Chapter 87: Mr. Xu: Please, just shut up!
On the day when the college entrance exam results were released, Lian Qingxue was waiting in front of the hotel phone early in the morning.
When it hit 9:01, she dialed the number to check the scores. Seeing her nervousness, Qi Yun couldn’t help but take out his phone to check his scores.
Fortunately, both of them got through.
“Qi Yun! You scored 746. Only 4 points deducted in Chinese!”
“Qingxue, your scores are out too, 721! Chinese 141, science and comprehensive 287, English 143, a perfect score in math!”
They said simultaneously.
It was then that they realized they were checking each other’s scores.
“746 points, close to a perfect score, right? Shouldn’t that be the top scorer?” Lian Qingxue was excited.
After all, Qi Yun had mentioned that he would confess if he became the top scorer!
She had been secretly waiting for this moment. She wasn’t too concerned about her own score.
With 721 points, although not as good as Qi Yun, she could go to any domestic university she wanted. For her, as long as she could attend the same university as Qi Yun, she would be satisfied.
Just as Qi Yun was about to speak, his phone rang again.
It was Qi Yun’s mom calling.
“Hello? Son, come back quickly! There are so many people at home!”
Qi Yun’s mom’s tone was unusually nervous.
……
Qi Yun’s mom was very nervous because many people had rushed to their homes carrying cameras.
The small Qi family was packed to the brim.
Mr. Xu was also there, introducing the people to Qi Yun’s mom one by one.
“This is the Director of the Education Bureau in Spring City, the principal of Yizhong High School, and these two are reporters from the city’s TV station. They’re here to interview Qi Yun!”
Although Qi Yun’s mom was a bit bold, she was still nervous. After all, she was just an ordinary person, and the Director of the Education Bureau was an official. She couldn’t help but feel flustered when faced with such a situation.
“Interview Qi Yun? Why are they interviewing him?” Qi Yun’s mom couldn’t make sense of it. But the Director of the Education Bureau was particularly gentle.
“You must be Qi Yun’s mother. Don’t be nervous. We’re here to bring good news! Qi Yun is extraordinary! Not only did he become the top scorer in Spring City, but also in our province!” He was genuinely excited.
Having a top scorer in Spring City was a significant political achievement!
Something worth bragging about!
“The top scorer? My son?” Qi Yun’s mom truly didn’t expect it.
She was always optimistic and knew her son’s recent performance had been excellent, consistently ranking first in class. But the top scorer in the province?
Thinking back to Qi Yun’s mischievous and playful nature when he was young, she would have thought these people were scammers if it weren’t for the camera pointing at her.
“…Where is Qi Yun?” The principal spoke up. They didn’t come to interview Qi Yun’s mom but to find Qi Yun.
“Qi Yun isn’t at home! Let me call him to come back!” Qi Yun’s mom immediately said.
Since Qi Yun wasn’t home, the people became uncertain. They didn’t know if they had come for nothing. For a moment, they were all at a loss.
“Since Qi Yun isn’t here, why don’t we interview Qi Yun’s parents and teachers to see how they persuade such a top scorer?” The reporter suggested in a low voice.
That’s right!
The eyes of several people lit up. Indeed, it could be good material!
Lao Xu straightened his back quietly. Is this my time to shine?
At this moment, Qi Yun’s mom wasn’t as nervous anymore. She was even a bit excited to hear that she would be interviewed.
Oh wow, she was going to be on TV!
“May I ask how Qi Yun usually studies?” The reporter asked.
“Oh, Qi Yun, he studies diligently and is eager to learn! His grades have always been excellent! In our class, both students and teachers like him very much. One day, when we finished the evening self-study, the lights were about to be turned off, but he was still studying. I had to go and urge him to go home, but he didn’t want to leave…”
Mr. Xu made a profound and emotional recounting gesture.
The principal and the Director of the Education Bureau nodded silently.
Qi Yun was indeed a hardworking student and very touching!
He was an example to others!
“Really?” Qi Yun’s mom’s voice sounded, and she looked confused as she glanced at Qi Yun’s dad.
“Are you talking about our son? I remember him being mischievous. He was always the first to leave after class. Can he really stay at school to study?”
Qi Yun’s dad: “…”
Mr. Xu: “…”
Principal: “…”
Director of the Education Bureau: “…”
Qi Yun’s mom still looked puzzled.
“Our son’s grades have always been excellent? I remember that he almost failed in maths in his sophomore year.”
Lao Xu quickly coughed.
“Qi Yun’s previous grades weren’t particularly ideal, but in his senior year, he worked hard and made a breakthrough. After a semester of intensive studying, he became the top scorer in the province!”
The principal and the Director of the Education Bureau continued to nod. A student who didn’t perform well suddenly turned the tables and became the top scorer. It was quite dramatic!
Very inspiring!
“Then may I ask, what motivated Qi Yun to start working hard?” The reporter found this story intriguing.
After all, the story of a student who went from nearly failing to become the province’s top scorer in just over a hundred days was more attractive than that of a consistent top scorer.
“I know about that!” Qi Yun’s mom spoke up.
“He started working hard because he wanted to impress a girl!”
The reporter: “…”
Could this be used for publicity?
Mr. Xu secretly glanced at the faces of the Director of the Education Bureau and the principal.
Their expressions were so menacing that it made his liver tremble in fear.
“Cough, Qi Yun and Lian Qingxue helped each other, not only as classmates but also as desk mates! Moreover, Qingxue also performed well in this exam and ranked second in the province!”
“Oh? They’re desk mates?”
……
The Director of the Education Bureau’s eyes lit up.
He knew that Yizhong High School in Spring City had the top scorer in the province and the second top scorer. But he didn’t expect that these two students were desk mates.
“Yes!” Mr. Xu began to express his emotions.
“These two students helped each other and learned together. At first, Qi Yun’s grades were not good, but with Lian Qingxue’s selfless help, he improved rapidly. Later, Qi Yun started helping Lian Qingxue, and together they achieved excellent results!”
After Mr. Xu finished speaking, he looked at the relaxed expression on the face of the Director of the Education Bureau and couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
The Director of the Education Bureau was quite satisfied.
Although the process seemed a bit off, they had uncovered a story of the top two scorers in the province helping each other and achieving good results.
This interview was indeed very successful!
“This is true!” Qi Yun’s mom’s voice rang out.
The face of the Director of the Education Bureau froze.
“Cough!” Mr. Xu panicked. Please, just shut up!
But Qi Yun’s mom was particularly excited.
“Qingxue started tutoring Qi Yun from the beginning, and later, it was Qi Yun who tutored Lian Qingxue. They studied together every day and worked hard!”
Mr. Xu was relaxed.
Qi Yun’s mom finally said something that could be broadcasted.
“They studied for an hour every day, locked the door, and studied. At the time, I thought they were tutoring, but it turns out they were actually dating. Who would have thought that they were really studying?”
Qi Yun’s mom felt emotional. She had misunderstood her son. That shouldn’t have happened.
Weren’t they supposed to know their children best?
Silence.
Everyone fell silent once again.
Young man and woman, alone in a room, studying for an hour.
Anyone would have thought of other possibilities!
How could they cover this up?
Mr. Xu saw the principal giving him a death stare, indicating he should say something to ease the situation.
But…
He had already realized that the Qi family was his nemesis!
He gave up!
Appearing on TV was too difficult!
Qi Yun’s mom blinked.
Why weren’t they asking any more questions?
She still had so much more to say. She especially wanted to praise her daughter-in-law, Lian Qingxue, on camera. It seemed like she wouldn’t have the chance now.
Qi Yun’s mom felt quite regretful.
……
Just when everyone was caught in an awkward and silent moment because of Qi Yun’s mom, Qi Yun finally arrived.
When Mr. Xu saw Qi Yun, he felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted. He had thought that Qi Yun would be difficult to deal with, but now it seemed that his mom was the tough one!
When Qi Yun entered the room, one of the reporters immediately spoke up.
“It’s you!”
Qi Yun looked up.
“Hey, isn’t this Chen, the reporter from the college entrance exam?”
Shen Qiu: “…My last name is Shen!”
She felt a surge of shock and waves in her heart. When she interviewed Qi Yun before, she heard him say he would become the top scorer. But who would believe that?
Shen Qiu had taken it as interesting interview material, but she didn’t expect actually to meet Qi Yun today!
Did he really become the top scorer?
Nobody knew better than her how Qi Yun became the top scorer.
He finished the exam early and went to pick up his girlfriend every day!
Shen Qiu doubted that the other students who knew about it would cry.
“So, you’re Qi Yun!”
The Director of the Education Bureau and the others were also pleased. After all, they no longer had to face Qi Yun’s mom. It had been torturous.
“You’re?” Qi Yun looked at Mr. Xu.
Mr. Xu introduced him once again.
“Well, shall we start the interview officially?” The principal asked.
Several people couldn’t wait any longer. After all, they had been tormented by Qi Yun’s mom, and their mentality was about to collapse.
Shen Qiu also quickly got into the state.
“Qi Yun, congratulations on becoming the top scorer in our province with excellent results. Is there anything you’d like to say to everyone?” Shen Qiu asked eagerly.
Qi Yun thought for a moment.
“Will this interview be broadcasted on TV?”
“Yes! The city TV station and the provincial TV station will broadcast this interview! It will be aired during the prime time evening news!” Shen Qiu was also excited.
As a reporter from the city TV station, appearing on the provincial TV station, especially during the most important evening news, was a small breakthrough in her career.
Qi Yun nodded, looking very serious. Shen Qiu became even more expectant.
“I want to say to everyone that Lian Qingxue and I have opened our milk tea shop, Snow Tea, in Tenghua Plaza in the provincial capital! Please support us! By the way, Snow Tea also has a Spring City store near Yizhong High School…”
Shen Qiu: …
So, you’re advertising now? Do you know how much it costs to advertise during the prime time of the provincial TV station?
The principal of Yizhong High School suddenly looked at Mr. Xu with sympathy.
Mr. Xu had it tough!
To teach such a student…
This family was unreliable!
Mr. Xu had it really tough!