. It hurt a lot. He wasn't dreaming; this was...

Qin Liang had just sat up when a group of people walked in.

Old man Qin Baomin led the way, his bronze face, hunched back, and the pipe tucked into his waistband...

He had seen his father in his dreams so many times, and now, he had finally met him in person! At this moment, Qin Liang's nose tingled with emotion.

Okay, I've been reborn, back to the time right after my college entrance exams! Before my rebirth, I was already of retirement age, but now I'm a vigorous young man again, ready to live this life anew! There are many regrets I can make up for!
"Distinguished leaders, this is my son, Qin Liang."

"Hello, Qin Liang. I am the admissions director of Tsinghua University. I have come here specifically to invite you to study at Tsinghua University. In this year's college entrance examination, you scored 98 in mathematics, 99 in physics, and 97 in chemistry. These three scores are almost among the top three in the country! A talent like you is most suitable for Tsinghua University!"

In the 78 college entrance examination, Qin Liang became the top science student in Yan Province. Before he even had a chance to fill out his college application, admissions officers from various universities came to him and found the small mountain village in Bashang where he lived. Moreover, the county government sent people to make a great commotion by beating gongs and drums.

At this moment, Liu Jinquan, a county leader, stood next to Luo Guangming, the admissions director of Tsinghua University, his eyes shining. The county was proud to have produced such a talent!
"Qin Liang, according to the standard procedure, you need to go through various processes such as registration, physical examination, and political review. However, considering your outstanding academic performance, as long as you agree, we can immediately issue you an admission notice and then go to the county to retrieve your files and student records. You will then officially become a student of our Huaqing University!"

Luo Guangming assumed that Qin Liang was simply overwhelmed by happiness, so he continued to explain.

Tsinghua University is a top-tier university in China, and even ranks among the best in the world. Surely the students in this remote mountain village are aware of the strength of Tsinghua University?

But... Qin Liang's eyes seemed to have lost focus, as if he was lost in thought?

Indeed, Qin Liang's thoughts had drifted back to the past. In his previous life, when faced with an invitation from Tsinghua University, Qin Liang immediately chose Tsinghua University, then went on to attend undergraduate studies, pursue a master's degree, study abroad, and work overseas...

He became the envy of everyone, the "other people's child," capable of surviving abroad, but...

Qin Liang will never forget the first time he went to a shopping mall in the United States, when the salesperson greeted him warmly: Japanese? No. Korean? No, I am Chinese.

Then, the waiter immediately ignored him, giving him the same look he had when he first entered a department store in the capital after coming out of the mountains and was given a sidelong glance by a salesperson.

The first time I went to a football game, a Westerner yelled at me, "China puta!" Later I learned that this word means something even worse than "shit".

The first time I was walking on the street at night, a black man rushed out and robbed me clean, while the police on duty on the street saw it but did nothing!
After graduation, I went to Silicon Valley, taking expensive transportation every day, eating fast food that seems high-end to most Chinese people, and working in skyscrapers. It seemed like I was living the dream, but...

I'm sorry, Qin, you still need to work harder. Pandit is more qualified for the position of department manager this time.

I'm sorry, Qin, this project involves classified information, and you cannot participate.

sorry……

I'm sorry, but I don't really mean it. It's just a catchphrase I use to introduce what I'm about to say!

It's all because he comes from the East! He's a second-class citizen!

Until one day, when he walked into the office, everyone inside stared at him with wide eyes: Qin, your Dongfang is amazing! You can actually develop advanced fighter jets!

Then, such scenes became more and more frequent. Qin, you Easterners actually have aircraft carriers now!

Qin, you Easterners are bullying us too much!
Qin Liang suddenly realized that he would always be a second-class citizen abroad, and his status overseas depended on his motherland!

So Qin Liang returned to China and applied for a job at Chengdu Luoma. He worked hard and gradually participated in one key project after another. Every time a project was successful, he felt a sense of pride from the bottom of his heart!
"Liangzi, Liangzi, the higher-ups are asking you questions!" came his father's voice from the side.

Qin Liang snapped out of his reverie and looked at Luo Guangming, who was filled with anticipation. Would he still go to Tsinghua University in this life? Although he could stay in China after graduation, but…

Just then, another loud, clanging sound came from outside.

"Excuse me, is this Qin Liang's house? We are... oh, Lao Liu?"

Liu Jinquan recognized the person and quickly ran over, beaming, "Leader Zhang, what brings you here?"

Zhang Xiangyang, the city's education official! He actually came in person. And who is this person next to him?

"Qin Liang, what kind of conditions does Tsinghua University offer? Our Capital University will offer double that!" The person spoke to Qin Liang without looking at Luo Guangming, the admissions director of Tsinghua University.

Luo Guangming objected: "Old Wang, your Capital University mainly recruits liberal arts students, while our Tsinghua University mainly recruits science students. What are you doing here?"

"What's the difference between arts and sciences? Aren't they all about serving the country? Besides, our Capital University also has science programs!" Wang Yongyi, the admissions director of Capital University, retorted, then turned to Qin Liang: "Qin Liang, come to our Capital University! We have both arts and sciences programs; you can choose whatever major you want..."

Facing the eager, expectant gazes of the students, Qin Liang asked, "Which of your schools can build airplanes?"

(End of this chapter)