"Master Jiang, I want to ask you a favor. You know I'm close with Wu Tianqi, so for the sake of his dignity, let's keep this just between us."
"Then if you work hard and score above 550 on the college entrance exam, this agreement will automatically be established."
"And if I don't reach that?"
"Retake and aim for 600, that will work too."
"What if I still don't reach it?"
"Then retake again."
"And if I still don't achieve it?"
"Keep retaking."
"What if I can't get it even after four or five years?"
"Then you should just prepare to call me Teacher Jiang! After I graduate, I'll get my teaching credentials and personally supervise!"
...
"Master Jiang, I have another question. Helping me review, does it really not affect your own grades?"
"Do you believe me if I say I already know what score I'll get on the college entrance exam?"
"What score?"
"675 points, with an error margin of no more than 10."
"I also know what score I'll get on the exam."
"Hmm? How much?" Jiang Banxia didn't expect Li Yang to be so confident.
"450, with an error margin of no more than 300."
"??? You're just fooling around."
Jiang Banxia's own range is between 665 and 685, while Li Yang went straight for a 150 to 750 range.
Is this setting a range? This is calculating an extreme.
Though it's the same theory, the perception is poles apart.
Li Yang said, "Aren't you the same? I can't believe you think you'll only get 665. If you actually get that score, by midnight on June 25, I'll get whacked in the back by some unknown person, you know?"
"How come? Isn't that when the results just come out?"
"Scores can be checked at 11:45 PM on June 24. Which means, once the scores are out and you score 665, I only have fifteen minutes to live."
"Then... why don't you find a place to hide?"
"Hide, my ass! You have to score above 685 this time, you hear me?"
"What about you?"
"How much do you want me to score?"
"580."
Li Yang: "..."
Every score Jiang Banxia mentioned was never random.
Initially, she wanted herself to score 530, the best for retaking classes, allowing entry into the best retake programs, not only free of charge but also with a living allowance.
Later, hearing that she wouldn't be retaking, she aimed for above 550, because this score allows her to study a decent second-tier university in Jiangzhou.
Now, she wishes to score 580, clearly aiming for Capital City.
The competition for universities in Capital City has always been fierce, even crossing the second-tier line doesn't help much, you need first-tier scores to study second-tier there.
Of course, certain special profession undergraduate programs don't count, like hotel management, fashion schools, or those with particularly high tuition, 17-18 thousand a year.
"Alright, if I don't reach it, I'll retake, and wait for you to teach me personally."
"Then I'll wait for you in Capital City."
"Wrong, you should wait for me at Jing University!"
...
After evening self-study, Jiang Banxia secretly hid her phone and headed to the school gate of the senior campus, where a car was already waiting for her.
She quietly got in; as usual, Dou Ying didn't say a word, completely assuming the role of a mere driver.
Sitting in the car, Jiang Banxia's mind was still buzzing with the problem Li Yang had given her.
Throughout the evening self-study, she exhausted two full pages of scratch paper, yet couldn't find the solution.
She knew her method must have gone wrong, but couldn't think of any other approaches.
She had always understood that what can't be solved within two hours won't be solved in two days either.
If the learned knowledge can't solve it, it means she needs something unknown to her.
She glanced at Dou Ying, this stepmother was great at math, over the years she introduced plenty of knowledge beyond the textbooks.
But she didn't really want to ask Dou Ying.
Back home, she continued poring over her desk, tackling the problem from a new angle.
Midway, when Dou Ying brought her a midnight snack, she filled another page of scratch paper.
There was a result, but it was clearly wrong. Having solved so many problems over the years, Jiang Banxia could tell if a result was right at a glance.
The process was bumpy; she undoubtedly overlooked some data, yet amidst the fog, any clear vision eluded her.
"Xiaxia, let's eat first. After you're done, your mom wants to talk to you over the phone."
Jiang Banxia gathered the scratch paper and brought over her meal.
She always felt Dou Ying was quite scheming, otherwise what stepmother would specifically notify her biological mother's calls.
The more generous Dou Ying acted, the more Jiang Banxia suspected she had some hidden motive.
Yet, she couldn't muster up any hatred, since Dou Ying was so meticulous in caring for her.
A senior executive at a listed company earning millions annually, willingly playing chauffeur and maid for her.
After finishing her meal, she went to the master bedroom and found Jiang Yaoting already lying down.
Jiang Yaoting handed a phone over to Jiang Banxia, saying, "Your mom surely wants to persuade you to go abroad again. It's not as great as imagined; don't agree."
"Okay."
Jiang Banxia accepted the phone.
Jiang Yaoting spoke again, "You're contacting Li Yang using someone else's phone at school?"
"Yes, but it's unrelated to that student, I borrowed the phone."
Jiang Yaoting said, "Then don't go to school anymore, stay home and review in the last twenty-something days."
Jiang Banxia paused dialing, hesitated, but finally said, "I want to go to school."
"What for? Pursuing that damn love you mentioned? You've studied for over a decade just for such fleeting feelings?"
"I... just think I need a goal. Without a goal, I don't know what I'm studying for, or who I'm studying for."
Jiang Yaoting sat up from the bed, "Who are you studying for? You're studying for yourself!"
Jiang Banxia calmly replied, "If it's for myself, I think attending an ordinary university would be acceptable, it's not necessarily Qingbei."
"Then are you worthy of your efforts over the years? Of the hardships your Aunt Dou has endured?"
At that moment, Jiang Banxia's number was already dialed.
Upon hearing a voice from the other end, Jiang Yaoting managed to hold his temper.
"Sweetheart, what are you doing? Mommy really misses you..."
"I miss you too, Mom..."
Hearing this, Jiang Yaoting grew even more furious.
Especially since Jiang Banxia rarely smiled at him these years, but grinned so sweetly to a woman who abandoned her husband and child.
That woman never fulfilled any maternal responsibilities; being with him was simply to leverage his resources to fulfill her own dream of going abroad.
Over the years, aside from seducing her daughter into studying abroad, what else has she done? She probably even forgot the child's birthday.
Yet this person turns out to be the daughter's favorite.
A few minutes later, Jiang Banxia hung up, her facial expression quickly neutralizing, as if nothing had happened.
He felt all the grievances suffered over the years were for naught.
"Xiaxia, there was something I was initially going to tell you after the exams."
But before he could continue, urgent knocks sounded at the door.
...