I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times

Book 2: Chapter 55: College Entrance Exam

Vol 2 Chapter 55: College Entrance Exam

Having a meal with Professor Tian was an enjoyable experience.

The elderly woman, introduced by Old Bai, had the surname Tian. She jokingly said that her name had cursed her to spend her whole life farming.

She wasn’t what people would call good-looking.

Her hair was cropped short, just to the earlobe, making it easier to manage. Her skin was darkened from years of farm work, mixed with a sickly yellow pallor.

Even in her youth, she probably wouldn’t have been considered a beauty.

But her smile was something special—

A bold, hearty laugh, almost crude in its uninhibited joy. She laughed with her whole face, her head tilting back slightly, mouth opening so wide you could see the roof of her mouth.

She was the kind of person who could infect others with her cheer.

She was also incredibly talkative.

With Old Bai, she had endless inside jokes.

With Tang Lingwu, she could effortlessly chat—from discussing milk tea flavors to debating fashion trends.

Her mindset was youthful, her attitude energetic.

When she learned that Zheng Fa’s parents had passed away, her reaction was unusual.

She didn’t show the usual condescending pity that most people did.

Instead, she simply said in a gentle voice—

"It’ll get better from here."

It was only one sentence.

But Zheng Fa could tell that it carried the most genuine, straightforward blessing.

Professor Tian had a large appetite.

At first, Zheng Fa and the others thought she was being extravagant, ordering so many dishes.

But then they realized—

She actually ate everything from start to finish.

Noticing their surprise, she simply laughed and said,

"I worked hard my whole life. I got used to eating a lot… Now? Every extra bite is a gift."

Her tone was casual, but her words made Old Bai’s expression darken slightly.

There was a hint of worry in his gaze.

"What exactly is wrong?" Old Bai finally asked.

Professor Tian shrugged.

"Something grew on my liver. They cut it out once, but it came back."

She paused, then sighed.

"The doctors don’t want to operate anymore. They say I’m too old—too risky."

"And I don’t want to make things difficult for them."

She smiled as she spoke, but Old Bai wasn’t smiling anymore.

He turned to Zheng Fa.

Zheng Fa nodded slightly.

He had already thought of several healing talismans that could potentially work.

But he needed to research further in Xuanyi Realm before he could be sure.

Professor Tian glanced at Old Bai and suddenly said—

"I don’t know if I’ll live or die. That’s not up to me. But there is one thing I want to ask of you."

"Mm?"

"My mother…"

Old Bai froze.

"When I got sick, it wasn’t me who suffered the most—it was my mom."

Professor Tian’s voice softened.

"After meeting you today, I have to go back—to spend my final days with her."

"I’m not worried about money—I set aside enough savings for her, plus her pension should be enough.

"But she’ll be all alone once I’m gone."

"I have no other family. So I can only ask my friends… please check in on her from time to time."

A long silence.

Then, Old Bai nodded.

"Enough of this!" Professor Tian waved a hand, her usual cheer returning.

"Talking about death in front of these kids—that’s not good!"

She lifted her drink and grinned at Zheng Fa.

"I heard you’re taking the college entrance exams?"

"Yeah."

"Then I’ll wish you success ahead of time!"

Zheng Fa hesitated for a brief moment—

Then raised his glass and drank.

Sitting in the car, Zheng Fa watched through the window as Professor Tian waved them off from the hotel entrance.

Old Bai turned to him.

"Do you think you can do something?"

Zheng Fa thought for a moment.

"It’s worth a try."

They hadn’t mentioned treating her illness during dinner.

Partly because it was their first meeting, and she hadn’t even considered the possibility.

But there was a more important reason—

Bringing Professor Tian into the Immortal Sect retirement home was even more complicated than bringing in Aunt Ye.

Because keeping the truth about cultivation a secret from her wouldn’t work—

She needed to understand in order for her skills to be useful.

"Today was mainly to introduce you to her," Old Bai explained.

"You listed several requirements for people joining the retirement home before. But I’ve been thinking—there’s another factor."

Zheng Fa looked at him.

"Personality compatibility."

"…"

Zheng Fa nodded slowly.

That was something he hadn’t considered before.

"Even if everyone in a group is good, if their personalities clash, it can still cause problems," Old Bai said.

"We have a good balance right now. But if someone new doesn’t fit in, it could ruin things."

"That’s why I wanted you and Tang Lingwu to meet her first.

"To see how she gets along with you."

Zheng Fa thought back to their meal.

Then smiled.

"So far… she seems like a good fit."

He finally understood why Old Bai had insisted on this meeting.

It wasn’t just about evaluating her skills—

It was about making sure she was the right kind of person.

"Yeah. She’s a good person," Old Bai agreed.

"Otherwise, I wouldn’t have even considered her."

"As for her professional skills…"

"She’s not the absolute best, but she’s worked on major national projects."

"I don’t know much about agriculture, but her expertise should be solid."

Zheng Fa nodded.

Finally, Old Bai sighed.

"But the real challenge… is character."

"In all my years… there are very few people I truly trust."

"Maybe one or two."

At that, Zheng Fa’s expression grew serious.

"People say math is difficult. But if you ask me—understanding the human heart is even harder."

Planning the Next Step

Even after returning home, Zheng Fa was still thinking about Old Bai’s words.

Among the four new talismans he planned to refine, one of them definitely needed to be a healing talisman—

Even without meeting Professor Tian, he would have made one anyway.

Because healing talismans were essential to maintaining the Immortal Sect retirement home.

On the way back, Old Bai had refrained from pressuring him.

But throughout their conversation, his words had subtly advocated for Professor Tian—

Not just because she was valuable, but also because of their friendship.

Even without considering her agricultural expertise, Zheng Fa could still acknowledge what Old Bai had done for him—

Even just last month, the old man had pulled several all-nighters to develop the Three-Sub-Talisman Law as a gift for him.

Zheng Fa wasn’t unwilling to help.

But what truly made him pause and think—

Was Old Bai’s discussion on trust.

Despite his long career, despite meeting countless scholars, Old Bai had admitted that when it came to trusting someone’s character, he could only vouch for one or two people. ṟÂɴỒΒÈṩ

Zheng Fa understood the caution—it was necessary to protect their small group.

But at the same time, he couldn’t always rely on Old Bai’s judgment alone.

He needed to develop his own methods for testing people’s character and guarding secrets.

"Illusion Talismans."

That was the first solution that came to his mind.

After all—as the Sect Master’s sole disciple, he was highly familiar with illusion-based talismans.

With that thought, his plans for the remaining four talismans became clearer—

Healing Talisman ✅ (Confirmed)

Illusion Talisman ✅ (Confirmed)

Two more talismans to be decided later.

The Morning of the Exam

Three days after returning from the provincial capital, the college entrance exam finally arrived.

Zheng Fa’s exam site was not at Qingshui High School, but at Experimental Middle School.

It was only twenty minutes away by bus, not too far from his home.

That morning, he took his transparent exam folder, checked his admission ticket and stationery, and boarded the bus.

The entire city seemed to revolve around the exam today—

The roads near Qingshui High School were closed off.

Passing vehicles were deliberately avoiding honking.

Even on the bus, most of the passengers were either exam-takers or parents sending off their children.

The bus driver even played an inspirational song over the speakers.

Zheng Fa couldn’t help but notice—

The other students on the bus only seemed to grow more nervous as the music played.

At the Exam Site

By the time he arrived at Experimental Middle School, it was still too early to enter the exam halls.

Like the other students, he waited outside the school gates.

That’s when he realized—

He stood out.

Most students had their parents with them.

But he was the only one standing alone, holding just his exam folder, appearing somewhat isolated.

He didn’t mind.

But a thin boy standing nearby seemed especially sociable—

After giving Zheng Fa a few glances, he suddenly struck up a conversation.

"Hey, dude, did you come alone?"

"Yeah."

"Where are your parents?"

"They… couldn’t make it," Zheng Fa replied casually.

"Man, your parents are awesome," the boy said with a mix of envy and pride.

"Not like mine—woke up at 5 AM just to fuss over everything. They’re more nervous than I am… Look, even my grandparents came along."

Zheng Fa followed the direction of his pointing finger.

Sure enough, four adults stood at a distance, watching them with warm smiles.

When they noticed Zheng Fa looking, they even nodded politely at him.

An Unexpected Visitor

As they chatted, a familiar voice called out—

"Zheng Fa! Why didn’t you respond to Tang Lingwu’s messages?"

It was a girl from his class, who happened to be taking the exam at the same site.

She looked confused.

Zheng Fa blinked.

"Messages?"

"I didn’t bring my phone," he replied.

He found it inconvenient to carry unnecessary things to an exam hall, especially since he’d have to hand them over at the entrance.

Besides—

He didn’t need to contact anyone.

He was just planning to go home after the exam.

"You didn’t bring your phone?" The girl looked surprised.

"Then I’ll just tell her where you are!"

Moments later—

Zheng Fa spotted Tang Lingwu running toward him.

A Different Tang Lingwu

Zheng Fa had never seen her like this before.

At school, Tang Lingwu’s outfits were always simple—

T-shirts or button-up shirts.

Jeans most of the time—she rarely wore skirts.

Or, at worst, the unpopular school uniform.

But today—

She was wearing a delicate qipao.

Maybe it was her natural proportions, or maybe it was because the tailoring was impeccable, but—

She looked stunning.

As she ran toward him, many students turned to stare.

Even the boy next to him couldn’t help but stare the entire time.

It was only when Tang Lingwu finally reached them that he awkwardly averted his gaze.

A Superstitious Blessing

"I’m here to send you off!"

Tang Lingwu stood in front of Zheng Fa, smiling brightly.

Then, she spun around once—

"You see? ‘Qipao’ sounds like ‘Qikaide Sheng’—it means ‘Victory Upon Opening’!"

(T/N: ‘Qipao’ sounds similar to '(qí kāi dé shèng)’, a phrase meaning ‘to win from the very start’.)

Zheng Fa glanced at the boy next to him.

The boy looked at his own large family entourage, then looked back at Tang Lingwu.

I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times

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