A few days later, Ning Wangshu took advantage of the weekend and moved back into their old home with his younger sister, Ning Ruoxuan.
Moving was no trouble at all for Ning Wangshu. He simply put everything into his Storage Ring, then took it out again when they got home, sorted through it, and put it all away.
The siblings got settled in no time.
As the end of term drew near, Ning Ruoxuan threw herself into studying for her upcoming final exams.
Of course, she kept up with her cultivation every day, too.
After Ning Ruoxuan successfully reached Qi Refining Layer 1 Late Stage, Ning Wangshu began teaching her some simple combat techniques and a few basic spells...
Before they knew it, it was already late June.
The College Entrance Examination scores were finally available.
Ning Wangshu hadn't even thought about it. It was only when his younger sister came home specially to ask him about it after school that he remembered he could check his score.
"Big brother, I think we can check the College Entrance Examination scores today. Have you checked yours yet?"
As soon as Ning Ruoxuan got home, she asked excitedly.
Ning Wangshu froze for a moment, then said sheepishly, "We can check the scores already? I hadn't noticed. I haven't checked yet!"
"Big brother, hurry up and check how many points you got!"
Ning Ruoxuan urged him at once.
"All right."
Ning Wangshu smiled and immediately took out his phone to check his score.
But when he saw that the results page was blank and didn't show any subject scores, he couldn't help freezing.
Ning Ruoxuan, who was leaning over beside him, saw it too and exclaimed in surprise, "Huh? What's going on, big brother? Why isn't your score showing?"
"We can already check the scores today..."
Ning Wangshu was just as puzzled, but soon he noticed a line of small text at the bottom of the results page. It read: Your ranking is among the Top 50 in Province. For details, please check on the 27th.
When he saw the message, Ning Wangshu froze for a moment, then smiled. "I didn't expect my total score to put me among the Top 50 in Province. My score's been temporarily blocked."
Ning Ruoxuan noticed the message too and immediately cried out with delight, "Big brother, you're in the Top 50 in Province! That's amazing!"
Seeing how excited his younger sister was, Ning Wangshu couldn't help smiling.
Still, he wasn't particularly concerned.
Since his younger sister's goal for next year's College Entrance Examination was Jiangnan University, he had already decided that no matter what his exact score was, as long as it was high enough for Jiangnan University, he would apply there.
To him, it made no difference which university he attended.
As long as he fulfilled his parents' dying wish!
"Big brother, let's make something delicious tonight to celebrate you making the Top 50 in Province!"
Ning Ruoxuan said happily.
"Sure! I'll go buy plenty of groceries in a bit."
Ning Wangshu smiled.
"Mm!"
Ning Ruoxuan nodded emphatically, then added eagerly, "The Top 50 in Province! Big brother, your ranking should get you straight into Qingbei. I can't believe my big brother might get into Qingbei. Mom and Dad would be so happy if they knew!"
At that, Ning Wangshu merely smiled faintly. "Maybe. But I'm not necessarily going to Qingbei."
"Huh?"
Ning Ruoxuan froze, then asked in astonishment, "Big brother, if you aren't going to Qingbei, which school are you planning to attend?"
Ning Wangshu smiled. "Didn't you say before that you wanted to go to Jiangnan University? I'll go there first and wait for you. How does that sound?"
Ning Ruoxuan opened her mouth, then couldn't help saying, "Big brother, you don't have to give up your chance to go to Qingbei and choose Jiangnan University just for me. That would be such a waste of your score."
Ning Wangshu laughed. "There's no such thing as wasting it. Have you forgotten who your big brother is? Do you really think it makes any difference to me which university I attend—or whether I attend one at all?"
"Going to university was Mom and Dad's wish while they were alive, so I took this year's College Entrance Examination and will go to university for their sake. So it really doesn't matter which one I go to."
"Do you think I still need to rely on a university diploma to find a job and make a living?"
Uh...
Ning Ruoxuan paused. Her way of thinking hadn't changed yet, but Ning Wangshu's reminder made her suddenly realize.
That's right. Her big brother was practically half an immortal. Why would he need to chase after a prestigious school and a good major like ordinary people, just so he could find a good job after graduation?
For her big brother, it really made no difference...
Ning Ruoxuan nodded, but still couldn't help muttering, "What you say makes sense, but I still think it would be a bit of a waste for you to get such a high score and not make the most of it."
Ning Wangshu smiled. "Jiangnan University is a good school too, one of the top universities in the country. And it's close to home. If anything happens, I can get back as quickly as possible."
"Besides, you're my only younger sister. You want to go to Jiangnan University, and you have a very good chance of getting in. So I'll go there first and wait for you. Isn't that nice?"
"That way, we can keep going to the same school..."
As the siblings were talking, Ning Wangshu's phone suddenly rang.
He picked it up and saw that it was Teacher Qin, his homeroom teacher, calling.
Ning Wangshu answered at once...
"Hello, Teacher Qin. What did you call about?"
Ning Wangshu asked.
Qin Feng's voice came through the phone right away. "Ning Wangshu, we can check the College Entrance Examination scores today. Have you checked yours? How many points did you get?"
Although Ning Wangshu had been missing for more than three months, before the College Entrance Examination, the subject teachers had privately given him practice exams using actual past papers. His total score had been over 700, so Qin Feng had high hopes for his results this time.
That was why he had called to ask as soon as he could.
At that, Ning Wangshu replied with a smile, "Yes, I just checked. But my score's been blocked. I won't be able to see it until the 27th."
"Blocked?"
Qin Feng froze for a moment, then was immediately overjoyed. "It's blocked? Good! That's great! Haha, looks like our class might have a Qingbei student!"
His voice was filled with delight.
Ning Wangshu didn't tell Qin Feng that he wasn't considering Qingbei at all. He chatted with him briefly on the phone, then hung up soon after.
Meanwhile, after Qin Feng put down his phone, his face was alight with excitement.
The other teachers in the office gathered around...
"Teacher Qin, what's going on? Did one of your students have their score blocked by the system?"
"I just heard you mention a Qingbei student, Teacher Qin. Is that for real? Who in your class did so well and made it into the top ranks in the province?"
"Was it Lin Qingzhu or Zhang Dongxu? I remember those two had the best scores in your class, right? But I thought they were still quite a way off Qingbei-level scores. Did they do exceptionally well on this exam?"
At the other teachers' questions, Qin Feng couldn't help grinning. "It was Ning Wangshu! His College Entrance Examination score was blocked by the system. As for Lin Qingzhu and Zhang Dongxu, the two you just mentioned, I haven't had a chance to call and ask about their scores yet."