Chapter Twenty: The Top Student
The classroom during the evening self-study session was quiet. One by one, the students held their pens, occasionally glancing at their test papers, then back at the blackboard.
Zhou Ziyang, dressed in his white school uniform, stood tall and upright, holding a test paper in one hand and a piece of chalk in the other.
He stood before the blackboard, carefully and deliberately writing neat, orderly notes.
Each stroke was perfectly aligned, so precise that even the Chinese teacher would likely feel ashamed in comparison.
For the fill-in-the-blank questions, Zhou Ziyang wrote only the answers.
But for the lengthy problems at the end, he meticulously wrote out every step of the solution.
The math teacher standing at the back of the classroom grew increasingly pleased as he watched.
“How come I didn’t think of the last question!” he exclaimed.
“Wow, how is Zhou Ziyang so amazing?” the students whispered among themselves as the test went on.
Xia Wei, watching Zhou Ziyang at the front, had already been stunned when he first answered the math teacher’s questions. Now, as Zhou Ziyang completed the entire math test with precise answers, Xia Wei’s shock turned into a complex mix of emotions. She couldn’t understand how Zhou Ziyang could solve these problems.
She hadn’t even been able to solve the final big question herself.
Yet Zhou Ziyang had written out the entire solution process.
Had he encountered similar problems before?
But even if that were true, he couldn’t have solved every problem he faced.
The math teacher at the back watched Zhou Ziyang write each answer down with growing satisfaction.
When Zhou Ziyang finished, he casually tossed the chalk into the box, wiped his hands, and stepped down.
“Wow~” the students erupted in cheers.
In high school, when someone shows off, classmates never hesitate to applaud.
But just as the noise started, the math teacher said, “Alright, stop the cheering and start checking your answers. Zhou Ziyang’s work is basically all correct. If you don’t understand something, I’ll explain it again.”
The math teacher was known for his mercurial temperament.
When a student performed well, he would greet them with a beaming smile.
But if a student’s grades were poor, he wouldn’t spare them a kindly look, even face-to-face.
He had made this clear in class before.
He said, “If you don’t study well, why should I care? I want you to know that good grades come with privileges. If you don’t do well, what business is it of mine?”
So the math teacher and Zhou Ziyang had remained strangers.
Until now, when he began to greet Zhou Ziyang with a smile.
Zhou Ziyang had barely returned to his seat when classmates from all sides eagerly gathered around.
“Hey, Zhou Ziyang, did you finish all the questions during the test?”
“You’re incredible, Zhou Ziyang!”
The boys were a bit more restrained, but the girls in the front row looked at Zhou Ziyang with admiration.
At that moment, the math teacher came over and urged them to stop whispering and focus on checking their papers.
Then, smiling warmly at Zhou Ziyang, he asked, “Have you estimated your score for this test?”
Zhou Ziyang nodded. “I got the fifth multiple-choice question wrong, and the answer to the last big question was wrong.”
In senior year, most tests only collected the answer sheets; the math test paper remained with the students.
Everyone would first work out their answers on the test paper, then transfer them to the answer sheet.
The math teacher flipped through Zhou Ziyang’s test paper and saw he wasn’t lying.
If so, the multiple-choice question was worth five points each; making a mistake on one meant losing those five points. For the big question, the answer was wrong, but the steps were correct, so he’d lose two points.
Zhou Ziyang’s final estimated score was 153 points.
The math teacher was speechless after seeing this. “You got question twelve completely right, and I don’t even know how many times I explained question five, yet you still got it wrong.”
Zhou Ziyang said he had been careless.
The teacher was even more exasperated but couldn’t be angry. He just hoped for perfection. Zhou Ziyang’s score was already exceptional, but it was frustrating.
Both mistakes were due to carelessness.
“How many times have I told you to check carefully? And you handed in your paper early! Think about it—if you hadn’t handed in early, you’d have a perfect score!” The math teacher was more frustrated than Zhou Ziyang.
Zhou Ziyang replied calmly, “That’s not bad, though. In life and work, you shouldn’t be too perfect. There’s a saying: when the moon is full, it wanes.”
The classmates watching the conversation quietly burst into laughter.
“Don’t laugh,” the math teacher scolded, urging them to focus on checking their papers.
Looking back at Zhou Ziyang, the teacher felt both love and frustration.
He asked why Zhou Ziyang had been so low-key before, yet so outstanding this time. Had he practiced similar problems?
Zhou Ziyang answered, “No, I’ve just been working hard lately. Isn’t that called ‘accumulated effort finally bearing fruit’?”
The math teacher said, “Oh? So you finished all your other subjects early too?”
“Of course,” Zhou Ziyang said with confidence.
The students around him couldn’t help but smile at his newfound boldness.
The math teacher felt Zhou Ziyang was deliberately speaking to him in that tone.
Of course, because they had no real rapport, Zhou Ziyang’s good performance had nothing to do with him.
If Zhou Ziyang got the bonus, he would get it.
So whatever Zhou Ziyang said, he was just flattering the teacher.
The math teacher could only sigh over the two mistakes. If it weren’t for carelessness, Zhou Ziyang would have scored a perfect 155.
Zhou Ziyang expressed his regret.
After math class ended, the teacher asked the class, “Who estimates they scored above 150 this time?”
Only Zhou Ziyang raised his hand.
The teacher looked around, “Oh, no one else but Zhou Ziyang?”
No one responded.
“Xia Wei, you didn’t make it either?”
Xia Wei, who had always been the top student, felt embarrassed when asked.
“I... my solution approach for the last question was wrong,” she admitted, feeling unfairly judged.
The teacher nodded without consolation, bluntly stating, “The last question is indeed difficult for you girls. It’s unavoidable. When it comes to logical thinking, girls tend to lag behind boys a bit.”
He then asked who estimated above 140, above 100.
Many in the class might have that level, but few were confident enough to say so.
The teacher understood that when the real scores came out, they’d likely be better than their estimates.
Before class ended, he reiterated that only Zhou Ziyang in this class could guarantee above 150, while the science class had two such students.
“You all should learn from Zhou Ziyang. The college entrance exam is coming soon. He’s usually quiet, but this time he surprised everyone. Alright, class dismissed.”
After saying this, the math teacher left.
The classroom soon grew noisy.
Normally, even during break times in senior year, the room remained quiet, but these two days after the stage tests were exceptions.
Some shouted their misfortune, lamenting their mistakes on two big questions.
Others complained about losing out, unable to solve such simple problems.
“Hey, Zhou Ziyang, can you explain this question again?”
“Zhou, how did you solve this?”
A crowd gathered around Zhou Ziyang.
Originally, Zhou Ziyang handing in his paper early had displeased the homeroom teacher.
Before the homeroom teacher could confront him, the math teacher was already excitedly telling the homeroom teacher, Mr. Chen, “Your class is about to produce a top student!”
“Don’t mind that Zhou Ziyang handed in early, but he really did well this time!”
The math teacher’s praise made other teachers take notice.
The homeroom teacher was more reserved, saying, “We’ll see when the results come out.”
But after this endorsement, other teachers began focusing on Zhou Ziyang in their classes.
During English lessons, for example, the teacher would say, “Ziyang, stand up and read this reading comprehension passage, then translate it.”
Usually, Xia Wei would be the one called upon for such tasks.
Honestly, she felt a little uncomfortable not being asked this time.
Zhou Ziyang, however, stood without hesitation and began:
“In the world of education, there is a growing movement towards project...”
His pronunciation was precise and articulate.
When the math teacher had mentioned Zhou Ziyang’s breakthrough in the office, the English teacher had been skeptical.
But after hearing Zhou Ziyang’s flawless translation, her opinion changed instantly.
She looked at Zhou Ziyang more favorably and said, “Your translation was excellent, Ziyang. Why don’t you also try a few of the multiple-choice questions?”
“Okay,” Zhou Ziyang replied casually.
The students below were stunned into silence.
In just one week, Zhou Ziyang’s dedication to study was evident, but this transformation was astonishing.
Later, the English teacher approached Zhou Ziyang, dressed in a slightly flashy style—today wearing black stockings under a cowboy miniskirt.
To be honest, this look was a bit tacky but common in this small town.
She coquettishly asked Zhou Ziyang what he estimated his score to be.
Zhou Ziyang said he wasn’t sure.
“Surely it won’t be too bad?” she teased.
“Who knows? Maybe I didn’t fill out the answer sheet correctly,” Zhou Ziyang smiled.
The English teacher gave him a playful glare.
Back in the office, she eagerly told Mr. Chen, “Teacher Chen! Teacher Ji was right. Ziyang has really changed! He should have done well this time!”
The scores wouldn’t be released for another day, but during that wait, everyone knew Zhou Ziyang had done well—at least top five in the class.
After his bold display, Zhou Ziyang became unusually modest.
He said, “Until the scores are out, it’s hard to say.”
The most troubled person at this time was Xia Wei.
Watching Zhou Ziyang being admired by everyone, she suddenly felt afraid.
Could he really surpass her?
If that happened, what would become of the promise she had made to him...