189: North and South Twin Stars

The core area near the front of the auditorium.

A young man wearing a modified moon-white Tang suit was surrounded by a group of equally extraordinary students.

The Tang suit was perfectly tailored with exquisite frog buttons, accentuating the boy's slender figure.

Instead of looking dated, it exuded the gentle, jade-like elegance of a scion from a prestigious family.

He didn't intentionally speak loudly, only occasionally turning his head to whisper a few words to those beside him.

His expression was haughty yet polite, and every gesture carried the composure of someone long accustomed to being the center of attention.

The top students around him subtly centered themselves on him, giving off the air of a crown prince playing on his home turf.

Lin Que only glanced at him before withdrawing his gaze, having little interest in such "clique culture."

Just then, the bright lights of the auditorium ceiling suddenly dimmed, leaving only a single beam of cold white light on the stage.

The auditorium, which had been as noisy as boiling water with its thousand occupants, felt as if the power had been abruptly cut.

Over a thousand mouths closed simultaneously within half a second, leaving only the faint hum of the air conditioning vents in the air.

An elderly man wearing a grey zhongshan suit slowly walked onto the center of the stage.

He was unhurried, his steps steady.

He held no speech notes, not even a microphone; just by standing there,

the scholarly aura radiating from his very bones forcibly suppressed the century-old auditorium capable of holding two thousand people.

The old man's gaze swept across the thousand-plus young faces below.

He didn't rush to speak, but instead slowly and methodically adjusted the reading glasses on the bridge of his nose.

"Hello, students. I am Professor Liu Zuoqing."

His voice spread throughout the hall via high-fidelity speakers—aged, yet full of vigor.

The pupils of many students in the audience contracted slightly.

Professor Liu Zuoqing, a renowned professor at the Qingbei School of Literature and a titan of contemporary literature, was a figure whose name was printed in textbooks.

"I don't like wasting words, and I like serving 'chicken soup' for the soul even less."

Professor Liu Zuoqing leaned his hands on the podium, his opening remarks crisp and direct, like a scalpel cutting straight to the point:

"Let's look directly at the data."

The large screen behind him lit up.

A set of bright red numbers jumped out, so glaring they made one's heart race.

[Number of Participants: 1,006]

[Selected for the 'Qinglan Project' Master Class: 30]

[Direct Admission Slots for Tsinghua-Peking: 10]

"This is the current situation, and it is also your predicament."

Professor Liu Zuoqing's voice struck everyone's heart without mercy.

"One thousand and six so-called geniuses from thirty-four provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities across the country have gathered here."

"But unfortunately, Tsinghua-Peking is not hosting a social party for you."

"The elimination rate for this final is as high as 99%."

Professor Liu Zuoqing held up a finger and pointed at the ceiling:

"In other words, among every hundred people around you, there is a high probability that not even one will be able to stay.

The vast majority of you have simply come to the Capital to see the sights before having to buy a ticket home in disgrace."

The students, who had been flushed with excitement just a moment ago, now turned pale.

The reality of what's called 'cruelty' finally pierced through these cold numbers,

stabbing deeply into the flesh of these top students.

The air solidified, becoming so heavy it was hard to breathe.

"Of course, there are exceptions."

Professor Liu Zuoqing changed his tone, and a meaningful smile appeared on his previously stern face:

"During the preliminary and Semifinals stages, a very small number of works achieved exceptionally outstanding results. We call these, premium selection."

"What does premium selection mean?"

"It means your article has already been exceptionally included in national-level publications; it means you already have half a foot in the hall of masters in the literary world."

The breathing of everyone in the hall quickened.

Countless eyes burned with the flames of envy and desire.

That was a supreme privilege, an honor that all men of letters dreamed of.

"But, the criteria for premium selection are extremely harsh."

"In this competition, only three premium selection works were produced nationwide."

Professor Liu Zuoqing held up three fingers, his gaze becoming meaningful:

"the Capital, one. Su Province, two."

"But that's not the most interesting part."

Professor Liu Zuoqing paused, the smile at the corners of his mouth deepening.

"The most interesting part is that these two world-shaking works from Su Province—one depicting the coldness of the world, and the other depicting absurd reality—actually came from the same person."

*Whoosh—*

The audience could finally no longer suppress themselves, and low exclamations erupted.

Although they had heard rumors, hearing it from Professor Liu himself still made them sigh in awe.

Sitting next to Lin Que, Chen Jiahao slapped his thigh in excitement, his glasses nearly vibrating off his face:

"Look, even Professor Liu can't help but mention him. Talk about prestige!"

Lin Que was hidden in the shadows where the light couldn't reach, his fingertips lightly stroking the cool cufflink on his sleeve.

This old man looked like a transcendent sage, but he was actually a master at fanning the flames.

He was trying to roast Lin Que over a fire.

"There is no absolute 'first' in literature, but people are curious."

Professor Liu Zuoqing smiled.

"I know there have been many rumors about this 'Twin Star' over the past two days. Some say he's a madman, others say he's an old scholar reincarnated.

Since we're all at the finals and will be eating from the same pot, there's no need to keep things hidden anymore."

He raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

"Lighting technician, if you please."

*Snap!*

A crisp sound.

The first spotlight fell from the ceiling without warning, accurately hitting the center of the crowd.

The young man in the moon-white Tang suit was instantly bathed in the beam of light.

"the Capital, Xu Changge."

Professor Liu Zuoqing gave a brief introduction.

Xu Changge was clearly prepared, or rather, he was long accustomed to this treatment.

He stood up slowly, fastened the bottom frog button of his Tang suit with one hand, looked straight ahead, and bowed slightly to his surroundings.

The movement was fluid, as if rehearsed countless times.

There was no youthful arrogance, nor any hint of awkwardness in the face of scrutiny.

"It really is him! The young master of the Xu family!"

"That aura is incredible."

Just when everyone thought the introduction segment was over, a second beam of light lit up.

It didn't fall directly, but circled twice above the dim venue like a hawk searching for prey.

Everyone held their breath. Chen Jiahao craned his neck, his eyes darting around with the beam of light as he muttered:

"Where is he? Where is he? Let me see what that three-headed, six-armed monster actually looks like..."

The beam swept across the front rows, then the middle section.

Finally, it suddenly veered toward a corner in the back row.

Lin Que watched the light getting closer and closer, sighed inwardly, and instinctively raised a hand to shield his eyes.

The next second.

The blinding white light completely swallowed him.

On the big screen, the previous image of Xu Changge split, giving half to the young man in this corner.

Under the strong light, Lin Que's handsome, fair, and even slightly lazy face—due to staying up late last night—was clearly presented before the thousand-plus people in the hall.

He was wearing a deep blue suit, one hand blocking his forehead, eyes slightly squinted to adjust to the light.

No three heads or six arms.

No hideous features.

In fact... he was almost excessively good-looking.

"Su Province, Lin Que."

Professor Liu Zuoqing's voice rang out at the right moment.

Dead silence.

This silence was even more absolute than when the event had started.

Especially for Chen Jiahao, who was sitting next to Lin Que.

The excited expression on his face instantly froze, his mouth hanging open wide enough to fit a lightbulb.

He mechanically turned his neck to look at Lin Que, who was less than half a meter away—the same guy he had just been calling "handsome bro" and educating about "mental illness rumors."

It felt as if something had exploded in his brain.

"Hand... handsome bro?"

Chen Jiahao's voice began to tremble.

"No... you're... you're Lin Que?"

The circle of students nearby, who had just been heatedly discussing how "the monster from Su Province looks terrifying" and "has a split personality,"

now had faces that were a colorful display of emotions, turning red and white. They wished they could find a crack in the floor to crawl into.

The person himself had been listening right there the whole time! And he seemed to be enjoying it!

Was this the wicked sense of humor of a big shot?

Lin Que sighed in his heart.

Well, there goes any hope of staying low-key.

Professor Liu Zuoqing's move of "public execution" had placed him directly on the hot seat in front of the entire audience.

But he didn't show any fear.

Since he couldn't hide, he might as well make a grand appearance.

Lin Que lowered the hand shielding his forehead and slowly rose.

The custom deep blue suit glinted with high-quality texture under the lights, making his posture as upright as a pine tree.

Facing over a thousand gazes filled with shock, scrutiny, or envy,

he lacked the haughtiness of a scion like Xu Changge, but also showed none of the panic of an ordinary student caught by surprise.

He simply adjusted his cuffs calmly and gave a slight nod to Professor Liu Zuoqing on the stage.

It was a composure that transcended his age.

It was as if this glaring spotlight were not a scrutiny, but a coronation.

"Interesting."

Across half the auditorium, Xu Changge, standing in the other beam of light, turned around.

His gaze pierced through the layers of people and the dim aisles to collide with Lin Que's from afar.

One South, one North.

One Capital-style tradition, one absurd reality.

The two men's gazes met in the air. Though neither spoke,

the unique magnetic field between top-tier geniuses already caused sparks to crackle in the air.

A few seconds later, the lights went out.

The auditorium returned to darkness.

As Lin Que sat down, he felt the chair next to him vibrating violently.

Glancing sideways, he saw Chen Jiahao holding his head in his hands, huddled in his chair in a state of "worldview collapse."

"What's wrong?"

Lin Que asked, somewhat amused.

Chen Jiahao snapped his head up, looked at the face so close to him, swallowed hard, and looked ready to cry:

"Big boss... no, Lord Que! Why didn't you say anything earlier?

I've been showing off my meager skills in front of a master all morning, and even told you that you lived in a mental hospital... I... is there any hope for me?"

Lin Que adjusted his collar and turned to give him a very "kind" smile.

"What do you think?"

"Your analysis earlier was quite professional, all that talk about main and sub-personalities."

Lin Que lowered his voice, his tone eerie.

"What, are you afraid I'll suddenly switch personalities now?"

Chen Jiahao's face turned green. He wanted to run, but his legs were weak.

"Scared?"

Lin Que patted his shoulder. The force wasn't great, but it made Chen Jiahao tremble three times.

"It's not too late to run now, otherwise I'm afraid I might accidentally catch you in the crossfire during the exam later."

Several students eavesdropping nearby also shuddered.

Is this the pressure of the strong? Even their jokes are so terrifying!

On stage, Professor Liu Zuoqing looked at the commotion below and nodded with satisfaction.

The water had to be muddied to catch the best fish.

"Alright, you've met them and seen their faces."

Professor Liu Zuoqing tapped the podium, his expression returning to its previous seriousness, his voice once again suppressing the restlessness of the crowd.

"Next, I will announce the rules for this final."

...