After Confessing To My Childhood Friend - Chapter 53
Chapter 53: College Entrance Exam Day
At 6:30 a.m., Chen Mengyin opened her eyes.
She had set an alarm, but as it turned out, she didn’t need it. Her body had already adjusted to waking up early.
Her parents were even earlier. Chen Lin had gone out to pick up breakfast, and Li Ran had steamed a basket of buns and was boiling a pot of soy milk.
When she saw her daughter come downstairs, Li Ran smiled gently. “Brush your teeth first. Breakfast will be ready soon.”
“Okay~” Chen Mengyin yawned as she made her way to the bathroom.
As she passed by the kitchen, Chen Lin returned with breakfast in hand.
He had brought their favorites from the store they used to go to often—one portion of each: warm soybean milk, scallion pancakes, and sesame seed flatbread.
The table was soon filled with fragrant food, and the family of three sat together for breakfast.
Today was June 7th. The first day of the Gaokao, China’s national college entrance examination.
All of First High School’s third-year students were to gather at the school gate by 7:30 a.m. and head to their assigned test centers.
Because of pandemic-related logistics (residual or current depending on timeline), students no longer tested at their home schools but were assigned to testing sites within the district. This was done to balance school rankings and keep the environment neutral.
Chen Mengyin was assigned to the test site at No. 4 High School. Fortunately, it wasn’t too far from her home.
At 7:20 a.m., Chen Lin drove her to the school gate. Students were already lining up by class, each holding their ID and admission ticket.
Xie Zhirou was in the same test center as her, though in a different classroom.
They spotted each other across the crowd, and Chen Mengyin immediately rushed over.
She didn’t say anything, just held her tightly. Then she whispered in her ear: “I dreamt last night that we were both accepted into our dream university.”
Xie Zhirou smiled softly. “Then let’s make it come true.”
By 7:30 a.m., teachers were calling roll and checking documents. Each student was given a small kit that included: a bottle of water, two black gel pens, an eraser, a 2B pencil, and a small pack of tissues.
This was provided by the school, “just in case.”
The students boarded the buses and headed toward No. 4 High School.
On the bus, Chen Mengyin sat beside Xie Zhirou.
Her heart pounded in her chest—not from anxiety, but from anticipation. After all these years, the moment had finally arrived.
She turned to Xie Zhirou and smiled: “Let’s destroy this test.”
Xie Zhirou looked at her and said calmly, “Sure. Let’s destroy it together.”
…
Each bus was accompanied by a teacher who double-checked everything before letting students off.
Once they arrived at the test site, teachers guided them through security checks.
Students had to present their ID and admission ticket. Their bags and pockets were scanned, and they passed through metal detectors before entering.
Cell phones were strictly prohibited. Even smartwatches were not allowed.
All students were told this repeatedly beforehand, but the school still assigned a teacher to hold a large plastic bag to collect and seal phones for those who forgot.
After entering the building, students were taken to separate classrooms based on their assigned seats.
Each classroom had 30 students. Invigilators sat at the front and back.
Desks were spread out, and every seat had a label: name, ID, test subject, and seat number.
A large clock hung above the blackboard.
At 8:30 a.m., the invigilator entered and began reading the rules.
At 8:45 a.m., students were allowed to start filling out their information on the test paper.
At 9:00 a.m., the bell rang.
The Gaokao began.
It was eerily quiet.
The air was still. The only sounds were rustling paper and the occasional scratch of pen on paper.
Time passed slowly.
Halfway through the exam, Chen Mengyin finished the reading comprehension and glanced around. Everyone had their heads down, focused. The sunlight streamed through the window, creating golden outlines on the students’ backs.
She took a deep breath.
Let’s go.
She returned to the test paper and wrote down her answers with confidence.
This was the final stretch.
She would give it everything.