Final Scores

“Ding, ding, ding…” The urgent ringing echoed through the campus of Yian District First High School. Parents, who had been anxiously waiting outside the exam halls, some sitting on the grass, others by the roadside, immediately stood up. They craned their necks, peering through the campus fence into the school grounds. The bustling crowd of examinees poured out of the halls. The 2056 Jiangnan City College Entrance Exam officially concluded. All that remained for the students was to await their scores, which would be released a week later. “Haobai.” A slightly balding, seemingly refined middle-aged man stood at the school gate, smiling as he called out to his son, who was emerging from the exam hall. “Dad,” Zhang Haobai replied with a smile as he walked over. “How did you do?” the middle-aged man asked, still smiling. Zhang Haobai shook his head, a hint of helplessness in his voice. “I’d say I performed alright this time, but the math exam was truly difficult. From the multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blanks to the calculation problems, there were many tough questions. Especially the calculation problems… out of five, I only managed to solve two completely. For the other three, I could only attempt parts, hoping to get some partial credit for the steps.” The five major math problems were designed to test critical thinking, so partial credit for steps was standard. “Oh?” Zhang Haobai’s father, Zhang Zelong, frowned. “It seems your math score might be a bit low this time.” “It’s fine, Dad. If it was hard for me, it was hard for everyone. I’m not the only one,” Zhang Haobai said, still smiling. “Since the math problems were so difficult, the undergraduate cutoff score will definitely be lower. I should still be able to get into a military academy.” “Oh, that reminds me.” Zhang Zelong chuckled. “While we were waiting for you outside the school, we heard something. That famous student from your school, Luo Feng, fainted in the exam hall with about an hour left before the exam ended.” “Fainted in the exam hall?” Zhang Haobai’s eyes widened. “Dad, are you talking about Luo Feng?” “Yes, Luo Feng was taken away by an ambulance; many people saw it,” Zhang Zelong nodded. “Listen, many parents around us are talking about it with their children.” “Luo Feng fainted?” Zhang Haobai immediately looked around, straining his ears to listen. Indeed, many parents and their children were discussing a student who had fainted and lost consciousness in the exam hall. Zhang Haobai clearly heard many people mentioning ‘Luo Feng.’ “Haha, that poor kid, he finally got what was coming to him. Haha.” Zhang Haobai couldn’t help but burst into laughter. “Dad, you don’t know, that guy always caused me trouble at school,” Zhang Haobai said, his voice filled with indignation. “He’d always lord it over me, just because he was stronger. Well, he finally got his comeuppance.” Zhang Haobai felt an immense sense of satisfaction; his resentment towards Luo Feng had reached its peak. In reality, Luo Feng had never paid Zhang Haobai any mind, but Zhang Haobai had always considered Luo Feng his rival. Luo Feng’s superiority in both academic and martial arts scores naturally made him feel deeply uncomfortable. “Haha, these young ones, they haven’t seen much of the world. The psychological pressure gets too much, and they just collapse. Don’t worry about him. Come on, your uncle knows you finished your exams today and personally booked a banquet for you. Let’s go.” Zhang Zelong laughed. “Uncle?” Zhang Haobai’s eyes lit up. The reason their Zhang family was considered wealthy and influential in Yian District was because of his uncle, because… his uncle was a Warrior! … “Impossible, absolutely impossible!” Wei Wen, fresh out of the exam hall, immediately grew agitated in front of his parents. “How could Ah Feng faint in the exam hall? Faint from nervousness? Impossible. If nothing else, Ah Feng’s mental fortitude was praised by the instructors at the Extreme Martial Arts Dojo.” Wei Wen and Luo Feng were closer than blood brothers. “Ah Wen, how could this be false? We saw it with our own eyes. Luo Feng’s father and his brother in the wheelchair were so anxious, they rushed to the hospital with him.” Wei Wen’s father quickly explained. “Hospital? It must be the nearest one. Dad, Mom, I’m going to see Luo Feng first. I’ll eat lunch later.” Saying this, Wei Wen handed his exam stationery to his parents and rushed towards the hospital without another thought. … Inside Yian District People’s Hospital. Luo Feng forced a smile as he walked out of the hospital lobby with his father and brother. Luo Hongguo and Luo Hua both looked worried that Luo Feng might be too devastated. “Dad, I’m fine. Let’s go home and eat,” Luo Feng said, trying to appear composed. Though a pang of bitterness struck him, Luo Feng knew some things, once done, couldn’t be undone. All he could do was accept it! “Ah Feng, Ah Feng.” A voice called from a distance. Luo Feng looked up to see a figure running towards the hospital entrance—it was his good brother, Wei Wen. Seeing Wei Wen, breathless and his clothes soaked with sweat, Luo Feng felt a surge of emotion. Then, a thought struck him, and he quickly asked, “Ah Wen, how difficult were the last three calculation problems on the math paper?” He hadn’t had time to attempt the last three questions. If they were extremely difficult, and most people couldn’t solve much of them, then… his score might still have a chance. “Very difficult,” Wei Wen nodded. “This year’s math exam was exceptionally hard. Out of the five calculation problems, only the third one was slightly easier. The other four were all very challenging.” “Good.” Luo Feng let out a quiet sigh of relief. He still had a sliver of hope… … On the evening of June 16th, at 8 PM, a week after the College Entrance Exam, students could check their scores and the undergraduate cutoff line via phone or internet. On June 16th, a little after 7 PM. In Luo Feng’s home, in the room shared by Luo Feng and Luo Hua, only Luo Feng was present. The door was tightly shut. Luo Feng sat in front of his laptop, repeatedly refreshing the webpage with his mouse. Although the exam results were officially scheduled for 8 PM, they usually came out a little earlier. “This time, I probably won’t get into Jiangnan First Military Academy.” “However, for the math paper, I completed the multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blanks, as well as the first two calculation problems. Even though I didn’t fully solve the second one, I wrote down many steps. With partial credit, I should get some points.” Luo Feng thought to himself, “If I’m lucky, my math score should still be over 120.” Luo Feng hoped, “My liberal arts and science exams went normally. If I’m lucky, I should be able to pass the undergraduate cutoff line.” “As long as I pass the undergraduate cutoff, I can get into the Second Military Academy.” Of the two military academies, the First Military Academy was naturally better, but it required a very high score. Luo Feng had already given up hope for it. However, for the Second Military Academy, based on Luo Feng’s own estimation, there was still a chance. “Hmm?” Luo Feng’s eyes lit up. The college entrance exam results page had refreshed. “Please, heavens, just help me pass the undergraduate cutoff. As long as I pass that, I can get into the Second Military Academy.” Luo Feng’s heart pounded with anxiety. He quickly entered his name, ID number, and exam number into the results query page, then clicked ‘Query.’ Flash! The laptop screen flickered slightly, and a table appeared. Examinee: Luo Feng Gender: Male ID Number: 426123203806083211 Exam Number: 5878643567890766 Liberal Arts: 216 Science: 223 Math: 118 Total Score: 557 Undergraduate Cutoff Score: 561