The night before the college entrance exam results were released, I redeemed my Peking University ad

The provincial governor did not give a lengthy speech.

There are no parallel sentences, no quotations, and none of those tedious, bureaucratic writings.

Just four paragraphs.

After he finished speaking, the audience remained silent for several seconds.

Then the applause, like a tsunami, swept from the VIP seats at the front of the playground all the way to the student formation at the back, then swept back from the student formation, crashed into the teaching building, flipped over, and surged back again.

There was something burning in the applause.

Something that, once ignited, can never be put back down.

The head of teaching affairs stood in the teachers' formation, his hands clapping until they were numb, but he was completely unaware of it and just kept clapping.

As he was taking pictures, he suddenly felt his legs go weak and grabbed Wang Jianguo next to him.

"Principal Wang! Pinch me!"

His voice trembled, like a string that had been stretched for too long and was about to snap.

Wang Jianguo turned and glared at him: "Why are you pinching me?" "I'm checking if I'm dreaming!"

The head of academic affairs had tears welling up in his eyes: "Last year, our school's college entrance exam pass rate was only 50%! We were at the bottom of the city! We were the kind of school where we couldn't even get into other schools' academic research meetings!"

He paused, sniffed, and then his voice suddenly rose:

"Now the provincial governor is personally endorsing us! He says the funding will be allocated separately! He says we can get whatever we want! Who can stand this contrast?!"

Wang Jianguo's lips twitched as he looked at him.

And wasn't he the same?

Around this time last year, he went to a meeting at the Municipal Education Bureau and sat in the last row, not even having the right to speak.

On one occasion, he wanted to report on the school's situation to Director Li. He waited in the corridor for forty minutes, but Director Li only gave him three minutes.

In three minutes, he hadn't even finished explaining the basic information about the school.

But now?

The provincial governor stood on the playground of his school, facing the cameras broadcast live worldwide, and personally said, "Upgrade it to a key provincial school, allocate separate funding, and grant special approval for staffing."

Old Wang took a deep breath, trying to suppress the anger in his heart, but he couldn't. From this day forward, he, Wang Jianguo, was the most awesome middle school principal in Liaoning Province.

No, he's the most awesome high school principal in the country.

none of them.

Because he had a student named Ji Bai.

……

As the applause subsided, the leaders of the Council of State Councilors slowly walked onto the stage.

The old man had gray hair, but his back was ramrod straight.

The moment he appeared, the entire room fell silent; even the most excited students held their breath.

The media area, which had been whispering amongst themselves just moments before, fell completely silent, with only the occasional sound of camera shutters clicking in the corners.

Everyone on the field fell silent.

It was quieter than ever before.

Because everyone knows that this old man doesn't usually speak easily. But once he does speak, every word he utters will be written into the annals of history.

The old man walked to the front of the stage but didn't rush to speak.

He first glanced at the students below the stage.

Those young, restless children with sparkling eyes.

Then he glanced at the boy carrying a sword not far away beside him.

The boy stood to the side of the platform, his school uniform slightly wrinkled, sleeves rolled up, and sword slung diagonally behind him. Sunlight shone on him, casting a half-light and half-shadow on his still somewhat boyish face.

The old man stared at him for several seconds.

His eyes held admiration, emotion, and a hint of something indescribable, like the light one would have when seeing a rare treasure.

Then, he slowly spoke:

"The provincial governor spoke very well just now."

He said that in ten years, more young people like Ji Bai will emerge from this place.

"I completely agree." "But I'd like to add one more thing."

The old man paused, his gaze calm and profound:

"Ji Bai is irreplaceable."

The entire room fell silent.

Some people frowned, while others opened their mouths slightly as if they wanted to say something, but then swallowed their words back.

Unreplicable?

Then what the provincial governor said about "a thousand Ji Bai" was all for naught.

The old man didn't rush to continue.

He paused for two or three seconds, allowing the words to fully ferment, settle, and enter everyone's minds.

Then he continued speaking:

"Ji Bai's talent, his ingenious ideas, and his youthful spirit are all unique."

"But that doesn't mean other children can't be great." "Quite the opposite."

The old man's voice suddenly rose half an octave, as if a breath that had surged up from his chest had finally found an outlet.

"The true significance of Ji Bai is not that we should all become Ji Bai, but that each of us should dare to be the best version of ourselves."

The old man's voice was not loud, but it was like spring rain nourishing everything, falling into everyone's heart.

"His achievements in mathematics are world-renowned."

"His breakthrough in superconductivity has shocked the world."

"But behind these achievements, the most valuable thing is his youthful spirit of 'I want to try'."

"Our country has a history of five thousand years, and it has never lacked intelligent people, nor has it ever lacked diligent people."

"But what we really lack are people who dare to look up at the stars no matter where they are or how low their starting point is."

"Ji Bai is just that kind of person."

"He told us that science has no insurmountable barriers, and dreams have no insurmountable boundaries!"

"He showed young people all over the world that an ordinary high school student can stand at the pinnacle of human civilization with sheer courage!" The old man said, turning slightly to look at Ji Bai, his voice softening slightly.

"Ji Bai, on behalf of the Party and on behalf of all the children watching you on the screen, I have something to say to you."

"Thank you!"

"Thank you for giving us faith that the youth have a bright future and that China will be blessed!"

"May you continue to forge ahead on your future path, and may the world continue to be amazed by you!"

"We old men are waiting to see you fly even higher!"

After speaking, the old man turned around, faced the entire audience, and uttered only the last four words:

Let us all strive together!

……

The words fell.

The audience was silent.

Three seconds later. BOOM—!

The applause erupted like a volcanic eruption!

It wasn't just polite applause, nor was it a perfunctory response after a leader finished speaking. It was a resonance that burst forth from the depths of one's heart.

The students clenched their fists, shouted at the top of their lungs, and clapped their hands until they were red, completely unaware of it.

The teachers stood ramrod straight, their eyes red-rimmed, while several older teachers turned their faces away, their shoulders trembling slightly.

Li Mei stood in the teachers' formation, tears streaming down her face, yet she smiled with immense pride.

Those were her students.

It was that child who once handed in a blank exam paper, drew a turtle, and was abandoned by everyone.

Now, standing in the center of ten thousand people, I receive thanks from the leaders of the Council of State.

Family members, does anyone understand?

……

In the foreign guests' section, Wiles clapped softly and nodded slowly. He didn't understand Chinese, but after the translator whispered something in his ear, the old man remained silent for a long time.

"The youth are promising, the nation is glorious..."

He repeated it in broken Chinese, "Well said."

Terence Tao pushed up his glasses, the lenses reflecting the light from the stage: "A country like this, young people like this, it's terrifying."

They've seen too many geniuses.

But I've never seen a genius like Ji Bai who can ignite the flame of an entire nation and a generation of young people.

This is no longer just a matter of personal talent.

This marks the beginning of a new era!

The last trace of arrogance on the faces of J.P. Morgan and John D. Rockefeller had vanished.

They finally realized that they were not dealing with a "genius boy" at all.

It is a vital national asset that the entire country places high hopes on and supports in its progress.

Want to suppress them? Want to blacklist them? How ridiculous!

……

Ji Bai stood on the stage, looking at the old man's back, and suddenly felt a tightness in his chest.

These words are not from a script.

He could tell.

The draft was well-structured and watertight, with every sentence perfectly placed, but it was missing something.

But every word the old man just said carried warmth, weight, and a sincerity honed from decades of life experience.

A senior councilor stood on a high school playground, in front of the whole world, and said "thank you" to an eighteen-year-old boy.

They even said, "We old men are waiting to see you fly even higher."

Ji Bai sniffed and his lips twitched.

Ok.

Experience truly matters! The old man on stage said thank you, and the shock level just exploded!

……

Meanwhile, the chat room exploded with comments.

"I'm utterly blown away by what the leaders of the Council of State said! The youth are full of promise; they are the glory of China!"

"My goodness! Who wrote this? Was it impromptu? That's amazing!"

"Holy crap! A leader from the Council of Advisors personally endorsed him; Ji Shen's influence is off the charts!"

"When the provincial governor said he wanted to create a thousand Ji Bais, I was filled with enthusiasm. But when the council leader said 'They can't be replicated,' I was completely devastated!"

"Two leaders, two different levels of leadership, both are fucking inspiring!"

"Provincial Governor: Ten years from now, we need a thousand Ji Bais! Council of State: No, Ji Bai is unique, but you can all become the best versions of yourselves!"

"Is this what they call a sense of hierarchy in Chinese reading comprehension? I love it!"

"This live stream today was amazing! Every frame was a masterpiece!"

"Comrades, the internet has gone crazy too! It's all 'amazin,' 'nbelievable,' and 'it's maic!'" "Haha, those people on the internet, they were saying the Ji Bai era was over, now they're all spamming 'e is frm te ftre'!"

"Their Nobel laureates all came to applaud Ji Shen! This is a slap in the face, broadcast live globally!"

"All I want to say is, as a Chinese person, today was truly awesome!"

"This is so awesome!"

……

The ceremony officially concluded shortly before 11 a.m.

As soon as Wang Jianguo announced the words "The ceremony is over," the scene completely spiraled out of control.

All the media reporters, like a floodgate opened, rushed towards Ji Bai with their cameras and microphones.

CCTV, provincial TV stations, municipal TV stations, CNN, BBC, Reuters, AFP...

The microphones were like a forest, poking at the boy from all directions.

"Ji Bai! May I ask what the technical principle behind your sword-flying technique was today?"

"Ji Bai! Is that sword superconducting and magnetically levitated? Could you please share the chip's parameters?" "Ji Bai! When was that poem written? Was it impromptu today?"

"Ji Bai! What do you think of MIT's '20% cost reduction'?"

"Ji Bai! What is your next research direction?"

"Ji Bai! Are you implying today that you already possess more advanced chip technology?"

"Ji Bai..."

"Ji Bai..."

Dozens of questions came at once, and the microphone was practically shoved into Ji Bai's mouth.

Secretary Li and the security team quickly stepped forward and formed a circle around Ji Bai.

Secretary Li's face was tense, his eyes were sharp, and his movements were clean and efficient, ready to block people while retreating.

"Ji Bai, you're on your way now, we'll talk later..."

But the boy slightly raised his hand, indicating that there was no need to be nervous.

"Don't rush, don't rush, we have them all, it's all worth the trip!" "Let's take it one at a time."

Ji Bai's gaze slid across the faces of the CNN reporter, then the BBC reporter, then the Reuters reporter, finally settling on one spot.

The person holding the microphone was a female reporter in her early thirties.

"Beautiful lady, you may go first. What would you like to ask?"

When the CCTV reporter was called out, he was stunned for a moment, then his eyes lit up as if he had been hit by a huge pie.

She quickly straightened her collar, thrust the microphone forward, and, suppressing the tremor in her voice, asked the question everyone was most concerned about:

"Ji Bai, I have a question..."

(Aaaaaah!!! My hands are about to break from writing so much watermelon!!! I've typed 15,000 words in two days, my keyboard is smoking, and all my brain cells are dead. Dear godfathers and godmothers, please give me a bite to eat!!!)

(No matter how far apart we are, our hearts are always connected. How about a little love? There is true love in the world. Even a dollar or two is a token of our affection!)