Ye Chen could tell this paper was tougher than any he'd tackled before.
Finishing it left him with a rush of pure exhilaration.
The Classroom still echoed with the rustle of frantic scribbling.
After all, elite schools breed Top Students; slackers exist, but so do genuine talent.
At last Ye Chen completed the final question and set down his pen.
One quick check—perfect—then he raised his hand.
In the Conference Room, the proctoring Steward froze, looked at Ye Chen and asked, "What's wrong?"
Ye Chen answered, "Turning in my paper."
With a faint smile he handed the sheet to the Steward… who twitched at the corner of his mouth. "You're sure you're done?"
During his rounds the Steward had seen that everyone else had finished barely a third.
Yet Ye Chen had blitzed through forty major questions—impossible speed.
"It's only been twenty-five minutes; you're certain?"
Heads lifted in unison as the other test-takers watched Ye Chen walk up.
Handing it in?
This guy has to be joking!
With questions this hard and this many, no one could finish.
This kid's arrogance is off the charts.
Ye Chen simply nodded. "Yes, I'm turning it in."
The strong need no explanations; results speak for themselves.
The Steward scanned the paper—every question answered.
Compared with the others, Ye Chen's solutions were terse.
He suddenly recalled the conversation between the paper-setter and Madam.
"These questions are so difficult no one can finish in an hour."
…yet the sheet in front of him had been conquered in twenty-five minutes.
Right or wrong, the feat alone was staggering.
Surely it's random scribble!
Could this high-schooler actually beat these University Top Students?
Impossible—absolutely impossible.
The thought was dismissed the instant it surfaced.
Today's applicants included Graduate Students from Huaqing, Peking, and Fudan.
Every one a provincial top scorer.
A mere high-schooler couldn't rival them—no way.
Impossible, utterly impossible.
The Steward collected the paper; Ye Chen sat back, bored, waiting for time to expire.
Minutes crawled until the hour ended and the rest finally set down their pens.
Disgruntlement clouded every face among the dozen-odd prodigies.
The paper had defeated them all; many had left half the sheet blank.
An hour—endless for Ye Chen, yet far too brief for them.
Still, some guys wore confident smiles.
Zhu Ming, for example.
After handing in his paper he grinned, "Little bro, couldn't crack it so you just doodled? Don't sweat it—this set's tough even for me. Normal to struggle."
"But it's good for you: know the gap, then fight to close it!"
Ye Chen asked, "What makes you think I wrote nonsense?"
Zhu Ming chuckled, "These questions go beyond High School; you need college knowledge. We University students are on a different tier—losing is normal, relax."
Pride colored his face as he spoke.
"Work hard, test into Tianjin University, maybe you'll be my junior."
"But…" Ye Chen hesitated.
"But what? Spit it out—big bro can answer anything."
Zhu Ming leaned in, curiosity piqued by Ye Chen's uncertainty.
Ye Chen sighed, "I plan to test into Huaqing."
Zhu Ming: "…"
His mouth fell open, expression odd.
Damn!
Huaqing University?
His own dream—yet his score fell 100,000 miles short, so he settled for Tianjin.
This punk has to be showing off.
Seeing Zhu Ming's awkwardness, Ye Chen's lips curled.
Showing off? Anyone can play that game.
The Steward delivered the stack to Madam.
Ye Chen's paper sat on top—sole early submission.
Madam began marking.
She announced scores as she went.
"Xu Jun, thirty."
"Li Yuan, forty."
…her voice rang out like a lark's.
Men's eyes fixed on the woman grading their fate.
Wow—this lady oozes class.
Marry a beauty like that and life is complete.
Ahem!
The Steward coughed deliberately, stepping forward to block their wandering stares.
A few sheepish candidates dropped their gazes.
"Li Yuanyuan, sixty."
All heads snapped toward the girl who'd offered Ye Chen a hot dance earlier.
Who knew she could dance—and ace exams?
No one else had surpassed the pass mark.
She was the first to clear it.
Basking in the awe, Li Yuanyuan arched her back with pride.
A fried egg puffed into a papaya!
Eleven scores later, only Ye Chen and Zhu Ming remained.
Li Yuanyuan still led.
Many sighed in resignation.
First place was surely hers.
Even Li Yuanyuan beamed, certain of victory.
"Zhu Ming, seventy!"
The smile vanished from Li Yuanyuan's face.
She sighed softly—defeat.
Just two questions short!
"Haha!"
Zhu Ming crowed at his score.
Pride oozed from every pore.
He looked insufferably smug.
Madam frowned. "Mr. Zhu, quiet please."
"Sorry."
He apologized, realizing he'd overstepped.
Yet his face still screamed, I'm the king.
He clapped Ye Chen's shoulder. "See what real skill is, little bro? I'm the true Top Student."
"Not bad."
Ye Chen smiled, offering an objective verdict.
Not bad?
Zhu Ming clearly wanted more praise.
"Not bad? It's outstanding, got it?"
He preened.
"I was just off my game today—otherwise a solid eighty."
Ye Chen nodded. "Sure, absolutely."
Zhu Ming's mouth twitched. "Kid, don't aim too high. Goals are fine, but unrealistic ones are just daydreams."
"Huaqing University isn't easy—know your limits."
Ye Chen looked duly chastened. "You're right, everything you say."
Watching Ye Chen's calm, Zhu Ming felt punches land on cotton.
He'd wanted envy, jealousy, worship.
Yet all he saw on Ye Chen's face was placid water!
Suddenly it hit him—Ye Chen's score hadn't been announced.
Could the kid have bombed so badly Madam spared him the shame?