Chapter 177: High Score Tips for the College Entrance Exam

In a sealed room, two men sat facing each other.

One of them looked somewhat aged, yet his hair was meticulously combed back; he wore casual home clothes, but as he propped his hands on the table and interlaced his fingers, an air of calm dignity arose.

Opposite him sat a youth about thirty years old, whose features resembled those of the middle-aged man; even his composure now bore a similar resemblance.

"There are no electronic devices here; all signals are completely blocked." After a moment of eye contact, the middle-aged man spoke slowly, "Now, tell me about your talent."

"Soul Fusion." The moment the youth said it, a strange smile appeared on his face.

The middle-aged man's pupils contracted slightly; he carefully examined his son, who had undergone almost earth-shaking changes in less than a month, and confirmed again, "Soul Fusion?"

"Yes." The youth shook his head and smiled, "Who would have thought that the talent that killed me would end up in my hands?"

Thinking back to last night's joy after drawing Soul Fusion, and the sudden realization upon seeing the effect of Soul Fusion's third talent, a wistfulness flickered in Ai Li Ke Te's eyes.

As it turned out, in the end, he was once again played by that guy called Song Ban Zhi Gui.

No, the other party hadn't revealed the effect of Soul Fusion's third talent; he had merely assumed it was teleportation on his own.

The current chieftain of the Sorag Family, Lao Lun·Suo La Ge, fell silent for a moment, then looked at Ai Li Ke Te and said, "The press conference has been prepared for you."

"You can return to the stage at any time and announce the return of the male lion."

"A press conference?" Ai Li Ke Te shook his head. "No, I don't need that anymore."

"Oh?" Lao Lun glanced at Ai Li Ke Te in surprise.

"Lao Lun, I remember you teaching me as a child that when faced with any decision, one must choose what is most beneficial to oneself." Ai Li Ke Te spoke calmly, "In the past I chose to be ostentatious because it brought me what I wanted."

"Supporters, admirers, any resources I desired."

"As long as I stand on stage, I will gain the world's attention; as long as I possess sufficient strength, countless people will naturally become my fervent supporters."

"Under their support, I can establish the new order I desire."

"But now, being ostentatious is not the most advantageous way for me."

"No one will care about a loser, just as no one remembers the name of the world's second-highest peak." The light in his azure eyes flashed sharply, "Moreover, no one would think that a player who once possessed a golden talent could possess another golden talent again."

"Sufficient modesty is what I should do now."

"I will no longer underestimate anyone; on the contrary, I will make them underestimate me."

Lao Lun suddenly lowered the hands he had propped on the table, his tense body gradually relaxing as he leaned back against the comfortable, soft premium leather chair, a smile appearing on his face.

"Your growth brings me relief."

"I thought this setback would make you grow, but I never expected the change it would bring to be so great." Looking at his son with appreciative eyes, the wrinkles at the corners of Lao Lun's eyes deepened a little as he smiled, "Ai Li Ke Te, you are now completely different from before."

"It wasn't the setback that changed me." Ai Li Ke Te stood up, pushed open the door and strode out, "It was the twenty‑four deaths I endured in the past."

"Thank you, Father."

Having calmed down, Ai Li Ke Te already realized that the clan's retaliation would not consist of letting him spend the rest of his life in a mansion worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

This was Lao Lun's preemptive punishment.

But sometimes punishment is also a form of protection. A male lion whose mind is not clouded by suddenly obtained great power, and whose heart is locked in a cage restraining countless opponents, is the true male lion.

He, Ai Li Ke Te, has returned! — Qin Chuan had no way of knowing everything that happened across the ocean.

At this moment, he had returned to the school classroom.

The day after tomorrow is the college entrance exam; the day before the exam is a holiday, so today is the last day he and his classmates spend together in the classroom.

Even though he had secured a recommendation for admission, he had no intention of skipping class at this time.

Each teacher's final lesson was a farewell to the students.

Qin Chuan did not want to miss it.

Beside Qin Chuan, Xiao Pang listened with exceptional focus, striving to note every knowledge point the teacher mentioned at the end, and he was now completely different from before.

He still failed to obtain an A rating in the third practical assessment; his final rating remained the same as the provisional rating from the second assessment, a "B+", which meant that for Xiao Pang to enter a top‑tier university like Magic Capital Jiaotong University, he had to score above the second‑tier line.

This was not easy for Xiao Pang, who had long hovered on the edge of the third‑tier line.

During the month Qin Chuan missed his cultural classes, Xiao Pang also took many days off.

However, unlike Qin Chuan, Xiao Pang's leave was because his father had hired the best tutor for him, who gave one‑on‑one instruction at home.

It was said to be very expensive, costing a thousand yuan for a two‑hour session.

"Come on, let's go buy something to eat at the snack shop." When class broke up, Qin Chuan patted Xiao Pang's shoulder and actively pulled him, who had just finished organizing his notes, to the snack shop.

The two bought their usual grilled sausages and stood in a corner to the side, just as they used to.

"How's your preparation going?" Qin Chuan looked at Xiao Pang and spoke slowly.

"Not bad." Xiao Pang bit off a piece of the grilled sausage with the flower‑knife, swallowed it in two gulps, and gave a hehe laugh, "The college entrance exam is coming up soon—I can't possibly improve in every subject."

"That tutor surnamed Liu is very capable; he prepared a set of targeted improvement methods for me, focusing on Chinese, English, and math."

"For Chinese, it's mainly about memorizing stock phrases for answering questions; then, when the exam comes, just write them out honestly and you'll get some points. Essays are mainly about memorizing model answers." Xiao Pang scratched his head, "Honestly, it really works—I did a practice paper a couple of days ago and my Chinese score went up by over thirty points."

"For English, it's mainly about memorizing vocabulary and grammar… oh right, and practicing handwriting!" Xiao Pang's eyebrows danced, "You know what roundhand is, right? It's that fancy, ornate English script that looks sophisticated at a glance; Teacher Liu told me to practice that."

"But you can't make it too ornate; you have to get the degree just right and then avoid making corrections."

"When the grader sees your essay, first they feel at ease; then, without looking closely, they can't make it out clearly, so even misspelled letters can be bluffed through, and the score goes up."

"In my school's final mock exam last week, my English essay lost only three points!"

"As for math, I gave up on the last two multiple‑choice questions, the last fill‑in‑the‑blank, and the two major problems, focusing instead on the basic questions up front." Xiao Pang took another fierce bite of the grilled sausage, "Now I can reliably score in the triple digits on my college‑entrance‑exam mock papers."

"Impressive." Qin Chuan gave Xiao Pang a thumbs‑up.

Qin Chuan naturally understood Xiao Pang's past situation; with this kind of progress, clearing the second‑tier line was as good as certain.

That tutor's high fee had its justification.

(End of chapter)