"Fan Rui's dad, Fan Rui is a solid student. Even a 985 university is within his reach. If he can improve his English by another 20 points or so, a 985 will be a sure thing. There's really no need to go to a second-tier university for such a small amount of money. This is about the child's future!" At Fan Rui's home, the homeroom teacher was earnestly persuading Fan Rui's father.
It was already completely dark. Today was the homeroom teacher's son's birthday, yet he chose to be at Fan Rui's home, persuading Fan Rui's parents.
It was because this Fan Rui fellow had reportedly agreed on the phone to enroll at Jiangnan University. The signing teacher would arrive within two days to sign the enrollment agreement. Following that, Fan Rui's academic records would be taken from the college admissions office, preventing him from participating in the college entrance examination. He would then have no choice but to study at Jiangnan University.
The homeroom teacher felt an unbearable anxiety. He couldn't even keep his promise to spend his son's birthday at home, and rushed directly to Fan Rui's house to persuade Fan Rui's parents.
Meanwhile, Fan Rui sat quietly to the side. He genuinely didn't know what to say, as he felt anything he said would be wrong.
"This..." Fan Rui's father was still hesitant, but Fan Rui's mother immediately said, "Rui Rui, what the teacher says is right. Don't you believe what your teacher says? I think you should still participate in the college entrance examination properly!"
Fan Rui's mother was actually reluctant to let her son attend a second-tier university. After all, her son was guaranteed to get into a first-tier university. Moreover, Fan Rui's family wasn't particularly lacking in money, so Fan Rui's mother was very supportive of the homeroom teacher.
Hearing his wife's words, the words Fan Rui's father was about to say were instantly choked back. He then sighed. He had listened to his wife's words his entire life; this one instance wouldn't make a difference.
"I..." Fan Rui's already firm resolve began to waver again. Or rather, his resolve had never been that strong to begin with. He was mostly just influenced by Zhao Yao's attitude.
"If you like working at Jiangnan Group so much, you can always go after getting into a first-tier university!" the homeroom teacher said. "Jiangnan Group doesn't only recruit from Jiangnan University. They recruit many graduates from major universities across the country every year."
"If you get into a first-tier university, especially a 985, you have a very high chance of joining Jiangnan Group after graduating from university. Moreover, with a diploma from a first-tier or 985 university, wouldn't your promotion speed within the company be better than that of a Jiangnan University student with a second-tier diploma?"
"Also, you're in the liberal arts class, but Jiangnan University is specifically recruiting for computer science this time. Your major wouldn't match. What kind of future would you have there?"
"Furthermore, I have a university classmate at Jiangnan University. I asked him, and he said that the studies at Jiangnan University will be quite special. They are implementing an industry-academia-research integration. This means that not only will you be learning in university, but you'll also be conducting research and engaging in production. From the first year, you'll directly enter the production frontline to work, learning while working!"
"Such conditions are very harsh. Besides studying, you also have to work and will lose even your leisure time. Otherwise, why would Jiangnan University pay students 10,000 yuan a month? Is it truly because Jiangnan University is kind-hearted?"
"Of course not. This is a salary; they want you to work!" The homeroom teacher's words made Fan Rui's expression change slightly. The three years of high school were already difficult. He had originally hoped to relax after going to university, but now it felt like university would be even harder than high school!
Thinking of this, Fan Rui felt like giving up. The homeroom teacher, seeing Fan Rui's psychological shift, pressed on. "You might think that the teacher is instigating you because they want the entire class to attend a first-tier university and achieve a 100% acceptance rate."
"But that's not really what I'm thinking. Because if Zhao Yao were also going, then the teacher would fully support him, as it's difficult for him to get into a 985; at best, he'd get into an ordinary first-tier university. Jiangnan University is a more suitable choice for him. I'm thinking about the future of each of you!"
"Oh, and aren't you good friends with Zhao Yao now? You should know that Zhao Yao is over a hundred places behind. But he still has a chance. If over 100 people give up, he can still go to Jiangnan University. If you give up, it's equivalent to giving Zhao Yao another opportunity. This is also helping your friend!" As the homeroom teacher said this, his face flushed slightly, as he felt he had gone too far, employing a bit of moral coercion by using a good friend.
However, for the sake of his student's future, the homeroom teacher couldn't afford to be too concerned.
Well, actually, this homeroom teacher wasn't lying about other things. He genuinely cared about his student's future. In his opinion, a second-tier university was in no way comparable to a 985 university.
"Alright..." Thinking of Zhao Yao's desperate expression, Fan Rui finally gave up. At the same time, he told himself that he wasn't afraid of the hardships of studying at Jiangnan University, nor was he someone who easily changed his mind due to lack of conviction. Instead, he was sacrificing himself for his friend, making a difficult decision!
With this psychological self-justification, Fan Rui no longer had any mental burdens and finally nodded in agreement. The homeroom teacher's face finally lit up with a smile. He politely declined the constant invitations to stay for dinner from Fan Rui's parents and rode his bicycle home as fast as he could, hoping to at least make it back for his son's birthday.
Two days later, Zhao Yao received the news. Fan Rui had refused the Jiangnan University teachers who had come to sign him. He found Fan Rui, completely unable to understand, and the two had a huge argument.
Zhao Yao berated Fan Rui for being foolish, lacking his own opinions, and blindly following others, mistakenly giving up the greatest opportunity in his life. He would regret it for the rest of his life!
Fan Rui, on the other hand, stated that the teachers and parents were right. A 985 was always better than a second-tier university, and he was doing it for Zhao Yao's benefit, wanting to give the opportunity to him!
"Utterly foolish. Where else in the world are there over 170 people like you, fools!" Zhao Yao couldn't help but scold.
Then, the next morning, the signing teacher whom Fan Rui had rejected appeared directly before Zhao Yao and asked if he was willing to sign up and study at Jiangnan University!
"But there are still 177 people ahead of me! How could it be my turn?" Zhao Yao asked the teacher in surprise.
"But that's the reality. Congratulations on being admitted to Jiangnan University, if you're willing to sign!" The signing teacher said with a wry smile. Zhao Yao wasted no more words and quickly signed his name on the admission application.
Thus, Zhao Yao didn't even need to take the college entrance examination and could directly go home to rest.
"By the way, are you willing to report to school early?" Suddenly, the teacher in charge of signing asked.
"Report early? What does that mean?" Zhao Yao blinked in surprise and then asked.
"Under normal circumstances, you would all start school on September 1st. However, the school plans to run an early admission class, starting on June 1st. Since our university was newly established this year, we need a trial period to identify issues in actual operation and then make corrections, thereby avoiding more problems once the official opening occurs."
"So, if you're willing, Zhao Yao, you can report to the school before June 1st. The class you'll be in will start lessons early and begin normal studies, essentially helping to clear the path for later students."
"Also, you will enter the industry laboratory early to engage in industry-research learning, so you will start receiving a learning subsidy in June, which is 10,000 yuan per month." The teacher said with a smile.
"Is that so..." Zhao Yao hesitated for a moment. He said he needed to ask his family's opinion and would give his reply tomorrow. The teacher agreed.
"By the way, teacher, I have a question!" Zhao Yao suddenly said.
"Go ahead!"
"That is, what is my current ranking among all the students?" Zhao Yao asked.
"Let me see. You are currently ranked 953rd!" The teacher said, glancing at the table.
"So many people!" Hearing this figure, Zhao Yao exclaimed.
"Yes, we didn't expect this situation either!" The signing teacher sighed.
177 plus 47, it seemed that as many as 224 candidates ahead of Zhao Yao had given up the opportunity to enter Jiangnan University, a drop-out rate of one-fifth, which was an astonishingly high proportion.
However, this was actually a very normal phenomenon. Just like the story that happened to Fan Rui a few days ago, upon learning that their students intended to attend Jiangnan University, a second-tier university, almost all teachers began to act, persuading their students to make the right decision. Only a few teachers decided to let them be, allowing the students to make their own choices.
Of course, these teachers all believed their actions were righteous and correct, that they were considering the students' futures. After all, students who could get into Jiangnan University generally possessed the ability to get into a 985 university. The diploma and future prospects of a 985 university were definitely much better than those of Jiangnan University!
"But this is for the best!" A smile appeared on Zhao Yao's face. After bidding farewell to the teacher, he went to find Fan Rui, who was sitting on a chair, lost in thought.
"The teacher just came to see me, and I've already signed up for Jiangnan University! Today is my last day at school; I don't need to come to class anymore." Zhao Yao said.
"Congratulations!" Fan Rui smiled. For some reason, he felt an inexplicable pang of sorrow in his heart.
"Then I congratulate you too. I wish you a bright future at your 985 university!" Zhao Yao stood up and hesitated for a moment. "Also, I'm telling you, I'm ranked 953rd now. Whether you drop out or not, I'll be able to enter Jiangnan University to study. I don't owe you anything!"
After saying that, Zhao Yao left without looking back. Fan Rui felt his mind reeling. He seemed to see his entire life curve into a distorted trajectory, but he didn't know if the endpoint of the curve would be what he desired.