Normal Monthly Exam

A month had passed.

Tianjing remained quiet and uneventful.

Even the training base had fewer people around.

The third competition was approaching—the final selection before the international tournament was about to begin.

The first competition had been held a month ago at Huaqing University.

Half of the students had been eliminated.

The second competition took place two weeks ago at the training base.

Another half had been cut.

The last twenty or so students left were the cream of the crop.

Tong Dong hadn't left yet, and neither had his roommate Wang Jie.

But the two burly guys from Shandong had already packed up and gone home.

Still, they'd secured guaranteed admission to a university, since they'd made it past the second round.

The remaining twenty-odd people were all but assured their guaranteed spots as well.

Those twenty or so had truly climbed to the peak of the student mountain.

Inside the training base, Tong Dong watched Lin Mo doing an English exam paper and got curious.

"Why are you working on that paper?"

"I asked the homeroom teacher for the monthly test paper. I'm planning to take the final exam."

Tong Dong nodded. "I'm thinking about trying the final exam too. I'll ask for a copy later."

Lin Mo didn't look up. "But you're probably heading to Huaqing University, right?"

"Yeah, my dad called me, but I don't want to deal with him. Besides, after I graduate from No. 8 High, there's nowhere else for me to go."

Tong Dong had been living on his own for a long time.

Even though others had shown him warmth, he didn't want to be a burden on them.

Huaqing University was willing to take him in, offering scholarships and everything.

Tuition and fees might even be fully covered. That was good enough.

He'd thought about studying at a university in Hong Kong, but that might mean running into his scumbag of a father again.

In the end,

he decided on Huaqing.

While Lin Mo was working on the test, Wang Jie walked over.

"I'm not taking the final exam. My other subjects aren't that strong—math is the only one I'm decent at."

It was clear Wang Jie had a good grasp of his own abilities.

That was the norm, really.

A lot of students who excelled in math were good at that subject alone.

Being strong in one subject and weak in others was common; that's why universities offered guaranteed admission.

If you only took the final exam, you might get a perfect score in math, but if your other subjects dragged you down, you'd still fall short.

Wang Jie looked at Lin Mo and couldn't help asking, "Honestly, Lin Mo, you're definitely one of the final six. You're already guaranteed admission. Why still take the final exam?"

"Because I want to be the top scorer. Doing that would be pretty cool."

Lin Mo said it with a straight face.

Wang Jie had heard from Tong Dong that both Lin Mo and Tong Dong were all-rounders, but he didn't know the full extent of their abilities.

After finishing the test, Lin Mo went to the training base's copier, scanned his paper, and sent it to Chen Xiaoya.

The school would grade it directly.

As for authenticity—if he'd voluntarily asked for the test, who would suspect him of cheating?

Honestly, Lin Mo just wanted to see if his skills had slipped.

--System: Putting on a show of modesty while showing off, how original.--

At No. 8 High.

"Hey, are the monthly exam results posted today? With Lin Mo and Tong Dong, those two legends, on leave, I wonder who'll take the crown now."

Someone next to him chimed in, "Exactly. With them gone, the rest of us can finally have a shot. The competition's wide open."

"I think the most obvious one is Xue Zigui, from their class. He's always been close on their heels."

"One class with three top dogs—that's insane."

"What are you talking about? If Xue Zigui gets first place, it's just a lucky break. He'd be riding on Lin Mo and Tong Dong's absence."

"Then why don't you get lucky?"

Xue Zigui was nearby and had come to check the results, but those cutting words pinned him in place.

They stabbed into his heart like fine needles, leaving him feeling tight and frustrated.

"When the cat's away, the mice will play"—those words grated on him, but he couldn't argue.

He admitted, deep down, that he'd secretly hoped: without Lin Mo and Tong Dong around, this time it might finally be his turn.

That hidden, almost shameful longing made his breath catch.

He took a step toward the newly posted results list.

Each step felt like a drumbeat, his heartbeat thundering in his ears.

So he reached the notice board and saw the first-place name... Lin Mo, followed by second place, Tong Dong.

And finally, himself in third.

"Huh?"

Xue Zigui froze, letting out a short grunt.

He should have been disappointed, but instead, a wave of unexpected relief washed over him.

Strange—really strange.

Was this... liberation?

He'd realized long ago that the reason he could score 150 on math was that he had the ability to score 150.

But Lin Mo and the others scored 150 because the test itself was capped at 150.

He couldn't blame them, but he couldn't help envying them either.

Xue Zigui gave a wry smile, shook his head, and turned away.

Yet there was a lightness in his departure—as if a burden had been lifted.

Back in the classroom, he pulled out a book to study as more students filed in.

Some had already started talking.

"Lin Mo and Tong Dong are in Tianjing, so how did they take the monthly exam?"

"I know. I passed by the teacher's office and heard ugly duckling say Lin Mo asked to take it himself."

That explained things.

Xue Zigui hadn't expected Lin Mo to volunteer for the test.

"I don't get what he's after. Why bother taking the monthly test? Is he a glutton for punishment?"

"Hey, he's a prodigy. What would you know?"

"So what if he's a prodigy? When he graduates from college, he'll still be just another workhorse."

Sour grapes, all of it.

The people saying this were mostly new students in the class.

They didn't know Lin Mo well, so they had little feeling for someone who'd left at the start of the term.

But the others were different.

Ying Wenshen wasn't about to let them run their mouths. He stood up and let out a sarcastic laugh.

"You might be workhorses, but Lin Mo isn't. He's in the national team training camp. At minimum, he's got a guaranteed spot at Huaqing University. If he's a workhorse, what does that make you? Chickens? Trash?"

Ying Wenshen's words made the guy who'd mocked Lin Mo blush with anger.

But he still stood up, defiant.

"None of your business."

"How is it not my business? I hate guys like you—can't even compare to him in a single aspect, and all you do is badmouth him behind his back. I remember you—ranked in the thirties in class, with a 109 in math. That's pretty weak."

Ying Wenshen knew how to sting the hardest.

Sure enough, the guy exploded, rising to his feet and glaring at Ying Wenshen.

"What the hell did you say?"

Then another person came to stand beside Ying Wenshen.

"What? Did he say something wrong? You, with your 109 in math."

Su Mingzhao stared back at him casually, his eyes practically daring him: Come on, hit me.