Chapter 57

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Protagonist:

Lin Hao

Accompanied by Nan Li, Xia Junshan waited anxiously until Zhong Yi finished his class.

They stood outside the classroom, watching the students file out one after another, their hearts filled with both anticipation and unease. Finally, the classroom emptied completely; Xia Junshan knocked lightly on the door, then entered Zhong Yi's office together with Nan Li.

Zhong Yi was indeed a little surprised to see the couple.

He thought they must have learned about his refusal to admit Xia Huanhuan, since Cui Jingli had been badmouthing him plenty lately.

A flicker of puzzlement crossed Zhong Yi's face, but he still rose politely to greet them.

After the three exchanged greetings and sat down, Xia Junshan made some embarrassed pleasantries before slowly bringing up Xia Huanhuan's matter.

His tone was full of worry and helplessness: "Zhong Yi, we came today to talk about Huanhuan's situation. Right now Huanhuan is encountering serious difficulties in the Gold Medal Class, and we want to hear your opinion."

Zhong Yi pondered for a moment, then said seriously: "Actually, I've always felt Xia Huanhuan would be better suited for a second-tier Competition Class or Improvement Class. After all, before fifth grade she had never been exposed to Olympiad math, and her previous foundation wasn't very solid either; rashly entering the Gold Medal Class would do more harm than good. That was also why I previously refused her entry into the Gold Medal Class."

After hearing Zhong Yi's explanation, Xia Junshan and Nan Li suddenly realized the truth.

Only now did they understand they had been pulling up seedlings to help them grow — they had been too impatient.

Nan Li said regretfully: "So that's how it is; we really shouldn't have done that. We only thought about putting Huanhuan in the best class, without considering her actual situation."

Xia Junshan also hurriedly expressed gratitude to Zhong Yi: "Zhong Yi, thank you for your frankness. We indeed didn't think things through before; if only we had come to ask you earlier."

Zhong Yi was equally courteous, smiling as he said: "No need to be so polite; I'm doing it for the child's sake. Next year our company will launch an Online Tutoring Class; then we can arrange for Xia Huanhuan to be among the first batch of trial students to see how it works."

Xia Junshan immediately voiced support: "That's wonderful; we'll definitely support it. Hope Huanhuan can study well in a class that suits her."

Nan Li also nodded in agreement: "Yes, we can't blindly chase the best class anymore; we have to choose based on Huanhuan's actual circumstances."

They chatted with Zhong Yi a while longer, then left the office filled with gratitude.

Watching their departing backs, Zhong Yi didn't take it too much to heart. He knew well that in this complex world, having more friends is stronger than having more enemies.

He turned back to his desk and continued throwing himself into work, making final preparations for the upcoming competition.

The agreed-upon competition time between Zhong Yi and Wang Laoshi soon arrived. Many parents had also heard about this competition; Cui Jingli simply organized a public competition outright to showcase Zeshu's teaching strength.

In Zeshu's classroom, seventeen students were already sitting neatly in their seats. Xia Huanhuan had already been transferred to the Competition Class; at this moment the classroom doorway was packed with parents concerned about their children's scores. They whispered among themselves, discussing animatedly, faces full of expectation.

The competition consisted of two papers totalling ten questions; Zhong Yi and Wang Laoshi each contributed five questions.

Exam time was one hour, with class average score as the victory criterion. For fairness, Yan Ziyou's score would not be counted in the assessment; of course, only Zeshu's internal personnel knew this, otherwise Tian Yulan would be making trouble again.

Zhang Wanqing and Liu Na also came downstairs to watch the competition; they too wanted to know just how high Zhong Yi's teaching level was.

Zhang Wanqing said softly: "Don't know if Teacher Zhong's students can win this competition."

Liu Na nodded slightly: "Yeah, this competition will surely be spectacular."

The competition began quickly; the first five questions were Wang Laoshi's, the last five were Zhong Yi's. It was plainly visible that all students had basically no difficulty with the first five; everyone wrote furiously, the classroom filled only with the rustling scratch of pen tips on paper. But in the second half the gap became quite obvious.

One could see Zhong Yi's students were still writing swiftly on the second paper, their eyes focused, thoughts clear. Wang Laoshi's students, however, were all racking their brains, not knowing how to set pen to paper. Some students knitted their brows tight, gnawing on their pen barrels in bitter thought; some glanced up at the ceiling from time to time, as if searching for inspiration. The parents outside the classroom also watched the children's performance tensely, silently cheering them on in their hearts.

When the competition results came out, that enormous gap struck like a bolt from the blue, leaving everyone stunned.

Wang Laoshi's students averaged a mere 65 points, while Teacher Zhong's students all scored full marks — such a contrast was far too intense.

Upon learning this result, the Gold Medal Class Class One parents instantly exploded.

Their faces were written with anger and anxiety; they clustered together, talking over one another in discussion.

"Same Gold Medal Class, why is the gap this obvious? Are our children worse than theirs?" a burly parent said angrily, face flushed red.

"We spent that much money precisely so our kids could receive the best education; what is this now? Isn't this a waste of our time and money?" another fashionably dressed parent chimed in, eyes revealing strong dissatisfaction.

"No good; we must get an explanation, can't let our children be delayed like this." a bespectacled parent pushed up the glasses on his nose bridge, saying determinedly.

So they marched aggressively toward Cui Jingli's office.

Along the way, the parents' emotions grew more and more agitated, their steps faster and faster. They seemed like a pride of enraged lions, ready to launch a fierce attack on Cui Jingli.

Arriving at Cui Jingli's office doorway, the parents didn't say a word — they just shoved the door open and rushed in.

Cui Jingli was sitting at his desk, frowning as he pondered how to resolve this problem. Seeing the parents suddenly barge in, he was startled and hurriedly stood up.

"Cui Jingli, you must give us an explanation! Why is the gap this huge when it's the same Gold Medal Class?" one parent spoke first, voice loud, filled with a questioning tone.

"Right, Cui Jingli. We sent our kids here because we trusted Zeshu's teaching quality. Now this situation has appeared; how can you expect us to feel at ease?" another parent followed immediately.

"Our children cannot lose at the starting line; they must go to Teacher Zhong's class." one parent waved an arm, demanding forcefully.