Rebirth: She is Ready for a Counterattack!-Chapter 424 - 423: Domestic Girls Are So Impressive
"Yeah! Hi, my English name is Jenny, and in Chinese, my surname is Ye, Ye Mingyue." The girl nodded excitedly and reached out her hand to shake hands with Gu Xiaoqing, looking very pleased.
"Because my parents miss the moon of their hometown very much, so they named me Mingyue."
Indeed, girls who grew up in the United States are different; they are naturally familiar without needing to be taught.
Gu Xiaoqing, on the other hand, felt somewhat bewildered by this enthusiasm and wasn’t sure whether to trust the girl in front of her.
"So, you came here to prepare for?"
"I want to ask how someone like me can apply to Columbia University."
Gu Xiaoqing didn’t know anyone here, so she could only rely on the girl who seemed about her age.
"Come on, I’ll take you to ask the admissions office."
Ye Mingyue (Jenny) enthusiastically took Gu Xiaoqing’s hand and led her through the campus to an older building. The architecture here was different from those back home, filled with a Western-style atmosphere.
Following Jenny, Gu Xiaoqing finally found the teacher in charge of admissions at Columbia.
After careful inquiry, she learned that in addition to applying, she would need to pass the TOEFL language test, participate in the SAT (the US college entrance exam), and have some personal activities or something.
Columbia University, being a prestigious school, not only sets a very high score requirement for SAT1 but also demands the SAT2 exam.
As for the highest degree certificate from back home and similar matters, they were not an issue for Gu Xiaoqing.
Having roughly understood what exams she needed to take, Gu Xiaoqing also started to prepare.
She had participated in math competitions before and won first place. Although it was in domestic competitions, she thought it might not be impressive enough, which made her a bit troubled.
Ye Mingyue accompanied Gu Xiaoqing outside and asked, "Are you really preparing to apply here?"
"Mm."
Gu Xiaoqing nodded. She was resolute about her decisions and wouldn’t easily change them. How would she know it wouldn’t work without trying?!
"But seeing you so unprepared, you probably need to prepare well. By the way, when do you plan to return home?"
"Huh?" Gu Xiaoqing was surprised by this unexpected question.
"Are you planning to prepare for the exam here?" Ye Mingyue widened her eyes, as occasionally students came to consult about exam questions. Domestic students usually go back home to prepare.
Ye Mingyue noticed that Gu Xiaoqing seemed to actually prepare for exams right here.
Sure enough, Gu Xiaoqing nodded, "Mm, I’m planning to stay here for now."
"You’re preparing to take the next exam?"
Ye Mingyue widened her eyes again. There was an exam soon, but Gu Xiaoqing wouldn’t make it in time. With less than three months until the next exam, was Gu Xiaoqing planning to finish both the TOEFL and SAT exams within that period?
Impossible!
Columbia University requires not only the SAT1 and SAT2 exams but has very high requirements for TOEFL.
For TOEFL alone, many people need to prepare for over a year to be ready.
Not to mention the other two exams.
"Is it not possible?"
Gu Xiaoqing asked, puzzled. Studying was her strong suit, and her extraordinary memory didn’t stand out much during the previous college entrance exam.
After all, high school takes three years, and even if she got into Jiaotong University, it wasn’t anything to be amazed by.
"Well, it’s possible, though not cheap if you just want to try it out." Ye Mingyue reconsidered Gu Xiaoqing, thinking she might just want to have a go at it casually, to see how it goes.
However, even so, it suggested Gu Xiaoqing’s family was likely well-off.
Ordinary families wouldn’t have the leisure to let someone just try it; exam fees are quite expensive.
"By the way, Ye Mingyue..."
"Just call me Jenny."
"Alright, Jenny, are there any rental places nearby? I want to rent one." Gu Xiaoqing set her target and prepared to study hard. Even though she had an excellent memory, preparing for exams she had never taken in under three months was challenging.
Ye Mingyue pondered for a while, then suddenly clapped her hands and said, "Well, I do have an empty spot available. It was previously rented by some senior classmates. They’re about to graduate and have already prepared to leave. If you don’t mind, you can live with me."
Before this, Ye Mingyue was living with a senior classmate. But the senior was about to leave New York soon, with less than three months until graduation, and everyone was moving on. They might only come back for the graduation ceremony.
So now, Ye Mingyue lived alone.
Given Ye Mingyue’s family background, she could afford the expenses. But a girl living alone was a bit scary, so co-renting would feel safer.
"Thank you so much."
Gu Xiaoqing didn’t expect to find such a helpful fellow countrywoman.
"But you need to pay the rent too!"
After their conversation, Ye Mingyue was open-hearted and didn’t have too many worries. She candidly shared the prices nearby and explained that the rent could be shared. She also told Gu Xiaoqing she was actually scared of living alone because it was unsafe.
Gu Xiaoqing found that after some communication, it was easy to develop a good impression of her, and she shared some similarities with Guo Donghua.
She felt that introducing Ye Mingyue to Guo Donghua might allow them to get along well.
After moving into Ye Mingyue’s rented apartment, Gu Xiaoqing discovered that this girl also has her whimsical side—the room was quite messy.
"There’s a bathroom, two bedrooms, one large, one small. You can have the large one, I’ve already moved into mine, although it’s not much bigger."
"I’m sorry, I couldn’t take the larger one."
"No worries, no worries. We have the internet and a phone here. By the way, sometimes I have friends over for gatherings, which might be noisy for you; I should let you know in advance."
Ye Mingyue communicated openly about her living habits as well as potential issues that might affect her roommate.
She also mentioned personal dislikes, such as specifically advising Gu Xiaoqing not to touch her toothbrush because she hated it when others moved her toothbrush and had a toothbrush placement obsession.
Although back home, some might find Ye Mingyue too picky, Gu Xiaoqing appreciated this kind of open communication.
After officially settling in, Gu Xiaoqing, who was skilled at housekeeping, quickly tidied up the entire apartment.
This surprised Ye Mingyue, making her realize and say, "No wonder my parents always say luckily I’m in the United States because if I were back home, people would see that I can’t even tidy up my house and I’d never find someone to marry. I’ve always found it strange how tidying up the house is connected to marriage, but seeing you, I think domestic girls are really impressive!"
