Lynn Chen, who had been sitting quietly and listening in, was hoping to hear which university Evan Lin wanted to attend. But in the end, she still didn’t get an answer, leaving her a bit disappointed.
After dinner, Evan Lin left the Chen residence, politely declining Lucy Lu and Charles Chen’s offer to drive him.
Once Evan was gone, Lynn Chen sat at the table in the Chen residence, spacing out for quite a while.
“Lynn, have you decided you want to apply to Beijing University?”
Lucy Lu didn’t rush to clear the dishes, just looked at Lynn Chen sitting there in the Chen residence.
“Yeah.”
Lynn Chen nodded. “I was originally aiming for Huaqing University, but maybe Beijing University suits me better. My grades are still a bit short, but if I work harder in the next half year, I might have a shot.”
Lynn Chen clenched her small fist in determination.
Originally, Lynn Chen wouldn’t have even dreamed of schools like Huaqing or Beijing University, but Evan Lin’s growing excellence forced her to push herself harder and focus on her studies.
In a way, all of Lynn Chen’s recent academic improvement can be credited to Evan Lin.
What Lynn Chen worries about most is being completely left behind by Evan Lin.
Lucy Lu frowned slightly, while Charles Chen leaned back in his chair, satisfied after the meal. He looked at Lynn Chen with pride: “That’s my girl! Ambitious!”
“Once you get into Beijing University, just tell me whatever you want—Dad will buy it all for you!”
Charles Chen grinned widely, then suddenly remembered something and said, “Hey, why didn’t you mention it earlier? Evan Lin still hasn’t decided where he wants to apply, right? Why not suggest Beijing University to him too?”
With Evan’s current grades, getting into Beijing University shouldn’t be hard. And Beijing University is one of the top schools in the country—who wouldn’t want to go there?
After saying that, Charles Chen glanced at Lynn Chen, then at Lucy Lu.
“This might be a little tricky,” Lucy Lu sighed, still seated.
“Tricky? I think he can do it,” Charles Chen was surprised. “Evan’s grades used to be bad, but now, aren’t they getting better and better?”
He even won the Provincial Math Olympiad. If it’s about getting into Beijing University, I believe in him.
Lucy Lu shook her head. “The difficulty isn’t his grades. There’s something I can’t really explain to you two.”
“Lynn, rest a bit after dinner before you study. The Hundred-School Joint Exam is important, but your health matters most.”
After saying that, Lucy Lu didn’t even bother to clear the dishes and went straight to her room, planning to call Joy Zheng and discuss the matter.
It was already eight o’clock when Evan Lin left the Chen residence.
When Evan got home, Irene Xu was out on a flight, and Stella Huang was in the living room working at her desk.
Hearing the door open, Stella Huang turned and saw Evan Lin come in. She asked, “You guys have the Hundred-School Joint Exam tomorrow, right? I heard this time, there are direct recommendation spots to top universities—is that true?”
“I’m working on a special report about this. This year’s Hundred-School Joint Exam is pretty high-stakes, and a lot of the question setters are major figures.”
Stella Huang’s eyes held a hint of curiosity as she looked at Evan Lin.
She didn’t have much material to work with this time, and some things were still unclear—like the recommendation spots, which were mostly handled between the admissions office and the principal. As a reporter, her access and connections were still a bit lacking.
“Yeah.”
Getting Evan’s answer, Stella Huang suddenly stared at him for a moment. “I forgot to thank you for last time. Lana Yu and Melissa Xu got their company offers, and I heard that HR director was fired too.”
They asked me to see when you’d be free so they can treat you to a meal as thanks.”
As she said this, Stella Huang’s eyes showed a bit more admiration.
If Evan Lin didn’t always come off as so easygoing, even though he rarely spoke, Stella Huang would probably have to weigh every word before talking to him.
Even though Stella had left early that day and missed the scene, the fact that Evan could get the Su International HR director fired just like that… that kind of power isn’t something a normal person could have.
And what’s more, that Su director was actually related to Sam Su. Even if it was distant, they still shared the same blood.
That made Stella Huang reconsider just how deep the relationship between Evan Lin and Sam Su might go—maybe it’s way closer than what she’d seen before.
“No need to thank me. Just let them work in peace. As for that Su director, he brought it on himself. And if Leo Li ever bothers you again, just tell me.”
Evan Lin shook his head, which earned him an eye roll from Stella Huang. “Oh, please. I ran into him at the library the other day while prepping my thesis. Now, whenever he sees me, he’s like a mouse seeing a cat—can’t run away fast enough.”
Talking about this, Stella couldn’t help but laugh. Without Leo Li pestering her, she felt a lot less stressed.
The next morning, Evan Lin got up around six as usual, grabbed a quick bite on the way, and strolled leisurely to school.
Today was the big day of the Hundred-School Joint Exam.
All the schools in the Jinnan region were on full alert. As the provincial capital, Capitalview City took it especially seriously—early in the morning, traffic controls were set up around several high schools, banning horns and heavy trucks to keep the exam environment quiet.
Leaders from the city Education Bureau came to inspect the sites. To make way for the senior students taking the joint exam, all first- and second-year students at the schools were given the day off.
Seven o’clock.
At the gate of Capitalview First High, Principal Damon Deng stood with Director Ben Lu and two vice principals, quietly waiting.
The exam would start at nine. Students streamed in, feeling the immense pressure of the Hundred-School Joint Exam.
“It should be about time.”
Damon Deng glanced at his watch. It was already 7:15.
As soon as he finished speaking, two business vans appeared at the end of the road, slowly driving over.
Both vans had license plates starting with 'PU,' showing they were from Oceanport. They drove at a steady, unhurried pace.
Seeing the cars arrive, Damon Deng’s eyes lit up. He cleared his throat, adjusted his collar, put on a big smile, and strode forward to greet them.