Rebirth: My college entrance exam score was stolen? I turned the tables and made a billion.

"I don't want to, but I can't control myself."

Zhao Xiaojun had a bitter face.

Liu Guangming didn't say anything more this time.

In the following days, exams in mathematics, English, politics, history, and geography followed one after another.

Liberal arts students will only have this much to do after taking these six exams.

For Liu Guangming, he is still following his usual strategy of aiming for the provincial first prize.

However, when Liu Guangming received the political exam paper, he felt quite happy with his work.

I won't go into the multiple-choice questions; he'll naturally know what to choose.

Big questions are the ones that are interesting.

One essay question asked, "Based on reality, discuss the achievements of my country's economic development since the reform and opening up and the reasons for them."

The standard answer is nothing more than the few points in the textbook. Adhere to taking economic development as the central task, add a few data points and examples, and you'll get full marks.

But he wrote a few more points than that.

It's not about the number of words, it's about the level of understanding.

In 1992, just after Deng Xiaoping's Southern Tour speeches were published, the whole country was discussing the question of whether something was capitalist or socialist.

What level of understanding can an 18-year-old high school student grasp? Memorizing, of course, memorizing it perfectly and then copying it down.

But Liu Guangming is different.

He experienced the wave of layoffs in the 1990s and witnessed firsthand the workers blocking the factory gates demanding answers after the cotton mill closed down.

While working in a brick factory in the south, he personally witnessed the changes in employment brought about by the influx of foreign-invested enterprises. The years he spent in the mines coincided with the period of unbridled growth of the resource-based economy.

He certainly couldn't write these things on the exam paper.

But he can incorporate this deep understanding of policy into the logic of his answers.

His description of "achievements" is not a dry list of numbers, but rather a clear thread connecting the rural household contract responsibility system to the rise of township and village enterprises, and the development from special economic zones to open coastal cities, with a clear cause and effect.

The "Reasons" section doesn't simply copy the textbook's wording; instead, it uses the author's own words to clearly explain the logic behind each policy.

Why should we focus on economic development? Because poverty is not socialism. Why do we need reform? Because the old system stifled productivity.

Every sentence is closely related to the textbook, yet every sentence also reveals something that cannot be found in the textbook.

When the proctor passed by his seat during the exam, he glanced down at his paper and noticeably slowed his pace.

I took two steps away, then turned back and stood behind him for several seconds.

Liu Guangming didn't look up and continued writing.

The proctor was a politics teacher from No. 2 Middle School, surnamed Sun. He had been teaching for more than ten years and had graded countless college entrance examination papers.

She stood there for about ten seconds, then walked away with a strange expression.

I don't think this student is cheating.

I felt that an eighteen-year-old candidate shouldn't have written something so sophisticated, so I took a second look and made a mental note of "Liu Guangming".

At 5 PM on July 9th, the last exam was finished.

The moment the bell rang, the entire examination room erupted in chaos.

The students in the classroom all stood up with a "whoosh," their chairs scraping and rattling on the terrazzo floor.

The area outside the school gate was even more lively.

Someone took their review materials out of their bag, tore them into pieces, and threw them into the air. The pieces of paper scattered all over the ground like snowflakes.

Several girls hugged each other and jumped around, their backpacks swinging back and forth.

A boy was squatting on the curb, his hands covering his face, his shoulders shaking, it was hard to tell whether he was crying or laughing.

Liu Guangming walked out of the school gate with his schoolbag on his back, and was momentarily blocked by the heat wave.

The lively atmosphere of eighteen years old is more than thirty years away from him.

"Brother Guangming—"

Zhao Xiaojun squeezed out of the crowd, his face screaming "I'm doomed."

"For the last big geography question, the one about the Loess Plateau, I wrote about the causes of soil erosion, but I only wrote two control measures: planting trees and building terraces. Is that enough?"

"That probably isn't enough."

"It's over."

Zhao Xiaojun lowered his head. "I feel like something's missing, but I just can't remember what it is."

He squatted down and drew circles on the ground with his finger. After drawing two circles, he looked up again.

"Brother Guangming, how many points do you think you can get?"

Liu Guangming thought for a moment.

"I don't know, but it should be alright."

Zhao Xiaojun jumped up, rolled his eyes, and then mumbled a few words before being pulled away by other classmates who said they were going to eat cold noodles to celebrate their liberation. Before leaving, he turned back and shouted at Liu Guangming.

"Brother Guangming! You have to tell me when the results come out! I bet you'll be number one in the whole school! No, number one in the whole county!"

Liu Guangming waved his hand at him.

The crowd gradually dispersed, leaving behind scraps of paper and popsicle sticks scattered all over the road.

Liu Guangming also started walking back.

"Number one in the whole school? Number one in the whole county?"

He definitely knew the exact score, but he just couldn't tell Zhao Xiaojun.

But the results won't be available until early August.

There's still almost a month to go.

A month? Qian is waiting?

Thinking of this, Liu Guangming slowed down.

I still had the five yuan my third sister had given me in my pocket. I didn't spend any money on the tractor ride, nor did I spend any money on food and lodging at my eldest sister's house.

five yuan.

What could you do with five yuan in 1992?

Buy ten kilograms of rice, or six popsicles, or two bowls of beef noodles.

Not enough to do anything big, but not enough to starve to death.

But the question is, what happens after the results are released? What happens after the acceptance letter arrives?

The tuition, travel expenses, and living expenses for the first year of university alone would easily amount to several thousand yuan.

My brother-in-law said the factory could advance six months' wages, and with some borrowing from relatives, we could scrape together the money.

But Liu Guangming clearly remembers that the cotton mill will start reducing production next year, and will stop completely the year after.

My brother-in-law's salary wasn't high to begin with, and now he's getting a six-month advance. How will he manage after that?

He didn't spend this money in his past life because he didn't go to university.

This life is different now.

He has to go to university, and he definitely will.

Then you have to find a way to save up that money yourself first.

While Liu Guangming was still walking along the road, his mind racing with thoughts of making money, Chen Defu had already arrived home.

The Chen family's courtyard is behind the county education bureau's staff quarters. It's a detached house with a two-story building, which stands out on the whole street.

A black Santana was parked in the yard; it was Chen Jianguo's official car, though he often drove it home.

Chen Defu pushed open the door and entered the room, casually tossed his schoolbag onto the sofa, kicked off his leather shoes, slumped onto the sofa, and let out a long sigh.

"Finished the exam?"

The sound came from the stairwell.

Chen Jianguo slowly walked down, carrying an enamel teacup.

"The exam is over."

Chen Defu had his eyes closed and was weak and listless.

"How did the exam go?"

Chen Defu remained silent.

Chen Jianguo put the teacup on the coffee table, sat down in the chair opposite him, and crossed his legs.

"I'm asking you a question."

"……generally."

"How much is it usually?"

Chen Defu opened his eyes, sat up, and scratched his head.

"Dad, don't ask anymore. Anyway... just play your best."

Chen Jianguo stared at him for a few seconds, then didn't press further, picked up his teacup and took a sip of water.

"I know what you're doing normally. A little over three hundred, at most."

Chen Defu's lips moved, but he did not refute.

The room was quiet for a while.

Chen Jianguo put down his teacup and lowered his voice.

"Alright, your score doesn't matter. Do you remember what I told you before?"

Chen Defu sat up straight and nodded.

"Remember."

"That's good."

Chen Jianguo stood up, walked to the window, and drew the curtains halfway.

"I've already found someone suitable."

"Dad, is it really going to work?"

Chen Jianguo turned around and glanced at him.

What do you think?

Chen Defu opened his mouth.

"Dad, I'm still worried. Will something... go wrong?"

"What happened?"

Chen Jianguo opened a drawer, took out a pack of cigarettes, pulled one out, and lit it.

"You think we're the only ones doing this?"

"Let me tell you, last year in Qinghe County next door, the daughter of Deputy County Head Liu, who usually only scored around 300 points on tests, ended up getting into the Provincial Normal University. Guess whose scores they used?"

Chen Defu didn't guess.

"A girl from the countryside, whose parents are farmers, scored over 520 on the exam."

"And what happened? The notification was intercepted, the file was changed, the name was changed, and who knew?"

"That girl still thinks she didn't perform well and that's why she didn't pass the exam."

Chen Jianguo blew a smoke ring.

"This kind of thing happens every year. It's just a matter of whether it's done cleanly or not."

Chen Defu swallowed.

"Dad, shall we... clean this thoroughly?"

"Hehe, how many years has your dad worked in the Education Bureau? I promoted Wang Shouzheng in the Admissions Office myself. Transcripts and admission notices all went through his hands from beginning to end."

"Zhao Youcai has already spoken to the household registration department. He'll take care of any changes to the documents that need to be changed, no problem."

Chen Jianguo stubbed out his cigarette and looked at Chen Defu.

"The three links—grades, files, and household registration—are all integrated."

"All you have to do is one thing, and that is shut up."

"Stop bragging outside, saying things like you're guaranteed to get into a university. You're not allowed to say things like that anymore."

Chen Defu shrank his neck.

"understood."

"besides,"

Remembering something, Chen Jianguo said, "You should stay home and not go out during this time."

"Dad, I'm still a little scared. What if... that person finds out?"

Chen Jianguo chuckled.

"So what if I found out? I'll be frank, this time I also found a kid from the countryside."

"This child's parents are gone, and his older sisters raised him. Where can he go to file a complaint?"

"Even if you file a complaint, if you complain to the admissions office, the materials are in our hands. If you complain to the petition office, who do you think will get those materials?"

He patted Chen Defu on the shoulder.

"When has your dad ever given you any trouble? Just wait patiently."

"You'll be a college student in September."