The school had told them to arrive at three in the afternoon.
By the time Chen Fan and his two friends finished lunch and returned to the classroom, quite a few classmates had already arrived.
Some were taking commemorative photos with their close friends.
Most had gathered in small groups to discuss the Gaokao answers.
"The math paper was way too hard this time. I didn't even finish the last two written-response questions."
"You didn't finish them? I couldn't even understand what they were asking..."
"At least you two got to read them. I ran out of time. When I handed in my paper, I hadn't even reached the last question..."
"What did you pick for that diagram question in the multiple-choice section?"
"A."
"Huh? Wasn't it B?"
"I'm done for. I really bombed this exam."
"Can we please stop comparing answers? My heart can't take it..."
"Hey, what did you put for the fourth fill-in-the-blank question?"
Soon after Su Ruochu sat down, a teacher called her to the office.
Meanwhile, Guo Shuai finally caught up with Li Na.
The two slipped out of the classroom, and no one knew what they talked about on campus.
Chen Fan sat alone by the window, staying out of the discussions around him.
He gazed outside, letting the sunshine wash over him as he stretched comfortably.
The bell rang for the first period.
Su Ruochu entered the classroom with their homeroom teacher.
"All right, quiet down, everyone."
Wang Qiming tapped the lectern and asked with a smile.
"So? How did everyone do?"
A chorus of groans filled the classroom.
Wang Qiming tapped the lectern again.
"All right, whether you did well or not, it's over now. Don't dwell on it."
"Next, I'll have our class academic representative copy the answers for each subject onto the board. Check them and estimate your scores so you'll have a better idea of which universities to apply to in a few days."
Su Ruochu walked up to the front with several sheets of paper, picked up a piece of chalk, and began writing the answers.
The classroom fell silent. Everyone quickly pulled out paper and pens, and soon the room filled with the scratching of pens as they copied down the answers.
Some of the smarter students took out the slips on which they had recorded their answers during the exams.
Others were scratching their heads in frustration.
"Oh no, what did I pick for the third multiple-choice question? I can't remember."
"Huh? The answer to the last multiple-choice question was C? Didn't everyone pick A?"
"Wah, I want to die. I only got seven out of twelve multiple-choice questions right in math."
"I only got five..."
"It was too hard. Seriously, way too hard..."
Ignoring the discussions around him, Chen Fan held a pen and kept jotting things down in his notebook.
"BCDA, DABB, ACD, BC..."
"Fill-in-the-blank: 64..."
"−13..."
"x = 2/3."
Chen Fan checked his answers at top speed.
Math was the subject he felt least confident about.
Apart from the last few written-response questions, Chen Fan had answered everything using what he had learned in this lifetime.
He finished tallying his score.
His final estimate for math was 112.
That was slightly better than Chen Fan had expected.
After all, he had only managed that score because he already knew the answers to a few questions.
With no time to dwell on it, Chen Fan immediately started checking his Chinese answers.
English and the humanities paper came next.
A little over ten minutes later, Chen Fan let out a long breath.
Looking at the number in his notebook, he murmured.
"575."
Some answers were entirely subjective, so Chen Fan couldn't be certain. That 575 was his worst-case estimate.
He figured his final score would fall within roughly ten points of 575.
At last, Chen Fan could put his mind completely at ease.
He knew this year's cutoff for first-tier universities was 535.
His score was a full forty points above that.
And this year's admission cutoff for Cloudsea University, where Su Ruochu wanted to apply, was 553.
Even if he subtracted another ten points, he would still have 565.
That was definitely enough to get into Cloudsea University.
After copying all the answers onto the board, Su Ruochu came back down.
Her anxious gaze stayed fixed on Chen Fan.
"How did you do?"
As soon as she sat down, she asked cautiously.
Chen Fan pushed his notebook toward her.
Su Ruochu's beautiful eyes widened at once.
The next second, she excitedly clapped a hand over her mouth.
"575? Really?"
Chen Fan smiled and nodded.
"What did you get?"
Su Ruochu excitedly picked up a pen and wrote a number in his notebook.
"578."
Chen Fan smiled.
"I didn't let you down, did I? Now we can go to the same university."
Su Ruochu nodded eagerly.
"Yes."
"Are you sure it's 575?"
The girl still didn't quite believe him.
Chen Fan smiled and nodded.
"I checked twice."
"The margin of error should be no more than ten points either way."
Su Ruochu carefully did the calculations in her head, then lit up with excitement.
"This is great. This is so great..."
Seeing that she was even happier than he was, Chen Fan couldn't resist teasing her with a smile.
"Now can you tell me which university you're planning to apply to?"
Su Ruochu smiled with her lips pressed together. "Cloudsea University."
Just as I thought.
Chen Fan immediately put on a surprised expression.
"A Project 985 university, huh? I've heard Cloudsea University's campus is beautiful."
Su Ruochu watched Chen Fan nervously.
"Will you... apply to Cloudsea University?"
Chen Fan smiled and gently squeezed her hand.
"I told you, wherever you go, I'll go."
"Not only am I applying to Cloudsea University, I'm choosing the same major as you."
A sweet smile spread across Su Ruochu's face at his words.
After days of worry, she could finally relax completely.
While some rejoiced, others worried.
Su Ruochu basked in her happiness.
The other students in the class, however, all wore gloomy expressions.
Clearly, most of them hadn't done as well as they had hoped in this year's Gaokao.
While the teacher was away, Chen Fan quietly went over to Guo Shuai.
"How did you do?"
Guo Shuai twisted his mouth.
"486."
Chen Fan did some mental calculations.
"That should get you into a third-tier university."
Guo Shuai nodded. "Pretty much."
Chen Fan was a little surprised.
"What's wrong? Getting into a third-tier university should have you jumping for joy."
Guo Shuai looked thoroughly irritated.
"Li Na turned me down."
Chen Fan froze.
"What happened? Tell me everything."
Guo Shuai scratched his head gloomily.
"Just now, she asked me to come outside. First she went on about a bunch of pointless stuff, then finally said that now the Gaokao was over, we'd all be heading off to study in different parts of the country."
"I told her I could go to the city where she'd be studying, but Li Na told me to wake up and be realistic."
"She also said that even if she agreed to date me now, we'd end up in a long-distance relationship and break up sooner or later. Rather than that, we might as well leave each other with good memories..."
Chen Fan nodded with a wry smile.
"You're an idealist, and she's a realist... Still, she's a lot more levelheaded than you."
"She has a point."
Guo Shuai glared at Chen Fan.
"Whose side are you on?"
Chen Fan smiled. "I'm just telling the truth."
"Of course, if you're not ready to give up, you can keep in touch with her once you start university. It's not like she's cutting you out of her life forever..."
"Maybe your sincerity will gradually win her over someday."
But Guo Shuai shook his head.
"Forget it. I never force anyone."
"If she's turned me down, there's no point pestering her."
"Once I'm at university, there's no way I won't be able to find a girlfriend."
Taken aback, Chen Fan gave him a thumbs-up.
"That's the spirit!"
"Get lost..."
"Anyway, what was your estimated score?"
"You and Su Ruochu may be officially together now, but aren't you about to end up in a long-distance relationship?"
Guo Shuai looked at Chen Fan sympathetically and tried to console him.
"I'm guessing you're feeling just as miserable as I am right now."
"If you're upset, don't bottle it up. Let it out."
"How about I go to an internet café with you later and we play a couple of rounds of Red Alert?"
Chen Fan cast him a casual glance.
"Sorry, buddy. I got 575. I'm going to the same university as my Ruochu."
"What?"
Guo Shuai slapped the desk, his face full of shock.
"You... how much did you say you got?"
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