Chapter 412: Strive in the Cause, Be at Ease with the Result

“Hey, Zhao Courtyard, it’s me, Ziheng.”

“It’s nothing, really. Just a few minor injuries. I’ll be fine after resting for a couple of months.”

“Definitely don’t come. My dad strictly forbade it. If you came over, Zhao Courtyard, you’d be breaking the rules. That’s not how we do things between us.”

“So, there’s something I wanted to ask your advice on.”

After some skillful pleasantries, Tang Ziheng got down to business.

He explained Gu Heng’s specific situation and asked for detailed advice.

The call finally ended about ten minutes later.

“Brother, you graduated from junior high normally, right?”

Tang Ziheng asked Gu Heng, “Do you have your junior high diploma?”

“I graduated normally.”

“I have all the documents and paperwork.”

Gu Heng replied.

“Then there’s no problem at all.”

Tang Ziheng said with a smile, “According to our province’s regulations, anyone who is at least eighteen years old and has been out of junior high for three years can apply for a high school equivalency certificate. It might be a bit difficult for an ordinary person to get this certificate, but for us, it’s a piece of cake.”

“Besides that, once you have the high school equivalency, you also need to reach the educational level of a high school graduate through self-study and pass the academic proficiency test organized by the local education department. It’s what high school students commonly call the general graduation exam.”

At this point, Tang Ziheng paused for a moment.

“You can step out for a moment.”

Gu Heng’s gaze swept over the caregiver behind Tang Ziheng, his voice carrying a hint of undeniable authority.

“Of course.”

The caregiver behind Tang Ziheng was well aware of the formidable backgrounds of the two men before him. He immediately did as Gu Heng asked, lowering his eyes and leaving the sunroom.

“Brother, under normal circumstances, the current high school seniors taking the college entrance exam this year would have already finished their graduation exams last year. However, some of them might have failed, and they’ll need to take a makeup test this April.”

Tang Ziheng lowered his voice slightly. “You prepare for it, and I’ll pull some strings. When they hold the makeup graduation exam for the seniors this April, you can just go in and go through the motions. Once that’s done, you’ll have met the second condition.”

“Once both conditions are met, you’ll have the same eligibility as any other graduating senior to take the national college entrance exam. After that, what score you get is all up to you. That’s where I can’t help you.”

Some things might seem like a huge deal to ordinary people, but to certain individuals, they are trivial matters.

Take this situation, for example. If Gu Heng were still that poor kid from before, he could have run his legs off and still might not have gotten the eligibility for the exam. It was nothing like now, where he only had to say the word and someone would arrange everything for him.

“Of course.”

Gu Heng replied with a smile, “Brother Heng, I can’t thank you enough for just helping me get the eligibility for the exam.”

“Look at you, being so formal with me again.”

“I help you with one little thing, and you’re already thanking me endlessly.”

Seeing Gu Heng being so polite, Tang Ziheng’s tone became slightly disgruntled. “Then for saving my life, shouldn’t I be prostrating myself before you?”

“Don’t say that.”

Gu Heng chuckled. “It’s just a habit.”

“Brother, do you have a goal in mind?”

“Like, what score are you aiming for? Which university do you want to attend? In-province or out-of-province?”

Tang Ziheng asked Gu Heng again, “I really can’t pull any strings for the exam itself—that’s all on you. But when it comes to applying and choosing a school, I can still find ways to help.”

“No big goals.”

“As long as my score is above the cutoff for a Tier 1 university, that’s good enough.”

Gu Heng’s answer was straightforward. “The university definitely has to be in-province. All my businesses are here. I can’t just abandon my home and work to go to college, can I?”

“If it’s an in-province university, that makes things even easier.”

Tang Ziheng nodded slightly, then casually asked, “So, how’s your preparation going? You know that the college entrance exam in our Ji Province has been reformed to the new ‘3+1+2’ model this year, right?”

“I know about the exam reform. I plan to choose History, Politics, and Biology as my three elective subjects.”

“As for how my preparation is going…”

At this, Gu Heng looked a little embarrassed. “To be honest with you, Brother Heng, I haven’t even started preparing yet.”

“What?”

“You haven’t started?”

Hearing this, Tang Ziheng’s expression instantly became priceless.

“Ahem…”

“Well, I’m not completely unprepared. I’m more or less ready for the history subject.”

Gu Heng coughed lightly and added.

“It’s fine.”

“Don’t feel too much pressure.”

“A hundred days… it’s not a long time, but it’s not short, either.”

“Many art students only have about that much time to study for their academic subjects after their art exams are over.”

Tang Ziheng comforted Gu Heng, “Plenty of people manage to score over four hundred points just by studying in those hundred days. Since you’re already prepared in history, aiming for the Tier 1 cutoff isn’t impossible. But it’s on the condition that you work very, very hard for the next hundred days.”

“My memory is pretty good.”

“I’m just doing this to fulfill a dream. I’ll just do my best.”

Gu Heng smiled, his tone remarkably carefree.

“Brother, are you a results-oriented person or a process-oriented person?”

Tang Ziheng asked suddenly, his interest piqued.

“Put in the effort, and let fate decide the result.”

After a moment’s thought, Gu Heng smiled and gave this answer to Tang Ziheng’s question.

“I get it.”

Tang Ziheng understood the meaning behind the phrase and gave Gu Heng a knowing smile.

“Put in the effort” means to give your all in the cause and the process, leaving no regrets. “Let fate decide the result” represents a kind of detached magnanimity and wisdom—to maintain an accepting attitude toward the outcome, without forcing it or being attached to it.