While the students were busy gossiping, several math teachers were working overtime in the office building, grading papers. The number of papers wasn’t overwhelming, so they finished relatively quickly and began discussing which students would be retained for the competition class. Not surprisingly, all 8 students from the third year who took the test passed. Out of the 28 second-year students who participated, 20 passed — quite good in overall.
Regarding the first-year students, 56 participated, but their levels varied greatly, and only 8 were retained in the end. The third-year students were mostly aiming for a recommendation for their university admission, while the second-year students genuinely attempted to join the competition team. As for first-years, the majority of them were just trying their luck.
The teachers spread out the papers of the 36 students who passed and started analyzing their potential. The eight third-year students were all familiar faces with nothing much to note. Among the second-years, there were a few unfamiliar names, but their potential, from the result of their tests, seemed limited. Even if they weren’t eliminated midway, their chances of making it to the provincial team were slim.
As for the first-year students, although few passed, some of them managed to surprise the teachers; quite a harvest compared to the last year.
The first was Qin Zheng, who answered 9 out of 10 questions correctly. His answers were concise and clear, showing great potential.
The second was Wang Simin, who got eight and a half correct. Her approach to the last question was precise, but she seemingly ran out of time to complete it.
The third, Lin Tian, was an unexpected one, as he was a student from the special arts class. Apparently, he had some background in the entertainment circle, yet this art student got eight and a half questions right out of 10.
The teachers pulled up the transcript of his junior high scores and found he was a skewed candidate, with near-perfect scores in mathematics, physics, and chemistry, but dismal results in languages and humanities.
Teacher Huang joked, “Let’s nurture this kid. If he ever becomes a famous star, it would be good publicity for our school.”
The teachers laughed along. Teacher Huang’s comment was just a light-hearted joke. Their school was one of the best in Minjiang City and had a certain reputation nationwide; they didn’t need a student to publicize it.
All teachers agreed these three students had great potential and were worth cultivating. Only an older teacher, surnamed Sun, pointed at another paper, “I have high hopes for this Jiang Li.” Teacher Sun had been an educator for decades and had mentored many competition participants, so he was considered an authority.
But one of his colleagues, Teacher Wu, was skeptical, “Jiang Li only answered eight questions correctly and left the last one blank. Compared to the other three, she seems quite ordinary. Teacher Sun, you actually think highly of her?”
Teacher Sun shook his head, “Take a good look at question number five. It seems simple but has several traps, and this girl avoided them all.”
Teacher Wu scoffed, “But as you said, it’s not hard, just requires attention…”
Teacher Sun rolled his eyes, “Then look again, is there any other first-year student as attentive as her?”
Prompted by his words, the teachers gathered around and quickly noticed that aside from Jiang Li, the other students from the first year who passed all made mistakes on question five. Wang Simin and Qin Zheng avoided several traps but fell at the last hurdle, ending up with identical incorrect answers.
Teacher Huang smiled, “Jiang Li was the top scorer in this year’s entrance exam, and compared to previous top scorers, her score is quite high. She definitely excels in keeping attention to detail.”
Teacher Sun nodded slightly, “Her approach to these questions may not seem typical, but it shows potential. I suspect she’s new to competitions. If we’re talking about potential, she might have the most among these kids.”
Teacher Huang gave Teacher Sun a thumbs up, “Well, Old Sun, you’re spot on. I’ve looked at Jiang Li’s records before. She grew up in a county orphanage with limited educational resources, so she indeed never participated in competitions.”
Teacher Sun smiled contentedly, “She might not have competed before, but it’s certain she prepared diligently for today’s test. Otherwise, she couldn’t have gotten so many correct answers. She has the talent, diligence, and attention to detail—that’s why I’m most optimistic about her.” After this, he turned to the skeptical Teacher Wu, “Little Wu, it seems you’re still not convinced. How about we make a bet?”
Teacher Wu was in his early thirties, but he was indeed quite young compared to Teacher Sun, who had retired and then been rehired. Surprised by the bet proposal, Teacher Wu was taken aback for a moment before tapping on Qin Zheng’s test paper, “Alright then, I’ll bet on Qin Zheng making it to the provincial team.”
Teacher Sun chuckled, “I’m not concerned whether Qin Zheng makes it or not. Weren’t we talking about Jiang Li? I bet she makes it to the provincial team. What do you think?”
Teacher Wu: “…” How could he be sure about such a thing? But seeing Teacher Sun’s smug look, he couldn’t resist saying, “Let’s bet then! What’s the wager?”
Teacher Sun smiled meaningfully, “If you lose, you’ll treat our office staff to breakfast for a month, and while you’re at it, invite Jiang Li too.”
The bet wasn’t too severe, so Teacher Wu immediately agreed, “Deal. And what if you lose, Teacher Sun?”
Teacher Sun widened his eyes in mock surprise, “Me, lose? That’s impossible!”
Teacher Wu helplessly pressed, “But what if you do lose?”
Teacher Sun’s eyes roved around before landing on Teacher Huang, who was enjoying the show. “You said Jiang Li grew up in an orphanage? But I recall she once beat up a classmate, and the parents didn’t even dare to pursue it, right?”
Teacher Huang explained, “She was raised in an orphanage, but a few months ago, she was taken back by her maternal grandfather’s family. I forgot to tell you guys, her uncle is Feng Qi.”
Teacher Wu raised an eyebrow, “Who’s Feng Qi?”
Teacher Huang laughed, “Teacher Sun’s former student. In his first year of high school, he made it to the IMO1 finals and won a gold medal, becoming the youngest and highest-scoring contestant that year.”
The other veteran teachers in the office started reminiscing about Feng Qi. “Feng Qi… huh? I remember this kid. He skipped grades in primary and middle school and was already in high school at 13. He was tall and mature, not appearing too childish.”
“Feng Qi is a legend. He entered our school as a top scorer in the high school entrance exam and left again after getting a top score in the college entrance examination. His record has not been broken so far.”
“That’s nothing. He’s now in medical research and has already been nominated for a Nobel Prize. Calling him a genius isn’t an exaggeration!”
As the teachers discussed Feng Qi, Teacher Wu suddenly realized he’d been tricked. He turned to Teacher Sun, “You knew all along that Jiang Li was Feng Qi’s niece, didn’t you?”
Teacher Sun grinned, “I had a feeling Jiang Li looked familiar. It wasn’t until last week when I saw Feng Qi pick her up from school and chatted with him that I learned Jiang Li was his niece.”
“…” Teacher Wu cursed inwardly: Cunning old fox!
Seeing Teacher Wu’s disgruntled expression, Teacher Sun deliberately fanned the flame, “What? You’re not planning to back out of the bet, are you?”
Teacher Wu shrugged, “I wouldn’t dream of backing out. But don’t get too excited, Teacher Sun. Genetics don’t always guarantee success. Better think about what you’ll do if you lose.”
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Translator’s Note:
Hello, everyone! My Son is a Reborn Villain is nearing ending, so I’ve prepared a replacement: Transmigrating into the Genius Cannon Fodder’s Aunt. For this week only, there will be daily updates, and then it will follow MSRV’s update schedule: Monday and Wednesday.
And there will be sponsored chapter for ATCF tomorrow. Enjoy~
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