Chapter 65: The Eve of the Gaokao
Chapter 65: Chapter 65: The Eve of the Gaokao
"Old Jiang, look, it’s your dad," Wang Ming said, pointing at the taxi parked on the side of the road and suddenly starting to snicker.
Jiang Xia shot him a confused glance. "Why are you so excited that my dad’s here?"
"The missus, you guys... hehe..." Wang Ming said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively at the pair.
Even though he’d known for a while that they had already met each other’s parents, this was the first time he’d seen the "new bride" meet her "father-in-law" in person.
Lin Yanwan was speechless. ’So this guy was just waiting for some drama,’ she thought. Besides, it wasn’t as if this was the first time she was meeting her father-in-law.
"Hello, Uncle Jiang," she said politely.
"Oh, Yanwan! Hello, hello. Quick, get in. I’ll give you a ride home."
Jiang Wende smiled. Over the past few months, he’d often seen the two of them stuck together like glue. He was growing more and more fond of his outstanding prospective daughter-in-law.
After all, Lin Yanwan had undoubtedly played a huge part in the great improvement of Jiang Xia’s grades.
Wang Ming was dumbfounded. ’This calm? Where’s the shy, nervous bride meeting her in-laws? This is nothing like what I imagined!’
"Get in the front seat," Jiang Xia said with a laugh, giving him a light kick on the butt.
Wang Ming slumped into the passenger seat, feeling wronged. ’This jerk doesn’t even bother to put on an act in front of his own dad. When will I ever have the courage to confess to Shen Ying?’
"Hello, Uncle Jiang," he said, a bit reserved as he greeted Jiang Wende.
"It’s Wang Ming, right? Hello to you, too."
Jiang Wende was all smiles. The two boys had grown up together, so they were all very familiar with one another.
"Are you boys still going to school tomorrow?"
"Nope, school’s already out for the break. We’re just waiting to take the exam on June 7th. Once that’s over, we’ll be totally free."
"Ah, I see. Well, keep up the good work. Life gets easier once you’re in college. You can do whatever you want then."
Hearing this, Jiang Xia couldn’t help but roll his eyes. ’College is anything but easy. If you actually want to make something of yourself, it’s exhausting.’
Jiang Wende drove Wang Ming home first, then started heading slowly toward Brocade Splendor City. He had taken to driving around the neighborhood when he had free time lately, and he’d actually managed to run into the young couple a few times.
"Yanwan, you’re confident about the upcoming college entrance exam, right?" he asked, glancing at the rearview mirror. The two of them were sitting perfectly straight, with enough space for a person between them. ’They’re usually holding hands whenever I see them, and now they’re putting on an act for me.’
"Mm... I’m confident."
Lin Yanwan nodded slightly. She had spent a long time reflecting on why she failed the exam in her past life; there was no way she would fall into the same trap again in this one.
"It’s good to be confident. But don’t overthink it. The most important thing is not to get nervous. Just perform like you normally do. Treat the college entrance exam just like any other test, and you’ll be fine," Jiang Wende advised.
"Dad, you talk as if you’ve taken the college entrance exam before," Jiang Xia couldn’t help but remark.
Jiang Wende shot him a glare. "And how do you know I haven’t? Your old man has a high school diploma, you know. I was just too nervous back then, or I wouldn’t be driving a taxi now. So, don’t you two be like me, understand? The exam is a test of your mindset. You have to stay calm."
"You can rest completely assured," Jiang Xia said with a smile. He was more confident than ever before. His abilities were so strong that they simply didn’t permit him to be modest.
"Pride comes before a fall. Yanwan is first in your grade. Do you see her being arrogant?"
Lin Yanwan covered her mouth to hide a giggle and nodded in enthusiastic agreement.
"That’s right. Do you see me being arrogant?"
Jiang Xia’s face twitched.
The taxi finally stopped at the entrance of the Brocade Splendor City residential community. Lin Yanwan politely said, "Thank you, Uncle," then glanced at Jiang Xia with a smile, secretly making a "call me" gesture before getting out of the car.
He nodded, understanding her completely.
As the car started moving again, a QQ message immediately popped up on his phone from his "wifey."
[Lin Baobao]: Don’t come over for the next three days. Just focus on studying.
[Jiang Hanhan]: I know, but are you sure you’ll be okay?
Lin Yanwan knew he was referring to her failure in the college entrance exam in their previous life.
[Lin Baobao]: Don’t worry. A person can’t fall in the same place twice.
[Jiang Hanhan]: Then I’ll see you after the exams. I’ll miss you, baobao. Mwah~
[Lin Baobao]: So cheesy!
[Jiang Hanhan]: You won’t miss me?
[Lin Baobao]: I will, I will, I will. Happy now? I’m home, so I’ll talk to you later.
Jiang Xia smiled faintly. He looked out the window at the flashing neon lights of the shops lining the street and let out a long, silent sigh. ’Three months after being reborn, I’ve finally made it to this day.’
Once the dust settled, there would be nothing left to hold him back.
When he got home, Xia Shanshan had already made wontons and was waiting for the father and son.
The national college entrance exam started on June 7th, and the elementary school where she taught had also let out early for the break. This meant she could dedicate all her time over the next few days to looking after her son’s food and daily life.
Still, she was quite relieved. In just three months, Jiang Xia had climbed from the middle of his grade to the top of the school, raising his total score by over a hundred points. Barring any unexpected mishaps, there was no way he could do poorly on the exam.
"Don’t spend these next few days constantly thinking about studying and reviewing," Xia Shanshan said. "Just focus on getting your mind right, give it your all during the exam, and don’t make any careless mistakes."
Jiang Xia nodded. He wasn’t just planning on not studying; he was going to work on his animation.
After all, the college entrance exam covered so much material. The moment you opened a book, you’d realize there was something here you couldn’t remember, and something there you couldn’t remember, and you’d start cramming frantically. You’d end up having a mental breakdown before the exam even started.
That was exactly how Lin Yanwan had failed in their past life.
After his late-night snack, Jiang Xia went back to his room. He lay on his bed for a while before pulling out his animation paper and continuing to grind out the keyframes for episode eleven.
During these three days, everyone else was probably focused on studying and getting in the right mindset. As the boss, he figured he should be the one to work a little harder.
He just didn’t expect that two days later, Wang Ming would suddenly scan all the keyframes for episode ten and send them to him as a digital file over QQ.
[Qingfeng Fuyue]: You’re not studying at all?!
[xX_DefyMe_Xx]: I get anxious when I try to study. Drawing actually helps calm me down. But don’t worry, I’ve got the college entrance exam handled.
[Qingfeng Fuyue]: I’m suddenly getting a little worried about your paycheck.
[xX_DefyMe_Xx]: ...
[xX_DefyMe_Xx]: You bastard, you really don’t plan on paying me, do you?
[Qingfeng Fuyue]: Hahaha, I just feel like things are going a bit off the rails here. You’re not actually going to bomb the exam, are you?
[xX_DefyMe_Xx]: Get lost! The only surprise there’ll be is me acing the college entrance exam. I’ll do so well, I’ll even work for you for free for a month.
[Qingfeng Fuyue]: Now that’s a good employee who puts the company first! Thumbs_up.jpg
[xX_DefyMe_Xx]: Damn capitalist. Sooner or later, I’m gonna hang you from a lamppost.
[Qingfeng Fuyue]: By the way, I had a dream last night. I think the essay topic for the Chinese exam is going to be about ’stories.’ You should prepare for it, it might come in handy.
[xX_DefyMe_Xx]: For real? You can dream about stuff like that?
[Qingfeng Fuyue]: It doesn’t cost you anything to believe me.
After chatting on QQ for a little longer, Jiang Xia checked the time and finally pulled out the notebook where he recorded all the problems he’d gotten wrong.
「Another day passed in the blink of an eye.」
「June 7th, the first day of the national college entrance exam.」
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