The school I attended, though private, was one of the top institutions of its kind. It operated on a "lenient entry, strict exit" policy and offered only one major: accounting.
The goal was to earn the international chartered accountant certificate, also known as ACCA, which is quite highly recognized internationally.
The only catch was that the exam pass rate was very low, making it difficult to graduate.
There were a total of 15 courses, including required and elective ones.
For students with a weaker foundation, there was a preparatory program called CAT. The certificate for this was also issued by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).
Sun Qirui and Du Le both started with the CAT program.
CAT is divided into three levels: A, B, and C.
Among those of us who came together, I was the only one who started directly with the ACCA program.
"Sanhe, I didn't realize you were so smart! From now on, I'll call you Big Bro. You've got to look out for me," Du Le said, sounding a bit goofy.
The ACCA curriculum is also divided into three parts.
F1 to F3. Passing these three allows you to apply for a Diploma in Accounting and Business.
Those who pass CAT are exempt from these three exams.
I benefited from my C9 background and also got the exemption.
"Wow, you even get exemptions?" Du Le was green with envy.
F4 to F9. Passing these allows you to apply for an Advanced Diploma in Accounting and Business. After passing CAT, students start directly from F4.
"Well, once I finish CAT, it's like I'm exempt from the first three papers too," Du Le consoled himself.
P1 to P4. After passing all of these, you can apply for ACCA Affiliate status. Only after gaining three years of work experience can you apply for full ACCA membership.
To compensate for this, after passing exams F1 through F9, you can apply to Oxford Brookes University in the UK for a degree certificate, which is roughly equivalent to a Chinese bachelor's degree.
"Sanhe, we're studying in Singapore and can still get a degree from a British university. Aren't we lucky?" Du Le was ecstatic.
For me, if it were a bachelor's degree from the University of Oxford, that would be one thing.
After all, Oxford is ranked higher globally than the C9 universities. It would still be a bachelor's degree, but at least it would be a step up.
But this was Oxford Brookes, not Oxford.
It was like graduating from Tsinghua or Peking University and then being told to go study at a private vocational college.
The whole situation felt like a slap in the face.
I couldn't share Du Le's excitement.
Looking back now, I can only blame myself for being too trusting, for believing everything people said. Before coming here, it never even occurred to me to doubt what I was told and do my own research.
But I had the visa in hand, a student pass valid for three and a half years. I was new here, completely in the dark. I figured I'd just have to take it one step at a time.
To my surprise, on the very first day of class, I discovered a treasure trove!
This school had one huge advantage: it was full of beautiful women!
Back in university, there were only two girls in my class. Like me, they were from small towns, and none of us paid much attention to our appearance.
For four years, we all got along like brothers. It was hard to see them as women.
But the girls studying accounting were a completely different story. Every single one wore exquisite makeup, each more stunning than the last, enchanting you like sirens. Read the latest chapters at novelping.com.
On that first day, I felt like my eyes couldn't keep up. They were spinning from exhaustion!
With the all-English lectures, my ears were spinning too.
My head was spinning. I couldn't tell if it was from not understanding the lecture or from being dazzled by all the beautiful women.
Amidst this flock of sirens, I quickly found a kindred spirit.
A fellow Chinese brother who, like me, looked completely captivated.
I observed him discreetly. He had a fair complexion and a medium build, around 178 centimeters tall by my estimate. His skin was thin, almost translucent, with many fine lines around his eyes.
From a face-reading perspective, people with thin skin are sensitive and easily swayed by their emotions.
You rarely find prominent figures in politics or business with such features; great achievers are usually not bothered by trivialities.
Although there are corresponding solutions for all sorts of facial feature "problems," I was in no mood to dwell on that at the moment.
During the break, I hurried over to say hello.
He seemed just as excited to find a kindred spirit. Humans are social animals, after all.
"I'm Bai Zhigao," he introduced himself proudly.
"I'm Wang Sanhe," I said cheerfully.
Perhaps he was just too excited, but he came off as a bit creepy.
For all I knew, I probably looked just as creepy, I just couldn't see it myself.
As the two of us were chuckling, a timid voice drifted over. "Excuse me?"