Chapter Twenty: The Star of Ziwei

This morning, all the second-year students were stunned by the news of a perfect score totaling 733 points across five subjects. After Duan Hong finished his announcement, he stepped out to take a call, leaving Class One in uproar.

“Who on earth managed such a godlike score? If it’s not our class, could it be Class Two? Things aren’t going to be easy for us now—Old Chen next door will have a field day laughing at us!”

“It can’t possibly be from the regular classes downstairs, right? If it is, are we about to have some kind of superstar parachuted into our class?”

“I think the ones who should be most anxious are those few!” someone pointed at the students who had previously ranked first in the grade. A dark horse had soared so high that others could only stare in awe.

After the morning self-study period ended, instead of rushing to breakfast as usual, most students surged toward the honor board standing tall in the center of the teaching building.

When they saw the name written in bold, dominating the top spot, everyone realized it was unfamiliar. Yet the string of full marks next to it dazzled the crowd, layers deep around the board.

There truly was such a formidable person, achieving such a ferocious score!

The second place, 682 points, would have easily been first in the past, comfortably ahead by ten points or so, but this time had been left trailing by a staggering fifty-one points—a chasm of difference!

Honestly, many wanted to take a look at Class Seven, curious about what this prodigy looked like—did her appearance match her astonishing score?

It wasn’t just a thought; plenty put it into action, wandering past Class Seven for a peek, and those who knew someone there went directly to ask.

But they were destined for disappointment, for Wu Tong was still diligently working in the teachers’ office.

Without making Teacher Chen run about, Duan Hong had set up the students’ morning study and come straight over.

“Old Chen!”

Chen Qiusheng nodded to Duan Hong and handed him a test paper. “Director Duan, this is the math paper Wu Tong just finished. She’s working on the science comprehensive now; I checked in earlier and she’s already more than halfway through.”

Duan Hong quickly scanned the paper. He had personally reviewed and solved this year’s college entrance exam questions and still remembered the answers. Compared to Chen Qiusheng, he was a pure mathematics teacher and could better assess the quality of this paper.

A perfect score—an absolute perfect score. Especially the big questions at the end: the solutions were logically clear and rigorous, with not a single point to deduct. It was the epitome of a flawless exam!

Moreover, for two of the big questions, she used alternative methods that were more concise than the traditional solutions in the standard answers.

This thoroughly proved that Wu Tong, the student, had truly mastered all high school material, integrated her knowledge, and adapted flexibly—embodying the phrase “all roads lead to the same destination,” easy to say but hard to achieve.

“Old Chen, if all our students were like this, we teachers could retire to the sidelines,” Duan Hong wiped a bead of sweat from his face—the autumn heat was nothing compared to the fire burning inside him.

Was their school blessed with a star from the heavens?

“All the senior students gave their all and couldn’t produce a perfect paper, yet this child’s full marks came from a paper worth only 150 points!”

Such a perfect score, achieved merely through self-study over the summer—how could such talent not astonish? Sometimes, reality’s disparity truly makes one sigh.

Their school wasn’t a top-tier institution. The real prodigies were usually recruited by the city during the entrance exams, or transferred to better schools through family connections.

Their student base was somewhat lacking, and the teachers poured their hearts out, breaking down every knowledge point to ensure students could absorb, master, and apply them for good results. Which class’s teachers didn’t exhaust themselves for outstanding scores?

“To master the material so thoroughly through self-study—I’m amazed! Are the top students at elite schools like this too? Those schools with concentrated talent pools are truly enviable!”

“No doubt about it. I just looked over that child’s answers for the chemistry section in the science comprehensive—spotlessly correct!” Chen Qiusheng nodded, as the first to discover this, he understood well.

From math and chemistry alone, it was clear: this student’s claims were no exaggeration. She said she’d mastered all high school material, and she truly had.

“I regret that we can hardly teach her anything, but I’m also glad she’s at our school!” Duan Hong breathed out deeply.

Although she wouldn’t be transferred to his class, at the very least, ensuring her grades stayed high meant their school would have a student capable of getting into a top university for this year’s college entrance exam.

“Once we’ve graded her science comprehensive paper, let’s meet with the academic director and principal this morning to discuss how best to nurture her.”

A gifted seed like this—if the school didn’t act swiftly, it would be collective folly on the part of the leadership, leaving her to add glory to another institution!

“Teacher, I’ve finished the science comprehensive paper!” Wu Tong put down her pen, glancing at the time—it was precisely 7:30. She had spent thirty-six minutes, with ten minutes left before the first class began.

She stood up and handed the paper to Chen Qiusheng, who had just come in.

“Good morning, Director Duan!”

By now, other subject teachers were arriving one after another. Those who knew Wu Tong smiled and greeted her, and Wu Tong responded politely, allowing the teachers of other classes to formally meet the new first-place holder whose achievement had astounded them all last night.

Wu Tong’s Chinese teacher also bore the surname Wu. Upon seeing her, he raised his eyebrows with a playful smile and teased, “Wu Tong, do you have some issue with me? How is it that you scored full marks in all other subjects but left my Chinese stranded halfway up the mountain?”

“Teacher Wu, I’ll work even harder!” Wu Tong replied with a shy smile.

“Come now, Teacher Wu, 133 in Chinese is hardly a low score!” Not only was it not low, it was an outstanding high mark.

The Chinese teacher from Class Five chimed in support, “Expecting students to get full marks in Chinese is a bit much. I’ve seen Wu Tong’s paper—she earned every single point she could. Her foundation is excellent. Comprehension and essay writing take time to build and understand—just more practice is needed!”

“Exactly, Teacher Wu, Teacher Chen—if you’re not satisfied with such scores, all our classes are ready and willing to welcome Wu Tong!” The other teachers joined in, openly trying to poach her.

“Go on, go on—don’t even think about it! No troublemaking!” Chen Qiusheng waved his hand dismissively; he couldn’t bear their shameless faces. This talent was from his class, and unless Wu Tong herself wanted to leave, no one was taking her.

“Wu Tong, go back to the classroom and rest, have something to eat. Classes will start soon!” As a woman, Teacher Wu was more thoughtful, knowing that Wu Tong had been brought to the office early by Chen and probably hadn’t had time for breakfast. She took a carton of milk and two buns from her drawer and placed them in Wu Tong’s hands—it was her usual stash for overtime.

“Thank you, Teacher!”