Chapter 31: Checking Scores
June 24th.
The time to check the college entrance exam scores had arrived.
Although the local news had already informed that the score inquiry hotline would only be available after 6 p.m., Li Dong and Cao Fang were waiting at home by 5 p.m., ready to make the call.
Li Dong had no choice but to wait with his parents.
At 5:58 p.m., Cao Fang dialed the hotline even though it wasn't yet time, only to be greeted by a busy signal.
Undeterred, Cao Fang repeatedly dialed the number.
Seeing this, Li Dong was anxious and advised, "Mom, what's the rush? We can call again a bit later."
Cao Fang gave him a sidelong glance and huffed, ignoring him as she continued to redial the number.
After dialing at least thirty times, and with the clock striking 6:05 p.m., the call finally went through!
The elderly couple was so excited that they didn't even need Li Dong's help; they quickly entered Li Dong's exam number without even looking at the admission ticket.
Li Dong found it both amusing and bittersweet. If they weren't so concerned, they wouldn't have remembered the long number so well.
At that moment, a mechanical female voice came through the speakerphone—
"Chinese: 124 points, Math: 137 points, Science: 246 points, English: 108 points, Total: 615 points…"
When the total score was announced, Li Chengyuan and Cao Fang were trembling with excitement, barely holding back tears despite their efforts.
"615 points! My son scored 615 points!"
Cao Fang rubbed her eyes, clutching Li Dong's hand tightly, her voice choked with emotion.
Li Chengyuan, too, was emotionally stirred. Even though he never smoked at home, he lit up a cigarette and took a deep drag.
His only response was a series of "Good! Good! Good!"
Seeing his parents so happy and excited, Li Dong was also overwhelmed with emotion. He had finally done it.
In his previous life, although his parents were happy when he scored in the second tier, they were never this thrilled and excited. This time, he had done even better!
Fearing that his parents might get too worked up, Li Dong quickly reassured them a few times. Once their emotions had calmed down a bit, he went to his room to call Qin Yuhan.
...
After finishing the call with Qin Yuhan, Li Dong was somewhat incredulous.
In less than three minutes after the scores were released, the principal of the first high school called the Qin family personally. Qin Yuhan had become the top scorer in Dongping County in liberal arts.
With a score of 672, she had outperformed the previous Qin Yuhan by nearly thirty points!
A top scorer in liberal arts, even if it was at the county level, meant she was almost guaranteed to enter Jing University.
On the phone, Qin Yuhan was very excited. If her relatives hadn't been visiting, she would have rushed to see Li Dong immediately.
Still basking in the surprise of Qin Yuhan being the top scorer, Li Dong's phone rang again.
It was Wang Jie calling, and he sounded very pleased.
The reason for his good mood wasn't because he scored 604 points, which was about what he had estimated.
What truly made Wang Jie happy was Chen Yue, who had scored 599 points, just five points less than him. If they coordinated their choices well, they had a great chance of getting into the same school.
Wang Jie also mentioned that Yuan Xue had scored 653 points.
653 points wasn't too low, but it probably meant no chance for Jing University.
In previous years, Jing University's science score requirement in Dongping had been above 660, and this year might be even higher.
Wang Jie had heard that Yuan Xue was very disappointed. Even though she had anticipated this, missing out on Jing University was still a blow to this proud girl.
Li Dong didn't feel much sympathy. Scoring that high and still being dissatisfied was beyond him. Besides, Renmin University was also an excellent choice, another top domestic institution.
After finishing the call with Wang Jie, it was nearly 7 p.m.
Li Dong's parents were still on the phone, not sure who they were notifying.
Anyway, their tone was full of pride as they repeatedly said, "He scored 615 points! We'll notify you about the celebration later…"
Li Dong smiled, thinking he had finally made his parents proud. They would have a lot of face when they went to the market, and it would undoubtedly be good for their mood and health.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
Li Dong opened it to find Wei Yuan, whom he had seen just the day before.
Wei Yuan didn't have the same exuberant attitude as yesterday. Instead, he hung his head and looked distressed.
As soon as he saw Li Dong, Wei Yuan wailed, "Dongzi, help me! My parents are threatening to beat me. What should I do?"
Li Dong almost laughed out loud; it seemed that the scene from his memory had repeated itself.
He recalled that in his previous life, Wei Yuan had also been chased around the neighborhood by his parents after the scores were released.
Back then, Wei Yuan had come to seek help, and history seemed to repeat itself.
Seeing how distressingly Wei Yuan was howling, Li Dong, trying to suppress his laughter, interrupted, "I told you to go to the internet cafe less before the exams. Who told you not to listen?"
Wei Yuan pouted and grumbled, "I did go less, but this exam was too difficult. How could I be blamed for not doing well?"
He then looked at Li Dong and asked, "Dongzi, how much did you score?"
Wei Yuan looked at him with expectation. If one didn't know better, they might think he was congratulating Li Dong.
But Li Dong understood his true intention. Wei Yuan was hoping that if Li Dong hadn't done well, he could use it as an excuse when facing his parents.
He could then tell his parents, "Look, Dongzi didn't score well either. Even though he's in the key class, the exam was just too hard!"
Li Dong saw through his thoughts and wouldn't indulge him. With a relaxed expression, he said, "615 points. It's average; I missed a few questions I shouldn't have."
Wei Yuan was immediately dismayed. Though he knew Li Dong must have scored better than him, hearing "615 points" was still hard for him to accept.
He had only scored 468 points, falling short of a third-tier university by more than ten points. Li Dong had scored over 140 points more than him, which was like adding an extra exam paper.
"God! You spend just as much time online as I do and still have time for a relationship, yet you scored so high. I'm really doomed now!"
Wei Yuan howled again. Since they lived in the same neighborhood, it was only a matter of time before his parents found out Li Dong's score.
When that happened, not only would he face a beating, but even the grandparents might get involved, making it a four-against-one situation!
Glaring resentfully at Li Dong, Wei Yuan, originally seeking comfort, ended up being further depressed.
Not wanting to see Li Dong's smug face, Wei Yuan huffed and muttered a few complaints before running downstairs without even needing Li Dong to ask him to leave.
However, his mind echoed Li Dong's words from yesterday, "Take care tomorrow and in the future!"
Damn it, Dongzi is a real harbinger of doom!
...
On June 28th, Li Dong went to school to fill out his application preferences.
Since this was no longer the same batch of applicants, there were fewer people this time.
When Chen Guohua saw Li Dong, he was quite surprised. Even he hadn't expected Li Dong to make such a dramatic turnaround at the last moment and score 615 points.
This score ranked among the top fifteen in the class and top fifty in the school, leaving many people astonished.
When Chen Guohua learned that Li Dong had decided to stay in Jiangbei and apply to Jiang University, he didn't try to dissuade him.
Jiang University was also a top university and a local school. With Li Dong's score, he would be able to choose a good major there, so there was nothing to regret.
Wang Jie and Chen Yue also came. Both chose to apply to the Construction Institute in the capital city. Based on previous years' standards, they should be able to get in.
Yuan Xue wasn't present. She was reportedly traveling to relax. Her application was handled by Old Chen, and she had already chosen her school.
Qin Yuhan was very busy lately. As the top liberal arts student in Dongping, the education bureau and the county TV station had visited her home several times. Li Dong hadn't disturbed her during this period.
On the day of filling out the preferences, Qin Yuhan didn't come because Qin Hai had sent her to report the good news to her grandparents in the countryside. Qin Hai came to fill out the preferences for her.
Li Dong wasn't interested in chatting with Qin Hai and went home directly without even showing his face.
With fewer people and the weather being too hot, Wang Jie's plan to organize a final gathering also fell through.
But the couple didn't mind at all. It was better with no one around; they could enjoy their time together without any interruptions.
After the exams, parents had relaxed their supervision. The couple spent their days together, enjoying their sweet time.
Li Dong looked at them with a mix of disdain and anticipation. Now that the preferences were filled out, Qin Hai couldn't possibly keep Qin Yuhan locked away all the time. It seemed his happy days weren't too far off.
Qin Yuhan would return from the countryside in a few days, and he could finally enjoy his sweet days. It was something to look forward to!
Li Dong happily went home, not expecting that Qin Yuhan would stay in the countryside for over a month.
Old tricks are the best, and Qin Hai managed to outsmart Li Dong once again.