When the college entrance examination results came out, He Wenjie unsurprisingly became the city's top scorer, missing the provincial top spot by a mere two points. On the day the scores were announced, school leaders and officials from the Education Bureau made a special trip to deliver the good news to He Wenjie. A fourteen-year-old top scorer was a major political achievement for both the school and the Education Bureau. Just as the neighbors in the courtyard were rejoicing for He Wenjie, he caught sight of Ma Siyi standing by her bedroom window, watching him. As their eyes met, He Wenjie read the reluctance to part in her gaze.
Upon learning his score, the school even wanted to pay to have He Wenjie's exam papers rechecked; if they could squeeze out just two more points anywhere, No. 1 High School would become famous across the province. However, this idea was ultimately blocked by He Wenjie. Although the bonus for the city's top scorer wasn't as high as the provincial one, it gave He Wenjie a convenient excuse. He had been fretting over how to find a reason to stay in Flower Street, and he seized this opportunity to propose retaking the year on the grounds of being too young.
Though a top scorer choosing to retake the exam sounded absurd, people found it somewhat acceptable given He Wenjie's age. Still, this made He Wenjie famous throughout Honghuai. Because he had been very opinionated since childhood, Grandma Ma and the others didn't try to persuade him otherwise. On…
Chapter 1198