Time flew by, and the mid-term exams arrived as scheduled on Wednesday.
Xiao Wenqiang wrote as if divinely inspired, and most of the test papers went smoothly. It seemed Zheng Xiao's tutoring had been very effective. Especially in the math subject, where she had a bet with Teacher Xu, she found several challenging problems that Zheng Xiao had explained to her before, making her feel particularly confident.
When the exam-ending bell rang, Xiao Wenqiang submitted her math paper unusually quickly, with more confidence than ever before, including her own student days.
Bai Lu leaned in and asked cheekily, "Handing in your paper so fast this time? You're not planning to give up, are you?"
"Can't I just be doing it quickly and well?" Xiao Wenqiang retorted.
"You? Don't joke. You don't actually think everyone will believe you were with that sophomore boy for studies during this time, do you?" Bai Lu rolled her eyes.
"I was studying, and I don't need anyone's approval. The results will speak for themselves," Xiao Wenqiang said confidently.
"Fine! Let's see how long your arrogance lasts!" Bai Lu also snorted and, pulling her deskmate Xu Fei, left the exam hall.
Since her last attempt at playing the role of justice backfired unexpectedly, Xu Fei had been hesitant to talk to Xiao Wenqiang. Today, when Bai Lu dragged her over to mock the latter, she kept her head down, not daring to make eye contact.
Outside, Bai Lu said to her, "Feifei, do you think this Mao Qingyan is just putting on a brave front now? Let's see her face when the results come out!"
Xu Fei couldn't help but softly say, "It's also possible that she's been studying really hard recently. When the time comes..." Seeing Bai Lu's gaze, she quickly changed her words, "Don't worry about her grades. The results will be clear when the teacher grades them."
By the next day, almost all the papers had been graded. It was time for the crucial math class, and the students were exceptionally excited, eager to witness the showdown between the teacher and the student.
Teacher Xu, still wearing her black-rimmed glasses, walked into the classroom in her high heels. She then, with her usual scowl, tossed a stack of test papers onto the podium.
"I've graded all the papers. Most of you did alright. A few individuals were careless and lost some points; you can review your papers later. However... something very serious has happened in our class. Someone, by some means, peeked at the exam content beforehand." Teacher Xu's gaze landed on Xiao Wenqiang, and she said with a mocking smile, "That would be Mao Qingyan, the one who bet with me!"
A wave of murmurs swept through the class, and all eyes turned to Xiao Wenqiang.
Xiao Wenqiang's face also changed. She slowly stood up, her eyes fixed on Teacher Xu, "Teacher Xu, on what grounds do you say I peeked at the exam? Please don't make baseless accusations!"
"On what grounds? On the grounds that you scored a perfect 150 this time! And most importantly, for the last major problem, you used a problem-solving method not taught in this grade, one that's only learned in the second half of the second year of high school." Teacher Xu spread out her test paper and asserted confidently.
Xiao Wenqiang was speechless and retorted, "Just because you haven't taught it doesn't mean others can't learn it? Can't I learn it in advance?"
"Others might possibly learn in advance! But I've reviewed your previous test papers and records, and your learning style is completely different. Also, from your problem-solving approach to the formulas you used this time, they are exactly the same as the answers I wrote on the blank paper. You still dare to be stubborn!"
"Teacher Xu, I respectfully address you as teacher, but I ask you to have some professional ethics. For mathematics, if there's a problem-solving approach, the steps and formulas are bound to be similar. I know it might be difficult for you to apologize to me for my good performance, but I cannot accept you slandering me in this manner!" Xiao Wenqiang was almost laughing in exasperation.
"You still refuse to admit it? If you had a better attitude, I would have handled this within the class. Since you insist, I will have to report this to the school. A student with such poor character will not only be transferred to another class but expelled!"
"Even if you report it to the school, they cannot wrongly accuse or expel me without evidence!"
"You want evidence? It's simple. You said you learned it in advance, didn't you? Then I'll invite all the math teachers in the entire grade to create a new test paper. Do you dare to take it again?" Teacher Xu pressed aggressively.
"Actually, I'm not obligated to take another test paper solely because of your personal prejudice. However, this time, to convince you completely, I accept! But if I still perform well, then Teacher Xu, you will not only apologize to me in front of the entire class of teachers and students, but you will also resign yourself. Do you dare to accept that?" Xiao Wenqiang was not one to be pushed around. If this was the game, they would play it big.
"Good! It's a deal!" Teacher Xu couldn't believe she had achieved such good results through her own efforts.
Soon, the news spread throughout Yunbei City High School, and of course, there was much gossip on the school forum. Some even started a poll, guessing who the ultimate winner would be.
Since her solo performance on the suona at the welcome party, Xiao Wenqiang had gained considerable popularity on campus. In this poll, a surprising forty-two percent voted for her to win.
Teacher Xu found an empty classroom for Xiao Wenqiang to take the test. The invigilators were her, the Dean of Students, and another math teacher who was not currently teaching.
As an actress, being undisturbed by external environments was her strength. So, despite the crowd surrounding her, Xiao Wenqiang focused intently on her test paper.
It was indeed a test paper created by the math teachers of the entire grade, and its difficulty was higher than the mid-term exam. Several questions were trick questions, where one wrong step could lead to a completely incorrect answer.
Fortunately, Zheng Xiao had explained the example problems very thoroughly to her. Xiao Wenqiang spent a little more time this time and finally completed all the problems three minutes before the end of the exam.
After this came the on-the-spot grading by the teachers. After several teachers verified and graded the paper, Xiao Wenqiang's paper, jointly created by the math teachers of the entire grade, scored 142 points.
Teacher Xu held the test paper, her hands trembling, unable to speak for a long time. "Director Bai, should we re-grade it? How could she possibly score so high?"
Dean of Students Bai, who was also Bai Lu's father, patted Teacher Xu on the shoulder and said, "Little Xu, the teachers have already graded it three times. You need to acknowledge the excellence of student Mao Qingyan." With that, he left the classroom.
At this moment, the bell for the end of class rang, and many students rushed over to watch the drama. Xiao Wenqiang's homeroom teacher, Teacher Ni, also rushed over after her class.
Teacher Xu's face turned red, and her eyes were a little teary. Seeing more and more students gathered at the window, she finally lowered her head to Xiao Wenqiang, "I'm sorry, student Mao Qingyan, I shouldn't have said such harsh words to you!" Without looking back, she rushed out of the classroom.
The other teachers quietly left to avoid further embarrassment.
Teacher Ni came forward, put her arm around Xiao Wenqiang's shoulder, and said softly, "Student Mao Qingyan, congratulations on proving your excellence." After a pause, she added, "Actually, Teacher Xu wasn't deliberately targeting you. She saw you and was reminded of her own daughter..."