It was afternoon.
Evan Lin hopped out of a taxi in front of Capitalview First High School.
It was already three o'clock, and the first afternoon class at Capitalview First High had begun.
Evan looked up at the school’s main gate. Calling it imposing was no exaggeration—after all, Capitalview First High School was a true national key high school. Only top students made it in; in past years, its college admission rate had hit a terrifying ninety percent, and most of the remaining ten percent went straight abroad.
"Hey, which class are you in? Do you even know what time it is? You're late!"
As Evan walked up to the gate, the security guard from the Security Office shouted at him.
Still, despite his words, the guard came over and pulled open the gate.
Once inside, Evan found the corridors nearly empty—everyone else was in class.
"Before I came, Auntie Lucy said the Academic Affairs Office was on the fifth floor of the teaching building."
Evan went upstairs, stopped in front of the Academic Affairs Office, and knocked on the door.
"Come in."
A rather stern voice sounded from inside.
Evan pushed open the door and saw a man in his thirties, wearing glasses, sitting behind the desk.
Director Ben Lu looked up at the boy walking in, frowning slightly. "Which class are you from? It's class time—what are you doing in the Academic Affairs Office?"
"I'm here to complete my transfer paperwork. I transferred in not long ago."
Evan replied coolly, glancing at Director Lu—and happened to notice a set of math problems on the desk. They were clearly the Olympiad questions from the recent competition.
Seeing Evan’s gaze linger on the desk, Director Lu casually placed a book over the test paper, covering it up.
He looked up again, pushed his glasses up, and eyed Evan. "Transferred here, huh?"
"Here's my transfer certificate."
Evan stepped forward and handed over the transfer certificate Lucy Lu had given him.
Director Lu glanced at the transfer certificate in his hand. "Evan Lin, weren’t you supposed to report in on September first? Why are you only showing up now?"
"I had some things come up that needed dealing with. They're sorted now."
"Oh? And what could possibly be more important than studying?" Lu set the certificate down, lacing his fingers together as he eyed Evan, not very kindly. "Two students transferred here from Minghai recently—one is you, the other is Chen Linyan."
"That Chen Linyan has excellent grades. I checked her final and midterm scores from last semester and previous years—they’re all pretty high."
"But you, Evan Lin, right? I looked at your record too. You missed the final exam last semester, and your past scores were basically rock bottom. With grades like that, you shouldn’t have had any shot at getting in here. The only reason you did is because your math teacher, Mr. Liu, personally vouched for you."
Director Lu’s tone was calm, as if he were just stating the facts.
This actually surprised Evan a bit. He really had missed the final last semester, but he hadn’t known Old Man Liu had vouched for him.
Thinking back, when Lucy Lu handled his transfer, the results from the Provincial Math Olympiad had already come out, but hadn’t reached Capitalview First High yet. Otherwise, just being the provincial Olympiad champion would have made his transfer a done deal.
After he finished speaking, Director Lu paused, watching the boy in front of him. He’d expected to see some embarrassment, but to his surprise, Evan just looked calm—he didn’t even bother to explain why he’d missed the final.
That left Lu a bit dissatisfied. If it weren’t for the fact that the other transfer, Chen Linyan, was such a model student, he’d be tempted to chew Evan out right now.
"Your grades are bad, your foundation is weak, and you don’t seem to have any motivation either. It’s almost a month into the semester and you’re just now showing up. Honestly, I’m worried about you."
Lu looked like he wanted to say more, but seeing Evan’s totally unfazed attitude, he just nodded. "Fine, go report to Senior Year Class 32."
With that, Lu tore off a piece of paper from beside the desk, scribbled a quick note, and handed it to Evan.
"Thank you."
Evan took the note, shoved his hands in his pockets, and headed out.
As he left, he automatically closed the door behind him—a small gesture that gave Lu a slightly better impression. But then, thinking of the kid’s grades and that nothing-bothers-me attitude, Lu felt annoyed again.
"Transferring in a student like that—he’s just going to drag down our college admission stats. It’s like nothing matters to him, not even the shame of bad grades!"
Lu snorted coldly, feeling even more dissatisfied.
He’d just finished grumbling to himself when the office door swung open and a plump, smiling man walked in. Dressed in a suit and tie, he looked more like a businessman than a teacher—if not for the school setting.
"Hey, Director Lu, what’s up? I heard you talking from the hallway. Bad mood today? Did some student get on your nerves again?"
The plump man who’d just come in grinned broadly. He spoke without a care, dragged over a chair, and sat right down.
"Don’t even mention it—just some student with no desire to improve," Lu shook his head, then chuckled and pulled out the test paper he’d just covered. "These Olympiad problems—the person who wrote them is seriously skilled. The solving methods and ideas are just brilliant!"
"Which province’s Olympiad paper is this?"
Lu actually taught math himself. Recently, the senior math department head wanted to organize a math test for all seniors, and planned to use Olympiad questions.
After all, Capitalview First High’s teaching standards were top-tier—ordinary test questions barely separated the students. Olympiad problems might not reflect textbook mastery, but they did reveal real problem-solving skills and creativity.
"It’s from the neighboring province—Seacrest Province’s Olympiad paper. And Director Lu, you’ve got a sharp eye. Guess who the problem setter is?" The fat man smiled mysteriously.
"Who?" Lu’s curiosity was piqued.
"Professor Gu!" The fat man grinned.
"Professor Gu?"
"Yeah, the current head of the math department at Huaqing University, and a math professor there. He’s won countless honors and is famous worldwide—Gu Chujie!"
"No wonder! No wonder these problems are so high-level," Lu said, looking enlightened and full of admiration.
"So, I’m asking—what do you think about using this paper for the upcoming math test?"
"Absolutely! I’m all for it. I can’t wait to see the looks on our star students’ faces when they see this test."
Lu and the fat man exchanged a glance—and both burst out laughing.