Lu Mingfei, why are you slaying dragons if you're not involved!

Chapter 13: Dominating the Gossip Hot List of Shilan Middle School

"Okay, let's move on to this question. Although it's a fill-in-the-blank question and the last one, it's actually not that difficult..."

On the podium, the math teacher picked up the chalk and began to write.

Outside the window, the sky gradually brightened, and the sun finally broke free from the clouds, shining brightly.

Golden light shone down, and the frost and ice crystals reflected a dazzling brilliance as they melted.

The striking change in brightness caught Lu Mingfei's eye out of the corner of his eye, and he subconsciously turned his head to look.

[Warning, electric shock countdown, three, two...]

At the last second, Lu Mingfei turned his head back, and the warning countdown disappeared. He felt a sense of relief, but also a thrill.

Since I've already lost focus and used up one countdown chance, there's a full two-second difference between turning back immediately and looking at it for two seconds before turning back!

Even in the most stressful environment, Lu Mingfei would still find opportunities to slack off.

Earlier, after finishing breakfast, he wanted to study because he wanted to improve his math skills. After all, who wouldn't want to finish just in time?

But now... I've already leveled up, and the next level requires a full two hundred proficiency points!
The goal suddenly seemed somewhat unattainable again. If it weren't for the schedule, Lu Mingfei probably would have started making a mess of things again.

But just as he turned his gaze back, about to get into a learning mindset, he froze, because he met the sharp gaze of his math teacher…

Anyone who has been to school knows that making eye contact with a teacher during a lecture is a rather terrifying experience.

And given this premise, and with the added "explaining a problem" buff, congratulations, this problem is definitely yours.

Lu Mingfei felt a pang of guilt and wanted to look away, but he stopped himself in time. This dodging would take more than three seconds; what if he got shocked?
Choose the lesser of two evils!
"Lu Mingfei," the math teacher tapped the blackboard, "you were very attentive in class today. Why don't you take a look at this problem?"

The classroom, which was somewhat dull because the first class in the morning was math, was suddenly filled with a few low laughs, as if they had heard something interesting.

Lu Mingfei, who's last in the class, is actually paying attention in class? The sun must have risen in the west!
“Uh…” Lu Mingfei didn’t have time to think too much.

Answering the teacher's questions is naturally within the normal scope of class learning. If he continues to dawdle, the countdown warning should sound!

So he could only stand up and look at the question.

“Hmm…” Lu Mingfei blinked after reading the question.

He did know how to do it—just as his math teacher said, it wasn't very difficult.

Lu Mingfei had just "reviewed" the algebra section of high school mathematics, the kind of review he had just finished not long ago. He could solve this kind of equation problem with just one glance!
In mathematics, the most time-consuming and energy-intensive part is the large amount of calculation. As for finding the solution method and formula... that belongs to knowledge accumulation. You can either see through it at a glance and write it down immediately, or you can't see the whole picture because you're blinded by a leaf.

Once you have a solution approach, all that's left is to perform calculations.

Logically speaking, given the complexity of this problem, without resorting to tricks, the standard calculation process would fill at least one-sixth of a page of scratch paper.

But for Lu Mingfei, there was no need for such trouble.

[Super-fast Calculation], activated!

Having already experienced the power of this term during his self-study period after obtaining it, Lu Mingfei felt its strength even more fully this time.

Calculations, scratch paper?

The entire process could be written down in his mind... no, calling it writing down would be too slow. Lu Mingfei's brain was like a computer at this moment; for this level of computation, simply listing the formula was enough to obtain the answer!

This is Lu Mingfei's computing speed after "greatly improving computing efficiency".

If he weren't in class and didn't have time to compare, Lu Mingfei would have really considered finding a computer to compete with!
"Should we...go up and write it?"

Lu Mingfei asked the question with some hesitation.

Sitting in the corner of the front row, in a blind spot, he was basically invisible. He never paid attention in class and wasn't very clear about the procedures.

"Ok?"

The math teacher, who had only intended to "make an example of Lu Mingfei" to liven up the dull atmosphere of the first class in the morning, was taken aback by what he heard.

He never considered the possibility that Lu Mingfei could solve this problem—he had been teaching for two and a half years, how could he not know how capable each student in the class was?
Lu Mingfei has been a consistent bottom-of-the-class student since entering school. Apart from being slightly better at English, he is useless in everything else. In the recent final exam, he even landed the last place...

"Tell me the answer?" the math teacher asked. Class time was limited, and they couldn't afford to waste it.

“98,” Lu Mingfei replied, scratching his head.

"..." The math teacher opened his mouth, but couldn't help asking, "Have you done this before?"

“No,” Lu Mingfei shook his head and answered honestly, “This question… is indeed not difficult.”

The rest of the class, especially those who didn't know what to do, leaned back slightly and gasped – what an unfamiliar atmosphere!

Actually, this aura isn't unfamiliar; it's just a show-off.

As a prestigious private high school, Shilan High School produces a handful of students who are admitted to Tsinghua and Peking Universities each year. There are always a few academic prodigies who display their domineering spirit when facing difficult problems.

But when has such an aura ever come from Lu Mingfei?
Is this something Lu Mingfei would say?

Oh no, the sun really did rise in the west!

Lu Mingfei naturally noticed this, and while his face flushed slightly, he was undoubtedly secretly pleased.

Usually, when he was called on to stand up, he could only stammer a couple of times and couldn't answer anything.

Finally, the teacher let it go lightly and sat down. If the teacher had made an example of someone more thoroughly, the student would have been called to stand at the back of the classroom to listen to the lecture.

I never imagined that there would be a day when I could answer that question!
But the words that followed made him pause in surprise.

"Hmm... So what's your problem-solving approach? Guessing the data and substituting it into the calculation?"

The math teacher guessed, and then, without waiting for Lu Mingfei's reply, he was certain... He was just convincing himself.

"For questions like these, you can definitely guess. I've told you this many times: whether it's fill-in-the-blank or multiple-choice questions, many answers and data substitutions will use things like 0, 1/2, 1/3, or something like the square root of 2 or 3."

If you really can't solve it, but have plenty of time, you can use this method of substituting and guessing data to verify it. Like this problem, the three roots of the equation are 1, 2, and 3, which is easy to guess and not difficult to verify…”

The others suddenly understood.

Lu Mingfei remained silent. Of course, he didn't guess; he really knew the answer to this question!

But what's the point of arguing at a time like this? Nobody believes that someone who's a complete failure can solve a challenging problem using a proper method. After all, if you don't know math, you just don't know it; using shortcuts is the only reasonable approach...

Without a schedule, even Lu Mingfei himself wouldn't believe it.

Lu Mingfei's head, which had been slightly raised due to a secret sense of satisfaction, slowly drooped down.

He wanted to sit down, but the math teacher continued talking enthusiastically, preparing to explain the proper way to solve the problem, forgetting about him who was standing.

"I knew it was impossible..." "Exactly..."

A low murmur, seemingly coming from nowhere, reached my ears.

Suddenly, a string snapped. It was an invisible thread that had become somewhat fragile. Lu Mingfei's drooping head stopped abruptly and he raised it.

In those deep black pupils, a faint, almost invisible golden light flickered.

That was an emotion that was extremely rare, even nonexistent, in Lu Mingfei—

angry!
Suddenly, the math teacher stopped lecturing, and the classroom, which had been filled with whispers, fell silent.

Because Lu Mingfei moved, he stepped out of his seat, and a strange aura suddenly rose from his still slightly thin body, like... a king descending!
Without saying a word, he walked up to the podium, deftly took the chalk from the stunned math teacher, and placed it on the blackboard.

The blackboard is the battlefield. Every stroke of Lu Mingfei's pen is as heavy as a sword strike, and the enemy's general, Fangcheng, is dismembered in an instant!

It is easy to see that: the sum of the roots α + β + γ = 6; the sum of the root products αβ + βγ + αγ = 11; and the product of the roots αβγ = 6.
Calculate the lower powers and S1 = α + β + γ = 6;

After finishing writing, Lu Mingfei put the slightly shortened piece of chalk back into the math teacher's hand and turned around.

His gaze swept over everyone, his eyes as sharp as a knife, and just looking into them felt like being pierced by needles... Everyone couldn't help but gasp, and only by looking away could they feel the pain.

Then footsteps sounded again, and Lu Mingfei returned to his seat, remaining silent.

The entire classroom fell into a deathly silence.

"..." The math teacher finally came to his senses and licked his dry lips.

He didn't know what had just happened, but he was unable to move or speak. It was as if he was not facing Lu Mingfei, the worst student in the class, but some kind of... being that could control his life and death.
But how is this possible!

He opened his mouth, wanting to smile, but only managed a slightly hoarse voice from his tight throat, "A very, very correct and standard solution process... Everyone, take note!"

He felt a sense of relief; the urgency that had been gripping his heart for who knows where finally disappeared.

He glanced furtively at Lu Mingfei in his seat and saw him engrossed in writing a problem... He immediately breathed a sigh of relief and dared not provoke him any further.

Lu Mingfei trembled slightly and came to his senses.

Then came the wailing in my heart.

"Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap... What happened?!"

"Why did I suddenly go up and solve the problem?"

"Does this also count as part of the class schedule? If the teacher doesn't believe me, do I have to go up and write out the solution process to prove myself? That would be too embarrassing! Won't I face retaliation afterward?"

"What will others think of me? What will the teachers think of me, Chen Wenwen..."

[Warning, electric shock countdown...]

Lu Mingfei immediately focused his attention and began to study diligently.

Being electrocuted is impossible, absolutely unacceptable!

We can talk about other things later. If you don't pay attention in class, you could get an electric shock in no time!
In his focused state, Lu Mingfei naturally stopped noticing the gazes of others and couldn't hear the barely audible whispers... As for the math teacher? He didn't even glance at him again.

[Through hard work, your [mathematics] skills have improved, and you have gained 3 proficiency points.]

Through diligent study, your [Chinese language] level has improved, and you have achieved...

[Through hard work, your [English]...]

It was another eight hours of intensely focused studying, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., with no breaks, no lunch break, and almost no chance to relax except for necessary lunch and bathroom breaks—

[Warning, it's time for the scheduled basketball practice...]

Lu Mingfei glanced at the panel.

[Chinese Language LV0 - Proficiency 75/100]
Math LV1 - Proficiency 22/200
English Level 0 - Proficiency 91/100
Physics LV0 - Proficiency 56/100
Chemistry LV0 - Proficiency 63/100
Biology LV0 - Proficiency 72/100

"At this rate, at least one or two more subjects will be promoted tomorrow!"

Lu Mingfei took a deep breath to calm his slightly tired mind and quickly packed his things.

He had to hurry to the Qingning Basketball Gymnasium. Although Senior Brother Chu had called to say that something might come up and he might be late, his schedule wouldn't be delayed!

No one bothered him throughout the process. After what happened in the morning, everyone in the class probably realized that Lu Mingfei, this loser, seemed to be different in some ways.

Putting everything else aside, just after the first math class in the morning, whenever others looked at Lu Mingfei, he was always studying, no matter when!

What kind of spirit is this? Even if it's just for show, it's outrageous.

Moreover, it seems this wasn't just for show; at least... Lu Mingfei solved that challenging fill-in-the-blank question, didn't he? It wasn't difficult, but it still had its challenges!
Could it be that after two and a half years of slacking off, this loser has finally been spurred on by the fact that he's in last place and is ready to start striving and working hard?
What a joke!
The relevant information quickly spread among numerous gossip groups.

Some people say that's impossible; I bet he can only last three days at most! Others say it must have been a coincidence, and they even gave him a big surprise. Still others say, have you all forgotten that he even ignored Chen Wenwen...?

Gossip always spreads quite quickly. If there were a gossip popularity ranking, yesterday's incident of Lu Mingfei, the loyal sycophant, publicly rejecting Chen Wenwen with a lame excuse should have already climbed to the top two.

But today, Lu Mingfei still seems restless and has stirred up another big trouble.

One plus one does not always equal two, let alone when they come together!
And so, without Lu Mingfei's complete knowledge, he... exploded at Shilan Middle School.

Lu Mingfei, of course, had no time to pay attention to these things. He had no friends, no cell phone, and no time to go on forums. He simply packed his things and ran to the Qingning Basketball Gymnasium.

In the classroom, Chen Wenwen watched Lu Mingfei leave with a calm gaze.

Throughout the day, Chen Wenwen looked at Lu Mingfei many times, but found that Lu Mingfei never looked at her.

There was none of the usual casual glance around or the slight pause during a chat.

She sent a message last night but hasn't received a reply.

In the past, this would never have happened. Lu Mingfei would almost always reply to her messages immediately, and even if he was a few minutes late, he would always find a plausible reason.

In addition to what happened in math class this morning...

She finally realized that Lu Mingfei had changed.

……

After an easy two and a half kilometers, Lu Mingfei arrived at the Qingning Basketball Hall and familiarly pushed open the door to his private basketball court.

There was no sound of basketballs pounding in the basketball court, and Lu Mingfei thought that his senior brother Chu hadn't come. He was slightly surprised when he saw Chu Zihang sitting on the sidelines, wearing thick clothes and reading a book.

"Hey, senior brother, why is your face so pale?"

(End of this chapter)