Chapter 189 A Farce
"You... you trust me that much?"
"Absolutely!"
Ye Fan's face was full of seriousness, his pitch-black eyes carried a hint of reminiscence as he spoke warmly, "Even if the whole world doesn't believe in you, I will. I'll believe in you without any reason, because…"
At this point, his gaze fell on the girl's face. He spoke each word firmly, "Because you are Ning Xi!"
"I... Thank you."
Ning Xi's voice was as soft as a whisper. Her gaze lowered slightly, and her heartbeat began to quicken uncontrollably. At the same time, a faint sweetness rose in her heart.
"Have confidence."
"I… I'll try my best…"
In the living room.
Ning Xi sat obediently beside her mother, her eyes filled with doubt as she softly asked her father, "Dad, if there's something you want to say, just say it."
Ning Xiangtian placed the tablet in his hand on the coffee table and pushed it toward his daughter.
"Xiao Xi, the Ministry of Education has added three national joint exams. Take a look."
Ning Xi glanced at the tablet screen. It was filled with reports from major media outlets, all of them announcing the cancellation of the mock exams and the introduction of the national joint exams.
"Dad, I already know about this. At school today, the teacher informed us about the Ministry of Education's decision."
Lan Xi, with her daughter leaning on her shoulder, smiled and explained, "Xiao Xi, your dad is worried that you'll feel pressured."
"This time, the national joint exams come with bonus points for the college entrance exam. And there are three of them. If you aim to make the Genius List, you must earn those bonus points in these exams."
"Even just one extra point is incredibly crucial. Among tens of millions of examinees, there's no shortage of geniuses. A single point difference can affect the final rankings."
"It's already April 29th today. There are only five days left until the first national joint exam. You must prepare thoroughly to strive for those bonus points."
After hearing her mother's words, a dimple appeared on Ning Xi's face, exuding full confidence.
"Dad, Mom, don't worry. I'll definitely earn those bonus points. No one can stop me!"
Her determination was undeniable, and it was utterly adorable.
Seeing this, Lan Xi advised, "Do your best, but don't put too much pressure on yourself, okay?"
Ning Xiangtian nodded slightly in agreement, "Your mom's right. It's okay if you don't do well. Don't stress yourself."
"You're terrible at this!"
Lan Xi shot her husband a glare. "The exam hasn't even started yet. Can't you say something encouraging?"
"…"
Ning Xiangtian looked helpless and shut his mouth.
Reason with his wife?
Ha, ha—
He didn't want to end up sleeping on the couch tonight…
Ning Xi giggled, stood up, walked to her father's side, and hugged his arm. "Thanks, Dad. I won't feel pressured. Your daughter is amazing now, you know."
"Huh?"
Both Ning Xiangtian and Lan Xi made a sound of surprise.
Ning Xi looked confused and asked, "What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?"
"No."
Ning Xiangtian shook his head, narrowing his eyes slightly. "I just feel like Xiao Xi is more confident than before."
"That's right."
Lan Xi's eyes held a hint of curiosity. "Xiao Xi, you never used to say you were amazing. What's gotten into you today? Why are you suddenly so confident?"
"It's nothing."
Thinking of what Ye Fan had said to her in the classroom during the day, Ning Xi smiled brightly. "Ye Fan said I'm amazing, so I must be amazing. Just wait to hear your daughter's good news."
With that, she jumped up and down as she headed upstairs.
Watching her daughter's back, Ning Xiangtian's face darkened, and his entire aura grew cold.
It's only been how long?
And already…
Why did he feel such an urge to punch someone?!
Noticing her husband's expression, Lan Xi stifled a laugh. She was actually quite pleased. As someone who had been there before and as a mother, she could clearly see her daughter's changes.
Young love—it's exactly how it should be.
How wonderful!
The Ministry of Education's recent announcement caused quite a stir, and news of the additional national joint exams quickly shot to the top of the trending list.
The benefits of the Genius List had already made many people envious. Taking advantage of this event, countless self-proclaimed exceptional college students left comments under related posts, their words dripping with discontent.
"Wow, why did this Genius List come so late? If it had existed during my college entrance exam year, I definitely would've made the Genius List!"
"Getting advanced education at two prestigious universities, earning degrees from both, and, even more ridiculously, gaining access to the Academy of Sciences—these benefits are way too over-the-top, right?"
"I just want to ask one thing: can college students take the entrance exam? If so, the Genius List will definitely have my name!"
"You guys are way too delusional! Let's not even talk about whether the Ministry of Education would allow it. Even if they did, do you really think you'd make the Genius List? This year's examinees number nearly ten million, and the Genius List has only a hundred slots. Just in this comment section alone, there are over a hundred people claiming they'd make it. To that, all I can say is—ha!"
…
There were some rational voices, but the envious far outnumbered them.
After two days of fermenting, the momentum of this situation didn't diminish—it grew even stronger.
In the end, even many recent graduates joined the crowd to stir the pot.
By the end, the Ministry of Education couldn't sit back and ignore it anymore.
There was no choice—the public opinion was too overwhelming.
After an emergency overnight discussion, they issued their final explanation.
[All interpretation rights for this year's college entrance exam belong to the Ministry of Education!]
Just like that, with one simple sentence, countless people were left dumbfounded.
This explanation? Truly… bold!
After this announcement, all protest comments and posts online disappeared overnight, as if the whole matter had never happened.
Thus, the farce came to an end.
The morning of May 4th.
Arriving at school, Ye Fan had just sat down when he noticed Ning Xi looking at her phone. He was somewhat surprised.
"Why did you bring your phone to school?"
"Ah… You scared me!"
Ning Xi guiltily glanced at the classroom door, her eyes tinged with reproach. "Don't you know people can get scared to death?"
"Is your courage that small?"
Ye Fan put down his backpack, took out a thermos and a box of milk, and handed them to Ning Xi with a smile. "Drink the milk first."
"Got it!"
Ning Xi pouted, checked her phone to ensure it was on silent mode, and then put it away.
When she finished, Ye Fan had already unwrapped the milk and inserted the straw, holding it out to her.
It felt like he was raising a daughter!
"Drink it."
"I… I didn't say I wouldn't."
Ning Xi reluctantly took the milk and began sipping it slowly.
From the front row, Su Ke couldn't help but tease, "Tsk, tsk, Ye Fan, are you raising Xiao Xi as your own daughter?"