Chapter 1031: Guangwai Wouldn’t Accept Her
Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

On this particular day, Guangwai Middle School seemed unnaturally quiet compared to the vibrant buzz at Renhe Middle School.

Standing high above the grounds, Principal Li’s eyes fixated on the massive banner across the street, a banner that only fueled his mounting frustration.

How could a promising student–someone who was both academically gifted and well-behaved–possibly leave the city’s best school to join that school across the way?

And now, to add insult to injury, she had become the provincial top scorer. This was an affront to his pride that he simply could not comprehend.

Down the road, Renhe was enjoying its moment in the spotlight: the sound of gongs and drums filled the air, firecrackers popped, and the entire atmosphere was electric with excitement.

Even the education officials who had long been loyal to Guangwai had been invited over to the rival school.

Principal Li’s brow furrowed as he thought bitterly, ‘Could this be it? The beginning of Guangwai’s decline after all these years of glory?’

A wry smile tugged at his lips as he caught sight of some of Guangwai’s own students walking toward Renhe, undoubtedly lured by the excitement. His gaze shifted to the Vice Principal nearby, issuing an order with a stern tone. “Look at them, wandering off like that. I don’t care what other schools do, but no Guangwai student is allowed to go and make a spectacle of themselves. Go and bring them back, now!”

The Vice Principal took a few hesitant steps forward before stopping and returning, a nervous look on his face. “Principal Li, I’m afraid it’s not as simple as that. I’ve heard that Renhe’s showing off their provincial top scorer. It’s not just our students who are flocking there–students from nearby schools are heading over as well. If we go around calling them back, it’ll look petty.”

He hesitated, lowering his voice slightly. “Also, apparently Renhe just announced they’re holding a lecture in honor of their provincial top scorer. They’ve even made today an open campus day, allowing anyone who registers to enter. A lot of our teachers have already gone, just to see the provincial top scorer for themselves.”

The Vice Principal’s words grew quieter, careful not to provoke the Principal further. As expected, the moment he finished speaking, Principal Li slammed his fist onto the desk with a fury that echoed throughout the room. “Which teachers are responsible for admissions this year? Call them all in, now!”

…

Meanwhile, on Renhe’s massive sports field, the stage had been hurriedly assembled the night before and stood proudly at the eastern end. Crowds gathered around, chatting excitedly, eyes glistening with anticipation as they waited for a glimpse of the provincial top scorer’s brilliance.

When they spotted students from Guangwai, some couldn’t resist the temptation to throw a jab.

“Well, well, well, isn’t that Guangwai’s top-ranking student? And here you are, attending Renhe’s celebration of our provincial top scorer?”

The Guangwai students, usually proud and self-assured, felt themselves humbled by the comment. This wasn’t the same situation they were used to, where their school looked down on others. Now, with Renhe having produced a provincial top scorer, they had no choice but to respond more modestly to avoid further aggravating the situation.

“Yes,” one of them replied, “the provincial top scorer, huh? Guangwai has never produced one, though we’ve had a few city champions over the years. It’s quite impressive, really.”

Yet not all Guangwai students were so subdued. One particularly brash student, unable to keep quiet, pointed a finger at Renhe’s students and sneered, “What’s so great about that? The provincial top scorer was originally one of ours. You don’t know what underhanded tactics they used to steal her from us. And now you have the nerve to flaunt it?”

Another student jumped in, equally indignant. “Exactly! If we’re being honest, the provincial top scorer should have been one of ours. We should just have Principal Li come and reclaim her. That’s what should’ve happened.”

The Renhe students bristled at the remark, naturally defensive of their new hero. One stepped forward, retorting, “Pah! You’re the ones with no shame! Go ahead, ask your Principal to come and take her back. Let’s see if he has the guts to walk through the door and claim her after what he did.”

“Who doesn’t know the truth?” another Renhe student added, voice rising. “At first, the provincial top scorer dropped out for personal reasons, which made perfect sense. But when she tried to come back and re-enroll, Guangwai’s admissions office refused her, claiming her marriage would tarnish the school’s reputation. She was turned away, and it was only thanks to Principal Guan of First Bilingual Primary School that she managed to enroll at Renhe. It’s not like we stole her from you, it’s that your school wouldn’t accept her!”

The revelation sent shockwaves through the crowd. Guangwai’s loss was monumental, the provincial top scorer was someone they had practically cultivated, only to let slip through their fingers.

Just then, a Renhe student added a final blow to the conversation. “And speaking of which, does anyone remember that scandal with Guangwai’s Lin Miao? I heard it had something to do with the provincial top scorer’s placement in Guangwai being taken from her.”

Gasps rippled through the crowd. “What? Guangwai rejected the provincial top scorer because she was married, but accepted Lin Miao, who was rumored to have been in jail? How does that make sense? Beats me that they’re still the top school in the city.”

wuxiaworld.site .co