Chapter 019

After the results were announced, No. 2 Middle School called the senior students back to school for guidance before they filled out their applications.

The session was from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m.

At eight o’clock, Lu Jin sent a message: [Are you awake?]

Ye Ziyuanyuan: […I’m not Zhou Xiangming.]

Team Leader: [Let’s go to school together later?]

Ye Ziyuanyuan: [Okay.]

Half an hour later, He Ye went downstairs to find Lu Jin and Zhou Xiangming waiting for her.

Lu Jin looked no different from usual. Even in the middle of summer, he still had a cool demeanor. Zhou Xiangming, on the other hand, looked much more haggard, with two obvious dark circles under his eyes.

“I was so excited I couldn’t sleep last night. I kept thinking about which university to apply to,” Zhou Xiangming explained with a yawn, noticing He Ye’s curious look.

There was no point in discussing this with Lu Jin, as top universities had already extended offers to him. General candidates needed to navigate a sea of university options and consider which ones were appealing and whether they had the ability to get into them.

Zhou Xiangming asked He Ye, “Did you apply to Tsinghua University? Lu Jin said, You have a chance.”

He Ye smiled bitterly. “Let’s see what the head teacher says. I don’t think there’s much hope.”

Of course, she would be thrilled to get into Tsinghua University, but if her score was just barely enough, she’d likely have to accept a major adjustment. However, He Ye had a clear goal and didn’t want to settle.

Zhou Xiangming looked at Lu Jin.

Lu Jin didn’t offer any opinions.

When they arrived at the classroom, the head teacher was already there, sitting at the podium, surrounded by a group of students asking questions about their choices.

The moment Lu Jin appeared at the door, the classmates fell silent, their eyes focused on him.

As the top student and the most popular in the class, Lu Jin had already attracted considerable attention. Now, with a high score of 776 on the college entrance exam, he was like a ray of light—dazzling and bright.

Zhou Xiangming winked at He Ye, who smiled, and the two of them stepped back, letting Lu Jin enjoy his moment in the spotlight.

The head teacher looked at Lu Jin with a warm expression, clearly pleased with his student. “Did you get the call?”

Lu Jin nodded, noticing his friends’ little gestures.

Class Teacher: “Going to Tsinghua University?”

Lu Jin: “Yeah.”

An immediate buzz of envy filled the classroom.

Lu Jin returned to his seat, and He Ye followed Zhou Xiangming inside.

The head teacher smiled at He Ye, who was quiet and low-key. “He Ye, wait a moment. I’ll talk to you later.”

He Ye nodded in agreement.

She sat down in her seat, still feeling nervous as she looked at the head teacher at the podium.

After more than ten minutes, the head teacher waved He Ye over.

Everyone knew what the head teacher was going to say to He Ye. Some students kept their distance, watching, while others gathered around the podium to listen.

He Ye approached the head teacher nervously, and Lu Jin and Zhou Xiangming followed her.

Zhou Xiangming, acting friendly with the head teacher, said, “Will you also give me some advice?”

Head Teacher: “Just stand in line.”

Zhou Xiangming immediately pretended to seal his mouth.

After his interruption, the other students looked at Lu Jin and realized that he had come with Zhou Xiangming.

The head teacher took out two tables: one with the scores of the top 50 students from No. 2 Middle School this year, and the other showing the admission statuses of several top universities in previous years.

Looking at He Ye, the head teacher was as approachable as an old friend. “He Ye did very well on the exam, ranking 36th in the school. In the past three years, the number of students admitted to Tsinghua University and Peking University were 25, 31, and 35 respectively. If you’re not restricted by a specific major this year, you should be able to try.”

Hearing this, the classmates looked at He Ye with envy.

He Ye’s face showed no surprise.

Class Teacher: “Do you have a particular major you want to study?”

He Ye clenched her fingers. “I prefer mechanical engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, and automation.”

The head teacher frowned. These are popular majors, so the admission scores will naturally be higher.

He Ye understood, and, for some reason, felt a sense of relief as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

Her dream was to study at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Peking University and Tsinghua University were tempting options that seemed within reach but came with many concerns.

But if she dropped those options, things would be more straightforward.

“Teacher, if I apply for these majors at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, is it likely that I will be admitted?”

Class Teacher: “That’s basically no problem. It’s just that if you could get into Peking University or Tsinghua University, it might feel like a missed opportunity to go to Jiaotong University.”

Although some of Jiaotong University’s flagship majors are not inferior to those of Peking University and Tsinghua University, Jiaotong University still lags in national recognition.

He Ye smiled and said, “It’s okay. This is already an extraordinary performance on my part. I’m quite satisfied.”

She wasn’t forcing a smile; it was clear she was genuinely happy.

The head teacher said, “Okay, think about it carefully, go home and discuss it with your family, and consider all opinions. There are still three days before the application deadline.”

He Ye thanked the head teacher sincerely and gave her seat to the next student.

After Zhu Qing and Wu Yuanyuan arrived at school, He Ye joined her good friends to discuss each other’s application plans.

The three girls chatted animatedly. In the last row, Zhou Xiangming looked at He Ye’s relaxed and satisfied smile and secretly felt concerned for Lu Jin.

He called Lu Jin to the corridor and whispered, “He Ye doesn’t want to apply to Tsinghua University, so you should try harder. She has always admired you and might be willing to listen to you.”

The two of them stood by the corridor window near the back door of the classroom, and from Lu Jin’s position, he could just see He Ye sitting there.

He glanced over and responded nonchalantly, “It’s good to be in the class, and the major is suitable for her.”

Although she is quiet and socially anxious, He Ye has always been clear about her goals. If she studies a major she doesn’t like just for the sake of Tsinghua’s prestige, it could become a burden.

Zhou Xiangming couldn’t believe it. “You don’t want to go to the same school as her? If we’re in different cities, that means four years—an entire four years. Long-distance relationships are especially prone to breaking up!”

Noticing Zhu Qing looking over, Lu Jin glanced at his companions and said nonchalantly, “We can video chat regularly and meet during weekends and summer vacations. It’s not too far away.”

Zhou Xiangming sneered, “You might manage during the winter and summer vacations, but weekends? You’ll waste a lot of time traveling.”

Lu Jin replied, “Five hours by high-speed rail isn’t bad.”

Zhou Xiangming: “…I see you’ve checked everything!”

Lu Jin nodded and looked at He Ye again.

Zhou Xiangming, irritated by Lu Jin’s calm demeanor, deliberately mocked him. “What’s the point of preparing so much? It’d be funny if He Ye ends up rejecting you.”

Lu Jin glanced at him calmly.

Zhou Xiangming snorted. He actually looked forward to He Ye giving Lu Jin a hard time. If that happened, he’d definitely go to Lu Jin and laugh about it.

He Yong didn’t interfere with his daughter’s choice of major.

He just graduated from high school, and with limited experience, he didn’t understand the latest developments in domestic science and technology as well as his daughter did.

“Jiaotong University is close and convenient. I don’t have to adapt to the northern climate anymore.”

Knowing that his daughter liked Jiaotong University, He Yong naturally supported her decision.

With her father’s support, He Ye no longer had any worries. On the 26th, she went to school to fill out her application form and resolutely listed Shanghai Jiaotong University as her first choice.

After submitting their applications, the students of Class 8 gathered in the classroom to discuss their choices.

Zhu Qing took the seat in front of He Ye, leaned back, and sighed with her hands on her chin. “After much consideration, I decided to apply to the University of Finance and Economics in our province. I’ll definitely look for a job here in the future. Ordinary universities from other places aren’t well-known locally, and my score isn’t high enough for the key universities.”

He Ye looked towards the back row in surprise upon hearing this.

Lu Jin noticed her reaction and looked up.

He Ye said to Zhu Qing, “You and Zhou Xiangming are applying to the same school?”

Previously, Zhu Qing had talked about another university, but Zhou Xiangming had already decided on the University of Finance and Economics.

Zhu Qing: …

Zhou Xiangming: …

The two looked at each other. When Zhu Qing showed a look of disgust, Zhou Xiangming laughed. “Are you secretly in love with me? You’re applying to the same university.”

Zhu Qing: “Bah! Nobody knew you were going to study finance and economics!”

Zhou Xiangming: “Don’t hide it. I told He Ye, so she must have told you.”

He Ye: “I didn’t.”

She rarely talked to Zhu Qing about the two boys, fearing Zhu Qing’s gossip would spiral out of control.

Zhou Xiangming: “There is no need to cover for her. It’s fine. There are so many people who have a crush on me; she’s just one more…”

Before he could finish, Zhu Qing rushed over with a broom. Zhou Xiangming skillfully squeezed out from behind Lu Jin, and the two started chasing each other down the corridor again.

He Ye felt both amused and envious. It’s nice to have familiar classmates to study with in college, isn’t it?

After the brief gathering, the students went home.

Previously, everyone had been focused on grades and aspirations, with no time for travel. Now that the major issues were resolved, various “tourism promotions” started circulating in the class group.

Zhu Qing’s cousin was going on a self-driving tour to Ningcheng Beach. Zhu Qing invited He Ye to join her for three days.

After coming back, Zhu Qing planned to travel to Sichuan and Yunnan, but He Ye didn’t join her. The flight tickets were too expensive, and she had other plans.

During the two-month summer vacation, He Ye planned to find a part-time job to earn enough money for her university tuition and help reduce the burden on her father.

On July 2, He Ye was sitting in her study browsing part-time tutoring posts in the city when she received a new message on her phone.

Team Leader: [Still in Ningcheng?]

Ye Ziyuanyuan: [I came back yesterday.]

Team Leader: [What are your plans next?]

Ye Ziyuanyuan: [I’m thinking of taking a part-time job; it’d be boring to be idle.]

She was speaking from the heart. After the intense pace of senior year, suddenly having nothing to do felt really dull.

Team Leader: [There’s an internship opportunity at Blue Ocean Technology. Want to join me?]

Blue Ocean Technology is a nationally renowned listed company with its headquarters in Ancheng and is also an honorary enterprise of the city.

He Ye was intrigued: [What’s the internship about?]

Team Leader: [There are several options, but I think software testing is most suitable for us and we can learn a lot.]

Ye Ziyuanyuan: [It sounds difficult. I’ve never been exposed to this.]

Team Leader: [It’s relatively easy to start with, and we won’t be given tasks that are too challenging. Starting from the 14th, I can teach you for the next two weeks.]

Whether to accept the offer or not, He Ye was also concerned about another question: [Is there a salary for the internship?]

Lu Jin, on the other end, replied with a smile, “Yes, but it’s not high. Since we’re only working for a month and are here to gain experience, the salary is 4,000 yuan, plus food and transportation allowances.”

He didn’t mention that Blue Ocean’s summer internships usually go to college students with a professional background. He got the opportunity partly because of his connections at Blue Ocean.

Lu Jin wanted experience and wasn’t focused on the salary.

At the moment, He Ye prioritized salary over experience: [Then I still prefer tutoring. I’ve heard that high school students with scores above 700 can earn 100 yuan per hour.]

If she tutored two students a day, each for two hours, and worked twenty days a month, she could earn up to 8,000 yuan.

She would earn 16,000 yuan over two months, which is enough to cover three years of university tuition. Once she has learned professional knowledge in university, she will have time to consider a part-time job at a large company during the holidays.

If suitable students can’t be found, she could go to training institutions, which pay well but are more challenging. It’s better to have the freedom to tutor on her own.

After sending the message, He Ye suddenly realized something and quickly added: “Thank you. I’ll definitely gain valuable experience interning at Blue Ocean. I’m more focused on earning money right now, so I apologize for not taking up your kind offer.”

Team Leader: [It’s not a waste, but it’s a bit of a pity.]

Ye Ziyuanyuan: [Yes, it’s a rare opportunity, but you have programming experience, and I don’t have any programming background, so it’s not really suitable for me. The pressure would be too great.]

Lu Jin laughed again.

He could imagine He Ye looking serious yet a bit silly at that moment.

Maybe if he spoke up, she’d understand?

He Ye posted an advertisement for tutoring herself.

Her college entrance examination results were impressive, and soon a parent contacted her. The parent was looking for a math tutor for her son, who was about to enter the third year of junior high school. She asked He Ye to bring her ID card, college entrance examination admission ticket, and college entrance examination transcript when she visited.

This was all standard procedure, and He Ye readily agreed.

She found her math textbooks and exercise books from her third year of junior high school, including a stack of neatly folded math test papers.

On the morning of the 4th, Lu Jin recommended a book about robots and asked: [How’s the search for a tutor going?]

Ye Ziyuanyuan: [I have one. I’ll go for the interview tomorrow.]

The poor third-year junior high student was arranged by his family to have extracurricular tutoring on the first day of summer vacation.

Team Leader: [I’ll come with you.]

Ye Ziyuanyuan: [Ah?]

Team Leader: [You’re quite young. It’s important to assess the personality of the parents and students. It’s better to be cautious.]

He Ye suddenly recalled news reports about girls being attacked and felt a chill.

Given her concerns, she thought it would be better to have a reliable classmate accompany her on her first visit, but she worried about inconveniencing Lu Jin: [Aren’t you busy?]

Team Leader: [I’m very busy. My internship starts in the middle of the month. What time will we leave tomorrow?]

Ye Ziyuanyuan: [Let’s leave at eight o’clock. It’s a bit far, so let’s leave early and aim to arrive by nine.]

Team Leader: [Okay, see you tomorrow.]

After putting down her phone, He Ye stared at the chat records for a while, astonished.

Is Lu Jin being too helpful?

But with Dad needing to manage the supermarket, and Zhu Qing and Wu Yuanyuan traveling, He Ye really had no one else to call.

She didn’t want to burden anyone. She sought a part-time job to become independent and should have taken the first step bravely. Since Lu Jin volunteered to accompany her and was free recently, He Ye accepted his kindness.

Well, she’ll treat him to a cup of milk tea tomorrow. Once she earns some money, she’ll also treat him, Zhou Xiangming, and her good friends to a meal of crayfish.