It was evening news time.
"With the arrival of college admission notices, we are honored today to interview Ms. Wen Qing, this year's top scorer in Zhonghai City's college entrance examination."
"You certainly wouldn't guess where I found Ms. Wen Qing. That's right, you're not mistaken, it's at this Zhang Ji Barbecue restaurant where I am interviewing Ms. Wen Qing."
"I must say, the hygiene at this Zhang Ji Barbecue restaurant is truly excellent. The tables are spotless. No wonder our Zhonghai City top scorer chooses to work here."
The viewers in front of the television were a bit annoyed. "This host is so unprofessional. How much advertising fee did you take from this Zhang Ji Barbecue to promote it so vigorously on the news? Aren't you afraid of losing your job?"
"I came to see the top scorer's success experience, not to watch a restaurant promotion."
"What kind of host is this? Can't they find the main point? This is clearly not what we want to see. It would be fine even if you just showed your face."
Meanwhile, the scene on the television shifted. "Perhaps you're wondering why I'm talking about Zhang Ji Barbecue. Allow me to create some suspense. Let's start our interview with the top scorer."
"I'm going to throw up. Is this host trying to be funny? Putting on airs. If my mother hadn't told me to watch how the top scorer achieved their success, I wouldn't be watching the news."
On the news, Wen Qing was cleaning the restaurant. The camera showed that the tables were spotlessly clean. It seemed no one had ever encountered such an excessively clean restaurant.
While cleaning, she was being interviewed by the reporter.
"Did you start working here right after your college entrance exams?"
"Yes, I wanted to experience life. My life isn't just about studying; there's much more. I can't detach myself from life. Only life can give us the strength to move forward."
"What were your thoughts when you learned you were the top scorer in Zhonghai City?"
"I didn't have any particularly special thoughts. It was like participating in a sports meet. I strived my best. As long as I reached the finish line, whether I broke a record or didn't place, the result wasn't important. What mattered was the process. I was there, I fought hard."
Wen Qing smiled in front of the camera, her eyes curving into crescents. "Perhaps this will be easier for you to understand: my point is, as long as we strive diligently, even if the outcome isn't as we hoped, we won't feel regret."
"Because in the process, we gain a lot. I'm someone who values the process; the result is not important to me."
Wen Qing's words struck a chord with countless people in front of their televisions.
"Indeed, the gap between geniuses is so apparent. She doesn't care about the result because the result is already decided."
"The person who doesn't care about the result becomes the top scorer, while I, who cared about the result, ended up among the unsuccessful. Heavens, Earth, who can explain this to me?"
"This is Murphy's Law. The more you fear something, the more likely it is to happen. Only when your heart is fearless will you welcome the sunshine."
"I can't stand it. Why is the top scorer so beautiful, and her grades so intimidating? Does it really hold true that the higher the appearance, the stronger the ability?"
"The reason I came to work here is that this barbecue restaurant was started by five of our high school classmates."
At this moment, Zhang Tianxing, Gao Tianming, Zhu Dayong, and Li Fang appeared and said in unison, "After the college entrance exams, the five of us wanted to experience life. Zhang Tianxing suggested opening a barbecue restaurant, and so we came together."
Xiao Rong'er's voice rang out, "These classmates were also outstanding students during high school, with scores no lower than 660. They were all at the top of their class, just not as prominent as the top scorer."
She then said mysteriously to everyone, "Let me tell you a secret. I just found this out! The spicy crayfish that has recently taken Zhonghai City by storm is the creation of classmate Zhang Tianxing!"
The viewers in front of the television were astounded. Spicy crayfish – it's been so popular lately, everyone knows about it.
Spicy crayfish had taken over the streets and alleys. Whether it was in starred restaurants or street stalls, they all invariably featured spicy crayfish as a signature dish.
It even led to a new greeting: "Have you had crayfish today?"
From spicy to thirteen-spice and then garlic, various methods of preparing crayfish emerged, leading to the subsequent establishment of the Crayfish Association.
Members who joined the Crayfish Association were like they'd been injected with adrenaline, coming up with all sorts of unique flavors.
This rapidly elevated the fame of crayfish to a new level.
Especially after the association was formed, they organized a crayfish writing competition, which was truly a grand event in the catering industry.
It truly embodied the saying, "The younger generation is to be feared!"
With Xiao Rong'er revealing Zhang Tianxing's achievements, people couldn't help but be moved.
Is this really an eighteen-year-old? I feel like I, at twenty-eight, couldn't accomplish so much.
And to develop new recipes! Good heavens, I can only make scrambled eggs with tomatoes. I'm falling behind the times. What should I do?
As Zhu Dayong, Gao Tianming, and Li Fang appeared, their scores, though not above 700, were still high.
Especially classmate Li Fang, who came from a poor family but studied diligently. While working at Zhang Ji Barbecue, she was still wearing her school uniform.
"Why don't you wear a pretty outfit to work here?"
"A school uniform is fine for work. Cleaner clothes get dirty easily, and school uniforms are easy to wash."
These few simple sentences were heartbreaking. People cannot and should not be compared. Comparing oneself to others leads to misery, while comparing one's misfortunes to others' can bring solace.
Genius beautiful girls like Wen Qing are rare exceptions. Being able to match the scores of Zhang Tianxing and the others would be considered a top student.
Success is that simple. For high school students, getting a good score on the college entrance examination is the most beautiful closure to their high school years.
The cameraman inadvertently captured Zhang Tianxing cooking. Zhang Tianxing's cooking was like an art, his skills reaching a level that commanded awe.
Whether it was Zhang Tianxing's knife skills or his wok tossing ability while stir-frying, the cameraman was deeply impressed.
With such wok tossing skill, I thought he was a professional chef.
I never would have believed that a chef of this caliber was a high school student just a month and a half ago.
One can only sigh, Zhang Tianxing is born to be a chef.
Not only are his knife skills excellent, but he also masters the heat control while stir-frying.
Towards the end of the program, the cameraman gave a close-up of several dishes from Zhang Ji Barbecue.
The spicy crayfish, bright red, whetted the appetite. The pervasive red oil exuded the unique aroma of crayfish.
Finally, the interview segment concluded with a sentence: "Who would have thought that in a small Zhang Ji Barbecue restaurant, all five people are prospective university students? What is even more surprising are their achievements in the past month and a half. Zhang Ji Barbecue has become the most beautiful landscape in Yangcheng."