Chapter 30: A Young Girl's Thoughts

"Donglai, let's go out for a meal tomorrow. My dad said that since we are classmates, it's fate. We've all gone our separate ways after the Gaokao, so we should cherish this friendship. He specifically asked to reserve a table for us."

"That's right, Donglai. The Gaokao is just around the corner. We've been in the same class for two years and lived in the same dormitory for two years; it's all fate. Let's have a meal and a few drinks to celebrate our youth. What do you think?"

"This meal can also serve as our dormitory's official gathering and an early celebration for you. We wish you great success on the exam, may your name shine across Qin Province."

After speaking, the three of them looked at Wang Donglai with expectant faces, waiting for his response.

"No need for alcohol. Tomorrow at noon works for me. We can split the bill. If you promise me that, I'll go. How about it?"

Wang Donglai did not refuse; instead, he pondered for a moment and proposed his idea.

"We're all classmates, and it's my dad treating us and ordering the food. There's no need to split the bill!" Song Yi waved his hand generously, making a very magnanimous statement.

"Exactly. Uncle Song is rich; we shouldn't try to save him money. Tomorrow, let's order more meat dishes and eat our fill. Let's make Song Yi's family bleed a little," Liu Jun added, following Song Yi's lead, as he was close to him from playing together frequently.

Dang Caizhi glanced at Song Yi and then at Wang Donglai. His eyes flickered as if he had thought of something, and a smile appeared on his face. "I'll arrange a table after the Gaokao. I'll bring a bottle of my dad's Guojiao 1573. Donglai, the exams will be over by then, so drinking shouldn't be an issue, right?"

"Wangcai, if you take the Guojiao 1573, won't your dad break your legs?" Liu Jun looked at Dang Caizhi with a look of shock, clearly startled by his boldness.

"Liu Jun, I think you've forgotten what his dad does. He's a big coal mine boss. Does he really lack a bottle of liquor? There are probably several cases of fine wine and several cartons of premium cigarettes in the back of his car at all times. What's one bottle of Guojiao? He wouldn't even look at it if it were spilled on the ground." Song Yi said with a smile. After speaking, he turned his gaze back to Wang Donglai. "Donglai, it's a deal then. Tomorrow at noon, right after class, we'll take a bus directly to the Chenlong Hotel for dinner."

"Since the five of us are having a gathering, let's not let your uncle overspend. It's better if we split the cost based on how much we eat. I can't just take advantage of others. It's settled!" Before Song Yi could object, Wang Donglai walked over and began to wash up.

Song Yi's eyes flickered, but his smile remained bright and hearty. "Alright, we'll do it your way."

...

Inside the classroom.

There weren't many people who could still sit down and study peacefully. Some students had gone straight home to revise, while others were sleeping in their dormitories.

After receiving the question bank from Wang Donglai, Guo Xing and Chen Mengni had been engrossed in studying it. Because of Wang Donglai, their grades had improved rapidly, so they naturally did not ignore his words. Since he had said this question bank would be of great benefit to their Gaokao and instructed them to study it seriously, they were giving it their absolute all.

"Jia Ruiting from my dorm wants to know if this is the question bank you prepared. She said she wants to take a look. I haven't agreed yet; I wanted to ask your opinion. Is it okay? If not, I'll refuse her."

Since Chen Mengni entered the classroom, Wang Donglai had noticed a look of hesitation on her face, though he didn't say much. However, after a while, Chen Mengni handed him a note with a message written on it.

After reading the note, Wang Donglai's expression didn't change much. He picked up his pen and wrote: *You can give the question bank to them; just handle it yourselves. If someone asks to see it and you are on good terms with them, you can lend it. If the relationship is just average, don't bother; don't make things difficult for yourself.*

In fact, Wang Donglai had considered this when he was creating the question bank. The bank did not contain actual Gaokao questions; rather, he had summarized the key testing points based on this year's Gaokao papers and then composed new questions based on those knowledge points. As long as one mastered these points, facing the actual Gaokao questions with their changing formats shouldn't be a major problem. As for how many points one could score, that would depend on individual talent.

Furthermore, this question bank was not something that could be used as leverage; comparing it to the actual Gaokao questions would not reveal any discrepancies. Because with Wang Donglai's current level, he had already grasped the mindset of the examiners when he saw the Gaokao papers, so the question bank he compiled was absolutely flawless.

Having received Wang Donglai's permission, the hesitation on Chen Mengni's face instantly vanished, replaced by a look of relief. A smile appeared on her collagen-rich face, and under the morning sunlight, even her fine peach fuzz seemed to glow with golden light.

Wang Donglai did not notice this beautiful scene.

"Which school do you want to go to? Tsinghua or Peking University?" Guo Xing suddenly turned her head and asked Wang Donglai.

"Tsinghua or Peking? I'm afraid only a top student like Wang Donglai could get into those. It seems no one from our school has ever made it in all these years," Chen Mengni said, her eyes bright as she looked at Wang Donglai with a sense of shared pride.

"This year, our county won't just have someone getting into Tsinghua or Peking; we'll also have a provincial top scorer in the liberal arts. It's going to raise the ceiling completely. I can't imagine how lively our county will be then," Guo Xing said with longing, as if imagining the shock and excitement that would follow the release of Wang Donglai's results.

Wang Donglai heard the two girls and shook his head with a smile. "Tsinghua is fine, and Peking is good too. I'm not picky. I'll just see which one offers the better benefits. Whoever gives the better deal, that's where I'll go."

"Exactly. I heard that to recruit the top scorers from various provinces, those prestigious universities go directly to their homes and offer all sorts of preferential conditions to compete for them." After her grades improved, Guo Xing had researched some materials and specifically read about the achievements of past top scorers in both the liberal arts and sciences, so she brought it up now.

Listening from the side, Chen Mengni suddenly chimed in, "I heard there are many majors in university. What major do you want to study? My family says they want me to study Chinese Language and Literature so I can come back to be a teacher or take the civil service exam."

"I'm not sure yet. It'll either be Economics or Finance, or Mathematics or Computer Science. But I'm actually quite interested in Physics or Biology. It's a pity we are in the liberal arts stream and can't choose those majors."

Regarding which university he would attend or which major he would study, Wang Donglai had no definite thoughts yet. He only wanted to complete the first stage of the "Mainline Task" first, and then decide his future path based on the rewards he obtained.

"I believe that with your ability, no matter what major you study, you will do very well," Chen Mengni said, clenching her fists in front of her in a cheering gesture.

Guo Xing's eyes flickered slightly. She didn't speak, but after giving Wang Donglai a deep look, she turned her gaze back to the question bank.