"Yu Bin."
Huang Yifan had been doing pretty well these days. The paranormal mess in the underworld had been settled nicely, and Yu Bin hadn't come to bug him again.
Walking to school with a light step, Huang Yifan ran into Yu Bin and greeted him casually. But Yu Bin paused, glanced back at him, and then quickly walked away like he hadn't heard anything.
"What's up with this guy?"
Yu Bin's reaction surprised Huang Yifan, but he didn't overthink it.
As long as people like that stayed out of his hair, he didn't care how weird they were.
"Class, there are only three days left until the high school entrance exam. According to the school's schedule, you'll have the next three days off. But before that, there's one important matter we need to address."
Homeroom teacher Lin Jinfen stood at the podium and began explaining things related to the upcoming exams.
"That matter is: filling out your school preferences."
"I've already talked to you all about this before, and we even had a parent-teacher meeting. But just to be safe, I'll go over it again. There aren't many schools available for the entrance exam, just No.1, No.2, No.5, and No.6 High School. No.1 is the top school, and based on previous years, it usually has the highest cutoff. Be realistic about your scores, don't push it. If you're confident, put down No.1. If it's a stretch, put No.2."
"Also, while No.5 and No.6 are private schools, they still take part in the national entrance exams. They may not be on par with No.1 or No.2, but I hope you won't give up. Studying more is always a good thing."
"And one more thing: apart from our county's schools, some city-level schools are also planning to recruit from our area. Schools like Gan No.1, No.2, and No.3 High School have given us a few slots. We can't predict their cutoff scores for now, but we assume they'll be very high."
"Luckily, Gan No.1, 2, and 3 can be listed as an extra preference. Even if your score doesn't cut, it won't affect anything. I really hope someone from our school gets into Gan No.3."
"In addition to these high schools, there are also some normal schools (teacher training colleges). But unlike previous years, Longnan Normal has stopped admissions, and Ningdu Normal is a new option..."
While the high school entrance exam didn't get the national attention of the college entrance exam, it was still a big deal. Especially in central and western towns, where for many students, the only way to get into high school was with a high score. While private schools were an option regardless of scores, families in places like Tieshikou were unlikely to send their kids to school beyond junior high. At most, they'd let them attend a vocational school or pick up a trade.
That said, things weren't too bleak. Class 2, Grade 9, was the top class, and the students were decent. Not everyone could make it into No.1 High, but a good number could get into No.2.
After a half-hour of explaining, Lin Jinfen handed out the school preference forms.
"Fill them out yourselves, or talk it over with your classmates. If you have questions, ask me. Once you're done, you can go home."
Clapping her hands, Lin Jinfen left the classroom temporarily and let the students discuss.
"Huang Yifan, did you pick Gan No.3?"
Just as he was about to fill out his form, Li Luozhi came over, holding her own sheet.
"With your scores, Gan No.3 is a sure thing."
Gan No.3 was the top school in the city, the dream school for Li Luozhi.
Unfortunately, she wasn't from the city, so even though she was a top student at Tieshikou Middle School, it was hard for her to get in.
Fortunately, Gan No.3 was recruiting from outside this year.
"Sorry, I'm not interested in Gan No.3."
Huang Yifan shook his head. He really didn't care about that school.
"Huang Yifan, think about it. Gan No.3 is the best of the best. If you get in, you'll have a better shot at the college entrance exam."
"I'll think about it."
He still shook his head, answering blandly.
"Huang Yifan, you..."
"Luozhi, let it go. School preference is a personal choice, don't interfere."
Jiang Weiwei chimed in from the side.
"I..."
Li Luozhi hesitated, a bit embarrassed, then nodded. "Well, Gan No.3 isn't a primary choice anyway. You can just list it as an alternate. Even if you qualify, you don't have to go. Just think it over, I won't bother you anymore."
"Alright, I'll think about it."
He gave a half-hearted reply and went back to filling out the form.
But just as he picked up his pen, another voice came from beside him.
"Huang Yifan, are you picking No.1 High?"
"How'd you know?"
He put down his pen and looked up at Jiang Weiwei.
"Hehe, just a guess. I'm picking No.1 too."
With that, Jiang Weiwei looked a little shy and returned to her seat.
"You fill it out. See you at No.1. Don't forget your class monitor then."
"...Geez."
It was rare to see her act like a little girl, and it made Huang Yifan a bit emotional.
Still, he nodded. "I won't forget, Miss Monitor Jiang."
Smiling wryly, he picked up his pen again.
But then he noticed something and turned to see Zhang Huiping hesitating beside him.
"You're picking No.1 High?"
"Are you interested in which school I choose?"
"Just asking. We're deskmates, after all."
"Alright, then let me ask you. Which one are you picking? Oh, right, on the last practice test, you scored over 600. No.1 should be a safe bet for you."
"Yeah."
She nodded gently.
"Nice, nice."
He smiled, satisfied. "Looks like my tutoring helped. No.1 is the best in the county, better than No.2 in every way. You're definitely getting in. I hope all your dreams come true."
Blushing, Zhang Huiping replied softly, "Thanks." Then added, "What about you? You never said which one you're picking. It'd be great if we ended up at the same school. Then I could keep asking you for help. Hehe."
"Me? Actually, I'm not planning on picking No.1."
"Huh?"
She looked shocked. "But didn't you just tell Jiang Weiwei you were?"
"Did I? I never actually said I was."
"You tricked her..."
Thinking back, his "how'd you know" had indeed fooled Jiang Weiwei.
"So you're picking No.2?"
"Yeah."
That's what he'd planned all along.
Honestly, he thought both No.1 and No.2 were fine. But No.1 was more intense. Thinking about all the things he'd need to do over the next three years, being in such a strict environment would be inconvenient. So he opted for No.2, which was better than No.5 and No.6, but not as strict as No.1.
"I don't get it."
Zhang Huiping suddenly looked conflicted.
Just now, she'd been happy, thinking he was going to pick No.1 too. How nice it would be to go to the same school again.
But now she found out he didn't want to go to No.1.
"I'm a weird guy, don't think too much. I'm done filling this out. I'm heading home. See you around."
Finishing quickly, Huang Yifan left the classroom.
"See you around."
Even as his voice faded, Zhang Huiping sat there stunned.
She didn't know that this time, by making her choice, she might have also said goodbye to someone. Or maybe not. No.1 and No.2 were only separated by one street. They might still run into each other. But even if they did, it might just be a nod and a wave. No real connection anymore.
Her chest ached a little, and Zhang Huiping felt a wave of sadness.
"No.2..."
Not knowing what had gotten into her, her hand trembled.
She'd planned to apply to No.1.
But now, in the spot for first preference, she wrote a different name,
Xinfeng No.2 High School.
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