Ring, ring, ring…
As the end-of-class bell rang, the final exam of the day came to a close.
"Didn't they say the mock exam was meant to build our confidence? How is it this hard?!"
"I know, right? The test paper this time was way too difficult; I didn't even finish."
"What did you pick for question 5 of the science comprehensive multiple-choice section?"
"B, and you?"
"I went with A…"
"I got B too."
"Damn it, missed another one."
As usual, a group of students huddled together to compare answers.
Hong Letao bounced over eagerly, only to walk back a moment later with a long face.
Ye Xuan chuckled. "What's wrong?"
Hong Letao slumped dejectedly. "I think I bombed the test again…"
"So what if you bombed it? It's just a mock exam."
"But the Gaokao is only a month away! What am I going to do if I can't get into college?"
"If you don't, you don't. Going to college isn't the only way out in life."
Hong Letao's eyes lit up. "Really?"
The other students perked up as well.
The pressure from the Gaokao was simply too immense.
They wanted to hear what other paths existed outside of college.
Even Xiao Nanzhi, who was still giving Ye Xuan the silent treatment, couldn't help but perk up her ears.
Ye Xuan nodded. "Of course it's real. In the future, college graduates won't be worth much anyway—you'd make more money working on a construction site. If you can't get into college, just go work on a site pouring concrete; I guarantee you'll have it better than most of our classmates."
Hong Letao: "? ? ?"
The other students burst out laughing.
So pouring concrete was his idea of another way out?
That was just too vicious!
Xiao Nanzhi couldn't help laughing with vexation either. "This guy, all he knows is how to bully Hong Letao!"
University expansion had only just begun in 1999.
Back in 2004, college graduates were still quite a rare commodity.
Naturally, the other students wouldn't believe such a thing as college grads becoming worthless in the future.
After snapping out of his daze, Hong Letao flipped Ye Xuan the universal international greeting.
Ye Xuan chuckled. "You think I'm joking with you? Seriously, you have the constitution of a natural-born concrete-pourer; it'd be a waste if you didn't go to a construction site."
Hong Letao's family background was quite ordinary.
His grades were also hovering around the lower-middle tier of the class.
In his past life, he had been admitted to a tier-three university and majored in civil engineering.
After graduation, he went straight to a construction site to pour concrete…
Of course, since Ye Xuan had been reborn, he was definitely going to lend his best friend a hand.
In his past life, he had managed to secure a car and a house for Hong Letao without a worry.
In this life, he would naturally take it a step further!
"What does 'pouring concrete' mean?"
"Constitution of a natural-born concrete-pourer? Where on earth did Ye Xuan pick up these words? Too funny!"
The classmates were amused all over again.
"Ye Xuan, if you want to go to a construction site, go yourself, don't drag Letao into it. Letao, if there's anything you don't understand from now on, just come ask me. As the class monitor, I have an obligation to help every single classmate improve their grades!"
Chen Ming, who was always at odds with Ye Xuan, stepped forward. He patted Hong Letao on the shoulder and said with an air of righteous righteousness.
Hong Letao immediately shook his shoulder off in disgust. "Forget it, I'd rather ask Ye Xuan."
He wasn't stupid; how could he not see that Chen Ming was just using him as a stepping stone to step on Ye Xuan?
As the best friend who always had to shield Ye Xuan in every fight, he had to draw a clear line between himself and Chen Ming right away!
Chen Ming gave a dry laugh. "Asking Ye Xuan isn't out of the question, but didn't he only place 13th in the class on his last exam? There might be some problems even he can't solve."
Though he left the rest unsaid, everyone understood his meaning.
Chen Ming had always been second in the class, right behind Xiao Nanzhi.
When it came to academic performance, Ye Xuan was indeed no match for him.
Hong Letao was furious on the spot.
I was ignoring you, and you're actually pushing your luck, you bastard?
Before he could blow his top, however, Ye Xuan smiled. "Previously, I was just hiding my true strength. Come on, Letao, let's go."
Hong Letao nodded, grabbed his schoolbag, and followed Ye Xuan out.
Xiao Nanzhi instantly grew nervous.
She hadn't spoken to Ye Xuan for 10 whole hours; surely Ye Xuan knew it was time to come coax her, right?
Right, he definitely would—she knew Ye Xuan inside and out!
So… if he asked her to walk home together, should she refuse, or should she play hard to get for a moment before agreeing?
Just as the campus beauty was undergoing an intense internal struggle, Ye Xuan brushed past her and bolted out of the classroom in a flash.
Xiao Nanzhi: "? ? ?"
The moment Ye Xuan left, Chen Ming sneered, "Hiding his true strength, my foot. Talked a big game like it was real."
He had his own close circle of friends in the class.
Immediately, two of them chimed in:
"I call bullshit, he's just bragging."
"Well, the mock exam results come out tomorrow anyway. Whether he was bragging or not, we'll find out soon enough."
Though the other classmates felt these guys were going a bit overboard, they didn't believe Ye Xuan had been hiding his strength either.
They'd been in the same class for two years; who didn't know who?
After a bout of sarcastic mumbling, Chen Ming noticed Xiao Nanzhi hadn't left yet, and his eyes lit up instantly.
He had been wanting to walk the campus beauty home for a long time.
It was just that this sweet gig used to be monopolized entirely by Ye Xuan.
Now that the two of them had broken up, hadn't his opportunity finally arrived?
With that thought, he hurried over. "Nan… classmate Xiao, you haven't left yet?"
Xiao Nanzhi looked up at him. "Yeah, I want to study a bit more."
Chen Ming: "Me too. How about we walk together in a bit?"
Xiao Nanzhi fell silent for two seconds. "What did you just say?"
Chen Ming was momentarily puzzled. "I said… how about we walk together in a bit?"
Xiao Nanzhi shook her head. "No, the sentence before that."
Clueless, Chen Ming answered as requested anyway: "You haven't left yet?"
Xiao Nanzhi: "Oh, I'm leaving right now."
Chen Ming felt as though a mouthful of stale blood was choking his throat!
It wasn't until Xiao Nanzhi had left the classroom that he finally recovered.
"A stubborn girl falls for persistent pursuit! Classmate Xiao Nanzhi, I will absolutely not give up!"
Chen Ming clenched his fists, his fighting spirit reignited once more!
…
"Ye Xuan, did you really hide your strength before?"
"Yup."
"Then what level is your true strength at?"
"Take your pick between Shuimu University and Beijing University~"
"Ye Xuan, do you think I'm an idiot?"
"It's been three years, Letao, and you're just figuring that out now?"
"Ye Xuan, you asshole!"
In a fit of rage, Hong Letao leaped directly onto Ye Xuan's back and threw his arms around his neck to choke him.
Not far behind, Xiao Nanzhi, who witnessed this scene, couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Once she finished laughing, she immediately put on a stern face and muttered under her breath, "Nothing to laugh about, you childish ghost! Big idiot! Bad guy who won't talk to me! Hmph!"
…
At 8:00 PM, the No. 1 High School office building was brightly lit.
With only a month left until the Gaokao, the ones under pressure weren't just the students, but the teachers of every subject as well.
To have the grades handed out by tomorrow morning, the teachers were working overtime to grade the papers.
As the papers for the final subject were delivered, Zhang Guangming began the statistical work.
"Old Zhang, how did your class do?"
"Haven't compiled the stats yet. How about yours?"
"Compared to last time, the class average dropped by 12.6 points this exam. My students are probably going to be crying tomorrow."This mock exam really was on the difficult side; even Chu Ran scored 5 points lower than last time."
"Are Xiao Nanzhi's scores out?"
"Yeah, they're out. 7 points lower than last time."
Zhang Guangming gave a bitter laugh, shook his head, and resumed his calculations.
Chu Ran and Xiao Nanzhi had always been the top two in the grade.
The fact that both of their scores dropped compared to last time was proof enough of this mock exam's difficulty.
A few minutes later…
Zhang Guangming let out a gasp of shock.
"This score… can't be right, can it?"
The other teachers grew interested. "What is it, Teacher Zhang?"
"Whose score has an issue?"
"Ye Xuan."
"What's wrong with his score?"
"You guys better come take a look."
As Zhang Guangming's voice trailed off, the other teachers crowded around.
"Last exam 602, this exam… 625?!"
"Hiss! Ye Xuan's score actually went up by 23 points compared to last time?!"
The teachers stared at one another in dismay!