Chapter 16: Confirming the Exam Results

    The next morning, after finishing breakfast, the two siblings went to school again to recheck the exam results. The outcome remained the same, leaving Li Yifeng standing there in shock. He turned to look at his sister.

“It’s real,” he said, astonished.

“Yeah, real or a dream, I’m not even sure,” Li Yifei replied, equally in disbelief.

    “It’s definitely not a dream, sis. This means you’ll get a scholarship too.”

    Li Yifeng added, his face glowing with excitement, enhanced by the sunlight shining down. It was clear that their mother’s DNA had blessed both siblings.

    Li Yifei, having just come to have a younger brother, couldn’t help but stare at him fondly.

    As more people arrived to check the exam results, Li Yifeng gently pulled his sister away from the crowd.

“Did you just say I’m getting a scholarship?” she asked.

    “Yeah, you’ll receive a 1,000 yuan scholarship,” he replied, looking as if he were the one who had won it.

    In her past life, Li Yifei would have thought 1,000 yuan was a small amount. But considering her current situation, it felt like a substantial sum.

    She also recalled memories of the old Li Yifei’s struggles. Her brother had placed third in the class and also earned a scholarship, making him the pride of the family, especially Grandma Li.

    Sometimes, Grandma’s praise for him would unintentionally hurt the old Li Yifei’s feelings. Even though she had tried hard in her studies, without proper guidance or tutoring, understanding the material had been difficult.

    It made sense why tutoring centers had popped up everywhere.

    Or why private tutors would come to homes to teach students.

    This was the reason.

    Li Yifei remembered the words of the original soul of the body: ‘This big sister will do better.’ Perhaps this sensitive issue was why the previous Li Yifei had chosen to leave her body so easily.

    “I wonder if my brain will be good enough for the next semester. My friends said I only did well this time because I hit my head in the accident,” Li Yifei remarked with a slight laugh.

    Li Yifeng paused at his sister’s words. He couldn’t help but agree. How could his sister, who had always struggled with her studies, suddenly rank first if not for the accident?

    He had originally wanted to tease her about guessing all the answers correctly, but he knew that the exam had written sections, not just multiple-choice questions.

    Besides, he had seen how hard she had been studying, so he refrained from teasing her. Maybe it was like the dramas or movies that girls loved to watch.

    It would be great if this newfound ability stayed with her for a long time.

    As they approached the school gate, they ran into Li Yifei’s homeroom teacher. The teacher greeted them and suggested that Li Yifei retake a test to dispel any doubts about her results.

It was understandable.

    "The teachers aren’t doubting you, but it’s just to clear up any concerns. If your results are close to the previous ones, whether a bit higher or lower, there’ll be no more questions."

    The homeroom teacher explained to her, though she looked a bit uneasy.

    "Understood," Li Yifei replied. She felt confident that once she saw the test questions, she would remember which answers she selected and how she wrote them.

The homeroom teacher nodded in acknowledgment.

Li Yifei then turned to her brother.

"You can head back first if you want."

    "It’s fine. I’ll stay with you," Li Yifeng insisted.

    He thought that if things didn’t go well, at least he could be there to comfort and support his sister. He couldn’t just leave her alone.

    The two siblings followed the homeroom teacher to the high school staff room. In the room, there were some teachers waiting inside.

    When they entered, a few other teachers looked up, exchanged glances, and seemed to understand what was about to happen.

    The homeroom teacher walked to her desk, unlocked a drawer, and pulled out a brown envelope along with a pencil for the test.

    Li Yifeng excused himself to wait outside, offering words of encouragement before leaving.

"Don’t worry, sis. You’ve got this."

    Li Yifei replied with a wide smile, nodded, and playfully raised a small fist, as if to say, ‘I’ve got this.’

    The homeroom teacher smiled at the siblings. In her view, the two shared a close bond. Li Yifei, the most beautiful girl in the school, was well-known even among teachers.

    Even to those who didn’t teach her.

    After missing school due to the accident, Li Yifei had returned with a renewed focus on her studies. The teachers had thoroughly reviewed her exam results, but they found no errors.

    So, the scores had to be announced as they were.

    The homeroom teacher was thrilled that a student who had been near the bottom of the class had managed to reach the top. Other classes had also raised doubts. To address this, she suggested a secret retake of the exams.

    Initially, she planned to call Li Yifei to schedule this, but running into her by chance today worked out perfectly since Li Yifei seemed eager to confirm her results.

    As a teacher, she could only hope there would be no issues. Some students start out distracted by other interests but gain clarity after experiencing something life-changing. Perhaps that was the case here.

    Time passed, and Li Yifei completed the first multiple-choice test. The teacher collected the answer sheet for review by the subject teacher and then watched Li Yifei continue the remaining exams.

    She wasn’t sure of it, but there seemed to be something different about Li Yifei. Beyond her striking beauty, there was now a sense of grace in how she composed herself while taking the test.

    It was clear that the accident had changed Li Yifei. As her teacher, all she could do was hope that this newfound determination would last.

    Before long, Li Yifei finished the multiple-choice section. The teacher distributed her answer sheets to the respective subject teachers for review. They then waited for the written section to be graded.

    The results from the multiple-choice test turned out to be consistent with what Li Yifei had scored previously.

    The homeroom teacher smiled. Even if someone could guess their way to a high score, it would be impossible to replicate it exactly on a second attempt.

    The subject teachers who took a look at her answers while Li Yifei was answering the written parts were also impressed. It seemed her answers were all correct.

    When written exams of both subjects were completed and confirmed with the teachers' nods,

    The homeroom teacher beamed and excitedly told Li Yifei,

    "You’ve passed. No more doubts. At the start of next term, you can come to receive your scholarship for ranking first in the whole grade."

    "There’s also a special scholarship this year for the top student in each grade," another teacher added.

    "That’s right. Alumni sponsored a 1,500-yuan scholarship this year. Now Teacher Qiao’s class has got it," a teacher teased.

    Li Yifei was thrilled. That meant she would receive 2,500 yuan in total! That was no small amount of money.

    Public school expenses were covered by the government, so Li Yifei wondered if she could use the scholarship money however she liked, no need to report back on how it was spent.

    "Li Yifei, don’t forget to bring a copy of your bankbook at the start of the semester," the homeroom teacher reminded her with a warm smile.

"Of course, teacher," Li Yifei replied, still beaming.

    If the money was transferred like this, did that mean Li Yifei could spend it however she wanted?

    With no more doubts left, Li Yifei walked out of the staff room, where Li Yifeng stood smiling, likely having overheard the conversation inside, including the fact that his sister had received a scholarship.

“You heard everything, didn’t you?” she asked.

    “Yeah, sis. Grandma, Dad, and Mom are going to be so surprised that you really topped the class and even got a scholarship,” he replied.

“I got double, too,” Li Yifei said proudly.

    “You’re so lucky! First time getting first place, and you get a special scholarship!” Li Yifeng exclaimed.

    As they walked farther from the staff room, Li Yifei asked her brother, “Can I use the scholarship money for anything I want?”

“Yes, you can,” he replied.

    But then Li Yifeng paused, suddenly worried that his sister might spend it on something frivolous. However, after thinking it over, he realized it was her hard-earned money. The thought of telling her to save it for university expenses crossed his mind but remained unsaid.

    Meanwhile, Li Yifei was already looking forward to the next semester and final exams, hoping she could place first again, or at least in the top three. After all, her brother still earned a scholarship, though the amount varied based on ranking.

    Feeling uplifted by the day’s events, Li Yifei turned to her brother and said,

    “Today’s been such a good day, don’t you think?”

Li Yifeng nodded in agreement.

“Now I feel the pressure. I’m not sure if I can even manage third place,” he admitted.

    For Li Yifeng, his constant goal had been to maintain third place. He had never climbed to second or first in the class. Still, his friends admired him because he had never taken extra tutoring.

    It wasn’t that he didn’t want to. It was simply that his family’s income couldn’t cover the cost. His father’s salary only barely covered the mortgage and household expenses.

    And there were the transportation costs as well.

    Fortunately, his mother’s income became their savings.

    Grandma Li also worked, not staying idle.

    They couldn’t spend money carelessly without saving. When his sister had her accident, they were fortunate to have savings to cover the excess medical bills. If they had relied solely on hospital subsidies, his sister might not have survived.

    That incident made Li Yifeng understand why Grandma, Dad, and Mom were so careful with their money. Luckily, the fried chicken shop at the end of their street had hired him, and he had a job lined up for this summer as well.

    “What’s got you so stressed, furrowing your brows like that? Once we get to the alley, this sister will treat you to ice cream.”

    Her playful remark made Li Yifeng smile and laugh, especially when she patted her pants pocket.

“I can’t wait! I’ll pick the most expensive one.”

“Go ahead! I made money selling plush toys yesterday, so this is nothing,” she replied.

    Li Yifeng laughed again, thinking how ever since his sister had recovered, money had seemingly flowed her way.

    She sold her exam notes for money, which let them enjoy roast duck. She bought herself a phone, won plush toys from claw machines, and sold them for profit.

Now, she had scored first place on her exams and earned a special scholarship.

    He couldn’t wait for dinner, eager to see the expressions on Grandma, Dad, and Mom’s faces when they heard the news.