Volume 1, Chapter 30: The College Entrance Exam Results Are Out

Time passed neither too quickly nor too slowly.

The day after Li Yan and Luo Jiazhuang successfully obtained their driver's licenses, the college entrance examination results were released. Neither of them was surprised by their scores, as they had known the outcome for a long time.

Immediately after the results were posted, Li Yan called home. "Hey, Mom, my scores are out." He didn't rush to reveal the numbers.

His mother, Liu Tong, sounded quite agitated on the other end of the line. "What did you get? Did you make the second-tier cutoff?"

Lin City was located in a remote border region of the country, and in 2012, education there was still quite backward. A village producing a single college student was considered a momentous achievement; the vast majority of young people dropped out early to find manual labor. In fact, by the time Li Yan was in high school, some of his junior high classmates were already parents. Very few young people managed to finish high school at all, so when Li Yan had been admitted to the prestigious Lin City No. 1 High School, his family had been overjoyed. They held high expectations for him.

"I performed just average—492. The second-tier cutoff this year is 460, so I’m just 32 points over," Li Yan said calmly. Compared to the excitement he had felt in his previous life upon checking his scores, he had long since grown accustomed to it. A bachelor's degree would not be worth much ten years later.

However, when his mother heard the score, she was momentarily stunned before shouting happily, "492! He made the second-tier! Li Jianguo, your son got into a four-year university! 492..."

It was clear that Liu Tong was yelling excitedly to his father, Li Jianguo. His father, who had been busy working, was overjoyed when he heard the news. Li Yan was the only college student in their entire village—a lone sprout of hope.

After a long while, Liu Tong said, "As long as you got in, that's what matters. When we went to the Taoist temple to burn incense and draw lots last year, the fortune teller said you would get in no matter what. Look, he was right!"

Li Yan listened quietly without saying a word. Let them be happy; this was likely the best repayment for the years of hardship his parents had endured to support his education. Yet, he felt a deep sense of emotion in his heart—in this life, he was determined to ensure his parents lived well. He was certain he could make it happen.

"Xiao Yan, do you have enough money? I’ll send you another eight hundred yuan; buy whatever you need. And when are you coming home?" Liu Tong rambled on.

Li Yan answered patiently, "Mom, don't worry, I still have money. No need to send me any. I’ll be back in a couple of days."

After hanging up, Li Yan began to ponder which major and which university he should choose. Should he go out of the province, or stay?

Forget it, he decided to stay for now. The main reason was the distance from home, and besides, his score didn't give him much of an advantage for out-of-province schools. Many people didn't realize that some second-tier universities—those that hadn't fully transitioned to first-tier status—offered certain majors at second-tier admission scores. While some majors received more investment than others, they were still often better than those at lower-tier institutions. Moreover, the final diploma issued would look the same. This situation would only change much later.

Li Yan decided to carefully research the universities in Yunnan Province before applying.

That afternoon, Luo Jiazhuang called him. "Li Yan, what was your score? Which school are you applying to? Can we go together?" She wanted to know his choice, hoping they could end up at the same university—even though her own score was high enough for a first-tier school. But none of that mattered to her.

Li Yan replied, "492. I figure I can only apply for certain majors within the province; I haven't decided yet."

Luo Jiazhuang recalled that in his previous life, due to a mix-up in his application, Li Yan had ended up at a second-tier university in the suburbs of the provincial capital. Could history be repeating itself? But with his current score, he could easily get into a better school with a better major.

*No, I cannot let him repeat his past mistakes,* she thought. She had to use her advantage as a transmigrator to ensure Li Yan started from a position of strength.

"I think you can get into a much better second-tier school; there are several in the city center. You must tell me before you submit your application—I know a lot about this. And whatever you do, don't apply for majors like Chinese Language and Literature, History, or Early Childhood Education; they have no future."

As a transmigrator, Luo Jiazhuang certainly knew which majors would be lucrative in the future. For example, she knew that in ten years, engineering majors would be considered "dead-end" tracks.

Li Yan was slightly surprised; he hadn't expected Luo Jiazhuang to be aware of the "dead-end" liberal arts majors. But of course, he knew about them too, because he was a transmigrator himself.

"I have to go; my relatives are here and calling me out," Luo Jiazhuang said before hanging up to attend to the guests who had come to congratulate her.

After thinking for a moment, Li Yan came to a decision. Since the Order Division forbade him from dabbling in the industries of the internet giants of the future, he would have to find another path. He wondered what liberal arts majors Yunnan Agricultural University offered—perhaps Agricultural Economics?

He wanted to get into agriculture. Ten years down the line, the country would invest heavily in the sector. In a few years, live streaming would emerge, followed by live-stream shopping. Selling agricultural products via live stream was a booming business. If he could manage a self-media account—similar to that certain "Li" figure—and leverage the rapid development of e-commerce logistics, it would be a solid choice.

With this in mind, Li Yan found an internet cafe and began searching for the majors at Yunnan Agricultural University. As for Luo Jiazhuang’s desire to join him at the same school, he decided to let that slide. She was too clingy, and a little distance would be better. Besides, he had been reborn! In this new life, there were so many beautiful flowers waiting for him to pick. With such vibrant blossoms everywhere, it would be a shame not to appreciate them.

"I didn't expect they would actually have it. This will do."

Looking at the list of majors at Yunnan Agricultural University, Li Yan chose Economics. As the university developed, its economic curriculum would inevitably lean toward agricultural economics. With the school’s resources, he would have a significant advantage.

Hearing a car horn outside, Li Yan suddenly thought he should buy a vehicle; he had the money now. "Should I get a car? It would be more convenient."

He also thought about sending his mother some money. *Right, I need to send them some cash.* But under what pretext, and how much? If he gave too much, they would panic and suspect something was wrong, which would only lead to trouble.

So, Li Yan sat before the computer, oscillating between thoughts of which car to buy and how to explain a sum of money to his mother. As he pondered, the spacetime locator on his wrist buzzed.

*Yue Chengze is looking for me. Could there be another mission?*