her an innocent look.Hearing that Su Cen was there for delivery purposes, the reception manager flashed a hint of displeasure, muttering, "What’s going on in the finance department!" Nevertheless, she...Chapter 7 New Transfer Student

Su Cen bought water and Douke Jian's freshly made youtiao from a store outside the Goujiao Station on the South Second Ring Road. He stood at this main road, about one hundred meters away from the entrance of Chengyu Neimeng小區, quietly watching the commuters waiting for the bus with newspapers and shoulder bags slung across their backs, as well as students in various school uniforms or casual wear.

Early spring morning mist still lingered in the city. On the non-motorized lanes, bicycles formed long lines, their bells ringing melodiously. In the background, cars were weaving through on overpasses. The provincial capital had recently started using double-decker buses for public transportation, which was quite a novelty.

Su Cen remembered that if he took the bus from his doorstep, he would need to transfer at Xicheng Station and ride two lines before reaching No. 27 High School. If he walked one hundred meters on the main road of the Second Ring Road, he could take a direct route there.

The bus stopped at the station. Unlike in Xiha City, it was not small or quiet; instead, it had the hustle and bustle characteristic of a big city even early in the morning. Countless power lines stood tall overhead, extending into an old city with a historical atmosphere. Su Cen couldn’t yet see its prosperity.

Boarding the double-decker bus, Su Cen found a seat by the stairs and ate his breakfast while quietly gazing out of the window at the streets outside. The bus gradually filled up; many students came in groups, chattering about their respective school affairs.

This was unlike Xiha City where circles were tight-knit. In the provincial capital, there were over ninety ordinary universities, leading to a large student base. Often, news of a high school's big event would be well-known in Xiha, so information tended to concentrate and even minor waves could cause great commotion.

In this city, schools were scattered, and the sheer number of students was vast, with various sizes of circles mixed together. Only those who stood out exceptionally could gain recognition among such a large base. The first feeling one would have in such an environment was their own insignificance.

Only now did Su Cen realize that his previous thoughts seemed overly idealistic. Although No. 27 High School was listed as one of the top national demonstration high schools, there were other prestigious institutions like Yu De High School and Jingcheng University Affiliated High School in Jingcheng, which could match its status. Though not on the first-tier list of national model secondary schools, these two schools’ educational standards and their exceedingly high admission rates to key universities made them qualified for the second-tier list. Jingcheng was famously known as the "People's Song" for Yu De High School, the "Arena" for No. 27 High School.

Jingcheng University Affiliated High School, due to its proximity to Jingcheng University and its abundance of beautiful girls, focused more on liberal arts with a pleasant environment conducive to poetry and romance. The academic workload was lighter, allowing students to enjoy the scenery while pursuing their studies and relationships.

No. 27 High School, however, was known for gathering outstanding students who often won national awards in science and literature or excelled in Olympiad mathematics competitions. In 1999, a student from this school even received an award as a United Nations youth environmental ambassador and delivered an environmental speech at the UN General Assembly.

Yu De High School needs no introduction; it cannot outperform the previous two schools in terms of academic excellence, so it focuses on strengthening student practice through a sea of problems. The daily homework load is twice as high as that of other schools, which has earned Yu De High School its reputation as a 'cemetery.'

So Su Cen feels that his chances of encountering Tang Wu at No. 27 Middle School have been reduced by one-third.

The three schools無疑都可能成為唐嫵就讀接城的選擇之一, without a doubt, could all be the choice for Tang Wu's enrollment in Jie Cheng, and considering everything, it seems more likely that she would choose No. 27 Middle School.

At the same time, Su Cen had entrusted Wang Qi in Xia Hai to look into the situation of Tang Wu's family at the Xia Hai Municipal Bureau of Justice. With Tang Wu's family having moved away, their neighbors nearby and her parents' former colleagues might know some important information that could help locate Tang Wu's family in Jie Cheng.

At No. 27 Middle School’s main entrance stood two rows of male and female students wearing red arm bands and school uniforms along with duty teachers conducting checks. When Su Cen entered the campus without a student ID, he was stopped by the duty teacher, causing temporary traffic congestion at the gate until he explained himself. The duty teacher nodded, seemingly indifferent to this new transfer student who had just reported for enrollment, pointing towards the Teaching Office building hidden behind the garden.

No. 27 Middle School in Jie Cheng was undoubtedly much larger than Xia Hai No. 1 High School and felt grand, reflecting the school’s overpopulation as the top choice of parents throughout the city who wanted their children to attend it.

The main administrative building stood centrally on the campus’ main avenue; two diverging paths split off from it like a river dividing into branches around an island before converging again towards the cluster of teaching buildings. As Su Cen looked at this school in wonder, he also thought about his mother’s business ventures beginning in Jie Cheng and his father Su Licheng's new position within the corporation. He was now one of the few with a foothold there, so while dealing with school life, he should also start doing something to help out; it wouldn't be right for him just to let his parents do all the work.

With over 300 thousand yuan in hand and daily profits from eight Shushan chain stores in Xia Hai increasing, he could see the hidden potential of this industry. However, as Xia Hai's market was mostly saturated, Jie Cheng lacked a brand in stationery that had a complete influence yet, so it wouldn't be wise to simply let others take over while sitting idle.

Deciding on this step, Su Cen entered the Teaching Office just in time. The principal of the academic affairs office was a plump man who seemed rather amiable but clearly proud of his school’s reputation. After reviewing Su Cen's enrollment procedures, he glanced at him and said, “Join Class Three; they're short on students right now. Xiao Li, show him to Wang Guiwen.”

The assistant teacher named Xiao Li immediately stood up: "Follow me." He led Su Cen away. As a recent college graduate hired for this position, he was essentially an office clerk who handled some trivial tasks. The bell for class had just rung; the first period had begun, and the campus was quiet. Along the way, Xiao Li introduced Su Cen to various facilities around No. 27 Middle School while occasionally casting glances at him.

Originally, there were two transfer student spots: one family held some political clout, and the other had money; the latter was a Shandong entrepreneur in Jie Cheng who planned to sponsor fifty thousand yuan to the school and hoped his son could attend No. 27 Middle School.

Although No. 27 High School is well-funded, receiving a sponsorship of 500,000 yuan is still beneficial. It's better to have the school receive an additional 500,000 yuan than having Su Chan join as just another student who isn't particularly outstanding academically. Some influential transfer students were accepted, but the one who was supposed to bring money in was replaced by Su Chan. Apparently, the academic affairs director had objections to this move and even complained to the principal, yet that money-bringing transfer student ended up not being admitted, while Su Chan, who neither had a foreman's recommendation nor sponsorship, took his place.

This left Li Jin somewhat puzzled. However, it was clear that the academic affairs director wasn't pleased with Su Chan, though he didn't show any sign of displeasure earlier.

Not knowing if Class 3’s homeroom teacher was present, Li Jin first took Su Chan to the grade-level office. The internal space of this office was much larger than that in Xia Hai High School, with each desk furnished with redwood chairs and tables, exuding an air of grandeur that instilled a heavy sense of pressure on students who visited daily.

Teacher Wang Guwen, the homeroom teacher for Class 3, wasn't there. Li Jin then led Su Chan upstairs where he spotted Teacher Wang standing by the door with a cup of tea in hand.

Wang Guwen was sipping his tea and looking through the classroom windows when Li Jin approached him with the enrollment documents from Principal Gu. "This is the new transfer student that Director Gu asked me to bring over."

The noise inside the classroom noticeably decreased, and students in the front rows began glancing at Su Chan.

Wang Guwen nodded indifferently, first sizing up Su Chan before flipping through his documents. The sound of pages turning could be heard.

Su Chan’s high school final exam scores were decent enough, but when Wang Guwen saw the middle school grades, he was momentarily disoriented. Su Chan's performance in middle school would have been considered a burden even at second-tier high schools in Jiecheng City; yet his scores improved dramatically after the middle school graduation exams. However, Wang Guwen didn’t want to read any further.

There was no logical explanation for such an underperforming student suddenly achieving excellent results during one period of time before the entrance exam. It was rumored that some schools in small towns were notorious for cheating; thus, this performance must be inflated. With this thought in mind, Wang Guwen handed the documents back to Li Jin and said hesitantly, "There are too many students here already. You might want to look elsewhere."

The student seated by the window quickly spread the news that a transfer student had arrived. The arrival of a sophomore transfer student alone was exciting enough; now it seemed Teacher Wang didn’t even want him. However, the classroom buzzed with curiosity about what was happening outside as many students looked out to inquire about the newcomer's background and appearance.

Li Jin was taken aback. Typically, such class placements were arranged by the academic affairs office, and it wasn't uncommon for strong-willed homeroom teachers like those at No. 27 High School to challenge school arrangements. However, this kind of situation rarely happened. Was it happening today Although Su Chan officially belonged to this class, if the homeroom teacher refused him, they would be in a difficult spot.

Lǐ Jǐn, after all, is a newly appointed assistant and momentarily lost his composure. When he tried to persuade Wang Guiwen, the latter just shook his head dismissively. From the looks of it, today Su Cen's enrollment might be in jeopardy.

Su Cen didn’t know what psychological state Wang Guiwen was in when he brushed off his intervention, but things certainly weren't normal now. While Lǐ Jǐn tried to persuade him, the voices from Class 3 became softer and softer. A large crowd outside of Class 4's back door were staring at Su Cen as if he were on display, their discussions mixed with some commentary.

Wang Guiwen was calmly sipping tea over here; Su Cen had no time to waste idling around with him. Perhaps by opening the door, he might even run into his longed-for Tang Wu.

Su Cen shook his backpack and stepped forward, pushing open the creaking doors of Class 3. Under the watchful eyes of about eighty pairs of gazes, he scanned for empty seats at the back of the classroom and… prepared to walk over.

At this moment, even the teacher writing on the blackboard was stunned, with the whole class holding their breaths in silence.

Su Cen felt that his actions might be a bit too ostentatious. He flashed a carefree smile at everyone and said confidently, "Hello everyone, I'm the new transfer student Su Cen. From now on, I’ll be one of you. Please guide me."

Amidst the thunderous applause that erupted from the class when they finally reacted, Su Cen smiled as he walked to an empty seat at the back.

Due to the classroom being overly crowded, Su Cen couldn’t see the whole scene clearly and had to move down. Inside his heart, he wondered if Tang Wu was in this class or at Gongnan High School, and how she would feel when she saw him. Would it be a pleasant surprise

Outside the door, Lǐ Jǐn and Wang Guiwen still held Su Cen’s file or delicate porcelain tea cups in their hands, but they appeared as if they had been turned to stone.

The three-day trip was emotionally profound. After a brief rest, let's continue on our journey of rebirth and chasing dreams.a pleasure working with you; your writing is indeed excellent." In fact, he had been heavily impacted by the unexpected turn of events, as his carefully planned scheme to embarrass Su Chan backfired,...