Chapter 44

Watching Wang Likai stagger away, his figure so desolate and helpless, Xiao Fei shook his head. He knew that there was no point in saying anything to him at the moment; it would be better to let him calm down on his own. Fortunately, Xiao Fei knew that Wang Likai was generally open-minded and wouldn't do something as foolish as suicide.

As Wang Likai left, the students who had gathered to watch the commotion naturally dispersed, leaving only two or three students still talking to Li Tangqiu. Xiao Fei walked up to them. Seeing him, Li Tangqiu, whose face had been gloomy, immediately forced a smile and nodded at him. "Xiao Fei, you did quite well this year. The only drawback was your math score. If you had done a bit better in math, you would have made the undergraduate line. It's really a pity! But among the first-year students in our liberal arts class, only one or two made the undergraduate line this year. Your score is already among the top, so it's not bad, not bad at all!"

"Thank you, Teacher Li, but I'm ashamed. This score is far from my expectations," Xiao Fei said.

In the 1996 college entrance exam, apart from the oddball Tian Yongzhi, it seemed that only a student named Yue Mingbo in the class had barely made the undergraduate line and was admitted to a teacher training college. Only two others had made it to the junior college line. Out of a class of 70 to 80 students, only four had managed to stand out in the fierce competition. It was truly pitiful.

Any student who could make it to the junior college line was considered to have brought honor to Li Tangqiu. No wonder he was being so warm to Xiao Fei.

Li Tangqiu continued, "How did you fill out your college applications? If a junior college admits you, do you plan to attend? Xiao Fei, based on my assessment, with your level of study, if you retake the exam for another year, you will definitely be a candidate for a key university. If you only go to a junior college this year, it would be a waste of your talent, and your starting point in society would be low. What do you think?"

Originally, after estimating his scores, Xiao Fei had said he did poorly, and Li Tangqiu, seeing his low estimated score, had not paid him much attention, not even focusing on his college applications. However, he hadn't expected that Xiao Fei's actual exam score would reach the junior college line. Xiao Fei was a pleasant surprise for Li Tangqiu this year.

For a student like Xiao Fei, who had a solid foundation and performed so well as a first-year student, teachers would generally encourage them to retake the exam for another year to aim for a higher score and a better university. The students themselves were also highly motivated to retake the exam.

Li Tangqiu was now gently persuading Xiao Fei to retake the exam. Xiao Fei, of course, understood his meaning and had already made up his mind to retake the exam for another year. He said, "Teacher Li, I didn't even fill out the junior college applications. When the exam was over, I felt I did poorly and had already decided to retake the exam."

Li Tangqiu was overjoyed. "That's right! That's the right attitude! You must set lofty goals. It's a good decision to come back and retake the exam. The school will provide you with many favorable conditions, such as waiving your tuition and giving you some living expenses. The retake class will start in about ten days, so be sure to report on time!"

Li Tangqiu was so enthusiastic because schools at this time were fiercely competing for high-quality retake students. In Heyang County, besides the First High School, there were four other high schools. Every fall, these schools would engage in a fierce battle to attract high-quality retake students.

For students like Xiao Fei, who had already made the junior college line as first-year students, other schools besides Heyang No. 1 High School would offer very attractive conditions to attract them to retake the exam, such as waiving tuition, offering bonuses of up to 3,000 to 5,000 yuan, and providing single dormitory rooms. Teachers would treat them like gods.

The goal was simple: to secure more junior college and undergraduate admissions for the school the following year. In Heyang, except for the First High School, the other four high schools had almost zero junior college admissions every year, a situation that was truly heartbreaking.

However, for a high school, the most important factor in school performance evaluations was the college admission rate. If the admission rate was low, the school would not receive support from the education bureau, and its very survival would be at risk. It was no wonder they were so desperate to attract high-quality retake students.

"Teacher Li, rest assured, I will definitely return to the school to retake the exam on time," Xiao Fei said, showing his determination.

Li Tangqiu smiled in satisfaction. "That's right! That's the right attitude! Don't listen to the sweet talk from other schools. Besides our First High School, other schools lack both high-quality teachers and facilities. Going there would be a disaster for your future!"

Li Tangqiu then handed Xiao Fei his score notification. A few students gathered around, stretching their necks to see his scores, marveling at his 900 points in history.

Li Tangqiu also excitedly mentioned that Xiao Fei had set a record: under the standard scoring system, he was the first student at Heyang No. 1 High School to rank first in a single subject in the entire province.

"Teacher Li, I'll be going now," Xiao Fei said, taking his leave.

"Go on back," Li Tangqiu said, waving him off warmly.

But as Xiao Fei reached the classroom door, Li Tangqiu called him back. "Xiao Fei, you must be firm in your resolve! Your score is enough to attract some junior colleges with insufficient enrollment to admit you. Remember, resist the temptation! Don't even think about going!"

"Teacher Li, don't worry, I won't," Xiao Fei said.

Li Tangqiu's concern was very real. Although the expansion of college enrollment had not yet begun on a large scale, the admission rate for the college entrance exam was still far lower than in later years. However, there were still popular and unpopular junior colleges. The admission scores for popular junior colleges could exceed the undergraduate line, while unpopular undergraduate programs often failed to meet their enrollment targets.

Schools that failed to meet their enrollment targets would often search through the candidate files to find suitable students to admit, and if they found any, they would directly admit them and send them admission notices.

With his score notification in hand, Xiao Fei did not go to find Liu Xinmei but instead had lunch with Yan Zhang and You Gui. After lunch, they went to play some pool.

Around four in the afternoon, the three of them said their goodbyes, promising to meet again in the retake class.

Xiao Fei rode his bike home. When he reached the crossroads in the county town, he hesitated but decided not to go see Wu Aizhen.

What Xiao Fei didn't know was that Wu Aizhen had been eagerly waiting for his arrival. In recent days, she had seen many articles by Xiao Fei in newspapers and magazines. She had collected a stack of them, waiting for Xiao Fei to come and pick them up.

But he didn't come, and she began to frown, thinking that perhaps she should visit his home.