Go to the place where you are
The phrase "joint examination of eight schools" weighed heavily on the minds of all the second-year students at No. 2 High School.
This was no longer a regular exam within the school, but a brutal battle that expanded to the city's elite student community, a battle to the death.
All students' names will no longer be listed alongside your familiar classmates, but will be mixed in with the top students from seven other key high schools, scrutinized, compared, and investigated.
During the exam days, the air on campus seemed to freeze.
The corridor was quiet, devoid of noise and commotion, save for hurried footsteps and hushed conversations discussing difficult problems.
Everyone's face bore the same solemn expression, their eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep and weary from being overwhelmed by a deluge of knowledge.
Jin Can, standing among them, didn't seem as panicked as the other students.
Over the past semester, she has been studying with everyone almost like an ascetic.
While others were gossiping about the mysterious disappearances of Chao Ningning, Zhou Yu, and Shi Yanxi, she had already plunged back into her studies.
She discovered for the first time that when a person truly focuses on doing something, the world really does become very simple.
Those physics formulas and function graphs that once seemed like gibberish gradually became clear, orderly, and even... aesthetically pleasing in her mind after countless deductions and exercises.
When she took the Chinese exam, the essay topic was "Ruler and Measurement." Instead of writing about those clichéd examples, she thought about her experience playing instruments on stage.
She wrote: The yardstick of life should not be just about winning and losing in the worldly sense, but rather about the passion and perseverance in one's heart; and the measure of behavior is to uphold oneself while also understanding and respecting the choices of others.
She wrote with great passion, as if she were having a dialogue with the world through her own soul.
During the math exam, the last challenging problem in analytic geometry was extremely tedious, with an outrageously large amount of calculation required.
The sound of the electric fan masked the sighs of frustration and the piercing noise of pens scratching through the draft paper in the examination room.
Jin Can took a deep breath, recalling the phrase Chao Ningning always emphasized when explaining problems to her: "No matter how complex the graph, it all originates from the most basic points, lines, and planes. Peel away all the disguises, find the core definitions and formulas, calculate step by step, and don't skip steps."
She picked up a pen and clearly listed each step on the draft paper, marking each variable.
Numbers flowed from her pen.
Just as she solved the complex yet precise answer, which had no decimals that couldn't be divided evenly, the bell rang to signal the end of the exam.
She put down her pen, her forehead and palms covered in sweat, but her heart was filled with unwavering determination.
After finishing the last exam, Jin Can walked out of the exam room. The hot summer wind hit her face, instantly clearing her highly tense mind.
She saw countless students pouring out of the teaching building, each with an exhausted look on their face.
The exam was quite difficult, but she didn't rush to compare answers with her classmates, nor did she participate in the heated discussions about the difficulty of the questions.
She simply walked slowly with Ge Ouchen on their way home, watching the streetlights light up one by one, casting long shadows of her.
Whatever the outcome, she has done her best.
This was the first time she could say this to herself with such a clear conscience.
The days of waiting for the results are a more agonizing ordeal than the exam itself.
Everyone's social media feeds and social media posts were flooded with it.
Some lamented that math was too difficult, some predicted that the cutoff scores would plummet, and some busybodies inquired about the other seven schools, trying to compile a "Red and Black List of the Eight Schools Joint Examination".
The atmosphere of discussion throughout the grade was lively, and any slight change in grades could spark a heated debate.
Jin Can reviewed her studies methodically and got used to listening to guzheng music for half an hour every day to relax. When she imagined her fingertips smoothly plucking the strings and producing clear and melodious notes, her anxiety seemed to be soothed little by little.
She thought that perhaps she had finally understood the meaning of Chao Ningning's words.
The answer to "What kind of person do I want to become?" lies not in a single external judgment, but in the process of establishing inner order.
Finally, the day of the results announcement arrived, and the report cards were distributed to everyone on A4 paper.
Jin Can's heart suddenly started pounding.
She suddenly felt a little scared, afraid that her efforts over the past month without the system's assistance would ultimately only result in a less than satisfactory number.
A hand reached out; its knuckles were distinct, clean, and slender—it belonged to Ge Ouchen.
He didn't touch her hand, but simply tapped her desk lightly with his fingertips.
"Afraid to look?" he asked.
Jin Can shook his head, then nodded.
"Shall I help you?"
"……good."
She handed over her grades.
Ge Ouchen opened it and looked at it for a few seconds, but Jin Can felt like an eternity had passed.
For the first time, a clear expression of surprise and approval appeared on his face.
He handed the report card back to Jin Can, his voice carrying a hint of excitement he himself didn't realize: "Look for yourself."
Jin Can took the phone with trembling hands, his eyes fixed on the small note.
Name: Jin Can School: No. 2 Middle School Rank: 63 Subject: Chinese Language...
Sixty-three?
Jin Can's eyes widened instantly.
She checked the number repeatedly; it was written in black and white—it really was sixty-three!
She ranked 63rd out of more than 3,000 top students in the city!
An indescribable joy overwhelmed her instantly; her hard work had paid off, which made Jin Can feel incredibly at ease and satisfied.
Her eyes welled up with tears, and her vision blurred instantly.
The students around them also received their results one after another, and the classroom erupted in excitement.
Jin Can lay face down on the table, burying his face in his arms, his shoulders trembling slightly as he suppressed tears of joy.
She did it.
She really did it on her own.
In the past, she always felt that learning was something that required talent and inspiration, especially in science subjects. She felt that if she didn't have the brain, she would never understand it.
But now she realizes that exam-oriented education, in the end, is still a skill that can be learned through specific methods.
"Actually, once you think about it, it's just that simple."
On the way home from school, Jin Can spoke to Ge Ouchen beside him, his tone filled with sudden realization and relief.
"The scope of knowledge is limited, and the syllabus is very strict. As long as you thoroughly understand each knowledge point, open your mind to it, and master the underlying logic and methods, the rest is purely a matter of proficiency. Practice enough questions and see enough question types, and you will be able to react quickly like a conditioned reflex in the exam room."
Ge Ouchen held the bicycle with one hand and put the other in his pocket, listening quietly to what she had to say.
The setting sun cast a golden glow on him, making him look much softer than usual.
"You've summarized it well," he said, his voice slightly muffled by the wind but still clear. "It shows you've found the right learning method."
He paused, then changed the subject, and that familiar "Dog Brother" style of rigorous analysis returned:
“I have analyzed the college entrance examination data of our city over the past five years, as well as the enrollment quotas of Tsinghua and Peking Universities in our area. Basically, to be relatively safe for admission, your college entrance examination score needs to be at least in the top fifty in the city.”
He looked intently into Jin Can's eyes: "You ranked sixty-third this time. The revolution is not yet successful, comrade, we still need to work hard."
Jin Can's newly ignited passion was instantly cooled down by his words.
She pouted. This guy was a natural atmosphere destroyer. Couldn't she just let him be proud for a little while longer?
However, she also knew that what he said was true.
Sixty-three sounds impressive, but it's still a crucial dozen steps away from the top.
Ge Ouchen seemed to realize that his tone was a bit too serious, so he changed to a lighter topic.
"Learn from me, I'm number one."
He couldn't help but let a slight smile appear on his lips.
"Oh my god, do you want to be the top scorer in the college entrance examination?" Jin Can asked.
"Not necessarily." He shook his head, meeting her probing gaze with a confident glint in his eyes.
"Because I plan to get admitted through the competition."
Jin Can was visibly taken aback upon hearing this.
She seemed surprised that Ge Ouchen's goal was so clear, and he had even planned out his path.
"Um..." She hesitated for a moment, accepted the information, and then asked the next question, "So... do you want to go to Tsinghua University or Peking University?"
This is the ultimate choice that no top student can avoid.
Ge Ouchen tilted his head and thought for a moment, seemingly indicating that he hadn't really considered the question carefully.
However, after pondering for a moment, Ge Ouchen's gaze fell back on Jin Can, his eyes focused and deep, seemingly containing emotions more complex than the question itself.
She saw his lips move slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but he held back.
In that instant, it felt as if a string in Jin Can's heart had been gently plucked.
She didn't know what Ge Ouchen wanted to say, but she could sense that those words must be very important to him.
From Jin Can's perspective, Ge Ouchen ultimately said nothing.
He simply looked at her in silence, the setting sun casting a warm glow on his eyes.
Then, he slowly reached into his pocket and awkwardly took her hand, their fingers intertwined.
His palms were warm, and slightly sweaty from nervousness.
His movements were very light, as if driven by the most steadfast belief in the world.
No words were spoken.
Time seemed to slow down at this moment.
The sounds of wind, people, and traffic all became blurred background noise at this moment.
All Jin Can could feel was his own heart pounding wildly, and the scalding heat emanating from their clasped hands.
She looked up and met Ge Ouchen's eyes.
Those eyes no longer held their usual calm and indifference; instead, they held a tenderness and earnestness she had never seen before, a tenderness that bordered on desperate.
She suddenly understood the words he hadn't said.
I want to go to a place where you are.
In the blink of an eye, all the vague feelings, all the unspoken understandings, and all the chaotic intersections converged into an absolutely clear answer.
After going through countless complex function calculations, Jin Can's brain was now completely occupied by the simplest, yet most unsolvable, thought.
Damn it!
She thought.
It's love.
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