Chapter 182: Turning in the Exam Early
Ji Yanjun made a call to a friend, who arranged for a Mercedes-Benz van. This left Li Yankui and Li Bo speechless yet again.
On the way to the exam site, Li Yankui and Li Bo were shamelessly flattering him, so much so that it made Cheng Yuan’s skin crawl.
"President Ji, your connections are incredible! To have so many friends here in the Provincial City!"
"President Ji, you’re truly resourceful. This is the Provincial City, and you still move through it with such ease! You have to show us the ropes while we’re here, President Ji!"
Ji Yanjun’s face was glowing from all the flattery, and he was getting carried away. With a grand wave of his hand, he declared, "The hotel the school arranged isn’t up to par and it’s a bit far from the exam site. So, here’s what we’ll do: I’ll book a few business or family suites for everyone at the Sofitel Hotel!"
The Sofitel Hotel?
Cheng Yuan raised an eyebrow. ’Interesting,’ he thought. ’Isn’t that the property Sister Shishi gave me just last night?’
It was the first time Li Yankui and Zhang Jing had heard the name, so they didn’t have much of a reaction.
Li Bo, however, couldn’t help but cry out in astonishment, "President Ji, isn’t that a bit too extravagant? The Sofitel Hotel is the most luxurious and expensive hotel in the Provincial City! The most basic rooms go for five or six thousand a night! Business and family suites must cost over ten thousand, right?"
Five or six thousand for a basic room?
Over ten thousand for a business or family suite?
Zhang Jing and Li Yankui gasped.
One night there would cost more than a month of their salary?
"President Ji, that’s too expensive! It’s simply too much! We don’t need to stay somewhere so pricey!"
Ji Yanjun smiled. "For the kids, it’s worth it, even if it’s a bit pricey. Besides, a former classmate of mine is a manager at the Sofitel Hotel. I can get the inside price—we should be able to get it for 50% off."
Zhang Jing gave a wry smile. "Even at 50% off, that’s still very expensive..."
Ji Yanjun waved his hand grandly and said in a heavy tone, "Director Zhang, don’t argue. It’s settled. Everything is for the sake of the children."
"Alright then. Thank you, President Ji."
Zhang Jing thanked him sincerely. To be honest, she had always looked down on Ji Yanjun, seeing him as just some nouveau riche, but today, her opinion of him had changed.
Cheng Yuan merely shrugged without a word. ’No big deal,’ he thought. ’I can just waive the hotel fees later.’
’After all, the Sofitel Hotel is my property.’
Cheng Yuan just couldn’t be bothered to announce it and show off.
Seeing Cheng Yuan’s nonchalant expression, Ji Yanjun was so furious he ground his teeth. The whole reason he was being so ostentatious and splurging like this was to show Cheng Yuan his capabilities and earn a little respect.
But Cheng Yuan was like a statue, showing no reaction whatsoever. It made Ji Yanjun feel as if he’d landed a heavy punch on a wad of cotton; the pent-up frustration was nearly suffocating him!
Soon, the Mercedes van arrived at the exam site.
The children said goodbye to their teachers and parents and, under the guidance of the proctors, entered the exam rooms to begin the nerve-racking test.
The parents and teachers waiting outside were just as nervous.
To ease the tension, Li Yankui bought a watermelon, and Li Bo went to get some cold drinks.
"President Ji, Mr. Cheng, Chief Li, Director Zhang, come and have some watermelon."
Cheng Yuan didn’t stand on ceremony. He grabbed a slice and started eating. He had to admit, the watermelon Li Yankui had picked was pretty good—nice and sweet.
In just a few bites, Cheng Yuan finished his slice, let out a burp, and then, acting like he owned the place, casually handed the rind to Ji Yanjun. "President Ji, there’s a trash can near you. Go ahead and toss this for me."
Ji Yanjun nearly choked!
’This Cheng guy has been freeloading food and rides this whole time without contributing a thing. How does he have the gall to ask *me* to throw away his watermelon rind?!’
Seeing the dark look on Ji Yanjun’s face, Li Yankui quickly interceded, taking the rind with an easygoing laugh. "There’s a trash can over here by me, too. Anyone with rinds can just pass them to me."
Cheng Yuan paid it no mind. He patted his belly, leaned back in his seat in the van like a king, and closed his eyes to rest.
Cheng Yuan’s behavior left Ji Yanjun speechless. ’This guy, Cheng,’ he fumed internally, ’so what if he has a few connections back in Luocheng?’
’What’s he putting on this act for now that we’re in the Provincial City?’
’At the victory banquet tonight, I’ll make him see the gap between us!’
Ji Yanjun snorted coldly, no longer bothering with Cheng Yuan, and waited anxiously.
Today was the first round of the provincial competition. The exam ran from 8:00 to 9:20 AM, a total of 80 minutes.
The test was divided into two sections, fill-in-the-blanks and free-response problems, for a total of 120 points.
The weather was hot, but Cheng Qianqian was in top form. Her mind felt incredibly clear and refreshed, not sluggish in the slightest, and her thoughts were lightning-fast.
Despite the problems being notoriously difficult and complex, Cheng Qianqian only needed to read each question once before the solution path would form in her mind.
Cheng Qianqian’s pen flew across the page. In just forty minutes, she had finished the entire test.
However, she didn’t get complacent. Instead, she carefully checked her work several times, only turning in her paper after confirming it was flawless.
There were still 20 minutes left in the exam, and the vast majority of students hadn’t finished yet.
Ji Tingting was considered one of the top contestants. She had already reached the final problem and was about to finish when she suddenly heard footsteps. Looking up instinctively, she saw that Cheng Qianqian was already turning in her test!
Ji Tingting finally understood the chasm between her and Cheng Qianqian, and her confidence was nearly shattered.
But Ji Tingting was a seasoned competitor, after all. She quickly stabilized her emotions and focused diligently on the final problem.
"Teacher, I’d like to turn in my test."
Cheng Qianqian handed her test paper to the proctor.
The proctor was taken aback. The first round of the provincial competition this year was significantly harder than last year’s. As a math teacher himself, he had only just finished working through the problems and hadn’t even had time to check his answers. ’And this student is turning it in already?’
’Has she given up?’
"Young lady, this year’s test is indeed much harder than last year’s, but there are still 20 minutes left. Don’t give up."
"I haven’t given up, sir. I’ve finished everything."
"Then you should at least check your work carefully, shouldn’t you?"
"I already have, sir. Three times."
The proctor was left speechless. "Well, uh... alright then."
The proctor took Cheng Qianqian’s paper and watched her leave the exam room. Then, his interest piqued, he looked down at her test. ’Let’s just see what makes this girl who finished so early so confident.’
He hadn’t expected much, but one look gave him a huge shock.
Cheng Qianqian’s answers were a near-perfect match to his own.
Correct! Correct! Correct again!
Her accuracy rate was over 90%!
For the remaining 10%, their answers didn’t match.
However, because those problems were so obscure and far beyond the curriculum, the proctor wasn’t certain who was correct—him or Cheng Qianqian.
Or perhaps, they were both wrong.
Still, this was more than enough!
An accuracy rate over 90% meant she would score over 100 points, guaranteeing her a top-three finish in the provincial competition and a spot in the national one!
Cheng Qianqian!~
The proctor repeated Cheng Qianqian’s name to himself several times, committing it to memory.
’Perhaps, many years from now, this young girl will become the pride of Dragon Country’s mathematics community! She could become its brightest, most dazzling star!’