Chapter 411: Confrontation
Xiao Lin guessed that Gu Xiaoyue’s mystery would also cause unnecessary trouble to her sister. After the call to Mao Tianying was connected, the latter spoke in a rather polite manner with Xiao Lin. When he learned that Xiao Lin was only asking about someone, he patted his chest and said that there would not be a problem.
Anyone who returned to Earth from the academy would be registered to facilitate real-time tracking by the people in the Earth Division. That was also their main task. Mao Tianying was not troubled at all, but he was clearly stunned when he heard Wang Yuelan’s name, after which he had a sudden realization and uttered, “Oh.”
Xiao Lin’s spirit was up and he knew that he had asked the right person. “Do you know Wang Yuelan?”
“She’s in the admissions department. Seems like her rank isn’t that low too.” There was a bit of emotion in Mao Tianying’s tone and he was more or less remorseful about his own status.
Xiao Lin sighed slightly. It came as a bit of a surprise that Wang Yuelan was also a member of the Dawn Academy and belonged to the admissions department. It seemed that at least she was not a bad person, but after only a few seconds, Xiao Lin widened his eyes in response and became nervous once more.
There were many departments for Dawn Academy’s students, but apart from being familiar with the logistics department, Xiao Lin did not actually have much contact with other departments. However, he had heard of the admissions department before as it was specifically responsible for the admission of freshmen. Truth be told, it was all thanks to them that Xiao Lin was able to be in Dawn Academy.
If Wang Yuelan belonged to that department, what was her reason for being there? Why was she looking for Gu Chengyun? The answer was plainly obvious: the admissions department wanted to recruit Gu Chengyun into Dawn Academy!
Xiao Lin’s first reaction was to prevent that from happening. The lively and cheerful girl was already ill-fated, as she had been orphaned since she was young, was half paralyzed, and had a sister with only two years of life remaining. If there was nothing to change Gu Xiaoyue’s situation, she would be alone in another two years.
Having her enter Dawn Academy, go through the unpredictable monthly exams, and having to go to the New World after graduation, Xiao Lin felt that such a life was unsuited for Gu Chengyun.
On the other side of the phone, Mao Tianying was still chattering, “This admissions department is a bit strange this time too. Logically speaking, they’ve just recruited new students this year and it’s still very early for the next enrollment. Even if they’re here to inspect the new students, it’s still far too early.”
“Inspecting freshmen?” Xiao Lin was a little confused, as he did not really understand the enrollment procedures.
“Hehe, of course. Every freshman who enrolls is carefully selected. There are more than one billion people across the country. Can anyone guarantee that a certain batch is suitable if they’re selected at random?”
Xiao Lin recalled in detail that he had accidentally received the mysterious admission letter in the middle of the night. After tearing it open, he was immediately taken to Dawn Academy in a miraculous manner. Everything that had happened in between was completely unknown to him.
“I don’t remember anyone approaching me before my enrollment in the academy,” Xiao Lin recounted what happened to him.
“That’s normal. People in the admissions department won’t willingly reveal their identities. Before the enrollment, you’d think that a stranger was simply striking a conversation with you, so if you fail to be recruited, no one will remember it too clearly.”
Xiao Lin was also unsure if he had ever encountered such a strange stranger. As Mao Tianying said, unless he knew the inside story in advance and was aware of it, he certainly would not give it a second thought.
“Under normal circumstances however, not everyone will be investigated. As long as the other party is determined to be a gifted student, contact will be initiated for the purpose of further inspection. You’d have to ask the admissions department for their inspection criteria.”
“What level is Wang Yuelan in the admissions department? Department head? Year leader? Monitor?”
“The department head’s assistant. She had just been promoted last year.”
“Assistant?”
“Something like a secretary. It’s not a public post. It’s an arbitrary arrangement by the department head.”
“Secretary...” Xiao Lin’s expression became a little weird. He had seen the admission department’s head before and he could not help but make a couple of associations.
“Hehe, I don’t know what’s her relationship with the head of the admissions department, but she’s quite good, this woman. As far as I know, she was the one who personally discovered at least half the talented students in the past two batches of freshmen. There are also rumors that she’s already slated to be the next admission department’s head, and that being an assistant is nothing more than to facilitate the transition.”
After learning some basic information, Xiao Lin was also slightly surprised at Wang Yuelan’s ability. He conveyed his thanks to Mao Tianying and wondered how to confront Wang Yuelan.
The restaurant near the entrance of the fine arts academy was fairly high-end, and when Xiao Lin arrived, he discovered that Wang Yuelan was already waiting there. It further affirmed his judgment that Wang Yuelan never even left the vicinity at all.
“Sorry I’m late.”
“It’s fine, I just came here anyway.”
“There aren’t any better restaurants near the academy, so I hope you’re okay with it.”
“Hehe, how thoughtful. It’s not like I’m a spoiled daughter.”
After the pleasantries, Xiao Lin asked for a private room and smiled as she handed the menu to Wang Yuelan. “Ladies first.” He then continued to think about how best to bring up that matter.
Wang Yuelan did not hesitate and ordered a few dishes after taking the menu over. She then handed it back to Xiao Lin, who glanced around at random and discovered that she had ordered some very cheap dishes. Xiao Lin’s family background was not that well off before, and Wang Yuelan also understood that. Although Xiao Lin no longer cared about money, he still found her gesture to be quite considerate.
However, Xiao Lin could not help but feel suspicious. If Wang Yuelan was the assistant of the admission department’s head, then according to what Mao Tianying said, many of the talented students in Xiao Lin’s batch were likely recruited by that woman as well. If that were the case, it was impossible that Wang Yuelan did not know who he was.
If she had knowledge of all that, did it mean that she was just acting stupid?
Xiao Lin was puzzled, but he did not want to waste any more time. After all, Gu Xiaoyue and her sister were still waiting for him at the fine arts academy. As a result, he seized the moment while they were waiting for food and got straight to the point by asking in a half-joking tone that was normally used among friends, “Is the work at the admissions department tiring? When did you guys start your holidays?”
“It’s okay, we don’t have many holidays, actu—” Wang Yuelan replied without thinking, but then looked up at him all of a sudden. Her kind gaze then sharpened in an instant.
Xiao Lin did not shirk away from the eye contact and even sensed a vague trace of murder in her eyes. The air in the private room seemed to freeze instantly, but after a few minutes, Wang Yuelan’s eyes eased and she smiled faintly. “So, you’re also from the academy, Brother Xiao Lin?”
“Are you going to kill me if I say no?” Xiao Lin teased.
The secret of Dawn Academy must never be revealed to ordinary people. It was a cardinal rule that had been emphasized repeatedly before they departed for Earth.