Examination

Chapter 171

Even though the air conditioner was on in the bedroom, it was still as hot and stuffy as a big steamer.

"Honeymoon, my foot!"

Ye Zhenzhen's face flushed with embarrassment. She grabbed a pillow and threw it at the guy who was talking nonsense.

"In your dreams!"

Gu Ran caught the pillow with one hand, pulled her into his arms, and smiled with a face that begged for a beating. "What, can't we preview it in advance?"

"No!"

The young girl was so angry she wanted to bite someone. Her cheeks were as red as ripe peaches, and it was hard to tell if it was from anger or shyness.

Saying one thing but meaning another, she silently added a sentence in her heart.

Honeymoon... that's something for after marriage...

Seeing that this girl was about to blow her top, Gu Ran knew when to stop and stuffed the pillow back behind her.

"Stop fooling around, let's talk about something serious."

Ye Zhenzhen raised an eyebrow, her mind suddenly filled with colorful thoughts.

"Serious?"

Seeing the young girl's expression, Gu Ran laughed and stroked the fine hair on top of her head.

"What are you thinking about? The Subject Two exam is next Tuesday. Student Ye, are you confident?"

Just as she was about to flare up, hearing about the exam made the young girl instantly deflate like a punctured balloon. All her aggressive energy vanished.

"Actually... I think that reverse parking spot, isn't it a bit narrow?"

Ye Zhenzhen gestured, looking aggrieved.

"Narrow?"

Gu Ran raised an eyebrow, speaking in a teasing tone.

"I think it's your mind that's narrow, right?"

"Gu 'Dog' Ran! I'll bite you to death!"

"How bold! You dare to disrespect your master?"

...

Exams like Subject One, which could be passed just by memorizing, were a piece of cake for the siblings.

For the next few days, Gu Ran practically lived at the driving school, acting as a dedicated coach for the clumsy young girl.

Lao Zhang had completely given up.

He had taught driving for half his life, only to find he was inferior to this eighteen-year-old kid.

As long as Gu Ran sat in the passenger seat, the beautiful girl who originally couldn't even turn the steering wheel properly suddenly seemed to have activated a cheat code.

Of course, if Lao Zhang knew how this "cheat code" was activated, he would probably spit out the goji berries in his thermos.

Inside the Santana, the air conditioning was strong, but Ye Zhenzhen felt as if her whole body was on fire.

"Turn the steering wheel all the way to the left, look in the rearview mirror."

The boy's voice was right by her ear, his warm breath drilling straight into the crook of her neck, raising a fine layer of goosebumps.

"Release the clutch slowly, don't let your foot fly off like a rocket."

Gu Ran chuckled softly, lightly scratching her palm with his finger.

"You have to have feeling, understand?"

"You... don't move around..."

Ye Zhenzhen's body stiffened like a piece of wood, her voice trembling.

"We're practicing driving!"

"I'm teaching."

Gu Ran looked innocent, his little movements not stopping at all.

"Immersive teaching, understand? Only when body and mind are one can human and car be one."

"I want to make you one with the dirt! Hooligan!"

Although she verbally scolded him for being a hooligan, with the buff of this "private coaching session," the young girl's driving skills did indeed improve by leaps and bounds.

...

Tuesday, exam day.

County A's exam center was packed with people. The scorching sun hung high, and the air was filled with the anxious smell of sweat and car exhaust.

Gu Ran shook two bottles of iced mineral water in his hand.

Just as he twisted open one bottle and handed it to the young girl, who was so nervous her palms were sweating, a harsh sneer came from nearby.

"Heh."

Qin Zhaoyang, dressed in designer sportswear, still sported his slicked-back, greasy hairstyle.

With his arm around a heavily made-up girl, he was looking over at them with a mocking expression.

That look clearly said: Poor bastards, coming here and drinking two-yuan water?

Gu Ran's lips moved, silently mouthing two words.

Idiot.

Qin Zhaoyang: "..."

You motherfucker, this barbarian!

Standing next to him was a lackey with dyed blond hair, his cousin who was also here for the exam.

"Bro, is this the... little punk you mentioned?"

Blondie whistled and rolled up his sleeves.

"Let me teach him a lesson for you... Ah! Holy shit!"

Before Blondie could finish, Qin Zhaoyang smacked him on the back of the head.

"Why so much nonsense? Hurry up and get ready for the exam later!"

Qin Zhaoyang glared at Gu Ran, the disdain in his eyes remaining, but he didn't dare to run his mouth with trash talk like last time.

Because although he was arrogant, he wasn't stupid.

If pushed, this barbarian would really throw hands!

For some reason, he always felt a bit apprehensive about Gu Ran.

Then he cursed himself in his heart.

Why be a coward?

Right now, he was at his grandfather's house in the countryside. Even a mighty dragon wouldn't suppress a local snake.

When he returned to Qinglin, that would be his territory.

If he ran into this kid in Qinglin, heh heh...

Just then, the broadcast announced.

"Candidate 037, please get in car number 5 for your exam."

Gu Ran screwed the cap back onto the mineral water bottle, handed it to Ye Zhenzhen, turned around, and said casually.

"Wait for me here. Ignore these idiots, I'll be right back."

Ye Zhenzhen didn't even look at the two of them. Hearing this, she clenched her small fists to cheer him on.

Qin Zhaoyang: "..."

Blondie: "..."

Bro, are you being polite?

After saying that, he didn't even glance at the two brothers. With his hands in his pockets, he walked straight towards the exam car.

"Pretending to be a big shot."

After he walked far away, Qin Zhaoyang spat.

"I want to see how a brute like you passes Subject Two. This is an electronic exam, infrared sensors don't care about fists!"

Gu Ran opened the car door, got in, fastened his seatbelt, and adjusted the seat.

Ignition, start the car.

Reverse parking.

He didn't even crane his neck to look for reference points like other students. He just glanced at the rearview mirror.

The car body drew a silky-smooth arc, accurately cutting into the parking spot, perfectly centered.

Pull out, parallel parking.

Fast! Too fast!

The watching candidates hadn't even clearly seen how he steered before the car was steadily parked in the parallel spot.

"Holy shit... is this guy here for an exam or a joyride?"

"This hand speed, you couldn't train that even after twenty years of being single, right? Can the electronic sensors even keep up?"

The cold smile on Qin Zhaoyang's face gradually stiffened.

Hill start.

That was the nightmare of countless beginners. Stalling and rolling back were common occurrences.

But car number 5 was as steady as an old dog on the slope. There was no rollback at the moment of starting. The engine sounded steady and powerful, and it charged straight over the top of the hill.

S-curve, right-angle turn...

When the car body stopped perfectly straight in front of the finish line, the in-car voice broadcast played that emotionless mechanical sound, and the whole place fell dead silent.

[Exam over, score qualified.]

Gu Ran unfastened his seatbelt, pushed open the door, and got out of the car with the utmost nonchalance.

At least in the eyes of Qin Zhaoyang and his brother, this wave of showing off was a perfect score.

"Awesome, awesome!"

Ye Zhenzhen's eyes were shining, more excited than if she had passed herself, and she secretly gave two thumbs up with her hands.

"Keep a low profile."

Gu Ran pressed down the corners of his mouth.

"Basic operation, don't make a fuss."

The broadcast sounded again: "Candidate 042, please get in car number 3 for your exam."

The next second, the young girl's smile instantly froze on her face.

Nervousness flooded in like a tide, her palms were full of sweat, and her calves were cramping.

"I'm doomed, I'm doomed, I feel like I'm dead..."

The young girl grabbed the corner of Gu Ran's shirt, her voice carrying a hint of a sob.

"I'm panicking, my legs are weak..."

Gu Ran cupped Ye Zhenzhen's somewhat pale little face in his hands, gently rubbing her cheeks with his thumbs, a wicked smile hooking the corners of his mouth.

"What's there to panic about? Just treat it like our usual driving practice. Pretend I'm right there in the passenger seat holding you."

Whoosh—

The girl's face instantly flushed red, her earlier nervousness largely swept away by this sudden surge of bashfulness.

"Shameless!"

She shot him a playful glare, took a deep breath, and turned to walk toward the test car.

She got in and closed the door.

The world fell silent.

Ye Zhenzhen gripped the steering wheel. Gu Ran's recent words echoed in her mind, along with all the driving tips he had been drilling into her ear over the past few days.

Start the engine. Reverse park.

Though her movements weren't as effortless as Gu Ran's, and even seemed a bit cautiously clumsy, she executed every single step strictly according to the rote memorization method he had taught her.

First test, passed.

Second test, passed.

Standing outside the course, Gu Ran had his arms crossed. He looked as steady as a mountain, but secretly, his fingertips were unconsciously tapping against his arm.

Then came the S-curve.

This was the part where Ye Zhenzhen was most likely to drive over the line.

The front of the car slowly entered the curve. Ye Zhenzhen stared fixedly at the reference point on the hood. Her palms were slick with sweat, and she was practically holding her breath.

Turn left, straighten the wheel, turn right...

The car maneuvered through the narrow, winding path, dangerously skimming the boundary lines.

She was just about to exit the curve. The finish line was right before her eyes.

Suddenly.

"Beep—!!!"

A loud alert sounded, piercing the air!

......