Counterattack starts with controlling probability

As the TOEFL exam approached, Liu Xia felt like a steel cable hanging in mid-air, so tight that it was about to break.

She knew that this exam was of great importance. Whether she could pass the TOEFL would directly affect her success in applying to the MBA program at the University of California, Berkeley.

Every time she thought of this, she couldn't help but feel an indescribable pressure.

That morning, sunlight shone through the gaps in the curtains onto the headboard of the bed. Liu Xia opened her eyes and found that she had woken up from a deep sleep.

She checked her phone and saw that there were still two hours left before the exam.

She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself.

However, her heartbeat was no longer steady. It was as if a little drummer was beating inside her chest, and the rhythm became faster and faster with every breath she took.

She stood up, dressed, and mechanically sorted her backpack and exam materials. Li Hao's advice kept repeating in her mind: "Don't be too nervous. Remember that you have prepared. This is just a test, not the only criterion for determining your ability."

However, Li Hao's comfort seemed particularly distant at this moment.

She knew that his words were meant to help her, but she still couldn't calm down.

After getting dressed, Liu Xia gently opened the door and walked into the kitchen.

The fresh morning air blew in her face, but she didn't feel comfortable at all.

Breakfast seemed unusually simple. She ate two bites of toast without even bothering to drink a sip of water.

Her stomach felt like it was blocked by a heavy mass, empty yet full of a heavy weight.

"Liu Xia, calm down. Take a deep breath." She said to herself silently in her heart.

She stood at the window, trying to relieve her tension with the scenery of nature.

The sun shone on the lush green leaves and a gentle breeze blew by, but all these beautiful scenes could not eliminate the turmoil in her heart.

Every second seemed like an endless torture, and her thoughts kept drifting back to last night's review, thinking about the words she couldn't remember and the listening questions she got wrong.

Finally, she went out.

The car started and drove towards the examination room. Liu Xia gripped the steering wheel tightly with both hands, her knuckles turning white with nervousness.

She knew that time was passing by little by little, the moment of the exam was getting closer, and her heartbeat was getting faster and faster.

The scenes of the test day kept flashing through her mind - the unfamiliar speaking speed in the listening section, the complex and long sentences in the reading section, and the sudden topics in the oral section. These were repeatedly intertwined in her mind, making her unable to get rid of them.

The car slowed down gradually, and she saw the examination building approaching.

She parked her car in the parking lot and walked towards the building with heavy steps.

Every step she took seemed to drain all her strength.

Her palms began to sweat and her calves felt weak.

When she walked into the lobby of the building, she saw a group of candidates. Everyone looked a little nervous, each holding documents, mobile phones or water bottles, looking around.

"Go, Liu Xia, the exam is just around the corner." She whispered to herself, trying to give herself some strength.

She entered the examination room, found her seat and sat down.

Looking around, the other candidates looked just as nervous as she did.

Some people lowered their heads, staring at the test papers intently, while some people tapped the table with their fingers, as if to cheer themselves up.

The entire examination room was filled with an atmosphere of silence, but this silence was not quietness, but a sense of oppression, as if everyone's breathing was tightly pinched by invisible air.

As the bell rang to signal the start of the exam, Liu Xia's heart beat faster.

She picked up her pen and prepared to start the first part - listening.

The moment you put on the headphones, your ears are sealed in a silent space.

Her fingers began to tremble involuntarily, and it seemed that even the strength to hold the pen was disappearing bit by bit.

The first listening material began to play, and the content seemed to be a discussion about climate change.

Liu Xia listened carefully, but soon she found that her attention began to wander, and her ears were filled with rapid voices and long sentences.

She tried desperately to concentrate and forced herself to listen to every word, but every time she was about to understand a sentence, the listening material quickly turned to another topic.

Her mind began to turn into a mess, and her head felt so heavy that it seemed like it was going to explode.

"Oh my God, what should I do..." She thought to herself.

She could barely make out certain key words and messages.

Every time she finished a question, Liu Xia felt more depressed, as if these questions were a heavy stone that made her breathless.

Time passed by minute by minute, and the clock in the examination room ticked, as if reminding her of the remaining time.

She tried to suppress her inner anxiety and told herself: "Calm down, calm down, don't panic."

But her fingers involuntarily began to fumble with the answer sheet. The sweat on her palms made her grip on the pen loosen a little, and it seemed that the answer would slip out at any time.

Next came the reading section. Liu Xia took a deep breath, forced herself to calm down, and stared at the article.

She knew that this was the only part she could control - at least this question did not require relying on her ears like listening, she could grasp the information through her eyes.

However, facing the long article in front of her, Liu Xia still felt tremendous pressure.

Each paragraph was filled with unfamiliar words and complex sentence structures. She kept flipping through the dictionary and looking up grammar, trying to understand the main point of the article. But as the minutes passed, her heartbeat didn't slow down at all.

"Am I doing it fast enough? Can I catch up?" She began to get anxious and unconsciously glanced back at the clock in the exam room.

Time is passing quickly, but the pressure is growing like a snowball.

Towards the end, Liu Xia's mind began to blur and her anxiety became more and more intense.

Every time she finished a question, she felt as if her head was immersed in thick confusion, and it was difficult to sort out any thoughts.

She completed the exam almost by instinct, and all her efforts seemed to be exchanged for only waves of fatigue and palpitations.

"It's almost over, just hold on a little longer." She told herself desperately.

When the exam entered its final stage, Liu Xia was still in a state of anxiety.

She looked at the remaining spaces on the answer sheet, as if every unanswered question was mocking her powerlessness.

Her heart was beating fast and her fingers were shaking uncontrollably, especially during the last few questions in the reading section, when she felt the time was running out and her thoughts were in a mess.

Her eyes wandered over the text. Although she had read every article carefully, she still couldn't determine the answers to some questions.

At this moment, Liu Xia's heart was filled with waves of anxiety - she could no longer concentrate effectively.

Her mind was blank, and many of her ideas and logic for answering the questions were swallowed up by her nervousness.

The questions seemed to have clear answers, but in her anxious state of mind, she was unable to quickly grasp the key information.

Just when she was about to give up, suddenly, an unknown force, as if emerging from a corner deep in her mind, quickly invaded her thoughts.

"Calm down, calm down, don't panic." She reminded herself silently in her heart. Just as she was about to continue staring at the difficult problem, a low but clear voice suddenly came from her mind: "I'll help you."

The voice did not come from anywhere outside, but from deep within her heart.

The familiar feeling made her stunned.

Before she could fully comprehend why she heard the voice so suddenly, she felt an indescribable energy permeate her mind, filling the gaps in her brain.

Almost subconsciously, she began to answer the questions based on that intuitive guidance.

"Just guess it, don't overthink it." The voice whispered in her mind. Suddenly, she understood. Yes, there was no need to force complicated logic and thinking. Just relax and go with the flow.

Her eyes swept over question after question, and she felt as if she was being gently pushed forward. Her fingers swiped across the answer sheet, and she filled in the answers without hesitation, as if all the choices were so natural.

She didn't think too much about each option, but relied on her intuition and belief to choose according to the guidance of the voice.

At this moment, her mind gradually became clear, as if dispelled by a thick layer of fog.

Her speed in answering questions increased rapidly, and she no longer felt the heaviness she had felt before. It seemed that every time she finished a question, she felt a sense of relief in her heart.

Liu Xia's eyes became firm, and she gradually regained her sense of control over the exam.

Those long sentences and difficult words that she initially thought were complicated seemed to be unlocked by that power.

With each choice she made, she became more confident and her pace of answering questions became faster and faster.

She no longer even worried about whether it was right, but instead began to enjoy the feeling of being pushed forward.

All of this is like entering a state guided by an invisible force.

She looked up at the candidates around her again. Everyone had their heads down, concentrating on answering questions. Only she suddenly felt that she was standing in a place far away from restlessness and anxiety.

I feel much calmer, and the stress seems to be taken away by a breeze.

She knew she had done her best in the exam—no longer dwelling on the details of each difficult question, but relying on her intuition and that strong inner strength.

The bell for the end of the exam finally rang. Liu Xia put down her pen and took a deep breath.

At that moment, her body suddenly felt relaxed, as if all the pressure was released in an instant.

A smile appeared on her face. Although she was still a little nervous, she felt more relieved.

……

at the same time.

"Mr. Pi, is this okay? I've never used it in an exam before. Don't let me down!" Li Hao said jokingly to Lao Pi in his heart.

[What do you mean, Xiao Li? You don't believe me anymore? I'm telling you, Liu Xia's guessed answers this time will definitely be more accurate than her own. Just wait and see!]

Lao Pi's voice, with a hint of humor, responded to Li Hao in his heart.

[Besides, when have I ever disappointed you?!]