Chapter 25

The next morning, Xie Qingyan arrived at school early as usual. The morning light was faint, and the corridor was empty and quiet.

He pushed open the door to Class 32 of Senior Three, and sure enough, it was empty. The air still held the chalk dust of yesterday and a faint sense of youthful vigor.

His gaze first fell on Jiang Ci's seat, then paused slightly. Next to him, by the window, Jiang Ci's copy of "Zhuangzi" lay open on the desk. The sentences highlighted with fluorescent pen were somewhat dazzling in the morning light: "The perfect man has no self, the divine man has no merit, the sage has no name."

But the person was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps they went to the restroom, or perhaps they were alone in some secluded corner.

Why is Jiang Ci here so early today?

Xie Qingyan walked to his seat. As he reached under the desk to put his bag in, his fingertips touched books—not just one book, but a thick stack.

He took out the whole stack of things, puzzled, and placed them on the table.

It was books. A whole stack of textbooks, from the first to the third year of junior high, covering math, physics, chemistry, and biology. Each one was remarkably well-preserved, with smooth corners and only signs of having been read. On the covers or title pages, the same name was written in neat, strong handwriting with a distinctive personal style: Wen Heng.

In addition to the textbook, there were also accompanying subject-specific notes. The handwriting was neat and clear, the key points were highlighted, and the diagrams were standardized—they were exemplary classroom records. At a glance, it was clear that the owner of the notes was an excellent student with extremely clear logic and near-perfect study habits.

On top of it sat a slightly old-fashioned but very clean black MP3 player, next to a printed booklet titled "College Entrance Examination English Listening Practice Questions." A tiny sticky note was pasted on the MP3 player's screen: [Audio downloaded, number corresponds to question.]

Xie Qingyan was stunned.

He picked up the top-of-the-line seventh-grade math textbook and opened it. It was filled with class notes, also in Wen Heng's handwriting. This knowledge was indeed basic for him, but the system was complete, providing the foundation he desperately needed to quickly build a framework for modern science.

It was a book that Jiang Ci lent him.

It can only be him.

No wonder Jiang Ci arrived earlier than him today.

He recalled how, under the Mid-Autumn Festival moon, he had subtly mentioned his shallow foundation. Jiang Ci had remained silent then, but had taken every word to heart. He even guessed his fatal weakness in English listening comprehension and prepared all the necessary listening tools and materials.

A surge of indescribable warmth welled up in Xie Qingyan's chest, a feeling even stronger than finding a part-time job yesterday. It was a profound sense of being understood and silently protected, a feeling of shock and gratitude. Jiang Ci, in his unique, silent yet thunderous way, was clearing away the most fundamental obstacle in his path forward.

He could almost picture Jiang Ci, expressionless and perhaps even a little impatient, asking the classmate named "Wen Heng" to borrow these textbooks and notes—already outdated for high school students. How much pride must he have set aside, and how much careful consideration must he have given?

Xie Qingyan carefully organized his textbooks and notes, placing them back in his desk drawer. Then, he took out his notebook, tore off a blank page, and began to write:

I have received both the textbook and notes, and I am deeply grateful. Your thoughtfulness is truly admirable, and I am honored by your assistance. I will study them as soon as possible and return them to you without further ado.

He paused here, recalling the poem he had posted the night before and his part-time job today, and continued writing:

[There's something else I'd like to share. Yesterday I found a part-time job at Moyunzhai, the pay is decent. From now on, I'll be working there after school and on my days off, saving up little by little until I can buy a mobile phone. I look forward to connecting with you soon.]

The note was written in a mix of classical and vernacular Chinese, reflecting both his ancient writing style and his efforts to incorporate modern letter language. He carefully folded the note, and while the classroom was still empty, he quickly and naturally bent down and slipped it deep into the drawer of Jiang Ci's desk next to him, hiding it under a stack of exam papers.

After he finished doing all this, he had just sat up straight and taken out his first-year junior high math textbook to look through it when the front door of the classroom was pushed open.

Students entered in twos and threes, and the morning noise gradually rose. Jiang Ci also quietly returned to his seat through the back door at almost the same time.

He was still wearing his headphones, his eyes fixed straight ahead, as if he hadn't seen Xie Qingyan or noticed the extra things that might be in his desk drawer.

After sitting down, he reached into the desk drawer to get a pen with remarkable ease. When his fingertips touched the folded piece of paper, he paused almost imperceptibly for half a second. Then, with a normal expression, he pulled out the test paper with the paper inside, placed it on the competition book, and pretended to look at the test paper but was actually looking at the paper.

Just then, the bell for morning reading rang sharply. Almost at the very last note of the bell, the English teacher walked into the classroom with a large stack of test papers in her arms and a serious expression.

The classroom, which had been buzzing with discussion, fell completely silent in an instant.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on the stack of exam papers.

The English teacher slammed the test paper down on the podium, pushed up her glasses, and scanned the classroom, lingering for a moment in Xie Qingyan's direction with a complex and unpredictable look in her eyes.

"Students," she began, her voice low but carrying an impending storm, "you all know how difficult this English exam was. Overall, the results... were not ideal."

She paused for a moment, then picked up the top grade registration form.

"But one student has made great progress. Xie Qingyan scored 68 points."

The teacher continued, "His accuracy in the reading and cloze tests was quite good, especially in reading comprehension, where he demonstrated strong logical reasoning skills. However, he almost completely failed the listening comprehension section. He also only got 4 points on the composition. I hope Xie will continue to work hard."

68 points!

A score that was nothing short of a miracle for Xie Qingyan in the past, but given her perfect score in Chinese and her good performance in the combined science subjects, it seems so strange and contradictory!

64 points for objective questions! 4 points for the essay!

This bizarre combination of scores was like an ice cube thrown into a pot of boiling oil, instantly causing the already tense classroom to boil over!

Li Ming jumped up from his seat, his face filled with excitement and ruthlessness, as if he had just known it. He could no longer contain himself and, without waiting for the teacher's permission, pointed at Xie Qingyan and shouted:

"Teacher! Doesn't this prove everything?! He could copy the objective questions, but he couldn't copy the essay, so his true colors were revealed! Xie Qingyan definitely cheated! I demand a thorough investigation! I demand to see his answer sheet! I demand that the grade level give him a separate retake!"

His voice was sharp with excitement, echoing in the silent classroom.

All eyes, like spotlights, were fixed on Xie Qingyan, the center of the storm.

Some questioned, some scorned, some were curious, and some were worried.

Xie Qingyan slowly closed the first-year junior high school math textbook in her hand and gently placed it back under the desk.

Then, facing everyone's gaze, including the scrutinizing look of his English teacher and Li Ming's accusations that were practically spitting fire, he slowly and calmly stood up.

His posture was like that of bamboo, and his gaze was calm.

What was bound to happen has finally happened.

Beside him, Jiang Ci remained with his head down, engrossed in the book "Zhuangzi." No one noticed that his knuckles, gripping the pen tightly, were turning slightly white from the force. Deep beneath the table, the note he had just received was clutched tightly in his other hand.

"Li believes I cheated, so please tell me, if I wanted to copy answers, why didn't I copy the listening comprehension answers, or even the essay answers to get more points? If you had the English answers, would you only copy the answers that would get you 68 points? Does that make sense in terms of cheating behavior?"

"I only scored high on multiple-choice and cloze tests, which shows that I am good at text-based logical reasoning. My low scores on English listening and writing prove that I am a beginner who starts learning a language from scratch. My English teacher must know best how my listening and writing skills were before."

"I used the shortest amount of time to prioritize mastering the multiple-choice and cloze tests that could be solved with logic and memory, while listening and writing require long-term accumulation. Isn't this the most reasonable learning process?"

"That's just making excuses! It would be abnormal if you copied and passed every subject!" Li Ming wouldn't listen to Xie Qingyan's explanation at all. He was convinced that Xie Qingyan had plagiarized, so he wouldn't agree with anything Xie Qingyan said.

"Alright, students, I won't comment on the other subjects, but our English group has verified the scores for English. None of the students sitting around Xie Qingyan had higher scores than him. So, Li Ming, how do you think he should cheat?"

The English teacher's words temporarily quelled the commotion in the classroom.

However, once the seeds of doubt are sown, especially when nurtured by jealousy, they will only grow wildly.

After school, a hot post suddenly appeared on the school's anonymous forum, "Ninth Middle School Tree Hole".

The title is extremely eye-catching: "A Deep Dive into Xie, the 'Underdog': A Perfect Score in Chinese, a Miracle of Leapfrog Progress in Math and Physics, and the Mystery of His Lame English—Is it a Gift of Genius or the Art of Cheating?"

The post, written from the perspective of an insider, detailed the suspicious points:

1. The speed of progress violates the laws of education: from being at the bottom of the grade to getting a perfect score in Chinese and above average in science, it took less than a month.

2. Extremely contradictory score distribution: top in humanities (Chinese), decent in science, but bizarre in English with "high scores in multiple choice and cloze tests, but almost zero scores in listening and writing", which is considered irrefutable evidence of selective plagiarism.

3. Sudden change in problem-solving approach: The math teacher personally confirmed that his problem-solving method was unique, and he was suspected of obtaining clever solution techniques through illegitimate channels.

4. Mismatch between family background and resources: The parents are vegetable farmers, but the child is suspected of receiving guidance from an expert, raising suspicions of a cheating industry chain behind the scenes.

The post was inflammatoryly written and seemingly logically sound, quickly gaining widespread sharing and commentary. Students from other classes, unaware of the facts, especially the top students who studied diligently but made slow progress, were ignited by the post's emotional outburst.

"If cheating can get you a perfect score, what does all our hard work count for?"

"We demand a public investigation from the school! We demand fairness!"

"They must be severely punished to rectify academic conduct!"

Public opinion, protected by anonymity, quickly fermented, and "Xie Qingyan cheating" almost became a fact in the mouths of some people.

---

The next day, in the principal's office.

Li Ming, Zhang Qiang, and five or six other students from Class 12, along with two other student representatives from other classes who had been incited by the post, stood stiffly in front of the mahogany desk. They held a joint letter in their hands, on which dozens of names were scrawled in crooked handwriting.

“Principal, we’re not targeting Xie Qingyan personally, we’re targeting this whole phenomenon!” Li Ming said boldly, his face a mixture of excitement and tension. “If this…this kind of progress isn’t investigated, it’s the biggest injustice to all the students who have studied so hard! We demand that the school thoroughly investigate, release his exam papers and answer sheets, and even make him retake the exam alone!”

The principal was a middle-aged man with a clean-cut face and sharp eyes. He slowly put down the joint letter, then clicked on the post on his tablet that had turned red, and stared at it silently for a long time.

The atmosphere in the office was heavy.

Just then, there were two soft knocks on the door.

"Come in."

The door was pushed open, and Xie Qingyan walked in accompanied by the grade head. He was wearing a faded school uniform, his posture was upright, and his face was calm, as if the tense situation before him had nothing to do with him.

His gaze swept over Li Ming and the others, without anger or fear, only a deep, calm stillness.

"Xie Qingyan, as you've seen, the principal pointed to the joint letter and the computer screen, his voice serious. "Regarding your score on this mock exam, your classmates have many doubts, and public opinion has put pressure on the school. What do you have to say?"

All eyes were on Xie Qingyan.

Xie Qingyan took a small step forward, bowed respectfully to the principal and the grade director, her posture upright, exuding a composure beyond her years.

"Principal, Director, fellow students," he began, his voice clear and steady, "The innocent will remain innocent, and the guilty will remain guilty. Students believe that facts speak louder than words."

He raised his head and looked at the principal with clear eyes: "This incident was caused by students' doubts about their grades. The endless arguments not only affect the friendship between classmates, but also damage the school's reputation and waste everyone's precious preparation time."

He paused, his speech steady yet resolute:

"To thoroughly dispel doubts, set the record straight, and prove that hard work can overcome obstacles and fairness is upheld, student Xie Qingyan hereby solemnly applies to the school: to publicly undergo an academic ability test. The scope, format, invigilators, and judges will all be designated by the school. The time and place can also be determined by the school. The student is willing to prove his knowledge and clear his name in front of all teachers and students."

After he finished speaking, the office fell into a deathly silence.

Li Ming and the others stared wide-eyed at Xie Qingyan in disbelief. They had considered that Xie Qingyan might defend himself, seek support from his teacher, or even back down in fear... but they never imagined that he would be so calm and proactive in demanding that everything be laid bare in the sunlight and put on the biggest stage for examination!

This isn't a guilty conscience; it's an display of incredible confidence and openness!

The principal's eyes behind his glasses suddenly lit up. He re-examined the thin but upright young man before him. This demeanor, this sense of responsibility, was far beyond what ordinary people possessed.

The grade head also looked surprised, then fell into deep thought.

"A public test? In front of the entire school?" The principal repeated slowly, his fingers tapping lightly on the table. "Xie Qingyan, do you know what this means? This is no longer a small dispute within the class. Once it's made public, you will face unprecedented attention and pressure. If the result is even slightly off..."

“The student understands.” Xie Qingyan interrupted the principal, his tone unwavering, but rather even more resolute. “That’s precisely why it should be made public. Even if a private investigation yields results, there’s always the risk of backroom deals. Only under the sunlight, in full view of everyone, can we convince everyone and put an end to the rumors.”

He glanced at Li Ming and the others, whose faces were turning pale, and continued, "This matter has nothing to do with personal grudges, but only with the word 'fairness.' I am willing to use myself as an example to prove to all students that progress made through hard work and intelligence within the rules can withstand any form of scrutiny. I also ask the school to give all students who work hard in silence a clear signal: here, true talent and ability are valued."

These words opened up a new perspective. It was no longer about passive defense, but about proactive offense; it was no longer about getting bogged down in the authenticity of a single exam, but about upholding the core values ​​of the school.

The principal remained silent for a long time, his gaze shifting between Xie Qingyan's composed face and the joint letter. Finally, he took a deep breath and made his decision.

"Good!" The principal slammed his hand on the table, his voice booming. "Xie Qingyan, your courage and determination are truly commendable! The school supports all positive and constructive ways of clarifying the situation."

He looked at the grade head: "Arrange it immediately. The time is set for this Friday afternoon after the second period, and the location is the school auditorium. Notify all teachers and students of the senior year to attend, and teachers and students of other grades are welcome to observe voluntarily. Establish a temporary assessment team composed of subject research group leaders and senior teachers to set questions, conduct assessments on the spot, and announce the results on the spot!"

He finally looked at Li Ming and the others, his gaze stern: "Since you have jointly raised these questions, please witness them in person. The school will make the fairest ruling. But before that, any act of spreading false information or maliciously slandering classmates will be severely punished once verified!"

Li Ming and the others trembled, hurriedly bowed their heads and agreed, not daring to say another word.

Emerging from the principal's office, the corridor was bathed in sunlight. Xie Qingyan walked ahead alone, her steps steady. Li Ming and the others followed behind, looking disheveled and keeping a distance.

The news spread like wildfire throughout the campus.

"Have you heard? Xie Qingyan is going to publicly prove herself!"

"In the school auditorium! The whole school can watch!"

"My God, is he playing this high? Does he really have real skills or has he gone mad?"

"Friday afternoon! Absolutely not to be missed!"

"With the principal personally presiding and teachers from all subjects setting the questions, this event was comparable to an academic defense!"

Xie Qingyan felt nothing at this moment. He returned to the classroom and sat back in his seat. Jiang Ci's seat next to him was empty.

Xie Qingyan reached into the table, his fingertips touching the stack of junior high school textbooks. He pulled out a physics textbook for the second year of junior high and calmly opened it.

It was as if what was about to happen was not an ultimate test that would determine one's reputation and future.

But it was just another exam, one that required his focused preparation.