Chapter 38 : Chapter 38
Chapter 38. Scoring 60 in Every Subject Wasn't My Limit—It Was Me Controlling My Score
In the principal's office.
Beside the tea table, steam rose in curling wisps as a dignified-looking assistant brewed tea with practiced skill.
"Patriarch Su, Madam Shen, Brother Jiang, this is top-grade Pu'er tea. Please, have a taste."
"It is truly my great honor that the three of you have come to observe the exam."
Principal Zhou Mingyuan, dressed in an administrative jacket, personally placed the teacups before Su Zhan, Shen Qingyue, and Jiang Dongnian, his face full of smiling warmth.
"Old Zhou, you are too polite. My son is taking his graduation assessment, so as his father, of course I had to come." Jiang Dongnian laughed heartily, took a sip of tea, and nodded in praise.
Shen Qingyue's brows drew together slightly. The way those two addressed each other was rather intimate. It seemed their private relationship was indeed quite close.
If Jiang Dongnian had not secretly manipulated things for the heir's position and colluded with the Zhou family, Zhou Mingyuan would never have treated Xiao Chen as the key to currying favor with the Su family.
She had also reminded her husband to deal with his younger brother, Jiang Dongnian, but the open and hidden struggles within the family were far from something that could be resolved through strength alone.
A trace of coldness flashed through Shen Qingyue's eyes. With a smile that did not reach her lips, she said, "It seems Principal Zhou is quite familiar with my brother-in-law?"
Zhou Mingyuan and Jiang Dongnian both stiffened at once, and the smiles on their faces slowly faded.
Su Zhan could not help smiling. He understood the situation perfectly well, so he changed the subject. "Principal Zhou, let us watch the written exam."
"Of course, Patriarch Su." Zhou Mingyuan gladly took the opening and raised a hand for the assistant to switch on the 3D projection. "Please, take a look."
After making a few adjustments, the assistant projected a slowly forming three-dimensional image over the tea table. They could even hear the faint rustling of writing.
The three of them lifted their gaze and saw that the examinees in the projection were all answering with utmost seriousness. Some wrote furiously, while others frowned in thought...
Huazhong University truly deserved its reputation as the top martial arts university across the five major regions. In the entire examination hall, almost no examinee gave up just because they did not know the answers. Instead, they racked their brains, striving to earn a good score.
The image then shifted, and Jiang Feng of Examination Hall No. 4 appeared before the three of them.
At that moment, Jiang Feng was working through the final major question on the cultivation system on his draft paper, his eyes full of concentration.
When Jiang Dongnian looked at his son's progress and saw that he had already completed one-third of the test papers in only half an hour, delight immediately spread across his face.
"Feng'er is solving questions even faster now. As expected of my son."
Zhou Mingyuan chimed in at once, "Jiang Feng is not only exceptionally gifted, but also the most diligent and hardworking. I am sure he will achieve excellent results."
"Hahaha, naturally. Feng'er is the most outstanding genius among the Jiang family's younger generation." Jiang Dongnian looked thoroughly pleased with himself, his gaze drifting toward Shen Qingyue from time to time.
Su Zhan, however, revealed a disdainful smile. Since when did awakening an SS-rank talent make someone the most outstanding of the Jiang family's younger generation?
It seemed the Jiang family's martial path would never produce anyone capable of surpassing Jiang Zhentian in the future. Their decline was inevitable.
The alliance between the Su family and the Zhou family needed to move forward more quickly.
The projected image shifted again, and Huazhong's number-one genius, Su Linyu, appeared. She showed no sign of slackness at all and was answering at an astonishing speed.
In just half an hour, she had already finished half the papers.
And on closer inspection, nearly all of her answers were correct. They were practically flawless.
"Patriarch Su, let me congratulate you in advance. With Linyu's abilities, first place in this graduation assessment will surely belong to her," Zhou Mingyuan flattered him.
"Thank you for the praise, Principal Zhou."
Su Zhan smiled faintly, though inwardly he did feel quite accomplished.
This daughter of his often used Jiang Yichen to provoke him, but when it came to martial pursuits, she truly brought him the most pride.
Zhou Mingyuan nodded with a smile, then suddenly shifted his gaze to the silent Shen Qingyue, the corner of his lips curling in a barely perceptible arc.
"Bring up the projection of Jiang Yichen," he instructed the assistant.
The assistant nodded and tapped the projector controls.
The image changed, and Jiang Yichen appeared before the four of them, lying face-down on the desk asleep, his breathing steady and even.
Hm?
All four of them froze at once, and their gazes instinctively gathered on Shen Qingyue.
Her expression turned ugly. Her beautiful eyes locked onto Jiang Yichen, who was sleeping at his desk, while her fists slowly tightened.
The exam had only been underway for half an hour. Every other student was answering seriously, and Xiao Chen was asleep on the desk?
No wonder your father refused to come. This is utterly humiliating!
Shen Qingyue raised a hand to her forehead, unable to bear looking at her own son.
If Zhentian had come, he would probably have already exploded in fury.
Xiao Chen, even if you could not answer anything, you should at least have pretended to work seriously.
Ah...
When Zhou Mingyuan saw her like this, a satisfied look appeared on his face.
It seemed he had still overestimated Jiang Yichen. He had originally intended for the proctor to catch him cheating, and had deliberately arranged for Su Linyu to sit beside him to prevent Jiang Yichen from acting abnormally again like he had at the last graduation ceremony.
But now... only half an hour into the exam, and he was already sleeping on the desk. Hahaha. Mud could never be molded into a wall.
"Madam Shen, perhaps Yichen's ambitions simply do not lie in this direction," he said with a smile, pretending to comfort her.
Jiang Dongnian also revealed a mocking look.
Su Zhan let out a sigh and looked toward Shen Qingyue. "Qingyue, I think the matter of the two children's marriage needs to be discussed properly."
Shen Qingyue froze and met Su Zhan's eyes, seeing the resolve in them.
She wanted to salvage the situation, but with Xiao Chen behaving like this, she simply could not bring herself to speak. In the end, she could only nod silently.
That made Zhou Mingyuan absolutely delighted. If the marriage alliance between the two families was dissolved, then an alliance between the Zhou family and the Su family would become inevitable.
"Principal Zhou, Young Master Jiang has already submitted his paper."
Submitted it?
Hearing the assistant's words, the four of them were stunned again.
He had submitted in just half an hour. It was probably a blank paper.
Jiang Dongnian immediately suggested, "Yichen is the heir of our Jiang family. Principal Zhou, why not let us take a look at his score?"
A hesitant look appeared on Zhou Mingyuan's face. He looked toward Su Zhan, and when the latter nodded, he instructed the assistant to bring up Jiang Yichen's score.
With AI grading, the score appeared immediately after submission.
"Madam Shen, I trust you also want to see this child's score, yes?"
Shen Qingyue lowered her head. She was practically too ashamed to face anyone. There was no need to think about it. Xiao Chen had definitely handed in a blank paper.
In half an hour, even Huazhong's number-one genius, Su Linyu, had not finished. If what he submitted was not blank, then what else could it be?
Forget it. Let us look. That would at least make her give up completely.
"Go ahead," she said weakly.
The smugness on Zhou Mingyuan's and Jiang Dongnian's faces was practically overflowing.
The projection shifted, and Jiang Yichen's results appeared before the four of them.
First subject, "Martial Cultivation Systems": 60 points (Pass)
Hm?
The moment they saw the first line, all four of them twitched in surprise.
He had passed?
They kept looking.
Second subject, "Key Points of Blood Qi Cultivation": 60 points (Pass)
Third subject, "Theory of Spiritual Power Cultivation": 60 points (Pass)
...
All seven subjects were exactly 60 points, passing right on the line.
Silence.
The office suddenly became eerily quiet.
Only half an hour into the exam, and he had passed all seven subjects, every single one with exactly 60 points. How was that possible?
Shen Qingyue's eyes widened so much that she forgot all decorum, utterly unable to believe it.
Su Zhan also found it incredible. Passing seven papers in half an hour, and every single one scoring 60 points—this was obviously deliberate score control.
"Assistant, has something gone wrong with the AI grading? Why are all of Jiang Yichen's scores exactly 60? Bring up the original test papers."
Zhou Mingyuan refused to believe that a piece of trash like Jiang Yichen could pass in half an hour, much less score exactly 60 in every subject. The grading had to be wrong.
Since Huazhong University was founded, there had never been a case of someone scoring such absurdly precise 60s in every single subject.
"Yes, Principal."
After the assistant rattled away on the keyboard for a moment, Jiang Yichen's original papers appeared before the four of them.
Not a single multiple-choice question on the first page had been answered.
But when they turned to the next page, it was filled from top to bottom—and every answer was correct.
Bang!
The teacup in Zhou Mingyuan's hand crashed to the floor. His face twitched, and shock flooded his expression.
This brat had really been controlling his score!