PDLP Chapter 187: The number one spot wasn't even taken by Liu Qingshan.
Chapter 187: The number one spot wasn't even taken by Liu Qingshan.
In front of the bulletin board, students gathered in small groups, discussing animatedly. Their eyes were fixed on an eye-catching report card, their faces filled with surprise and confusion.
"The first place this time isn't Liu Qingshan?"
One student repeated it incredulously, as if he had heard something unbelievable.
First place in the joint entrance examination: Jiang Songchu, No. 39 Middle School.
"Jiang Songchu? Is this the Jiang Songchu I know?"
"No. 39 Middle School? How is that possible! Hasn't our Experimental Middle School always been one step ahead of them?"
"What about Liu Qingshan? Wasn't she always number one?"
A murmur arose, and everyone's eyes turned to Liu Qingshan in the front row of the classroom.
Liu Qingshan sat in her seat, holding her report card in her hand, her gaze calm and focused, as if the noise around her had nothing to do with her.
Liu Qingshan looked down at her report card, but her heart was not very stirred.
Her eyes were calm and deep, as if they could penetrate all the noise and see directly into the truth of her heart.
On her report card, her scores in all subjects were still outstanding, except for the math section, where the glaring "147 points" was like a small flaw, reminding her of this failure.
"I still got the last bonus question wrong."
Liu Qingshan murmured to herself, her voice low but revealing a subtle sense of annoyance.
It was those three points that cost her the chance to win first place.
Without lingering, Liu Qingshan quickly put away her report card, as if to seal away this regret.
Ignoring the sympathetic or surprised looks from those around her, she walked straight to the podium and took the class placement application form from the teacher.
With a light touch of her pen, she wrote down the word "science" without hesitation.
"Liu Qingshan, are you alright?" her deskmate asked softly, her tone tinged with concern.
Liu Qingshan raised her head and smiled faintly: "I'm fine. It was my own mistake this time, I'll just be more careful next time."
Her tone was calm and firm, as if she were talking about something very ordinary.
My deskmate paused for a moment, then nodded and said nothing more.
The chatter in the classroom continued unabated.
Someone muttered quietly, "It's unbelievable that Liu Qingshan didn't get first place."
"Just who is this Jiang Songchu? How could he possibly outshine Liu Qingshan?"
"I heard she also got first place in the math competition, she seems to be a formidable opponent!"
When the school bell rang, the setting sun had already dyed half the sky red.
Jiang Songchu slung her schoolbag over her shoulder, walked out of the classroom, and felt a rare sense of relief.
School ended much earlier than usual today, and only a few students were strolling slowly through the campus, creating a rare sense of tranquility.
She took out her phone and dialed Aman's number.
A familiar voice came quickly from the other end of the phone: "Songchu, are you out of school? I'll come pick you up right away."
Jiang Songchu smiled and said in a relaxed tone, "Aman, school ends early today, and there aren't many people outside. I can walk back by myself. You don't need to make a special trip."
Aman's voice held a hint of hesitation: "But... are you sure you can manage alone? Should I come pick you up?"
Jiang Songchu shook her head. Although Aman couldn't see her movements, she still made the action subconsciously.
"Really, no need! I can manage on my own. Besides, the weather is so nice today, I'd like to take a walk and relax a bit."
After a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, Aman finally relented: "Okay, then be careful and send me a message when you get home."
"Oh, I see!"
Jiang Songchu hung up the phone, put it back in her pocket, took a deep breath, and enjoyed the fresh evening air.
She started walking slowly along the tree-lined path outside the campus.
The leaves on the trees by the roadside rustled gently in the breeze.
The setting sun's light filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled patterns of light and shadow on the ground.
Jiang Songchu's steps were light, and her mood became cheerful with the tranquil evening.
However, just as she reached the intersection, her phone rang again.
She took out her phone and saw that it was Aman calling, so she answered, "Aman, what's wrong?"
Aman's voice was somewhat hurried: "Songchu, I'm sorry, I just received a message from Sister Yun that she needs you to come to the company."
Jiang Songchu paused for a moment, then frowned slightly: "Now?"
Aman's tone carried a hint of apology: "Yes, shall I come and pick you up?"
Jiang Songchu looked around, thought for a few seconds, and then said, "No need, I'll take the subway myself. Don't trouble you to make another trip."
"Are you sure you don't need me to pick you up?"
Jiang Songchu smiled and said, "Don't worry, I understand. I'm fully armed. Don't worry, I just want to be alone for a while."
Aman hesitated for a moment, but finally agreed: "Okay, then be careful and call me when you get downstairs."
"okay, I get it."
Jiang Songchu hung up the phone, looked down at her phone, and realized that without the system, she could only rely on navigation.
She took a deep breath, adjusted the position of her backpack, and turned to walk towards the subway station.
There weren't many people in the subway station.
Jiang Songchu stood on the platform, looking down at the address on her phone screen to confirm the route.
The subway soon arrived at the station, and she followed the flow of people into the carriage, finding a window seat to sit down.
The carriage was quiet and comfortable, with only slight mechanical noise and occasional announcements.
Half an hour later, Jiang Songchu walked out of the subway station and found the company building according to the address on her phone.
She stood in front of the building, looked up at the towering structure, and felt a pang of emotion: "I never thought that one day I would get used to coming to a building like this."
She took a deep breath, sent a message to Aman, and stepped into the building.
Upon receiving the news, Aman rushed downstairs and quickly led Jiang Songchu toward the conference room.
The corridor was softly lit, and footsteps echoed in the empty space.
The conference room door was gently pushed open, and an atmosphere filled with the aroma of coffee and the sound of paper rubbing together wafted out.
Chen Yun and her team were sitting around a long table, their voices rising and falling, clearly having been immersed in their work for quite some time.
"Sister Chen Yun, we're here."
Aman gently reminded them, interrupting the heated discussion inside.
Upon hearing the sound, Chen Yun looked up. Her eyes, which were always full of wisdom and decisiveness, were instantly enveloped in a gentle light the moment she saw Jiang Songchu. Her tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed, and a reassuring smile appeared on her lips.
"Songchu, you're here. Please find a seat and sit down. I'll be done here soon."
Her tone carried a hint of apology.
Jiang Songchu smiled and nodded, then chose a seat on the side to avoid disturbing the team members who were still having a lively discussion.