Lin Jianzhi deliberated for a long time before forwarding this news report to Zhu Liheng.
Then, not daring to say it outright, she sent an extremely vague sentence:
"Lin Jianzhi: This is this year's full-mark composition, from an examinee in our Jingyi City."
She didn't even dare say directly that she was the one who wrote it.
Firstly, the scores hadn't come out yet; secondly, the content of this essay had Zhu Liheng as its implied subject, so she felt nervous.
After sending it, she stared fixedly at her phone, motionless as if in meditation.
She remained that way until her neck grew stiff, but the other party showed no sign of activity.
Lin Jianzhi blinked and checked the time—1 PM.
Zhu Liheng was probably busy right now.
Had she disturbed him?
Just as she was about to give up on waiting for a response, a message finally came into the chat box.
"Zhu Liheng: Received."
Lin Jianzhi choked in surprise. What kind of response was "Received"?
But very quickly, Zhu Liheng sent over several photos too.
"Zhu Liheng: Sorry, I'm in Yanling right now, I was just doing data analysis in the lab and didn't see my phone."
Lin Jianzhi's breathing grew ragged.
What...what was this? Was he explaining himself to her?
So Zhu Liheng was no longer in Jingyi, he had already gone to Yanling.
"Lin Jianzhi: No problem, you're busy!"
Zhu Liheng did not respond again. But Lin Jianzhi's face turned red as she buried her whole head in her quilt.
What was all this about!
Next, she opened the photos Zhu Liheng had sent, zooming in and enlarging them.
So this was what his lab environment was like in Yanling?
It looked so advanced!
Also, it seemed he was the only one using this office.
Not only was the layout clean and simple to the extreme, everything was tidy and well-organized, just like his room.
Suddenly and inexplicably, Lin Jianzhi got up and started tidying her room!
She couldn't carry on living in a messy state. She would arrange her things to be as neat and orderly as Zhu Liheng's.
Lin's parents had been excitedly planning to take their daughter out for a nice time. But when they knocked on her door and it opened, they saw her busily spinning about like a top!
First organizing the desk, then the wardrobe, she even swept and mopped the floor herself, cleaning up the whole afternoon.
Lin's mother and father were dumbfounded.
Just what had stimulated their precious daughter?
The next two days, Lin Jianzhi and Zhu Liheng did not contact each other. That night, and that photo, were like a dream.
It wasn't until two days later, on the day of the college entrance examination score release, that things changed.
Early in the morning, Lin's father anxiously awoke and chain-smoked a whole pack of cigarettes in the living room.
Lin's mother paced back and forth, too anxious to even go to work.
As the time of score release crept closer, Lin Jianzhi's hands shook.
The class group chat had long since exploded with activity.
Those who felt they did well eagerly anticipated the moment scores came out, while those who didn't do well had already left the group.
Lin Jianzhi was the silent lurking type. She grew even more nervous watching her classmates chat!
Finally, it was time to check scores.
Lin Jianzhi's fingers tapped the screen, she was so nervous that she mis-tapped several times even inputting her examinee number.
She was too flustered, taking two minutes longer than others.
Her classmates had all already posted screenshots in the group!
And she still hadn't managed to check hers!
So tears flowed down her cheeks unbidden.
She wiped them while cursing herself.
How many times would she cry in one day?
So annoying!
In the living room, Lin's parents had wanted to ask several times but didn't dare knock on her door.
They had agreed to let their daughter check her scores alone, and come tell them herself when ready.
At first during the five minutes of waiting both were relatively calm, but after ten minutes, twenty minutes...their daughter still hadn't emerged!
Lin's parents grew anxious, hovering outside Lin Jianzhi's room like ants on a hot pan.
How did she do in the end?!
Finally, the door opened from inside.
Lin Jianzhi came out with red, swollen eyes.
Lin's parents' hearts lurched in unison, thinking it must be that she didn't test well.
But didn't she get full marks for the composition?
At minimum she'd have 600 points right?
The parents stood dumbfounded!
Lin Jianzhi cried till she couldn't speak properly, only able to hold up her phone screen in front of her parents.
Total score: 650!
Lin's mother shrieked, "Ahhh!!! 650! My darling!"
She too began crying, hugging her daughter tightly.
Lin's father looked over the score details and excitedly read them aloud: "Chinese 135, English 150, Math 110, the other three subjects totaling 255! Hahaha! We got full marks for English! And the composition was full marks too!"
Lin Jianzhi: "Wahhh!"
She had tested too well!
She didn't know she was capable of such a score. Scoring much higher than usual in both Chinese and English, and getting 20 more points in math.
All three other subjects had slight outperformance too, shooting her total score to unbelievable heights.
Lin Jianzhi herself was frightened, repeatedly double checking in her room just to confirm she wasn't dreaming.
Only after confirming things in multiple score inquiry apps did she emerge to share the great news with her parents.
In the process, she had cried her eyes out.
She had never scored this highly before!
Even the standard Zhu Liheng first gave her was only 630-plus points.
Yet she managed 650, 20 points above Zhu Liheng's expected level!
Thinking of this, Lin Jianzhi rushed back to her room wanting to share with him too.
Her parents were overjoyed, no longer caring what their daughter was up to now.
Closing the door...
She sent him a screenshot of her scores with trembling hands, typing while crying.
"Lin Jianzhi: Zhu Liheng!"
"Lin Jianzhi: I can go to B University!"
I can attend university right next to you.
This time, she didn't have to wait at all. He responded almost instantly.
"Zhu Liheng: With this score, you can choose any major at B University's Foreign Languages Institute."
"Lin Jianzhi: I want to study translation, language enhancement courses, and technical writing!"
"Zhu Liheng: You definitely can."
To be honest, Zhu Liheng was also quite surprised. The little crybaby actually tested so extraordinarily! With this score, she could pick whichever subject area she wanted, avoiding anything unwanted while focusing solely on translation-related professions.
"Zhu Liheng: What was your oral exam score?"
Lin Jianzhi gave a start, then calmed down.
Oh right, she hadn't checked her oral score yet!
So she rushed to open the app and input her oral exam candidate number.
The result was similarly great!
Total score of 5/5! During testing, her improvisation and absolute specialized expertise had earned the approval of exam officials.
Lin Jianzhi quickly updated Zhu Liheng with the good news.
But Zhu Liheng suddenly forwarded the news article from several days ago about the full-mark gaokao composition.
"Zhu Liheng: Teacher Hu shared this on his Friends Circle. This...did you write it?"
Lin Jianzhi's heart raced wildly. She weakly responded with a "Mm".
Right after, Zhu Liheng showed no further reaction.
Lin Jianzhi repeatedly tapped his profile pic, and once when opening his profile found that shockingly, for the first time ever he had made a Friends Circle post!
Lin Jianzhi eagerly took a look.
It was a re-share of her own full-mark composition!
