Two days later, on Sunday morning.
The sun shone brightly, and the breeze was gentle!
A middle-aged woman carrying a grocery basket walked into an old residential complex. The buildings here were all low, five-story blocks, still built of brick and tile.
Moss and climbing ivy covered the walls.
The woman passed a pavilion. Since it was a day off work, many people were sitting beneath it, enjoying the shade.
"Back from grocery shopping, Guiqin!" someone greeted her.
"Yes!"
The woman nodded and forced out a smile before entering the stairwell of Building Three.
Under the pavilion, someone asked in puzzlement.
"Huh! Has the sun risen in the west? She's usually the one who loves joking around most. Why didn't she say a word today?"
"You haven't heard? Her son went crazy."
"Crazy?"
Some curious people hurriedly gathered closer to the speaker.
"Just two days ago, her son, Jiang Fan, came dead last in the school exams. He couldn't take it and went crazy!"
"No way! We all know Jiang Fan. He's been smart, well-behaved, and good at his studies since he was little. We even called him a child prodigy. How could he come dead last?"
"That's what they call being brilliant as a child but amounting to little as an adult!"
"Ah! How pitiful."
A middle-aged woman wore a look of regret, but inwardly, her heart blossomed with joy. Hmph, the wheel of fortune really does turn.
At Jiang Fan's home.
Li Guiqin set down her grocery basket and knocked on Jiang Fan's bedroom door.
"Son, get up and have something to eat. Don't think so much about it. Wasn't it just an exam? If worse comes to worst, we can stop going to school. Your dad and I can still support you for the rest of your life!"
Jiang Fan had been lying in bed for two days. No matter what his parents said, he refused to say a single word or eat.
Seeing that her son still would not speak, Li Guiqin could only give up.
She sat in the living room, looking at the wall covered in certificates of merit, and could not help secretly wiping away her tears. Her son had been her pride since childhood: clever, obedient, and always among the top students.
Yet, for some reason, he had become a completely different person after entering his final year of high school. He never socialized with his classmates, and even with his parents, he never said an unnecessary word beyond essential everyday exchanges. All the time he saved went into reading and studying!
He could be said to have worked a hundred times harder than before, but his grades had fallen from among the school's best to near the bottom, with scores of around 300 every time.
Seeing how hard her son worked, Li Guiqin had said nothing, afraid of putting too much pressure on him!
As she recalled the past, a knock at the door interrupted her.
Shouldn't Jiang Fan's dad be at work at this hour? He shouldn't be coming home, should he?
Somewhat puzzled, Li Guiqin wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and got up to answer the door.
When she opened it, she found a graceful girl standing there. Her delicate features left Li Guiqin a little astonished.
Her brows and eyes were like a painting, her eyes clear as autumn waters, her nose exquisite and her lips like jade. With a fairy's slender waist and long, jade-like legs, she looked just like a little fairy.
"Hello, Auntie. I'm Jiang Fan's classmate, Chu Ruoxi. Is he home?"
Only upon hearing the girl's voice did Li Guiqin come back to her senses.
"Yes... yes, he's home. Please, come in!"
Li Guiqin invited Chu Ruoxi into the living room.
She went to call Jiang Fan. Perhaps talking with a classmate would help her son feel a little better.
"Son, your classmate Chu Ruoxi has come to see you..."
Li Guiqin coaxed him for a long while, but there was still no response from inside!
"Ah!"
She sighed and helplessly shook her head at Chu Ruoxi, who was sitting on the sofa.
"I'm really sorry, dear. This exam hit Xiao Fan too hard. He's been lying there for two days. You've come all this way for nothing, but thank you for coming to see him."
"Auntie, could I say a few words to Jiang Fan?" Chu Ruoxi asked.
"Of course, it's just..."
"It's all right. I'll speak from outside his door!"
"Thank you, dear!"
Chu Ruoxi went to Jiang Fan's bedroom door and spoke through the crack.
"Hello, Jiang Fan. I'm Chu Ruoxi. You might not know me, but that's all right. What I really want to say is that you aren't the idiot our classmates call you. On the contrary, you're a very smart person.
"Although I don't know why you've become like this, I hope you can pull yourself together. High school isn't over yet. After all, the college entrance exam is part of high school too! I hope you'll take it and show those people who look down on you..."
Jiang Fan suddenly jolted upright in bed.
That's right!
The college entrance exam is part of high school too. It's also an exam.
If I keep my college entrance exam score at 300 as well, wouldn't that mean I've completed the system's test and can activate it?
Excitedly, he called to the system in his mind.
"System, are you there?"
Ding: Yes.
"Can the college entrance exam count as the exam for the test?"
Ding: Of course!
Fantastic!
Heaven truly never bars every path!
Jiang Fan waved his arms and stamped his feet in excitement, then jumped straight out of bed.
He opened the door and grabbed Chu Ruoxi's hand.
"Thank you! You've saved Dragon Country, saved Dragon Country's future. On behalf of Dragon Country, I offer you my deepest thanks!"
Jiang Fan's sudden behavior left Chu Ruoxi stunned. Had Jiang Fan really gone crazy?
Once she came to her senses, she realized Jiang Fan was still holding her hand, so she hurriedly pulled it back, her little face flushing despite herself.
As the school belle of Lingzhou City No. 1 High School, she had never had another male student hold her hand like this.
Seeing Chu Ruoxi's unusual reaction, Jiang Fan immediately felt he had been a little too impulsive and said apologetically,
"Sorry, Chu Ruoxi. I got too excited. What you just told me was incredibly important to me. Thank you so much."
"It's... it's all right. I'm very glad you've pulled yourself together!"
Chu Ruoxi was still somewhat awkward as she spoke.
"Don't worry, Chu Ruoxi. I won't let you down!" Jiang Fan said earnestly.
Seeing the determination in Jiang Fan's eyes, Chu Ruoxi immediately began looking forward to it too, believing he would surely achieve a score in the college entrance exam that would stun everyone with a single feat.
"Yes, I believe in you. You'll definitely make them see you in a new light."
"Yes!"
Jiang Fan nodded firmly.
Back at school!
Jiang Fan studied even harder. This time, however, he was no longer fighting alone. Chu Ruoxi took the initiative to ask the teacher to let her sit beside Jiang Fan.
From then on, no matter how late Jiang Fan studied at school, the competitive Chu Ruoxi would insist on staying with him.
She held fast to one belief: as long as Jiang Fan could do it, so could she.
And so, No. 1 High School gained another study maniac, and this one was even the school belle.
Time slipped by, the years flying like a shuttle!
The college entrance exam arrived as scheduled.
All the final-year students rubbed their fists and wiped their palms, ready to show their prowess in the college entrance exam.
When the last exam ended, everyone felt as though a heavy burden had been lifted.
The moment they rushed out of the exam venue, some leaped into the air, while others turned somersaults. Smiles lit up everyone's faces.
But a very small number of students had not performed well and looked miserable.
Jiang Fan came out with the main stream of examinees. His brow was smooth, his expression relaxed and natural. He seemed like a completely different person from the one who had previously done nothing but study hard every day.
Suddenly, someone tapped him on the shoulder!
"Hi, Jiang Fan! How did the exams go?"
Jiang Fan turned and saw Chu Ruoxi, then gave her a sunshine-bright smile.
"Perfect."
Seeing Jiang Fan suddenly smile at her, Chu Ruoxi blushed a little for some reason.
"How did yours go?" Jiang Fan asked.
"Scoring 700 shouldn't be a problem!"