At nine, the exam officially began.
Once the papers were handed out, the girl bent over her desk and began filling in her details.
Sunlight edged her ponytail in gold. The tips of her hair were slightly split, and fine down covered the left cheek she had turned toward him, making her look all the more serene.
Jiang Nian drew his gaze away from her fair neck, his mood lifting.
He would have been lying if he said he wasn't nervous. Although he had used his memorization time to imprint every bit of subject knowledge he could remember into his brain, this exam would still decide which class he ended up in for his senior year.
But a pretty girl was sitting in front of him. Maybe that was a good omen.
The two days of exams flew by.
The girl ahead of him really did bring him luck. From Chinese all the way through to the final English exam, he performed at his usual level, and even surpassed it in places.
After a few interactions, Jiang Nian learned the girl's name: Zhang Ningzhi.
He had borrowed her eraser during the math exam.
Before the English exam, Jiang Nian thought about how he had been borrowing her luck. He probably wouldn't see her again once the exams were over, so after some thought, he decided to do something.
He thanked Zhang Ningzhi and gave her a carton of milk with fruit bits.
Outside school, no one would have dared accept something like this. What girl would drink something handed to her by a strange boy? At school, though, the risk wasn't nearly as great.
Zhang Ningzhi hesitated, then accepted it with a word of thanks.
He didn't give it much thought afterward. During the final English exam, the classroom was so quiet that only the rustle of paper remained.
Smelling the ink on the exam paper, Jiang Nian felt his hands tremble a little. Perhaps it was because this was the last exam, or perhaps it was because half his short-sleeved shirt was soaked.
A downslope wind blew past the door, making his gleaming white teeth chatter with an aching, tingling sensation.
His heart pounded like a drum, and his head felt burning hot.
"It's fine. I should have at least a hundred in Chinese, probably a hundred in math, and over two hundred and ten in combined sciences," he muttered as he worked through the paper.
"Twenty points for the English essay, ten lost on listening. A hundred and thirty in English is a sure thing."
Five hundred and forty was only his estimated minimum. Out of a total of seven hundred and fifty, it wasn't a particularly high score, but it was already excellent for a Parallel Class.
Had these exams been the actual college entrance exams, that would have been more than enough to get into a first-tier university outside the 985 and 211 groups.
Jiang Nian figured he should rank first in his class once this placement exam was over. If everything went smoothly, moving up to the science Olympiad Class shouldn't be a problem.
They left the exam rooms at four thirty that afternoon, and everyone packed up to return to their classrooms and put their desks back in order.
They had spent both days of the weekend taking exams, so their usual Sunday evening study session had been turned into time off. In other words, from the moment the exams ended, the entire evening was theirs.
The classroom was chaotic. Some chose to head straight to an internet café, while others decided to put their seats back before leaving.
The classroom, the corridors, and the entire Senior Year Building buzzed with noise and excitement. Some discussed the exam papers. Others gathered around teachers to chat, occasionally clapping their hands or beating their chests and stamping their feet in regret.
Plenty of students were visiting other classes, too, bringing many unfamiliar faces into the room. Some clustered around sheets of scratch paper to check their calculations, others laughed and talked loudly, and still others made plans to visit an internet café.
Jiang Nian bent down and easily lifted his heavy book basket. As he straightened, he saw Zhou Yuting walk in, scanning the classroom, probably looking for someone to carry her books.
As they passed each other, Zhou Yuting called him over.
"Jiang Nian, could you help me carry my books? They're too heavy for me."
"When someone of the opposite sex you've effectively fallen out with, but haven't officially fallen out with, asks you for help, it's best to pretend you didn't hear."
Jiang Nian ignored her, taking another two steps before looking back.
"Huh? Were you calling me?"
"Yes. Could you help me carry my books?" Zhou Yuting asked. Perhaps because they had exams over the weekend, she was wearing a white cotton dress. "And help Yingying with hers while you're at it."
Sun Yingying was Zhou Yuting's fair-weather best friend, and she had a thing for Liu Feipeng.
"Oh, why don't you ask Le Zhi?" Jiang Nian glanced at her, the corners of his mouth lifting. "I'm sure he'd be delighted to carry your books."
Zhou Yuting faltered at that. Of course she knew Le Zhi would help her. But he was too annoying. Jiang Nian wouldn't babble on and on, and he was good-looking, too.
Although Zhou Yuting would never consider dating someone as poor as Jiang Nian, having another handsome admirer at her beck and call would raise her own value.
"He's too annoying. I'd rather ask you."
Jiang Nian had wanted to bring up her birthday dinner and use it to mock her back. But then he thought, I'm about to move up a class anyway. Why waste my breath?
Making a girl cry wouldn't mean he'd won anything.
"Mm."
He gave a cold acknowledgment, then turned and left with his book basket.
Zhou Yuting stood there, initially assuming Jiang Nian would come back to help once he put his books down. But after waiting ages without seeing him, she went outside to look and nearly exploded with anger.
Jiang Nian had gone to the classroom next door to help another girl carry her books.
She swore she would never spare Jiang Nian another proper glance. She wouldn't say another word to him, either. Did he think doing this would leave her fretting over him?
"You don't have to. I can carry them myself." Xu Qianqian felt a little embarrassed by the gazes around them. "The other girls will ask you to carry theirs in a minute."
"Then I'll carry them. It's no trouble." Jiang Nian looked utterly unconcerned.
"No, their books are too heavy." Xu Qianqian frowned. "Just leave afterward and wait for me at the school gate. I'll be there in a bit."
Without realizing it, Xu Qianqian had grown used to going home with Jiang Nian.
"All right."
After carrying the books, Jiang Nian left the classroom building and glanced back at his own classroom. Suddenly, he felt a little anticipation for the day the results came out.
It was Sunday. All the results should be out tomorrow, and the class changes would happen next week.
Before long, Xu Qianqian came out with her backpack on. She looked around, spotted Jiang Nian, tightened her backpack straps, and walked over to him.
Some nearby students saw this and couldn't help stopping to watch.
They had expected some juicy gossip about a school romance, but the two simply walked off without any fuss, even pulling out their exam papers.
"Can you get five hundred and forty this time?" she asked with a frown. "I heard that normally, you need five hundred and fifty to have a secure chance of moving up from a lower class."
They walked side by side, and Jiang Nian's heart nearly stopped at her words.
Seriously, come on. I've even got a cheat. Do you have to make it this hard? Are all you Olympiad Class people freaking Ultraseven? Aren't there at least a few who got in through connections?
When Xu Qianqian learned what Jiang Nian was thinking, she gave a dismissive scoff.
"It's precisely because some people got in through connections that you need
a higher score. They can score four hundred and still stay in the Olympiad Class. What do class changes have to do with them?"
It was all too realistic. That was how a small county town built on personal connections worked.
"Fine. Let me check my English answers against yours." Jiang Nian took a deep breath. "How did you do in English this time? Full marks again?"
Xu Qianqian gave a little huff, looking three parts mocking, three parts smug, three parts nonchalant, and one part proud little swan.
"What do you think?"
Neat rows of power lines sliced across the twilight as night quietly descended.
(End of chapter)
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