Chapter 152: The Fountain Pen

Almost everyone with personal experience understands how excruciating the life of a senior in high school can be.

Back in 2003, society had already begun advocating for "lessening the burden" on students, supposedly to reduce academic stress. However, schools from top to bottom shared a tacit consensus: academic performance remained the sole metric for evaluating teaching. Thus, upon entering the final year of high school, students' carefree days came to an abrupt end, and it was time to knuckle down and study.

The management of senior students at Shuangdun High School reached an almost obsessively draconian level.

Physical education classes were gone, music classes were gone, art classes were gone, and computer classes had vanished long ago. Every waking moment was devoted exclusively to studying the subjects required for the college entrance examination. Class Four of the senior year was no exception. While students in their second year had still been able to play football and basketball, those sports were now strictly forbidden.

Even during the lunch and afternoon breaks, the head teacher, Li Shengnan, banned outdoor activities. Students were required either to sleep in the dormitories or do practice problems in the classroom. Li Shengnan patrolled constantly like a sentry, pacing back and forth between the playground and the classrooms. The moment she caught anyone kicking a ball on the playground, she would subject them to a fierce tongue-lashing.

"What time do you think it is, huh?"

"Do you even realize you're a senior now? Do you realize the college entrance exams are just over half a year away, huh?"

"If you don't start working hard now, what are you going to do if you fail to get into college?!"

"Once you make it to university, you can play however you want, and nobody will bother you. Is this any time for playing?!"

"Hurry up and focus on your studies!"

"Do you still think you're a little kid who needs someone to pull you by the ear to make you study?!"

"If I catch you playing football one more time, I'm calling your parents to come over here!"

Inside the classroom, Li Shengnan was equally prepared with her classic repertoire of adages at any given moment.

During self-study periods, if she spotted someone whispering through the crack in the door, she would storm in and shout, "What is this, a teahouse?!"

When test papers were handed back and she found that everyone's scores were less than ideal, she would instantly pull a long face and scold, "You students, oh, you students, you need to do more practice problems!"

In the drowsy heat of summer, when the collective spirit of the students flagged and brain fog set in, Li Shengnan would encourage them loudly, "There's only half a year left; just push through and it will be over. Once you're in university, you can play to your heart's content."

Under the high-pressure management of head teachers like Li Shengnan, the entire cohort of seniors was plunged into an atmosphere of dread. The days became a competition of who could wake up the earliest, and the nights a contest of who could sleep the latest. The playground became a forbidden zone, and the classrooms remained deathly silent.

Yet, unlike his classmates who were trapped in this state of intense anxiety, Zhang Tan remained entirely leisurely throughout.

Having secured a backdoor privilege from the Beijing Film Academy, his admission to the directing department did not even require cultural exam scores. For him, the college entrance examination was merely a routine formality. In truth, whether he attended classes or not made very little difference. The only reason he came was perhaps out of sheer inertia. However, after lingering in school for a while, Zhang Tan decided to request a leave of absence.

There were two reasons for this decision.

First, Zhang Tan’s script had been approved, and the production crew of The Legend of the Condor Heroes hoped to engage in further discussions. Zhang Tan also wanted to visit the set to learn a thing or two from the masters. The second reason was that at school, he attracted too much attention and could find no peace, which also disrupted his classmates' quiet studying atmosphere.

Frequently, during breaks and evening self-study sessions, freshmen would wander over to the doorway of Senior Four to ask for his autograph.

Case in point: just before evening self-study today, several freshmen were lingering outside the classroom door.

The moment they saw Zhang Tan appear, they rushed right up to him.

"Detective, could you please sign an autograph for me?"

"Sign one for me too."

As they spoke, these naive students produced their pens and books, eagerly handing them over to Zhang Tan. This was already the umpteenth wave of students coming to him for autographs since the semester began.

It had to be said that the popularity of The Legend of the Condor Heroes among students was simply overwhelming.

However, when Zhang Tan casually took one of the books, he was instantly rendered speechless.

Looking at this thick, bulky compilation coupled with such a shoddy cover, anyone could tell at a glance that it was a pirated copy, undoubtedly purchased from a street vendor outside the school gates.

"Er."

Zhang Tan desperately wanted to say: *Classmate, you brought a pirated book for me to sign—what exactly is going on in your head?*

Yet, seeing the look of eager anticipation in the other party's eyes, Zhang Tan couldn't bring himself to be harsh. Instead, he simply asked, "My young friend, what is your name?"

"My name is Wang Tian, but you can also call me 'Gazing at the Sky'. *Tian* as in looking up at the sky, hehe. I especially love reading *The Legend of the Condor Heroes*. I feel like your writing is exceptionally brilliant; I wanted to read it again the moment I finished it, and I've already read it several times," Wang Tian said with a chuckle.

"Gazing at the Sky, is it? Alright, I'll sign it for you." With a flurry of strokes, his handsome, swift cursive characters of his name were inscribed onto the blank page. Handing the book back, Zhang Tan added, "Let me give you a piece of advice, classmate Gazing at the Sky: do you know the book you bought is a pirated edition? The quality of pirated books is terrible, and missing pages, skipped pages, and typos are extremely common."

Wang Tian paused for a moment before replying, "I know."

Now it was Zhang Tan's turn to be stunned: "You know?"

"Yeah."

"And knowing that, you still bought a pirated book?"

Wang Tian smiled sheepishly and said, "Because pirated books are cheaper, hehe."

Zhang Tan opened his mouth, but failed to find a single response. He was completely speechless, a faint twitching sensation faintly rippling through the depths of his soul.

*Am I too young, or are you just too naive? Did you come here specifically to mess with me?*

After choking back his speechlessness for quite a while, Zhang Tan finally recovered and continued signing for the other students. Those students were covering their mouths and giggling, clearly amused by Wang Tian's eccentric behavior. Fortunately, they were all holding genuine, authorized books, which made Zhang Tan feel a bit better. Although he knew piracy was rampant, he had truly never encountered a reader buying a pirated copy specifically for him to sign!

Of course, as for anger, it didn't quite reach that point. After all, the kid genuinely liked his books and was merely a high school student with limited funds.

When one has no money, who hasn't done something a bit embarrassing?

It was understandable.

All of the above constituted the real reason behind Zhang Tan's request for leave.

However, he hadn't the heart to admit directly that he had too many fans at school and was suffering from too many disturbances.

So he simply concocted a plausible excuse and requested leave from Li Shengnan: "Head Teacher, I'd like to ask for a leave of absence, probably for about half a year. The reason I'm asking for such a long period is because I hope to gain admission to an arts institute. Therefore, I plan to go to Beijing to attend a tutorial class and prepare for the art exams."

Every winter, the arts examination season was a scene of thousands upon thousands of soldiers crossing a single-log bridge.

Many families with favorable financial conditions would send their children to Beijing a month, two months, or even half a year in advance to attend cram schools. It was common knowledge that preparatory classes before art exams often functioned as backdoors. These tutorial classes were frequently run by teachers from the arts academies themselves. Attending such a class did not guarantee a hundred percent chance of admission, but at the very least, it ensured the teachers' favorable attention.

To look at it through the lens of conspiracy theories: during the tutoring sessions, if a teacher casually leaked test questions or performance content, or directly designed a performance hand-in-hand with a student, that was already a massive advantage through the backdoor.

Furthermore, even if no backdoor could be opened, tutoring could still be viewed as the mandatory admission fee for the exam.

Many teachers might lack the capacity to help countless candidates pass the arts exams, but they certainly had plenty of ways to ensure a student failed. This was especially true for the performance department, where out of thousands or tens of thousands of applicants, only a few dozen or a hundred were chosen. Failing to register oneself in front of the examiners made it genuinely difficult to stand out. After all, in the realm of art, there were no standard answers.

Having presented this high-sounding and righteous excuse, Li Shengnan had no grounds to refuse.

Thus, approval was easily secured.

...

The time to leave had arrived.

Zhang Tan made a trip to Shuangdun Town to bid farewell to Yu Na and deliver a gift for her future son. Yu Na had become pregnant prior to the summer vacation and was now over seven months along, resting and recuperating in the town. Her husband, Bu Xuewen, was a native of Shuangdun Town.

"You came to see me, that's already enough; why did you bring gifts?" Yu Na asked, cradling her prominent belly as she warmly welcomed Zhang Tan.

Zhang Tan handed the gift over to Yu Na and smiled, saying, "Of course I came to visit you, Teacher, but this gift is for my future junior martial brother."

"I haven't even had an ultrasound yet, so I don't know if it's a boy or a girl."

"I'm guessing it's a boy."

"Boy or girl, I'll love them all the same," Yu Na said with maternal warmth, before asking, "What brings you to visit Teacher out of the blue?"

"Because I'm leaving."

"Where to?"

"I'm planning to go to Beijing... I'm someone who can't stay still, and since I have a lot on my plate, I've decided to hire a private tutor and head to Beijing at the same time to attend art exam prep classes."

Yu Na nodded with a trace of emotion: "That's true. You're a major author now; if you want to study, you can hire a private tutor, whereas the teaching quality at Shuangdun High School is certainly somewhat lacking. Well then, Teacher wishes you smooth sailing in all things in Beijing."

After sitting for a brief moment, Zhang Tan took his leave and departed.

Upon returning to school, his classmates all learned that Zhang Tan was leaving and came over one after another to say their farewells. Cao Yuchuan, knowing that Zhang Tan was heading to Beijing and might not return until the college entrance exams—or perhaps even taking the exams directly in Beijing—was filled with sorrow.

He stubbornly dragged Zhang Tan along with Zhuandan, Gao Jie, and Tao Jing, insisting they go out for drinks to send Zhang Tan off.

"What sending off? It's not like I'm never coming back. My family lives in Hefei, after all."

Despite those words, the five of them still went out for drinks.

They drank some beer.

They reminisced about the glorious and passionate days of the past, chatted about the future and life—much as anyone would in such a parting moment.

"I won't be going to evening self-study. Cao Yuchuan, Gao Jie, Zhuandan, Tao Jing, you guys head back," Zhang Tan said, waving as he bid the four of them farewell.

Gao Jie suddenly turned back and asked, "Will you change your cell phone number when you get to Beijing?"

Zhang Tan nodded. "I probably will, but it doesn't matter. My Hefei Mobile number won't be disconnected. Let's keep in touch when we have time."

"Let's keep in touch."

A wave of the hand, and goodbye.

Back in his rented room, Zhang Tan packed his luggage and waited for the car to arrive.

He had already called his father, Zhang Quanshun, to drive over and pick him up. As for Zhang Tan's decision, his parents no longer questioned him much; once his admission to the Beijing Film Academy was certain, what was left to discuss? If he wanted to go, he went; if not, he could just head over and study with that bearded director's crew.

Thinking back to the past, before Zhang Tan had even mentioned not wanting to go to school, his mother, Tan Mingxia, had threatened to beat him half to death... Yet everything now seemed as natural as water flowing to form a channel.

With bags large and small neatly packed, he stepped outside to sit and wait for the ride.

The night sky was exceptionally brilliant.

The stars filled the firmament, and the Milky Way stretched across the heavens in all its distant majesty.

Just as he was admiring the view, a figure suddenly caught his peripheral vision running toward him—a girl's figure, which seemed somewhat familiar.

Watching with idle curiosity, Zhang Tan did not recognize her until she ran right up in front of him, catching her breath. Only then did he clearly see that it was Liu Luoyao.

"Liu Luoyao? Why are you here?"

Liu Luoyao panted heavily a few times. After steadying her breathing, she said, "I went to your classroom to look for you, and when they said you weren't there, I ran straight over."

Looking at her flushed cheeks from the run, Zhang Tan felt a slightly subtle atmosphere settle in. "Are you looking for me for something?"

Liu Luoyao handed over a small box she had been holding, wearing a pretty smile: "I heard you were leaving and wanted to give you a parting gift, but I couldn't find you anywhere. Here."

"Huh?" Zhang Tan was slightly caught off guard before the box was already placed in his hands.

Seeing that Zhang Tan had accepted the box, Liu Luoyao waved her hand and smiled, "I still have to go to evening self-study, so I'm heading off first. Bye-bye."

"Bye-bye... Thank you."

Clutching the box, Zhang Tan watched as Liu Luoyao turned and ran away, retreating into the distance and vanishing into the night, before he smiled, shook his head, and opened the box.

Inside lay a black fountain pen.