Chapter Fifteen: The Top Scorer in the College Entrance Examination
Page (1/3)
Since Li Jie’s identity as a writer was revealed at that gathering, the class’s group chat on QQ had been buzzing with lively discussions. Because Li Jie didn’t use QQ himself, Geng Geng relayed all the messages to him. Sometimes, she even borrowed Li Jie’s work computer to log into QQ and quietly lurk, reading the compliments about Li Jie. Each time she saw praise for him, she felt genuinely happy, as if the praise were meant for herself.
One day, the two of them sat in a milk tea shop, sipping their drinks. Geng Geng held her milk tea tightly, repeatedly glancing at the QQ group’s messages praising Li Jie, laughing so hard she could barely keep her mouth closed. She shook Li Jie’s arm beside her and, pointing at the screen with a coquettish tone, said, “Lu Xinghe, come quick! Come quick!”
The QQ group was still abuzz with discussions about Li Jie.
...
Weekend:
“Even now, I still can’t believe it—Lu Xinghe is actually Tomorrow’s Big Shot!”
“Yeah, yeah. Though we confirmed with Teacher Zhang Feng, it still feels unbelievable!”
“Ah, ah, I adore Lu Xinghe so much!”
“@Chen Jing, weren’t you previously obsessed with Wang Dongcheng from Fahrenheit?”
“That’s old news now. I only like Lu Xinghe—he’s my lifelong idol.”
“Haha! Now you all get why I asked Lu Xinghe to write an entire commemorative album alone. I was just too clever! Hahaha!!!”
“So, what’s Tomorrow’s Big Shot doing now?”
“Probably writing novels. Didn’t the Budding Magazine just preview that ‘The Little Shop of Solace’ will soon be serialized?”
“Can’t wait!”
“+1”
“+2”
“+3”
...
“+10086”
Wen Xiaoxiao: “Don’t overthink it, I just passed by a milk tea shop and saw Lu Xinghe and Geng Geng drinking milk tea together.”
Everyone: “............”
...
When Geng Geng saw Wen Xiaoxiao’s message, her laughter abruptly stopped. She glanced around nervously, like a mouse caught stealing or someone searching for a person. Li Jie saw her adorable behavior and couldn’t help but laugh.
“You’re still laughing? They saw us. Everyone must think you’re neglecting your work, not writing your novel properly but still having the nerve to laugh,” Geng Geng said, puffing up her cheeks.
“My main job is you. How could I be neglecting work? I’ve been doing something important all along,” Li Jie blurted out. After saying it, he felt a bit of regret—he hadn’t rehearsed his words and had just spoken his heart. It was as if a fragile barrier between them was suddenly shattered.
Geng Geng was stunned for a moment, then quickly grabbed her bag and milk tea from the table and fled in a flurry, shouting as she ran, “I’m heading back first!” After rounding a few corners, she burst into loud laughter, attracting the attention of passersby, before hurrying away.
In the following days, Li Jie noticed Geng Geng hadn’t reached out to him, so he also refrained from contacting her, wondering if he had been too sudden. It was like a confession—he had blurted it out without much thought.
Meanwhile, in the grading room, several examiners were embroiled in a heated debate over a college entrance exam essay.
The essay on the screen was Li Jie’s earlier work, “The Happiness of a Crow.” One examiner argued it deserved full marks, while another insisted on giving 55 points, deducting five because he personally felt the essay lacked sincerity. The two then approached the head of the grading team for arbitration.
Team Leader Fan, after carefully reviewing, was amazed. The essay was superb—something rarely encountered in his many years as a teacher and grader. It was like drinking ice-cold water on a scorching summer day—refreshing and exhilarating. He decisively awarded full marks, ending the dispute. This was the first perfect score from their grading group. Fan felt a twinge of regret, as they still didn’t know which student had written it.
The same perfect score appeared in the math grading room. This year's math exam wasn’t particularly difficult overall, but the last two problems grew progressively harder to differentiate the top scorers. Among countless papers, none had yet answered the last two problems perfectly. Teacher Li, looking at the paper before him, excitedly announced to the graders around, “The first perfect math score has appeared!”
Page (2/3)
June 24th—the college entrance exam results were released. Lu Changzheng tried calling the inquiry number several times without success, but finally got through. After entering the admission ticket number, the voice on the line announced:
“Admission Ticket Number: XXXXXX20030001, Name: Lu Xinghe, Scores...”
“Chinese: 148, Math: 150, English: 149, Liberal Arts Comprehensive: 295, Total Score: 742, Ranked No. 1 among all candidates in the province; repeating the announcement...”
Upon hearing the score, Lu Changzheng was momentarily stunned but quickly regained composure. Though seasoned in the merciless commercial world and usually unflappable, this time, because it concerned Lu Xinghe, he showed a rare lapse. He often claimed he didn’t care much about scores, but his heart betrayed him.
He immediately called Li Jie to share the good news, knowing that the rascal probably wouldn’t check his own results. Li Jie usually showed indifference to many things, except for apparently being very close to a certain young lady—perhaps he was in love? Lu’s family wasn’t easy to get into, and he was curious about the girl’s character.
Li Jie answered Lu Changzheng’s call with a simple “Oh,” responding calmly since college entrance exam results ranked low in his priorities. However, at Zhenhua High School, the scene was quite different. Li Jie’s total score of 742 in liberal arts not only broke Zhenhua’s previous records for liberal arts but also surpassed the highest score since the province resumed the college entrance exam.
“Teacher Zhang Ping, congratulations! Congratulations! Your first time teaching a graduating class and you’ve produced a top scorer,” an older math teacher said.
“Yes, congratulations! And this top scorer’s score has broken all historical liberal arts exam records. Amazing!” another young teacher said enviously.
“Oh no, it’s all due to the student’s hard work. I just got lucky. Lu Xinghe is an outstanding student. I haven’t done much—just luck, luck,” Zhang Ping replied humbly.
At that moment, the head of discipline, Pan Yuansheng, was heard in the corridor outside the office: “Yes, yes, yes! Quickly hang up the banner. The headline must be eye-catching. Also, compile a list of all media reports and keep me updated.” He entered the office smiling broadly and said to Zhang Ping,
“Teacher Zhang Ping, incredible! Since morning, my phone hasn’t stopped ringing. This must be publicized widely. It’s a great honor for all of us at Zhenhua. Although your class is ordinary, their overall performance rivals the elite classes. Your guidance is invaluable. I’ll soon submit a report to get you a raise and promotion.”
Hearing Pan’s words, Zhang Ping felt a surge of emotion. This time, it wasn’t just Lu Xinghe shining alone—others had also blossomed, delivering excellent performances. If Li Jie’s top scorer status was somewhat unrelated to him, the credit for the overall improvement was indisputably his. All his efforts had been worthwhile; the students’ achievements were the best reward.
Page (3/3)