Chapter 99: Midterm

After befriending two classmates with pleasant temperaments, Zhong Yuxiu gradually found her footing in the class. Her peers, seeing her gentle manners, respectful demeanor, and diligent studies, even if they suspected she had gained admission through connections, no longer showed her any hostility.

Zhong Yuxiu was busy every day memorizing medical texts and learning medical skills; she had no time to concern herself with how her classmates regarded her. By the time she noticed, their attitudes had quietly changed.

Immersed daily in the sea of knowledge, she was caught unaware when the midterm exams arrived.

"Yuxiu, how's your revision going?" Min Jianguo, who sat in the front row, turned to ask, "It's our first exam this semester."

"Not bad, I think there shouldn't be any major problems." Zhong Yuxiu replied with a smile and then asked Zhong Yuan beside her, "How about you, Yuan?"

There were two students surnamed Zhong in the class; Zhong Yuan was older than Zhong Yuxiu. To distinguish between them, everyone had adopted Min Jianguo's initial naming: calling her “Little Zhong” and Zhong Yuan simply “Zhong.”

The bell rang for class.

Min Jianguo grinned, encouraging, "Do your best—let’s aim for a good grade."

"Let’s do our best," Zhong Yuan also cheered her on.

Zhong Yuxiu was silent—did they all think she was weak?

The proctor entered, holding the exam papers, and the classroom fell abruptly silent without needing a word from him.

"What’s going on, isn’t Professor Xu supposed to be proctoring?" Zhong Yuan muttered.

Zhong Yuxiu pretended not to hear. Since an unknown professor was proctoring, there must have been a last-minute change; as for why, that was not information students needed.

The papers were handed out, and the proctor knocked on the lectern, "The challenge is here—please uphold academic integrity, no whispering. When you finish, check your answers carefully. There will be no early submission."

Zhong Yuxiu was speechless. So escape by early submission wasn’t an option—the way was blocked.

The bell rang again. "Begin," announced the proctor.

Zhong Yuxiu took up her pen and answered the questions at a leisurely pace; since she couldn’t hand in her paper early, she might as well take her time. Even so, she finished with half the allotted time remaining while other students were still diligently working.

Left with nothing to do, she checked her answers twice, grew impatient, and finally laid her head on the desk to nap.

The proctor frowned at her, but seeing the rest still focused, he let it go. Quietly, he walked over to her desk and tapped it.

Zhong Yuxiu looked up, bewildered. "Professor, may I submit my paper?"

"What are you doing? Are you finished?" he said in a low tone, his expression stern. "Why are you sleeping instead of working? Did you stay up late?"

"I'm done, and I slept well last night. I'm just bored, but you won't let me submit early."

So it was his fault? The proctor's face darkened further. Zhong Yuan, sitting nearby, stifled a laugh and quickly checked the proctor's expression; seeing him glance her way, she buried herself in her test. Utterly intimidated.

Zhong Yuxiu twitched the corner of her mouth, "Professor, why don’t you let me submit my paper?"

Without a word, the proctor stood beside her, reviewing her answers. The front questions were all correct, with detailed explanations. This was nothing unusual, but as he flipped through, the accuracy remained, and he grew unsettled. He glanced back at the name on the cover.

"You are Zhong Yuxiu."

"Yes, I am," she replied. What now?

"I’ll collect your paper. Sit quietly until the end." He took the paper back to the lectern.

Seriously? Zhong Yuxiu was left speechless—this was reality.

She sat idly for nearly half the class. When the bell rang, the proctor collected the papers and left. Zhong Yuan nudged her arm and gave her a thumbs-up.

"Little Zhong, you’re fierce!"

Here, “fierce” meant she was impressive.

Zhong Yuxiu shot her a sidelong glance. "I can be even fiercer, want to see?"

"How?"

"You’ll know when the grades come out."

Zhong Yuan was baffled—what did she mean by that?

The exams came one after another, and the entire day was spent in testing. Zhong Yuxiu adapted well enough, but her classmates looked exhausted after finishing. Even the spirited class leader Ning looked worn-out, merely holding up a front as fatigue etched deep into his face.

After school, she left campus, escorted home by Hao Nan and Tian Shangguo.

"Goudan, is dinner ready? I’m starving," she complained. Miserable, indeed. The medical university’s cafeteria food was poor, and since exams didn’t allow students to return home midday, she had to make do with a meal there.

"Yuxiu, wash your hands first; we’ll eat soon," Yan Rushan called out, peeking in. "You must be tired today. Wait a moment, don’t go wash your hands—I’ll bring warm water to soak them."

Hao Nan and Tian Shangguo helped set the table.

Yan Rushan brought a basin of warm water, placing her hands in it. "Look at you, worn out. Is it that hard at the medical university?" Her delicate face showed both laziness and fatigue.

"Exams! We’ve been testing all day," Zhong Yuxiu grumbled in front of her beloved. "Medical school exams are far more grueling than those in the physics department. So many theory questions, pages and pages—my hand aches from writing."

"Are there more exams tomorrow?" Yan Rushan’s eyes filled with concern.

"No more, just the midterm today. I heard from classmates that the finals last three days—there’ll be even more questions then." There would also be practical exams, though she didn’t yet know what they’d be called this semester.

Yan Rushan massaged her fingers, gazing down at her small, pale hands. "Medical students’ practical exams are almost always tied to real patients, so they shouldn’t deviate far from that. Everything you’ve learned this semester is within the scope."

Zhong Yuxiu nodded, "That’s a relief."

"It’s much better now. In high school, practical classes meant going to the countryside to work the fields, or other labor. That was truly exhausting—a bunch of city kids, some had never swept a floor, let alone farmed. Suddenly faced with harsh conditions and grueling farm work, they didn’t dare complain."

If anyone complained, they risked being reported and dragged out for public criticism.

"I know." The original owner had experienced it, which explained her later fear of being sent to the countryside as an educated youth. In her memory, farm work was both tiring and filthy, leaving her itchy all over afterward—simply dreadful.

It could only be said that the original owner was a pampered girl, mentally fragile, and lacked resilience in the face of life.

Yan Rushan smiled gently, "Thankfully, those days are past. Now that you’ve finished exams, do you get a break?"

"No break," she replied, pausing before adding, "I need to go to my teacher to learn more."

"Alright, I’ll take you there tomorrow." Her hands warmed, Yan Rushan took them from the basin, hurried to fetch a towel, and dried them. "All done—go wait in the dining room, it’s time for dinner. Goudan made braised pork today, and it looks delicious. I’ll make sure you eat plenty to replenish your strength."