After the ceremony, Shen You’an handed the prize to Gao Yuyue for safekeeping, while she followed ng Junzhu to the principal’s office on the top floor of the administrative building.
In just a few days, ng Junzhu seed noticeably more haggard.
"Mr. ng, are you feeling unwell?"
Inside the elevator, Shen You’an asked softly.
ng Junzhu snapped out of her daze, but Shen You’an did not miss the fleeting look of distraction on her face.
ng Junzhu shook her head and smiled lightly, "I stayed up late preparing lessons last night. I’m feeling a bit drained, but a cup of coffee should perk up."
Seeing she was reluctant to elaborate, Shen You’an refrained from asking further.
ng Junzhu glanced at Shen You’an and was reminded of the call she received in the middle of the night. A heavy weight anchored her heart.
The student who won the Winter Camp gold dal would be the final candidate for the Young Talent Class. The confidential docunt had already arrived, and the principal had summoned Shen You’an to personally inform her about it.
De Ren University’s Young Talent Class is designed to cultivate top-tier talents. These twenty selected students were undoubtedly destined to beco pillars of the nation in the future.
The problem, however, lay in the fact that the Young Talent Class would be led by Xie Feng.
Recalling the things Xie Feng said over the phone last night, fury built up in ng Junzhu’s chest.
She felt blind for ever being taken with such a despicable man.
But she couldn’t let her personal issues jeopardize An’an’s future. No matter how hard she tried, the odds were stacked against her; how could she possibly win against Xie Feng, backed by the powerful Gu family?
Carrying a heavy heart, ng Junzhu arrived at the principal’s office door.
Principal Gong was on the phone but hung up as soon as he saw Shen You’an and ng Junzhu walk in. He smiled warmly, gesturing toward the sofa opposite him: "Please, have a seat. Shen, what would you like to drink?"
The principal’s approachable attitude would have flustered most students, but Shen You’an remained composed: "Just plain water, please."
The principal then turned to ng Junzhu.
"Coffee, please."
The assistant promptly went off to get the drinks.
Once the three were seated, Principal Gong looked at Shen You’an and couldn’t help but remark, "I still rember the first ti I t Shen. It was at the opening ceremony of the seventh grade, when you gave a speech as the exemplary student representative. Three years have passed in the blink of an eye. Even back then, I could tell from your deanor that you weren’t ordinary—your future is bound to be extraordinary."
This Principal Gong, a specialist in high-end education, was recruited by the Lanya Group three years ago to serve as vice principal at Lanya Middle School. At that ti, Shen You’an had just started seventh grade. Gong had perford well and was later promoted to principal of Lanya High School.
He often attended etings at Lanya Group’s headquarters, and was well aware of how highly President Lan regarded Shen You’an. She had indeed lived up to expectations.
President Lan was currently out of town attending an education forum and couldn’t be present. Otherwise, she would surely have delivered this good news to Shen You’an herself.
ng Junzhu frowned slightly—was it appropriate for Principal Gong to say such things directly to a student?
Shen You’an’s keen eyesight allowed her to quickly notice rows of books standing on the shelves behind the principal’s desk. Within arm’s reach were volus like *Three Types of Destiny* and *Ma Yi Divine Physiognomy*, both works on taphysics. On the desk lay a heavily worn copy of *The Book of Changes*.
Her gaze shifted to the man seated across from her. This Principal Gong was soone she rarely encountered; it was typically the vice principal who appeared publicly. She hadn’t expected him to be such an intriguing person.
ng Junzhu cleared her throat lightly, "Principal, Shen still has class later."
Could we possibly get to the point?
Principal Gong chuckled and pulled a docunt envelope out of a drawer, handing it to Shen You’an.
"Shen, open it and take a look."
Shen You’an had already anticipated the contents. She accepted it with both hands and opened it.
The envelope looked ordinary, with bold red characters indicating "Express Delivery" and "Confidential," emphasizing the importance of its contents.
Inside, Shen You’an found a sealed kraft paper package. The opening was secured with sealing tape and topped with a wax stamp, verifying it hadn’t been tampered with.
Shen You’an raised her eyes to observe Principal Gong.
The principal rubbed his hands together, seemingly more excited than she was.
The seal bore De Ren University’s watermark and logo, becoming more visible under direct light.
Shen You’an broke the seal, revealing a single thin sheet of paper inside.
Her eyes didn’t focus on the text imdiately; instead, her attention was drawn to the stamp in the lower-right corner of the sheet.
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