Chapter 295
If he scored zero in the finals, he wouldn't even have the face to go back to school.
Li Youcai and another girl seemed to realize something at that moment.
They realized that Zhou Zedong was starting to hold back, leaving points for the three of them to fight over!
There were only half an hour left.
How many points they could snatch in this last half-hour depended entirely on their own abilities.
Suddenly, the spirits of the three, which had been gradually crushed and scattered, began to improve.
Sure enough, Zhou Zedong didn't answer the next question.
The other girl scored another five points.
Li Youcai clenched his fists.
There happened to be an eight-point question.
His eyes narrowed with determination; he had to get these eight points!
The time limit was five minutes.
Seeing the other two were still writing, Li Youcai's eyes lit up. He was just about to raise his hand when Zhou Zedong over there raised his again.
Li Youcai's eyes widened as he glared over angrily.
Zhou Zedong didn't look at him.
Zhou Zedong got the eight points.
Li Youcai trembled with rage.
On purpose, he was definitely doing this on purpose!
Indeed, from then on, Zhou Zedong didn't make a move when the other two tried to answer questions.
However, whenever Li Youcai raised his hand, he would invariably beat him to it.
Soon, everyone noticed this clearly targeted situation.
But weren't they students from the same school and class?
Why did they seem like enemies?
The teachers were utterly perplexed.
Soon, the scores were: Zhou Zedong 60, Wen Xue 18, Liu Yun 22, and Li Youcai zero.
Time's up.
The competition ended.
Li Youcai still couldn't accept losing so miserably. Seeing the pitying looks from everyone, he was so angry he cried.
Teacher Xu, who had been basking in everyone's praise earlier, couldn't smile now either.
Li Youcai was Director Li's precious darling, and also the student she had the highest hopes for!
Yet he ended up with zero points in the finals, dead last!
She had previously stated confidently that Li Youcai would at least make the top three, if not first.
Now her face was thoroughly slapped.
Everyone was also puzzled; how could one of her students get first place while another got last?
...
After finishing her class, Si Nian planned to go home early to prepare to pick up the Eldest Child.
She felt somewhat guilty for not being able to accompany him to the competition.
This competition was also quite large-scale, so all the children participating had parents accompanying and encouraging them.
Some parents even took time off work to be with their children.
It wasn't that Si Nian was unwilling; it's just her daily classes weren't many.
She could have finished teaching and still made it in time.
She just couldn't be with him the whole time.
Her heart ached for him nonetheless.
Back home, after preparing a bottle of milk for Yaoyao and hanging it around her neck, Si Nian went upstairs to change into casual clothes, ready to go out.
The wind was blowing fiercely outside; it seemed like rain was coming.
She went up to the third floor to check for unclosed windows.
Passing by the study, she noticed the door was ajar.
Si Nian pulled the door open and walked in.
The originally empty desk was now piled with books, copybooks, and other study supplies.
The Second Child's things were messily piled to one side. Being a bit obsessive-compulsive, she immediately went over to tidy them up.
Noticing a few books placed in front of the Eldest Child's spot, Si Nian froze.
She reached out, picked them up, and flipped through them for a moment.
She was completely stunned. Weren't these the books she had bought earlier to review for the college entrance exams?
How did they end up on the Eldest Child's desk?
Because she had been thinking about the exams and wasn't very familiar with the era's test questions, she had bought quite a few.
She hadn't finished reading them all, and she didn't remember bringing them when they moved.
She never expected the Eldest Child had brought them.
Looking at this, had he been reading them?
Si Nian's mouth fell slightly open.
Her shock was hard to conceal.
She had previously bought the Eldest Child some junior and senior high school books, but they were on the simpler side.
Yet the books she was reading were past years' college entrance exam papers...
During the day, he usually read the books she bought for him.
So when did he read these?
How many hours a day did he actually spend studying?
Si Nian fell silent.
She had always treated the Eldest Child, based on his persona, as a heaven-sent genius who was spoon-fed talent.
Thus, she had overlooked his effort.
His victories didn't come that easily.
With a complex expression, Si Nian closed the book, sighed, turned off the study light, and walked out.
...
Soon, all competitions ended.
The award ceremony began.
The top three from each subject competition went on stage to receive their awards.
Teachers accepted on behalf of students who couldn't attend.
When Si Nian arrived at the school, the awards were being presented.
The chief examiner smiled, patted Zhou Zedong's shoulder, praised him for being amazing, told him to work even harder, and expressed hope to see him again in the future.
Zhou Zedong reached out to accept the medal and certificate, saying, "Thank you, teacher."
The competition was grand, with even newspaper reporters carrying cameras to take photos.
The other two children also stood in the second and third place spots.
Although they had placed, both children's expressions were miserable.
They looked like they were about to cry.
They were probably the second and third-place winners with the lowest scores in the history of this competition.
It was really impossible to smile.
Who ever heard of second and third place with just over ten or twenty points?
Zhou Zedong, with his aloof personality, remained expressionlessly calm the whole time, making it impossible for the school officials to lighten the mood. It was terribly awkward.
For other subjects, the children were all laughing and cheerful.
Why was it that for math, each one was more silent than the last?
When an official spoke, trying to liven things up, none of them played along.
He expressed great confusion and, stepping forward, handed Zhou Zedong the microphone, asking, "Student Zhou Zedong, do you have anything to say about winning first place?"
The audience below immediately applauded.
Everyone had heard the math competition was fiercely intense.
Especially Zhou Zedong, hailed as the biggest dark horse this year!
Zhou Zedong looked out at the dense crowd below; he didn't recognize a single person.
He withdrew his gaze. "No."
The official: "..."
Goodness, you're not giving any face at all.
He had to shift the topic to Teacher Xu. "Ahem, Teacher Xu, I heard your student got first place last year, and again this year. What are your thoughts?"
Facing the camera, Teacher Xu was inwardly thrilled. Newspapers had come this year; were they going to be in the news?
Then she would surely become famous!
Forgetting to comfort Li Youcai for the moment, she immediately said, "I am extremely happy to have achieved first place once again. I feel honored and proud of him! I also hope other children won't be discouraged. Try again next year; you are all the best in my heart! I am proud of you all! Of course, if any students have questions or wish to consult a teacher, you can also come to me. I will hold nothing back and share all I know. You are all welcome!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the whole audience gasped. This was a blatant attempt to poach students!
The students who could come to this competition were all elites from their respective schools.
Teacher Xu was truly shameless.
But with her results right there, teachers from other schools, even if angry, had no grounds to say anything.
After speaking, Teacher Xu lifted her chin proudly!