Is luck also a part of one's strength?

A simple copying test eliminated more than twenty participants at once. By the afternoon of the fourth day, when Teacher Ding conducted the second round of extension training, the number of people in each team had dropped by a third, and the teams themselves were now uneven in size.

The original teams had been assigned randomly, and the eliminations in the exams were even more unpredictable (or not, depending on perspective). Now, the largest team had around ten people left, while the smallest had only five—a difference of twice as many.

Yet Ding Dun seemed to have no intention of reassigning the teams. He merely muttered something about “luck being part of strength,” then proceeded to assign the same tasks, calculating points based on performance.

At first, everyone dismissed Ding Dun’s ramblings, until the fifth day’s test began.

“Hello, students. Today’s competition is organized by our Faculty of Arts, and it is the last elimination round of the winter camp—”

At these words, all sixty-two students present exhaled in relief; the concentration of carbon dioxide in the air seemed to double instantly.

Finally… the last elimination round, at last…

“This round is a buzzer-point contest, conducted in teams. The rules are simple: answer questions by buzzing in within the allotted time, correct answers earn one point, wrong answers do not deduct points. After the competition, the team with the lowest score will be eliminated in its entirety.”

Elimination of an entire team… It sounded intimidating, but, in other words, only one team would be eliminated.

So, the chances of staying were actually quite high?

The students on site perked up.

“As for how teams will be divided—”

The Faculty of Arts teacher swept his gaze across the eager students on the field, then gestured invitingly toward Teacher Ding Dun at the judges’ table.

“—According to Teacher Ding, you were already assigned to teams during the previous days’ training. So, today’s competition will use Teacher Ding’s team assignments.”

According to… Teacher Ding’s… teams?

Everyone looked at each other, then, one by one, raised their hands hesitantly.

“Teacher, but the teams all have different numbers of people. Isn’t that unfair to smaller teams?”

The Faculty of Arts teacher smiled cheerfully and waved a hand.

“Teacher Ding said that luck is part of strength!”

Luck is part of strength… what nonsense.

This was the Nanjing University winter camp selection! It was a competition that determined their fates!

Could it really be left to luck?

Yet both the chief examiner and the judges on stage wore calm expressions, silently conveying the truth to all the students present.

It really could.

“Well then, please gather in your training teams and discuss your strategies. The competition will begin in twenty minutes.”

With the Faculty of Arts teacher’s decisive announcement, the students immediately dispersed to form their teams.

Chen Ruomin’s team had neither particularly good nor bad luck; seven members remained, and their leader from the extension training, Wu Jie, was still present, saving them much time in assigning roles.

They found a relatively open spot and formed a circle. Wu Jie pulled a small notebook from his pocket.

“The tricky part is that we don’t know what kinds of questions the teachers will ask. If we want to take first place, we’ll need to work a bit harder.”

“First place?” Mo Xiaoxin was the first to react in surprise.

“Isn’t only one team eliminated? We don’t need to be first, just not last.”

Wu Jie glanced around, making sure no one was listening, then quietly explained to the puzzled teammates.

“My brother got into Nanjing University through the winter camp. According to him, besides eliminating the lowest scoring team in the group competition, there’s another unspoken rule.”

“What rule?”

Wu Jie glanced at the judges, speaking mysteriously.

“The team that takes first place gets to choose their major.”

“Choose their major?” Chen Ruomin, who had been yawning in boredom, suddenly became alert.

The winter camp offered a spot at Nanjing University, but afterward, they had to go through the early May interview to compete for their desired major. Each department sent representatives to conduct group interviews.

If the department they wanted was among those organizing the winter camp, the interviewers would have a sense of their performance; otherwise, it would take considerable effort.

If they failed the interview, they would be randomly assigned a major.

That was why the very top students often did not use the winter camp to apply to Nanjing University.

“I don’t need to tell you how important a college major is, do I? For a better tomorrow, for the fate of the rest of our lives, we must give it our all!”

Wu Jie extended his hand, palm up, to the center of the circle.

“For a better tomorrow.”

The boy standing next to Wu Jie was the first to respond, pressing his palm atop Wu Jie’s.

“For a better tomorrow.”

Mo Xiaoxin and the other three boys soon followed, stacking their hands together to cheer for the team.

Chen Ruomin suddenly felt a little dazed. Before, when Bai Jinyan told her how ordinary families’ children would go to any lengths for the college entrance exam, she had felt nothing—after all, even if she didn’t graduate from high school, she could still go home and inherit the family business. She couldn’t understand the feelings of ordinary people.

But now, she seemed to understand a little.

This was just a winter camp—not yet the real exam. Yet, after several brutal eliminations, seeing teammates who had worked alongside her weeping as they handed in their number tags and left, watching everyone nervously and desperately trying to score just a little more in every test and training session—all these moments were etched indelibly in her mind.

If even a winter camp, with the chance to reverse one’s fate, could be so intense, what would the real exam be like?

Yes, Chen Ruomin had many choices, but for most people, life offered no second chances.

Even for herself, if she missed this winter camp, she couldn’t be sure she’d ever get another opportunity to enter Nanjing University and become Bai Jinyan’s classmate.

Encouraged by her teammates’ glances and words, Chen Ruomin finally extended her hand and gently placed it on top.

“For… a better tomorrow…”

“Let’s do it—!”

...

“Let me take stock,” Wu Jie said, unfolding his notebook and biting the cap off his pen. “What is everyone best at? If we divide tasks by topic, we might be more efficient.”

Best at what?

Everyone fell into deep thought.

“I’ll go first.” Seeing their troubled faces, Wu Jie took the lead. “Divided by subject, I’m best at physics and chemistry, so if the questions are about those, I can probably answer most of them. But I heard the buzzer contest might not only cover academic topics. I’ve always loved reading biographies, so if the questions are about famous figures, I might be able to answer some as well. What about you?”