Seeing Jiang Chan’s completely confused expression, Wang Runhui chuckled. “I’m heading out first. Maybe we’ll meet again someday!”
Jiang Chan was the only girl selected for the national physics team this time. Everyone else was a boy. It was the same with the biology team. Jiang Chan was the only girl among a sea of boys, so she stood out like a sore thumb.
Jiang Chan alone had taken two spots. Of course, there were people who had something to say about that, but her results spoke for themselves. If you could get scores as good as Jiang Chan’s, then go ahead and do the same.
Fortunately, the physics and biology competitions were held at different times, so Jiang Chan was able to attend both.
Compared to celebrity news that seemed to be everywhere, international academic competitions barely caused a ripple among ordinary people.
Only those who were interested in such things paid attention. Jiang Chan and the others quietly went off to compete, then quietly came back carrying gold medals. The competitions awarded both team and individual gold medals, and this time, the country came away with both.
Jiang Chan also won a gold medal in both biology and physics. When the principal of City High received the news from the teachers, he could barely stop grinning.
This was the first time in all these years that a City High student had won gold at an international competition. This was an honor for the entire school!
Before long, banners had been hung not only at the school entrance, but all over campus. The school was determined to make sure everyone knew about City High’s achievement.
“Warmest congratulations to our student Jiang Chan for winning first prize in the International Physics Competition!”
“Warmest congratulations to our student Jiang Chan for winning first prize in the International Biology Competition!”
Banners like these were everywhere. Jiang Chan’s name once again became the talk of the entire school.
Everyone had high expectations for her, but no one had expected her achievements to be this incredible. Their eyes practically popped out of their heads when they heard the news.
Jiang Chan herself was once again thrust into the public eye. Such a major achievement naturally caught the attention of the media. Jiang Chan was still in the air on her flight home when the school was already receiving one group of reporters after another.
Her past was dug up all over again.
She had grown up in an orphanage, barely made it into City High, stunned everyone after the Placement Test, entered the competition class soon afterward, and then fought her way through the competition to win gold internationally.
Even a television drama would not dare write something this unbelievable, yet here was someone who had actually done it in real life.
When people learned that Jiang Chan had managed to balance her regular studies with the competitions, and had even made a point of taking her final exams and earning her scholarship before leaving for the winter camp, everyone went wild.
By now, there was hardly anyone in the city who had not heard of Jiang Chan. Whenever her name came up, it was always followed by praise. Even the way parents lectured their children changed.
“Why can’t you learn from Jiang Chan? She’s an orphan, and she still managed to work her way up with such good grades!”
Before Jiang Chan’s plane had even landed, news about her was already everywhere. Any student or teacher at City High who mentioned Jiang Chan might find their words turned into an article and posted online.
The internet was so developed now. All kinds of independent media accounts and public accounts were popping up one after another, and Jiang Chan had practically become the perfect example of someone who relied on herself and never stopped striving.
By the time Jiang Chan and the others got off the plane, reporters from all over had already crowded around them. For the first time, the name Jiang Chan truly entered the public eye.
After giving a brief interview, Jiang Chan followed the little old physics teacher onto the flight back to their city.
By then, more than half of winter break had already passed, and there were only five days left before school started. Jiang Chan could not wait to get back to the orphanage.
That was where her roots were. It could even be said that without the orphanage, she would not be who she was today.
Seeing how eager she was to leave, the little old physics teacher laughed. “Don’t rush back yet. The principal wants us to go to the school first. He still has to give you the scholarship he promised you.”
Scholarship!
Jiang Chan’s eyes immediately lit up.
According to what the principal had said, making it into the national team meant a hundred thousand yuan, and winning a gold medal meant two hundred thousand. Added together, that was three hundred thousand yuan.
And counting the biology competition too, that made six hundred thousand.
Didn’t that mean they had enough for Kang Kang’s surgery now?
Seeing Jiang Chan’s eyes practically glowing, the little old physics teacher teased her, “I’ve never seen you this excited before. Why do you get so worked up the moment someone mentions money?”
Jiang Chan was a little embarrassed, but she still told him the truth. “I really need the money right now. One of the children at the orphanage has a congenital heart condition. We took him to the provincial hospital for an examination last month, and the doctor said it would be best to have the surgery done before this summer. Once I get the scholarship, we’ll have enough for his surgery.”
Even though he already knew about Jiang Chan’s background, the little old physics teacher still felt his nose sting. He blinked a few times. “The New Year just passed. Are you trying to make an old man like me cry?”
That was what he said aloud, but inside, he could not help sighing.
Who said Jiang Chan was cold and distant? This child had such a kind heart. She had already decided where every bit of scholarship money would go before she had even received it, and she had not planned to spend a single cent on herself.
Jiang Chan and the little old physics teacher were sitting next to each other, and neither of them was speaking very loudly. Even so, a man sitting in the row behind them happened to overhear their conversation.
He frowned, wanting to see who was speaking, but the seatback blocked his view.
Ye Jingze was already in a bad mood. Something had come up at his company, and he needed to rush over to deal with it. Unfortunately, flights were difficult to book during the Spring Festival holiday. First-class tickets were completely sold out, and he had only managed to get an economy seat.
He was tall with long legs, so being crammed into economy was incredibly uncomfortable.
Already irritated, he happened to hear an old man and a young girl talking in front of him. They were not speaking loudly, but Ye Jingze happened to have very good hearing.
The girl’s voice was not as high-pitched as those of many other girls. Instead, it was calm and steady, with a certain strength to it. Ye Jingze found himself imagining what a girl with a voice like that might look like.
When the old man mentioned the international competitions, Ye Jingze raised an eyebrow. So the girl sitting in front of him was quite the top student?
Then he heard that she had already decided what to do with all her scholarship money, and Ye Jingze could not quite describe how he felt.
Someone who knew how to repay kindness was always worthy of respect. All the more so when it was a girl who had grown up in an orphanage, earned the scholarship through her own abilities, and then used all of it to give back to the orphanage. It was hard not to admire her.
For Jiang Chan, however, once she said something, that was the end of it. She would not deliberately tell others about the things she had done, nor would she deliberately play up how pitiful her circumstances were.
To be honest, after meeting Qingyuan, Jiang Chan believed she could survive no matter where she ended up.
Perhaps that was the confidence that came from having useful skills?
The flight would take two hours. Jiang Chan nudged the physics teacher. “What do you think about me applying to skip a grade when we get back? I’ve already gone over everything from the second and third years of high school. Staying in the first year would just be a waste of time.”
No matter how calm the physics teacher usually was, even he could not stay calm after hearing that. He frowned. “What exactly is that brain of yours made of? You’re competing in both physics and biology, keeping up with your regular schoolwork, and now you want to skip a grade too? Why don’t you just fly up to the heavens while you’re at it?”
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“Why don’t you just fly up to the heavens while you’re at it?”
Funny you should say that old man, because that’s exactly what she’s going to do next arc. XD