Chapter 56

When Jiang Weixin knelt on the ground, Zheng Wen and Gu Pan both deeply despised him, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable. Such a man, how could he be relied upon for life? Gu Pan's heart trembled, and she glanced sympathetically at Li Yue behind her.

"Let's all go first, let them talk it out themselves," Gu Pan said indifferently. Everyone agreed and walked out of the main building together. The night was somewhat gloomy, the sky overcast with no stars visible, only a few street lamps dotting the dark sky.

The four of them didn't speak, each lost in their own thoughts. Gu Pan and Zheng Wen felt disappointed, as if they had suddenly matured. The carefree girls had glimpsed a bit of the adult world.

The leader kept muttering to himself, "Is this real or not?"

After sending the two girls back to their dormitory, the leader couldn't wait to ask, "What does that mean? Is it real or not?"

"It should be a false alarm. If it were real, it wouldn't be handled this way," Liu Meng sighed, secretly resolving to build his business empire as quickly as possible so he could protect the people he loved.

"Damn, you scared me. I thought it was real, and I was worried Jiang Weixin might jump off the building in despair," the leader patted his chest, relieved.

They were all freshmen who had just graduated from high school, and they found this situation quite challenging.

"Will they still be together? With Jiang Weixin's cowardly behavior, it's a wonder Li Yue didn't kick him out right away," the leader was very displeased with Jiang Weixin's performance, thinking he was a wimp who took advantage of the situation.

"Ha, didn't Li Yue slap Jiang Weixin in front of everyone? In this world, everything has its counter. Even dung beetles like dung. I bet they won't break up," Liu Meng chuckled.

"Damn, do you have to be so smug?" the leader shouted, "I think they will definitely break up. If they don't, it's not fair."

......

The next day, the midterm exams continued. In the morning, there were two non-major courses, "Mechanical Engineering Drawing" and "Practical Computer Basics," which did not count toward scholarship evaluations. The goal was just to pass. Very few students stayed until the end to submit their papers, and Lao Ma and Liu Meng were among them.

In fact, both of them had finished early, but the reason they didn't submit their papers was surprisingly similar.

To become a top student, one must have a calm mind, not be restless, and not be showy.

Liu Meng hadn't understood this when he took the English placement test upon entering school.

To handle heavy tasks with ease, to be wise without showing off.

Truly outstanding people don't seek to impress others or compete for short-term gains by being the first to submit their papers.

This is the cultivation of one's true nature. Regardless of the difficulty or whether it's a major course, the only way is to be serious and calm.

In the afternoon, there was the English exam.

This had always been Liu Meng's Achilles' heel. He couldn't understand the listening section, but reading and writing were fine.

He arrived at the exam room ten minutes early, sat quietly in his seat, and checked his 2B pencil, eraser, and black pen. He tuned the radio to the correct frequency and prepared everything. After everything was ready, he closed his eyes and waited for the exam to begin.

The sound of the bell made him sit up straight, focusing all his attention.

Following a rhythmic preparation process for the exam can effectively prevent low-level mistakes, such as marking the wrong answer or misreading the questions.

Upon receiving the test paper, he followed the invigilator's instructions to read the questions and check the paper, even though the instructions were always the same and never changed. He still read them through.

Soon, the listening section began. In the past, he would become highly nervous and couldn't understand anything, no matter how hard he tried. Now, after calmly following the routine, Liu Meng's mind was very calm and relaxed.

He listened to each question carefully. In the past, he would have no idea which option to choose, feeling uncertain and unable to eliminate any of the four options. Now, everything was clear, and he could choose the correct answer after listening to each question, as if riding a horse without reins.

This feeling was incredibly satisfying.

The more he listened, the more confident and calm he became. By the third part, when the radio started to have some static, Liu Meng didn't panic. He wrote down the answers based on his intuition and double-checked the verb forms and noun cases. The listening section was completely done.

Liu Meng was very confident, believing he had made very few mistakes.

The long-standing problem with English listening was finally resolved, and the feeling was indescribable.

It was like having a piece of cotton in his ear that made everything unclear, and suddenly it was removed, allowing him to hear even the sound of a small insect crawling. Or like watching a blurry video where the main character is attractive but the key parts are obscured, and suddenly it becomes high-definition and unobstructed, with the key parts even magnified. The feeling was unimaginable.

Reading comprehension, which had never been a problem for Liu Meng in the past, was even easier now. He could guarantee a perfect score in this section.

He continued to the essay, feeling better and better. With an hour left, Liu Meng paused. He closed his eyes and thought deeply about the theme "Advice and Confidence," with many thoughts swirling in his mind.

Not listening to others' advice is stubborn; listening too much to others' advice can lead to losing oneself. If one doesn't believe in oneself, others won't either. Excessive confidence is arrogance.

As he thought, a historical anecdote came to mind. Liu Meng smiled in satisfaction. This was it. He decided to surprise everyone by writing an English version of the "Ten Admonitions to Emperor Taizong" in classical Chinese, which was the most fitting for the theme.

At that moment, the English translation of the Book of Songs appeared in his mind.

He spent 45 minutes completing the essay, writing it in one go. He was quite satisfied with the structure and vocabulary. With only 5 minutes left, the space provided was almost insufficient.

He reviewed the entire paper, filling in any gaps, and waited quietly for the bell to ring.

By then, about half of the students had already submitted their papers. Liu Meng saw Lao Ma still deep in thought nearby.

Gu Pan was still there, quietly looking at her paper. A strand of hair fell over her beautiful face, and the slanting sunlight from the window cast a warm glow on her. From this angle, she looked exceptionally beautiful, and Liu Meng couldn't help but feel moved.

The leader, Dong Dong, and Cheng Cheng had already submitted their papers and left.

Guo Yu submitted his paper early, followed by Ji Hai. Yuan Chaohui, who was good at English, also submitted his paper shortly after.

Finally, the time was up, and the bell rang.

Only a dozen or so students remained, and they quietly walked to the podium to submit their papers.

Yang Yun took Liu Meng's paper and quickly scanned it. The neatness of the paper was pleasing to the eye. She focused on the essay and was stunned by the unique beauty of the vocabulary and structure, unable to understand the specific meaning at first.

"You did very well," she said softly to Liu Meng.

Liu Meng was quite grateful to Yang Yun. After the class reassignment incident, he chose to stay in the regular class, and Yang Yun had been very supportive. He didn't have to attend classes, and they often texted each other. Although Yang Yun remained serious and stern, she sometimes added a bit of liveliness with emoticons.

The two-day midterm exams finally ended. After the intense excitement, the top students began to relax completely. Some went to the internet cafe for an all-night session, some played basketball, some played soccer, and some went on short trips. The goal was to relax thoroughly.

Learning to relax is a basic skill for a top student. Without relaxation, one cannot recharge and continue to fight.

For Class 3 of the Electrical Engineering Department, this night was a celebration, a belated Mid-Autumn Festival party. The relaxed top students played to their hearts' content, beyond imagination.

Liu Meng, Guo Yu, Deng Jinyao, Zheng Wen, Dong Dong, Cheng Cheng, and even Lao Ma appeared in the study room to help set up. As they were setting up, Jiang Weixin and Li Yue walked in hand in hand, dazzling everyone.

Liu Meng moved next to the leader and chuckled, "What do you think, leader? It's still the same, isn't it?"

The leader couldn't believe his eyes. He thought these two were done for. He cursed inwardly and said resentfully, "The best come in pairs. I'm thoroughly convinced."

Jiang Weixin walked in confidently, the first in Class 3 to find a local girlfriend and bring her to a class event. Zheng Wen stopped and called out, "Let's welcome the beauty from Class 6 to our event..."

Immediately, applause erupted, and the atmosphere became lively.

"Jiang Weixin, what's your relationship with her? Introduce her to us," the crowd teased, with Dong Dong being the most enthusiastic and Cheng Cheng looking very pleased.

"She's my wife," Jiang Weixin said with a squint, and Li Yue smiled generously.

"Words are not enough; you have to kiss her," the crowd continued to tease, and the relaxed top students were terrifying.

"Maybe not," Jiang Weixin wasn't afraid to show off his girlfriend, but he was a bit shy about kissing in public.

Faced with the growing cheers, Li Yue nudged Jiang Weixin, and they kissed, causing the crowd to erupt in cheers.

But this was just the appetizer, and the main course was about to begin.