Chapter Seven: Entering the Essay Competition

Zhou Xuan held more than two hundred yuan in his hand, feeling as though it were a fortune. Jiang Xiaopang even leaned in, offering his face for Zhou to slap—he was truly a fool.

“Haha!” Zhou Xuan was in excellent spirits, as if he had settled some old scores from his previous life.

But there was still a year left; there would be plenty of opportunities to deal with them later. He was determined to show them what true despair meant.

After his rebirth, Zhou Xuan discovered his memory had become exceptionally sharp. While it wasn’t quite photographic, as long as he studied something carefully a few times, he could basically remember it all.

In 1998, the provincial high school entrance exam consisted of six subjects: Chinese, Math, and English, each worth 150 points; Physics and Chemistry, each 100 points; plus Physical Education, worth 60 points—totaling 710 points. Additionally, Physics and Chemistry included lab exams, which had to be passed in order to qualify for the entrance exam.

Though much of his previous knowledge had faded with time, middle school material was still at the stage where mastering key points sufficed; most of it could be aced with memory alone.

Therefore, Zhou Xuan had no worries. With his current memory, achieving the top score in the entrance exam was entirely within reach. Still, he intended to develop the neural enhancement formula as soon as possible—preparation for his future business empire.

The week passed as Zhou Xuan immersed himself in memorizing textbooks.

His deskmate, Zhuo Lian, noticed him constantly flipping through books at lightning speed and looked at him with disdain.

“Zhou Xuan, are you just pretending to study to get my attention?” she said.

“Huh?” Zhou Xuan was momentarily confused.

“Still acting... What’s the point of practicing how to flip pages?” Zhuo Lian sneered.

Finally, Zhou Xuan understood what she meant: she thought he was only pretending to study to impress her.

“I’m just memorizing my own books—what’s wrong with that?”

Was Zhou Xuan really that superficial?

“You’re actually memorizing?”

“Of course. Want to test me?”

“Alright!”

The test left Zhuo Lian thoroughly convinced; Zhou Xuan memorized an 800-word essay flawlessly in just ten minutes.

From then on, Zhuo Lian no longer ignored Zhou Xuan.

Soon, Saturday arrived. After running fifteen kilometers in the morning and eating breakfast, Zhou Xuan headed to the Xinhua Bookstore to buy some study guides.

At that time, Xinhua Bookstore was the dominant force in the county; others were just magazine stands or rental shops for novels.

In his previous life, Zhou Xuan had spent his high school years lingering in such rental shops, staying up late reading novels and letting his grades slip.

He didn’t regret it, though; who’s to say life would’ve been better without novels?

The Xinhua Bookstore sat diagonally opposite the No. 1 Middle School. Zhou Xuan walked from the north gate to the south, taking over half an hour.

He went straight to the educational section, carefully selecting a reference book for the entrance exam and several sets of practice papers. There weren’t many guides for the middle school exam; most were for the college entrance exam, dominating the shelves.

Just as he was about to pay, he heard someone calling his name.

Turning around, he saw two girls behind him. One was the school beauty, Liu Yixue; the other, Yu Xiaoling, a classmate and close friend of Liu Yixue.

Yu Xiaoling wasn’t as beautiful as Liu Yixue but was only slightly less so; plenty of boys in their class liked her.

Zhou Xuan, however, never cared for her—Yu Xiaoling was too materialistic, too pragmatic. She was the type who’d rather cry in a BMW than laugh on a bicycle. Proud and temperamental, Zhou Xuan had no fondness for her.

“Hello, Liu,” Zhou Xuan greeted Liu Yixue.

Yu Xiaoling wasn’t pleased and mocked Zhou Xuan, “Oh, Zhou Xuan, it seems you only have eyes for our Yixue.”

Knowing Yu Xiaoling’s character, Zhou Xuan didn’t bother to argue.

Liu Yixue looked at Zhou Xuan and felt he was different from the boy she’d known for the past two years.

In seventh grade, Zhou Xuan, like other top students, had decent grades, an average appearance, no particular hobbies, and rarely spoke.

But by eighth grade, he’d become a poor student, disappointing the teachers. Yet in ninth grade, he boldly slapped Xu Shaoyun, surprising Liu Yixue. She’d also heard about his twenty laps during morning runs, which got people talking.

Meeting him today at the bookstore, she was curious.

Seeing the study materials in his hands, she wondered if he was genuinely making an effort.

“Zhou Xuan, you’re here to buy books?” Liu Yixue asked.

Zhou Xuan smiled, “That’s right. I fell behind in eighth grade, so I need to catch up. Are you here to buy books too?”

Yu Xiaoling was skeptical, “Zhou Xuan, did I hear you right? You’re actually going to study hard?”

Zhou Xuan ignored her, “Believe it or not, it’s up to you.”

Yu Xiaoling kept chattering, but Liu Yixue tugged at her, “Let’s go look at some essay guides.”

“Fine, let’s do that.” Yu Xiaoling stopped, “Yixue’s joining the city’s essay competition. We’re here to pick some reference books. With her skills, she’s sure to win first prize.”

Zhou Xuan knew Liu Yixue’s essays were among the best in their grade, maybe even better than most upperclassmen. She had a good chance of winning a prize in the city competition, so he congratulated her, “Congratulations! I hope you achieve great results.”

Hearing Zhou Xuan praise her, Liu Yixue felt a touch of pride, “Oh, it’s too soon to say. The preliminary round hasn’t even started yet. Besides, registration closes next Friday, and I haven’t written my essay.”

“There’s still five days. You’ll be fine, Yixue,” Yu Xiaoling encouraged her.

“Of course! For a thousand yuan prize, I have to give it my all,” Liu Yixue cheered herself on.

“A thousand yuan?” Zhou Xuan was astonished. He’d thought such competitions only awarded certificates and maybe some keepsakes; he didn’t expect the prize to be over a thousand yuan—almost two months’ wages for an ordinary worker. The prospect of fame and fortune was truly tempting.

“One thousand yuan. Are you going to join?” Yu Xiaoling, seeing Zhou Xuan’s excitement, asked offhandedly.

“Absolutely! How could I miss out on a thousand yuan?” Zhou Xuan decided right then to participate.

“Zhou Xuan, don’t be rash,” Liu Yixue cautioned. She thought Zhou Xuan’s current skills wouldn’t even get him through the preliminaries, so he was bound to embarrass himself.

Yu Xiaoling laughed, “Ha! Zhou Xuan, you really want to join? If you don’t pass the preliminaries, you’ll just be a laughingstock.”

“The preliminaries are nothing. I’m aiming for the thousand yuan prize.”

“I have no idea where you get your confidence from…” Yu Xiaoling looked down on him even more, thinking Zhou Xuan was getting more arrogant after his fight.

Liu Yixue sighed as she gazed at Zhou Xuan, feeling he shouldn’t reach so high.

Zhou Xuan, however, smiled inwardly. Soon, he’d show them what his essay could do.