He drank one bowl after another, downing three bowls of chicken soup in a row. "Burp... I'm full. Are we still having dinner?"
"Come on, Shen Qi, Old Shen, dinner's ready!" Fan Yunxia had prepared a lavish spread. Their son's grades had improved by leaps and bounds, and the family of three was happy together. Nothing could be more wonderful.
"Hold on, don't eat just yet!" Shen Zhishan had been silent for a long time, but he still felt something was off. There were things that didn't add up. As a businessman, he was naturally suspicious. "Shen Qi, tell me the truth. Did you cheat in math, physics, chemistry, or biology on this midterm? Did you copy anyone else's answers?"
Shen Qi felt more wronged than Dou E. "I got 150 in math, first in the class—the only one who got 150. Who was I supposed to copy from? If anyone copied, they copied from me!"
"Old Shen, you're being too suspicious. My son would never cheat! I'd rather believe in a miracle. Even someone whose heart has stopped has a chance of coming back to life, so what's so extraordinary about Shen Qi getting a 150?" Fan Yunxia argued with her husband, fiercely defending Shen Qi.
"Fan Yunxia, that's a classic case of idealism brought on by an excess of maternal love. I've never believed in resurrection. The truth is always more brutal than what you see with your own eyes! More than stubbornly refusing to admit fault, I hate lies and deception. We'll soon find out whether he's telling the truth or not." Shen Zhishan picked up his phone and dialed a number, his expression grave.
"Hello, Teacher Zhang. This is Shen Qi's father, Shen Zhishan. I'm very sorry to bother you so late." The person Shen Zhishan had called was Zhang Wanbang.
Zhang Wanbang said, "What is it?"
Shen Zhishan said, "Shen Qi ranked fifteenth in the class on this midterm, and somehow got a perfect score in math. You know what his grades used to be like. I want to confirm whether there's anything questionable about his results this time."
"What's wrong with you parents? Don't you believe in your own children? I proctored Shen Qi's exams the entire time. I wrote the math test myself and graded it myself. I can tell you with complete confidence that his scores are legitimate. He has astonishing talent for math. It'll flourish when the time is right. Mr. Shen, I think there's a serious problem with the way you're raising Shen Qi! Take a good look at yourself. That's all. I'm hanging up!" Zhang Wanbang was just as blunt with everyone. Shen Qi's father got the same scolding as anyone else, without the slightest courtesy.
After the call ended, Shen Zhishan leaned against the sofa in a daze, not saying a word.
Shen Qi cautiously walked over to him. "Dad, dinner's ready."
"Dinner! Yunxia, open a bottle of Wuliangye. We're drinking tonight!" Shen Zhishan's attitude toward Shen Qi had changed completely. He stared at him, incredulous but unable to deny it. "You little rascal, you're actually a math genius? I've raised you for seventeen years and only just found out!" Teacher Zhang's word carried authority. Shen Zhishan had to believe it.
"Dad, a few days ago you said that if I could make it into the top forty in class, you'd buy me the latest phone?" Shen Qi asked carefully.
Shen Zhishan declared grandly, "I'll buy it!"
Shen Qi asked, "An Apple laptop too?"
Shen Zhishan didn't even blink. "I'll buy it! Both!"
"Boss Shen really keeps his word. May your business flourish and bring you great fortune!" Shen Qi was over the moon. What he admired most about his dad was that he rewarded and punished fairly and always kept his word.
Shen Zhishan took a wad of cash from his briefcase and slapped it onto the coffee table. "Here's ten thousand. Take it and buy yourself a phone and an Apple laptop!" Businesspeople usually kept several bundles of cash in their bags.
Shen Qi shook his head. "Ten thousand isn't enough. An Apple laptop alone costs ten thousand."
"If ten thousand isn't enough, then here's twenty!" Shen Zhishan slapped another ten thousand in cash onto the coffee table.
Even Fan Yunxia, who had been defending Shen Qi all along, couldn't take it anymore. "Old Shen, that's enough! You're going crazy without even having a drink. Keep slapping that table and I'll chop your hands off!"
Dinner was a joyful affair. The family of three were happy together.
Shen Zhishan drank a lot and got thoroughly, pleasantly drunk.
Parents really didn't ask for much. As long as their children made progress in school, they were overjoyed and deeply satisfied.
Shen Qi silently vowed that from now on, he would make his parents happy every day, finding all kinds of ways to cheer them up.
The twenty thousand yuan Shen Zhishan had given Shen Qi was kept by Fan Yunxia on his behalf. She put away 19,500 yuan for him and gave him 500 yuan for pocket money.
"Students shouldn't carry too much money around. I'll keep the money your dad gave you safe. If you want to buy a phone and a laptop, I'll get them for you," Fan Yunxia told Shen Qi.
"Actually, my phone still works, and we replaced the computer at home last year. It'll last me until I go to college. Mom, you and Dad work hard for your money. I should spend it on things that are truly worthwhile. I'll hold off on the phone and laptop. I want to buy a few books with the 500 yuan. When it's gone, I'll ask you for more," Shen Qi said sincerely.
"I'll support you buying books one hundred percent. Books are the best investment you can make in yourself." Fan Yunxia was especially pleased. It was as if Shen Qi had suddenly grown up overnight.
Over the following period, Shen Qi made progress every day. He felt there wasn't enough time.
Math: With a combination of Teacher Zhang Wanbang's guidance and self-study, Shen Qi had reached the Stieltjes integral, a topic in Real Analysis that most engineering students studying Advanced Mathematics never encountered. For now, math was the main source of his naturally accumulated Academic Prodigy Points.
Physics: Shen Qi could use Ampere's Law—the rule for determining the force on a straight current-carrying wire in a magnetic field—to solve problems with ease. It was part of High School Physics, and most high school students could use it proficiently.
Chemistry: Shen Qi understood what sp hybrid orbitals were used for. Chemists tried to explain the forces between atoms using microscopic theories.
Biology: The ABA group had less chlorophyll in its chloroplasts than the CTK group. From this, Shen Qi could infer that the rate of NADPH synthesis during the light reactions in the chloroplasts of the ABA group was lower than that of the CTK group.
Chinese: "The water ripples, the mountain islands stand tall" described the rippling sea and towering peaks. The author was Cao Cao. Words like "ripples" and "stand tall" were rather uncommon and rarely used in everyday life. In any case, obscure characters were bound to show up on the college entrance exam.
English: If the indefinite article "a" came before a word, it had to be followed by "sudden," not "suddenly," because an adjective modified a noun when used attributively.
High school students had to study everything. It certainly wasn't easy to excel in every subject.
Shen Qi made steady progress. Keeping his math at Level 3, he spent 200 Academic Prodigy Points to raise Chinese and English to the Level 1 average.
Among all his subjects, math remained at Level 3, ahead of the rest.
Chinese, English, physics, chemistry, biology, and PE were all at Level 1—the average high school level.
By mid-May, Shen Qi had accumulated 4,327 Academic Prodigy Points. At his natural rate of accumulation, he would have enough to raise his Math Level to 4 in at most another week.
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