Chapter 300: Chapter 299: "The world is so big, there are all kinds of people.

Xu Su only promised to go home once after the exams.

Taking Zhou Mochen back to her hometown was something Xu Su had never done in her previous life.

She wanted to do it in this life.

The college entrance exam lasted for two days. Worried about getting stuck in gridlock traffic, Zhou Mochen made sure to leave more than an hour early.

Xu Su had been through this once before in her past life, but this time her hands and legs were still shaking with nervousness.

Zhou Mochen checked her school bag and found her nervous, jigging leg a little amusing. "You’re that scared, huh? Just relax and take the test. Even if you really mess up, I’ll still get you into University B."

She had told Zhou Mochen her first choice long ago. As long as it was in Beijing, he had no objections to any university.

Xu Su shot him a look. "Easy for you to say. I’ve worked hard for three years, but in the end, I’d still have to use the back door to get into school. What was the point of all my effort these past three years then?"

"I was just saying," Zhou Mochen couldn’t resist tapping her nose, coaxing her, "Of course our Susu will get in. Alright, go on in. I’ll be right here waiting for you."

His tone was just like that of parents sending their daughter off to the exam hall. Xu Su ignored him and got out of the car, holding the clear bag containing her admission ticket and stationery.

Xu Su was assigned to the exam site at Sixteenth Middle School. A line had been drawn at the entrance, allowing only the test-takers to pass. The parents who had come to see them off waited outside the line. The crowd was massive, making the already scorching weather feel even hotter.

After showing her admission ticket to the few teachers at the gate, Xu Su took off her mask for them to verify her identity.

An all-too-familiar silence fell. As the students waiting behind her grew impatient, the teachers snapped back to reality and let Xu Su in.

Xu Su sighed. ’I’ll probably have to get checked again later anyway,’ she thought, so she just left her mask off.

She had already scoped out the exam site beforehand, so she followed her memory to her assigned classroom. Before entering the academic building, there was another security checkpoint.

Two teachers, a man and a woman, were holding security wands and waving them over the front and back of each student.

Xu Su queued up in front of the female teacher. She hadn’t brought her phone or a calculator; the only electronic device on her was her watch.

She took off the mechanical watch Shen Chen had given her and entered the classroom.

After finding the desk with her exam number, she saw that the clock in the classroom read 8:10. Xu Su had arrived early, so the room wasn’t crowded yet, and she didn’t recognize anyone.

There were too many high schools in Chang City—dozens of them, both private and public. It was perfectly normal for students from City No.1 High School not to end up in the same exam room.

Huang Feng’s exam was at Twelfth Middle School, and Qian Jia was assigned to Experimental High School.

Xu Su sat quietly, accustomed to the occasional glances thrown her way. It wasn’t until the exam papers were distributed that people finally stopped staring at her.

It seemed like every year, there were students who had issues during the college entrance exam. For example, in Xu Su’s exam room, some students were only just arriving close to 9:00.

She could occasionally hear the sound of running in the hallway...

Xu Su didn’t know if it was affecting the other students, but she was so immersed in the sea of questions that she only glanced up briefly before lowering her head again.

After the morning exam, Xu Su bought two mung bean popsicles from a small shop before heading out. Zhou Mochen’s car probably hadn’t moved at all; he had been waiting there for her all morning.

As soon as she got in the car, Xu Su handed him a popsicle. Feeling the cool air from the A/C, she let out a comfortable sigh.

Other than that pair of cufflinks, this was the first time Xu Su had ever proactively bought him something.

Zhou Mochen accepted the popsicle, feeling a little overwhelmed by the gesture. He tore open the wrapper, took a bite, and asked with a smile, "Looks like you did pretty well on the test?"

"Drive, drive, I’m hungry." Xu Su urged him on, ignoring the popsicle still in his hand. "Don’t ask me about the exam right after I finish a big test," she said. "It makes me nervous."

Zhou Mochen started the car and nodded with a smile. "Okay, I won’t ask."

In fact, the simple act of the young lady remembering to bring him a popsicle after the exam told him she must have done quite well that morning.

On the way, Xu Su mentioned the students who still hadn’t entered the exam hall more than ten minutes after the test had started.

Zhou Mochen had been waiting outside the whole time, so he had seen even more. Unfazed, he told her with a laugh, "Back when I took the exam, someone had a complete breakdown right in the classroom. Before the time was up, they ripped up their own test paper and then tried to rip up other students’ papers too."

Xu Su was shocked. "There are people like that?"

"It’s a big world; it takes all kinds." Zhou Mochen finished the last of his popsicle, not letting any of it go to waste, and tossed the stick into the car’s trash bag. His tone was gentle as he advised her, "So, Susu, if you ever encounter strange people or situations in the future, don’t go trying to get a closer look. Be careful not to get caught in the crossfire."

Xu Su nodded thoughtfully. "I understand."

She thought about all those news stories about people going on stabbing sprees in the street. Once they went berserk, they didn’t care if their victims were their enemies or not; they just thought every extra person they killed was a win.

Lunch was lavish, but Xu Su didn’t dare to eat too much, stopping when she was about sixty percent full.

Eating too much always made her sleepy and unable to concentrate.

She didn’t rest for long after lunch. After seeing those tardy students in the morning, Xu Su decided it was better to go early, so she pulled Zhou Mochen out the door.

Repeating the morning’s procedure, she had just passed the security checkpoint when she saw her classmate, Rao Lu, waving at her.

"Which classroom are you in?" 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Xu Su pointed toward the second floor. "The one at the end of the hall."

"I’m right next door! I can’t believe I didn’t see you this morning." Rao Lu intimately linked her arm with Xu Su’s and whispered, "Hey, a proctor in my exam room caught someone cheating this morning. I heard they were a student from Second High, sitting in the corner. No one even noticed when the proctor took their paper and led them away."

Xu Su was surprised. "Really?"

"Would I lie to you? It was in my exam room; I saw it with my own eyes. It was a girl." Rao Lu pulled Xu Su upstairs. As they passed her classroom, she pointed to a desk in the corner with its exam number torn off. "That’s the spot. I heard that if you get caught cheating on the college entrance exam, it goes on your permanent record..."

Then...

’Can they still take the exam next year?’

’Even if they retake the year, they probably won’t get into a very good university...’

Xu Su and Rao Lu looked at each other and sighed, each lost in their own somber thoughts for a moment.

After saying goodbye to Rao Lu and returning to her own exam room, Xu Su found that the students who had arrived early were already discussing the incident.

After the proctor finished his checks, he warned them not to whisper or make any suspicious movements. "Getting caught cheating on the college entrance exam and having it put on your permanent record is a very serious matter. It will follow you for the rest of your life, affecting both your academic and professional careers. I hope you will all cherish your futures. If you have any ill-advised ideas, get rid of them now before you act."

When Xu Su came out after the afternoon exam, she told Zhou Mochen about it, still finding it hard to believe.

Even now, she still couldn’t figure out how the student who got caught had managed to cheat.

Zhou Mochen, however, was unfazed, not at all surprised.

This made Xu Su, who had been in a state of shock ever since hearing the news, feel a bit foolish.

「That evening.」

Still feeling a little indignant, Xu Su took out her phone and brought up the incident in her three-person group chat with Huang Feng and Qian Jia.

As fellow third-year high school students, they would be able to relate to the matter more.