When it was City No.1 High School’s turn, there were still 2 places for direct admission left to Q University, B University, and F Institute.
During the ti their classmates from City No.1 High School were solving problems on stage, Qingran didn’t continue to work on them with them. It was almost their turn in the next and final round; with less than half an hour left, she had to conserve her energy.
Worried that her eyes would inadvertently drift to the large screen with the problem, Qingran even closed her eyes to rest.
And because she was resting with her eyes closed, she did not see the ugly look that flashed across Xie Ying’an’s face when he looked up at another screen.
The other screen would randomly capture and display a work-in-progress solution from one of the competing students.
Within just a few seconds, the screen had already changed to another student’s work.
Xie Ying’an frowned and pinched the pain brewing inwardly, believing that he must be hallucinating from the effects of so dication.
How could Bai Wenxing possibly be using the sa kind of unconventional strategy that Qingran had used before?
Even if Bai Wenxing learned that strategy, using the one that Li Qingran had already employed, did he really think he could make a splash in this competition?
"Huh?" Old Wu, sitting in front, was also sowhat perplexed.
The head teacher, after putting his handkerchief back in his pocket that he had used to wipe his sweat, asked Old Wu, "What’s the matter?"
Old Wu shook his head first and then added, "I just caught a glimpse on the big screen, why does the third student’s thod on the right look exactly the sa as Li Qingran’s previous thod?"
The head teacher, who had not been present the previous two tis, only knew that Li Qingran had fought her way through to the finals and wasn’t aware of which strategy she had used, so he sighed, "It’s common for people to have the sa problem-solving approaches. What others know, we know too; there’s nothing strange about that."
Discussing this matter would indeed be a long story, and too cumberso for Old Wu to explain to the head teacher.
Thinking to himself, he might have just caught a fleeting glimpse and could have been mistaken.
The 15 minutes of problem-solving ti flew by in the blink of an eye.
Starting with the first student on the left, each student’s solution board began to appear on the screen one by one.
Due to the ti constraint, the judges made decisions very quickly - imdiate pass for any incorrect answer!
The first three students’ answers were mostly eliminated either because they got one problem wrong or didn’t finish the last question.
The fourth student was that young man with glasses thicker than bottle bottoms, and he passed, perhaps to justify the thickness of his glasses.
This student, favored by a B University professor who had taken a liking to him last ti, was selected, and after eliminating three more, Bai Wenxing’s solution board was displayed on the screen.
When Qingran saw Bai Wenxing’s solution board again, her pupils shrank slightly; only the relatively simple problem two used that unconventional approach.
And it was at that mont, Qingran finally understood why Bai Wenxing had provocatively and ambiguously smirked at her just before going on stage.
It was both within and beyond Qingran’s expectations that Bai Wenxing would use this approach.
She guessed that the youth, with a strong competitive spirit, hoped to gain the professors’ attention by this thod, which made sense.
And Bai Wenxing was always clear-headed. He always knew what he wanted and then put great effort into securing it.
For example, during this sumr holiday, he went out of his way to attend a physics tutoring class near F High School, banking on the chance that Qingran would also attend the tutoring, with the goal to close the distance between them and learn this problem-solving thod...
The three professors at the back of the stage, who had been silent today, took notice of Bai Wenxing’s solution when one of them picked up the microphone and turned on the mic.
This professor’s voice was deep: "Student Bai Wenxing, your approach to solving the second problem is quite..."
He paused, then continued: "It’s very unique. Could you share with us the specifics of your problem-solving approach?"
Bai Wenxing, with his handso face, displayed a standard smile. He nodded and started to articulate his strategy for solving the second problem.
Old Wu, situated in the forward seat, ultimately could not contain his curiosity. He abruptly turned around and asked Qingran, "The problem-solving thod for the second question used by the student on stage..."
Xie Ying’an also looked faintly towards Qingran.
"Mhm," under the pressure of combined gazes, Qingran quickly nodded in acknowledgnt: "During the sumr tutoring, he ca to seek my advice, I couldn’t refuse to teach him."
The head teacher also swiveled around abruptly—almost risking a neck twist—his expression no longer expressible as simple surprise: "You, you taught him?"
Was this problem-solving approach, questioned by the professors in the back, really taught by a fellow student from their F High School?
Qingran nodded again, affirmatively.
The head teacher and Old Wu exchanged glances, both seeing the phrase "what a ss!" written all over each other’s faces.
They chuckled awkwardly, against their conscience, managed to mutter a "good" before quickly facing forward again.
That question, "Why did you teach him that?" was on the tip of their tongues, but nobility of their teaching positions restrained them from saying it outright.
Where one predator leaves, another arrives.
"But just one week..." Xie Ying’an sneered: "That was quick."
After saying so, he no longer looked at Qingran, nor the stage, closing his eyes in a sulky posture.
Qingran: "..."
Such a petty ghost.
She felt Xie Ying’an was making a mountain out of a molehill, the issue not even worth a needle’s eye.
Especially as he was already ill, she couldn’t let him be upset.
Qingran reached out and tugged at Xie Ying’an’s clothes. Xie Ying’an opened his eyes, looked down at her hand pulling at his clothing with pursed lips, and said nothing.
Qingran tried to convince him: "During tutoring, he ran over to ask for my help, I couldn’t just not teach, could I?"
Xie Ying’an continued to look down, silent.
Qingran changed her approach: "So, I shouldn’t teach anyone in the future?"
Only then did Xie Ying’an raise his eyelids, snorting coldly, "There’s a future?"
Qingran waved her hands: "There’s not, there’s not."
Amidst the conversation, she noticed laughter had long filled the boy’s dark pupils.
On stage, the questioning continued, but this ti it was Lin Zhou who took the microphone.
Looking from the back, the young man stood with a straight back, his voice gentle yet carrying an unyielding seriousness: "This problem-solving thod was previously used by Li Qing from F High during the preliminary round. So, I’d like to ask, did you learn this problem-solving strategy from her?"
Bai Wenxing’s expression visibly stiffened for a mont before regaining his trademark smile: "Yes, I sought instruction from Li Qingran during the sumr."
Upon hearing this, the three professors huddled together, discussing and writing sothing on a piece of paper before them—whatever it might be.
After getting the answer he wanted, Lin Zhou turned off his microphone and didn’t ask any more questions.
A professor from Q University, all smiles, granted Bai Wenxing a place: "This spirit of humbly seeking guidance from others is precisely what our school is missing..."
Bai Wenxing bowed to thank the professor, then looked up and cast a fleeting glance towards Qingran.
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