The Surprise of the Advanced Mathematics Exam

Jiangcheng University, Boys' Dormitory.

The air was filled with the anxious scent of hormones, mixed with instant coffee, Red Bull, and the greasy smell of unwashed hair from the past few days.

The dormitory area, which was supposed to turn off its lights and go to sleep at eleven o'clock at night, was now brightly lit.

Room 510, where Su Bai lived, was naturally no exception.

Although Su Bai was usually an elusive guy, either discussing academics in his office at the entrepreneurial park or enjoying tenderness in his private apartment, he simply moved back to the dorm to stay for these few days.

It wasn't for anything else, mainly because the exam schedule this semester was too tight.

Freshmen already had a lot of courses. Advanced Math, Linear Algebra, College Physics, C Programming... all crammed into this one week for exams. The fast pace was like rushing from one gig to another. For those students who hadn't studied much usually, this week was simply hell week.

Living in the dorm, although the environment was a bit worse, the atmosphere of collectively cramming at the last minute was quite interesting.

Moreover, it was a nice change of pace to watch the antics of his two eccentric roommates.

On the balcony, Xue Tao was holding a book, babbling and memorizing something unknown.

Ever since the ball-busting incident, this former Nightclub Prince seemed to have truly seen through the vanity of the world. Every day, besides eating and sleeping, he just studied. Although his efficiency was debatable, his attitude was absolutely moving.

Stop reading, Brother Tao, if you keep reading I'm going to get neurotic.

Chu Mingzhe, sporting two huge dark circles under his eyes, sprawled on the desk as if he had nothing to live for. Tomorrow is the exam for Advanced Math and Linear Algebra! These are two massive mountains! What the hell is the use of you memorizing CET-4 English words!

Sincerity makes it work.

Xue Tao turned around with an unfathomable expression. Things like math depend on talent. My talent is lacking, so I can only make it up in English. In case I fail math, getting a high score in English will at least give me something to show my family.

...

Chu Mingzhe rolled his eyes and turned to look at Su Bai, who was lying on his bed, leisurely scrolling through his phone.

Brother Bai, aren't you panicking at all?

Chu Mingzhe's eyes were red with envy. Tomorrow is Death Tuesday! Advanced Math in the morning and Linear Algebra in the afternoon, without even a breather in between. Word is that this year's examiner is one of the legendary Four Great Constables, and the old man has declared he's going to give this year's freshmen a surprise.

What's there to panic about?

Su Bai rolled over, changing to a more comfortable position. Haven't we done the questions once already? That kind of question type, just think about it a bit and you'll get it.

With the system's Mind 100-point boost, plus the previously triggered indulgence compensation mechanism, those obscure and difficult calculus formulas and matrix transformations were as clear as elementary school addition and subtraction in Su Bai's mind.

He had quickly finished the sets of past papers he asked for from a senior in the anime club a couple of days ago.

It felt... just so-so.

Easily conquered.

As long as you are familiar with the patterns, it's very simple.

Just think about it... a bit?

Chu Mingzhe felt like coughing up blood. Brother Bai, how is your brain wired? I've been thinking about it for two days, my hair is almost falling out from thinking, and I still feel like Taylor's expansion is like reading a heavenly script.

Just then, there was a knock on the dorm room door.

Knock, knock, knock.

The door wasn't locked, and a person pushed it open and walked in.

The newcomer wore thick-rimmed glasses, a slightly faded plaid shirt, and held a thermos cup in his hand.

It was none other than the Grad-School Bro living in another dorm nearby—Li Rui.

This bro was quite a strange guy.

From the first day of his freshman year, he had the words grad school recommendation carved on his forehead.

He woke up earlier than a rooster and slept later than a dog every day. He always sat in the front row during class, and his notes were more detailed than the teacher's lesson plans.

His obsession with grades had reached a somewhat pathological level.

Previously in PE class, because Su Bai ran a shocking long-distance time, this classmate Li Rui was so shocked on the spot that he doubted his life, and he didn't recover for several days.

The point of his shock was actually Su Bai is going to get a perfect score in PE, how should I make up for the gap in this item, which was truly a bit mysterious.

Ever since the midterm exams, he had treated Su Bai as a potential competitor, although Su Bai had absolutely no desire to compete for any grad school recommendation...

He was already a divine tycoon; going to college was all about the experience. He couldn't possibly go to grad school, right?

Yo, everyone's reviewing?

Li Rui walked into the dorm, his eyes sweeping over the few of them like a radar, and finally landed on Su Bai.

Su Bai, how is your reviewing going? Tomorrow is a tough battle.

Li Rui pushed his glasses, his tone carrying a bit of probing, and a bit of unconcealable superiority. I heard your Advanced Math teacher is pretty slack in class? This time it's a unified exam, and Professor Wang set the paper. The difficulty is completely on a different level from your usual homework.

It's alright.

Su Bai said casually, I just randomly did some past years' questions, I feel like I should be able to pass.

Li Rui picked them up and took a look.

His brows instantly relaxed, and the corners of his mouth even hooked up into a contemptuous curve.

He recognized these few test papers.

This was the most ordinary Past Years' Exam Papers Compilation sold in the school print shop, and it was a version from several years ago.

It was all basic questions, without any twists or turns at all.

Hehe, Su Bai, you're just doing this?

Li Rui threw the papers back onto the desk and shook his head, looking disappointed at his failure to meet expectations. This kind of basic review material is only for those who just want to scrape a pass. Want to get a high score? Want a grad school recommendation? Doing this is completely useless.

Saying that, he smugly patted a folder tucked under his arm.

Do you know what I have in my hand?

This is internal material I specifically got from a core senior in the School Science Association. It's said to cover several core directions of Professor Wang's questions this year. This is truly useful review material.

Li Rui looked at Su Bai, his eyes full of pity.

In his view, Su Bai was the typical arrogant army is bound to lose.

Relying on his little bit of cleverness, or relying on his family's money, he didn't take studying seriously.

It was one thing to not attend classes normally, but at a critical moment like the final exams, he was actually still so perfunctory. Doing these simple questions to numb himself, thinking he knew it, but in reality, that was an illusion!

When he gets to the exam room tomorrow and sees the questions, there will be a time for him to cry!

Oh, that's pretty impressive.

Su Bai yawned. Then keep it up, try to get a perfect score.

I wouldn't dare think about a perfect score, but I'm confident in getting over 95.

Li Rui said proudly, Su Bai, it's not that I want to criticize you. Although you have money and are handsome, on the path of academics, there is no room for the slightest falsehood. With your attitude... just pray for yourself tomorrow.

After saying that, he hugged his thermos cup and walked away with confident strides.

That back figure was like a general about to head to the battlefield and return in triumph.

Tch, what a poser.

Chu Mingzhe flipped a middle finger at the door. So what if he got some review materials? Look how cocky he is. Brother Bai, do not take it to heart, this guy is just jealous of you.

Wang Haoran looked confused. He had just been grinding the Abyss in his anime-style gacha game and completely missed what Grad-School Bro had come over to say.

He asked Xue Tao to repeat it and almost could not hold back a laugh.

Seriously bro... why do some people think that everyone in college has to be a try-hard in academics?

We are all adults here, everyone relies on their own unique talents.

Grad-School Bro actually thought Su Bai was scheming to steal his spot. As expected of Grad-School Bro, his thought process is truly bizarre.

If Brother Bai really wanted to go to grad school, with his wealthy bring-your-own-funding aura, the professors would be fighting to take him in.

...

The next morning.

The winter in Jiang City was exceptionally cold and gloomy.

When the first ray of sunlight struggled to pierce through the clouds, the front of the teaching building was already crowded with students waiting to enter the exam halls.

Everyone held review materials in their hands, muttering to themselves. The air was filled with a sense of last-ditch struggle.

Li Rui stood in the crowd, holding no books in his hands.

He had memorized what he needed to memorize and ground through all the practice questions he needed to do. At this moment, he was like a peerless martial arts master, resting his eyes and adjusting his state of mind before a battle.

Seeing Su Bai, Xue Tao, and the others walking over while yawning, Li Rui let out a cold sneer.

A bunch of rabble.

In a moment, I will let you know what a brutal reality check feels like.

Ring, ring, ring...

The exam bell rang.

The moment the exam papers were handed out, the entire room instantly fell silent.

The only sounds left were the rustling of turning pages and... the sound of sharp intakes of breath.

Hiss...

Holy crap...

Is this even meant for humans to solve?

As time passed, these subtle sounds of commotion became more and more frequent.

Difficult.

Too difficult.

This year's advanced mathematics questions were indeed, as rumored, Professor Wang's surprise.

The first five multiple-choice questions were relatively normal, but starting from the sixth, the style abruptly changed. Various complex composite functions and tricky angles left people completely at a loss on how to start.

When it came to the essay questions, it was even more tragically brutal.

Li Rui looked at the exam paper, fine beads of sweat seeping from his forehead.

Even though he had internal materials and had prepared thoroughly, the difficulty of these questions still exceeded his expectations.

Those few variant questions, although somewhat related to his review direction, were full of traps. A slight lapse in attention would cause him to fall into a pit.

He had to focus one hundred and twenty percent of his energy, carefully deducing every single step.

In contrast, Su Bai, who was sitting diagonally behind him.

At this moment, Su Bai was resting his chin in his hand, looking completely... bored.

Yes, bored.

This was Professor Wang's surprise?

That is it?

In the eyes of Su Bai, who possessed 100 points in the Mind attribute, these questions were like an onion stripped of its outer layers, its core structure completely exposed.

Su Bai picked up his pen and wrote on the answer sheet smoothly and effortlessly, as if he were writing a diary entry.

Scribble, scribble, scribble.

The sound of the pen tip gliding across the paper seemed exceptionally piercing in the quiet exam hall.

Li Rui, sitting in front, heard this sound, and his heart could not help but skip a beat.

So fast?

Is this kid just writing nonsense?

He must be writing nonsense!

For questions of this difficulty, just thinking about the approach for one essay question would take five minutes. How could he possibly write so fast?

Hmph, he must have given up on himself.

Li Rui steadied his mind and continued to wrestle with the Taylor expansion formula in front of him.

Time passed, minute by minute, second by second.

When there were still forty minutes left before the end of the exam.

Su Bai stopped writing.

He checked his work once... Actually, there was nothing much to check. His system-enhanced brain did not allow for any calculation errors.

Su Bai simply handed in his paper.

Seeing this scene, Li Rui's hand jerked violently, his fountain pen tip drawing a long ink mark across the paper.

Handing in the paper?

Handing it in forty minutes early?

On this advanced mathematics paper known as the hardest in the last ten years?

Showing off!

He is definitely just showing off!

Li Rui gritted his teeth, forcing himself not to look at Su Bai's departing figure. He told himself that this kid definitely could not solve the problems and had just given up entirely.

Yes, that must be it.

...

Forty minutes later, the bell rang.

Wails of despair filled the exam hall.

It is over, it is over. I am definitely failing this time.

I did not write a single word for the last two essay questions. I am trash.

Professor Wang is inhumane! What kind of hellish questions are these!

A group of people walked out of the exam hall like zombies, their faces pale, as if their bodies had been hollowed out.

Xue Tao and Chu Mingzhe walked out supporting each other; they were genuinely dizzy.

Old Chu, what did you calculate for the last fill-in-the-blank question? Xue Tao asked weakly.

Square root of three? Chu Mingzhe said uncertainly.

It is over, I calculated negative infinity...

The two looked at each other, both seeing the despair in the other's eyes.

Just then, they saw Su Bai standing at the end of the corridor, happily drinking a bottle of ice-cold cola.

Sunlight spilled over him. His leisurely and carefree appearance formed a sharp contrast with the surrounding examinees who looked as if they had just lost their parents.

Brother Bai!

Chu Mingzhe looked as if he had seen a savior. How did you do? Those questions were too sick!

Not bad, I guess.

Su Bai took a sip of his ice-cold cola. I felt they were pretty standard. There were not any particularly difficult points.

...

Chu Mingzhe and Xue Tao opened their mouths wide.

Where exactly were they standard, pray tell?

Right at that moment, Li Rui also walked out carrying his backpack.

His complexion did not look good.

Although he had finished most of the questions, he really could not figure out the second part of the final finale question, so he could only hastily scribble down a few steps.

Hearing Su Bai's words, Li Rui's footsteps paused for a moment.

Pretty standard?

He looked at Su Bai in disbelief, wanting to find a trace of forced bravado on Su Bai's face.

But there was none.

Su Bai's expression was very indifferent, and his eyes were clear. That kind of relaxed demeanor seeped out from his very bones; it was definitely not faked.

Could it be that...

These questions were really that easy for Su Bai?

How is that possible!

He was using the basic review materials! He usually never even went to class!

Li Rui's worldview crumbled a bit.

Su Bai, what was the answer to the second part of the last question? Li Rui could not help but ask, his voice a bit dry.

2 and -1. Su Bai answered casually. Why? Did you not figure it out?

Su Bai looked at Li Rui's pale face and smiled. It seems your internal materials are not that useful after all.

If you have not even laid a solid foundation, what is the use of messing around with all those flashy things?

It seems Grad-School Bro belongs to the type who studies just for the exams. To be honest, he probably did not even understand the course material itself.

As college students, studying just for exams is not actually shameful, but acting all secretive every day and looking down on this and that is just a pain in the ass.

Su Bai felt that Grad-School Bro's character was not even as good as the locals and the Shanghai elites.

This boomerang struck Li Rui right in the chest, causing a sharp pain.

The arrogant army is bound to lose?

So it turned out that the arrogant soldier was actually me?

Watching Su Bai turn around and chat cheerfully with his roommates, Grad-School Bro once again began to doubt his life.

"Don't tell me my grades this semester actually won't measure up to Su Bai's... Is he even human? He spends every day picking up girls and still manages to get good grades. How on earth does he do it?"