Chapter 103: Reversing Black and White

Zhou Feng and Bai Xinya also realized something was wrong; they came from Kyoto and were entrenched in officialdom, so they had seen more corrupt affairs than Su Ruo.

So when Zhou Feng sensed something was off, he immediately went to the post office to inquire about all mail coming from Kyoto, but he failed to find any letter addressed to Su Ruo.

If the problem wasn't on their end, then Su Ruo's admission notice was very likely intercepted in Kyoto.

Zhou Feng then immediately called back to Kyoto, asking someone to help investigate at the post office; they got the same answer—there were no postal records concerning Su Ruo here.

Zhou Feng originally thought Su Ruo's admission notice had been intercepted at some stage, but after this investigation he realized the situation was far more complicated than he had imagined.

If the problem wasn't in the mailing process, then it must lie with Jingda.

After discussing with Bai Xinya, Zhou Feng and she went to find Su Ruo with solemn expressions; if the problem truly lay with Jingda, resolving it would likely not be easy, and they would have to make a trip to Kyoto.

Although Su Ruo had already suspected as much, hearing Zhou Feng's words still caused her face to darken somewhat.

In her previous life, failing to enter university had always been Su Ruo's regret; therefore, to make up for that regret, after her rebirth she had been studying desperately, all for the sake of gaining admission to her ideal university.

In fact she had achieved it, but Su Ruo never expected that the hidden forces behind the scenes would be so powerful as to be able to sway Jingda's admissions.

Su Ruo knew that going to Kyoto would yield only two possible outcomes: either the problem would be resolved successfully and she would smoothly enter Jingda, or she would be turned away by Jingda.

The worst outcome would merely be that all of Su Ruo's efforts over the past six months would come to nothing, leaving her unable to attend university—but what of it!

She was no longer the weak, ineffectual Su Ruo of her past life who could only be bullied; in this life she not only knew medicine but had also founded a clothing company, and her career would surely only grow larger.

Those people would find it far from easy to bully her as they had in her previous life; Su Ruo would rather die than fail to take a bite out of them, and after thinking it through she became calm instead.

Bai Xinya thought that once Su Ruo learned the truth, she would certainly be heartbroken and upset, angry and tearful, possibly even suffering a mental breakdown from being unable to bear the blow.

After all, Bai Xinya knew how much Su Ruo wanted to attend university; for that Su Ruo had made so many efforts, only to receive such a result—which no one could accept.

But what Bai Xinya did not expect was that after the initial shock, Su Ruo displayed an astonishing calm.

It seemed as if this matter had long been within her expectations, and as if nothing that happened could strike her down.

At this moment, Bai Xinya's gaze toward Su Ruo gained a few extra degrees of admiration, for if this had happened to her, she could never remain so composed.

Not only Bai Xinya, but Zhou Feng's look at Su Ruo also held a few more degrees of appreciation; Su Ruo possessing such composure meant that whatever she did in the future would be nothing less than excellent.

After the three discussed and agreed, they decided to set off for Kyoto immediately; to keep Li Zhaodi from worrying, they did not tell her the real reason, only saying they were going to Kyoto to scout the clothing market and might be gone a few days, asking Li Zhaodi to stay behind and look after An'an.

Li Zhaodi trusted Su Ruo beyond the ordinary, so she had no suspicions and immediately agreed, promising to take good care of An'an.

Although An'an was young, her thoughts were more sensitive than most; she sensed that Su Ruo and the others had matters to attend to, and knew it would be inconvenient to bring her along, so she promptly said obediently: "Mom, don't worry; An'an will behave and wait at home for you to return."

Looking at her so obedient and sensible daughter, Su Ruo's heart nearly melted; she reached out and hugged her before steeling herself to get into the car.

An'an looked at the vehicle before her; unlike Li Zhaodi's carefree attitude, her eyes were filled with deep, boundless worry.

Zhou Feng had long noticed An'an's unusual precocity; he reached out to ruffle her head and said, "Don't worry, I will definitely take good care of your mother."

An'an smiled, lifted her head, and said, "Mm, I trust you, Uncle."

Zhou Feng looked at An'an's innocent smile, as if her earlier solemn expression had merely been his illusion; he thought helplessly, "Indeed, small in stature but big in spirit—well, a little girl having some thoughts is far better than being a naïve sweetie."

Furthermore, Zhou Feng had a premonition that the path Su Ruo and An'an would walk in the future would inevitably be more perilous; the admission notice affair was merely a beginning.

The car drove for two days and one night, finally arriving in Kyoto; Zhou Feng and the others wasted no time, heading straight to Jingda.

But only when they reached Jingda did they learn that, aside from the teachers on duty, all the other teachers and students were on holiday.

The teachers on duty were not responsible for admissions, so Su Ruo and her companions were simply turned away at the gate.

Zhou Feng immediately contacted his aunt Zhou Lan, who works in the education system; Zhou Lan understood this nephew of hers, knowing that unless it was extremely important he would not come to her for help, and after learning the situation she promptly said: "I will handle this matter; please wait at the gate for a moment."

While waiting, Su Ruo gazed at the school gate before her and for the first time sensed the gap in status and position; if it weren't for Zhou Feng today, she wouldn't even be able to enter this gate.

At this moment, Su Ruo longed to become stronger than she had ever been before; she would not remain forever weak, nor would she forever allow herself to be bullied, and the trials she had just endured would certainly never be visited upon An'an again.

Half an hour later, the director of Jingda's admissions office arrived at the gate; his surname was Wang, a man in his mid‑forties, and it was apparent he had come in some haste, his breath still a little short.

Su Ruo did not know what Zhou Feng's aunt had said, but Director Wang obviously attached importance to the matter and immediately led them together to review the admission documents.

What was puzzling was Su Ruo's name—clearly it had been on the admission list at first, but later someone had crossed it out.

Why this situation had arisen was not only puzzling to Su Ruo and her companions; even the admissions office director was momentarily at a loss.

Su Ruo's political review materials were fine, and her exam scores were more than excellent, far exceeding the admission standards; logically speaking, such a situation should never have occurred.

"Director Wang, I hope your school can give me a reasonable explanation for this."

Su Ruo's voice was somewhat cold, she said in a tone that was neither humble nor arrogant.

Director Wang had not expected that a girl of just ten or so years would possess such a powerful aura; he was stunned for a moment, then, after reacting, he immediately said:

"Please don't rush; I'll make a phone call. Rest assured about this matter—I will certainly give you a reasonable explanation."

Having said that, Director Wang hurried away; although his face showed composure, inside he was actually extremely nervous—for if Su Ruo clearly met the requirements yet was not admitted, that would constitute a major mistake in their work.

Although Director Wang spoke thus, the mood of Su Ruo and her two companions did not relax; on the contrary, it grew even heavier.

Although Su Ruo and her companions had long known that the forces targeting her behind the scenes were powerful, they had not imagined that the opposing side's influence would be so terrifying as to reach directly into the school.

One must bear in mind that this is no ordinary university, but Jingda, the nation's most renowned institution of learning; just how great must the opposing energy be to be able to sway their admissions?

When the admissions office director returned, his complexion was even worse than before; Su Ruo and her companions had by then made sufficient mental preparations, so they were not surprised—given that the other side had already achieved this extent, how could they possibly allow Su Ruo to enter easily?

Su Ruo simply sat quietly there, waiting for Director Wang to give her a reasonable explanation.

The admissions office director looked at Su Ruo, his eyes showing a hint of guilt; he frankly said that although it was their first meeting, he felt a favorable impression of her.

Despite her young age, Su Ruo could remain so composed and collected, neither humble nor arrogant; if properly nurtured she would surely become a pillar of society, and the country is currently in urgent need of such talent.

But Director Wang, recalling the instructions from above, found himself unable to defy them; after a long while he spoke with difficulty: "I'm sorry, Student Su Ruo, but you do not meet our admission criteria."

Su Ruo's hand clenched instantly; although she was angry, she still maintained her composure and said: "Director Wang, I would like to know exactly in which respect I fail to meet your school's admission standards; even if you reject me, you ought to give me a reasonable explanation."

Having held this position for many years, Director Wang quickly steadied his emotions and said: "Our school's admissions consider student grades important, but they are not based solely on grades; what matters most is the student's conduct."

According to our investigation, Student Su Ruo, you treat familial affection with extreme coldness; after your parents' accidental demise, you immediately sold off all the family's property and took all the money to enroll in a rural posting.

This also caused your paternal grandmother, unable to bear the blow, to suffer a stroke in a fit of anger and become bedridden; then, lacking funds for treatment, her condition worsened—she could neither move nor speak, surviving only on daily spoonfuls of rice porridge.

And Student Su Ruo, over the past year you have never once returned to visit her.

Furthermore, according to our investigation, Student Su Ruo, you assaulted your own paternal cousin over a trivial matter, beating him so severely he was hospitalized and left unable to father children for life.

In light of the above, although Student Su Ruo's grades are more than excellent, we still cannot admit you, because for our school a student's grades are certainly important, but her character is even more so.

We refuse to admit you, not only because we are responsible to the school, but more importantly because we are responsible for the life safety of other students.

Su Ruo hearing Director Wang's words almost laughed from anger; for the first time she truly understood what it meant to turn black and white upside down, to take things out of context!