Chapter 35: A Single-Log Bridge for Ten Thousand Armies

June 7th.

The nation-wide attention-grabbing Gaokao of 2012 had arrived.

When the alarm went off, Wang Donglai opened his eyes and got up to dress immediately without any delay.

"Huang Cheng, wake up!"

Seeing Huang Cheng still sleeping in the top bunk with no intention of waking up, Wang Donglai shouted loudly.

"Mm, what time is it?"

Huang Cheng asked mumbly, his eyes still closed and his brow furrowed.

"It's seven-thirty. Get ready to go eat breakfast, then we'll assemble to collect our admission tickets. We'll be heading into the exam halls soon."

Seeing Huang Cheng in such a state, Wang Donglai shook his head slightly and spoke.

"Donglai, are you coming back to the dorm later?"

"What's up?" Wang Donglai asked in return.

"If you are, could you grab me some breakfast? I want to sleep a bit more. I was reading quite intensely last night and stayed up until past four. I'm still exhausted and want to nap a little longer, is that okay? Breakfast is on me."

As he spoke, Huang Cheng reached for a meal card and handed it to Wang Donglai.

"No need. What do you want to eat?"

Wang Donglai didn't take the card, but he agreed to bring the breakfast.

"A three-yuan savory pancake and a cup of soy milk! Thanks, man!"

Huang Cheng rolled over and went back to sleep.

Seeing this, Wang Donglai didn't dawdle. He packed up quickly and headed toward the canteen.

There weren't many students in the school, and the canteen was sparsely populated with people eating breakfast.

After finishing his own breakfast at the canteen, Wang Donglai bought a portion for Huang Cheng as requested and brought it back.

By the time Wang Donglai returned, it was already eight o'clock.

Although Huang Cheng wanted to sleep more, he knew the importance of the moment and forced himself to fight the drowsiness to get dressed.

After washing his face with cold water to clear his head, he took the breakfast Wang Donglai brought and began to eat.

After a few bites, a bit of vitality returned to Huang Cheng's face.

"I can't stay up late tonight, but that *Martial Universe* written by Tu Dou is just too good. I can't stop reading it."

After finishing his breakfast, Huang Cheng swayed his head slightly, savoring the novel he had stayed up all night reading.

"The exam is about to start and you're still thinking about novels. I'm truly impressed by you. You're something else!"

Wang Donglai was completely defeated by Huang Cheng; his obsession with novels was truly unparalleled among everyone he knew.

"Sigh, you know the cutoff for junior colleges. I can get in with just a mediocre score. I have no hope of getting into a top university anyway, so whether my score is a bit high or low doesn't matter," Huang Cheng said nonchalantly, seeing things clearly.

With that, the two grabbed their exam stationery and walked out of the dormitory.

On the playground, crowds had formed, centered around the class teachers.

The reason was simple: the teachers were holding their admission tickets and were only now distributing them.

The crowd was noisy; some were chatting casually, showing no pressure regarding the upcoming exam, while others were silent, their faces etched with tension.

After receiving his admission ticket, Wang Donglai found a quiet spot and quietly looked at the school.

"Wang Donglai, what are you planning to do this summer vacation?"

Guo Xing was looking through the crowd. When she spotted Wang Donglai, her eyes lit up, and she walked over.

Today, Guo Xing was wearing a light green long skirt and white sneakers, with her hair tied in a high ponytail, making her look exceptionally youthful and vibrant.

The sun at eight o'clock wasn't too harsh; as it shone on Guo Xing's face, she exuded a special kind of charm.

"For the summer, I'll probably read some books and do some preparations. I'll mostly be staying at home," Wang Donglai said after a moment's thought.

"Hmm, then can I come find you to hang out during the summer?"

Guo Xing traced circles on the ground with her toes, her hands behind her back, asking Wang Donglai boldly.

"Sure, you're welcome to visit. But there isn't much to do near my house. If you come, I can only take you to the river to catch fish and play in the water, and treat you to roasted corn—homegrown early corn, it's delicious. How about it?"

A smile appeared on Wang Donglai's face, and he agreed without any hesitation.

He felt no inferiority because of his rural background, nor did he try to put on airs in front of a girl.

He was poised and natural!

"Okay, it's a deal then. I'll come find you in the summer."

Guo Xing smiled brightly, her eyes sparkling with joy.

"What are you two talking about? You look so happy."

Suddenly, Chen Mengni walked over, her gaze shifting between Wang Donglai and Guo Xing as she asked.

"Nothing, just a bit of small talk."

"By the way, Mengni, your outfit looks really beautiful today!"

Guo Xing beat Wang Donglai to the punch, answering Chen Mengni's question and quickly shifting the topic to Mengni's clothes.

Chen Mengni was wearing a simple white short-sleeved shirt, tight high-waisted jeans, and white sports shoes.

If Guo Xing gave off an aura of gentle elegance, Chen Mengni appeared bright and sunny.

"You look very pretty today too! That skirt looks great on you; it really suits your temperament!"

Chen Mengni shot a quick glance at Wang Donglai before turning her attention back to Guo Xing.

In an instant, the two girls were walking together, chatting about clothes.

Girls seemed to possess a strange magic; even at a time like this, they could discuss fashion with great enthusiasm.

Time passed quickly, and the candidates entered the exam halls.

Wang Donglai and Chen Mengni were on the same floor, separated by one exam hall.

After seeing Chen Mengni enter her hall, Wang Donglai headed toward his own.

He checked his credentials and entered the hall smoothly.

*Ring!*

The bell rang. The proctor held up the Gaokao exam papers from the multimedia podium to prove they were unopened.

The first subject for Qin Province was Chinese, lasting two and a half hours, from nine until eleven-thirty.

Soon, the exam paper reached Wang Donglai's hands.

Upon receiving the paper, Wang Donglai instinctively took a deep breath before carefully checking to see if there were any issues like blurred printing.

After the inspection, he first filled in his name and admission number.

Then, Wang Donglai put down his pen and waited for the start time.

In his mind, however, he was already composing his essay.

This exam paper was exactly the same one from his memories; nothing had changed.

Even without this memory, Wang Donglai was certain his Chinese score would not fall below 140. The reason he couldn't guarantee the remaining 10 points was that he didn't know how many points the graders might deduct for the essay or the ancient poetry comprehension.

But even so, Wang Donglai believed that with his current level in Chinese, scoring above 140 would be easy.

Soon, the exam began.

In an instant, the entire classroom became incredibly quiet, with only the sound of scratching pens filling the air.

Modern text reading, ancient prose reading, ancient poetry reading, memorization of famous passages...

None of the questions could stop Wang Donglai; he solved them with ease.

Over the past 98 days, he had written more than thirty calligraphy practice books. While he hadn't developed a sweeping, elegant style that would draw praise, his handwriting was definitely neat and clear, ensuring no points would be lost for penmanship.

Even the final essay was written in one continuous flow, without a single pause.

When he finished, even though Wang Donglai intentionally slowed his pace, there were still over forty minutes left before the end of the exam.

Glancing at the clock hanging on the blackboard, Wang Donglai closed his paper and waited for the bell.

The afternoon mathematics exam was even simpler.

Although it only lasted two hours, the problems on the paper were no issue for the current Wang Donglai; he could derive the answers with just a glance.

The multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank questions totaled 15 items, worth 75 points.

Yet, Wang Donglai finished them in less than a minute.

Only the subsequent long-form calculation questions caused him to slow down slightly.

Thirty minutes into the exam, Wang Donglai finished the math paper.

Without even calculating, he knew his math score would be a perfect one.

"Is this what it feels like to be a genius?"

As he put down his pen, Wang Donglai suddenly thought of his past self during math exams—restless, anxious, and struggling.

Compared to now, the difference was like heaven and earth.

(End of Chapter)