Damn it, I'm surrounded by childhood sweethearts

"I don't want to skip grades!" Seeing several adults open their mouths to speak, Xu Qingfan raised his voice and interrupted, "Listen to me first!" "First, I have already adapted to my current social circle. After skipping grades, I would have to change roommates and live and study with classmates several years older than me. Others will treat me as an outsider, ostracize me, and I could develop psychological issues—that's the first point!" Second, if I suddenly skip from the first grade to the fourth grade, all my free time will definitely be spent on extra tutoring, extra tutoring, and more extra tutoring. I am a human, not a study tool. The things you yourselves couldn't do when you were young, why force them onto me! Third, even if it's as Principal Li said, I attend high school at eight, college at nine, then what? What's the meaning of attending college for me? After college, can I change the Great Heavenly Dynasty or save all of humanity? I can't do either. After graduating from college, I'll still be just an ordinary person, so what's the difference between that and diligently following the normal ten-year course to college?" His long, well-reasoned rebuttal left everyone in the room dumbstruck, Xu Qingfan secretly pleased with himself, as he was the former top debater at Material Ability College. "Wow wow wow~" Zhang Chunxue led the applause while Lin Wanning, Zhang Yiyi, and Xia Xiaoxiao, not fully grasping the situation, also clapped along. The adults snapped out of it, Li Haichao's eyes shining as he stared at Xu Qingfan, his logic and clarity surpassing that of adults, making him wonder, Xu Qingfan, how can you say you're not a prodigy? "Fanfan's mom, listen! I've been teaching for over twenty years, and someone this articulate, it's really the first time I've encountered. The concerns about life and studying that Qingfan mentioned, they're not an issue at all. Our school will definitely make the proper arrangements!" Li Haichao said emotionally to Yao Jiping. The Experimental Primary School urgently needed to establish the flag of a child prodigy to grow and expand, continuing to build schools in Hong Kong. Xu Qingfan: ... [Damn, being praised feels even worse than being scolded!] Xu Qingfan turned his pleading eyes to Zhang Chunxue, who gestured back with an 'OK' sign. "Fanfan's mom, we are all parents here, and I can fully understand your feelings. Which one of us doesn't hope our child will succeed?" Several parents turned their attention to Zhang Chunxue, eager to hear how she would turn the conversation. "But, skipping grades isn't about hoping your child will succeed; it's more like pulling up the shoots to help them grow!" Seeing Principal Li about to interrupt, Zhang Chunxue's icy gaze turned towards him, and he immediately held back what he was about to say. "Xiao Fan and Xiao Xiao are exceptionally bright children, probably the smartest ones I've seen among so many kids. I'm not denying they could take the college entrance exam at eleven or twelve, or even at eight or nine if they skip grades, but how good can a university entered this way be?" "Principal Li said if you don't do well, you can just retake it next year, right? Isn't having several chances better?" Yao Jiping asked. Zhang Chunxue suddenly remembered her own senior year of high school, and upon hearing Mrs. Yao's words, she laughed in relief. She looked disdainfully at Li Haichao, "Fanfan's mom, senior year is very tough, many people can't even endure half of it. If Xiao Fan skips grades to senior year, not only is he young, but you also want him to repeat it multiple years? Even the smartest kids will go crazy!" Xu Qingfan: !!! [She's really, I'm crying to death!] Xu Qingfan, who had repeated a year in his past life, stood beside her, nodding vigorously. He surely had a lot to say, especially remembering the despair of failing a monthly test, a sensation that would sweep through his body like a virus, leaving a gaping hole in his heart. Listening to Zhang Chunxue's words, Yao Jiping suddenly recalled her own middle school exam period. The stench of sweaty classrooms, the creaky desks, the emptied pen cartridges, and the never-ending stream of test papers ... [Seems like it was pretty tough, huh.] Yao Jiping thought. Seeing that all the adults remained silent, Xu Qingfan very cooperatively asked further, "What if I excel in just one try?" "That would be even worse!" "Huh?" Apart from Xu Qingfan, question marks appeared above everyone else's heads within the room. "Isn't it a good thing to pass the exam? How could it be even worse?" Lin Jing asked, puzzled. "Imagine if Xiao Fan entered university at ten years old and graduated at fourteen, still a minor. Wouldn't he only be able to continue with graduate studies?" Zhang Chunxue paused, and seeing everyone nodding, she continued: "Let's not talk about whether he could get into a graduate program. Even gaining admission doesn't mean everything is set! I have high school classmates who are pursuing PhDs at Yan University and Beijing University, and the most common complaint I heard at the last reunion was how tough scientific research is. Good grades don't necessarily mean you can become a scientist, Qingfan's mom!" [So true!] Xu Qingfan massively agreed. "Another crucial point is that Xiao Fan and Xiao Xiao could have had many options in life, but after skipping grades, it seems like the only path left is pursuing PhDs and becoming scientists. Why should it be this way?" If the previous remarks had made everyone contemplative, the last statement resonated deeply, erasing all possibilities of taking this risky narrow bridge. Is this really for the children's benefit? Lin Jing was the first to see through this, realizing she had been stuck in a dead end, always thinking that studying in the first grade was a waste of time. Little did she know, continuing with this mindset could exhaust someone to death. "Yiyi's mom, you are absolutely right. Thank you so much for your advice. Without you, I would have nearly walked into a dead end myself!" she thanked Zhang Chunxue deeply with a bow. "Principal, Xiao Xiao won't be skipping a grade. I don't want her to look back on her Childhood and realize it was consumed only by studying." "Then my little rascal won't skip a grade either. I'm truly sorry for the trouble, principal," Yao Jiping said, seeing her close friend speak up, she joined in. "Won't you reconsider? Moving to the third grade is also an option!" "Stop using these tricks. We send our children here because we trust the capabilities of the teachers at Experimental Primary School, not to make them your showpieces!" Zhang Chunxue rebuked in a cold tone. Experimental Primary School has two principals, one of whom is Li Haichao, responsible for admissions and internal affairs, while the other is a specially appointed national excellent teacher who handles education. "Yay!!!" "Brother Qingfan doesn't have to skip grades~" After leaving the office, Lin Wanning released the emotions she had been holding in for a while, happily hopping at the front of the line with Zhang Yiyi. "Sister Zhang, you went through a lot of trouble to come here," Yao Jiping thanked her with a nod. "Compared to the help Xiao Fan has been to Yiyi, what I did is nothing," Zhang Chunxue said, smiling and waving her hand. "Xiao Fan is the most assertive child I've ever met. You could actually listen to his opinions more often." "Hahaha~ Not to mention, the way Xiao Fan shouted at someone in the office was rather intimidating. Listen to me first!" Lin Jing imitated Xu Qingfan's tone from earlier. "This rascal, he has grown up so much, not at all like when he was young, always trailing behind me calling for mom," Yao Jiping mused, shaking her head. "Come here, you rascal!" "Mom, what's up?" Xu Qingfan left the group of kids and ran back to his mother. "Mom owes you an apology; I was wrong about this situation," Yao Jiping said soothingly, ruffling her rascal's hair. Xu Qingfan's eyes suddenly reddened, "Hmm." [Catching crayfish, buying lottery tickets... I don't know when it started, but this rascal seemed to have grown up all at once.] Yao Jiping reflected on the drastic family changes over the past year, feeling deeply emotional. (PS: Have the recent chapters been a bit toxic? There were many critical comments in the discussion section that threw me off, woohoo~)