Chapter 25: Estimating the Score, 575

The school had issued a notice for students to return by three in the afternoon.

When Chen Fan and his two companions finished their meal and returned to the classroom, many of their classmates had already arrived early. Some were taking photos with close friends as mementos, while the majority were huddled in small groups, discussing the answers to the college entrance examination.

"Mathematics was way too hard this time. I didn't even finish the last two analytical problems."

"You didn't finish? I couldn't even make sense of what the questions were asking..."

"At least you two got to read the questions. I didn't even have enough time; I hadn't reached the final problem when it was time to hand in my paper..."

"What did you guys pick for the graph analysis in the multiple-choice section?"

"A."

"Huh? Wasn't it B?"

"It’s over. I’ve really scorched my chances this time."

"Can we stop checking answers? My heart can't take it anymore..."

"Hey, what did you put for the fourth fill-in-the-blank question?"

...

Shortly after sitting down, Su Ruochu was called to the office by a teacher. Guo Shuai, meanwhile, had finally been waiting for Li Na. The two quietly slipped out of the classroom, wandering the campus while chatting about who knows what.

Chen Fan sat alone by the window, refraining from participating in the answer-checking discussions around him. Gazing out at the window, he let the sunlight wash over him and stretched comfortably.

The bell for the first session rang. Su Ruochu walked into the classroom alongside their homeroom teacher.

"Alright, everyone, settle down," Wang Qiming said, tapping the lectern with a smile. "How did it go? How did everyone do?"

For a moment, the classroom was filled with groans.

Wang Qiming tapped the desk again. "Alright, whether you did well or not, it’s all in the past. Don't dwell on it. Next, I’ll have the class monitor copy the answers for each subject onto the blackboard. Everyone can check them to see roughly what your scores will be, so you'll have a better idea when applying for schools in a few days."

Su Ruochu walked up to the podium with several sheets of paper and began writing the answers in chalk. The classroom fell silent, and all the students scrambled to pull out paper and pens. Soon, the room was filled with the sound of scratching pencils. Some clever students retrieved the slips of paper they had used to copy their answers during the exam, while others sat scratching their heads in frustration.

"Oh no, what did I pick for the third multiple-choice question? I can't remember."

"What? The last multiple-choice question was C? Didn't everyone pick A?"

"Waaah, I want to die. I only got seven out of twelve multiple-choice math questions right."

"I only got five..."

"It’s too hard, it really is too hard..."

Chen Fan ignored the surrounding chatter, holding a pen and scribbling on his notebook.

"BCDA, DABB, ACD, BC..."

"Fill-in-the-blank: 64..."

"-13..."

"x＝2/3."

...

Chen Fan checked his answers with lightning speed. Mathematics was the subject he felt least confident about. Aside from the final analytical problems, the rest of the questions were answered based on the learning ability he possessed in this lifetime.

The calculation ended. His final math score was 112. This score was slightly better than Chen Fan had anticipated, especially given that this was the result even after knowing some of the answers beforehand.

There was no time for reflection; Chen Fan immediately moved on to check his Chinese answers, followed by English and the liberal arts papers. After a dozen minutes, Chen Fan let out a long sigh of relief. Staring at the numbers in his notebook, he muttered softly to himself, "575."

Because some answers were purely subjective, Chen Fan wasn't certain, so this 575 was based on his most pessimistic estimate. He reckoned his final score would be within ten points of this figure.

With that, Chen Fan was finally at ease. He knew this year’s Tier 1 cutoff was 535, and his score was already 40 points above that. As for Yunhai University, which Su Ruochu planned to apply to, the cutoff was 553. Even if he subtracted ten points, he would still have 565—definitely enough to get into Yunhai University.

Su Ruochu returned to her seat after finishing on the blackboard, her eyes fixed nervously on Chen Fan. "How was it?" she asked cautiously as soon as she sat down.

Chen Fan pushed his notebook toward her. Su Ruochu’s beautiful eyes widened instantly. A second later, she covered her mouth in excitement. "575? Really?"

Chen Fan nodded with a smile. "What about you?"

Su Ruochu excitedly picked up a pen and wrote a number in the notebook: "578."

Chen Fan smiled. "I didn't let you down, did I? Now we can go to the same university."

Su Ruochu nodded repeatedly, brimming with excitement. "Yes."

"Are you sure it's 575?" the young girl asked, still doubting him.

Chen Fan nodded with a smile. "I checked twice. The margin of error shouldn't be more than ten points."

Su Ruochu did some quick mental math, and her excitement surged. "That's great! That's just great..."

Seeing her even happier than he was, Chen Fan couldn't help but tease her. "Now, can you tell me which university you're planning to apply to?"

Su Ruochu pursed her lips and smiled. "Yunhai University."

As expected. Chen Fan immediately feigned shock. "A 985 university! I've heard the campus at Yunhai is beautiful."

Su Ruochu stared at him nervously. "Will you... will you apply to Yunhai University?"

Chen Fan smiled and squeezed her hand. "I told you, I’m going wherever you go. Not only will I apply to Yunhai University, but I’m going to choose the same major as you."

Hearing this, a sweet smile spread across Su Ruochu's face. The anxiety of the past few days had finally melted away.

But for every joy, there is sorrow. While Su Ruochu was immersed in happiness, the other students in the class wore gloomy faces. It was clear that most of them had not performed well in this year's college entrance exam.

Taking advantage of the teacher's absence, Chen Fan quietly found Guo Shuai. "How did it go?"

Guo Shuai pursed his lips. "486 points."

Chen Fan did a quick calculation in his head. "You should be able to get into a Tier 3 school."

Guo Shuai nodded. "Pretty much."

Chen Fan was somewhat surprised. "What's wrong? Logically, you should be jumping for joy if you can get into a Tier 3 school."

Guo Shuai looked irritable. "Li Na rejected me."

Chen Fan was taken aback. "What happened? Tell me the details."

Guo Shuai scratched his head, feeling dejected. "Just a while ago, she called me outside. She started with a bunch of nonsense, and then finally said that since the exams are over, we’re all going to head off to different parts of the country for school."

"I told her I could go to the city where she’s attending, but Li Na told me to wake up and be realistic. She said that even if she said yes now, it would just end up being a long-distance relationship and we’d break up sooner or later. She thought it would be better to just keep a good memory of each other instead..."

Chen Fan gave a bitter smile and nodded. "You’re the idealist, and she’s the realist... But to be fair, she’s much more rational than you are. What she said makes sense."

Guo Shuai glared at him. "Whose side are you on, anyway?"

Chen Fan laughed. "I’m just telling the truth. Of course, if you don't give up, you can keep in touch with her once you’re in college. It’s not like you’ll never see each other again... Maybe one day in the future, she’ll be moved by your sincerity."

Guo Shuai shook his head. "Forget it. I’m not the type to force things on others. Since she’s made up her mind, there’s no point in pestering her. Once I’m in college, I refuse to believe I won't find a girlfriend."

Chen Fan paused, then gave him a thumbs-up. "That’s the spirit!"

"Get out of here..."

"By the way, what was your predicted score?" Guo Shuai asked. "You and Su Ruochu may have confirmed your relationship, but you’re probably going to be in a long-distance relationship soon, right?" He looked at Chen Fan with pity, trying to comfort him. "I imagine you’re feeling just as depressed as I am. If you’re feeling down, don’t bottle it up—just let it out. Why don’t I go with you to the internet café later and play a few rounds of Red Alert?"

Chen Fan glanced at him nonchalantly. "Sorry. My score is 575, and I’m going to the same university as my Ruochu."

"What?" Guo Shuai slammed the table, his face full of shock. "You... you said you got how much?"