Chapter 168: Winning First Place

In the morning, soft sunlight poured down through the clouds, spreading over the bustling yet currently tranquil city. The morning sun lacked the fierce intensity of the afternoon rays and the brilliant, multicolored splendor of the evening dusk, but like a guiding morning star, it brought light to the vast earth and sparked new hope within us.

Specks of golden light filtered through the tender green curtains, finally converging on a delicate bed. Lying upon it was a gentle and beautiful girl. Her flawless skin carried a hint of exhaustion, her long eyelashes fluttered occasionally, and her cherry-like lips murmured softly. If one leaned in closely, they would catch faint, elusive fragments of her whisper: "Xiao Lin... Xiao Lin..."

The girl resting in bed was none other than Wang Yuqing. Beside the bed, inside a cage, a pair of adorable lovebirds were preening each other's feathers, tenderly cleaning their partner's body. A moment later, the pair began to chirp, and their crisp calls awakened the sleeping Wang Yuqing.

Wang Yuqing opened her drowsy eyes, shook her head slightly, and sat up in bed. The birds let out another call. Wang Yuqing turned her gaze toward the lovebirds in the cage, a gentle smile blooming on her face. "Hungry, are you? I'll get you something to eat right away."

After dressing, Wang Yuqing stretched lazily, rotated her wrists and ankles, and moved her slender waist before walking over to the windowsill to pull back the curtains. Immediately, the warm, soft sunlight flooded into her small room. Feeling the warmth brought by the sunshine and gazing at the azure sky, Wang Yuqing's thoughts drifted. Xiao Lin's favorite thing to do was gaze into the distant horizon. Now, Wang Yuqing loved it too. For her, it seemed she wasn't looking at the sky, but rather at Xiao Lin's figure. It had been more than twenty days since Xiao Lin left, and Gao Zheng still had no news of him. At first, Wang Yuqing had been full of hope, eagerly awaiting good news. But as time passed, her heart slowly sank to the bottom. By now, she had buried her pain deep within the recesses of her heart.

The lovebirds continued to chirp, lodging their protest to their mistress. They were hungry. Wang Yuqing chuckled softly, bent down to retrieve a small iron box from the cabinet, which contained some fresh millet. Carefully, she scooped a spoonful into the bird feeder, then fetched a few leaves of Chinese cabbage from the kitchen, meticulously chopping them up with a knife and adding the shredded greens to the trough. Finally, she made sure to replace the water in the cage with fresh, clean water.

Watching the birds eat eagerly, a trace of a smile appeared in Wang Yuqing's eyes. She recalled the joy of going to the snow village with Xiao Lin during the winter break. Just as she was immersed in these fond memories, the ringing of a mobile phone interrupted her thoughts. Wang Yuqing picked up her phone and, upon discovering the call was from Gao Zheng, answered immediately.

"Gao Zheng! Have you found any news about Xiao Lin?" Wang Yuqing asked anxiously.

On the other end of the line, Gao Zheng wore a wry smile. Lately, whenever he called Wang Yuqing, her very first sentence was always whether there was any news about Xiao Lin.

"I'm sorry, Yuqing. Still no news of Xiao Lin." Gao Zheng felt deeply frustrated as well. Nearly a month had passed, yet Uncle Lei still hadn't found Xiao Lin—not even a single shred of news. In the past, this would have been impossible; previously, when searching for a wanted nationwide fugitive, this same Uncle Lei had tracked him down in just a single week. Yet somehow, Uncle Lei simply couldn't find Xiao Lin. How could Gao Zheng know that his Uncle Lei had already received strict orders from Lin Mei. Finding him for a month was out of the question; even searching for a year would be completely futile, because Lin Mei had no intention of letting Gao Zheng find Xiao Lin at all.

"Oh." Upon hearing that there was no news of Xiao Lin, the hope that had just risen in Wang Yuqing's heart instantly shattered once more.

"Is there something else, then?" Wang Yuqing paused for a moment before asking Gao Zheng.

"Yes. Today is the twenty-sixth. The college entrance examination scores are out and can be checked. I'll come pick you up in a bit, and we can go to the school together to check our scores."

Hearing Gao Zheng's words, Wang Yuqing looked up at the wall calendar. Sure enough, it was the twenty-sixth. She remembered her teacher saying that on the twenty-sixth, they needed to go to school to check their results and collect their graduation certificates.

"No need... I'm going with Linlin and the others." After hesitating for a moment, Wang Yuqing ultimately refused Gao Zheng. In fact, Tan Linlin and Xu Tong were planning to come pick her up shortly anyway.

"Alright then." Gao Zheng did not press the matter.

"Gao Zheng... um... if you get a call from Xiao Lin, let me know the very first moment."

Just as Gao Zheng was about to hang up, Wang Yuqing added another sentence.

"Rest assured... don't worry." Gao Zheng let out a long sigh and hung up the phone. *Sigh, no matter what I do, Xiao Lin is still the most important person in Yuqing's heart.* Gao Zheng shook his head helplessly.

"Yuqing, if only you knew that I'm leaving for the UK in just a few days. Why can't you spend a little more time with me?" Gao Zheng's mouth tasted bitter.

"Young Master... have you really decided to give up on Miss Yuqing?" Uncle Xiang asked from the side.

Hearing Uncle Xiang's words, Gao Zheng was stunned for a long time before replying, "Sometimes... letting go of... feelings... is perhaps the best choice after all. Uncle Xiang, help me urge Uncle Lei and tell him to speed up the search. I don't want to leave without fulfilling the promise I made to Yuqing."

"Yes, Young Master." Uncle Xiang sighed inwardly. *Young Master, you won't be able to fulfill your promise to Miss Yuqing, because the Madam has already issued her orders.*

***

Innovate High School, which had been deserted for nearly a month, finally regained its boisterous noise today. The campus was crowded with students who had come to check their scores and collect their graduation certificates. Although scores could now be checked online, many students were still accustomed to coming to school in person. Going to school allowed them to check their results while chatting with classmates, and most importantly, they could consult their teachers about filling out college application preferences after learning their scores.

To make it convenient for students to check their scores, the school leadership of Innovate High School had posted the college entrance examination results of all senior students on large sheets of red paper across the bulletin boards outside the teaching building since early morning. At that moment, the bulletin boards were already surrounded by dense crowds of students carefully searching for their names among the red paper. Among these sheets, one piece of red paper stood out from the rest. Not only did it occupy the prime spot on the bulletin board, but the text upon it was even written in glittering gold foil lettering, whereas the other sheets featured traditional black calligraphy. Naturally, the crowd gathered around this special red paper was the largest. Many students chattered excitedly as they gazed at the distinctive sheet.

"Oh my goodness! Why are there so many people? If I had known, I would have just checked online," Tan Linlin complained with a groan the moment she stepped onto campus and saw the sea of dark heads blocking the bulletin board.

"Haha, I already checked mine online. See how smart I am?" Yuan Weiye boasted smugly from the side.

"Ahem, Lao Yuan, you're blatantly asking for hatred right there." Wang Tao and Xu Tong clenched their fists, sizing up Yuan Weiye with sinister grins. With their sleeves rolled up and knuckles cracking, they looked ready to beat Yuan Weiye to a pulp.

"Don't, guys! Big bosses, I wouldn't dare!" Terrified, Yuan Weiye immediately shrank behind Lin Anni.

"Giggle, stop messing around, you guys. Let's hurry up and check our scores," Kang Yan said with a light chuckle.

"You got it! Yuqing, stay right behind me." Tan Linlin grabbed Wang Yuqing and charged straight toward the distant sea of people. Seeing Tan Linlin act like a charging wild bull, forcefully carving a path through the dense crowd, everyone could only sigh in resignation before shaking their heads and following helplessly behind her.

Dragging Wang Yuqing along, Tan Linlin squeezed her way right to the very center of the bulletin board in no time. Looking up, they laid eyes on that extraordinary sheet of red paper. Emblazoned upon it in large, dazzling golden characters that shimmered brilliantly in the sunlight was the heading: "Innovate High School Top 100 College Entrance Examination Roster," imparting an aura of supreme reverence.

Upon spotting the very first name at the top, Tan Linlin let out a gasp of astonishment. "Oh my sweet goodness, four hundred and sixty-three points—first place in the entire school! Damn, Yuqing, are you trying to defy the heavens or what?" Tan Linlin clutched her heaving chest, unable to calm down for a long time.

Tan Linlin's exclamation immediately drew everyone's attention to Wang Yuqing standing beside her.

"Whoa, the goddess! Oh man, my goddess is actually this close to me!" a male student in front of the bulletin board shouted with a flushed face.

"Goddess, please give me your autograph! You're our school's top scholar this time!" Several male students began pulling out paper and pens, begging Wang Yuqing for her signature.

"Goddess, may I ask if you have a boyfriend?"

"Oh, my goddess, I adore you so much!"

Upon catching sight of Wang Yuqing, the male students acted as if they had been injected with adrenaline. Each of them howled with excitement, screaming "Goddess!" as they swarmed toward her. Many students lingering on the outer edges also squeezed inward frantically upon learning that Wang Yuqing was right there. In an instant, the situation completely spiraled out of control.

Right at this critical juncture, Tan Linlin suddenly straightened her posture and let out a furious roar: "All of you back off right now! Anyone with a death wish can step forward!"

That tremendous roar echoed for hundreds of meters. Students further away shivered involuntarily from the shock, while those closer swayed on their feet and nearly tumbled to the ground. The male students who had just been pulsing with passionate energy and howling as they charged forward now all drooped their heads like frost-bitten eggplants, retreating backward. Truly, anyone who dared to provoke the fierce heroine Tan Linlin must have a death wish. A few seconds later, a five-meter vacuum zone had cleared out entirely around Tan Linlin and Wang Yuqing.

Only then did Tan Linlin dust off her hands with satisfaction and begin searching for her own name on the list. After looking back and forth without finding it, she realized she hadn't made the top 100. Meanwhile, upon seeing that she had secured first place, Wang Yuqing's expression remained largely unchanged; she was simply searching anxiously for Xiao Lin's name. Yet, because Xiao Lin had missed one of the subjects, how could his name possibly appear on the top 100 roster?