Setting aside revenge and retribution for now, Xia Xiaolan still wanted to take the college entrance exam, so she needed to find a solution.

The injury was to her wrist, and judging from the fracture’s location on the X-ray and her pain sensation, it was approximately 4 centimeters above the wrist joint. This position was quite ambiguous – if it had been slightly lower, she wouldn’t have been able to control her palm at all, but now there seemed to be some room for maneuver.

Xia Xiaolan proposed having a thick cast from her wrist to her elbow to keep it immobilized, relying on her fingers to hold the pen for writing. As long as her fingers were unharmed, theoretically, she could write.

The wrist would certainly need to exert force. Xia Xiaolan was thankful this wasn’t the era of brush-writing examinations. With a fountain pen, one didn’t need to suspend the wrist while writing – if one wasn’t too particular, the wrist could rest completely on the table while writing… It was similar to typing on a keyboard, where both hands rest on the keyboard and rely on all ten fingers to type nimbly. If the keyboard size matched the typist’s hand size, the wrist barely needed to move.

Writing would be similar.

With the wrist resting on the table, secured by the cast to prevent movement, writing was still possible.

It would just be more strenuous, the writing would lack vigor, and the writing speed would be significantly limited.

But in these special circumstances, she couldn’t be too particular. Even if her writing looked lifeless and weak, it wouldn’t affect her accuracy in answering questions. Her wrist was injured, and while writing answers on the test paper required her hand, solving problems required her brain – and her brain was perfectly fine!

Of course, questions involving extensive calculations would be affected by her slow pace on scratch paper.

But she couldn’t worry about that now – being able to take the exam was what mattered.

When Xia Xiaolan explained this method to the doctor, he looked at her thoughtfully:

“Theoretically, it’s possible, but no matter how minimal the movement, you can’t avoid affecting the injury. Human muscles and bones are connected – palm movements require coordination between the wrist and elbow… During the exam, with your wrist in pain, you won’t be able to perform well anyway, right?”

From a medical perspective, he hoped the patient would take care of her body.

Health was the foundation of everything – nothing should take precedence over physical well-being.

Xia Xiaolan’s expression remained unchanged: “Then I’ll need your help – prescribe me three days’ worth of painkillers to get me through the exam!”

Taking a painkiller before the exam – Xia Xiaolan thought her plan was feasible, but the doctor shook his head repeatedly: “No, absolutely not. The painkillers will temporarily relieve the pain by numbing your pain receptors, but you won’t notice if the fracture worsens!”

What about taking painkillers to endure the exam? And after the exam?

Three consecutive days of writing so many test papers!

“Do you have a better solution?”

Xia Xiaolan stared at the doctor. Despite her disheveled appearance, her face was extremely beautiful. Her unwavering gaze made the doctor uncomfortable with prolonged eye contact.

The doctor turned his head aside and sighed resignedly:

“There is no better solution.”

Xia Xiaolan remained silent, but her expression told everyone her stance. If someone had a better solution, speak up; if not, they would do things her way.

What sets successful people apart from others might be a kind of ‘stubbornness’ – a persistence that others find hard to dissuade.

Some stubbornness leads entrepreneurs to persevere until victory.

Some stubbornness becomes mere obstinacy or obsession, leading entrepreneurs into the gutter!

While this wasn’t entrepreneurship, the status of being a ‘university student’ in the 1980s was incredibly precious – this was Xia Xiaolan securing her protection and stepping stone. Because it was so important, Principal Sun and the others found it inappropriate, but who could persuade her?

If someone prevented Xia Xiaolan from taking the exam this year, what if she performed poorly next year and missed her chance at her dream university?

Principal Sun said they needed to see her parents – her mother’s consent was necessary before trying this approach.

Xia Xiaolan smiled bitterly, “Principal, you know what my mother is like. Calling her here would only make her worry needlessly, with no benefit. She follows my decisions anyway. I’m almost 19, I have the right to make this decision myself.”

She was a few days short of 19, but that wasn’t the point.

The point was that Principal Sun had to acknowledge her argument. The Minor Protection Law hadn’t been enacted yet, and adulthood wasn’t strictly defined by turning 18.

From any perspective, 19 was old enough to make one’s own decisions. Some people that age already had children running around. If Xia Xiaolan wanted to take the exam under these circumstances, could Principal Sun withhold her admission ticket?

“Student Xiaolan, please reconsider carefully!”

Principal Sun’s expression was serious. He very much wanted County No. 1 High School to produce a top scholar, to achieve something notable. This wasn’t just about the school’s glory – such honor could attract more educational resources from Fengxian City to Anqing County No. 1 High School. If Xia Xiaolan could become Yunan Province’s top scorer, even the Provincial Education Department would pay special attention to the school that produced such a student.

This educational resource allocation meant a competitive advantage in new teacher assignments, education funding, and better student recruitment!

Combined, these factors could elevate Anqing County No. 1 High School’s teaching standards within two or three years!

But this wasn’t reason enough to force Xia Xiaolan to take the exam… Principal Sun still had his professional ethics. He now vaguely regretted not letting her transfer to Fengxian earlier – perhaps today’s misfortune could have been avoided.

Sun Tian and others took turns trying to persuade her. Even Chen Qing, despite the presence of teachers, boldly spoke up.

None could change Xia Xiaolan’s decision.

“Let’s put on the cast first, then I’ll try.”

She needed to test if the method would work – she wouldn’t joke about her hand. Despite investing tremendous effort, even though Xia Xiaolan wouldn’t starve without a university education, she couldn’t accept missing this year’s exam. Given her insistence, the doctor could only apply the cast.

It required skill to make it secure enough without restricting blood flow.

Once the cast dried, Xia Xiaolan rested her hand on the table and began writing. As expected, she could only move slowly with small movements. The cast was cumbersome, her wrist couldn’t exert force, and her writing was shaky. With even slight pressure, the fractured area hurt intensely.

At this speed, extensive calculations would be impossible.

Just completing the exam within the time limit would be a miracle!

Xia Xiaolan’s heart sank:

“Give me a painkiller.”

With medication, her writing speed would surely improve, and she wouldn’t need to constantly focus on the injury.

“Miss Xia…”

Was it worth going this far?

Even without taking the exam, Miss Xia’s business was doing well. Those university graduates just earned monthly salaries – it sounded prestigious, but the reality wasn’t as profitable as being a private business owner. Ge Jian couldn’t understand why she was pushing herself so hard.

“Ge Jian, I can’t give up on university.”

The discrimination and low social status of private business owners would continue for many years. Should she always let others sabotage her at will? Xia Xiaolan’s previous life’s college entrance exam hadn’t gone as hoped – she had reasons to make up for that regret, reasons to earn respect for her family in this life, and considerations for her future development. This university exam was necessary!