At noon, Jijing Island’s medical association sent a confidential link to the mentors of the 118 participating teams so they could check the rosters. When Yang Tianming received the link, he clicked on it. However, he frowned when he saw the last name on his team’s roster. How come Gu Mang’s name is on the list?
He stared at the computer screen in shock for some time. When he finally snapped out of his daze, his heart was in his mouth. Did I accidentally type in Gu Mang’s name when I was preparing the name list?
He hurriedly moved the mouse and returned to his desktop, where he opened the original file. The document showed only five names and Gu Mang was not on it. What’s going on?
He picked up his phone and contacted the person in charge of the competition. “Hello, Mr. Tang Er. This is Yang Tianming from Capital University speaking.”
“Hello, Professor Yang,” replied the other party politely.
“I’m calling because I noticed a mistake on our roster. There’s an extra name on it.” He asked, “Is this a clerical error?”
“It can’t be,” said Tang Er without even thinking. “It might be a clerical error if the name was misspelled, but there’s no way they’d add an extra name on the list. It’s a huge competition involving nearly 1000 people. Why would the staff add a name on purpose?”
“That’s what I thought at first. I thought it was my own mistake, so I checked the original document. But that student’s name isn’t in the original.” Yang Tianming wrinkled his eyebrows. If there’s no problem on either side, then how did this mistake happen?
“Professor Yang, I think it’s more important to solve this matter first rather than find out who made a mistake.”
Yang Tianming returned to his senses. “Can we make changes to the current roster?”
“No, you know the rules.” Tang Er added, “Besides, this is an international competition. It’s not as flexible as the local small-scale competitions.”
“But the training has ended and the student didn’t participate.” Yang Tianming was burning with anxiety. “We’ll be heading to Jijing Island for the competition tomorrow, so there’s no time to prepare!”
“I’m afraid you’ll have to settle this problem on your own.” Tang Er went by the book. “The name list is set in stone. If this student doesn’t turn up to the competition, they will receive zero points, which will greatly impact your school’s overall score.”
Yang Tianming had a somewhat solemn expression on his face as he pressed his lips together. If we’re going to receive a flat zero, then we might as well just sit out this year’s competition.
Tang Er continued, “The only way the student can withdraw without a penalty is by medical leave. The judges will check with the student’s doctor and decide whether the student can withdraw or not.”
Yang Tianming’s eyes lit up slightly. He was about to speak, but what Tang Er said the next moment dashed his hopes.
“This method is unfeasible, though. Competition staff conducted thorough investigations on all participants and concluded no students have major medical issues.” Trying to deceive Jijing Island was unwise.
Yang Tianming’s eyebrows were knitted tighter together. So we have no choice but to participate in the competition?
…
After hanging up, Yang Tianming closed his eyes and massaged his temples. He really had no idea how to broach the matter to Gu Mang. After all, he failed to get her to join the competition even after much persuasion. It was clear that she had no intention of joining the competition. Given her temper, it was unlikely that she would consider the big picture.