A perfect score on the college entrance exam? The Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng has astonis

He gave a thumbs-up and waved it in the air.

The sarcasm in that thumbs-up was stronger than any swear word.

Su Wanci's face darkened.

She took a step forward—

Just at this time.

Chen Mo's phone rang.

Tens of minutes earlier, on the other side of the city.

In the principal's office of Jiangcheng No. 1 Middle School, a telephone was ringing incessantly.

When Principal Wang answered the phone, his tone was the usual, indifferent one: "Hello, Jiangcheng No.1 Middle School."

"Hello, is this President Wang? I am Director Liu from the Admissions Office of Zhejiang University."

Principal Wang's hand froze in mid-air.

Zhejiang University? Admissions Office?

Should we attack him here?

"Director Liu, hello. What can I do for you?"

"Principal Wang, we have just completed the final review of the college entrance examination results. There is a student in your school named Chen Mo whose grades are outstanding."

"We hope to learn about this student's basic information and his current aspirations through the school."

Principal Wang raised his eyebrows.

The admissions office of Zhejiang University called the school directly to ask about a student—this was the first time he had encountered such a thing in his six years as president.

"Chen Mo?"

Principal Wang searched his memory for the name.

To be honest, he wasn't familiar with the name.

He didn't recall this person being on the school's honor roll or among the top fifty in his grade.

"Yes, Chen Mo. Principal Wang, if I may ask, what do you know about this student? What are his grades like?"

Principal Wang paused for a moment.

"Director Liu, to be honest, I'm not very familiar with this student. I need to check his information."

"Okay, thank you for your help."

"Also, Principal Wang, I'd like to remind you—this student's grades are quite exceptional."

"We cannot disclose his specific score at the moment, but we can tell you that his grades are among the top in the country. Zhejiang University very much hopes that he will consider our school."

Principal Wang's hands began to tremble slightly.

The top-tier in the country.

He knew all too well the weight of those five words.

"Okay, Director Liu, I understand. I will look into the situation as soon as possible."

He had just hung up the phone when it rang again.

This time it's a landline number starting with 010.

"Hello, is this Principal Wang of Jiangcheng No.1 Middle School? I am Teacher Li from the Admissions Office of Tsinghua University."

Principal Wang almost dropped his teacup.

Tsinghua University.

Tsinghua University called his office directly.

"Principal Wang, we have just reviewed the college entrance examination scores of Chen Mo from your school. To be honest, all the teachers in our admissions office were shocked by these scores. We hope to contact this student as soon as possible through you. Do you have his contact information?"

"Teacher Li,"

Principal Wang's voice sounded a little strained.

"May I ask what level Chen Mo's grades are roughly?"

There was a second of silence on the other end of the phone, then Teacher Li spoke in a tone that Principal Wang had never heard before—

"Principal Wang, I have been working in admissions for fifteen years and have never seen such results."

"His score... has exceeded all our definitions of the word 'excellent'. The exact score will be announced later, but I can tell you with certainty that he is the top candidate in the country this year, without exception."

Principal Wang's mind went blank.

The best in the country.

none of them.

In all his years as principal, he has mentored students who have been admitted to Tsinghua and Peking Universities, and he has produced gold medalists in competitions, but never—never has a student ever made someone from Tsinghua's admissions office speak to him in this tone.

"I understand." Principal Wang's voice became serious.

"I'll handle it right away."

He hung up the phone, tapped his fingers twice on the table, then quickly picked up his phone and dialed the number of the academic affairs director.

"Old Zhang, could you check for me? There's a student named Chen Mo in Class 7 of Senior Three. Yes, Chen Mo. Bring all his monthly exam scores, mock exam scores, and daily performance records to my office within ten minutes."

Ten minutes later, Ms. Zhang, the director of academic affairs, carrying a stack of documents, pushed open the door to the principal's office, panting.

"Principal, we've found it. Chen Mo, Grade 12 (Class 7), student ID number... This is his academic record."

Principal Wang turned to the first page and immediately frowned.

"487 points? From the last monthly exam?"

"Yes."

Teacher Zhang also looked somewhat confused.

"This student's grades had never been very good, ranking outside the top 300 in the grade. He was particularly weak in Chinese, and often couldn't finish his essays."

Principal Wang flipped through the pages of report cards, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

A student who scored 487 points in a month received a call from Tsinghua University's admissions office saying he was "the top student in the country, bar none."

There's a difference of nearly 300 points.

"Old Zhang, are you sure you didn't check the wrong person? Could it be someone with the same name?"

"I've checked, the student ID, class, and photo all match. It's him."

Principal Wang leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrest. He had been a principal for so many years and had seen countless people, but this situation—he had never seen anything like it before.

A student who usually scores over 400 points suddenly became someone Tsinghua University was vying to recruit?

Either there's a problem with the grades, or the student has been hiding their true abilities.

He prefers the latter.

Because the people in Tsinghua's admissions office don't seem like the type to make mistakes in grades.

Just as he was deep in thought, the phone on his desk rang again.

This time it's Peking University.

"Hello, President Wang, this is Ms. Zhang from the Admissions Office of Peking University. We have just reviewed the Gaokao (National College Entrance Examination) scores of Chen Mo from your school and would like to ask you about this student's situation—"

Principal Wang took a deep breath.

After Tsinghua University comes Peking University.

During his six years as university president, he never received calls from both Tsinghua and Peking University on the same day.

And it was for the same student.

"Teacher Zhang,"

Principal Wang interrupted her, "I'd like to confirm—what level is Chen Mo's academic performance at?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, then Teacher Zhang's voice became exceptionally serious.

"Principal Wang, I can only tell you that his score is the highest in the country this year. The specific score will be announced later, but I can tell you that this score has never been seen before in the history of the college entrance examination."

Principal Wang's breath caught in his throat for a moment.

This has never happened before in the history of the National College Entrance Examination (NCEE).

"I understand." His voice was a little hoarse. "I'll handle it right away."

He hung up the phone, sat in his chair, and remained silent for a long time.

Then he stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the playground outside.

"Old Zhang,"

Without turning around, he said, "Immediately notify all school leaders to hold an emergency meeting in fifteen minutes."

"All school leaders?"

"Every single one. Not one less."

Fifteen minutes later, the small meeting room was full. The vice principal, the academic affairs director, the grade director, and the subject preparation group leaders for the senior year—everyone wore a puzzled expression.

"Principal, what's the matter that's so urgent?" the vice-principal asked.

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