Chapter Sixteen: The Children of the Compound

After every exam, Zhao Guangtao loved to compare answers with Lin Cheng.

“I got negative one.”

“Oh yeah!” Zhao Guangtao exclaimed excitedly, pumping his fist.

Top students in Exam Hall 1 and Exam Hall 2 rarely checked answers after the test; if asked how they did, they’d simply say, “Not ideal, but I finished everything,” speaking lightly. Yet their scores always topped 130.

The students in Exam Halls 6 through 13, the average performers, loved to compare answers the most. They worked hard, but perhaps due to differences in study methods or innate talent, their efforts didn’t always translate into results.

As for the prodigies in the final exam halls, they truly were exceptional once—having been top students in their middle schools and having gained admission to Wu Zhou’s highest-level high school. But here, confronted by even more formidable peers, they felt a sense of frustration and drifted along with the tide, causing their grades to decline.

This was a matter of mindset—a character shaping destiny.

That afternoon was the physics exam.

This paper was much more difficult than math, creating a scene of despair; even Lin Cheng, who had studied electronic information, found the physics exam quite challenging.

But such was the difficulty of the Jiangdong Province college entrance exam. If he recalled correctly, the 2007 Jiangdong exams were hellish in both math and physics.

Unfortunately, after so many years, Lin Cheng couldn’t remember any of the questions. Otherwise, he might have tackled similar question types to prepare and perhaps come back as the top scorer.

Zhao Guangtao again came over to compare answers. After getting a few right, he grew frustrated: “Damn it! I must be crazy. While doing the problems, my mind kept singing…”

“What song? ‘Common Jasmin Orange’ or ‘Hum Hum Ha Hey’?” Lin Cheng nearly laughed out loud.

In his previous life, whenever he took exams, songs would automatically play in his head, and the more he tried to stop them, the more cheerfully they sang.

This test was truly tough. Chen Zishi from Exam Hall 1 was surrounded like a hawker selling candied hawthorns, with everyone discussing the questions.

At that moment, a graceful figure appeared in Lin Cheng’s peripheral vision.

Su Xiang.

She walked to the end of the corridor, gazing into the distance, her clear, pure eyes seemingly fixed on some unseen point.

A breeze swept by, pressing the strands of hair at her temples against her face.

She lifted her youthful fingers to brush the hair away, only for the locks on the other side to flutter anew.

Her hair swayed like willow branches in the wind, carrying a kind of disheveled beauty one might only see in animated films.

Perhaps it was because she was simply too beautiful.

The classmates who had been chattering around Chen Zishi suddenly lowered their voices in unison.

Lin Cheng smiled: beauty was indeed commanding.

People often said that beauties like Lin Qingxia or Zhou Huimin were the kind of women who, at a glance, made it clear that they’d never be connected to someone like him in any future life.

Though this was said half in jest, it held some truth.

Their beauty penetrated skin and muscle, traversing sinews and bones, reaching straight into the soul.

The “adult” within Lin Cheng nodded appreciatively to Su Xiang.

Su Xiang was momentarily taken aback; she likely didn’t expect “Lin Junjie” to greet her first. She responded with a gentle nod.

Her eyes were bright and clear, like a crystal-clear glaze, and as their gazes met for a fleeting instant, Lin Cheng found himself momentarily dazed…

The second exam of the afternoon was English.

Lin Cheng’s English had become quite impressive.

Later on, when working in maritime transport and foreign trade, all emails and contract negotiations were in English.

He even taught his employees: listening to American or London accents wasn’t enough; true competence was communicating in English with Russians, French, Japanese, Indians, Koreans, and others from Asia and Africa.

So, he handled the English exam with ease.

Only chemistry remained tomorrow. No matter the outcome, everyone felt a little more relaxed.

As Zhou Luoyao appeared on the sports field, basketball team captain Liu Sicheng immediately ran over to cozy up.

“How’d the exams go?”

“They’re all done. Why so many questions?”

Anyone but a fool could tell the princess of the capital wasn’t interested in him.

Liu Sicheng was left embarrassed, as though he’d committed a grave mistake.

Zhou Luoyao was unwilling to answer; some assumed she’d done poorly and felt annoyed.

In truth, the questions were just average for Zhou Luoyao.

Her background and family values differed greatly from ordinary people’s.

She believed it was only natural to achieve high scores.

Patting the basketball, she saw Lin Cheng and Zhao Guangtao approaching and called out, “Hey, you two superstars! Let’s play a game!”

“…”

“…”

Hearing themselves so casually nicknamed by so many acquaintances, both Lin Cheng and Zhao Guangtao looked awkward.

The princess had arrived! The court immediately buzzed with excitement.

Zhou Luoyao played several rounds, sweating profusely.

Returning to the stands, she opened her compact blue Nike bag, pulled out a towel, and wiped her forehead.

Then she took out a small all-aluminum water bottle, sipped through the straw, and looked up to smile at Lin Cheng beside her.

Whoever sat with Zhou Luoyao naturally drew attention.

Lin Cheng could feel the gazes scanning the court.

Zhou Luoyao wiped away her sweat and rushed back onto the court, like a knight clad in pink armor…

A chubby boy carrying two cans of Budweiser blocked Lin Cheng’s view of the beauty and plopped down next to him.

“I thought someone was sitting next to my sister!”

Zhou Ye had come with ill intentions, but seeing Lin Cheng, he somewhat “disappointed.”

Boys without background or strength dared not covet Zhou Luoyao.

Many felt they could only aspire to reach her shadow.

Zhou Luoyao’s gaze always seemed fixed on distant places invisible to ordinary eyes.

Anyone hoping to get close to her had to get past the second- and third-generation heirs around her.

Not only did the capital have grand estates, but Jinling Military District in central China, due to the Yangtze River Delta’s importance, was also a military priority.

These Red Third generations, though socially distinct from ordinary people, often did not attend aristocratic schools or isolate themselves from society.

Zhou Luoyao, Zhou Ye, and Zheng Nange mostly stuck together.

Usually, Zhou Luoyao would proactively seek playmates, though she found it “rather boring.”

Zhou Ye suddenly noticed a carefree young man sitting beside his sister and decided to put some psychological pressure on this oblivious guy.

He’d done this many times before.

Lin Cheng took a Budweiser can with a wry smile, opened it, and clinked glasses with Zhou Ye.

Zhou Ye gulped down nearly half the can.

“My sister used to bully me as a kid, but as we grew up, she became quite clingy. Later, her family wanted to cultivate her into a refined and virtuous lady—ha ha ha… she can be refined, but she’s also two-faced.”