Liyá was not only one of the four major high schools in Star City, but also one of the first eight key schools listed in Southern Province. It was quite famous throughout the province.
The school site was not small, covering 94 acres, and a new campus was being built, covering 150 acres, which was said to open in 25 years.
The parking lot was quite far from the teaching building, which allowed for enjoying the scenery along the way.
The aged camphor trees were tall and straight, walking on such a path, not only was the sunlight blocked by dense branches and leaves, but one could also smell a faint fragrance.
From time to time, a few students in uniforms passed by, sporting thick glasses and unsophisticated looks, making Shen Yuan feel somewhat dazed.
The boys mostly had small mustaches and shaved crew cuts, while the girls mostly tied ponytails, their bare faces smiling without any impurities.
During his three years at high school, Shen Yuan's classmates had basically looked , except for the rebellious him who refused to shave his hair short.
Back then, there weren't many pleasant memories because the academic atmosphere at Liya was too intense, unsuitable for a freedom-loving poor student like Shen Yuan.
Liyá's walls were also very high, making internet access inconvenient, and Shen Yuan didn't know how he had managed to endure at the time.
It wasn't long before a school-uniformed girl, wearing a volunteer badge, greeted him warmly.
"Senior, hello, I am a volunteer from Liyá's current Alumni Association, would you like me to take you to the venue?"
Shen Yuan glanced at this junior, her loose uniform clothing still unable to hide her figure, heavy glasses framing a fair and pure face.
She wasn't short either, wearing flat sneakers, her height reached Shen Yuan's ear level.
Students these days, their nutrition really keeps getting better.
"Little sis, life's tough, huh? You're roped into volunteering even before school starts," Shen Yuan casually said.
The junior replied, "The homeroom teacher said that many outstanding graduates are returning this time, not only entrepreneurs but also academicians. They'll even give speeches on stage."
Shen Yuan smiled and said, "That means you have a strong desire to improve, you must have good grades, right?"
The junior modestly shook her head, "It's mediocre. It's very hard to get into the top 20 of the grade, I can only linger around the 30th rank."
Shen Yuan's mouth twitched, suspecting this junior was being humble. A Liyá top 30 would score above 600 points, maybe even better.
Such scores would allow one to freely choose among the top '985' and '211' universities.
However, Shen Yuan would never admit his own shortcomings, just indifferently said, "Oh, that's pretty mediocre indeed."
The junior turned her head sincerely, "Senior, since you were invited to the Alumni Association, your school performance must have been very good."
"I just escorted two seniors to the venue, one graduated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the other from Kyoto University. Which university did you graduate from?"
Damn, that stings, little sister, the last thing your senior can show off is his academic credentials.
Shen Yuan cleared his throat, "Little sis, I have to criticize you there."
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The junior looked puzzled, unsure of what she had done wrong.
Shen Yuan explained slowly, "Judging a person by their alma mater is too superficial. I believe we are here not because we scored well enough to enter certain universities, but because we have achieved something and contributed to society."
The junior nodded thoughtfully, "I see, senior."
Shen Yuan smiled in satisfaction, "Yes, as long as you understand."
The inquisitive junior blinked and asked, "Which university did you graduate from after all?"
Soon, the junior led Shen Yuan to the center of the venue. At the entrance, two student volunteers checked his electronic invitation letter. As they were leaving, the junior asked, "Senior, what's your name?"
"I'm Shen Yuan, and you?"
The junior smiled sweetly, "I'm Wei Ke'er."
Shen Yuan silently noted down the name Wei Ke'er, thinking to himself, grow up quickly, little sis. Once you're 18, your senior will come to hang out with you.
Wei Ke'er watched Shen Yuan enter the venue, thinking that this senior was really interesting. In the end, he still hadn't told her his alma mater.
Was Shen Yuan's school really that embarrassing?
"Shen Yuan, Shen Yuan, abyss?"
Wei Ke'er murmured to herself, blinked her clear eyes, and then left to see if other alumni needed help.
According to the electronic invitation, the theme of this Alumni Association was the "117th Anniversary" celebration, with a rich itinerary starting with an opening ceremony at the auditorium accompanied by speeches from school leaders and distinguished guests.
This was followed by alumni sharing, interactive raffles, free communication and touring, reminiscing youth, and concluding with a banquet.
After Shen Yuan entered the venue, he found that there were indeed many people, but most were middle-aged men and women, with a small portion of elderly alumni. Among them could be academicians, truly the pillars of the country.
Suddenly, a loud voice rang out from behind. Shen Yuan turned around to see a round belly and a pair of small glasses, smiling broadly—it was none other than his homeroom teacher, Old Yu.
Shen Yuan greeted him cheerfully.
Although not favored by Old Yu back then, Old Yu was actually quite easy to get along with, especially since he also loved to gossip—within a class atmosphere where everyone else was studying, only Shen Yuan and another classmate who studied abroad ranked last liked to brag with him.
"Dressed up fancy, you actually look quite the part."
Old Yu chuckled and said, while pulling out a pack of Furong Wang from his pants pocket, "Do you smoke now? Want to go have a couple?"