59: Chapter 59 I Have a Boyfriend

After finishing filling out his college preferences, he hadn't even had a chance to rest.

The phone rang again.

Chen Fan picked up his phone to check, and to his surprise, it was his cousin, Chen Tong.

He quickly answered the call.

As soon as the call connected, Chen Tong's voice came through, sounding a bit anxious.

"Hello, Xiao Fan, have your results come out yet?"

"They're out, 709."

There was silence on the other end of the line for two seconds.

"How much?"

"709."

"Holy crap—"

Chen Tong cursed on the other end, followed by some rustling sounds, as if she were switching the phone to her other hand.

Before he could speak, Zhou Yumeng's loud voice came from the other side: "How much, how much? How much did your cousin score?"

"709!" Chen Tong shouted back.

"Holy crap!" Zhou Yumeng's voice was even louder, "709?! What's his provincial ranking?"

Chen Fan smiled: "Fifth."

The other end was quiet for a second, then exploded with noise.

"Fifth in the province!" Zhou Yumeng's voice cried out, "Chen Tong, is your cousin even human!"

"Your cousin is the one who isn't human!" Chen Tong retorted, then spoke into the phone again, "Xiao Fan, with this score, you can get into Tsinghua University or Peking University easily, right?"

"Yeah, both Peking University and Tsinghua University have already called."

"They both called?!" Chen Tong's volume went up again, "So which one are you applying to?"

"Neither. I applied to Jiao Tong University."

"Why?"

"I want to stay close to home."

Chen Tong was stunned for a moment, then laughed: "High scores mean you can do whatever you want. Alright, I won't disturb you anymore. I'm hanging up."

"Okay."

After hanging up, Chen Fan leaned back in his chair, finally able to have a moment of peace.

He had only just closed his eyes to rest for a few minutes when the phone rang again.

He picked it up to check; it was an unfamiliar number.

He tapped to answer.

"Hello, who is this?"

"Chen Fan, it's Zhao Fang."

Chen Fan realized it was his homeroom teacher, Zhao Fang.

"Teacher Zhao, is there something you need?"

"Your results are out, right?"

"Yes, 709 points."

"Congratulations, Chen Fan. You did exceptionally well this time. First in the county, fifth in the province, and 20 points higher than Xu Kun from the County First High School."

Chen Fan had an impression of Xu Kun; he was a top student at the county's key high school, First High School, and had consistently ranked first in the county during previous mock exams.

"Thank you, Teacher."

"By the way, are you planning to apply to Tsinghua University or Peking University?"

"I'm not applying to either of them."

"Huh? Then which school are you planning to apply to?"

"Chang'an Jiaotong University."

"Chen Fan, with your score, you can get into Tsinghua University or Peking University easily. Jiao Tong University is a waste of your potential. You don't need to worry about the cost of studying in the capital; the county will provide a 100,000 yuan scholarship, and the school will also provide a bonus."

"Teacher, there's no need to persuade me. I don't need the scholarship, and I've already submitted my preferences. It can't be changed."

Zhao Fang was silent for two seconds; it was the first time she had heard of someone not being interested in a 100,000 yuan scholarship.

"Submitted? Can't you modify it online?"

"I confirmed it." Chen Fan's tone was calm.

Zhao Fang was silent again, and after a few seconds, she spoke with some helplessness:

Zhao Fang tried to persuade him a few more times, but seeing Chen Fan's firm attitude, she sighed.

"Alright, as long as you've thought it through. However, the county scholarship will still be issued. With your score as first in the county, you're still first even if you don't go to Tsinghua or Peking University. What belongs to you won't go anywhere."

Chen Fan smiled: "I know, thank you, Teacher."

"Okay, that's all then. Feel free to call me anytime if you need anything in the future."

"Alright, goodbye, Teacher."

On June 28th, Chen Fan and Lin Xi agreed to go to school together.

Because after submitting preferences online, they still had to go to school to sign and confirm.

Upon arriving in the classroom, Chen Fan discovered that most of the classmates had already arrived.

When Chen Fan and Lin Xi walked in, everyone in the class turned to look at Chen Fan.

There was envy, jealousy, admiration—a mix of complex expressions.

The scores had been out for a few days, and they all knew that Chen Fan had scored 709 points—first in the school, first in the county, and fifth in the province.

That was 70 points higher than the second-place student.

No one could have imagined that a student who rose from an ordinary class could score first in the county, even surpassing students from the county's key high school.

And seeing how close Chen Fan and Lin Xi were, it seemed he had even won over the class beauty.

"Congratulations, Chen Fan, first in the county." Lin Xi's former deskmate, the girl who had been pushed aside by Chen Fan, Zhao Yuanyuan, spoke up.

"Thank you."

Just then, a boy about 1.8 meters tall with delicate features walked towards Chen Fan and Lin Xi.

Chen Fan had an impression of this person; his name was Feng Ke. His academic performance was average in the class, but his family was well-off, and he usually wore name-brand clothing.

Feng Ke stood in front of Lin Xi, then looked at her and took a deep breath:

"Lin Xi, I have something I want to tell you."

Lin Xi was stunned for a moment: "What?"

He glanced at Chen Fan beside her, hesitated for a second, but spoke anyway:

"I like you."

The surroundings went quiet for a second.

Several classmates' gazes shot over simultaneously—some surprised, some waiting to see a show, and a few boys had expressions on their faces that said, "Finally, someone has stepped up."

Lin Xi was stunned and instinctively took half a step back, bumping into Chen Fan's shoulder.

Feng Ke continued: "I've liked you since the beginning of the third year of high school. Now that the college entrance exam is over, I can finally say it."

Lin Xi did not hesitate and spoke directly:

"I already have a boyfriend."

Feng Ke's expression froze on his face, and he was stunned for two seconds: "What?"

Lin Xi took a deep breath, her voice steadier than before: "I said, I have a boyfriend."

Feng Ke's gaze shifted back and forth between her and Chen Fan, his face changing repeatedly.

"Is it him?"

Lin Xi nodded.

Feng Ke turned his head to look at Chen Fan, a flash of resentment in his eyes.

Chen Fan grinned and grabbed Lin Xi's hand, "That's right, Xixi is my girlfriend now. I hope you won't harass my girlfriend anymore."

Lin Xi's face flushed red at these words, but she didn't pull away, letting him hold her hand.

The male classmates in the class who liked Lin Xi were also watching the two. Seeing Chen Fan and Lin Xi's actions, they instantly felt like their hearts were being cut by knives.

As for Feng Ke, he stared at their joined hands for several seconds. His lips moved, wanting to say something, but he couldn't get the words out.

The surrounding gazes pricked him like needles—some sympathetic, some watching the show, and a few boys who usually didn't get along with him were holding back laughter.

Finally, he gritted his teeth, didn't say a word, turned around, and walked away.

After taking a few steps, he tripped on the leg of a chair, stumbling twice before steadying himself.

To tell the truth, Feng Ke wasn't a bad person; after all, it's normal for young people to be infatuated.

But Chen Fan was a petty person. Since he dared to confess to Lin Xi right in front of him, he shouldn't blame Chen Fan for not giving him any face.

Just then, their homeroom teacher, Zhao Fang, walked in.

The classroom fell silent.

Zhao Fang was holding a stack of printed A4 papers. She walked to the podium, scanned the room, let her gaze linger on Chen Fan for a second longer, and then withdrew it.

She still felt some regret about Chen Fan applying to Chang'an Jiaotong University.

"Stop making noise, sit down, and get ready to sign."

The rustling sound of chairs moving arose as the students returned to their seats one after another.

Zhao Fang divided the stack of papers into several piles and handed them to the students in the first row: "Pass them back. Everyone take one, find your name, verify the information, and if there are no problems, sign it. Hand it back when you're done."

Chen Fan took the paper passed to him and glanced at it—Chang'an Jiaotong University, Business Administration, exactly the same as what he filled out online.

He picked up a pen, signed his name in the bottom right corner, and passed the form to the person behind him.

On the podium, Zhao Fang's gaze lingered on him for a second, then moved away.

Beside him, Lin Xi was looking down, signing her name stroke by stroke. She had applied to Changan University, majoring in Statistics.

After signing, Chen Fan originally didn't want to stay, because he basically didn't have much interaction with these classmates in the class, except for Lin Xi.

But Lin Xi had her good friends to chat with, so he had no choice but to wait.