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

You just said yourself, "The literary scene in China is about to change."

Now you're telling me I should give it zero points?

Sun Jianguo was also stunned.

He stared at Xu Mingyuan's face, trying to read something from it.

Xu Mingyuan's expression remained unchanged, as cold as iron.

"Professor Xu,"

Chen Fang finally couldn't hold back any longer, her voice filled with urgency.

"How could this article get a zero score? It—"

Xu Mingyuan raised his hand, interrupting her.

He waved his hand dismissively, as if shooing away a fly, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"You two, you can leave now. I'll handle this article."

Before Chen Fang could say anything more, Sun Jianguo grabbed her arm.

He didn't speak, but gestured to her with his eyes—don't rush.

Chen Fang bit her lip.

In the end, she followed Sun Jianguo and took a few steps to the side.

The two stood in front of another computer not far away, pretending to organize exam papers, but all four eyes were fixed on Xu Mingyuan.

Xu Mingyuan confirmed that the two had gone far away.

He quickly pulled his phone out of his pocket.

His movements were so fast that they didn't seem like those of a professor in his fifties.

Unlock and open the contacts.

Find the number labeled "Old Zhang from the Admissions Office".

The whole process was smooth and seamless.

He lowered his voice and spoke his first words into the microphone—

"Old Zhang, it's me, Xu Mingyuan."

Xu Mingyuan waved his hand impatiently after hearing what was said on the other end of the phone—even though the other person couldn't see him.

"Listen to me, don't interrupt. Keep an eye on this year's college entrance exam. Yes, right, the grading section. There's one essay... no, you don't need to worry about the content, you just need to know one thing—"

He paused, then lowered his voice even further.

It's as if they're plotting something shameful.

"Regardless of which school this student applied to, regardless of whether his score is high enough—find a way to get him into our school. Yes, at any cost."

Xu Mingyuan frowned as the person on the other end of the phone seemed to ask something.

"How would I know who it is? I'm investigating! You should prepare yourself and go through the special recruitment process... Yes, no matter what major, as long as he's willing to come, everything is negotiable."

He hung up the phone and looked up.

They met Sun Jianguo's gaze.

Sun Jianguo had returned at some point.

Arms crossed over the chest.

His facial expression seemed to say, "I knew it."

"professor,"

Sun Jianguo's tone carried a hint of helplessness, "Don't pretend."

Xu Mingyuan remained expressionless: "What are you pretending for?"

"Isn't your plan to give me a zero on the surface, but secretly get me admitted to my alma mater?"

The air froze for about two seconds.

A crack appeared in Xu Mingyuan's expression.

"Nonsense!"

He slammed his hand on the table, his voice rising three octaves.

"Am I, Xu Mingyuan, that kind of person?"

"I'm doing this for the sake of this student's future!"

"If this kind of article were made public, what do you think the consequences would be?"

He stood up and paced back and forth in front of his workstation.

He gestured with his fingers in the air, as if giving an impromptu speech.

"Those guys from Tsinghua and Peking University have noses that are sharper than dogs; they'll pounce on you as soon as they smell something!"

"When that happens, people from Peking University's Chinese Department and Tsinghua University's School of Humanities will be calling, driving over, and crowding around your homes—it'll be a chaotic free-for-all, with everyone fighting and getting hurt! What a scene that will be! It will be a bloodbath!"

He stopped, turned to face Sun Jianguo, his eyes gleaming.

"I, Lao Xu, have decided to nip this bloody storm in the bud."

When he said that...

He held his chest high.

His chin was slightly raised, and his left hand was on his hip.

He made a "cut off" gesture in the air with his right hand.

His posture was just like that of a general strategizing and commanding.

Sun Jianguo remained silent for three seconds.

Then he gave a thumbs up without any expression.

"Professor Xu,"

He said, "This is truly a painstaking effort; a leader in academia."

"Of course."

"You are indeed farsighted."

"Um."

"but--"

Sun Jianguo raised his hand and pointed to a black hemispherical object in the corner of the ceiling.

"Professor, there are surveillance cameras upstairs."

Xu Mingyuan's hand froze in mid-air.

His gaze followed Sun Jianguo's finger upwards.

It landed on that black camera.

The little red light on the camera was flashing.

It was as if she was winking at him.

The air froze again.

Xu Mingyuan's expression changed visibly.

He went from being a passionate and righteous general to a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

"monitor?"

His voice changed, "Is there a security camera in this house?"

"There are always security cameras in the marking hall, Professor. Didn't anyone tell you that when you came?"

Chen Fang added quietly from the side.

"The entire process is recorded on audio and video to prevent any mishaps during the grading process..."

Xu Mingyuan's face changed instantly.

The righteous and awe-inspiring face that had just been there had vanished.

His expression at that moment was absolutely priceless.

It's like an actor who has just finished reciting "To be or not to be" on stage, only to suddenly realize that the audience is full of film critics.

He cleared his throat, smoothed his hair, and straightened his shirt collar.

Then he laughed.

That smile was as radiant as the June sun.

But anyone could see how much awkwardness was hidden beneath that smile.

"Hahahaha,"

He chuckled dryly a few times, his voice carrying a forced tone, as if to say, "I was just joking, you guys didn't take it seriously, did you?"

"I was just joking to ease everyone's tension."

He patted Sun Jianguo on the shoulder.

It was so strong it seemed like it was trying to erase the conversation from Sun Jianguo's memory.

"Little Sun, you've been with me for so many years, don't you know me? I just like to joke around. Zero points? How could that be! A guaranteed admission? Do you think I, Xu Mingyuan, am the kind of person who would abuse my power for personal gain?"

Sun Jianguo looked at him expressionlessly, his eyes conveying a clear "You are".

Xu Mingyuan pretended not to see it.

He sat down again, picked up the thermos, and took another sip—the water was completely cold, but he tasted the sensation of tea.

"Alright, alright, let's get serious."

His expression finally turned serious.

But the barely noticeable red mark at the base of her ears hadn't completely faded.

He put down his thermos, looked at the article on the screen, and remained silent for a while.

Then he said something softly, not very loudly.

But the playful tone had completely disappeared, replaced by a heavy, almost solemn seriousness.

"But I have something to say, and I'm not kidding."

He turned to look at Sun Jianguo and Chen Fang, his gaze sharp.

"This article will definitely spark a fierce competition between Tsinghua and Peking Universities to recruit talent."

He paused.

"It's not just Tsinghua and Peking University. Fudan University, Nanjing University, Zhejiang University, Renmin University... as long as they see this article, none of them will let this candidate off the hook."

He stretched out his finger and tapped it heavily on the table three times, as if hammering the sentence into place.

"I said it."

After Xu Mingyuan finished speaking.

The marking hall remained quiet for a long time.

...

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