Chapter Twenty-Six: The Monthly Exam

Saturday, September 18th.

The first monthly exam for the senior year at Xincheng No. 1 High School.

“Wu Tong, your exam number for this session is 09020300003009. You’ll be seated in the first exam hall, by the podium, in an extra seat—fully visible to the proctor the entire time. Keep a calm mind. No matter the outcome, being able to participate in this exam already makes you a source of pride for your teachers. I’m waiting for you to achieve even greater results!” Chen Qiusheng personally escorted Wu Tong to the exam hall door, offering earnest words of advice.

At seven o’clock, the exam bell rang. Wu Tong truly sat in the senior-year exam hall, surrounded by senior students and proctors scrutinizing her with curiosity. She received her test paper with composure, carefully checked it, filled in her personal information with diligence, and when the starting bell sounded, immediately immersed herself in the answers, pushing everything else from her mind.

The first session, as usual, was Chinese. All the memorization and recitation required for senior-year Chinese, Wu Tong had already repeatedly reviewed, mastering the basics with ease.

For reading comprehension and the essay, she had intensified her practice this week. Now, it was up to her to give her all in the moment. Though, often, even the original authors of the reading comprehension texts might struggle with the questions, this was a challenge every student must tackle. Her Chinese teacher had given her special training in answering reading comprehension during self-study periods; their support was evident in their actions.

Luck was on her side: one of the reading comprehension passages was one she had encountered before, albeit with a slightly different angle of questioning. She had studied this text thoroughly, so she felt confident that her Chinese exam this time went quite well!

From the second session—Mathematics—Wu Tong entered her true domain and began her usual performance.

Having self-studied advanced mathematics and endured the trials of national-level Olympiad questions, senior-year math problems seemed, if not as easy as one plus one, at least akin to a high schooler solving elementary school exercises.

Half an hour later, after triple-checking for any errors, Wu Tong raised her hand and handed in her paper. Perhaps due to the revision schedule, this exam had a significant focus on functions and sets—each major question featured one on sets, one on functions, and the final big question was a combined application of the two. Wu Tong had caught it perfectly!

Her math score this time should be impressive!

The proctors and students in the first exam hall had heard of Wu Tong’s habit of handing in papers early, but seeing it firsthand was a different experience.

She had jumped from sophomore to senior-year exams, and could finish the senior math monthly test in thirty minutes—this speed made all the top students in the hall twitch with disbelief. They were already the cream of the senior year, and the fastest among them had only managed to reach the major questions!

Only thirty minutes since the exam started—not one and a half hours!

Such a difference was enough to make people shiver. What sort of prodigy was this—having already wreaked havoc among sophomores, now here to subdue the seniors?

Wu Tong’s record was clear for all to see. No one would suspect that such a student would scribble randomly just to hand in early and attract attention.

One of the proctors in the first exam hall was precisely Vice Principal Luo Zhenping, who also served as the senior-year director. He specialized in mathematics, and still taught the top science class, serving as its homeroom teacher.

He had personally crafted this math exam. To give the senior-year students a tough lesson, to temper their arrogance and truly assess their abilities, he had deliberately made the paper challenging.

Wu Tong’s speed made him wonder if his questions were simply too easy.

But upon glancing at the top sixty students in the hall, all frowning in concentration, he realized their struggle was normal. He gazed at the exam hall, frustrated that these seniors couldn’t even outperform a sophomore—who had missed a whole year of study!

Is this the highest level among seniors? What a disgrace!

He had solved the paper himself and remembered the answers. Luo Zhenping quickly scanned Wu Tong’s paper—no mistakes or omissions. It was highly likely that Wu Tong not only finished quickly, but with precision, and would probably achieve a perfect score again. Truly, she had the ability to ace the national college entrance exam!

“Turn right as you leave, and the first classroom is the senior-year office. Wu Tong, you can rest there for a while,” he said kindly. Good students are always a treasure to teachers. Considering that the sophomore classrooms had been used as senior exam halls today, Wu Tong, finishing one and a half hours early, had nowhere else to go. Luo Zhenping spoke with genuine concern.

Most senior-year teachers were proctoring; the office was conveniently empty. “There are paper cups by the water dispenser. Help yourself, but be careful not to get burned!”

“Thank you, Teacher,” Wu Tong replied, carrying her book bag as she left the exam hall.

She had originally planned to find a shady spot on campus to quietly read, waiting for the next exam. She was now beginning to study analytic geometry—the book was in her bag.

Paper, pen, scratch paper, and her current book of study were her standard kit. Now, with the teacher’s assistance, she could enjoy the office air conditioning. In the heat of summer, she was not immune to the elements; outside was truly no place to linger.

There were two more exams in the afternoon. The senior-year monthly exam schedule was tighter—one day from seven in the morning to six-thirty at night, with just two hours for lunch break.

Wu Tong extended her early submission streak to the afternoon’s English and Science Comprehensive exams, opening the eyes of everyone present with her actions.

The last session, Science Comprehensive, was also the first combined exam for the seniors. Most students were overwhelmed, flustered, and at a loss…

Yet, after only thirty or forty minutes, Wu Tong handed in her paper at her usual speed! The school, it seemed, had dug up a legend to devastate them. Thirty minutes for math, thirty for English, forty for science comprehensive—her total time for three exams was less than their time for one. The contrast was so stark it was painful.

As for Wu Tong herself, she thought nothing of it. She used her early submission time to thoroughly master Chapter One—Coordinates and Vectors—of analytic geometry, and made it halfway through Chapter Two—Loci and Equations. After finishing Science Comprehensive forty minutes early, she simply took her book bag and went home.

Tonight’s small goal: before bed, master Chapter Two.

Compared to the students’ despair, Luo Zhenping was elated. He had already confirmed Wu Tong’s math score: a perfect mark. The English proctor, another teacher, had Wu Tong’s result ten minutes after submission: also perfect. He had instructed the Chinese teacher to pay special attention to her Chinese paper—140 points, the highest single-subject score among seniors. For Science Comprehensive, he was coordinating with the teachers to expedite the grading; all scores would be ready tonight.

Perfect scores in English and math, 140 in Chinese—the child had full marks on this year’s college entrance exam science paper, and her comprehensive science was hardly lacking. If he dared hope, perhaps she would score perfectly again! Blessed by the stars of scholarship and talent, nothing could keep her from a top-tier university!

Ha! Old Luo almost wanted to shout to the heavens in pride—his luck this year was extraordinary, tonight he would raise a glass in celebration!

Tomorrow, he would invite Old Duan and Old Chen for a drink, grateful for their dedication to the school, for sending him such a promising seedling! Yes, he’d tell the principal right away that he wanted this student—no one else could have her. Tomorrow, he’d arrange a seat for her in his class.