Refusing Mediocrity

Chapter 102

Compared to their ease, some of the students appeared much more nervous.

When entering the venue, their steps were slightly hesitant, their hands unconsciously rubbed the hems of their clothes, or they repeatedly checked the items in their hands, terrified of forgetting something.

Because not every school was a giant like First High.

Some schools even found it difficult to properly simulate the college entrance examination environment.

For these students who had traveled over mountains and rivers from small towns to take the exam, it was hard not to feel nervous.

...

Ring, ring, ring~

Amidst everyone's nervousness, the curtain was raised on the first exam.

The National College Entrance Examination—Chinese subject, officially began!

In every examination room, the bell suddenly rang.

In an instant, all the examinees lowered their heads and examined their test papers.

Ye Zhenzhen also quickly got into the zone. After glancing over the paper a few times, she had a good grasp of it.

The difficulty of the actual exam questions before her couldn't even match First High's previous mock exams.

So now, her slightly unsettled heart completely calmed down.

Unlike her, the moment Gu Ran received the test paper, he rapidly scanned the questions, naturally to confirm whether they matched his memory.

Fortunately, the trajectory of this society hadn't changed; the questions before him were exactly the same as the ones in his mind.

Methodically filling in the answers he had prepared long ago in his heart, his answering speed was clearly ahead of the others.

To describe it in one sentence, he was leaving them in the dust!

Although he was fast, to ensure his handwriting was neat, fifty minutes had passed by the time he finished all the preceding multiple-choice and short-answer questions.

Glancing at the time, he still had plenty to spare, so he turned his attention to tackling the essay.

...

"Please write an essay of no less than 800 words with the title 'Rejecting Mediocrity'."

...

Seeing this prompt, the incredibly popular full-score college entrance exam essay from back then, "Crossing the Sandstorm," instantly surfaced in his mind.

Although this was the optimal solution, Gu Ran helplessly shook his head.

The essay was excellent, but he couldn't use it.

Because the original author of the essay was also taking the exam right now.

If he copied it word for word, and it was discovered that the two essays were identical, endless troubles would inevitably follow.

Left with no choice, he picked up his pen and began writing his own essay on the answer sheet.

"Where the will directs, no distance is too far; even barren mountains and vast seas cannot limit it.

The Qing Dynasty scholar Jin Ying once expressed his attitude in 'Aphorisms of Connected Gems'.

If a person has lofty ambitions, there is no goal that cannot be achieved. Even the ends of the mountains and seas cannot stop their pace in pursuing their ideals.

Since this is so, one should harbor great ambitions, broaden their horizons, and reject mediocrity!

..."

"Reject mediocrity, and insist on being different from the masses!"

...

After eloquently writing the concluding words, Gu Ran's pen tip finally came to rest.

At this moment, he let out a long breath, finally having transcribed the essay he had prepared beforehand.

After checking that there were no errors in his exam number and name, he began a long wait.

The 2011 college entrance exam Chinese subject was completely over for him.

This morning, only the Chinese exam was taking place.

Seeing that there was still a full half hour left, his teeth ached slightly in annoyance.

He wanted to hand in his paper early and leave the exam room, but he didn't have the capability to deal with the fallout.

Setting aside the fact that handing in the paper wouldn't allow him to leave the school early, just the thought of Ye Zhenzhen finding out about such behavior...

He'd probably be bitten to death by that crazy girl...

...

As another thirty minutes slipped by, the bell rang loudly.

All the examinees put down their pens.

Regardless of how they answered, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

In another exam room, Ye Zhenzhen looked very relaxed.

It seemed the difficulty of the questions was within her expectations, not surprising her in the least.

But upon closer observation, one could still see a hint of worry between her brows.

Not for herself, but for her worrisome younger brother.

Who knows how that guy did...

...

The college entrance exam is extremely strict. Before it started, the invigilators repeatedly emphasized the discipline of the exam room.

When the pens drop and the bell rings, it means the exam is completely over.

All students must stop answering.

But there are always people holding onto a fluke mentality, only to be scolded back the moment they make a move.

Papers collected, exam over!

The whole process flowed smoothly, and soon, Gu Ran strolled leisurely out of the exam room.

Standing and waiting at the spot he had agreed upon in advance with Ye Zhenzhen, his face was full of contentment.

...

Coming out of her exam room, Ye Zhenzhen first stood in place, carefully savoring the slightly damp air.

Then she took a step and walked toward the small woods she had agreed upon with Gu Ran.

Looking from afar, she saw her mischievous younger brother leaning against a tree trunk, arms crossed, striking the pose of an idle lazybones.

Beneath his chiseled profile was a clearly visible jawline, overflowing with a vibrant sense of youthfulness.

It was just the laziness revealed between his brows that made people a bit annoyed looking at him.

What is this?

He's clearly an upright and sunny teenager, so why does he act like an old grandpa every day?

His whole body exudes a sense of twilight; it's a total waste of that face!

However, the overly motherly older sister didn't know.

This mysterious sense of contrast was actually attracting one young girl after another.

She also couldn't possibly imagine that in the near future...

She would transform into a strict older sister, breaking up couples and chasing away the endless swarm of admirers buzzing around Gu Ran...

Turning his head, he saw the cool and elegant girl walking over in pure white cotton socks and small white shoes.

Gu Ran immediately stood up straight, though his face still hung with the sleepiness of endless yawns.

Ye Zhenzhen walked over with light steps, glanced at him sideways, and said, "How did you do on the exam, Young Master Gu?"

"Just so-so, only third in the world," Gu Ran said carelessly, immediately following up with another yawn.

Ye Zhenzhen: "..."

"Did you go out hunting wolves last night?!"

Seeing this lazy appearance of his, Ye Zhenzhen, who acted like a motherly older sister, got mad.

After reaching out her foot to kick him, she asked with some concern.

"Being this sleepy, you didn't mess up the exam, did you?"

Having completed his daily achievement, Gu Ran's body suddenly jolted, and his spirit was fully revitalized.

But to avoid being seen as a pervert, he had to pretend to cry out in pain exaggeratedly.

"Ouch, murdering your own brother! Ye Zhenzhen, I've been standing here waiting for you for ages. It's fine if you're not touched, but you come up and kick me?"

"Touched my foot! Also, show some respect, call me Sister!"

Ye Zhenzhen rolled her eyes at him but couldn't help laughing. However, she immediately suppressed her smile to maintain her remaining sisterly authority.

"Tell me, did you check everything after finishing your answers?"

The smile on Gu Ran's face stiffened for a moment, and his eyes guiltily drifted elsewhere. "Well... of course I checked it, several times even!"

"Is that so?" Ye Zhenzhen looked suspicious, not believing that her stinky younger brother would be so obedient.

What kind of tone was that? She wouldn't even believe a true gentleman?!

Gu Ran was exasperated and was about to retort when Ye Zhenzhen suddenly leaned close to him, her watery eyes sparkling.

"Then tell me, which topic did you choose for your essay?"

"Didn't the teachers say we shouldn't compare answers after leaving the exam room, for fear of affecting our mindset for the next subject?

Ye Zhenzhen, you're not being obedient either."

Gu Ran deliberately teased her.

"Are you going to tell me or not?! I just asked which topic you chose, why do you have so much nonsense to say!"

The sister, having been lectured instead, flew into a flustered rage and postured as if she was going to bite him.

She was just caring about her younger brother's topic choice, how could this guy not know what's good for him!

Seeing the girl already baring her fangs, Gu Ran quickly gave in and said.

"Hey, hey, calm down, I'll tell you! I chose 'Rejecting Mediocrity.' I feel like I wrote it pretty well, after all..."

"Alright, who asked you about anything else? I just wanted to know which one you picked."

Seeing that he was about to keep going, Ye Zhenzhen quickly cut him off, calculating in her mind.

A semi-open essay topic was considered the safest method. While not novel, it was absolutely secure.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but reveal a look of approval, as if looking at a teachable pupil.

It seemed this guy had taken his sister's teachings to heart after all!

She had warned him a thousand times beforehand, terrified that this guy wouldn't know his own limits and would choose some other essay format.

After all, this guy had always possessed a baffling overconfidence in his own language arts skills!

If he wrote poorly, it would instantly drop to a third-tier essay, directly widening the score gap.

As his sister, she had worried her heart out...

Looking at the aloof girl's relieved expression, Gu Ran twitched the corner of his mouth but chose to ignore it.

Because Lu Xun once said: if you want family harmony, a man must learn to make sacrifices.

The magnanimous younger brother decided not to stoop to the level of his foolish sister!

He reached out and wrapped an arm around Ye Zhenzhen's shoulders, waving his hand grandly, "Let's go, I'll take you to eat something good to celebrate finishing the first subject!"

Made slightly uncomfortable by this sudden intimate gesture, Ye Zhenzhen tried to dodge, but was held tightly by him.

She had the mind to display her sisterly authority and teach her dishonest brother how to behave.

But hindered by the sheer number of people around, she instantly turned into a timid quail, quickly lowering her head and only managing to make quiet protests.

"Eat... eat what? My mom has definitely already cooked, and Uncle Gu specifically instructed us not to eat random things these two days..."

"Ah, I was just saying, why are you nagging? Let's go, we'll go home to eat!"

The girl beside him had entered nagging-mother mode, but Gu Ran didn't mind at all.

Instead, he held her tighter and walked toward the school gate with long, confident strides.

Like a stubborn ox!

Feeling the immense strength on her shoulders, the girl rolled her eyes in exasperation, but could only keep her head lowered and let him drag her along.

Walking along the school's tree-lined path, a gentle breeze brushed past, bringing with it the fresh scent of the aftermath of rain.

Suddenly, Gu Ran stopped in his tracks and instantly let go of her, leaving Ye Zhenzhen, who had her head down, feeling a bit bewildered.

"Wh... what's wrong?"

"Uh..."

Seeing the black Jetta at the school gate, Gu Ran rubbed his nose. "Nothing, let's hurry up."

With that said, he took the lead and walked forward.

Only then did Ye Zhenzhen notice Lao Gu's car parked at the gate, and she couldn't help but curl her lips.

Idiot!

No wonder he let go. He was probably afraid that if Uncle Gu saw them, he would beat his head in!

That audacious guy, daring to disrespect his older sister and get all touchy-feely...