Though she claimed Xie Qian underestimated her, her body was more honest, her eyes kept drifting to Teacher Liang’s desk as he graded the paper.
Sigh, even if she got that question wrong, shouldn’t the steps earn some points?
The “×” and “√” marks from Liang’s pen dictated Wen Ying’s heartbeat.
Eighty percent junior high content, twenty percent first-year high school, that was the provincial key entrance exam’s breakdown. In other words, Wen Ying could treat this test as a mock run.
After discovering her weak foundation, Liang had spent this time drilling junior high math, not yet touching high school material, just telling Wen Ying and Xie Qian to preview it themselves.
This test would reveal how well that preview went.
Even if Wen Ying bombed the twenty percent high school questions, the eighty percent from junior high, if perfect, would still net her 120 points.
One hundred twenty wasn’t a random number Xie Qian threw out, it was the provincial key’s benchmark.
The school didn’t demand standout single-subject scores, with language, math, and English totaling 450 points, an average of 120 per subject meant 360 points.
Three mains at 360 gave a solid base, whether Wen Ying picked arts or sciences later, the comprehensive exams—300 points total—weren’t hard to score over 100 in, per Liang, unless a student slept through class.
With 360 from the mains, the comprehensive score was just icing.
A student hitting 360 on mains couldn’t possibly dip below 100 on the comprehensive, right?
Four hundred sixty points, by last year’s Sichuan cutoff, cleared the second-tier line for both arts and sciences, though in Liang’s provincial key school, that was middling-to-low.
Girls often excelled in language and English but got dragged down by math, if a girl mastered math, her logical thinking was sharp, and other subjects wouldn’t lag far behind.
Liang pushed Wen Ying hard on math with good intent, unsure how much she grasped.
Avoiding a weak subject was always better than severe imbalance, liking a subject and focusing on it while shunning others was, to Liang, plain foolish!
So-called subject strength, how strong? National competition first prize?
Win that, and maybe aim for a guaranteed spot, otherwise, quit dreaming and grind to fix weaknesses, or that’s just self-sabotage.
Like or dislike? With高考’s brutal competition, slackers didn’t get to pick favorites, get into a dream school, then study whatever, no one’s stopping you!
Grading, Liang scolded Wen Ying whenever she lost points on what he deemed easy questions.
Wen Ying took the critique humbly, she knew the concepts, had done similar examples, but Liang’s twists and traps tripped her up again.
While absorbing the reprimands, she hovered by Liang, secretly tallying her score.
By the last question, she’d racked up 115.5 points.
She hadn’t finished that final one!
She’d only done what she could, unsure how many points her steps would earn.
Xie Qian watched, seeing sweat bead on Wen Ying’s nose.
Nervous now, huh?
A glance told Xie Qian she’d get some credit for it, how much depended on Liang’s mood, his test, his rules.
Liang wrote a “4,” and Wen Ying’s brows drooped.
Seriously, 119.5?
Half a point shy, Comrade Liang, you’ll lose this student, you know!
Liang knew nothing of Wen Ying and Xie Qian’s deal.
Even if he did, he wouldn’t bump her up half a point, a slacker wanting to see a show? Better sleep early, dreams have it all…
Wen Ying’s face fell.
Liang had said Xie Qian could skip the test, but with time to kill, he did it anyway.
Unlike Wen Ying’s jitters, Xie Qian was chill.
That’s a top student, unfazed by scores.
No full marks this time? Check next time, it’s not hard.
Wen Ying had diligently hit the practice tests these three days, showing real progress, clearly dead-set on 120, all to catch a live TV performance?
Xie Qian’s book-flipping paused, his slender fingers tapped the page, hesitating a few seconds before speaking up, “The second geometry proof, showing triangle PBC is equilateral, she might deserve some points.”
Geometry was junior high math’s core, a big chunk of the entrance exam.
Liang flipped back at Xie Qian’s nudge, reviewed Wen Ying’s steps, and added a “+1.”
Liang gave her a point!
He didn’t know why she cared so much about a single point, but he wouldn’t withhold fair credit.
One hundred twenty point five.
She’d done it.
Xie Qian saw Wen Ying’s eyes light up, inwardly calling her a masterful drama queen.
Post-lesson, Wen Ying plopped her 120.5-point paper in front of Xie Qian, who sighed, “Got it, show time.”
“No, no, I mean you should push me more, you said 120, I only beat it by 0.5, if you’d said 130, maybe—”
“Maybe you’d retake it tomorrow, show me a 10-point jump overnight?”
The hamster pushed her luck, Xie Qian snapped, landing a verbal blow, Wen Ying scurried off, tossing back, “Xie Qian, you’ve got no humor!”
No humor?
Xie Qian’s lips curved up.
If it’s about humor, he’d bow to the hamster.
…
Wen Ying was thrilled over her 120-plus math test, that night, Chen Ru called, “高考 scores are out, you know?”
Wen Ying had forgotten.
Only her cousin Wen Kai took高考 this year, she knew he’d hit first-tier in her past life, her rebirth hadn’t affected him, so no surprises there.
“Kai哥 did well, right?”
“Science first-tier line’s 538, he got 569, what do you think!”
Pretty solid.
Wen Ying said she’d call to congratulate him, Chen Ru choked on her carefree attitude—was this really her kid, not a hospital mix-up?
“Get your act together, your cousin’s locked in a first-tier spot, let’s see what you manage in three years.”
Wen Ying’s grin vanished.
