The members of the admissions team who came to see Shen Xingruo were all liberal arts students, but to be admitted to top universities, their grades in all subjects couldn’t be too low.
One of the male students was quite astute and quickly steered the conversation towards the phosphor mentioned on the TV regarding the source of the ghost fire.
Being the top scorer in the province, both prestigious universities, D University and T University, attached great importance to her.
After being the first to contact Shen Xingruo in person, the head teacher received a phone call. Seeming to receive some news, he hung up and swiftly shifted the topic in another direction, expressing a desire to invite Shen Xingruo to visit D University. They would arrange her itinerary in the capital city, and if she agreed, they could depart immediately.
Before Shen Xingruo could make a decision, Shen Guangyao called again. Previously, Shen Guangyao had said over the phone that he wouldn’t interfere with her decision and she could choose whichever school she wanted, even going abroad. However, T University was adept at using connections. Within half an hour, Shen Guangyao’s former mentor, who had helped him when he was down and out, personally called him, hoping that Shen Guangyao would do him a favor and at least let Shen Xingruo meet with the admissions team from T University. Contacting them wouldn’t hurt.
With no other choice, Shen Guangyao postponed his preparations for an art exhibition and set off with the admissions team from T University to Star City overnight.
The head teacher of the admissions team probably also received this news, so he was eager to take Shen Xingruo away and isolate her from T University.
On the chaotic night, before Aunt Zhou knocked on the door tonight, Lu Xingyan had never imagined that the competition between top universities for students could reach such an exaggerated level.
Not only was Lu Xingyan surprised, but Shen Xingruo herself hadn’t expected it either.
What was particularly perplexing was that after she made it clear that she preferred D University and there was no need for such trouble, the members of the admissions team from D University didn’t show any signs of relief. One of them, who had been fought over by two universities, thought to himself that she didn’t understand the brainwashing abilities of admissions officers from top universities.
Back in the day, he was set on going to Hong Kong University, his determination was unwavering, and he even posted a Weibo saying, “Hong Kong University, here I come!” But then, the other university came knocking, and within two days, he changed his mind, just like Chen Shimei.
However, in the end, Shen Xingruo didn’t agree to go to the capital city with them right away. She only inquired about a few majors she was interested in, saying she wanted to consider them.
After Shen Guangyao brought the admissions team from T University, they extended the invitation for a visit as well. However, she didn’t agree, only saying that she would consider it carefully.
The sudden revelation about becoming the top scorer, followed by having to deal with two rounds of competition right away, left Shen Xingruo feeling surreal. It was as if everything that happened that night was an absurd fantasy, and she half-expected to wake up and find that nothing had occurred.
Shen Xingruo couldn’t sleep that night, and Lu Xingyan stayed up with her. They exchanged messages in the early part of the night, and as the night grew quieter, Lu Xingyan, feeling bold, slipped into Shen Xingruo’s room again.
Intimacy could be addictive. Since the awkward night when they established their relationship, Lu Xingyan’s proficiency in such matters had steadily improved. Most of the time, he simply held Shen Xingruo close, savoring the intimacy. Not every encounter with Shen Xingruo led to him being aroused like an overexcited puppy. Just like that night, he only held her in his arms.
They whispered, chatting aimlessly. When Lu Xingyan teased her, Shen Xingruo would retaliate with her usual teasing, now accompanied by some physical gestures. Lu Xingyan belatedly realized that Shen Xingruo was quite skilled at pinching.
They both slept dreamlessly.
The next morning, while Shen Xingruo still slept soundly, Lu Xingyan tucked her in, adjusted the air conditioning temperature slightly, and quietly returned to his room.
At 10 a.m., the cutoff scores for the college entrance exam in Xingnan Province were released. The cutoff score for first-tier universities was 562, and for second-tier universities, it was 515. Seeing this news, Lu Xingyan felt that achieving the cutoff for second-tier universities was quite possible.
The scores were released at 1 p.m. By noon, the score inquiry system was overwhelmed with traffic. Lu Xingyan remained calm, feeling there was no need to rush. After all, seeing the scores early wouldn’t magically improve them.
It was Shen Xingruo who held onto the admission ticket he had picked up from the trash, sitting in front of the computer all the while. When the scores were released, Lu Xingyan was lying on the sofa, deeply engrossed in his game, muttering insults at the opposing team without repeating himself.
As he was making the final push for victory, Shen Xingruo suddenly called out, “Lu Xingyan, the scores are out.” Her voice remained calm and composed as always.
Lu Xingyan, momentarily distracted, was killed by a high-damage assault from the enemy. A countdown appeared over his character’s head, awaiting resurrection. But judging from the current situation, his teammates should be able to push through and win the game.
He looked up and asked, “How is it? Is it bad?”
Shen Xingruo remained silent. Lu Xingyan glanced towards the door, not hearing any movement from Zhou Yi or Pei Yue, then continued, “Even if I performed poorly, you can’t take it back. You’re already my girlfriend.”
With that, he got up and approached Shen Xingruo. She kept her eyes on the screen. “562,” she said.
“How much?” Lu Xingyan thought he misheard. “You mean the cutoff score? I know the cutoff is 562.”
“I mean, your total score is 562,” Shen Xingruo clarified.
Lu Xingyan paused for a moment. On his phone screen, the enemy base exploded in red, and a female voice announced, “Victory!”
Name: Lu Xingyan
Examinee Number: 20xxxxxxxxxxxx
Admission Ticket Number: 13xxxxx
Chinese: 109
Mathematics: 118
Foreign Language: 107
Liberal Arts Comprehensive: 228
Total Score: 562
It was true. He had indeed scored 562, exactly hitting the cutoff for first-tier universities.
Simultaneously, the political affairs office of Mingli High School’s senior year exploded with excitement! The school received the class score report slightly earlier than the students.
Overall, in this year’s college entrance examination, Class One lagged in the three liberal arts experimental classes. With 56 students in the class, excluding eight students like Li Chengfan and Zhao Langming who were officially affiliated with Mingli Aristocratic High School, only 40 students passed the first-tier threshold.
Meanwhile, in Class Four, a regular class, 37 students also passed the first-tier threshold.
But, Class One produced the provincial top scorer in liberal arts!
This year, Xingnan Province’s top scorer in the science stream came from another school, and Mingli only secured second place. So, just by producing the provincial top scorer in liberal arts, Class One was enough to outshine all of Mingli’s classes this year.
Wang Youfu, holding his red thermos, beamed with pride. Facing the wrath of Ms. Zeng Guiyu, the headteacher of Class Two, who was furious that all her students passed the first-tier threshold but didn’t produce the top scorer, he looked so pleased that he almost stuck out his tongue and said, “Nyah nyah nyah.”
Apart from Shen Xingruo’s outstanding performance, He Siyue also squeezed into the top fifty in the province with an impressive total score of 677.
With the principal’s recommendation and a 60-point bonus during the interview, he could easily choose any major when entering university.
Furthermore, two others scored above 650 in total, so getting into prestigious universities wouldn’t be an issue.
There were 16 more students who scored above 600, exceeding the first-tier threshold by forty to fifty points. Getting into top universities like the 985 Project was a breeze.
And Wang Youfu even discovered a pleasant surprise: Lu Xingyan scored exactly 562, no more, no less!