Chapter 33: The Pulse of the Era: An Essay That Led to Peking University

Thanks to a recent regimen of good food, proper nutrition, and diligent exercise, Fang Xinghe’s physique had improved by one point, manifesting primarily in his height, which had reached 175 centimeters. His immunity had also increased by one point—a welcome gain. Considering the upcoming high school entrance exam and the major endeavor he planned to undertake afterward, Fang Xinghe decided to prioritize raising all his attributes to 79 points. Once he had shored up these weaknesses, he would focus his efforts on maximizing his coordination.

With his mind set, he spent a staggering 54 million Starlight Points to push all his attributes to 79, reaching a level of "outstanding."

【Attribute Panel】
Physical Appearance: Charisma 99, Physique 79
Physical Constitution: Strength 79, Speed 80, Stamina 80, Agility 79, Flexibility 79
Hidden Attributes: Coordination 81, Perception 79, Recovery 79, Immunity 79, Health 79
Artistic Attributes: Writing 79

【Starlight Panel】
【Followers: 2.75 million】
【Starlight Points: 6.5 million】
【Star Glory Points: 3】

These new stats looked impressive, and more importantly, they were incredibly practical. A full set of 79-point attributes was formidable for an adult, but for a 14-year-old adolescent, it was simply absurd. Feeling the surge of power within his body, he had never felt better. It was like a second birth. As someone who had spent so much time bedridden, the "fragile" Fang Xinghe truly understood the value of every single point of improvement.

He wasn't greedy; he considered it a victory if he could max out his coordination and bring all his attributes to 85 before entering university. The goal was achievable: with another 80 million Starlight Points, he could push coordination to 89 and then use his Star Glory Points to leap straight to 92.

On that note, where did those three Star Glory Points come from? Excluding all impossibilities, it had to be the work of Mr. Ba Jin. As the pinnacle of the contemporary literary world, his reputation and prestige were immense. His sincere praise provided fans with a profound sense of pride and accomplishment. Such an intense and pure positive emotion, substantial in both quantity and quality, made the extraction of three Star Glory Points seem far from an exaggeration. If anything, it felt a bit low—perhaps because the old master’s praise wasn't delivered in an official capacity?

This led Fang Xinghe to a new hypothesis: if he could secure prestigious awards that made his fans share in his glory, he could likely extract even more Star Glory Points. From here on, he needed to be strategic. His work must be refined to perfection, but he should avoid seeking a balanced approach. It wasn’t that one couldn't have it all, but it was difficult to reach the absolute extreme in any single area. Moving forward, he needed to maintain a clear objective, leverage the advantage of his intellectual height, and aim with precision. He would use time to balance catering to his fans and the general public, rather than trying to achieve everything overnight. Bold in action, fierce in momentum, and steady at the core—this was the path to the summit.

***

As the days passed, the date of the high school entrance exam drew closer. The literary establishment’s attacks on Fang Xinghe had temporarily subsided, granting him ample time to prepare. Yet, just before the exams, the trumpet of the era blared a sudden, resounding "hello," catching everyone off guard.

On June 20th, Chen Jiayong received his admission letter from Peking University—numbered 004, the fourth one in Shanghai. The very next day, a news headline titled "Admitted to Peking University Through a Single Essay" instantly ignited the entire country. This time, it was a true explosion, far surpassing the stir Fang Xinghe had previously caused. The nature of the event was different; no matter how good Fang Xinghe’s essays were, they were ultimately just essays, unconnected to anything as concrete as university admission. His looks, his talent, and his arrogance combined could not rival the weight those two characters held in the hearts of the Chinese people: Peking University.

The myth was real. "Sprout" and the alliance of seven universities had succeeded. Oh, it was now an alliance of fourteen universities; institutions like Tsinghua had also announced their participation as organizers for the second New Concept Essay Competition, throwing even more fuel onto the fire. For a time, the entire society was embroiled in debate—proponents and opponents, the envious and the angry, all clashing in endless turmoil.

The Third Middle School was no exception. "Bold" Fang’s eyes glowed with excitement: "You dog! If you enter a couple more times, can you get recommended to Tsinghua or Peking?" Ever since she had been scolded by her mother for the second time due to Fang Xinghe’s "antics," she had taken to calling him a dog whenever she spoke to him. But from another perspective, the fact that she insisted on initiating conversation even while calling him a dog showed it was true affection.

Fang Xinghe glanced at her lazily: "What’s it to you? It’s not like you’re going to get into Tsinghua or Peking and be my alumni."

"I!" Fang Bold flared up, but her anger faded as quickly as it came. Feeling insecure but remaining stubborn, she retorted, "As if anyone cares about being your alumni!"

Fang Xinghe ignored her. After a moment, Fang Bold stomped her foot, muttering bitterly, "Don't look down on people. Just wait and see, Lu Tingting and I will definitely get in!"

Lu Tingting waved her hands in panic, "Don't drag me into your bragging; I wouldn't dare dream of Tsinghua or Peking."

Baofu suddenly had a whimsical thought: "It seems I need to practice writing essays. If it's an easy ticket to Peking University, who wouldn't want that?"

That was absurd enough, but what followed was even more ridiculous. "Crotch-Grabber" looked at Lu Tingting with earnest eyes and vowed: "You study hard; if you can't get into Tsinghua or Peking, we'll aim for Fudan or Jiao Tong. Wherever you get in, I'll find a way to get recommended there. We'll fly together, and we won't bring the boss..."

He was met with a dozen eye-rolls and an extra punch for good measure. "Betraying the boss! Family law applies! Someone grab him, lift him up, and head for the doorframe!"

Crotch-Grabber was hoisted up by a group of his cohorts, legs spread wide, and they charged fiercely toward the doorframe.

"Ouch, damn it, damn it, damn it..."

His wailing echoed through the classroom, and the unrestrained, joyful laughter of everyone served as the backdrop for the final, carefree days of Fang Xinghe’s youth.

***

Although Crotch-Grabber’s dreams were delusional, the fact remained that parents, teachers, and students across the country had been stirred by a new aspiration: write a good essay and get recommended to a top university. The newspapers were abuzz, and "New Concept" had become a buzzword. If there had been a Baidu search index at the time, "New Concept Essay" would undoubtedly have topped the charts for the entire year. The second place, however, wasn't Chen Jiayong, who had made it to Peking University, but Han Han, who had suddenly "collapsed."

On the 26th, Fang Xinghe quietly took his high school entrance exam, performing steadily and not losing a single point he should have earned. The day after the exams ended, on the 29th, the news that Han Han had failed seven out of eight subjects and would be held back a grade hit two major Shanghai newspapers. The wheels of history rolled forward, and the "Big Brother" had suddenly become "hot." A mere instance of being held back a grade sparked an intense nationwide debate on quality education and whether schools should cultivate generalists or specialists.

Apart from Fang Xinghe, no one could have predicted this. When Baofu, Duoyu, and the others brought a stack of newspapers to Fang Xinghe’s house, they were particularly indignant: "The papers are full of Han Han every day. Damn, he can make such a big scene just by failing a grade!"

Crotch-Grabber, however, was excited and argued: "But I think he’s cool! Even the experts say that reading books is useless!"

Fang Xinghe frowned, suppressing his irritation: "You have to look at the differences in our environments and the disparity in resources."

"Huh? What are you talking about?!" His followers looked at each other, completely bewildered.

"Shanghai has hundreds of newspapers and a population of over ten million. They can interview Han Han at any time, and once the report is written, millions of locals are willing to read it. But here..." Fang Xinghe extended his arms and slowly opened them as if embracing his hometown, a heaviness in his voice. "In this small city where we live, there is nothing. No people, no media, no factories, no skyscrapers, no bustling commercial centers—not even a Starbucks or a KFC. My stories can only reach a few tens of thousands of people at most, and no one cares about your heroism or your sorrows. If we cannot escape all this, by the time we reach our parents' age, the sky won't have become any wider. Instead, it will have become even more oppressive, pinning us firmly to this barren land, unable to move an inch. Our children will still have nothing."

"Baofu, Crotch-Grabber, Heizi, Zhang Qi... you have to get out. Don't rot here, do you understand? I will take the first step, and then I will reach out to you. When that time comes, I hope you have the ability to take my hand so we can continue to be brothers instead of drifting to separate ends of the earth."

The thoughtless boys finally began to reflect, experiencing a profound reaction for the first time. That night, Fang Xinghe wrote a new essay addressing the "uselessness of education" theory that had recently started to spread.

The title was "The Small-Town Test-Taker."

He wrote in the conclusion:

"Every person's ultimate mission is to find themselves and then to be sincerely faithful to that self. We are not trying to flee this homeland; rather, we need to set out, to see different scenery, to cleanse our souls in a broader world, to transform from hating everything into loving everything, from despising everything into respecting everything, and finally to discover with joy—this world is not what I imagined in my youth, but I still love it. There are many such paths, and I choose to take the tests."