This humble Taoist priest wants to take the college entrance exam.

Chapter 141 You two will both lose 25 points!

Chapter 141 You two will each lose 2.5 points!
As an independent building in the school, the laboratory building is mostly used as a physical and chemical laboratory, while its many empty classrooms are used as examination rooms during school exams.

Only the top 300 students in science and the top 200 students in humanities in each grade are eligible to take the exam in the laboratory building.

The seating arrangement was not like that in the exam hall of the teaching building, where the candidates were randomly arranged. Instead, the seating was arranged very directly according to each student's ranking in the last exam.

Lin Mengqiu sat in the first group of the first exam room for science students in the second year of high school, while Wen Zhixia sat in the first group of the first exam room for humanities students in the second year of high school.

Behind the two girls, the other examinees could only see their backs.

The rankings of other people will change to some extent with each exam, sometimes moving forward and sometimes moving backward.

Only the two of them maintained the same position in every exam after the subject division.

After the exam, the last student in each group is responsible for collecting and submitting the answer sheets.

After handing in the papers, this monthly exam is over. We just have to wait for the results to come out after the holiday.

Wen Zhixia and Lin Mengqiu met on the stairs leading down from the laboratory building after two days of exams.

Facing each other's strongest subject, and having been rivals for a whole semester back then, the two girls, having just finished their exams, met each other with the pride of victorious roosters.

Lin Mengqiu straightened her back;

Wen Zhixia straightened her chest;
Chen Shi'an wasn't around at the moment. The two girls met but didn't speak to each other. As always, the atmosphere remained tense as they silently followed the crowd down the stairs.

Even Wen Zhixia didn't expect that Lin Mengqiu, who never took the initiative to speak to anyone, would suddenly ask her after walking up a few steps:
"How did you do on the exam?"

Wen Zhixia subconsciously glanced at the crowd around her until she was sure that Lin Mengqiu's question was directed at her.

Lin Mengqiu hadn't originally planned to ask, but at noon, after hearing from the stinky Taoist priest that Wen Zhixia had failed her exam, she couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.

“Not bad,” Wen Zhixia said.

Ah!
really!

Only a foolish Taoist priest would believe this annoying cicada's nonsense!
"What about you?"

After she finished speaking, Wen Zhixia asked her a question in return.

"Good."

Lin Mengqiu responded calmly.

If Chen Shi'an were here, he'd probably be scratching his head too. One of you said you bombed the exam, and the other said you did just okay?!
The two girls' conversation ended there. After leaving the laboratory building, they tacitly distanced themselves and went back to their classrooms to pack their things.

Watching Wen Zhixia's retreating figure walking ahead, Lin Mengqiu was quite suspicious...

That annoying cicada must know that the stinky Taoist priest is coming to her house for dinner tonight, right?
Why are you so calm now? Shouldn't you be like before, loudly revealing information to me...?

Why does it seem like you're hiding something?
Right.

When she goes home with that stinky Taoist priest, that annoying cicada will surely jump out from some bush.

Let's guard against her first...

……

Back to the classroom.

The classroom was noisy.

As everyone moved their seats and books back to their original places after the exam, they checked their answers with each other, while the class representatives were busy handing out holiday homework papers.

Before the exam, everyone consciously refrained from checking the answers, but after the exam, they couldn't resist, since checking the answers is a kind of fun.

No one in the class asked Lin Mengqiu to check their answers, and Lin Mengqiu never asked anyone to check their answers either. The aloof top student was always lonely...

Conversely, as soon as Wen Zhixia from Class 11 upstairs returned to her classroom, she was surrounded by Xiao Yan and her classmates who all wanted to compare answers with her.

Chen Shi'an has returned to the classroom and put the two desks back together so that they can sit side by side again.

When she turned around again, Lin Mengqiu had already returned to the seat that Chen Shi'an had arranged, carrying her pile of books.

"The class monitor is back?"

"Ah."

"How did you do on the exam?"

"So-so... I failed the exam."

"Okay, it's okay if you did poorly on the test. Just take a break during the holiday and work hard when you come back."

"~~~"

Lin Mengqiu finally understood why Wen Zhixia was playing the victim; that stinky Taoist priest was actually quite good at comforting people when it mattered most.

"What about you?"

"It should be close to a perfect score."

"........."

You're not humble at all!
English was a subject she was somewhat weak in, usually fluctuating between 135 and 145 points. Considering that Chen Shi'an said he should be able to get a perfect score in English, it was understandable that he comforted her by saying she 'failed the test'...

But why does it sound so unconvincing?

However, despite feeling somewhat unconvinced, Lin Mengqiu couldn't utter a single defiant word. After all, based on the previous weekly test scores, it was highly likely that Chen Shi'an would indeed score higher than her in both Chinese and English in this monthly exam...

The girl really wanted to use her position for personal gain; she went to the office and first looked at Chen Shi'an's English answer sheet.

She was even more curious about Chen Shi'an's scores in each subject during this monthly exam than Chen Shi'an himself was.

Lin Mengqiu, who never compared answers with others, took the initiative to compare answers with this Taoist priest who didn't even know a single word a month ago—

"For the first reading passage, what did you choose as your answer to the question 'What do some people do?'"

This question left a deep impression on Lin Mengqiu because she was not very clear about options B and C. It was worth 2.5 points.

Are you referring to question twenty-four?

"..."

Very well, it seems you're also quite forgetful, huh? You even remember the question numbers so clearly!

The girl preferred to believe this reason rather than that he had a good memory.

"What did you choose?" Lin Mengqiu asked again.

"Choose B."

"..."

Seeing the class monitor's slightly furrowed brow, Chen Shi'an asked curiously:

"Class monitor, didn't you choose B?"

"I chose C because I felt it better fit the meaning of the text."

"Hmm... I'll deduct two and a half points from your score."

"???"

Lin Mengqiu almost laughed out of anger. This person was far too confident. She thought Chen Shi'an would argue with her about her reasons for choosing B, but instead, he just assumed she had chosen the wrong answer.

Even if I don't score as high as that annoying cicada in English, I can still get at least 140! What if you're wrong?!

"A bet?"

"No betting, the correct answer to that question is indeed B. I won't cheat you."

"...Shall we make a bet?"

"Is the class monitor dissatisfied?"

"A bet?"

"Okay, what's the bet?"

"Just like last time, if you lose, you have to promise me one thing. If I lose, I'll... do your laundry (lowering his voice)."

"?"

Chen Shi'an found it funny; how could he be addicted to washing clothes?
"I can grant you one request, but if you lose, class monitor, you won't have to do the laundry this time."

Lin Mengqiu was greatly disappointed and asked again, "Then what do you want me to bet?"

"Get me water for a week."

Chen Shi'an shook the water cup she had given her.

"..."

"Still want to gamble?"

"Come."

Seeing the girl's stubborn little expression, Chen Shi'an couldn't help but chuckle. Making bets with people isn't a good habit!
After packing their things, the two went back together.

Chen Shi'an didn't forget to return the books to her. He carried a tall stack of them in his arms and helped Lin Mengqiu carry them home.

The twilight before the holiday was exceptionally bright, and walking through the campus on holiday, even the air was filled with a sense of freedom.

"Squad leader, is Uncle Lin cooking tonight?"

"...He said he wanted to try your cooking." The girl looked away guiltily, after all, she had just told her father last night that Chen Shi'an planned to cook and demonstrate his culinary skills...

It's all out of consideration for Dad's hard work! He's so tired from work every day, so I found him a job to cook for him at home!

"Okay."

As always, Chen Shi'an was easygoing and readily agreed.

"Has Uncle Lin already bought the groceries?"

"I don't know what he... If you want to cook something, we can go buy it ourselves, and I'll pay."

"Alright, let's go to the market later. What would you like to eat, class monitor?"

"It will be all right."

"How about making braised pork, braised chicken with chestnuts, stir-fried eggplant, potatoes, and green peppers, and steamed crucian carp?"

"it is good."

These are all very common home-cooked dishes. Chen Shi'an mentioned dishes that her father had also made, but none of them were her favorites. For example, braised pork belly—just hearing about it made her think of greasiness. And crucian carp—the freshness of crucian carp is indeed top-notch, but it has just too many bones. When her father usually cooks it, he mainly uses it to make soup. If he steams it, Lin Mengqiu thinks that she, who is not good with food, will probably choke on a fish bone again…

Even though she was such a picky eater, when she heard Chen Shi'an name the dishes, she still felt her appetite whetted and became really looking forward to eating them.

"Isn't braised pork greasy...?"

"I probably wouldn't have done that."

"Aren't crucian carp used for soup? Won't steaming them result in a lot of bones...?"

"Yes, crucian carp does have a lot of bones. I usually remove all the bones and make boneless crucian carp fillets for steaming."

"...Can't you get the bones?"

Not a single one.

Just hearing this made Lin Mengqiu's eyes light up, and she couldn't help but quicken her pace to go grocery shopping with him and then go home to cook.

Unfortunately, the idea of 'speeding up' came too late.

Some people had already quickened their pace before her.

The sound of footsteps echoed, and just like the trigger mechanism of a dungeon, Wen Zhixia appeared right next to Chen Shi'an.

"Taoist priest!"

Lin Mengqiu: "..."

Ah.

Let's see what you're going to shout through the loudspeaker this time!
When there are outsiders around, Lin Mengqiu instantly reverts to her aloof and silent demeanor.

To her surprise, Wen Zhixia seemed to have no intention of fighting her this time, except for ignoring her.

This made Lin Mengqiu even more confused. Had this annoying cicada suddenly become generous? Did it actually not mind that the stinky Taoist priest coming to her house for dinner? Had she ever eaten his cooking...?

"Little Zhi, you're so late? Every time you say 'I'm leaving now,' you're always slower than me!"

"I'll climb two more floors than you, okay!"

As usual, Wen Zhixia walked to Chen Shi'an's right and spoke only to him.

Since they had agreed to go home together the next morning, Wen Zhixia didn't carry any large bags of luggage today. She walked close to Chen Shi'an, tilting her head and looking up at him to talk—

"Taoist priest, how did you do on your English test?"

"It should be close to a perfect score."

"...Are you serious?!"

How are you feeling?

"I……"

Wen Zhixia instinctively wanted to play the victim and seek comfort, but then she noticed Lin Mengqiu standing quietly to the side, and only then did she reply:
"I think I did well on the test too! Just like you! (Emphasis added)"

"You did so well on the test? Little Zhi, you got a perfect score too?"

Lin Mengqiu: "..."

"I don't think I'll get a perfect score. I might lose some points on the essay, but I don't think I got any of the other questions wrong."

"Yes, you did quite well on the test."

"By the way, Taoist priest, what was the first question you chose in the reading section?"

"Have you suddenly become insecure?"

"...No way! I was just asking!"

"Where do you want to ask?"

"That 'what do some...' multiple choice question, that's the only one that's a bit ambiguous."

Why do you all think this question is ambiguous?

"you?"

"Yeah, the class monitor just said this question is a bit confusing too."

"..."

Wen Zhixia finally looked past Chen Shi'an in the middle and glanced at Lin Mengqiu over there.

Lin Mengqiu didn't look at her and continued walking quietly.

"Then, Taoist priest, what did you choose?"

"Choose B."

"...Ha! You definitely chose the wrong one!"

What do you choose?

"I choose C."

"Then I'll deduct 2.5 points from your score."

"How arrogant! I also chose B at first, but later I felt that I should have chosen C. You were clearly wrong!"

Lin Mengqiu listened quietly as the two talked.

Unexpectedly, Wen Zhixia asked the same question that she had just asked Chen Shi'an.

When she first heard Chen Shi'an choose B, she felt a little panicked, and the more she thought about it, the more she felt it was probably B.

Unexpectedly, Wen Zhixia chose C, just like her.

Although Lin Mengqiu didn't want to admit it, Fanrenchan's English grades were indeed very good, better than hers.

Seeing that Wen Zhixia also chose C, Lin Mengqiu immediately felt more confident.

While Wen Zhixia and Chen Shi'an were discussing whether to choose B or C, she, who had been quiet the whole way, surprisingly joined the conversation, chimed in, and even sided with Wen Zhixia—

"I also choose C."

Lin Mengqiu's sudden interruption and decision to take sides caught Wen Zhixia off guard.

Although she didn't think much of Ice Cube's English grades, it was still a high score. Seeing Lin Mengqiu take the initiative to side with her, Wen Zhixia's voice became even louder.

"See! Taoist priest, you really chose the wrong answer! The correct answer should have been C!" Wen Zhixia said.

"...No, does having more people necessarily mean it's right?"

Chen Shi'an realized that the two girls, who were originally not very confident, suddenly became more confident after choosing the same answer.

“At least my accuracy rate is higher than yours,” Lin Mengqiu said.

"So you were all just guessing..."

“What do you mean by ‘guessing’? It’s more likely that the answer is C,” Wen Zhixia said.

"If the 'probability' is greater, then isn't that just guessing?"

"Didn't you hesitate between B and C?"

"No, it's obvious that the answer is B."

"Choose C!!"

Since the top scorers in both arts and sciences said they chose C, Chen Shi'an gave them face and reviewed the question in his mind again.

"Have you figured it out yet?" Wen Zhixia asked.