Chapter 74: The Same University

Zhai Da took her dark, rough hand and patted it gently. "Fan Junwei is a very good person. You shouldn't always worry that he'll be bullied at school. With his build, if he just stands there, who would dare!"

Yu Guizhen’s sagging, aged eyes crinkled into crescents. "Is that so? Xiao Wei is very strong..."

At this moment, Fan Junwei walked out, carrying a plastic bag filled with apples. "Grandma, what are you two talking about?"

Zhai Da smiled. "Complimenting you."

Yu Guizhen stepped forward and lifted the bag slightly. "Why did you only pack so few..."

Fan Junwei didn't answer, just gave a dry laugh. "It's plenty..."

In truth, in that crate of apples, there weren't many that were presentable or looked good.

They were all already in this bag.

Fan Junwei said to Zhai Da, "Let's go, I'll see you out."

Zhai Da waved his hand to bid the old lady farewell.

When the two reached the intersection about two hundred meters away, Fan Junwei said, "If you're taking a taxi, this is the most convenient spot. Here, take the apples."

Zhai Da didn't stand on ceremony and accepted them straightforwardly.

A taxi drove past from the other side of the road. Zhai Da waved, and the driver clearly slowed down before heading ahead to find a place to make a U-turn. Zhai Da remembered something and said to Fan Junwei:

"You know I can do magic, right?"

Fan Junwei nodded.

"I also know a little bit of sorcery."

Fan Junwei: ...

"Being silent for so long makes me feel awkward."

"Uh... I believe you, really."

Zhai Da snapped his fingers, and an object appeared in his hand, which he placed into Fan Junwei's palm.

[Tough Guy Razor]

"Borrow this. Remember to wash it clean before using it. If you use it to shave, good luck will come your way."

Fan Junwei fell into silence again, but in the end, he accepted the trash Zhai Da had picked up right in front of him.

Actually, he didn't have much facial hair; at his age, few had a full beard. At most, it was just the coarser kind of fuzz.

Not grooming it daily was a major reason why he looked a bit sloppy.

Zhai Da emphasized, "Don't forget to use it. Take care of it."

He hoped this piece of equipment, which was useless to him, could help Fan Junwei.

At the very least... it might make being a sparring partner at the boxing gym hurt a little less.

Fan Junwei nodded and said earnestly, "Alright, I'll listen to you."

On the system interface, the ownership status of the [Tough Guy Razor] changed to "Temporarily Lost" and "Activated."

The taxi that had made a U-turn stopped in front of them. Zhai Da got in, waved at Fan Junwei, and said one last thing:

"As for that part-time job, keep at it if you can. If you can't, don't force yourself. After the college entrance exam, I plan to do something. I'll call you then to make money together."

Fan Junwei didn't understand, but he promised anyway: "I might not be able to help much, but if you call me, I'll definitely come."

The bumpy car drove onto the road home.

Zhai Da pulled a yellow apple out of the plastic bag.

It wasn't big, nor was it pretty; the skin even had scars, just like the hands of Fan Junwei's grandmother.

He didn't know if it was a benefit for sanitation workers or leftovers the fruit shop owner didn't want.

Zhai Da wiped it off and took a big bite.

It was very sweet.

————

When Zhai Da returned home, Lu Wei and Yu Xiaoli were already busy in the kitchen. The enticing aroma of dinner, just beginning to take shape, filled every inch of space and eventually permeated every corner.

Yu Xiaoli looked back. Zhai Da raised the plastic bag in his hand. "A friend gave me some fruit. It's really sweet."

"Is that so? I'll have a taste after dinner. Which friend? Wu Yue?"

"No, a very manly friend."

Carrying the apples into the kitchen to put them in the fridge, Zhai Da said casually:

"Finished buying clothes? Did it go smoothly?"

Yu Xiaoli didn't even turn her head. "What could go wrong? It's not hard to buy clothes for Xiao Wei."

Zhai Da looked at Lu Wei. "Which ones did you get? Show me, won't you?"

Yu Xiaoli turned back and glared at Zhai Da. Only then did Zhai Da remember.

It seemed they had gone to buy undergarments...

Seeing Lu Wei's tilted-head gaze, Zhai Da quickly added, "That was a joke."

At least in front of his mother, it had to be a joke!

At the dinner table, Yu Xiaoli suddenly said:

"Xiao Da, you and Xiao Wei have been focusing on your studies. Before, I wasn't sure if you were really studying or just pretending, so I didn't dare ask too much. After all, you fainted once, didn't you?"

Zhai Da was speechless. Can we move past that incident?

But it was true; ever since he fainted, Yu Xiaoli had never asked a single question about his studies, fearing he might get stressed.

As for Lu Wei... this girl was also a little quiet. Since Yu Xiaoli didn't ask, she hadn't mentioned a word about it while working at the factory either.

"Now that the subject level tests are over, as your mother, I should ask for the truth. How far have you two gotten?"

She added at the end, "I mean with your studies... though of course, it's best if you report other situations to me too, so I can be mentally prepared."

Lu Wei put down her bowl and chopsticks and sat up straight, looking at Zhai Da. Clearly, Zhai Da was the one to make the call in such matters.

Zhai Da organized his thoughts; it was about time to report the results to his mother.

"Then I'll be blunt. Your son has been biding his time and has had an awakening of talent. The current results are quite good. A 211 university is a sure thing, and I'm still improving rapidly."

Silence... a long silence.

Yu Xiaoli: "Done joking? Alright, let's talk business now. How are your grades really?"

Zhai Da raised an eyebrow. "Not a word was a joke. My mock test score of 372 is verifiable, and I estimate two A's on the compulsory subject level tests. The estimated cutoff for a first-tier university in our province this year is only 340. If that's not a sure thing for a 211, what is?"

Yu Xiaoli was like a broken record: "Done joking? Alright, let's talk business now..."

Zhai Da stood up, retrieved his mock test paper from the study, and handed it to Yu Xiaoli. "See for yourself."

Yu Xiaoli looked at it blankly for a long time, and finally, a hint of belief appeared in her eyes.

"But... when I went to help you ask for leave from evening self-study last time, the teacher only said your Chinese had improved..."

"That was just because the mock test results hadn't come out yet. If you still don't believe me, you can call the teacher. My seat has even been moved to the third row."

Just when Zhai Da thought his mother would praise him, Yu Xiaoli took Lu Wei's hand and said, "Xiao Wei... you are truly amazing!!"

Zhai Da: ...

Lu Wei quickly declined, "It's not like that, Teacher Yu. Zhai Da teaches me English and Chinese, and I teach him science. We are... working hard together."

Zhai Da clicked his tongue twice. "Lu Wei's compulsory subject level tests are also two A's, no doubt about it. As for the college entrance exam... I can guarantee she'll get over 400 points..."

With 160+40 in math, Lu Wei should have no problem getting 190. As long as Chinese + English (160+120) can reach around 200 under his guidance, a total score of 400 is secure.

Yu Xiaoli had heard of the '08 new regulations but didn't understand much. She knew that getting into a 211 was good, but she wasn't quite sure what a score of 400 meant.

Zhai Da explained, "Let's put it this way: Lu Wei and I, one of us is guaranteed a 985, and it might be one of the top-tier 985s. I'm slightly behind, but I'm confident in getting into a regular 985."

Yu Xiaoli's complexion visibly flushed; she was clearly excited. But before she could say anything, Lu Wei suddenly shook her head, speaking quickly:

"I want to... go to the same university as you."

There was no expression on her face, so Zhai Da couldn't judge her emotions.

But Zhai Da wasn't surprised. "Your score will likely be higher than mine. Although it might not be by much, it's not strategically reasonable to insist on applying to the same university. It might waste your score."

Lu Wei didn't speak, just shook her head.

Zhai Da said earnestly, "Have you ever thought about what if it's Tsinghua or Peking University?"

If he remembered correctly, back then, there was a poor soul who was rejected by Peking University because they had a B in their subject level test. This news spread like wildfire in the "08 Victims Exchange Group," so he remembered that the admission cutoff for Peking University this year was around 415.

Tsinghua should be about the same. Lu Wei had a chance to challenge that level.

If she lowered herself to his level just to attend the same university, it would be a waste.

Lu Wei just kept eating while repeating the same words: "The same university."

Seeing that the two couldn't continue the conversation, Yu Xiaoli stepped in to break the tension.

The matter of filling out applications was still a bit distant for her; she hadn't even finished digesting today's news.

"My god... our family is going to have two college students? And at top-tier universities?!"

Whether in words or emotions, she had already treated Lu Wei as one of her own.

As for whether she was a daughter or something else... she hadn't made that distinction yet.

Zhai Da smiled. "That's the idea."

As Yu Xiaoli laughed... she started to complain about Zhai Da.

"You child, you were studying so well, why didn't you tell your mother!"

Zhai Da: ...

Do you want to hear what you're saying? Which day did I study behind your back?!

At most, it was because his grades were still improving, so he hadn't reported it solemnly. After all, mock tests didn't have that much "credibility."

He had originally planned to have a systematic talk with Yu Xiaoli after the third mock test, armed with a report card that had rock-solid credibility.