Chapter 83: The College Entrance Examination Arrives!

Pfft! Chen Feng nearly burst out laughing. He never would have imagined that Lu Ran would actually throw out a hundred yuan and then, with utter shamelessness, say, “Spend it as you please. I’m just that rich and willful.” This was nothing short of an insult—a harsh, stinging humiliation.

Even a hundred yuan is still money!

An Qiye was furious, deeply furious. He felt as if his intelligence had been gravely insulted. Glaring fiercely at Lu Ran, he was about to speak, but An Ran reached out and stopped him, her gaze sweeping over Lu Ran before she spoke earnestly, “Young Master Lu, my brother is lacking in manners. Please don’t take it to heart.”

For a sister to say that her own brother was immature—such a thing was rare, perhaps even throughout history.

Being so reproached by An Ran in public, An Qiye’s expression turned ugly. Lu Ran, however, only looked disappointed. “So, you already recognized who I am? How boring. Forget it, Brother Feng, let’s go.”

Chen Feng’s eyes, however, lingered on An Ran. He spoke slowly, “An Ran, if your brother lacks discipline, you should educate him well. Don’t let him cause trouble everywhere. In this world, there are some people he simply cannot afford to provoke.”

An Ran’s face alternated between green and white before she replied coldly, “This is a family matter and doesn’t require your advice, Chen Feng.”

“What’s the point?” Chen Feng shrugged, smiling at An Ran. “Oh, by the way, the college entrance exam is only a few days away. You’d better study hard. Also, this year’s top scorer—I’ve already reserved that spot.”

An Ran’s pupils contracted slightly, and she said coolly, “Is that so? I’m afraid that’s not up to you to decide. When the time comes, let’s see whose abilities speak louder.”

Chen Feng merely smiled, not bothering to reply. In truth, he no longer held much fondness for An Ran. No matter how outstanding she appeared to other students or teachers, in his eyes she was just another self-important woman.

Her arrogance was her own business. But if she tried to impose it on him, Chen Feng would not hesitate to let her see that there are always those more talented and capable.

As Lu Ran climbed into his Aston Martin, Chen Feng couldn’t help but laugh. “Lu Ran, you really outdid yourself—throwing out a hundred yuan and telling them to spend it as they like. A repaint alone would cost more than that!”

Lu Ran roared with laughter as well. “Brother Feng, don’t be fooled by my dad being the richest man in Jiang Province. I actually don’t get much pocket money. Besides, I don’t have much to begin with—why should I spend so much?”

At the school gates,

An Qiye stood before his battered BMW, face livid, and growled, “An Ran, are we just letting this go?”

Smack!

Before An Qiye could finish, An Ran slapped him hard across the face. She gritted her teeth, “An Qiye, you’d better stop causing trouble for me. If I hadn’t recognized Lu Ran at the last moment, neither of us would have gotten away with this unscathed! And who told you, you idiot, to come to school?”

“I…” Clutching his cheek, An Qiye was left speechless.

An Ran ignored him, her gaze following the departing Aston Martin, a steely glint in her eyes. “Chen Feng, if you think you can step on me to prove your strength, you’re dreaming!”

*****

The conflict between Chen Feng and An Ran quickly became the hottest topic in school.

The joke about Lu Ran’s “spend as you like” generosity, backed by no more than a hundred yuan, spread like wildfire. Though it was just a joke, no one actually believed Lu Ran was poor. After all, he drove a luxury car and had bodyguards in tow. By association, people also began to see Chen Feng as a scion of wealth, and the rumors grew ever more detailed.

Chen Feng no longer cared how others saw him. The college entrance exam was imminent, and he had no energy for other concerns. His seat was in a quiet corner; after his grades improved, Sun Minghai had wanted to move him somewhere better. But when Chen Feng stopped coming to class, Sun Minghai dropped the idea. Now, even though Chen Feng was in class, he spent each day studying alone, working through practice problems. Moving him might only disrupt his focus.

What surprised Sun Minghai was how quickly Chen Feng’s handwriting improved, to the point of being beautiful and elegant. Such rapid progress was rare and remarkable.

In the blink of an eye, June 7th arrived.

The college entrance exam had finally come. Chen Feng woke early and joined the senior students on their way to the testing center. Around the exam hall, parents clustered thickly, their faces full of tension and hope, offering last-minute advice and encouragement.

Chen Feng curled his lip. His own parents hadn’t come—in fact, they didn’t even know he was taking the exam early. He hadn’t told them. Since his parents were injured, Chen Feng didn’t want to give them yet another reason to worry.

Walking into the exam hall, Chen Feng was calm and composed. The recent period of intensive study had given him a clearer sense of his abilities. He was absolutely confident about the exam.

The first test was Chinese.

Glancing at the paper, Chen Feng picked up his pen and began. One elegant character after another flowed from his pen, each pleasing to the eye.

That day, the weather was exceptionally hot. The sun blazed down, and though it was still morning, many students were already drenched with sweat.

Chen Feng, however, remained unaffected. Having mastered his external cultivation, the heat could not touch him.

After finishing, he carefully checked his answers. He didn’t want even the slightest mistake; his achievements depended on it.

Chen Feng was determined to be the national top scorer—there was no other way, at least for now, to quickly amass a large number of achievement points.

When the morning exam ended, Chen Feng stretched lazily. As he left the hall, his homeroom teacher, Sun Minghai, was waiting for him. On seeing Chen Feng, Sun hurried over. “Chen Feng, how do you feel?”

“Not bad,” Chen Feng replied politely. To be honest, he hadn’t thought much of his homeroom teacher at first. But seeing Sun Minghai waiting for him in such heat, Chen Feng couldn’t help but feel touched.

In truth, Sun Minghai didn’t have to do this. Even if Chen Feng achieved a stellar result, it wouldn’t bring much personal benefit to Sun.

Sun Minghai smiled gently. “Come, let me take you for lunch.”

“Alright.” Chen Feng nodded, following him to a small roadside restaurant. It was a bit messy, and the food was certainly nothing compared to his own cooking, but Chen Feng ate heartily.

“Chen Feng,” Sun Minghai chuckled as he watched Chen Feng wolf down his meal. “This year’s exam uses the national paper. It’s much harder. Be careful with the math this afternoon.”

“I know.” Chen Feng nodded. “Don’t worry, teacher. The top scorer is as good as mine.”

Chen Feng’s words brimmed with confidence. Sun Minghai shook his head, smiling, “Don’t get overconfident, Chen Feng. Don’t be careless!”

“Rest assured, I’m confident.” Chen Feng smiled.

That afternoon,

Chen Feng returned to the exam hall. Once the math test was handed out, he barely glanced at it before countless formulas appeared in his mind, instantly piecing together the answers. By now, this was nothing new to him.

Since receiving the complete version of the super-soldier serum, Chen Feng’s intelligence had been greatly enhanced. His problem-solving speed was nothing short of astonishing. He didn’t even need to think—one glance and the answers came to him as if by instinct.

In just over ten minutes, Chen Feng had finished the paper. Only then did he take a moment to observe the students around him. Most were anxious, frowning, wearing the look of those who realize how little they know when it’s too late.

Chen Feng didn’t linger, lest the proctor suspect him of cheating.

Just to be sure, he checked his answers again. Once certain there were no mistakes, he handed in his paper without a second thought, ignoring the mood of the other examinees.

Many students stared at him in amazement, secretly shocked.

“Did that guy really finish? Or is he just a hopeless case who’s given up?”

Chen Feng paid the stares no mind. Leaving the hall, he opened his Extraction System interface. There were still 243 achievement points. Recently, there hadn’t been any major events, so his points hadn’t increased much. Still, they trickled in day by day.

“Hmm, I just got two points for submitting early,” Chen Feng noted, shaking his head. “Still not enough.”