My Apocalypse System Arrives 10 Years Early

Chapter 474: Chapter 318: Heavenly Fragrance on Her Sleeves, Stars Hanging Like Tassels

”Thank you for the generous offer, but I need to...”

Before Jiang Cai’er could finish, she was immediately interrupted by Director Zhang from the Tsinghua admissions office, ”Jiang Tongxue, the standard dorm is a three-bedroom, one-living-room suite!”

To snatch up this national champion, Director Zhang had come in person, bringing several teachers and a few doctoral students, rushing over in a frenzy. Meanwhile, the admissions staff sent to other well-known high schools were just regular teachers, or in some cases, merely student volunteer representatives. The level of reception for Jiang Cai’er was on a completely different scale.

Why was this? Because Director Zhang had the authority to be flexible and make decisions on the spot, whereas other teachers or student volunteers needed to request permission to offer better terms. That back-and-forth would waste precious time.

The moment Director Zhang finished speaking, Professor Liu from the Peking University admissions office immediately shot back, ”Jiang Tongxue, we’ll build you a private lab on Wuming Lake Heart Island!”

Holy crap! The surrounding crowd was in an uproar. This kind of treatment was absolutely top-notch. Was this really what a top college entrance exam scorer received? It was beyond excessive, wasn’t it?

Many reporters grew excited and swarmed forward for an interview. They could see that Jiang Cai’er was momentarily at a loss for how to choose, and this was the best moment for news material. If they waited until after she had made her decision to film, the suspense would be gone, and they wouldn’t be able to create the effect the news needed.

They had to capture the beginning, middle, and end of the event. Later, through clipping and editing, they could produce a really gimmicky and attention-grabbing news story.

Of course, most of these reporters were local, taking advantage of their proximity. In addition, there were also some media outlets from the provincial level.

These journalists had a keen nose for news. From the earlier results of the provincial joint exams, they had deduced that the Sichuan Province college entrance exam champion would come from here. Then, they were all astonished. ’Holy crap, not only is she the provincial champion, but there’s an extremely high probability she’s the national champion as well.’

This was because Sichuan Province used the national exam paper.

With no bonus points whatsoever, a solid score of 748! It was simply astounding!

”Jiang Tongxue, which university will you choose?” a reporter asked.

The people from the two admissions offices also stared at her with fiery gazes. After all, the two universities were right across from each other and had always been fierce competitors. If they were one-upped by the other side in this matter, they would inevitably be criticized back at the university, reprimanded for ”ineffective work.”

Jiang Cai’er was indeed having a momentary bout of ”analysis paralysis.” Although she was immensely knowledgeable and extraordinarily intelligent, it was truly a difficult question to answer right now.

Both universities were top-tier in the country and had always been neck and neck. She couldn’t publicly comment on their respective strengths and weaknesses, as it would reflect poorly on the schools.

Therefore, Jiang Cai’er just smiled humbly and a bit shyly, saying evasively, ”I haven’t decided yet. Both universities have made very generous offers, and I sincerely thank them for their appreciation. As for which one I’ll apply to... hmm, I’ll need to discuss it with my family later.”

As she spoke, she glanced at Li Xiang out of the corner of her eye.

The ”family” she mentioned was, of course, Li Xiang. As for her parents, they were just ordinary farmers and probably couldn’t help her in this matter. If she asked, Jiang Jianguo would likely just say one thing: ”Apply to whichever one you like.”

Many teachers and students had already gathered around. The students felt like coughing up blood. ’Holy shit, comparisons are odious! We’re still agonizing over first-tier, second-tier, third-tier, or even vocational colleges, and she’s struggling to choose between Qingbei.’

”I probably won’t even make the cutoff for a vocational school. This sucks. I’ll just end up working on an assembly line. I really wish the end of the world would come sooner, then nobody would have to compete anymore,” a student said, utterly dejected.

This student had been lucky enough to be Jiang Cai’er’s deskmate during their first year of high school, and they had been quite friendly. But at this moment, looking at Jiang Cai’er, the student had a feeling that once they graduated from high school, they would probably never see each other again. They would be in two different worlds from now on.

’And isn’t it true? She can take her pick of Tsinghua and Peking University, while I’m going to work on an assembly line. We’ll be in two different social classes in the future. Even if we meet at a class reunion, it would be... Sigh.’ The student couldn’t help but recall the classic, famous scene of Run Tu and Brother Xun’s reunion.

Little did they know, even if Jiang Cai’er didn’t get into a university, they would still belong to two different classes.

Besides, it wasn’t as if the apocalypse would mean an end to the competition.

Once the apocalypse arrived, the competition would become even more intense. Resources would be limited, scarcer, and harder to obtain. In those times, many children wouldn’t even have books to read. When survival itself was an issue, who would think about studying?

Only the children of the upper echelons and elites in the Underground Cities would have the opportunity to study.

As for the children of the common class, only a handful of Underground Cities, such as the one controlled by Li Xiang, had abundant supplies and relatively guaranteed safety, giving them the spare capacity to establish schools and provide education for the children of the lower class.

The continuation of civilization requires education. Without education, society would sooner or later regress to a primitive state.

Of course, in those times, Li Xiang would publicize the entry-level Breathing Technique and Body Techniques, which everyone could practice. But success depended on talent; only one in a hundred might stand out. Not everyone could distinguish themselves. It was actually more difficult than studying in an era of peace.

Jiang Cai’er, after all, was the college entrance exam champion and a renowned prodigy. With her refined speech and elegant demeanor, she handled the reporters with ease, earning everyone’s admiration.

Soon after, the principal and her homeroom teacher arrived and helped Jiang Cai’er out of her predicament. The principal chatted with the two groups from Tsinghua and Peking University’s admissions offices, explaining that Jiang Cai’er needed time to consider but that she would definitely choose one of their two universities. He told them not to worry.

Tsinghua Admissions Office: ”...”

Peking University Admissions Office: ”...”

’Wasn’t that obvious? It’s not like we were even considering other universities as competition.’

How could any other university possibly compete with them for a student? Unless Jiang Cai’er had lost her mind or was being threatened. But that was impossible.

The leaders and teachers of County No. 1 High School were ecstatic. ’After so many years, our school has finally produced a college entrance exam champion! And not just the provincial champion, but the national high scorer!’

Her homeroom teacher, Teacher Huang, was extremely gratified. ’Now I’ll have bragging rights for life.’ He had mentored a national college entrance exam champion; he’d have face wherever he went. He could brag about this for the rest of his life. Moreover, that senior professional title he’d been stuck on for so long... hmm, he probably didn’t need to worry about it anymore.

When a student is so successful, what’s wrong with the teacher basking in a bit of the glory? It was only right and proper!

The old principal personally lit the Liuyang fireworks he had prepared long ago—the super-sized kind. In broad daylight, fireworks shot into the sky, exploding with loud BANGS, filling the heavens with dazzling light. Half the county saw it, and many people began to gossip.

Then, someone in the know revealed, ”Our County No. 1 High School produced a college entrance exam champion! Not just the highest score in the province, but the highest score in the entire country.”

”What was the score?”

”748!”

”Damn, that’s insane! How can anyone score that high?”

”I heard it was a girl named Jiang Cai’er, and she’s really beautiful, too. Whichever family gets to have her as a daughter-in-law must have smoke rising from their ancestral graves.”

The aunties and uncles who had mocked Jiang Cai’er at the exam site entrance also heard the news. They were stunned for a moment, and a thought popped into their heads. ’It couldn’t be that girl, could it? She really scored a 748? She got the exact score she predicted? That’s a little terrifying.’

If she had been off by a few points, it wouldn’t have been so shocking. But for it to be exactly the same as her estimate, it could only mean she had controlled her score.

Terrifyingly so.

Sure enough, the afternoon TV news reported the story. When the aunties and uncles saw the footage, it was indeed that beautiful little fairy from before.

Well, back then they had called her ”little girl,” but now they had to upgrade her title to ”little fairy.”

Meanwhile, as Jiang Cai’er was enjoying herself at school, catching up with classmates, and chatting with the principal, her homeroom teacher, and various subject teachers to hear their opinions, some people from the admissions offices secretly rushed to Li Family Village. They found Jiang Jianguo and Aunt Jiang and tried to win them over right in front of the other villagers, asking for their opinion.

Since Jiang Cai’er had said she needed to discuss it with her family, they figured their chances of success would be much higher if they could win over her family members first.

However, they had truly come to the wrong people.

Jiang Jianguo and Aunt Jiang were already dizzy with happiness. They wouldn’t dare make such a decision, simply saying, ”This is for our daughter to decide herself. She should apply to whichever one she likes.”

Their words were exactly as Jiang Cai’er had predicted.

The admissions staff could only return dejectedly.

The news spread through the village as well. Jiang Jianguo bought a massive roll of 100,000-burst firecrackers and set them off in a CRACKLING storm. The villagers all came to their door to offer congratulations and present gifts.

Someone joked, ”Old Jiang, how did your family get so well-off all of a sudden? I was just thinking, if you were still like before, hmm, I would have had to bring over a few hundred eggs and a few thousand yuan to show my congratulations.”

Another person said, ”It’s not your turn to be giving gifts now. Even if the Jiang Family was as poor as before, Cai’Er got into Tsinghua or Peking University! She’s the national champion. The universities, the county high school, the province, the county, the town, and the village—barring any surprises, they will all give her rewards. She’ll have more than enough money for her education.”

That person replied, ”I was just kidding, wasn’t I? If I gave them a few hundred eggs now, they wouldn’t even look twice at them.”

Everyone in the surrounding villages knew how rich Jiang Cai’er’s fiancé, Li Xiang, was now, right?

Granny Li Xiang was also extremely happy. She went to the family graves to report the good news to their ancestors, Li Xiang’s grandfather, and Li Xiang’s parents. Although she was old, she took Li Xiang’s Spiritual Medicine every now and then, so she was in excellent health. Her legs were nimble, and walking on mountain paths was no problem for her. Furthermore, Er Huang and the Little Fox went along to escort her.

Er Huang took the initiative to carry the basket in his mouth for Granny, lightening her load. The Little Fox, meanwhile, darted ahead and behind, left and right, helping to clear the path and ensure there were no snakes or other dangers in the undergrowth.

As for the house, there was no need to worry. The kitten, the big goose, and others were there to guard the home, so there were no issues. Besides, the neighboring scenic area had many security guards, and Lei Jiaming had given orders that whenever they were on duty, the boss’s (Li Xiang’s) house was a priority patrol area.

Lei Jiaming had originally wanted to send a security guard to follow Granny Li Xiang, but when he saw Er Huang and the Little Fox go, he decided against it. Lei Jiaming knew full well that Er Huang and the Little Fox were both Extraordinary Exotic Beasts with astonishing strength—they were possibly even stronger than him.

Yao Yao, Zhao Xueqing, and Lei Xiaohui, the San Niu, were very envious, as they had all been poor students back in the day and hadn’t gotten into college. Deep down, they were naturally full of admiration. The three of them had high emotional intelligence, and after a quick discussion, they decided to prepare a gift for Jiang Cai’er.