Chapter 1212: Chapter 816: Finale (Part 2)

"Finished writing, was it hard?"

"Chi Shi!!"

For a student like Li Hua, finishing the science paper wasn’t hard; the challenge was in getting full marks.

Li Qingrong walked by and stopped.

"How did it go?"

"Finished it, did quite well," Jiang Nian smiled, "No regrets after the English exam is done."

"Hmm." Li Qingrong nodded. With the last subject coming up, there’s no need to worry about the opponent’s mindset or anything like that.

After all, English was his strong subject.

For both of them, taking the English exam was just a formality. Because of this, they felt much freer.

"What are you planning to eat for lunch?" Li Qingrong asked, "Best to keep it the same as yesterday, no changing places."

"Okay." Jiang Nian hesitated for a moment, "We ate at the cafeteria yesterday, let’s eat there today too."

"Hmm."

Regardless of how the science exam went, eventually the students dispersed from the square, leaving behind a quiet emptiness.

....

On the bus.

Qingbao glanced at Jiang Nian who picked up a pack of snacks, "Was the biology exam difficult today?"

Jiang Nian: "It was okay."

Chen Yunyun: "Only two questions were kind of new."

Wang Yuhe: "I skipped them."

"Hmm hmm." Qingbao said while driving, letting out a sigh of relief, "Overall it wasn’t too hard."

After all, the teachers also have to study the exams once they’re over.

If the test style is off and only their class does poorly, it would be a nightmare.

"That’s good, less need to worry." Qingbao held the steering wheel with both hands, visibly relieved.

In the back seat, Chen Yunyun and Wang Yuhe exchanged a glance, both thinking how cute the biology teacher was.

This escapist attitude was no different from the students’.

Familiarity breeds ease; Qingbao promptly dropped the three back at school. Upon getting out of the car, there was no longer a sense of desolation.

Just forcefully waved to the three who turned back.

"Rest well, and get high scores this afternoon!"

The three waved back and slowly disappeared around the corner, chit-chatting as they headed to the cafeteria.

Along the way, there were still students discussing the exam paper, and even some parents following their children to eat.

The sensible ones won’t bring it up, waiting to discuss after the exams are over.

But those who don’t get it and analyze as they walk - that’s the real hell, enjoying life to the fullest this way.

Jiang Nian and Chen Yunyun didn’t mention exams at all, just chatted about what to eat, chirping away.

Wang Yuhe hopped a couple of times to avoid a puddle.

"The cafeteria meals have been pretty good these past two days, there was fish yesterday afternoon, wonder what it’ll be today."

"Braised pig’s trotters, your kind."

"You’re the pig!"

The two bickered all the way while Chen Yunyun paid no attention, just looking at the scenery and suddenly said.

"I suddenly realized, I’ve never really looked at the school before."

Wang Yuhe froze for a moment, looking around, "Haven’t we been seeing it every day? So much we’re tired of it."

Jiang Nian didn’t feel too deeply about it either, chiming in, "To be honest, we should better appreciate the cafeteria food for a while."

"The school pictures can be viewed remotely, but we won’t get to eat this again after graduation."

"Then I’ll have two plates!" Wang Yuhe thought for a moment, realizing he probably couldn’t finish two, "I’ll give you half a plate."

"Only a pig would eat that much," he replied.

"No, I’m not!!"

In about seven or eight minutes, the three of them were having a steaming hot meal, again free, courtesy of the school.

By default, they didn’t go to the second floor, the contractor there was quite stingy.

After the meal.

Jiang Nian, Chen Yunyun, and the others parted ways under the dormitory building, strolling back leisurely to the dormitory to wash up.

By then, it was already twelve fifty.

A short nap, then it would be time to get up, go downstairs to catch the bus, and head to the branch campus for the last exam.

He actually didn’t need to sleep; with a snap of his fingers, he could recharge. Instead, he paced around the room.

Reviewing the exam, it was meaningless.

But now, it was essentially over. Habitually reviewing it, he felt the overall performance was decent.

Chinese maintained at one hundred two, math at one hundred thirty, maybe he could push a bit for science, to keep around two hundred seventy?

Estimation on the low side.

But this estimation method is actually risky. Without confidence, you could easily end up being a fool.

He contemplated for a while, then lay back on the bed.

With the cold air from the air conditioner blowing on him, Jiang Nian closed his eyes. His mind wandered, thinking of many people.

Two o’clock.

On the bus, Qianbao was also there. She was busy giving reminders to everyone, saying many comforting words.

Afraid that past exam stress would affect anyone, either becoming too excited or simply giving up.

"Students, it’s the final step of this long journey. Hang in there, it’s only two more hours at most."

After getting off, Qianbao pulled Jiang Nian aside.

"Be careful with the questions."

"I know you’re fast at doing questions, but don’t be idle after you finish. Pay more attention to the listening, don’t be overconfident."

"Got it, I’m not a child." Jiang Nian replied helplessly, "I won’t treat the college entrance exams as a joke."

Hearing this, Qianbao mumbled quietly.

"You are still a kid....."

Jiang Nian: "..."

"Teacher, I’m going to get the exam admission ticket now," he said, "Old Liu is looking for me, and he might call the police soon."

Qianbao was embarrassed, wondering how Jiang Nian could be so self-absorbed.

"Go on, go on."

Indeed, scoring seven hundred is quite rare. Even the principal would mention these potential students during meetings.

What a talented batch this is.

....

On the other side, Jiang Nian calmly entered the exam hall.

To his surprise, the English exam was a bit challenging. At least during the listening section, several students in the exam hall seemed flustered.

In moments of panic, people unconsciously make noise.

Ssss~!!

Huh?

And from the frequency of leg shaking and the expressions of squeezing pimples, one could also gauge the difficulty of the paper.

Jiang Nian also got nervous after finishing the listening section. He immediately dived into the reading comprehension and began working on it.

The time ticked away slowly, and it was close to the last ten minutes when he finally finished writing the last letter of his essay.

It was over.

He thought to himself, though his body acted on muscle memory, beginning to unconsciously check the answer sheet.

After checking it three times, he almost felt sick.

No problems now.

Yet, the time on the podium still showed five minutes left. The invigilator spoke up, reminding them once.

"Attention all examinees..."

With a click, Jiang Nian put away his pen, propping his head with his hand and gazing out the window, his thoughts drifting far away.

At the same time, most people also finished writing.

Li Hua’s front desk was a girl he went to middle school with who was good at English, deliberately tilting her paper a little to the left.

He saw a few multiple-choice answers and went all in without hesitation. As for the rest, he’d leave it to fate.

Sitting by the back door, he stared at the blurry distant mountains, feeling both excited and lost at once.

"High school... is over?"

He didn’t think about the future, nor did he have any worries. It was like soaking in a hot spring, just feeling so comfortable at that moment.

In exam hall 63, Lin Dongren felt a bit dazed. Youth had passed half on his phone, wandering in and out of focus.

Which city should I go to?

The farewell dinner didn’t happen, and after the exam, he still had to visit the classroom. Was there any chance to pull together a dinner?

Seems... unlikely.

In exam hall 79, Sun Zhicheng felt muddled. Last day, and it ended just like this?

So ordinary, as the sun set in the west.

A group of cicadas spent seventeen years underground, only to have this brief couple of days to sing.

In exam hall 19, Zeng You stared at the blackboard, thinking of nothing at that moment, not even wanting to play on the phone.

Going home was such a hassle, taking the bus alone back home.

All over.

In exam hall 71, Tao Ran thought of the latest comic expo. Perhaps college campuses would be more inclusive.

In any case, the curtain had fallen.

In exam hall 42, Liu Yang gazed out the window, full of pride. He’d finished everything and was craving a Huazi.

But he knew, he couldn’t capture that old feeling anymore.

Ma Guojun didn’t have a particular thought, he couldn’t finish. Sweating profusely as he shaded his answer sheet, hoping for a higher score.

"Damn it, I can’t score lower than Li Hua!"

Ding ding ding!!!

"All examinees, put down your pens!" the invigilator said, "Stand up and leave the exam hall, wait for the papers to be collected before..."

This scene was simultaneously happening in all exam halls.

The college entrance exam had concluded.