My IQ has been increasing year by year.

Ten past twelve.

The bell rang.

At that moment, a sigh of relief rang out in the examination room.

It wasn't the relief of finally finishing, but the liberation of finally being free from torment.

The invigilators collected the exam papers very quickly.

No one was given time to delay.

The girl who had been crying earlier was now lying on the table, burying her head in her arms, her shoulders shaking.

No one comforted her.

Because everyone is like a clay Bodhisattva crossing a river.

......

I walked out of the examination room.

The sun outside is very strong.

It was already noon, and the sunlight was blindingly bright.

The cement floor was bleached white by the sun, so bright it hurt the eyes.

Chen Zhu squinted, adjusting his eyes to the light.

The square in front of the teaching building was filled with candidates wandering around like lost souls.

Old Zhao and Old Zhou had been waiting there for a long time.

Seeing the children's expressions, Old Zhao's heart skipped a beat.

As a veteran teacher who has led competitions for over a decade, he is all too familiar with this expression.

I failed the exam.

Wang Yang stood under a large willow tree, leaning against the trunk as if his bones had been removed.

His face was deathly pale, and his lips were terribly dry.

Seeing Chen Zhuo walk over, he moved his lips, wanting to laugh, but the expression was even uglier than crying.

"Team leader..."

The voice was hoarse.

"Question 2...that diagram...I drew it wrong."

Wang Yang lowered his head and stared at his toes.

"I drew five auxiliary lines, but none of them were correct. I finally tried to build the system of functions, but I ran out of time..."

A little dust rose from the ground.

Zhao Chen remained silent, clutching the half-finished bottle of water in his hand, the bottle almost crushed.

Nan Xiaoyun and Lin Xiao, two girls, stood to one side, their eyes red.

"It's over."

Liu Kai muttered something.

"This time, let alone first place in the province, even third place is in doubt. When I get back, Old Zhao will skin me alive."

"Shut up."

Chen Zhuo interrupted him.

The voice was cold and harsh.

"Once the exam is over, it's over. Nobody is allowed to compare answers."

He glanced at Li Hao and Zhang Wei, who were standing not far away.

The two guys from the physics group were looking over here with anxious expressions.

They resembled family members awaiting sentencing.

"Li Hao, Zhang Wei."

The two of them quickly ran over.

"How was it? Was it difficult?"

Li Hao asked cautiously.

"It's not difficult."

Chen Zhuo continued to lie without batting an eye.

"They're all standard questions, but the calculations are quite extensive."

"Some of the questions are types I've explained to them before, so they shouldn't have any problems."

Wang Yang suddenly looked up at Chen Zhuo, his eyes filled with disbelief.

This is what you call not difficult?

Is this what you call a standard question?

Chen Zhu glared at him, and Wang Yang swallowed back the words he was about to say.

"Alright, stop sunbathing here."

Chen Zhuo waved his hand.

"Let's go eat, then go back to the guesthouse for a nap. We have physics this afternoon. Wang Yang and the others have finished their exams, so they can go back and get a good night's sleep. The three of us have to continue this afternoon."

"The exams are all over, so cheer up!"

A group of people walked silently out of the school.

His silhouette was desolate.

Only Chen Zhuo walked at the very front, his steps still very steady.

But only he knew that the back of his shirt was already soaked with sweat.

My brain is also throbbing slightly, which is a sign of low blood sugar.

He was hungry too.

They're so hungry they can eat a whole cow.

......

I didn't go out for lunch, nor did I go to the noisy cafeteria.

Old Zhao had the foresight to order boxed meals in advance and bring them directly back to the guesthouse.

The restaurant has air conditioning and sofas, and it's cooler than outside.

Several people sat down around the coffee table.

Wang Yang held his chopsticks, poking at the braised pork in his lunchbox, but couldn't eat a single bite.

Zhao Chen stared blankly at the rice, sighing from time to time.

Only Chen Zhuo was eating.

He ate very quickly.

It's not the kind of ravenous eating that comes with a delicious meal.

It's more like fueling a machine that has been running for tens of millions of kilometers.

The physics exam is at 2:30 PM.

He needs to replenish his blood sugar within half an hour, and then allow time for blood to flow back to his brain.

He shoveled his food into his mouth, not being picky at all, stuffing fatty and lean meat, green vegetables and radishes all together.

His cheeks were puffed out, and his Adam's apple bobbed up and down.

Li Hao and Zhang Wei sat opposite Chen Zhuo, feeling a little uneasy as they watched him wolf down his food.

"Team leader...the physics class this afternoon..." Li Hao asked in a low voice.

"Don't speak."

Chen Zhu swallowed the last mouthful of rice and placed his chopsticks on the empty lunchbox.

"Let me take a moment."

......

12:40.

After finishing his meal, Chen Zhuo did not return to his room.

It's too much of a hassle to go back and forth, and the bed in the room is too soft. If I sleep too soundly, I'll feel groggy when I wake up in the afternoon.

He lay down on the sofa in the hall.

I put a pillow under my head, stretched out my legs, and closed my eyes.

"I'm going to take a nap. Wake me up at two."

Less than ten seconds after saying that, Chen Zhuo's breathing became long and even.

He was really tired.

Two consecutive high-intensity mathematical calculations are enough to give even the most hard-earned brain a break.

And he.

There's another physics class this afternoon.

The hall was quiet.

The receptionist was probably on her lunch break; only the air conditioner vents were making a slight buzzing sound.

Wang Yang and the others didn't dare to speak, and each found a corner to lean against and stare blankly.

Old Zhao sat in a single chair next to the sofa.

He looked at the sleeping Chen Zhuo.

The boy's brow was slightly furrowed; even in his sleep, that tense energy hadn't dissipated.

That was the only hope for the No. 1 Middle School this time, and also the mainstay of the afternoon physics exam.

It seems the math group is doomed; now all their hopes are pinned on this ten-year-old genius.

Old Zhao sighed.

He looked around and pulled out a copy of the Yangtze Evening Post from under the coffee table, a copy of which he didn't know who had left it.

I folded it twice, and it became a thick, long strip.

Then, it began to wave gently.

Huff... Huff...

The guesthouse lobby actually had air conditioning on, so the temperature wasn't very high.

But this did not hinder Lao Zhao's actions.

He fanned Chen Zhuo gently, one stroke at a time.

The movements were very light and rhythmic.

The wind was light, carrying a faint smell of newspaper ink, and gently brushed against Chen Zhuo's sweaty forehead and temples.

It's like an old farmer guarding the only thriving seedling in his field.

It's like when I used to live in the countryside, and my grandmother would swat away mosquitoes for her grandson who was taking a nap.

Old Zhou stood to one side, holding a teacup in his hand.

He watched this scene without saying a word.

He then turned to look at Li Hao and Zhang Wei, who were nervously picking at their fingers.

He walked over, gently patted the shoulders of the two physics students, pointed at Chen Zhuo, and then pointed at Lao Zhao.

did you see it?

If you have the ability, the teacher will treat you like royalty.

Even in an air-conditioned lobby, they're willing to fan you.

That's status.

A status earned through brains and high scores, a truly solid position.

Li Hao swallowed hard, looking at Chen Zhuo lying on the sofa enjoying the "personalized fan" treatment.

He clenched his fist.

in the afternoon.

We'll give it our all.