A perfect score on the college entrance exam? The Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng has astonis

Chen Ma had seen that kind of look far too many times.

It's not concern, it's probing.

It looked like they were looking for something.

Find the one that she can step on.

Then something that stands a little higher.

"Sister-in-law, brother."

Aunt Chen finally spoke, her tone light and casual, as if she were asking a question offhand.

"Have Chen Mo's college entrance exam results been released yet?"

Mr. Chen paused for a moment.

Water droplets from the beer bottle trickled down between his fingers.

"Not yet."

Chen Ma's voice was very flat.

"Not yet?"

Aunt Chen's voice rose slightly.

The upward movement was very subtle.

It wasn't surprise, it was confirmation.

It's confirmed that "not yet" means it really hasn't been released yet.

It's hard to say what will happen.

"That's true, the results haven't been officially announced yet."

She nodded to herself, then changed the subject.

"My son Xiao Jie estimated his score, and it's over 600."

When she said she scored over 600 points, her tone was so light it was as if she were saying, "The weather is nice today."

But that 600+ three words.

She bit him lightly and accurately, and the bite landed squarely in Chen Mo's parents' ears.

"Over six hundred?"

The aunt chimed in, her voice carrying just the right amount of surprise.

"Xiao Jie is that good? A score of over 600 should be enough to get into a really good 985 university, right?"

"you do not say."

Aunt Chen picked up the juice and took a sip.

Her posture was as elegant as if she were having afternoon tea.

"I discussed it with his dad. Which school do you think we should apply to? Tsinghua is probably out of the question, but Fudan, Zhejiang University, and Nanjing University should be within our reach."

She read out the names of those schools one by one.

There was a long pause between each name.

"oops."

"Your son, Xiao Jie, is really promising."

My second aunt chimed in from the side, her tone filled with genuine envy.

"Look at my kid, he's been playing video games all day after the exam. When I ask him how he did, he says it went okay, but when I ask him what his estimated score was, he says he didn't estimate it. It's driving me crazy."

Aunt Chen smiled, a smile that carried a sense of composure.

Then she turned to Chen Ma, and the look in her eyes changed.

I'm not showing off.

"Sister-in-law, what's Chen Mo's score? What was it?"

Chen Ma's finger twitched at the corner of the magazine page.

She didn't know how to answer.

Chen Mo's grades.

She didn't ask.

It's not that I don't want to ask, it's that I'm afraid to ask.

She was afraid to hear a number that would break her heart.

I was afraid of hearing my son's silence on the other end of the phone.

I was afraid I wouldn't know how to comfort him.

So she didn't ask.

Chen Mo didn't say anything either.

He didn't say.

In the end, Chen Ma said three words.

Aunt Chen's eyes lit up.

"Didn't you say?"

There was an air of understanding in her tone.

"That's true, it's normal for a child not to want to talk about a bad test result."

Mr. Chen's beer bottle was placed on the table.

It made a "thump" sound.

He didn't speak, but his jawline tightened.

"Brother, that's not what I meant."

Aunt Chen's tone became "gentle," like a knife wrapped in cotton.

"What I mean is, kids these days are under a lot of pressure, so whether they do well or poorly on tests isn't a big deal."

"Our Xiao Jie has a good mindset, his grades are usually good, and he performed normally in the college entrance examination. Scoring over 600 points is not unexpected."

"Alright."

Chen's father finally spoke; his voice was not loud, but it was deep.

"Stop talking."

Aunt Chen closed her mouth, but her expression remained unchanged.

The curve of her lips was still there.

Just then, Chen Ma's phone rang.

She took her phone out of her beach bag.

I glanced at the screen.

An unfamiliar landline number with area code 010.

It was BJ calling.

She answered the call.

"Feed? Hello."

"Hello, are you Chen Mo's parent?"

The voice on the other end of the phone was polite and formal, with a sense of propriety.

Chen Ma frowned slightly.

"Yes, that's me. And who are you?"

"Hello, I'm from the Tsinghua University Admissions Office."

"What?"

Chen Ma's voice suddenly rose.

Not because of excitement, but because...

She thought she had misheard.

Tsinghua University Admissions Office.

The person on the other end of the phone patiently repeated it.

His tone carried a sense of composure.

The air under the parasol seemed to have been sucked away by something.

Aunt Chen's juice glass stopped in mid-air.

Her big eyes were wide open.

His lips were slightly parted.

The eldest aunt and the second aunt exchanged a glance.

The two people's expressions changed from "watching the show" to "What the hell?"

The beer bottle in Chen's father's hand almost slipped out of his grasp.

He caught it in a flurry, spilling some beer onto the chest of his floral shirt, which he didn't even notice.

"Tsinghua University?"

Chen Ma repeated the four words, her voice trembling, as if she were speaking a foreign language.

"Yes."

"We are very pleased to inform you that your child, Chen Mo, has achieved outstanding results in this year's college entrance examination."

"You will be informed of your specific score after the official results are released, but we would like to discuss the college application process with you in advance."

Aunt Chen finally put down her juice glass.

The sense of superiority that had been building up to 600 points on her face was fading at a visible rate.

Instead, a more complex expression was adopted.

"You...you're liars, aren't you?"

Chen Ma's voice carried an instinctive wariness.

It's not that she doesn't trust her son.

Or is it Tsinghua University?

Should I call Chen Mo?

She instinctively felt that it was a scam.

There are too many scammers these days.

They specifically target parents of students preparing for the college entrance examination.

What internal indicators?

Special recruitment quota.

Early admission.

One set after another.

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

Then the man laughed.

It wasn't the kind of laugh that came from being offended.

It's a laugh that says, "I completely understand why you think that way."

"Mr. Chen Mo, I understand your concerns. Here's what we'll do: we'll contact your local education department immediately and have the principal of Chen Mo's school call you personally to confirm."

"Is this alright for you?"

Chen Ma's hand holding the phone trembled slightly.

"it is good."

she says.

The phone hangs up.

There was a deathly silence under the parasol.

Aunt Chen, her eldest aunt, and her second aunt—three people with six eyes—were all staring intently at the phone in Chen's mother's hand, as if they were looking at a grenade about to explode.

"sister in law."

Aunt Chen's voice became cautious, completely different from the tone she had used earlier when she said "over 600 points".

"Could this be a scam? There are so many scammers these days, especially those who prey on people..."

She didn't finish her sentence.

Because Chen Ma's phone rang again.

This time, the caller ID showed a local number.

Chen Ma answered the phone.

"Hello, are you Chen Mo's mother? I am the principal of Jiangcheng No.1 Middle School, my surname is Wang."

Principal Wang's voice came through the receiver, carrying a warmth that had been repeated countless times, yet remained patient and enthusiastic.

"The Tsinghua University admissions office should have already called you."

"I hereby formally confirm to you that Chen Mo's college entrance examination score is among the best in the country. The admissions offices of more than a dozen universities, including Tsinghua University, Peking University, Fudan University, and Zhejiang University, are actively vying for his admission."

"Please rest assured."

"These calls are all genuine."

Chen Ma's phone slipped slightly from her ear.

.....

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