In this Olympiad compet.i.tion, the Chinese team ended up standing out once again. Their individual gold medals and their total team points were at the forefront of the compet.i.tion.
Once the results were announced, Director Li stood up with a thump, and then marched into the exam hall, giving out very pa.s.sionate hugs to all the contestants who had persisted for five hours. Meanwhile, the sound of applause was endless.
It was for all of the students. Whether they succeeded or failed, their hard work and diligent att.i.tude was already deserving of a prize.
Mr. Gao, who had never once gone to his son"s parent-teacher meetings, and had never even stepped foot into his son"s school, was now teary-eyed. Once a person entered their middle ages, they were a bit more on the soft side towards showing care for their family, as compared to when they were younger.
He really hadn"t known that his son was this outstanding, and it made him feel extremely proud.
The intense compet.i.tion ended the moment the partic.i.p.ants shook hands with each other with light smiles on their faces.
Ye Jian received the gold medal that she had finally earned after two lifetimes. She was usually composed, but her eyes started to redden. In her past lifetime, she experienced numerous hardships, but had still failed to escape from Ye Ying"s persecution and the pain she had inflicted. In this life, she finally didn"t have to live cautiously while watching Sun Dongqing and Ye Ying. Instead, she stood tall facing them, no longer on the receiving end of any mistreatment or venting.
The endless clapping were like the flowers that appeared on the roadside while walking through a thorn-filled road. You could stop and experience the momentary joyfulness, but you shouldn"t forget that a wonderful life should never stop simply because of it.
"The two girls, Ye Jian and Yang Ye, stand in front. Boys, split up and stand beside them: we"re taking a group photo." Still in the seating area, Director Li took the first group picture of the students since arriving Australia, face filled with pride, and was then photographed along with them by the staff sent by the emba.s.sy.
By the time the twelve partic.i.p.ants started looking around the scenery in the University of Sydney, the pictures taken by the emba.s.sy staff had already been sent back to their home country.
Before Ye Jian and the rest returned from Australia, in China, the news that the Chinese partic.i.p.ants had won the most number of gold medals in both the individual and group categories of the Olympiad had already swept across the country like a spring breeze.
Even the People"s Daily, the most circulated newspaper, had reported it, while also commenting on the spectacular performance of the partic.i.p.ants on stage.
Ye Zifan was a deputy mayor. People"s Daily was his daily must-read newspaper. When he saw the picture occupying the most important section of the People"s Daily, his gaze immediately focused on it.
Then, he read the names captioned on it. His originally relaxed brows suddenly tensed up, and his expression changed dramatically.
He had just arrived to work, he then picked up his briefcase which had been laid out on the desk, before leaving the office with large strides, the newspaper clenched tightly in his hand.
A government staff member spotted him leaving in such a hurry and asked in concern, "Deputy Mayor Ye, there"s only 10 minutes before the meeting starts. Are you…"
"Push back the meeting by an hour, I have something urgent to take care of and will be leaving for a while." How could he still be in the mood for a meeting! Ye Zifan left the office building without looking back, a grim expression on his face, he then hopped onto his motorcycle and sped all the way back home.
Sun Dongqing brought Ye Ying out with her to buy groceries after breakfast. While they were on their way back, they b.u.mped into a villager from the Shui Kou village. With a gleeful expression, she started bragging about Ye Ying"s result in the finals.
"It"s not that I"m bragging about my Ying Ying, but this kid is quite intelligent. Her studies were never a worry for my husband and I. Isn"t it so? She ranked in the top ten in her entire cohort in the finals. Everyone says that there is nothing more important than learning. Although my Ying Ying isn"t a boy, which part of her is inferior to one?"
By then, Sun Dongqing had started to become even more gleeful. She started mentioning that Ye Zifan had a great chance of becoming the mayor, and that their daughter was also very competent. Wherever she went, she walked with her chin raised high.
Ye Zifan, who rode all the way back on his motorcycle, spotted his wife cheerfully gossiping with a fellow villager about something. His expression was so grim that it resembled a raincloud that water could be squeezed out of.