Chapter 54: What University Do You Want to Attend?
"If a dance doesn't push boundaries, it's not interesting, huh?" Lin Tian asked.
"What's the point of posting a dance that doesn't push boundaries?" Xu Yong replied with genuine confusion.
"You can't say that." Just then, Su Ran, who sat in front of Lin Tian, turned around. She had clearly been eavesdropping the entire ti.
"I think this song is adorable! The creator's na is ‘Moonlight and Cat'—I've been following him for a long ti. His music is so deep; I love it. I started following him before he got popular. Back then, I said, 'How can such a talented musician like Moonlight and Cat go unnoticed?' And sure enough, he blew up later. Heh heh… I guess I really do have a knack for spotting artistic talent."
Su Ran spoke animatedly, her eyes gleaming with pride.
Her words left both Lin Tian and Xu Yong stunned—but for different reasons.
Xu Yong froze because the na "Moonlight and Cat" sounded eerily familiar.
Lin Tian froze because sothing about Su Ran's explanation felt off.
So he asked, "Uh, I have a question… Do you know that ‘Moonlight and Cat' refers to two people?"
"Huh?" Su Ran visibly flinched. Her expression froze. "Isn't it just one person?"
"No."
"Isn't his userna supposed to an that he, 'Moonlight,' owns a cat."
"Nope. The 'cat' is a person. Moonlight's partner is nad Cat."
"..."
Lin Tian wanted to laugh but managed to hold it together—he was too polite to burst out laughing in soone's face.
But Xu Yong? Not so much.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" Xu Yong lost it, pointing at Su Ran and roaring with laughter. "A long-ti fan, huh? Claiming to have great taste? Wow, look at Miss Niche getting roasted!"
Even though she was the class beauty, Xu Yong showed no rcy in mocking her. Such was the way of internet trolls—gender didn't matter. If you were being clueless, you'd get called out.
"AAAAHHHHH..."
"I—I must've mixed things up. I thought the girl in Moonlight's videos had another na or sothing."
Su Ran turned bright red, her attempts at explaining growing weaker by the second.
Soon, their little scene drew attention from other classmates. Just as things were about to spiral out of control, the bell rang.
Following closely behind it, the horoom teacher entered the classroom, and everyone scrambled back to their seats. The commotion ca to an abrupt end.
The horoom teacher's na was Zhang Juan. There wasn't much to say about her—she was a gentle, caring literature teacher.
As soon as she stepped onto the podium, she tapped on the desk twice.
"Knock knock."
With great solemnity, she announced to the class:
"Next week, we'll have the first mock exam."
Everyone's hearts sank.
What was bound to co had finally arrived.
The first mock exam of senior year was one of the most important tests in high school life, second only to the college entrance exam and the academic proficiency test. It marked the mont when all third-year students truly realized how close the Gaokao was.
For many students who hadn't yet buckled down, the results of this mock exam would serve as a wake-up call.
For Lin Tian, whose grades had always been stable, there theoretically wasn't much to worry about. But lately, he'd been so busy with music that he'd even fallen asleep during class last week—a first for him. Whether his performance would slip remained uncertain.
---
"What's wrong? You looked pretty worried when Teacher Zhang ntioned the mock exam."
After class, Xu Yong draped an arm over Lin Tian's shoulders and teased, "With your grades, bro, you shouldn't have much to stress about, right?"
"Compared to you, yeah, my worries are fewer."
This was sothing Lin Tian couldn't deny.
After all, Xu Yong was still working part-ti shifts at a restaurant despite being a senior, all to save up for a gaming console.
Lin Tian worked because he had no choice—it was survival.
"By the way, what university are you planning to apply to? We've known each other for so long, and I haven't asked yet." Without waiting for a reply, Xu Yong excitedly continued, "I'm aiming for Chengdu University! Heard there are tons of beautiful girls there."
"Just for that?"
"Just kidding! I want to study animation. Chengdu University's animation program is top-notch, and the admission cutoff isn't too high. I think it suits well."
As he spoke, Xu Yong—who usually exuded sleazy vibes—suddenly beca oddly cool.
Lin Tian was taken aback.
Chengdu University, while not a prestigious institution, was highly reputable and located in Chengdu, a city known for its excellent environnt. Plus, its location in a first-tier city made it easy for people to mistakenly assu it was a prestigious institution.
For soone like Xu Yong, whose scores barely scraped above the second-tier cutoff line, it was definitely a worthy goal to strive for.
But what surprised Lin Tian wasn't Xu Yong's choice of university. Rather, it was the fact that soone as unserious as Xu Yong had already set clear goals for himself—to pursue animation, sothing he genuinely wanted to do—and was ready to work hard toward it.
"What about you? What university do you want to attend?" Xu Yong asked.
"Tsinghua or Peking University… maybe."
Lin Tian paused, leaving room for uncertainty.
For top students, Tsinghua and Peking University were natural targets. But hearing Xu Yong proudly declare his passion for animation made Lin Tian montarily doubt himself.
Was that truly what he wanted?
All this ti, Lin Tian had taken "living a good life" as his default goal, without ever finding sothing he genuinely cared about. Even his recent imrsion in music was driven more by the system's requirents than personal desire.
To be honest, even attending university…
Lin Tian couldn't think of a compelling reason why he had to.
If money was the goal, he could use the system to achieve financial stability eventually.
"Wait, seriously, bro?"
Seeing Lin Tian hesitate, Xu Yong exclaid in disbelief, "You don't have a target university yet? Your grades are amazing!"
"I really haven't decided," Lin Tian admitted honestly.
"How can you still be undecided? Pick any elite school and choose a major you like!"
"Do we really need to go to university?" Lin Tian asked.
At this, Xu Yong's eyes welled up with emotion.
"You've gotta be kidding , bro! Back in our freshman year, I used to preach the ‘education-is-useless' theory all the ti, and you'd scold endlessly for being stupid."
"Never thought that, years later, here you are, Mr. Straight-A Student, actually buying into this idea now…"
Xu Yong felt a surge of parental pride, as if watching his child grow up. He reached out to hug Lin Tian.
"Get lost."
Lin Tian shoved his head away.
That night, lying in bed, Lin Tian found himself thinking about the conversation again.
Coincidentally, his phone buzzed with a notification.
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