Chapter Seventeen: The Dark Horse

Chinese 133, a perfect score in English, mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology, with a total of 733 points—if this were the college entrance exam, it would almost certainly mean the top science student in the province! If the Chinese score were to improve even further, it would almost be enough to set a new record in the exam’s history!

“Wu Tong, Grade 11, Class 7—Old Chen, that’s your student!”

“Where did such a dark horse even come from?” Six science subjects, and apart from Chinese, all perfect scores—such achievements are dazzling, almost unbelievable. Who would have thought their own school, with its meager resources, could have produced such an outstanding and formidable student!

All the teachers were instantly filled with a mix of envy and uncertainty—not sure whether congratulations were in order. With the term just having started, discovering such a prodigy was bound to catch the attention of the elite classes, who would never let this student slip away. The school leadership would surely support transferring this student to receive the best educational resources. In fact, if word of these scores got out, schools from across the city or even the province might try to recruit this student.

The hunger for talent was written all over the faces of the two elite class homeroom teachers; their eyes seemed to shine with anticipation!

No teacher suspected the scores were the result of cheating. Not only did they consider themselves diligent invigilators, making cheating nearly impossible, but the exam questions themselves had been painstakingly selected and modified by the teachers. There were no official answers before the grading, and no risk of leaks.

To achieve such dazzling results amidst such complex knowledge points and challenging questions could only mean that this student was genuinely exceptional: a solid foundation, advanced self-study, clear logical thinking, and outstanding adaptability.

Old Chen wiped his face. Before opening the test papers, he had never imagined that such a windfall would land in his lap. But the thought of being unable to keep such a prodigious student made him want to curse!

As for Wu Tong, to be honest, Old Chen didn’t have a strong impression of the student—quiet, not one to stand out in class. If memory served, Wu Tong’s final grades last term were just average. How could things have changed so drastically over a single summer? Perhaps the word “turnaround” fit best.

Maybe Wu Tong hadn’t relaxed over the holiday and had undergone some tutoring, finally unlocking their potential. Old Chen vaguely remembered that the child’s mother worked in education, teaching at an elementary school in the county. With a teacher at home, the family must have paid special attention to Wu Tong’s studies.

But with this sudden burst of brilliance, Old Chen could only look forward to this brief moment of joy.

After their initial astonishment, the teachers were genuinely pleased. Having such a promising student, regardless of which class they belonged to, meant at least one solid contender for the school this year. As long as Wu Tong continued to perform well, their class would have a strong foundation.

Score entry continued. Since they had already opened the exam papers from Room Eleven and recorded Wu Tong’s results, they entered the others as well. Most of the remaining scores hovered just above the passing line. Occasionally, a student would break a hundred in a core subject, but scores above eighty in science were rare. Apart from Wu Tong’s miraculous performance, no one else had exceeded 130 in a core subject, but this was considered normal for Exam Room Eleven.

Monday morning, during the early self-study period, many students in Grade 11, Class 7 were still half-asleep when the homeroom teacher entered with the morning bell.

“Everyone, the results from our diagnostic test are out. In a moment, I’ll post the score sheet on the wall and put the honor roll on the display board. After early self-study, you can all take a look.

I have to say, the class performed worse than I expected. Even the most basic questions were missed, which has left all the subject teachers deeply disappointed. You’ll all be taking the college entrance exam next year—how much more time do you think you have to waste? Those of you who have fallen behind or whose grades have slipped, I hope you reflect on yourselves and ask: Why did this happen? …”

“Of course, there were a few students who performed exceptionally well this time. I hope you can all learn from them!”

“Who do you think that is?”

“Probably just those few usual suspects…”

“It’s got to be the class monitor or the academic committee members—Old Chen’s favorites!” Zhang Shumei whispered to Wu Tong, gossiping, “Wu Tong, how did you do? I almost went blank—I didn’t study at all over the summer, just answered by instinct!”

“I think I did alright. I did some revision over the summer,” Wu Tong replied softly and simply. After the exam, Wu Tong had a good sense of their score—except for Chinese, there should be no mistakes in the other subjects, barring the teacher’s mood or possible deductions for presentation. All in all, it should be a very good score.

“Envy is making me tear up!” Zhang Shumei seemed to say this every time, which meant her grades were stable and her pocket money wouldn’t be deducted by her mother.

The homeroom teacher continued his speech. The class only whispered for a brief moment before returning to order. After his impassioned lecture about the grades, Old Chen tore off some tape and posted the score sheet on the side wall of the blackboard.

He truly felt both pained and helpless. It wasn’t easy for the class to produce such an outstanding student, and the homeroom teachers of the elite classes were already waiting eagerly. If it weren’t for wanting to talk to the student first and maintain a sense of decorum for the elite class, those two would have already come knocking. Every student aspires to join the elite class, and the school’s policy allows students ranked in the top hundred to transfer if they so wish.

The elite class was the pride of the school, staffed with the best teachers and offering the best benefits—who wouldn’t want to join?

Once Old Chen had posted the score sheet, the students immediately flocked to see it, especially those in the front two rows, who could see without even leaving their seats. Those further back needed exceptional eyesight.

“Oh my god…”

“Holy…”

Exclamations burst from the students with the best view, as they instinctively looked for first place and were blinded by a string of 150/150/100/100/100, with a total score of 733, far ahead of everyone else. Someone had actually achieved such a theoretical maximum—was this even human?

The exclamations left those in the back rows itching with curiosity, hating when others left their sentences hanging. The students in front were about to turn and share their shock when Old Chen’s stern gaze silenced them.

Seeing they knew when to stop, Old Chen didn’t say more. He clapped his hands and said, “Alright, it’s time for self-study. Everyone, continue your morning reading.”

Then, after a brief pause, he added, “Wu Tong, come outside with me for a moment!”

Before the elite classes came knocking, he needed to have a word with his own student—after all, one must always hold onto hope.