Chapter 28: Estimations

On June 10.

Because today he was going to school to estimate his college entrance exam scores, Li Dong got up early.

When he arrived at school, it was just past eight. Most of the classmates had already arrived and were gathered, discussing the exam questions and their answers.

From the crowd came occasional exclamations of surprise, and people lamenting wrong answers that had cost them a few points.

There were also sounds of joy. Li Dong heard someone shout, "I can't believe I really chose B! I just guessed, and I was so lucky!"

Li Dong couldn't help but smile. Sometimes, having no expectations leads to pleasant surprises.

Chen Guohua had also arrived early and was handing out answer keys to the students who had come.

After getting the answer key from Old Chen, Li Dong sat down and started comparing his answers.

Thanks to his good memory and the fact that the exam had just passed, he remembered almost all the answers he had written.

After comparing the answers, except for some subjective questions and essays, his scores across the subjects were quite high.

Li Dong estimated that with his usual scores for Chinese and English essays, his total score should be around 610, which was not bad.

The admission cutoff for first-tier universities last year was around 560, and this year he remembered it was about 565 or 567, roughly the same as last year.

Being 40-50 points higher than the first-tier cutoff meant applying to Jiang University should be no problem.

Wang Jie, who had also checked his answers, turned to Li Dong with a smile and asked, "Dongzi, how did you estimate? What do you think you scored?"

Li Dong didn't reply immediately and instead asked, "What about you?"

"Hehe, not bad. About 600 points. Applying to a better school shouldn't be a problem."

Wang Jie was smiling and seemed quite happy.

His usual grades were good, so 600 points matched his expectations. He wasn't hoping for a breakthrough, just to perform as usual.

With this score, even if he couldn't get into the top-tier universities, he could still apply to some ordinary 211 universities.

However, applying to a 211 university in Beijing might be a bit difficult, as there were many people from other regions wanting to study there.

Not pressing Li Dong for more details, Wang Jie patted Chen Yue in the front row and asked, "Chen Yue, how did you estimate?"

"Not too good. About 580 or 590."

Chen Yue looked a bit unhappy, clearly feeling that this score was below her expectations.

As Class 8 was an experimental class in No. 1 High School with a high rate of first-tier university admissions, Chen Yue's usual scores were similar to Wang Jie's. Being off by 10-20 points made her understandably disappointed.

A single point difference in the college entrance exam could result in hundreds or even thousands of ranking changes. It was tough to apply to a school with a 10 or 20-point shortfall.

Unless Wang Jie was willing to apply to a less prestigious school, the two of them might have to go their separate ways.

Wang Jie quickly comforted her, "It's okay. You girls always estimate lower. Your final score should be similar to mine. I'll apply to a school with you."

Li Dong smiled and said, "Who knows, Wang Jie might end up with a lower score than you. This guy likes to exaggerate."

"Go to hell! I'm not that kind of person!" Wang Jie laughed and scolded, then continued to ask, "You still haven't said how much you scored!"

"If the cutoff doesn't change much this year, Jiang University should be fine." Li Dong wasn't hiding anything and casually mentioned it, as everyone would know the score eventually.

Wang Jie was surprised. Jiang University's cutoff was high, and you needed more than 600 points to be considered. So, Li Dong must have scored over 600!

"You've really kept it hidden!"

Wang Jie gave a thumbs-up in praise, not showing any jealousy.

He and Li Dong were on good terms, and there was no real competition, so he didn't think too much about it.

Chen Yue also expressed envy and jealousy, saying Li Dong had a stroke of luck to score higher than her, which was unforgivable.

As the group was joking around, Yuan Xue, who had been silent in the front row, suddenly turned around and asked, "Li Dong, you did so well, and you're still staying in Jiangbei? Didn't Qin Yuhan say she was applying to Jingda?"

Li Dong smiled without answering and didn't want to say too much.

Seeing Yuan Xue's gloomy expression, fearing she might start another argument, Chen Yue quickly changed the topic, "Xue, how did you do? Is Jingda still a possibility?"

It was unclear why people from Dongping were so fond of Jingda. Almost everyone with good scores wanted to go there.

Yuan Xue, feeling disappointed because she hadn't done well in her estimates, replied gloomily, "Jingda is probably out of reach. I'm planning to apply to Renmin University."

"Renmin University is already very good, Xue. With your score, being disappointed is excessive. How are we supposed to live…" 

Chen Yue pretended to be annoyed while offering congratulations.

Renmin University might not be as prestigious as Jingda, but it was still a top university.

Only someone like Yuan Xue, who was a top student, could be disappointed. For others, they would likely be ecstatic.

Wang Jie also offered a few compliments and suggested they all go out for a meal.

When asked about Li Dong, he quickly refused. It was awkward last time, and he wasn't planning to go this time.

Yuan Xue also declined, as she wasn't in the mood for a meal after feeling her performance was poor.

Wang Jie realized something was off and stopped pushing the matter, preparing to enjoy some time alone with Chen Yue.

---

When Li Dong arrived at Qin Yuhan's class, she was talking with her homeroom teacher.

Seeing Li Dong, Qin Yuhan exchanged a few words with the teacher and then quickly walked over.

As soon as they met, Qin Yuhan asked eagerly, "How did it go? What did you estimate?"

Li Dong grinned with pride and said, "Do I need to say? With my level and looks, scoring 600 is a piece of cake."

Qin Yuhan rolled her eyes, not liking his smug expression, and teased, "Only 600? I thought you'd score higher than me. I didn't expect you to be lower!"

Li Dong wasn't embarrassed and continued to be smug, "That's because yours is an arts subject; the scores aren't worth much. By the way, how much did you estimate?"

"Hehe, not telling you! But I asked the teacher, and if the cutoff for Jingda doesn't change much this year, I should be fine applying there."

Qin Yuhan's face was full of joy. Although the scores weren't out yet, she felt confident about Jingda.

She had actually estimated a score about ten points lower than what she told the teacher.

Jingda had always been her goal, and now that she was likely to get into this top university, she was naturally overjoyed.

Li Dong was slightly taken aback. Jingda? Didn't Qin Yuhan's past life involve Beijing Normal University?

Perhaps it was because of his influence. He had consciously asked Qin Yuhan about some college entrance exam questions, but there were still differences between arts and science papers.

Forget it, Li Dong thought, as long as Qin Yuhan was happy.

While feeling pleased for Qin Yuhan, he intentionally teased her, "You're so confident about Jingda. Maybe your teacher is just comforting you."

"You're just jealous!"

Qin Yuhan's lips curled up slightly. Knowing Li Dong was teasing her, she wasn't angry.

The two walked and chatted, occasionally teasing each other, their laughter echoing far and wide.

Soon after they left, a figure emerged from behind a big tree at the campus gate.

Feng Jinsong had a dark expression, watching the two walk away hand in hand with resentment in his eyes.

---

Li Dong walked Qin Yuhan to her home before reluctantly leaving.

He wanted to stay longer, but his mother was waiting at home to hear the results, and it would be unbearable if he delayed.

When Li Dong got home, Cao Fang was already impatient.

As soon as she saw Li Dong, she eagerly asked, "Dongzi, how did it go? Did you make it to a good university?"

The couple didn't have high expectations for Li Dong; they just hoped he made it to a good university. They feared he might not even make it to an undergraduate program.

If that happened, it would not only be embarrassing but also worrisome for Li Dong's future.

"Mom, don't worry. I'm definitely in a first-tier university. We'll know the exact score when it comes out. I did pretty well."

Li Dong didn't specify his score. At this point, even if he said it was high, his mother wouldn't believe it until the official score was released.

Cao Fang's face lit up with a smile upon hearing this. Without saying much more, she hurriedly put on her shoes and headed out, saying, "I'm going to tell your dad. He's still waiting."

Seeing his mother run downstairs, Li Dong shook his head with a smile, feeling content.

He had managed to change some things in this life, and his sleepless nights reading books hadn't been in vain.