Chapter 185: The Gaokao
June arrived, bringing with it the gaokao and a flurry of events. Shion’s Zixuan and the Paper Airplane was released on June 1st, garnering a large following and impressive sales figures.
And Nangong Ying’s new film, Blade of Shadows, premiered. Though a male-led film, with Nangong Ying’s role relatively minor, her presence still drew considerable attention. The film had been shot before her rise to fame, her salary and screentime limited, but her current popularity and increased market value made her the main draw, even with the renowned actor Liang Hui playing the male lead.
The film was scheduled for release in mid-June, after the gaokao.
Nangong Ying’s fans flooded her Weibo with well wishes, hoping for her success on the exams.
On June 7th, the gaokao began, the culmination of years of preparation.
“Did you bring everything?”
“Yes, I have everything. I’m confident about the Chinese language exam this morning.”
“Good. Let’s go in.”
The examination hall was crowded, a sea of nervous faces, the tension palpable.
Even before entering, the pressure was immense, some students already experiencing pre-test jitters, their legs trembling.
Though top students, Yu Linna and Fang Jiangning couldn’t help but feel the weight of this life-altering exam. But they were determined to succeed, their futures depending on it.
“Linna, I’m over here. See you at lunch.”
“Okay.”
Their exam rooms were different, their paths diverging at the school gate, the two-day exam a crucial test of their endurance and preparation.
Yu Linna, checking her admission ticket, found her exam room on the second floor, passing through the metal detectors, the examiner giving her a curious look.
“American?”
“I’m Chinese.”
Again with the foreigner questions. Her ID clearly stated her ethnicity: Han Chinese.
Did they think she was an imposter?
Finally, she was allowed to enter, taking her seat, relieved to finally start the exam. The Chinese language exam wasn’t difficult; with careful attention, she could achieve a good score.
She was a top student, after all.
Though she hadn’t attended the Experimental High School, her abilities rivaled even their top students.
The gaokao was a major event in China, always making headlines. This year, a news story about a student being denied entry to the exam for arriving late, reportedly due to filming a Douyin video, went viral, the student’s breakdown at the gate a cautionary tale.
Weibo was buzzing with discussions about the exam questions and essay topics, a yearly tradition.
“Shion-sensei is taking the gaokao today!”
“Good luck, Shion-sensei!”
“The celebrity Nangong Ying is also taking the gaokao today. What a coincidence!”
“So many famous people are taking the exam this year! And they’re all younger than me!”
As the morning exam ended, reporters gathered at the school gate, hoping for student interviews.
“Hello, viewers, and welcome to our annual gaokao coverage! It’s a day of mixed emotions, tears of joy and disappointment. The Chinese language exam is about to end, and we’re here to interview the students. Let’s see who the lucky first student out of the exam hall will be. Oh, there’s someone! Let’s go!”
A girl emerged from the building, her figure seemingly… petite… and was that… dyed hair?
As the camera zoomed in, the reporter was surprised. The girl, with her striking blonde hair, looked like a middle schooler, her mixed-race features and youthful appearance unexpected.
“Hello, would you mind answering a few questions?”
The reporter and their crew stopped Yu Linna, who, startled, thought her identity as a novelist had been discovered.
“What is it?”
“We’d like to interview the first student out of the exam hall. What’s your name?”
“My surname is Yu.”
“Okay, Miss Yu. How did you find the exam this morning? Was it difficult?”
“Not really. The essay topic was a bit unexpected, but I managed to finish it. If I did well, I might even get a higher score than usual.”
“Would you mind sharing your usual score for Chinese?”
“140.”
“…”
Holy shit, a top student!
They had expected an average student, but they had stumbled upon a prodigy. And she was so pretty!
This… this wasn’t right!
Weren’t beauty and intelligence supposed to be inversely proportional?
“Haha, it seems Miss Yu is a hidden talent. So, what are your expectations for the gaokao?”
“To achieve a breakthrough, while maintaining stability.”
“Excellent! As expected of a top student!”
The reporter was delighted with the interview. A beautiful, intelligent student… it was perfect.
Before the afternoon exam even started, Yu Linna’s photo was trending on Weibo.
Every year, attractive exam takers garnered attention online, a common phenomenon.
And this year, it seemed the title of “Most Beautiful Exam Taker” had already been claimed.
“What?! Who is this blonde loli? She’s a gaokao candidate?”
“???”
“So cute! I want to…”
“Pervert!”
“Wow, she’s so pretty! And mixed-race! Is she an art student? I heard her last name is Yu.”
“I don’t know, there’s no information about her, but she’s so adorable! She looks like a natural-born celebrity!”
Intrigued by her beauty, netizens began digging for information, this legal loli a source of fascination.
“I found her! Her name is Yu Linna, a senior student in the advanced class at First Municipal High School in Guangnan City. She’s consistently ranked first, a true prodigy. Apparently, she even outscored the students from the Experimental High School in a mock exam. She’s the only student from First Municipal High School in the top thirty of the city.”
“Holy shit, a super genius?!”
“And she’s eighteen! Legally an adult…”
“I… I want to…”
“That last commenter, ‘LazyCat,’ is a pervert! Reported!”
“Agreed! Reported!”
Weibo was abuzz, everyone fascinated by the blonde girl, especially after learning her name, Yu Linna, clearly not a foreign student.
“I thought she would have a fancy foreign name, but her name is so… Chinese.”
“That’s because China is the best!”
“I’m suddenly a fan.”
“If she were in a movie, I would definitely watch it.”
“Wait, I feel like I’ve seen her somewhere before…”
Yu Linna, oblivious to the online frenzy, was completely offline, her phone’s only function now being calls, her focus solely on the gaokao. After the lunch break, the math exam began at 3 PM.
Math wasn’t a challenge for her; she could finish it within an hour. But the score… that was uncertain. Based on her usual performance, 140 out of 150 was achievable, but she wondered if she could get a perfect score.
A perfect score would be nice, she thought.
Entering the exam room, she took her seat, preparing for the test. The boy sitting in front of her kept glancing back at her nervously, his gaze darting around the room, his behavior odd, his face unusually pale.
Yu Linna ignored him, eager to finish the exam and leave, the next day’s test the final hurdle before she could finally rest, perhaps even start working on Volume Two of Ballad of the Enchantress.
She hadn’t checked the sales figures for Zixuan and the Paper Airplane, having disconnected from the internet.
She would check after the exams.
The math exam began, and Yu Linna started working, scribbling formulas and calculations on her scratch paper. The boy in front of her slumped lower in his seat, his face even paler.
But Yu Linna remained focused.
Though having lived two lives, she had never experienced the gaokao. It was a new experience, one she wanted to approach with seriousness. Though she didn’t believe it was the only path to success, it was a path worth taking, a rite of passage, a defining moment in a young person’s life.
Within forty minutes, she had finished most of the questions, spending the next twenty minutes reviewing her answers, correcting any mistakes. 140 was practically guaranteed, but a higher score… that would be challenging.
Yu Linna, always ambitious, wasn’t satisfied. She reviewed her answers again, searching for errors, hoping for a higher score, even a perfect score, though it wouldn’t significantly change her future prospects.
The examiner patrolled the room, observing the students, ensuring there was no cheating.
As Yu Linna finished her second review, the examiner approached her…
“You! Stand up! What are you doing?!”
A furious shout echoed through the exam hall.
