Chapter 22: The Secret of Lu Zhiyao

Schools like Ji Hang, Ji Polytechnic, and Ice Engineering University are all very good schools.

Even some students, despite scoring above the Jingbei line, resolutely choose to go to other schools to pursue their dream majors.

"Of course, if my scores are high enough, I'd prioritize Jingbei. But if I can't get into Jingbei, going to Ji Hang to study aerospace is also great. Just thinking about sending a rocket weighing tens of tons into space is thrilling!" Hu Shucheng said.

"Yeah, now I want to study rockets too!"

Hearing Hu Shucheng's dreams made Xu You also feel excited.

"By the way, Xu You, let me ask you a question. If you become a researcher in the future and there's a better opportunity abroad, but at the same time, there's a critical project in your country that needs your participation. How would you choose?"

Xu You didn't know why Hu Shucheng suddenly asked this question.

But after a brief consideration, Xu You decisively replied:

"I would give up that opportunity and choose to continue working on the project."

Hearing Xu You's answer, Hu Shucheng became more interested.

"If this opportunity for further study is very precious, and missing it means you might never get it again, would you still make the same choice?"

Xu You didn't directly answer Hu Shucheng's question but said from a different angle:

"Since I've already participated in such a project, why should I care about personal gain or loss? If there are areas where we truly cannot concede to foreign countries, then we should dedicate ourselves to research and surely surpass them one day!"

Hearing Xu You's answer, Hu Shucheng laughed heartily.

"Typical You God, always speaking to my heart. From now on, you're not just a friend of Hu Shucheng."

Xu You was startled, wondering why Hu Shucheng wanted to break off their friendship.

"From now on, Xu You, you are my brother!" Hu Shucheng laughed.

Actually, Hu Shucheng just wanted to understand Xu You's thoughts with this question.

If Xu You was only studying hard for personal gain, then he wouldn't be worth deepening their friendship.

But Xu You's response made Hu Shucheng very satisfied.

"Although many people think I, Hu Shucheng, am a bookworm, I don't believe academic achievements can fully evaluate a person. Everyone has their own talents and strengths, not necessarily needing to be applied in academic subjects. But what I hate the most are those top talents who use studying abroad as an excuse and end up contributing to other countries!"

Xu You also frowned upon hearing this.

He thought the same way.

Indeed, everyone has the freedom to choose their future.

But in Xu You's heart, he always knew where his roots were.

"Whether ordinary or great, I will do my best to contribute to this country. Don't worry, I definitely won't leave." Xu You said solemnly.

"Me too!"

Xu You and Hu Shucheng shook hands firmly, making this promise.

Of course, what they just talked about was still too far away for them.

Their immediate goal was to do well in the Physics Olympiad preliminaries and make it to the provincial team.

After returning home, Xu You received a message from Lu Zhiyao.

There were no words, just a cat emoji.

A shy cat, as if it was afraid of something.

Xu You replied after seeing it: "Didn't see you today, didn't you take the exam?"

Lu Zhiyao: "Gave up, felt like even if I passed the preliminaries, I wouldn't make it through the next round. Those kinds of questions aren't for ordinary students like me."

Actually, it wouldn't have been difficult for Lu Zhiyao to make it into the next round.

But if she couldn't score high in the next round, then participating in the competition would be meaningless.

Thus, Xu You didn't think there was anything wrong with Lu Zhiyao withdrawing.

It was just a wise choice after weighing the pros and cons.

Just...

Lu Zhiyao, being the top student of the school, still claimed to be an ordinary student.

What would the rest of us think then?

Xu You: "Am I seeing things, who's an ordinary student? What does that make us, underachievers?"

Lu Zhiyao: "Some people only need a month to prepare for the competition, compared to them, am I not an ordinary student?"

Xu You laughed upon reading this.

Clearly, she was implying something about him.

Xu You: "Everyone has their strengths, I've just suddenly got a knack for physics. But I still can't beat your overall score, you're really not ordinary at all."

Lu Zhiyao: "

Want to know some secrets? About those things you're curious about? You have to promise not to tell anyone else."

Seeing Lu Zhiyao's message, Xu You became excited.

Lu Zhiyao was actually going to share her secret with him?

This was something the entire class, even the whole grade, was curious about.

Xu You was very interested, he just never dared to ask before.

Xu You: "Don't worry, I definitely won't tell anyone else."

Next, Lu Zhiyao shared a part of her high school experience with Xu You.

It turned out that Lu Zhiyao once took a few months off school due to health reasons.

When she returned to school, she could no longer keep up with the class's pace.

Being in the province's top school, Provincial Experimental High School, even Lu Zhiyao couldn't catch up after missing so much coursework.

After discussing it with her family, Lu Zhiyao made a tough decision.

To repeat a year.

But Lu Zhiyao didn't want to continue studying at Provincial Experimental High School.

If her former classmates saw her repeating a year, she wondered how they would feel.

Even if they wouldn't mind, Lu Zhiyao herself felt embarrassed to face them.

In the end, Lu Zhiyao decided to transfer to the Fourth Middle School, which was closer to her home.

Since Lu Zhiyao had essentially completed the high school curriculum and didn't rely much on teachers, she decided to transfer to a regular class.

This way, she could also enjoy the privilege of self-study, free from the constraints of the classroom.

Xu You: "So, you're actually a year older than us?"

Lu Zhiyao: "I had skipped a grade before, so it evens out. We're still in the same grade."

Xu You: "That's good, saves me from having to call you 'senior' later on."

After sharing her long-kept secret with Xu You, Lu Zhiyao finally felt much better.

For so long, she finally found someone she could trust and open up to.

Lu Zhiyao: "I feel my current grades are at risk, so it's better to cut my losses now. You're really suited for competitions, try to secure a spot through recommendation."

Xu You: "Thanks for the good wishes, I'll wait for you at Ji University."

Lu Zhiyao: "Cut it out, you're still below me on the end-of-term rankings."

Xu You: "Wait for the next monthly exam, I'll definitely be above you!"

Seeing it was getting late, Xu You quickly put his phone aside and entered a deep study mode.

...

In anxious anticipation, Gao Shang finally received the Physics Olympiad preliminary results and the list of students from the Fourth Middle School who made it to the next round.

"Twelve! A new record!"

Seeing the final number of qualifiers, Gao Shang couldn't help but get excited, pulling out a few more hairs.

His already thinning hair seemed to suffer even more.

"Xu You! Impressive!"

And when he saw Xu You's score, Gao Shang couldn't help but exclaim again.

Out of a total of 200 points in the preliminary round, Xu You scored an impressive 198 points.

Such a score would be considered high even on a national level.

Naturally, he was ranked first in the Fourth Middle School.

(End of Chapter)