The two days of the Gaokao finally drew to a close amid the scratching of pen tips, the rustling of exam papers, and the final bell signaling that it was time to hand them in.
When the bell rang to end the last exam, English, Chen Shi'an put his pen away in his bag. As he zipped it shut, even he unconsciously let out a breath of relief.
A complicated mix of emotions instantly filled the exam room: the relief of being free, the bewilderment of everything being settled, and a faint anticipation of the future.
After the invigilators collected the papers, Chen Shi'an followed the crowd out of the exam room.
The summer sunlight was a little dazzling, and even the air seemed to carry the scent of freedom.
Walking through the familiar campus, looking at the students around him who were excitedly discussing things, hurrying along, or remaining silent, Chen Shi'an instead felt unusually calm.
As he walked, he recalled the exams of the past two days.
Chinese had been fairly standard. He had used the classical Chinese he excelled at for his essay, and considered its structure clear and its argument persuasive. His presentation on the page was impeccable as well. The basic questions and reading comprehension had not been very difficult. He had checked them and probably had not missed anything. Judging by his scores on the previous few mock exams, scoring over 145 should be no problem.
Mathematics was his strong suit. The paper's overall difficulty was moderate, about the same as the mock exams. But ever since he had first scored full marks in mathematics, he had earned full marks every single time. Even this final time should be no exception, with 150 points safely in the bag.
As for English, just like Chinese,