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

"Now! Let's give Ji Bai a warm round of applause as he comes to the stage to share his thoughts!!!"

Principal Wang finally finished showering Ji Bai with compliments, and with a radiant smile, handed the microphone to Ji Bai.

Ji Bai took the microphone without the slightest stage fright.

Just kidding, I've given apologies in front of the whole school more than once or twice, it's nothing.

He knew this platform better than the drill instructors.

"Cough cough,"

Ji Bai cleared his throat, and the microphone emitted a slight buzzing sound.

"Ahem, first of all, I want to thank Principal Wang. Without Principal Wang's wise leadership, there would be no such good learning environment at No. 99 Middle School, and I wouldn't be where I am today."

"Secondly, I want to thank my homeroom teacher, Ms. Li Mei, and all my subject teachers. Without their painstaking efforts and patient guidance, I wouldn't have achieved what I have today."

"Everything I have comes from the school and the teachers!"

His words were perfectly polite and appropriate.

On the podium, Principal Wang's lips curled up wildly, a smile harder to suppress than a gun on steroids. He stood ramrod straight with his hands behind his back, his posture more upright than ever before.

This kid is so sensible! So incredibly sensible!

The teachers sitting below were all beaming with pride.

Mr. Zhou, the math teacher who used to scold Ji Bai for sleeping in class every day, patted the teacher next to him on the shoulder and grinned from ear to ear:

"See that? My student! I told you this kid'd amount to something!"

The Chinese teacher, who had previously punished Ji Bai by making him stand for an entire class period, nodded repeatedly while adjusting his glasses:

"I knew long ago that this child had an extraordinary nature; he always appeared wise beyond his years!"

Everyone felt incredibly proud; having produced the city's top scorer—how prestigious that must be!

The simple opening session has ended.

Thousands of students on the playground craned their necks, waiting to hear the top student's "study secrets".

Even though most of the students at No. 99 Middle School were just coasting through their studies, they were still very curious about "how to score over 700 points".

Even the few troublemakers who usually sleep in class raised their heads and looked at the podium with curiosity.

How did someone who scored less than 300 points on the high school entrance exam manage to turn around and become the top scorer in the city in just three years?

How did he learn it?

How long does he study each day?

What teaching aids does he use?

Does he have any secret techniques?

All eyes were on Ji Bai.

Unexpectedly, Ji Bai suddenly changed the subject, smiling and shrugging:

"Principal Wang asked me to give everyone some advice on studying, but as someone of the same age, I know that what everyone hates most is being told what to do by those who have been there before."

"So my advice is, don't give advice to young people!"

These words were spoken.

The once noisy playground fell silent for a second.

The next second, it exploded!

"puff!"

"Holy crap?"

"Hahaha!"

The playground, which was so quiet you could hear the wind rustling the flagpole, suddenly sounded like a bomb had been dropped on it.

"good!!!"

A very small number of students from some class took the lead and shouted, their voices so loud it was as if they had been holding back for three years.

Immediately afterwards, a deafening roar of cheers erupted from the crowd.

"Well said!"

"That's fucking right!"

"Ji Bai is awesome!!!"

Even more extreme, some people started clapping and whistling.

The applause quickly grew from a few scattered bursts into a thunderous roar, like the rumble of thunder before a storm, rolling across the entire playground.

Several boys standing in the back row took off their school uniform jackets and waved them above their heads, just like they were at a music festival.

When have students of No. 99 Middle School ever heard such words at a school-wide assembly?

It's always been "You must study hard," "You must work diligently," "You can't do this, you can't do that." This is the first time someone has stood on the podium, holding a microphone, in front of the principal and all the teachers, and said, "Don't give advice to young people."

What does "one of us" mean?

That's what you call being one of our own!

All the students went crazy, clapping wildly until their faces turned red.

Who the hell wants to hear "You have to work hard, do lots of practice problems, and pay attention in class"?!

This is exactly what a top-scoring student should say!

This is just my taste!

Principal Wang, standing to the side, twitched his lips, wanting to say something but swallowing it back.

Well, whatever the top scorer says is right.

Even if he said today that the cafeteria of No. 99 Middle School should be turned into an internet cafe, he would still have to lead the applause.

Ji Bai hadn't expected such a enthusiastic response. He gestured for the applause to subside, then smiled and said, "I won't talk about learning from your experience; you wouldn't listen anyway. In the end, I'll sing you a song."

After saying that, ignoring Principal Wang's bewildered expression, he turned around, picked up the wooden guitar from the corner, pulled up a chair, sat down, and strummed the strings a couple of times to test the sound.

The tone is alright, although it's a bit old, but the pitch is fine.

He found a chair, adjusted the microphone stand, and placed the guitar on his lap, his posture as casual as a folk singer sitting by the roadside.

The playground gradually quieted down.

Everyone was staring at him, curious about what this top scorer in the college entrance examination was going to sing.

Ji Bai took a deep breath and placed his fingers on the strings.

A clean, smooth, and gently powerful chordal prelude flowed from the loudspeakers on the podium, spreading across the entire playground.

The prelude is short, but every beat is precisely plucked at the heartstrings.

That melody was something that had never been heard before in this world, carrying an indescribable sense of familiarity, as if I had heard it somewhere before, yet as if I had never heard it before.

The initially restless crowd gradually quieted down.

Immediately afterwards, Ji Bai leaned closer to the microphone and sang the first line in a clear voice.

"I once dreamed of wandering the world with a sword, to see its splendor; the heart of youth is always a little impetuous, and now you call the world your home..."

Everyone on the playground was stunned.

What song is it?

I've never heard this melody or these lyrics before.

But... it sounds so good.

The melody and the lyrics were like a needle, gently piercing everyone's heart.

The girls in the front row had their eyes light up, took out their phones and frantically recorded videos. Their faces turned red as they watched Ji Bai singing with a guitar on stage.

The previously carefree and irresponsible boys stopped fooling around and listened quietly, humming along softly.

Even the teachers on the stage were stunned. No one expected that this usually mischievous and troublesome underachiever would sing so well and even write songs.

When Li Mei, the homeroom teacher, heard the phrase "Now you make your home wherever you go," her eyes suddenly welled up with tears.

Others may not know, but she knows Ji Bai's situation better than anyone else.

Orphaned and uncaring to relatives, he spent three years all alone. When the college entrance exam ended, everyone else had their parents pick them up and their families celebrate with them, but he was all alone.

This child may seem carefree and mischievous, but he actually has so many things on his mind.

Li Mei wiped her eyes, her heart instantly overflowing with maternal love.

She remembered that spring in her first year of high school when Ji Bai wrote her a love letter.

It was more like an essay than a love letter, written on two pages, starting with "Teacher Li, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen," which terrified her.

Looking back now, it was probably just a student's prank.

Perhaps it was a child who had just lost all his family members, instinctively wanting to get close to an adult who was relatively kind to him, in an awkward and laughable way, trying to find someone he could rely on.

But she didn't understand at the time.

Li Mei took a deep breath and silently made a decision in her heart.

I forgave him!

After all, Ji Bai was the first student she ever taught.

Who could blame her when Ji Bai was the first top scholar she had ever taught?

Who made this child all alone?

Li Mei raised her hand and clapped vigorously at Ji Bai on the podium.

Meanwhile, Ji Bai was constantly receiving system notifications.

[Ding! Shock from Ding Dan, +1]

[Ding! Shock from Wei Meng, +1]

[Ding! Shock from Xia Qing, +1]

……

【+1、+1、+1、+1、+1……】

Ji Bai's smile stretched almost to the back of his ears.

Cool!

So cool!

"Dililili dililili dadada——"

"Dililili dililili dada——"

"Walking on the road of courage and progress—"

At the same time, a 15-second short video suddenly went viral on Douyin and Weibo.

The video begins with the dilapidated gate of No. 99 Middle School, with half of the wall plaster peeling off. A bright red banner with the name of the top scholar hangs at the entrance, creating a strong sense of contrast.

The accompanying text is a catchy, narration:

"Family members, who would understand?! Is this what they write in novels about, a bottom-ranked, dilapidated sect suddenly producing a peerless holy son who can crush the entire continent?!"

"A terrible high school, ranked tenth from the bottom in the province, produced the sixth-highest scorer in the province's college entrance examination!"