"Such a loud voice!" The beautiful woman next to him suddenly put her arm on Shujie and stared at him angrily: "Don't let people sleep?" "Sharp teeth, full of Beijing accent.

Depend on! Aren't you wearing headphones? This can be heard too! Shujie realized that he had sung loudly, so he hurriedly apologized to the eldest lady. The beauty muttered a few words, pulled down the blindfold, and went back to 'sleep'.

Fortunately, I didn't wake up the children in the back. Shujie put back on his headphones and reminded himself to stop making noise. However, he couldn't calm down.

In the year of Hong Kong's return, Shujie failed his first GRE test. Both Ed and Dapeng scored about 2200, but he only scored a pitiful 1680. What if you apply or not? At that time, Shujie's heart was trembling. Let's apply, I'm not sure at all. New West's consultant said on the phone: If it is rejected, it will leave a record at the other school, which will affect future applications. He suggested that Shujie retake the exam before applying. If he didn't apply, Shujie was unwilling. He still remembers the day he got the results, and it was unusually cold.

In the spring of the following year, Ed and Dapeng both got admission letters from the United States, but Shujie's drawer was stuffed with rejection letters. Before leaving, dormitory 606 had a meal. "You'll definitely be able to pass the exam next year. See you soon. Dapeng told him. Yes, we'll pick you up at the airport together. Ed chimed in.

The night Dapeng and Ed left, Shujie sat in the dormitory, with mixed feelings in his heart. At this time, Yao Jun came over and encouraged: "Shujie, believe in yourself, you can do it." ”

"What if you really can't do it?"

"Then don't put so much pressure on yourself." Yao Jun replied: "There is not only one way to go abroad in the world. ”

In the following year, Shujie studied for graduate school and prepared for the GRE at the same time, and his life was extremely difficult. The rejection of that drawer haunted him like a nightmare. How this year came by, only Shujie himself knows. But the night before the retake, he had insomnia. Finally staying up until dawn, Shujie stood alone on the basketball court downstairs in the dormitory, with a splitting headache. He knew that if he scored two low scores in a row, the application would be completely useless. After thinking about it, Shu Jiesi finally gave up on this retake.

In 2000, although Shujie didn't have any hopes, he still went to take his third GRE and also sent an application, which can be regarded as an explanation of his youthful dreams. Maybe the university in the United States really keeps his past grades, but Shujie still keeps receiving rejection letters. By mid-August, he had completely given up the idea of going abroad, and began to prepare his master's thesis, asking for a relationship work.

What about going to Beijing? Or go back to Chengdu? The young scholar used to be ambitious, but now he can't make up his mind at all. One day, he worked late in the lab, and his teachers and classmates were gone. Suddenly, a new email popped up on the computer screen in front of me. Shujie glanced at it, and the beginning of the email address was a foreigner's name, which was quite complicated, but the suffix was only a few letters: ND.EDU.

ND？ Notre Dame, isn't this the University of Notre Dame in the United States? Shujie vaguely remembers that he had applied, but he did not remember whether he had received a rejection letter from this prestigious school. Maybe he rejected the letter too much and was numb. But Shujie knew very well that all the rejection letters he had received in the past three years had been ordinary mail from the post office.

What's going on? Shujie didn't want to let his flame of hope be kindled again, and then ruthlessly extinguished. He turned the lab chair and picked up an English version of the Organic Chemistry Monthly and flipped through it. What are you drawing? The reactive style of the magazine is distorted and hideous, and Shujie can't understand it at all. But he knew why: the computer on the bench!

Shujie turned his head to look at the computer. On the screen, several bubbles are bouncing around, as if shouting: Come on, come on, break me. Finally couldn't help it, Shujie threw himself on the keyboard, entered the screensaver password tremblingly, and then clicked on the email.

It was a letter from Professor Blackburn. Shujie once followed the application strategy of the New West, and emailed many professors from the United States. But he couldn't remember what he had said to Professor Blackburn, or who Professor Blackburn was. But on this night, that doesn't matter anymore. What is important is that a Chinese student who has been admitted to the University of Notre Dame suddenly cannot come for some reason. So Professor Blackburn asked in an email if he would like to be a substitute.

Is this true? Shujie immediately printed the e-mail and read it word for word several times before making sure he understood what Professor Blackburn meant. That night, Shujie cried tears of joy in the laboratory. After reporting the good news to his parents and three old friends, he dug out the New West's "Study Abroad Guide" from the waste cardboard box. One by one, Shujie completed the formalities according to the "Study Abroad Guide", returned to Chengdu to say goodbye to his parents, and then came to Beijing and boarded a plane to the United States at the capital airport.

"When you see Dapeng and Ed, remember to say hello to me!" Yaojun sent Shujie to the airport.

"That's for sure." Shujie said outside the security check: "Next time I come back, I have to call you the medicine manager." ”

"That's it!" Yao Jun patted Shujie on the shoulder: "Come in!" Your dreams are about to take off. ”

"Okay, I'll call you when I get to the United States." Shujie waved his hand and walked into the security check, saying goodbye to Yaojun, and also saying goodbye to the past three years. yes, it's all gone. Shujie raised his head, and on the big screen in front of him, Duolong played by Chen Baixiang was dancing, and the subtitles below read: De... Get... I get what I want, I get what I want. Halfway through Duolong's singing, Wei Xiaobao's big head suddenly appeared in front of him.

Everyone in the 606 dormitory has seen this shot countless times, but Shujie still can't help laughing. Then, he realized that there was no sound in his headphones, so he picked up his Walkman and looked at it, and it turned out to be out of battery. No, no, Shujie looked around the cabin, almost all the passengers were asleep, and the Beijing-accented beauty next to him was no exception. Her headphones were hanging around her neck, and the little red light below was still flashing.

Shujie had insomnia again. But this time, he wasn't nervous at all, because he knew that a fresh start awaited him on the other end of the voyage. If you can't sleep, you won't sleep. Shujie took out the graduation guest book again and looked through it over and over again. Before you know it, the plane has been flying for more than ten hours.

"Sir," a flight attendant tapped his shoulder lightly and asked in Chinese, "Are you a U.S. citizen or a green card holder?" ”

"It's not." Shujie didn't know why she was asking.

"If you don't sleep, you can fill out the entry documents first."

"Okay." Shujie is worried that he has nothing to do. He took the document and opened it, and there were two of them, both in English. The first is the customs declaration form. Have you ever carried more than $10,000 in cash with you? Shujamer reads. The corners of his mouth cracked: Simple! I'm a poor ghost. He pulled out his passport and solved the customs declaration form with a raise of his hand. Shujie then opened the second form, and at a glance saw the three characters on the top of the form: I-94. I'm familiar with this! He took out the "Study Abroad Book" and filled it in as he read it.

The treasure book of the new West is awesome! Shujie put pen to paper, and quickly filled out the fabled and daunting I-94. To be sure, he read the forms several more times. At this time, Shujie felt a little tired for the first time. He looked up at the flight route map on the small TV on the roof of the cabin. Above the dark blue earth, a small white plane has crossed the North Pole and is following a silver dotted line into the country north of the country.

It was pitch black outside the porthole, and nothing could be seen. I'm afraid it will take five or six hours to get to Chicago. Shujie muttered to himself, then put the completed form on his face, closed his eyes, and continued to imagine the upcoming life of studying abroad.

Thinking about it, thinking about it, Shujie's head tilted, and the whole person fell asleep.