Song Jiawen's upcoming transfer to First City Middle School quickly spread throughout the class.
It wasn't meant to be common knowledge so soon, but the class president of Class Two happened to encounter Song Jiawen's uncle while passing through the principal's office. Since some of the classmates had once been Xie Yanhai's students, and he sometimes brought things to Song Jiawen, most people recognized Xie Yanhai.
The class president happened to overhear Xie Yanhai discussing the transfer procedures with the principal to move Song Jiawen to First City Middle School.
Shocked by what he heard, the class president immediately sought out the homeroom teacher.
Right on his heels, Jiang Yan arrived.
"Principal, can I transfer to First City Middle School with Song Jiawen?"
After politely knocking and entering, Jiang Yan bluntly said to Principal Wang.
Xie Yanhai and Principal Wang were both startled; they looked at Jiang Yan with a complex expression. Could this child be...?
Jiang Yan felt a headache coming on seeing their expressions. No, could you not get the wrong idea? He's quite pure, okay? He never thought of desecrating the boss.
"Uncle probably knows that I grew up in Yunzhou too. I'm very familiar with that place. Even though I wasn't a student of First Middle before the transfer, I attended Experimental Middle School nearby, and I'm equally familiar with First Middle. With just over four months until the college entrance exam, Jiajia will definitely face many discomforts in a new environment, but with me there, it'll be different. Besides, given my current grades... First Middle would accept me, right?"
Principal Wang thought to himself, they likely would admit him, but the key point is that we don't want to let him go.
Losing one valedictorian is painful enough, let alone another one from the top twenty in the grade?
Although Jianghai Middle School is a rural school, it's second only to the county high school, ranking first among all rural schools in the county. Students in the top one hundred are the school's key focus, and those in the top fifty are potential bearers of honor for the school.
So how could Principal Wang bear to let two go at once?
Not to mention the top student, Song Jiawen, who was extraordinarily gifted academically. Plus, due to family circumstances, she had no choice but to transfer, and Principal Wang genuinely hoped for her to do so.
But Jiang Yan...
After musing over it, he cleared his throat and said, "Jiang Yan, ah...."
"It's actually not a bad idea. Jiang Yan and Jiajia have grown up together after all. If the two of them transfer to the city together, I can rest easy."
Xie Yanhai slapped his thigh and, before Principal Wang could speak to dissuade Jiang Yan, turned to Principal Wang and made a final decision, "Old Wang, I'll leave this matter to you. Put Jiang Yan's name down as well, let him transfer with Jiajia."
Principal Wang opened his mouth, "Xie ah..."
"Right, Jiang Yan, how are your grades?"
"Average, top twenty in the grade."
"Top twenty and you call that average? Quite humble, aren't you?"
"Heh, maybe a bit better than others, but I can't compare with Song Jiawen."
"How pessimistic do you have to be to compare yourself with her?"
"..."
"With his grades, there shouldn't be a problem, right, Old Wang?"
This isn't about whether you have a problem or not, it's me who has the problem.
But Xie Yanhai was already urging him to call First Middle School, muttering as he did so, "Jiajia has been introverted since childhood, yet she stands out so much. Suddenly arriving at a new school, what if she becomes the target of campus violence by some bad students? With Jiang Yan accompanying her, at least her personal safety will be secured, right?"
Principal Wang: "...."
Now you've even dragged in campus violence, so if I don't agree, does that mean I'll be harming Song Jiawen?
Feeling helpless, Principal Wang made the necessary calls to First City Middle School and completed the paperwork for the transfer. It was only then that he remembered to notify Teacher Yu.
Teacher Yu: ....
He wiped his face and grumbled, "Why didn't you wait until they left before telling me?"
That's just too much, prying away two students from him all at once, and they were his most cherished pupils.
Teacher Yu didn't even bother sitting down and squatted in front of Principal Wang's desk, sighing heavily.
But Principal Wang was also feeling bittersweet. In all his years of teaching, Song Jiawen might have been the only prodigy-level academic seed he had encountered. Previously, she represented their school in various subject competitions across the county and always brought home the first place.
Both county high schools had tried to lure her away countless times.
In the end, she wasn't poached by the county, but by the city.
He consoled Teacher Yu and himself, saying, "With Song Jiawen's intellect, her vision extends beyond just this. We shouldn't delay her here in this small town for our sake. Going to First City Middle is the best choice for her."
Teacher Yu obviously knew that going to First City Middle was a better choice for her, but he just... felt a pang in his heart.
His voice muffled, he then said, "I get it with Song Jiawen, she has her reasons for leaving, but why does Jiang Yan also have to go with her?"