187: Returning to the familiar place, the world has changed.

The fuselage dipped.

The moment the tires touched the ground, the fuselage shook violently, and a muffled grinding sound transmitted through the floor to their feet.

The forward momentum caused by inertia made Lin Que's body lean slightly, and his light sleep was forcefully interrupted by the commotion.

The flight attendant's gentle yet formulaic voice came over the broadcast, reminding passengers that The Capital had arrived.

Lin Que rubbed his slightly throbbing brow and turned his head to look out the window.

Beneath the hazy skyline, the contours of that vast, ancient city appeared faintly through the heat haze.

Capital International Airport Terminal 3 lay on the ground like a giant dragon, swallowing and spitting out travelers from all over the world.

The Capital in his memory always carried a dusty, earthy smell.

Back then, he was just a small scriptwriter who argued until he was hoarse with Party A over a few lines of dialogue.

Carrying that briefcase with the sticking zipper, he stood in the cold wind of East Third Ring for half an hour without catching a ride.

The embarrassment of those years slowly faded, creating an absurd contrast with the constant temperature and comfort of the business class cabin now.

Returning to the old place, yet the world had transformed.

"We've arrived."

Shen Qingqiu, next to him, unbuckled her seatbelt. Although her voice tried hard to maintain its usual coolness,

the slightly forceful grip of her fingers as she straightened her clothes betrayed her inner turmoil.

Stepping out of the jetway, a dry and overwhelming heat wave rushed toward them.

Unlike the sticky, humid heat of Jiangcheng, The Capital's summer heat was straightforward.

The arrival hall was bustling with noise, regional dialects interwoven with one another.

Lin Que pushed his suitcase, his steps unhurried.

The young man's tall, straight figure stood in stark contrast to the hurried travelers around him, drawing many curious glances.

"Over there."

Shen Qingqiu raised her hand and pointed.

Next to a nearby pillar, a striking red banner with white lettering was hung:

[“Fu Zhi Yao Competition” Cup National Middle School Student Essay Competition Finals Reception].

The reception booth was already surrounded by people.

Most were teachers and students leading teams from various provinces, speaking Mandarin with various regional accents.

Some were anxiously calling to arrange transportation, others were frantically fanning themselves with handheld fans.

Those young faces were filled with either arrogance or nervousness about the unknown.

Lin Que and Shen Qingqiu approached the reception desk.

The person in charge of registration was a young girl wearing a volunteer vest, with a ponytail and thick-rimmed glasses perched on her nose.

A thick stack of forms was piled in front of her, and she clutched a pen in her hand.

She was busy marking and drawing, so engrossed she didn't even have time to drink water.

"Which province? School name? How many people?"

The girl didn't lift her head, her voice mechanical and urgent, carrying the characteristic fast pace of a big city.

Shen Qingqiu paid no mind to the other party's attitude, handing over their ID cards and competition passes with a calm tone:

"Su Province, Jiangcheng No. 1 High School, two people."

The air seemed to freeze for a second.

The tip of the pen, which had been darting across the form, stopped abruptly, and the ink bled into the paper fibers, forming a small black dot.

The girl with the ponytail remained frozen in her bent-over posture for two seconds before quickly looking up.

The movement was so sudden that she nearly flung the thick-rimmed glasses off her nose.

The eyes hidden behind the thick lenses lingered on Shen Qingqiu's face for a moment,

then quickly shifted horizontally, locking onto Lin Que standing beside her.

Her gaze swept up and down, as if confirming something.

"Are you Teacher Shen Qingqiu?"

The girl's voice suddenly rose eight octaves, filled with an unbelievable surprise:

"Then this must be... Student Lin Que?"

"It is."

Lin Que nodded slightly.

With a "thump."

The girl immediately sprang up from her chair.

This commotion was so loud that the teachers and students from other provinces still waiting in line turned their heads, their eyes full of astonishment.

They wondered which provincial prodigy this was, capable of making the staff member react with such a fuss.

The exhaustion on the girl's face instantly vanished.

"I finally waited for you two!"

She walked directly around the counter,

and shoved the stack of forms and the ballpoint pen in her hand to the male volunteer next to her, who looked completely bewildered.

"Zhang Lei, cover for me, I have an important mission!"

After speaking, she didn't give her colleague a chance to react.

She quickly walked up to Lin Que, extending her hand to shake his,

but realizing her hands were sweaty, she wiped them on her clothes, smiling as brightly as a flower.

"Teacher Shen, Junior Lin, hello! My name is Zhou Xiaoxiao. I'm a Second-year graduate student in the Chinese Department at Qingbei University, and the Volunteer Group Leader for this competition."

As Zhou Xiaoxiao spoke, she naturally took the suitcase from Shen Qingqiu's hand.

"Teacher Gu... oh, Teacher Gu Changfeng specifically instructed that as soon as the flight from Jiangcheng lands, he must be notified immediately, and I must personally handle the reception."

Hearing the name "Gu Changfeng," the expressions of the surrounding teachers, who had been complaining about the slow line, instantly changed.

Chairman of the Jiangsu Provincial Writers Association, a titan of the literary world.

For him to specifically instruct someone to "personally receive" a student... this student's importance was immense. "So it was Chairman Gu's arrangement."

Shen Qingqiu was surprised but quickly regained her composure:

"Thank you, Student Zhou."

"No trouble at all! This is a great assignment!"

Zhou Xiaoxiao grinned widely:

"Actually, I'm also from Jiangcheng. I did my undergraduate degree at Jinling University and took Teacher Gu's Contemporary Literature Class.

So I'm sort of half a student of Teacher Gu, and your official senior hometown sister!"

With this connection revealed, the distance between them instantly shortened.

"Excuse me, everyone, please make way."

Zhou Xiaoxiao led the two of them, bypassing the long queue for the bus waiting area and heading straight for the VIP channel on the other side of the parking lot.

A plump teacher next to them, wiping sweat, couldn't help but point and ask:

"Hey, volunteer student, why don't they have to wait in line for the bus?"

Zhou Xiaoxiao looked back and adjusted her glasses: "Sorry, they are relatives from my hometown."

That one sentence left the person speechless.

Lin Que followed behind Zhou Xiaoxiao, ignoring the surrounding glances filled with envy and scrutiny. He simply adjusted his cuff, his steps remaining composed.

This was probably the shortcut that rules afforded the strong,

cliché, yet efficient.

In the corner of the parking lot, a black Buick GL8 minivan had been waiting for a long time.

The air conditioning was running high, and the windows were covered with dark privacy film.

"Hurry and get in, it's too hot outside."

Zhou Xiaoxiao enthusiastically pulled open the car door. After the two were seated, she slipped into the front passenger seat and signaled the driver to start.

The car drove onto the airport expressway, sealing the noise and heat outside.

Inside the car, Zhou Xiaoxiao seemed a bit excited.

"Junior, you are now the main topic of discussion in our volunteer group."

Zhou Xiaoxiao smiled and handed him a bottle of water.

"Everyone wants to see what the person who wrote two premium selections looks like."

"I hope I haven't disappointed Senior."

Lin Que took the water, but his gaze fell upon a book Zhou Xiaoxiao had placed in the passenger seat.

It was the little prince, with a drawing of a boa constrictor swallowing an elephant on the cover.

The pages were dog-eared, clearly having been read many times.

Lin Que's eyes flickered, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

Zhou Xiaoxiao followed his gaze and smiled:

"Oh, that's a very popular fairy tale recently, called the little prince.

The pressure during the preparation period is high, and we volunteers rely on it to recharge. Have you read it, Junior?"

Lin Que unscrewed the cap, took a sip of water, and suppressed the smile in his eyes.

"I've heard of it."

He said softly.

"I heard it's a fairy tale written for adults?"

"Yes! It's incredibly healing!"

Zhou Xiaoxiao enthusiastically recommended it.

"Especially the fox's theory... oh dear, I'm getting off track.

Anyway, it's very comforting. Junior, good luck in the finals this time, try to win a ranking. If you get into Qingbei later, Senior will gift you a copy!"

Lin Que rubbed the bottle, his tone gentle:

"Alright, I'll take your auspicious words, Senior."

The car continued west, entering Haidian District.

The surrounding scenery gradually changed. There were fewer skyscrapers, replaced by clusters of red brick buildings and lush ancient trees.

The pedestrians on the roadside were no longer hurried office workers; instead, there were many young faces carrying backpacks and riding bicycles.

A unique scholarly atmosphere, accumulated over a hundred years, rushed toward them.

"We're here, we're here."

The car turned into a quiet Hutong and stopped in front of an antique-style hotel.

A black plaque with gold characters hung above the entrance—[Wenjin Pavilion].

This place was right next to the South Gate of Qingbei University.

Normally, it only hosted senior visiting scholars and guests attending major academic conferences.

For these finals, the organizing committee had clearly spared no expense.

Lin Que got out of the car.

The lobby was very quiet, without the noise typical of an airport.

Most of those entering and exiting were young students wearing thick-rimmed glasses and holding books, or distinguished, white-haired elders.

The air seemed to be permeated with a faint scent of ink.

This was the base camp for the finals, and the Asura Field where all of China's literary youth would compete.

"Junior Lin, your room has the best view."

Zhou Xiaoxiao had used her authority to complete the check-in procedures long ago and handed the room key card directly to Lin Que.

She winked mysteriously:

"Open the window and you can see the Qingbei University gate and a corner of Weiming Lake.

This is a champion's room. It lets you get used to your future alma mater ahead of time."

Lin Que took the room card, his fingertips touching the cool plastic surface.

"Thanks, Senior."

"Don't mention it."

Zhou Xiaoxiao patted his shoulder heartily, returning to her capable demeanor:

"Do well on the exam tomorrow, don't disgrace our Jiangcheng. Senior will wait for you at Qingbei, and I'll treat you to the cafeteria's Spicy Stir-Fry Pot."

The elevator ascended.

With a "ding," the floor arrived.

Lin Que swiped the card and entered the room.

The room was indeed excellent, spacious and bright, with a new Chinese style of decoration that was elegant yet tasteful.

But he didn't stop to look at the room's furnishings. He walked straight to the floor-to-ceiling window and pulled the curtains open with a "whoosh."

It was dusk.

The glow of the setting sun spilled onto the nearby Qingbei campus. The pagoda shadow by Weiming Lake was faintly visible, standing silently amidst the shimmering water.

That was the sacred place countless people dreamed of.

It was also the destination of these finals, the location of the final entry ticket.

Lin Que's gaze passed over the glass window, focusing on the pagoda shadow gleaming gold in the sunset.

The glass reflected the young man's profile,

overlapping with the distant building that represented the highest institution of learning.

Once, he didn't even have the right to stand outside the wall and look up.

But this time, pushing open that door was just the beginning...