Knife-sharp gazes converged on Zhao Zhe.
He, however, reveled in the attention, even curling his lips in a provocative smile.
Watching Zhao Zhe bask in everyone's gazes in midair, Ye Buyu suddenly found him glaring, like a dazzling but useless disco ball.
So glaring that she wanted to knock him out of the sky.
"Mr. Zhao Zhe must be great at drawing aggro among Calamities, too."
Those words brought sudden enlightenment. Lan Huaiyu considered it for a few seconds. "Zhao Zhe really would make a good frontliner. Worth a try."
Zhao Zhe's lips twitched as he enjoyed the attention. Don't think I can't hear you. What kind of plan are you cooking up to sell out your teammate?
Once he felt things had gone far enough, Zhao Zhe coughed to quiet the indignant crowd.
"All right, all right, don't be so angry. We only wanted every one of you to leave your name here today.
"If you really can't let it go and want to take revenge on me, you're more than welcome. Remember, my name is Zhao Zhe, and I'm the principal of Hua'an University. All applicants are welcome!"
Ye Buyu's lips twitched in grudging admiration. Even at a time like this, he hadn't forgotten to advertise for recruits.
Mr. Zhao Zhe, you're truly dedicated.
Ding Ruixue shifted her thumb slightly, pushing her sword free of its sheath as she stared coldly at Zhao Zhe in midair. She looked ready to draw her sword and stab him to death if he said another word.
Ye Buyu covered her eyes. She had seen too much today. If she kept watching, she might not live to tell the tale.
Knowing too much could get you killed.
Zhao Zhe felt his back tense. Knowing he couldn't say any more, he hurried into his closing remarks.
"All right, the Points Competition has concluded. Your Gaokao results will be released in three days. Remember to check the University Alliance's Awakened Official Website.
"Then you can choose the school you want to attend. One last important point: the University Alliance has introduced a Joint Training program. Remember to read it carefully.
"And finally, I hope you will all remember that every person standing here today, no matter where they end up or what work they do, has only one goal..."
The moment Zhao Zhe spoke, hundreds of thousands of students opened their mouths in unison. Their earthshaking voices thundered through the skies, leaving a single declaration echoing on and on.
"Burn the Night, Wield the Light! Reforge the Dawn!"
The deafening voices pierced her eardrums and sank into her marrow. The scene before Ye Buyu suddenly opened up, her field of vision expanding immensely. Everything around her imprinted itself on her retinas with extraordinary clarity, leaving deep marks.
In year 537 of the doomsday calendar, the Gaokao came to an end.
After returning to Four Symbols Academy, Ye Buyu spent three absolutely uneventful days.
They were peaceful enough to bring tears to her eyes.
For the first time in ages, Ye Buyu had a dream.
She dreamed that she hadn't gone looking for work, had avoided [Streetlamp], and had taken the ordinary people's Gaokao instead. She earned an unremarkable score and chose a university within her score range.
She lived a relatively exciting life for a while, then took her diploma and began the life of a wage slave she had always dreamed of.
Then, amid the dull work that repeated day after day, she saw that orange lamp, unable to say whether it was her damnation or her salvation.
There was another explosion, and she arrived at the River of Forgetfulness once more. Grief-stricken wails descended right on cue, clinging to her like maggots in her bones and crashing down without mercy.
Exhausted, Ye Buyu reached out. Surrounded by countless weeping souls, she drew a deep breath and said something. The mournful sobbing abruptly stopped, and the souls became countless vicious ghosts that lunged at her with savage expressions.
Her entire soul began to sink. Before the enraged souls could beat her to death, a blue tail suddenly slapped her across the face.
"Wake up, wake up! Stop sleeping! It's time to reveal your results!"
Ye Buyu lay in bed, catching her breath, her feelings a tangled mess.
What was this? As long as I worked, I couldn't escape being blown to death? Why were there so many heartless companies?!
She raised a hand to cover her face. "Why can't I escape this whale even in my dreams?"
Little Whale suddenly covered its face bashfully. "Oh my, you actually dreamed about me? How embarrassing."
Ye Buyu let out a breath. "If you can, please go die."
She got up and pulled the curtains open, looking out at the strange campus in the faint morning light.
"I hope today will be another peaceful day."
Little Whale promptly undermined her. "Now that you've said that, today is guaranteed not to be peaceful."
Ye Buyu pressed her lips together and forced the words through her teeth. "Would it kill you not to undermine me?"
Little Whale spread its fins. "Can't help it. Aside from undermining you and laughing at your misery, there's nothing else I can do. Hurry up and check your score so I can laugh at you."
Ye Buyu rolled her eyes. "Sooner or later, you'll give me high blood pressure."
"Oh, that would be quite an accomplishment."
"Shut up!"
Ye Buyu sat on the edge of the bed, opened the terminal on her wrist, and accessed the University Alliance's official website. She found the results page, entered her candidate number, and anxiously waited for her score.
She took a deep breath, covered the screen, and slowly moved her palm away, her heart full of nerves.
"Six... nine?!"
"Ninety-six?" Ye Buyu frowned in confusion. "Even if I did badly, surely my score wouldn't be only two digits."
Little Whale pointed out, "Could it possibly be scored out of a hundred?"
Ye Buyu gave herself a pat. "Right. The scoring system for the Awakened Gaokao might be different from the ordinary Gaokao. Let's see what everyone else is saying."
Leaving the results page, Ye Buyu quickly headed to the Awakened Forum to see whether there was any relevant news.
To her surprise, she found a heated discussion the moment she entered.
"Who could've checked earlier than me? I stayed up all night waiting for my results. With 88 points, my swagger knows no bounds!"
"I was wondering why I couldn't log in at midnight. Do you night owls never sleep?"
"Who could sleep? Everyone wanted to check their results right away, and we wanted to see that Joint Training list even more."
"I checked the list. Most of the names were expected, but one dark horse so black it gleamed nearly blinded me."
"I know, Ye Buyu, right? It's surprising, but I can accept it. Her performance in the assessment zone was just too impressive."
"But her performance in the Points Competition wasn't enough to put her in fifth place, was it? Where did she get all those points?"
"Mu Bingge gave them to her, obviously. Didn't they team up? I'd love to have an expert carry me too, but I never got the chance."
"She's so lucky I almost thought it was rigged. She was the first to discover the problem in the assessment zone and still got out unscathed, then she got to team up with Mu Bingge in the Points Competition. I admit it, I'm jealous."
"I know Four Symbols Academy wouldn't play favorites, but I... still have my doubts. How did she end up fifth?"
"In conclusion, Ye Buyu is really lucky."
"Really lucky +1"
"Really lucky +10086"
"Jealous +10087"
Ye Buyu closed the forum with a blank expression, a drop of sweat trickling down her face.
"I think... I'm in trouble."
Before you continue