The Gaokao
The parents accompanying their children to the exam wore looks of concern and worry. One mother carefully straightened her daughter's collar and said gently, "Sweetheart, don't be nervous. Just do your best as usual."
Her daughter smiled and nodded, but her slightly trembling hands betrayed her nerves.
One father gave his son a hearty pat on the shoulder and called out, "Son, go for it! Dad believes in you!" Behind those seemingly lighthearted words lay a father's deep love and boundless expectations.
Other parents stood silently to one side, hands clasped as they prayed for their children. Their eyes followed their children the whole time, as though sending them strength.
The teachers had also arrived at school early. They wore red clothes symbolizing an auspicious start, making a striking sight at the school gate.
Their homeroom teacher, Teacher Wang, stood at the entrance, smiling as she welcomed each student.
She carefully checked the students' exam admission tickets and reminded them softly, "Don't leave anything behind. Relax, all of you are the best!" She had poured countless hours of care and effort into these students who were about to enter the exam room. At this moment, she wanted them to get good results more than anyone.
The math teacher moved through the crowd, patiently answering a few last difficult questions for students who still had doubts. His voice was steady and firm, gradually calming their flustered hearts.
As the time drew near, the crowd at the school gate began to move slowly forward.
The examinees lined up and passed through the security gate one by one. Security personnel checked each examinee carefully, ensuring that no prohibited items were brought into the exam room.
Now and then, an examinee would drop a pen out of nervousness. The people nearby would look over with concern, and someone would offer a gentle word of comfort: "It's okay. Don't panic."
In this tense atmosphere, the kindness and warmth between people flowed gently like a trickling stream.
Inside, the exam room was simply and solemnly arranged. Inspiring slogans hung on the white walls: "Fight for your dreams, sing for your youth" and "Ten years sharpening a sword, today its edge is put to the test."
Rows of desks and chairs stood perfectly aligned, their surfaces wiped spotless, as though quietly awaiting the examinees' arrival.
The proctors stood at the front of the classroom, their eyes both stern and caring.
They carefully checked every corner of the exam room to ensure a fair and impartial examination.
The first exam, Chinese, was about to begin. The examinees sat quietly in their seats, waiting for the papers to be handed out.
Their expressions varied. Some looked grave, as though pondering the difficult questions they were about to face. Others appeared relaxed, the corners of their mouths slightly raised, seemingly full of confidence in the exam.
The classroom was so quiet that only the occasional birdcall outside the window and the examinees' faint breathing could be heard.
Rustle, rustle. The sound of exam papers being handed out broke the silence. The examinees quickly picked up their pens and began answering the questions in earnest.
Their eyes moved swiftly across the papers, their brows sometimes furrowing and sometimes smoothing out. Some wrote furiously, their pens moving as if guided by divine aid; others bit the ends of their pens, lost in thought.
Only the scratching of pens and the turning of exam papers could be heard in the room. Time seemed to freeze at that moment.
In the last row of the classroom sat an examinee named Xiaoyan. She usually earned excellent grades and was a top student in her teachers' eyes.
But now, beads of sweat covered her forehead. Her right hand gripped her pen so tightly that her knuckles had turned white.
The first classical Chinese reading question gave her a stern opening blow. She hesitated over the meanings of several words. Her heart began to race, and an inexplicable sense of nervousness welled up inside her.
She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself, telling herself, Don't panic. Think carefully. You can do this.
She examined the question again, searching the surrounding text for clues. At last, her tightly furrowed brow slowly relaxed, and she began to write her answer.
Outside the window, the sunlight grew stronger, filtering through gaps in the leaves and casting dappled patterns of light and shadow.
Cicadas called tirelessly from the branches, as though cheering the examinees on. The flowers, grass, and trees on campus swayed gently in the breeze, seeming to offer their blessings for this special examination in their own unique way.
Before anyone knew it, half the exam time had passed. Some examinees had finished the earlier questions and were carefully checking their answers, while others were still struggling in a bitter "battle" with the essay question at the end.
The essay topic was "The power of dreams," and it sent many examinees into deep thought. They recalled the days and nights they had spent striving for their dreams. The hours of working late by lamplight, the tears after failure, and the courage to stand up again all came flooding back at that moment.
And so they wrote furiously, putting their devotion to and pursuit of their dreams into words.
In another exam room, an examinee named Yuxuan ran into trouble. His gel pen suddenly stopped writing. He shook it hard, but it did no good.
An anxious look appeared on his face, and fine beads of sweat broke out on his forehead.
The proctor noticed something was wrong and quickly came over. "What's the matter?" the proctor asked softly. Yuxuan said nervously, "My pen broke."
The proctor smiled and reassured him. "Don't worry. I'll find you another one."
Before long, the proctor brought him a new pen.
Yuxuan took it and gave the proctor a grateful look, then threw himself back into the tense exam.
When the bell rang to signal the end of the exam, the examinees put down their pens one after another.
Some let out long sighs of relief, relaxed smiles spreading across their faces. Others looked dejected, seemingly less than satisfied with their performance.
They handed in their papers in an orderly manner and left the exam rooms. The campus immediately came alive as examinees gathered in groups of two or three to discuss the exam they had just finished.
Some excitedly shared their approaches to the questions, while others argued endlessly over answers they weren't sure about.
Outside the exam site, parents had long been waiting with craned necks.
Their eyes remained fixed on the school gate, trying to spot their children at the first opportunity.
The moment they saw their children emerge from the gate, they hurried forward. Some offered drinks and snacks they had prepared in advance and asked with concern, "How did it go? Are you tired?"
Others simply looked at their children in silence, encouraging them with warm gazes.
The children's answers varied. Some said confidently, "It went all right. It was pretty easy."
Others were a little downcast. "I don't think it went very well. I wasn't sure about a few questions."
The parents always smiled and comforted them. "It's okay. As long as you did your best. There are still more exams to come."
At noon, the restaurants near the school were packed with examinees and their parents.
To welcome the gaokao, the restaurant owners had specially prepared nutritious set meals and posted messages of good luck at their entrances.
As they ate, the examinees discussed the afternoon's subject with their parents.
Although the morning exam had left them somewhat tired, their eyes were still full of fighting spirit!
After a short rest, they would head off to the next exam.
The afternoon math exam seemed somewhat harder than the morning's Chinese exam.
In the exam rooms, several difficult problems stumped many examinees.
The classrooms were oppressively quiet, with only the examinees' faint sighs and nervous breathing to be heard.
But they did not give up. They continued thinking hard, trying all kinds of methods to solve the problems.
For three days straight, in this race against time and knowledge, every examinee gave it their all.
Concentration and determination were written all over their faces, as though the whole world had been reduced to the exam paper before them.
Outside the windows, a few white clouds occasionally drifted across the sky. They watched the examinees quietly, witnessing them strive for their dreams.
When the bell rang to mark the end of the final exam, the entire campus erupted.
The examinees cheered and leaped for joy as they rushed out of the exam rooms, giving free rein to the joy and pressure in their hearts.
Some embraced one another, some threw their books into the air, and others shouted at the sky, "We've graduated!" At that moment, all their hard work and sacrifice turned into tears of happiness and radiant smiles.
At the school gate, the parents were swept up in the fervent atmosphere as well. They laughed and cried with their children.
The teachers also came over and took commemorative photos with their students one by one.
Their eyes were full of pride and reluctance to part. These students were like saplings they had planted with their own hands, and now they were finally leaving them to embrace a wider sky.
The fading light of the setting sun fell across the campus, draping it in a golden coat.
The examinees, their parents, and their teachers slowly walked out through the school gate together. In the glow of the setting sun, their figures looked especially warm and moving.
The gaokao, this war without gunpowder smoke, had finally drawn to a close.
But for these examinees, it was only a new starting point in life. Carrying their dreams and hopes, they would set off toward the next mountains and seas.
During those three days, Chen Ze had done nothing but take exams and sleep, experiencing the tense atmosphere of the gaokao once again.
"Ding~ Congratulations, host, on completing the mission. Or physique attribute points increased by 10, empathy points increased by 5,000. The rewards have been sent to the system backpack."
"Ding~ 5,000 empathy points deducted. The host still owes this system 215,030 empathy points."
"System, can these physique attribute points only be added to physique?"
"Ding~ In response to the host, yes!" It seemed that attribute points assigned to a specific attribute could only be added to the corresponding attribute.
System, add all the physique attribute points to physique, Chen Ze said silently.
"Ding~ Adding points for the host. Completion is estimated within three days!"
Chen Ze felt a sharp pain in his body, accompanied by a tearing sensation. It came quickly and disappeared just as fast!
"System, show me the attribute panel!" A flash of light passed through his mind, and his personal attribute panel had been updated!
Name: Chen Ze Gender: male Age: 18 Height: 173 cm Physique: 60 Constitution: 60 Temperament: 60 Charm: 80 (outstanding) Skills: view another person's information lv1, advanced singing.