149: I want to see how far I can go.

Lin Que met Chairman Lv Songran's approving gaze without rushing to express his stance. He set down the paper cup in his hand in a leisurely manner. The bottom of the cup clicked against the coffee table, making a soft sound. Then, he straightened his posture.

"Professor Li, please go ahead." Li Yuanchao cradled his purple clay teapot, stroking its body, his eyes lingering on Lin Que for a moment.

"Although I know this small temple is unlikely to be able to keep you," Li Yuanchao sighed, his tone carrying a touch of regret that only he understood, "I still have to fight for Jiangcheng University. It's a matter of doing my part and leaving the rest to fate."

"In this competition, as long as you make it to the Semifinals, I will reserve a special admission spot for you in the School of Literature at Jiangcheng University." The old professor extended a finger and tapped the table. "No College Entrance Examination, no complicated procedures, direct admission. Just in case... I mean, just in case, you want to stay somewhere close to home?"

As the words fell, Fei Yuncheng, standing to the side, gave a start. The boiling hot water almost spilled onto the back of his hand. Special admission? Direct entry? In Su Province, where thousands of students fight to cross the single-plank bridge, this single sentence from Li Yuanchao was equivalent to handing Lin Que a direct ticket to the finish line.

Zhang Ya, listening from the side, turned red with envy and jealousy! Jiangcheng University, while not on par with top-tier institutions like Tsinghua or Peking University, was still a first-class school that countless students in Su Province were desperate to get into. And Elder Li was just handing the entry ticket directly to Lin Que?

In the corner, Li Bowen looked up. His thick lenses reflected the light, obscuring his eyes, but the bitterness at the corners of his mouth could not be hidden. Since he was a child, his grandfather had forced him to memorize classical texts and practice calligraphy, yet now, his grandfather was offering the olive branch to someone else. But he didn't hate Lin Que. That remark in the cafeteria last time about "tossing your heart into the snow to roll around" made him realize where he fell short. This gap couldn't be bridged by special admission.

Lin Que looked into Li Yuanchao's expectant eyes and remained silent for two seconds. This was indeed an enticing offer. For an ordinary high school student, it would be like a pie falling from the sky. But was he an ordinary high school student? His goal was the pinnacle of "Fu Zhi Yao Competition", the highest platform that could set the spark of civilization ablaze. Jiangcheng University was great, but for him, that stage wasn't big enough.

"Professor Li, I am truly grateful for your kindness." Lin Que's voice was steady, devoid of the panic of being overwhelmed by favor, or the arrogance of a youth who had achieved success early.

"Jiangcheng University is a good school, and it is my honor to have your recognition. However..." He paused and smiled. "I am still young."

"I just want to see how far I can go on my own merits."

He refused? Fei Yuncheng's eyes almost popped out of his head. Did this kid know what he was saying?

Li Yuanchao was stunned for a moment. Then, he slapped his thigh hard and burst into hearty laughter. "Hahaha! Good! Good lad!"

He pointed at Lin Que and turned to Chairman Lv Songran beside him. "Old Lü, look, what did I tell you?"

"This kid has a backbone and high standards! He doesn't even care about my little collection!"

Chairman Lv Songran picked up his teacup and gently blew on the floating leaves, his movements as elegant as if he were savoring the tea. He replied nonchalantly, his tone matter-of-fact. "It's a good thing for young people to have drive. If he really just stayed tucked away in Jiangcheng, it would actually be a waste of talent."

Chairman Lv Songran set down the teacup, his gaze falling on Lin Que with a hint of playfulness. "After all, Chairman Gu and Vice Chairman Liang were just discussing it at a meeting."

"They said that the new honorary member our Provincial Writers Association recently admitted, despite being young, has a mature and sharp writing style, very much like a master."

"If he didn't even have that kind of spirit..." Chairman Lv Songran smiled, his tone light. "Chairman Gu would probably have to take that certificate back."

"Clang—" A sharp sound shattered the atmosphere in the office. The lid of the teacup in Fei Yuncheng's hand finally slipped, falling onto the table. The lid spun on the tabletop, making a harsh sound.

Zhang Ya's mouth was wide open, unable to close. Li Bowen slid right off the arm of the sofa, landing on his bottom. But he didn't care about the pain, nor did he bother to adjust his glasses; he just stared at Lin Que with a look of horror.

An honorary member... of the Provincial Writers Association? What kind of concept was that? At this age, let alone being a member, even getting a small article published in a provincial journal would be enough to brag about on the school radio station for half a year.

An honorary member—that was a status equal to the top writers in the province! That was a finish line many writers couldn't reach even after a lifetime of climbing! Lin Que... was already one?

Li Yuanchao coughed and glared at Chairman Lv Songran. "Old Lü, why is your mouth as loose as a pair of cotton pants?"

Chairman Lv Songran was stunned. He looked at the faces around him, which looked as if they had been struck by lightning, and only then did he realize.

"What? Is this... still confidential?" He looked at the long-petrified Fei Yuncheng and the two students, awkwardly waving his hand. "Uh... just pretend you didn't hear what I said. Auditory hallucinations, it's all just auditory hallucinations."

Fei Yuncheng swallowed hard. The way he looked at Lin Que had completely changed. From viewing him as a problematic student, to a genius student. Now, he had turned into... a big shot?

Lin Que rubbed his temples helplessly. He had guarded against everything, but couldn't stop the mouths of these big shots. He never dreamed that even though he had asked Shen Qingqiu to keep it a secret, Chairman Lü would expose everything today.

"Chairman Lü, you're roasting me over a fire here." Lin Que smiled bitterly, though there was little fear in his tone.

"If you have the talent, why fear the fire?" Chairman Lv Songran stood up, walked over to Lin Que, and patted his shoulder heavily.

"True gold fears no fire. Alright, we just came to see you today."

"Do your best on Monday. Don't embarrass No. 1 High School, and don't embarrass our Provincial Writers Association."

Li Yuanchao also stood up. He walked over to Li Bowen, who was still sitting on the floor, and kicked the tip of his grandson's shoe in frustration. "Get up! Is it cool on the floor?"

"Go back and tear up that expository essay you wrote and rewrite it! This time, you can show it to me, right?" Li Bowen scrambled to his feet in a flurry, responding dejectedly, not even daring to raise his head.

After seeing off the two big shots, Fei Yuncheng looked at Lin Que with a complex expression.

"Lin Que..." Fei Yuncheng's tone became exceptionally gentle, even carrying a hint of caution. "Uh, about this Writers Association membership... does the principal know?"

"Probably... yes." Lin Que shrugged, looking innocent.

Fei Yuncheng took a deep breath, as if trying to digest a massive amount of information. He waved his hand, his movements somewhat stiff. "Alright, you go back to class. This matter... ahem, handle it low-key. You must keep it low-key."

The three of them walked out of the administrative building. The sky outside had already begun to darken. The streetlights hadn't lit up yet, and the campus was filled with the scent of food from the cafeteria—the scent of worldly life.

They walked in silence. Only the sound of footsteps echoed on the empty concrete ground. It wasn't until they reached the corner of the second-year high school teaching building that the suffocating silence was broken.

"Um..." Li Bowen stopped. He kept his head down, scuffing his toe against the ground, almost wearing the moss in the cracks of the floor tiles bald. Lin Que and Zhang Ya also stopped.

"About today..." Li Bowen held it in for a long time before finally looking up. In his eyes behind the thick lenses, a glimmer of almost pleading light flickered. "Can you... not tell anyone?"

"You mean the fact that you're Professor Li's grandson?" Zhang Ya crossed her arms, looking at him with a half-smile, finally regaining some of her composure.

"What's there to hide about that? How happy it must be to have a professor grandfather—that's a resource many people can't even beg for."

"If this blessing were given to you, would you want it?" Li Bowen pulled a bitter face, his features scrunching up. "If I lose one point on an essay, he lectures me all night."

"If I were to write an expository essay under the name 'Li Yuanchao's grandson', my grandpa would disown me on the spot, and he'd even publish a statement in the newspaper."

He paused and glanced at Lin Que, his tone a bit sour. "Besides, my grandfather looks at Lin Que more affectionately than he does at me. If I told anyone, they'd think I was adopted."

Lin Que chuckled. He walked over, hooked his arm around Li Bowen's shoulder, and patted him like a buddy. "Alright, Old Li, every family has its own difficult scriptures to recite. Your secret, I'll keep."

Li Bowen sighed in relief and gave Lin Que a grateful look.

"However..." Lin Que changed the subject, his gaze sweeping over the two of them with a hint of seriousness. "My matter, you have to help me with it too..."

Zhang Ya raised an eyebrow and replied, "Provincial Writers Association honorary member?"

Lin Que nodded. "I don't want to be too flashy right now. You know how people talk in school. If it gets out, I'll probably have people watching me go to the bathroom. That's a scene too beautiful for me to imagine."

In reality, he was more worried that once this identity was exposed, many things would be difficult to handle. For example, his dual identities as "Dream Weaver" and "Jian Shen". If someone with ulterior motives followed the trail, it would be troublesome.

"Deal." Zhang Ya watched Lin Que walking in front, her mood somewhat complex.

In the past, she had always thought the things Lin Que wrote were dark and sensationalist, and even felt he was deliberately spreading anxiety. But now, she suddenly realized.

Perhaps it was precisely because he had seen true darkness that he could remain so calm and indifferent when faced with such overwhelming wealth. This guy... didn't seem so annoying after all. In fact, there was a certain depth to him that made him hard to read.

"Are we... exchanging hostages?"

"Let's call it a pledge of loyalty." Lin Que smiled and strode forward.

Li Bowen pushed up his glasses, his eyes showing a bit more determination. "Lin Que, even though you are a member of the Writers Association, I won't admit defeat. In this Preliminary Round, I will try to toss my heart... into the snow to roll around."

"Just don't catch a cold doing it." Lin Que waved his hand without turning back. "Let's go, back to the classroom to prepare some more."

The three walked side by side toward the classroom. The afterglow of the setting sun stretched their shadows long, intertwining them. In this twilight, because of the two exchanged secrets, the barrier between the youths quietly dissolved.

Zhang Ya, walking in the middle, suddenly seemed to remember something. She turned to Li Bowen, her eyes flashing with a cunning light. "Hey, since your grandfather is Professor Li, do you have a lot of out-of-print books at home?"

"Yeah, a whole basement full."

"Can you lend me a couple? I want to find some inspiration."

"Sure, but you have to wait until after the competition. I need to go into seclusion for a few days to wash off that stench of expository essay."