Chapter 26: Revenge

June 6, just one day before the college entrance examination.

Li Chengyuan and Cao Fang had closed their stall early, and by before six, they were already back home.

Li Dong was watching TV at home. Before he could say a word, he heard Cao Fang complain, "At this hour, how can you still watch TV? After the exam, you can watch whatever you want."

"Dongzi, go to your room and review your textbooks. I'll call you when your mom finishes cooking," Li Chengyuan, usually calm, hurriedly agreed.

Li Dong felt helpless. He had reviewed the exam materials dozens of times and felt there was no need to cram at the last minute.

However, understanding his parents' concerns, he turned off the TV, shook his head, and went to his room.

At 7:30, after finishing dinner, Li Dong wanted to go out for a stroll and see if he could find Qin Yuhan.

To his surprise, Li Chengyuan and Cao Fang insisted he stay home to rest, worried he might get into trouble or get hurt.

With a wry smile, Li Dong had no choice but to stay obediently in his room.

Not wanting to read and with time still early, Li Dong couldn't sleep, so he called Qin Yuhan.

Qin Hai answered the phone. Recognizing Li Dong's voice, he spoke with a harsh tone but still handed the phone to Qin Yuhan.

When Qin Yuhan said she couldn't go out because her parents were strict, Li Dong's heart sank.

He couldn't talk long before hearing Qin's parents' complaints on the other end. Qin Hai even shouted, "It's almost the exam. Is it right to call at this time and disturb people's rest?"

Li Dong could only sigh and give a few words of encouragement before hanging up.

Clearing his mind, Li Dong soon fell asleep.

---

On June 7, Li Dong woke up early.

Cao Fang didn't go to the market today but stayed home to prepare breakfast and keep him company.

Seeing Li Dong packing his things, Cao Fang constantly reminded him, "Make sure you have everything. Bring extra pens. It'd be troublesome if your pen breaks during the exam…"

Li Dong quickly agreed and, fearing the weather would be too hot, declined Cao Fang's company.

Since the exam venue was at the high school, Cao Fang didn't insist but said she would have lunch ready at home and wait for Li Dong to return.

---

Li Dong arrived at the high school at 8:20.

Even though it was still early and the exam hall was not open yet, the area in front of the school was already crowded with students and parents.

For these parents and students, having waited for over a decade, waiting a few more hours was nothing compared to missing the exam.

Li Dong scanned the crowd but couldn't find Qin Yuhan despite searching for a while.

Though Qin Yuhan was a liberal arts student, the high school had two teaching buildings, and the liberal arts exam was in the rear building. Qin Yuhan's exam was also there.

Li Dong had some doubts. It seemed that students with good grades were all assigned to this high school for the exam.

However, Li Dong didn't think too much about it. With so many people, he couldn't spot her immediately.

At 8:30, when the exam hall opened, the crowd surged towards the venue. Only then did Li Dong spot Qin Yuhan at the back of the crowd.

"Yuhan!"

Seeing Qin Yuhan without any accompanying parents, Li Dong called out loudly.

He knew Qin Yuhan's parents probably didn't come, as her home was close to the school.

Qin Yuhan spotted Li Dong and ran to him, her eyes red as she exclaimed, "Li Dong!"

"What's wrong?"

Li Dong's heart raced, noticing that Qin Yuhan seemed on the verge of tears.

Qin Yuhan grasped Li Dong's hand, panic-stricken, "Li Dong, I lost my admission ticket. What should I do?"

"You lost your admission ticket!"

Li Dong was shocked. This had never happened in his past life. Moreover, he remembered Qin Yuhan had eventually gone to Jing Shi University. How could she have lost her admission ticket?

Without much time to think, seeing Qin Yuhan's distressed face, Li Dong calmly said, "Let's not panic. First, we'll look for it. If we can't find it, it's okay. Explain the situation to the proctor and get permission to take the exam, then let your homeroom teacher help you get a replacement. As long as you get it replaced before the exam ends, it will be fine."

Qin Yuhan began to calm down upon hearing Li Dong's words.

She was initially terrified when she discovered the ticket was missing. She had nearly cried out if she hadn't held back.

Seeing Qin Yuhan's relieved expression, Li Dong felt anxious inside. His reassurances were merely to comfort her.

It was 2004, and Jiangbei hadn't implemented a policy for issuing replacement tickets during exams. If an admission ticket was lost, entry to the exam hall was not allowed, and the earliest one could get a replacement would be in the afternoon.

That meant if the ticket couldn't be found, Qin Yuhan would miss the morning's Chinese exam.

Chinese was worth 150 points. Missing the exam would mean that no matter how well Qin Yuhan did otherwise, this exam would be a failure.

Realizing this, Li Dong quickly asked, "Yuhan, do you remember where you lost the ticket?"

"I don't remember. I had it when I left home, and I even checked it halfway and didn't lose it. But now it's just gone," Qin Yuhan said, her voice trembling with regret and self-reproach.

Although Li Dong had spoken lightly, she couldn't fully trust it. If she couldn't enter the exam, she felt she could cry to death.

Seeing Qin Yuhan unable to explain further, Li Dong said, "Wait here. I'll search along the route. Don't panic."

"I'll go with you!"

"No, you stay here and look for your homeroom teacher. I think I saw him earlier. Explain the situation to him, and I'll find the ticket and come back to you."

After comforting Qin Yuhan, Li Dong rushed to search along the route to Qin Yuhan's home.

Since Qin Yuhan said she still had the ticket halfway, Li Dong gave up searching near her home and rushed back to the high school.

By 8:45, Li Dong was running out of breath, his clothes soaked with sweat, and his eyes filled with anxiety.

He knew how important the exam was for a student, especially for an excellent student like Qin Yuhan.

If this exam failed, even if she could repeat the year, it would have a significant impact on her.

Arriving at the high school entrance, Qin Yuhan and her homeroom teacher were anxiously searching everywhere.

Upon seeing Li Dong, her homeroom teacher hurriedly asked, "Did you find it?"

Li Dong shook his head gently. Seeing this, Qin Yuhan's homeroom teacher pounded his chest and exclaimed, "It's over! I just checked with the exam administration. Even if we apply for a replacement, it will take at least one to two hours. There's no time to enter now!"

Even if the replacement was ready in one or two hours, it would be too late for Qin Yuhan to enter the exam. It would be a huge blow to the school, especially since Qin Yuhan was a top candidate for Beijing University.

Hearing this, Qin Yuhan's face turned pale, and tears streamed down her face.

Though she was usually cheerful, as an eighteen-year-old girl, she couldn't help but panic when faced with such a situation.

Li Dong felt heartbroken seeing Qin Yuhan, usually so cheerful, crying so sadly.

Before he could offer any comfort, Qin Yuhan wiped her tears and weakly smiled at Li Dong, "Li Dong, you go ahead and take the exam. Don't let me delay you. I'll keep searching. If I can't find it, I'll retake the year. Besides, I wasn't confident about getting into Beijing University anyway. Maybe…"

She said this, but thinking about having prepared so long only to miss the chance to take the exam, Qin Yuhan's tears flowed again.

Li Dong felt deeply pained. He held her hand and said, "It's okay. It's just a year. I'll stay with you."

"Wuwu, it's all my fault. I must have lost it when I was with Feng Jinsong. There were so many people. It's unlikely we'll find it."

"Feng Jinsong?" Li Dong asked urgently, "What does he have to do with this?"

"I ran into him on the way. He insisted on seeing which exam hall I was in. I couldn't stop him, so…"

Before Qin Yuhan could finish, Li Dong realized that Feng Jinsong must have been behind this.

Feng Jinsong's home wasn't on Qin Yuhan's route. How could he have met her on the road?

Moreover, Li Dong and Qin Yuhan's relationship was no longer a secret. Feng Jinsong's actions were clearly an act of blatant revenge.

Li Dong had underestimated Feng Jinsong. He hadn't heard from him for a while and thought he had given up.

Unexpectedly, Feng Jinsong had been waiting for the right moment to strike.

"Which exam hall is he in?"

With time slipping away, Li Dong had no time to explain. He asked urgently.

Qin Yuhan seemed to understand, though still incredulous, and said, "It's either Exam Hall 31 or 35. He said he was near my exam hall."

Li Dong glanced at the time and quickly said, "Wait for me at the exam hall entrance. I'll find you soon!"

Without waiting for Qin Yuhan to respond, he sprinted towards the liberal arts exam hall.