CHAPTER 251: CHAPTER 71: THE REAL TEST

Several months later, I returned to Kelly Women’s College again. As winter approached, there were significant changes in Kelly Women’s College. The campus, not yet covered with snow, already displayed a desolate autumnal decay. The only spots of greenery were in the greenhouses managed by Pello.

The early advancement assessment was much more brutal than Su Ziceng had imagined; two-thirds of the students couldn’t overcome the "hundred-dollar barrier." In the class, only about ten people were left.

No one likes the sight of parting; the elimination at Kelly was both real and cruel. Wen Maixue organized a farewell party where each girl received a handbook. Some of the girls who were forced to leave chose to continue their studies at places like Daoquan University, while others decided to either enter society directly or get married.

Even though they were eliminated from Kelly Women’s College, the experience at Kelly was like coating them with a beautiful bridal gown, helping them enter high society.

To Su Ziceng’s surprise, a similar handbook was distributed to those who weren’t eliminated, but it was noticeably thinner than the ones given to the eliminated girls.

After sending off those girls, Wen Maixue asked the remaining ten or so to stay. "Welcome everyone, for staying at Kelly Women’s College. I believe the impression of this advancement exam is strong for all, and I deeply apologize for the inconvenience caused by the internal adjustments in how Kelly is operated."

As Wen Maixue spoke, there was a pause in her tone, and a wave of melancholy permeated the classroom. Everyone sensed the change in Wen Maixue’s mood. A few girls sitting in the front row began to sob softly. Even Su Ziceng, who usually disagreed with Wen Maixue, felt a tinge in her nose.

All present knew of the imminent fate of Kelly Women’s College being subsumed, for the Wen family it meant ending a two-hundred-year-old endeavor, and for the other girls, it was a lament for the old academy where they had spent over a year.

"Everyone has seen, I previously handed out a handbook to those leaving, recording the contact information of all female students who have left Kelly in the past fifty years, that’s Kelly’s parting gift to them," Wen Maixue said, her voice regaining its usual clarity, as if the previous pause was just a simple adjustment.

That handbook was... Su Ziceng felt a dryness in her throat. It was indeed no small gift from Kelly. As someone with experience, she understood what such a list meant; it represented a vast network, something any young student entering society would lack.

"The booklet I distributed to you contains contact information for the most successful one hundred former Kelly Women’s College students over the past fifty years, also included are recommendation letters from Kelly," most of the female students lowered their heads to inspect the handbook upon hearing this, and some couldn’t help exclaiming in surprise.

Su Ziceng didn’t move; she just stared at Wen Maixue, who was also looking back at her, both sensing the spark created by their eye contact, rubbing and pressing against each other.

Unlike others who thought Su Ziceng had passed the advancement test by sheer luck, Wen Maixue knew well that there’s nothing like absolute luck in the world. She had passed because of her skillful card-playing during her trip to New York, but what had Su Ziceng relied on?

Sitting in the middle of the classroom, Su Ziceng curved the corners of her mouth upward, meeting her gaze. Wen Maixue spoke again: "This is also your schedule for the next year."

Upon these words, even the composed Su Ziceng reacted immediately. She had barely survived the advancement exam, and now hoped not to fail because of this odd schedule.

This contact handbook was no different from regular ones, except that it recorded the educational and career achievements of Kelly’s female graduates in addition to detailed descriptions of their personalities and preferences.

"What sort of schedule is this?" Su Ziceng murmured.

"You can take turns visiting the distinguished women listed here," this handbook truly represents the elite of Kelly Women’s College, each not only possessing a respectable standing but also their own careers," then with their help and yours, establish your own business before graduating."