Chapter 309: Whispers of University Dreams

The couple both turned their eyes to Lin Zheng Ran.

Until they heard his firm reply: “It’s ironic, but school has to be attended. Otherwise, what’s the point of the college exam?”

Lin Xiao Li nodded. “That makes sense. University is a key life experience, after all. Youth slips away once it’s gone, and skipping it would be a real shame.”

Lin Ying Jun added, “Plus, university life is pretty flexible, giving Zheng Ran plenty of time to do what he wants.”

After the exam results came out, the family’s phones had been bombarded nonstop for days.

Lin Zheng Ran’s talent had been obvious at home since he was a kid, so lots of relatives called to ask about it—whether they genuinely cared or not, Lin Xiao Li and Lin Ying Jun took it all as well-wishes.

Sharing the good news, some were truly happy for them, while others put on a front of congratulations before hanging up in jealousy.

From various university admissions offices, Lin Zheng Ran had also gotten a few calls.

Most offered all sorts of perks—like scholarships you could grab just by signing up, or even a free seven-day family trip as the basics.

Still, Lin Zheng Ran wanted to go to the university he’d set his sights on.

Oh, and he’d never mentioned this dream university before—it was something he stumbled upon in his first year of high school and decided to apply for.

Its name was “Qingbei University,” or you could shorten it to “Qingbei University.”

Yes, it’s that unique—in this world, not only do you have Tsinghua University and Peking University, but there’s also this one that combines them into Qingbei University.

Logically, a name like that shouldn’t fly—at least not in the old world—but here it does.

Who knows what circumstances allowed this school to get established so smoothly.

Anyway, they say its admission scores are just a tad higher than Tsinghua or Peking, but since it’s a newer school built in recent years,

its facilities and setups are top-notch and luxurious. Lin Zheng Ran was quite intrigued.

Once the exam results were out, the Three Little Ones checked their scores right away and reported back to Lin Zheng Ran.

Everyone had good news, except Han Wenwen’s score was a bit risky—just barely over the admission line.

But even if she hadn’t made it, it wouldn’t matter much.

Because Qingbei University had already sent people specifically to find Lin Zheng Ran—not just a phone call, but a personal visit right away.

They sent several people over, all to make sure no one else snatched him up.

They even acted like guards, hanging around his doorstep, and offered to put his family up in a fancy hotel temporarily.

After all, every school knew exactly where Lin Zheng Ran’s scores ranked.

And that news wouldn’t stay under wraps for long.

During this time, Qingbei University threw out all kinds of incentives, and Lin Xiao Li and Lin Ying Jun, having been through school themselves, never imagined universities would go this far to recruit—money, time, perks, you name it, they offered it all.

There was even one offer:

“Oh, Lin Zheng Ran, if your girlfriend is short a few points for admission to our school, we can make an exception and take her too! As long as you enroll smoothly, we’ll work it out. Anything reasonable, we’re open to discussing!”

Lin Xiao Li and Lin Ying Jun were truly stunned. This was the world of top students.

A total green light, and not just for him—one person’s success lifts everyone around them.

So, even if Han Wenwen underperformed a bit more, it wouldn’t be a big issue; she’d still get in.

It was all up to Lin Zheng Ran.

While things bustled on their end, elsewhere,

in the Jiang Family Villa, Jiang Qian and Jiang Jingshi sat on the sofa as Grandfather Jiang, Father Jiang, and Mother Jiang reviewed the documents.

Father Jiang praised, “Qian Qian, you did amazingly this time—second in the province! We have to celebrate tonight!”

Mother Jiang said with delight, “That’s fantastic! This score is already outstanding. Our family finally has a genius in studies!”

When Jiang Qian had someone check her exact score and heard she was second, she knew right away who took first.

Still, this exam was lucky for her, especially after that argument with Fang Meng before it.

Without Lin Zheng Ran’s involvement, that incident would have affected her performance, and her results would have been worlds apart from what they are now.

Grandfather Jiang nodded, “Not bad, not bad. You’re only a little behind first place.”

Jiang Qian sat on the sofa with a blank expression, fully aware of her own abilities:

“Actually, the gap is huge, Grandfather. He got first because his score was the highest possible. I got what I did because that’s my maximum. This was my best exam ever, but I’m still far behind him.”

Mother Jiang replied, “That’s too modest, isn’t it?”

Jiang Qian said coolly, “No, it’s not modest at all.”

Father Jiang and Mother Jiang fell silent, surprised by how rarely their daughter admitted defeat to anyone.

Jiang Jingshi, who had argued with her sister lately, actually said something rare upon hearing the good news: “Congratulations, Qian Qian.”

Jiang Qian glanced at her sister and said flatly, “Thanks, Sister.”

The sisters exchanged a look, caught each other’s eyes, then turned away with a huff, still ignoring each other.

Mother Jiang turned to Fang Meng: “And you, Xiao Meng, your scores are quite impressive too!”

Fang Meng smiled: “Thank you for the praise, Madam.”

In the days after the exams, a lot happened, but it all wrapped up quickly once the results came out.

In the blink of an eye, it was time for university orientation.

Lin Zheng Ran reached out to Little Fox and Lily early, and the three met up.

During this time, Lin Zheng Ran had occasionally visited Lily’s and Han Wenwen’s homes—since they lived so close, he’d drop by his girlfriends’ places whenever he had a moment, so their meetings were always warm.

Then, Heqing took the high-speed train back from the south, dragging her suitcase, and the moment she saw Lin Zheng Ran and the others waiting, she ran over excitedly.

“Lin Zheng Ran! I missed you so much!” she said softly, then added to the others, “And I missed you too, Han Wenwen and Lily!”

Han Wenwen, arm linked with Lin Zheng Ran, waved, while Lily smiled with her hands behind her back.

Lin Zheng Ran patted her head and said, “Let’s go, Heqing, Han Wenwen, and Lily. Time to head to university orientation.”

“Okay!” the three replied in unison.

They piled into the car, said goodbye to their parents, and set off for university.

After watching their son leave and seeing the group fade into the distance,

though it wasn’t far since Qingbei University was close to home,

Lin Xiao Li suddenly remembered something and asked her husband,

“Dear, with all the fuss over Zheng Ran’s exam results, I totally forgot. Haven’t we talked to him about how he feels about these girls?”

Lin Ying Jun paused. “You’re right. But didn’t you say he’s already with that girl Jingshi?”

“Yeah, but I haven’t noticed any distance between him and Heqing, Han Wenwen, or Lily. It feels just like before.”

She watched as the group vanished down the road. “So, what do you think he’s really thinking?”

“Hmm, hard to say. I know our son’s got the makings of a great leader. Anyway, he’ll be back in a couple of weeks—let’s ask him then.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s all we can do. It’s not something to discuss over the phone.”