Tiandu University…
Bald Liu’s words detonated like a depth charge, instantly igniting the entire classroom.
Students, whether high-achieving or struggling, all erupted into a fervent discussion about the Tiandu University entrance examination.
Even those students who had already shouldered their backpacks, poised to bolt the moment Bald Liu gave the signal, settled back into their seats to join the burgeoning conversation.
Sitting beside him, Shi Lei suddenly grabbed Huang Xiu’s arm with a loud slap, exclaiming, “Holy crap, Xiu Ge, Tiandu University is recruiting this Monday?”
“Doesn’t that mean we won’t have to attend classes?”
Xiu Ge was Huang Xiu’s nickname, born from a duo-ranking session where he, playing Yasuo, scored a pentakill in a one-versus-five fight, successfully turning the tide and leaving the opponents utterly bewildered as the screen flooded with “666” comments.
Shi Lei had subsequently bestowed this moniker upon him, though Huang Xiu himself was not particularly fond of it.
“Let go!”
With a look of disdain, Huang Xiu pulled his friend’s arm away, yet he understood the fervor and excitement that gripped the others.
It was Tiandu University, after all.
Across the entire Great Xia Nation, it stood as the most exceptional and enigmatic institution.
While other universities fell under provincial or Ministry of Education jurisdiction, Tiandu University was directly subordinate to the state, its prestige unparalleled.
Many other schools were famously dubbed “graduation equals unemployment.”
Conversely, Tiandu University boasted “graduation equals employment,” with its students uniformly assigned to various national government departments upon completion of their studies.
It was playfully nicknamed “Iron Rice Bowl University.”
Tiandu University offered two distinct admission channels, one being the national recruitment drive held annually in May.
During this period, teachers from Tiandu University’s admissions office would visit various high schools to administer examinations.
Students in their second or third year of high school were eligible to participate; those who passed could bypass the national college entrance examination and gain direct admission.
The other channel, naturally, was through the national college entrance examination, Gaokao (TL Note: China’s highly competitive national college entrance examination).
However, the difficulty of this route far surpassed that of the recruitment exam, with only a handful of spots allocated to each province annually.
In the past, Huang Xiu had often fantasized about acing Tiandu University’s entrance exam and making a spectacular debut.
Indeed… even now, he occasionally found himself secretly indulging in such thoughts.
“Come on, let’s go log in,” Huang Xiu urged. “We’ve been delayed for so long. If we don’t hurry, all the machines will be taken, and I refuse to wait.”
He stood up, pressing them to move.
Ying City High School, the premier high school in Ying City, boasted a uniquely advantageous geographical location.
A bus station lay just two hundred meters away, as did the area’s sole internet café; beyond that, vast stretches of open land predominated.
With many people and few machines, competition was naturally fierce; during holidays, even a slight delay meant no available computers.
What’s more, their class had been extended by nearly seven minutes this time.
“Let’s go, let’s go!” Shi Lei scrambled to his feet, slinging his backpack over his shoulder as he darted toward the back door.
Just as Huang Xiu stepped over his chair and into the classroom aisle, his peripheral vision caught sight of a girl leaning against the back door, chatting and laughing with someone.
The girl possessed a delicate beauty, dressed in the standard blue-and-white school uniform, a faint smile playing on her lips, her cheeks dimpling prettily.
Her shoulder-length hair was smooth and fine, its slightly yellowish tips curving gently inwards.
A mischievous little ear peeked out from her hair, glowing with the soft luminescence of white jade in the sunlight.
It was Fang Miaoging, their class’s Chinese language representative.
Truly beautiful… Huang Xiu’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly, and his pace unconsciously slowed.
By then, Shi Lei’s upper body was already leaning out the door.
Noticing Huang Xiu’s delay, he turned back, urging impatiently, “Xiu Ge, hurry up! What are you dawdling for?”
“I know you’re in a rush, but don’t rush me,” Huang Xiu retorted, annoyed. “All you do is nag. Tonight, I’ll reward you with a mid-lane Soraka game.”
“Xiu Ge, are you going to the internet café again?” Fang Miaoging asked, her eyes crinkling in a smile as she looked at Huang Xiu.
“Yeah,” Huang Xiu nodded silently. “It’s the holidays, time to have some fun. Are you coming?”
“No, I’m not.”
Fang Miaoging scoffed, “Internet cafés aren’t fun at all. The air is terrible. I don’t understand why all you boys love going there.”
“Besides, the entrance examination is on Monday, so I need to prepare thoroughly these next two days.”
“You want to get into Tiandu too?” Huang Xiu asked, immediately realizing it was a foolish question.
Who wouldn’t want to get into Tiandu University?
Such a person simply didn’t exist; even the most academically challenged students harbored a dream of Tiandu.
Even he, as a child, had often boisterously declared his ambition to be admitted to Tiandu and make a name for himself.
“Of course!” Fang Miaoging replied openly. “Getting into Tiandu University has always been my dream. Even if I don’t pass the recruitment exam, I’ll get in through my own abilities.”
Her tone brimmed with confidence, and her face seemed to radiate a light that made it difficult to meet her gaze directly.
Huang Xiu instinctively averted his eyes.
Indeed, as the top student at Ying City High School for years, she possessed both the confidence and the capability to back her words.
“Go for it! I believe in you,” he encouraged, then, without another glance back, he dashed out of the classroom, joining the impatiently waiting Shi Lei as they breathlessly ran to the internet café.
****
Sure enough, after Bald Liu’s prolonged delay, the internet café had no adjacent machines available, only two solitary computers tucked away in a corner.
They were forced to sit separately, communicating instead through the game’s built-in voice chat.
Amidst the intense gameplay, with the deafening kill sounds in his headphones vying with the boisterous roars of the surrounding crowd, Huang Xiu found himself a little distracted and anxious.
Tiandu University—the Great Xia Nation’s supreme institution, a place he hadn’t dared to even think about since growing up—now weighed heavily on his mind.
Fortunately, Huang Xiu’s gaming prowess was exceptional; even while distracted, he managed to achieve an impressive nine wins and one loss, successfully climbing to the Diamond rank.
Of course, the sole loss occurred when he played mid-lane Soraka, making it truly impossible to carry Shi Lei, that utter noob.
Taking a long sip of the iced cola Shi Lei had procured for him, Huang Xiu stretched languidly.
He glanced at the computer screen; it was almost ten o’clock.
Normally, however, they would either play all night or at least until eleven before calling it quits.
“Xiu Ge, it’s still early, how about two more rounds?”
Shi Lei had already moved to an adjacent machine beside Huang Xiu, gazing at him with an ingratiating expression. “I’m only two wins away from Diamond!”
Huang Xiu was about to agree, but then Fang Miaoging’s words from after school that afternoon, and the Tiandu entrance examination, suddenly came to mind.
“Everyone, remember not to stay up late these next few days, and avoid heavy-flavored foods. Take care of your bodies…”
“Forget it,” he said, shaking his head. “We have a physical exam on Monday, so it’s better to get some sleep these next few days.”
“Holy crap, no!” Shi Lei wailed. He had to go home tomorrow, with homework to do and no time to play, meaning his plan to reach Diamond rank would have to be postponed until the week after next.
“There’s really no other way,” Huang Xiu said, pointing to the thirty percent battery remaining on his phone. “I didn’t bring my charger, and my phone’s almost dead. I’ll have to go back to the classroom to get it later.”
“It’ll be too late; what if the classroom’s locked by then?”
“Fine!” Shi Lei conceded grudgingly, his head drooping as he logged off the computer.
“Next time, definitely next time,”
Huang Xiu patted Shi Lei’s shoulder. “Next holiday, I’ll carry you to Diamond II and get you a qualification account, alright?”
“Deal! That’s more than alright!” Shi Lei instantly perked up, knowing full well his friend’s gaming skills.
If Huang Xiu weren’t so disinclined, he could even go pro and make a name for himself.
A mere Diamond II rank would be child’s play for him.