The smile on Wang Zhengguo’s face bloomed like flowers in spring.
He slowly turned his head and looked at Principal Fang of Dongjiang No. 3 High beside him, who had been so smug just a moment ago but now looked rather stunned. With deep meaning in his tone, he said,
“Ah, Old Fang, I’m terribly sorry. It seems our No. 1 High accidentally produced an unexpected dark horse this year.”
Principal Fang’s smile vanished in an instant, freezing on his face. The hand holding his teacup stopped in midair, leaving him indescribably awkward for a moment.
A smile never disappears; it only transfers.
Wang Zhengguo felt utterly delighted. Even the clear tea in his cup seemed to carry an extra trace of mellow fragrance now.
……
The baseline assessment exam ended.
The entire afternoon was a rare half-day of rest for the senior-year students.
In Chen Meng’s office, Lin Ye sat perfectly upright.
Chen Meng looked at the student before him, who had given him such a surprise. On his usually stern face, a rare gratified smile appeared.
“Lin Ye, first of all, I have to congratulate you.”
“Your performance today made every teacher, myself included, look at you in a completely new light. Your hard work has earned you everyone’s respect.”
He paused, then brought the conversation to the main point and continued, “With the results and potential you’ve shown so far, you are already more than qualified to transfer to Class Two up front, where you can receive better guidance from the school’s teachers and more resources.”
“This morning, Principal Wang personally spoke to me. The school also hopes you can transfer to Class Two. What are your own wishes?”
Hearing this, Lin Ye shook his head without the slightest hesitation. His tone was sincere yet firm as he said, “Thank you for the principal’s regard, but I think Class Seven is very good. Teacher Chen, you teach very well too. I won’t transfer classes.”
When Chen Meng heard this answer, he was first taken aback, then gave a light laugh. “Loyal and righteous. I didn’t misjudge you.”
“All right. Since you yourself don’t want to transfer to Class Two, then you won’t transfer.”
“However, although you won’t be going to Class Two, you can no longer be considered an ordinary-class student either.”
“Principal Wang intends to raise all your relevant policies and benefits to the level of the elite classes.”
Chen Meng took out a freshly printed document from the drawer of his desk, still carrying a bit of warmth, and handed it to Lin Ye.
Lin Ye accepted the document and began reading through it quickly.
Chen Meng explained from the side as well.
“First is the basic cultivation resource supply. Starting this week, every week, you can use your student ID to go to the school logistics office and receive three tubes of B-rank nutrient solution and three body-tempering medicinal packs for free.”
“At the school’s dedicated pill pharmacy, you can also get an exclusive twenty-percent discount with your student ID. There’s no need to buy elsewhere.”
“In addition to that, do you personally have any other requests for the school? You can bring them up freely.”
“As long as it falls within a reasonable range that the school can apply for, I will do my utmost to help you fight for it.”
Lin Ye thought seriously for a moment, then put forward the few things he needed most urgently at present.
“Teacher, I want a dedicated gravity chamber that I can use freely, without any time restrictions.”
“Also, I hope to obtain permission to use the virtual pod at any time.”
“And lastly… the scholarship.”
Hearing this, Chen Meng could not help but be stunned. A hint of surprise appeared on his face. “That’s it? It’s that simple?”
Lin Ye nodded seriously. These really were the things he wanted most right now.
Chen Meng instantly understood, and a trace of emotion rose in his heart.
For those top students from well-off families, the school’s scholarship was instead the thing they cared least about.
Because that bit of money, compared to the allowance and cultivation resources their families gave them every month, was nothing more than a drop in the bucket. More than anything, it was a symbol of honor.
But for those students from poor families, money was the most practical thing—the thing they needed most.
Chen Meng nodded heavily and promised Lin Ye with absolute certainty, “You don’t need to worry about the scholarship at all.”
“My relationship with our principal is decent. I’ll do my best to help you apply for the B-rank incentive grant. This scholarship is specifically established for dark-horse students with tremendous potential. It’s issued once every three months, and each time, it can pay out 100,000 federal credits in one lump sum.”
“If the process goes smoothly, by next week at the latest, this money will be transferred directly into your personal account.”
100,000 federal credits!
Lin Ye’s heart eased.
This sum of money was enough to temporarily solve his family’s urgent crisis, and there might even be some left over.
“Thank you, Teacher!” Lin Ye thanked him from the bottom of his heart.
Chen Meng waved his hand and put away the materials and documents on the desk.
These were all the personal records he had prepared in advance for Lin Ye.
Chen Meng stood up. “No need to thank me. This is what a teacher should do.”
“If you don’t have any other requests, I’ll go to the Academic Affairs Office now and get the approval process handled for you.”
Just as Chen Meng was about to step out of the office door, Lin Ye suddenly spoke again.
“Teacher Chen, I have one more request.”
Chen Meng’s footsteps paused.
He turned back and waited for Lin Ye to continue.
“Teacher Chen, I want… to spar with you.”
“When you have time, could you spare some of it to guide me?”
Chen Meng was stunned.
He had thought Lin Ye would make more requests concerning cultivation resources and money, but he had never expected that this kid actually wanted him as a sparring partner.
Chen Meng burst into laughter from the bottom of his heart.
“You really know how to choose.”
“All right! I agree! From now on, stay behind after school every day, and I’ll personally spar with you for one hour!”
Immediately after, the smile on Chen Meng’s face faded, and his expression once again became solemn and serious.
“However, I must also give you one final reminder.”
“On the path of martial arts, there are no shortcuts. What must be avoided most is becoming complacent and arrogant because of a momentary result. Your results today were indeed extremely impressive, but that is only when compared to your own past.”
“Forget looking at all of Dongjiang—even today, in this exam venue for the five schools of our eastern district, there are still many exceptionally talented geniuses walking ahead of you.”
“This world is too vast. There will always be people beyond people!”
Lin Ye nodded heavily and replied in a deep voice, “Teacher, I understand.”
Of course he knew this.
His journey had never been just some small baseline assessment.
This assessment exam was only the beginning.
After this, there would be two citywide mock exams.
And the final gaokao half a year later.
Once a young tiger tasted flesh and blood for the first time, it would naturally crave more.
Finally, as if suddenly remembering something, Chen Meng spoke up. “Right, there’s one more thing.”
“You just said you wanted permission to use the virtual pod. Normally speaking, it isn’t open to students during regular times, but you people are special.”
“When you go to the logistics office later to collect this week’s resources, ask them for a CR wristband while you’re at it, like this one of mine.”
Chen Meng shook the wristband on his right wrist in front of Lin Ye, then continued.
“The CR wristband has a neural-link function. After authentication and binding, as long as it connects to the school’s virtual equipment, you won’t need to come to school every time you use the virtual pod in the future. You’ll be able to use it directly from home.”