Rebirth at the Start: This Fate is Too Explosive!

Chapter 41 The College Entrance Examination Ends

Ye Fan stood at the door and knocked, but only an empty echo answered him.

"No one's here..." he muttered to himself, glancing at the windowsill.

Beneath a slightly dusty gardening glove, the metallic gleam of a key was faintly visible—a long-standing tradition of the Ye family.

The sound of the key turning was exceptionally crisp.

I pushed open the door, and the room was quiet except for the hum of the refrigerator.

Ye Fan tiptoed towards his room carrying large and small bags, the expensive shopping bags making a rustling sound.

"Luckily, Mom isn't here..." He breathed a sigh of relief. If she had seen this pile of designer clothes, he would have been questioned relentlessly.

Old Ye probably went to the shop, but I don't know where Old Mom went.

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The morning light in June pierced through the thin mist, casting long shadows of the sycamore trees outside the examination hall.

Today is June 7th, and the weather is sunny.

This day, destined to be remembered by countless people, arrived as scheduled amidst the chirping of cicadas.

For busy white-collar workers in office buildings, this is just another Monday that requires squeezing through the morning rush hour; for younger students, it is a pleasant surprise of an unexpected two-day holiday.

But Ye Fan, standing outside the examination hall, looked at the reflective anti-counterfeiting mark on his admission ticket and clearly heard the sound of the gears of fate turning.

"Candidates, please enter the examination room in an orderly manner—"

The sound of a broadcast broke the morning tranquility.

Every year, similar scenes of life unfold outside the examination halls.

Those familiar "NPCs" arrived as promised, each enacting their own script at the crossroads of fate.

"I forgot my exam admission ticket!" A boy, his face pale, rummaged through his empty backpack, his voice trembling.

"Teacher! I... I went to the wrong exam room!" The girl with thick glasses stamped her feet anxiously, her exam room arrangement sheet crumpled in her hand.

Even worse, there were always a few furtive figures darting through the crowd: "Excuse me... can I take a look at the multiple-choice questions?"

What you usually get in return is a glare and a curt, "Get lost!"

On the first day of the exam.

An invisible tension seemed to hang in the air on the first day of the exam.

Inside the examination hall, the scratching sound of pens scraping against answer sheets filled the air; outside, parents paced back and forth like caged animals beyond the security line. Mothers in cheongsams unconsciously clutched their fans, while fathers in red T-shirts frequently checked their watches; everyone's brows were furrowed in the same way.

By the next day, the tension had eased slightly.

But some mothers still clutched their prayer beads and chanted prayers, while fathers paced back and forth, cigarettes dangling from their lips.

Ye Linzhang and Gu Ruoning eventually appeared outside the examination hall.

Despite Ye Fan's repeated attempts to dissuade him, saying, "You really don't need to come. What if you get heatstroke in this sweltering heat?"

The night before, Ye Zhuyan, who was far away, made a special call to her younger brother to encourage him and promised to help persuade their parents not to wait outside the examination hall—this trick worked on the first day.

But they came the next day anyway, saying they couldn't go to work at all.

Ye Fan had no choice but to comply with their demands.

The father, wearing a faded polo shirt, paced back and forth, clutching a bottle of ice water; the mother, holding a parasol, was only concerned with shielding her husband from the scorching sun, leaving half of her shoulder sunburned.

"Old Ye, do you think this kid might be too nervous and it'll affect his performance?"

Gu Ruoning was also among the large group pacing outside the examination hall; she was extremely nervous at that moment.

Ye Linzhang wiped the sweat from his brow, muttering to himself: "I should be the one who's nervous! If this kid fails the exam, his future is in jeopardy; if he does well, my wallet will suffer..."

Just then, the examination room door creaked open.

A familiar figure strolled out, hands in pockets, moving slowly. Sunlight gilded him, and his leisurely manner made him look like he had just finished shopping at the supermarket and was returning home.

Ye Fan spotted his parents from afar, a sly smile playing on his lips. He deliberately slowed his pace, casually straightening his collar—which didn't really need adjusting—looking like a celebrity walking the red carpet. As he drew closer, he even whistled, "Hey, you two, here for a sunbath?"

Is he nervous?

Where did he look nervous or anxious?

Looking at her son's smug expression, Gu Ruoning suddenly realized that her earlier worries were completely unnecessary.

As soon as the exam hall doors opened, several sharp-eyed reporters spotted the student who had handed in his paper early. They swarmed around him, their cameras and microphones aimed at Ye Fan.

"Hey, classmate!" Reporter A rushed to the front, "Why are you out so early?" The microphone almost poked Ye Fan's chin.

Ye Fan glanced down at his watch and said lazily, "Long legs, fast walking."

After saying that, he deliberately took two long steps to demonstrate.

Reporter A's hand, holding the microphone, froze in mid-air, his lips twitching: "..."

Reporter B squeezed forward, asking, "Were this year's exam questions easier or harder than last year's?"

"Well... this is my first time taking the exam, so I don't have much experience. You should ask students who are repeating the exam; they have more experience to share." Ye Fan looked troubled.

Reporter B: "......."

Unwilling to give up, reporter C blocked his way: "Hey, how do you feel about your exam?"

Ye Fan didn't even stop walking this time, turning back as he went to say, "Just play your normal game."

The sunlight cast a long shadow behind him, leaving a group of reporters looking at each other in bewilderment.

Gu Ruoning pressed the chilled drink against Ye Fan's face, making him shiver from the cold.

"You little rascal, you've gotten quite bold, haven't you?" She glared at him reproachfully. "You dare to be so unprofessional during a reporter's interview."

"Get in the car first! This awful weather is unbearable." Ye Linzhang opened the door of the Nissan Sylphy, the old hinges making a familiar creaking sound.

Ye Fan tilted his head back and gulped down most of the drink, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down with each swallow.

The cool liquid slid down his throat, and he suddenly realized—the transformation he had been waiting for in his past and present lives was finally complete.

In his previous life, he was already dazzling, and in this life, he will become even more dazzling!

As night falls, the barbecue stalls next to Walmart are brightly lit.

Ye Fan had already taken a spot on the side, and the plastic chair creaked as he sat on it.

After finishing his exams in the afternoon, he had a celebratory dinner with his parents and then went shopping for a while. By now, Ye Linzhang and his wife had already gone home, and he was waiting here alone with a few close friends.

Zhao Mingzhe rode over on his electric scooter.

"Old Zhao!" Ye Fan waved with a mischievous grin. "It's over. Tonight, you can finally let loose completely, right?"

"Absolutely!" Zhao Mingzhe parked the car, his face beaming with barely suppressed excitement. "I feel like I've lost several pounds!" He walked over and plopped down on a plastic chair, which groaned under the weight.