Chapter 28: Eve of the Exam

The days that followed returned to a semblance of calm; at least that's how Xu Lin felt.

Every day consisted of jogging for exercise, followed by dedicated study. When he felt the need for enhanced memory, he would activate a short-term memory enhancement card.

In these few days, he spent a total of 1000 points on the card, but the gains were significant. Many things that were prone to being forgotten became more firmly rooted in his memory.

Additionally, among the remaining three items for the week, he decided to buy the 2000-point "Surfing Technique." Mainly enticed by the apparent bargain, he soon discovered it was not a skill related to swimming but rather an intimate skill. He was dumbfounded!

Sharing a somewhat embarrassing detail, in his previous life at 24 years old, before his transmigration, he was still a single guy and remained pure-hearted. He hadn't transformed into a man.

He suddenly felt that using such a thing might truly require waiting for the right moment. He was not the kind of man to be casual about it!

Moreover, Chu Qingchan still hadn't returned. However, through WeChat, he learned that she and Teacher Guan had gone to Qizhou and would be heading to Yanjing in a couple of days before returning.

However, amidst all these developments, Xu Lin was about to face a real battle: the monthly exam.

The outcome of this exam—whether he enters the top 50 in the entire school—determines whether he can continue to be exempt from homework.

He couldn't let down the expectations of his class teacher, considering the dissatisfaction of many teachers. He had shouldered it all by himself.

After the recent intense studying sessions, his intelligence had surprisingly increased from 6 to 6.2. Though it was still slightly below Teacher Su and Ji Yun's 7, it at least represented his growth potential.

Due to the upcoming exam, the afternoon before, everyone cleaned up the mess of books in their drawers, and the study committee members posted exam numbers.

The exam started early today. They only needed to bring the necessary materials. Since it was a monthly exam, there wasn't any extra formality. The admission ticket had only the name and exam number.

Finding the classroom and seat according to the exam number was all that was needed. The entire second grade went to the teaching building for the third grade, while the third grade, along with the first grade, went to the new teaching building.

Upon arriving at school, it felt noticeably quieter than usual. In the classroom, many students were reviewing textbooks and notes. Clearly, most students still respected the significance of the exam.

Feeling confident in his preparation, Xu Lin didn't bring a backpack. He carried only a transparent bag for the exam, containing a few pens, pencils, and erasers.

"Xu Lin, coming light, you must be pretty confident?"

"I just think bringing a backpack means putting it in the corridor during the exam. The corridor is dirty, and sometimes bags get stepped on. Then you have to wash the bag when you get back."

"Yeah, makes sense..."

Xu Lin's explanation made Li Bin suddenly feel that bringing such a heavy backpack was more for show and might not serve much purpose.

"Xu Lin, what do you need to review? I can lend you."

"I've already reviewed everything. Right now, what I need is to adjust my mindset."

Ji Yun nodded. Others might not know, but she knew that he had an agreement with the old class teacher. If he didn't perform well, she couldn't even bear to think about the scene that would unfold.

Recently, Xu Lin had indeed visibly put in effort. Initially, she thought that rejecting him might make him less focused on studying, but that didn't seem to be the case.

After becoming friends with him, whom she didn't know very well before, she gained a clearer understanding of a different Xu Lin.

She used to think of him as a shy, innocent, and honest boy. Later, she discovered he was a wise, mature, kind, and caring young man.

"Ji Yun, you're going too far."

"What's wrong, Zhuo Yan?"

"At least you used to sneak a peek; now you're shamelessly staring."

Hearing her deskmate's teasing, Ji Yun wasn't embarrassed this time. Instead, she continued to glance at Xu Lin. "Don't you think he's been working out lately, and his complexion has improved?"

"Ji Yun, there's no hope for you."

"I'm just kidding. I'm still the same as before, not thinking about being in a relationship." Ji Yun whispered.

"But that doesn't stop you from liking him, does it?"

"Like, it's quite mysterious. At the moment, yes, it's like that. But it's not love. My focus is still on studying. If he can catch up, we'll see."

"Catching up with you won't be easy. I hope he makes it into the top 50. If students in our school maintain the top 50, they can aim for a good university in Grade 3."

"Yeah."

"Seriously, Xu Lin's got thick skin, and now you've followed suit. Truly a little couple~"

"Zhuo Yan! What nonsense are you spouting?"

Ji Yun reached out and lightly hit her. Zhuo Yan chuckled. "You're blushing. It seems like your skin isn't thick enough."

Xu Lin yawned, and the teacher also entered the classroom, knocking on the table to get everyone's attention. He had something to announce.

"Classmates, originally, the exam was scheduled for two days, followed by a week off on Monday and Tuesday. However, since we just had a two-day break, so..."

Instantly, all the students let out a groan. They felt the teachers' malicious intent once again.

Changing the monthly two-day holiday to twice a month wouldn't make much difference, especially after the exams. It was time to adjust and relax.

"So, the exam has been shortened to today and tomorrow morning. After the exam in the afternoon, you'll have the rest of the day off. We'll start classes on Monday morning, giving you a day and a half of rest."

"Hooray!" Some students immediately raised their arms.

Xu Lin looked at the happy kids in silence. He couldn't help but recall the words of Mr. Lu Xun, still relevant to this day.

"You say this room is too dark, and you want to open a window here. Everyone will definitely object. But if you propose to remove the roof, after compromising a bit, everyone will agree to open a window."

Although it didn't fit perfectly here because the teacher didn't compromise, they simply informed me about the time adjustment. But in essence, it was similar. Changing the two-day break to a day and a half made everyone feel like they gained a lot, and compressing the exam from two days to one and a half days was also accepted.

For him, the longer the break, the better. After all, he could spend all the remaining 23,650 points on increasing his intelligence.

His intelligence had increased a bit, but with these points, he could boost it from 6.2 to 7.2. Studying at home wouldn't be less efficient.

After the morning self-study, everyone packed their bags and went to have breakfast before heading to the exam hall.

"Xu Lin, which exam room are you in?" Some familiar friends approached and asked.

"I'm in Room 7."

"Same as me." Hei Yuanliang raised his hand with his exam number.

"Let's grab some food first; I'm starving. Today's the exam day, and the school even kicked out the breakfast vendors."

"Li Bin, isn't your family making pancakes? Why not eat at home?"

"I can't eat pancakes every day, can I? If you guys want, I can bring some."

A few guys chatted as they left the classroom. Linshui City was just a small town, so the school wasn't particularly luxurious.

The cafeteria had average quality—not particularly delicious or terrible. The variety was decent, but after a while, it could become tiresome. Otherwise, the food stalls outside wouldn't be able to sustain their business. Xu Lin had thought about it: if he didn't get into college, becoming a street food vendor, perhaps selling hand-grabbed pancakes, wouldn't be a bad idea.

Arriving at the cafeteria, Xu Lin experienced the bustling crowd for the first time after his rebirth. Long lines, especially at the popular food counters.

"Let's go for fried rice; there are fewer people there."

"Yeah."

They joined a line of over twenty people. Fortunately, the serving auntie was quite fast, and soon it was their turn. Xu Lin took out his meal card, swiped it, and kept a close eye on the auntie to prevent any shaky hands that might lead him to buy two portions to get full.

Relieved to see a generous serving, he glanced sideways and noticed a familiar figure at another adjacent counter. Still holding several lunch boxes without a bag, it looked like they were on the verge of falling at any moment. Xu Lin felt a bit annoyed; it seemed like this wasn't just a simple act of helping.