First, you apply to schools. At this stage, you can have IELTS or not; schools mainly look at your GPA. If they think you meet the requirements, they will issue a conditional offer. Then they will tell you the required IELTS score.
If you don't achieve your target score, you can apply for a language course, which ranges from four to over ten weeks. Four weeks is the shortest, for those who are only short of the required sub-scores.
Because the language courses start earlier, in July or August, language scores are required to be submitted earlier.
But what's particularly insidious is that some schools in the UK will suddenly close early, catching you completely off guard.
KCL has been doing this for several years in a row.
So, it was just bad luck.
Chapter 28
Shi Ling's expression grew even colder.
Chi Cheng thought she was unhappy about his smoking. He had smoked quite a bit while he stayed up all night with her that day, and his craving for cigarettes had gotten a bit stronger these past two days.
He smiled and said, "Just one. I'm not smoking today."
Chi Cheng always went along with her in these little things, always considering her feelings, and the two rarely argued over trivial matters.
Shi Ling still reached out and took his arm. "Whose call did you answer?"
Chi Cheng replied without hesitation, “My mom missed me and told me that if I didn’t come back, she would burn down my room.”
He glanced at her, which served as an explanation for his bad mood, "Besides, your roommate mentioned your ex, and you insisted that I laugh?"
Shi Ling saw that he lied without even thinking, and could do it so easily, and wished she could expose him on the spot.
But when he mentioned Song Licheng, she was even less inclined to engage.
Shi Ling made a gesture as if to pull her hand out of his.
Chi Cheng, of course, wouldn't let her move away and pressed her down forcefully.
"Okay, okay, I misspoke."
When a man apologizes, it often comes across as perfunctory, as if the woman has gotten away with being unreasonable, which only makes people angrier.
When Chi Cheng said this, it was different. He looked at Shi Ling seriously, clearly indicating that he was taking back what he had said.
Chi Cheng stopped and looked at her. Seeing that Shi Ling's expression had softened, he took her hand.
"Don't you want to hold hands?"
Chi Cheng made a nasal "hmm?" sound and leaned closer to touch her nose.
He put his arm around her waist instead, and the two continued walking towards the hotel.
Shi Ling endured the words all the way back to her room, and Chi Cheng immediately kissed her passionately.
She pushed him away, and Chi Cheng smiled. "I know you can't exercise after a big meal, but can't I at least satisfy my craving?"
He let go of her and fell back onto the bed to play his Switch.
Shi Ling sat cross-legged next to him and nudged him, "Chi Cheng."
Chi Cheng was playing at a crucial moment, his hands never stopping, and he didn't even look up. "Baby, wait a minute."
Shi Ling swallowed the words that were about to come out of her mouth, and waited for at least twenty minutes before Chi Cheng finally threw the Switch to his side.
"What? Want to play together?"
Shi Ling tried to remain calm. "Is there something you haven't told me?"
Chi Cheng looked into her eyes with a hint of inquiry, but he quickly realized what was going on and decided to stick to his guns.
"You suspect me of cheating?" Chi Cheng laughed smugly. "I haven't had enough of you yet."
Shi Ling took a deep breath.
She found the real estate agent's post on WeChat Moments and threw her phone in front of him.
Chi Cheng looked confident. "Oh, you even have evidence? Trying to scare me?"
Shi Ling said, almost emphasizing each word, "See for yourself."
Chi Cheng then looked down and picked up his phone.
He hadn't checked his phone the whole way and had no idea that the agent had posted it on WeChat Moments. This wasn't good news either; he thought the agent had only spoken to the few people who had failed to get into the language program.
Sometimes it's a bad thing for a woman to be too smart; she could tell from this that he was answering a call from a real estate agent.
Chi Cheng raised his hand and looked at her icy face.
Shi Ling had already figured it out; if he didn't admit it now, he would be a fool.
His smile vanished. "Yes, I was on the phone with a real estate agent, and that's what they were talking about."
Shi Ling frowned. "Then why did you lie to me?"
Chi Cheng stared at her for a long time.
Saying she's smart isn't always entirely true.
She saw through his lies, but couldn't see through his pride.
Chi Cheng ultimately didn't say it aloud, "I don't want you to worry."
Shi Ling's tone was still one of dissatisfaction, "What if I hadn't seen the agency send it?"
Chi Cheng smiled. "You'll find out sooner or later anyway. Why wouldn't I come here for comfort when I have such a good opportunity?"
Shi Ling has always been reasonable; she believes that things should be clarified before getting bogged down in a fuss.
She quickly asked Chi Cheng, "What are you planning to do?"
Chi Cheng shrugged. "What else can I do? I'll just keep taking the exam."
Shi Ling was still worried about him. Although he only failed to reach the required score in one section this time, there is a plateau in taking the IELTS test. He only had a little over two months left, not to mention the thirteen days until the results were released.
No matter how you look at it, it's urgent.
Chi Cheng comforted her, "I'm only 0.5 points short. I've been taking the test two or three times in a row recently, so I should be close."
Shi Ling was still frowning. He was already in a bad mood and didn't feel like saying anything more.
Chi Cheng casually said a few words, then picked up the Switch again, "How about we start studying tomorrow? I really can't concentrate today."
**
With only two days left for the defense, Shi Ling was working on her presentation slides, while Chi Cheng was practicing coding problems on his iPad.
Shi Ling originally wanted to persuade him to go back to Guangzhou to study, but Chi Cheng was already upset and said that it wouldn't make a difference if she finished her defense in a couple of days, so they could go to Guangzhou together.
Shi Ling thought about it and agreed.
On the morning of her thesis defense, Shi Ling went back to her dormitory and changed into a formal suit.
Chi Cheng was waiting for her downstairs. When he saw her come down, his eyes lit up.
He whistled at her.
Shi Ling naturally has a cool temperament, and when she wears formal attire, she exudes both charisma and allure.
She stretched her bodycon skirt perfectly, and Chi Cheng pretended to reach out his hand.
Shi Ling retorted, calling him "lewd and obscene."
Chi Cheng laughed for a while, "I didn't teach you that line."
Shi Ling had heard them say this so many times that she already knew what it meant.
She said to him expressionlessly, "Zhang Yilin taught me."
Zhang Yilin had pursued Shi Ling for a while, and Chi Cheng still remembered it, asking sourly, "Really?"
Shi Ling then laughed, "Just kidding. I remembered it because I heard you guys talk about it so much."
The two entered from the back of the classroom, where the front seats were already full.
They walked a few rows forward to the seat that Yi Yi and the others had reserved for Shi Ling.
Chi Cheng could clearly feel that everyone around him was looking him up and down.
I also heard people whispering timidly, asking if this was Shi Ling's boyfriend.
Some people also mentioned words like "breakup".
Clearly, some people are surprised that Shi Ling, such a high-status woman, broke up with her boyfriend so quickly and started a new relationship.
Yi Yi nudged Shi Ling with her elbow, "Lingzai, someone asked about Chi Cheng in the class group chat."
Shi Ling was still looking down at her paper. "Ignore them, let them talk."
Although a mentor avoidance mechanism was adopted, with different mentors conducting the reviews and the process taking place simultaneously in three classrooms, the order was arranged according to each mentor.
If it were stuck in the afternoon, it would take even more time. Fortunately, Shi Ling was among the last few in the morning.
Shi Ling's paper compares the loan terms of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the BRICS Development Bank. She prepared her PowerPoint presentation meticulously and memorized it thoroughly.
One of the professors in the audience happened to be the one who wrote her recommendation letter when she went abroad, and he didn't make things too difficult for her.
After asking a few simple questions and discussing the limiting factors, they exchanged opinions and quickly let her go.
When Shi Ling stood on the stage, she answered questions calmly and fluently, displaying both poise and confidence.
Chi Cheng had never seen this side of her before, and he watched her from below the stage with amusement. She seemed afraid that Chi Cheng would interfere, so she avoided looking at him the whole time and never glanced in his direction.
After the morning's defenses were completed, Shi Ling and Chi Cheng left first.
Lu Xinyan hadn't finished her defense yet. The group had originally planned to have lunch together, but they postponed it to the evening, waiting until Lu Xinyan finished her defense so they could eat together.
Unexpectedly, after the defense ended in the afternoon, the class organized a dinner for all the professors in their major. It was a rare treat that everyone was there.
Shi Ling rarely participates in class activities, but several teachers have written her recommendation letters, for which she has always been grateful. This is probably her graduation thank-you banquet.
She let Chi Cheng eat dinner by himself and went to the party by herself.
Except for a few people who are still waiting for the results of their second defense, most people have finished their theses and their undergraduate studies are over.
After finishing their big event, they felt they hadn't had enough fun after dinner and said they wanted to sing karaoke all night.
Shi Ling didn't want to join in the fun and said she would leave first after finishing her meal.