High School Mathematics League

"Little junior brother, no problem." Shen Qi nodded, then turned to the whole team and asked, "Why does Teacher Cao strictly forbid us from using college-level knowledge to solve problems? Let's say I've already got the top-tier greatsword. Why would I use the lowest-level jungle knife to clear camps? That's inefficient."

Meng Tianqiang replied, "Didn't Teacher Cao say? Using college-level knowledge to solve high school math problems is equivalent to cheating."

"If everyone uses college-level knowledge, then the standard is the same for everyone, so it can't be called cheating."

"Actually, all of us have read college math textbooks to some extent, though the depth varies. Shen Qi, you have to understand that not every high school student can grasp more advanced, specialized math as deeply as you can, myself included. If you use methods far beyond the scope of the high school textbooks in the competition, it'll hit the other students like a critical strike—at least ten thousand points of damage."

"Fine, Captain Meng. Your logic is airtight."

Shen Qi asked again, "What grade does Teacher Cao teach? How come I've never seen him?"

Meng Tianqiang said, "Teacher Cao retired several years ago. He came back on a rehiring contract specifically to coach our Math Olympiad team. He's an outstanding teacher nationwide, famous in the field."

"My homeroom teacher, Zhang Wanbang—what's his relationship with Teacher Cao?" Shen Qi asked curiously.

"I heard that when Teacher Zhang first came to our school as a trainee teacher, he was Teacher Cao's apprentice. They were in the same group and worked together for many years."

"No wonder. Teacher Zhang and Old Man Cao have the same temperament. Before teaching you anything, they chew you out, then explain the reasoning afterward. Speaking of which, did Old Man Cao go out for another smoke? It's been over ten minutes, and he still hasn't come back. What a heavy smoker!" Shen Qi glanced toward the doorway.

Meng Tianqiang said, as if used to it, "He's not coming back. We'll just study on our own until nine, then we can leave."

"Our Math Olympiad team's training really is just self-study?" The Mathematics League Competition was the day after tomorrow. Shen Qi had thought they'd be doing an intensive training session tonight. He hadn't expected the intensive training to consist of everyone studying by themselves.

Meng Tianqiang said, "That's how it is most of the time. If we have questions, we discuss them among ourselves first. If we run into a problem the whole team can't solve, then we ask Teacher Cao. That's how people who do math work, isn't it? You teach yourself."

"The school's Math Olympiad team and Track and Field team really do have completely different rules, discipline, and management styles." When Shen Qi had passed the track earlier that day, he'd seen the Track and Field team training hard under their coach's direction. His best buddy Xu Rui had even cramped up from training.

"We're brainy men, and we take the high-end route. How can that bunch of savages on the Track and Field team compare to us?" Meng Tianqiang said proudly, earning an enthusiastic response from the whole team.

"They call us weaklings, and we think they're savages. I've got a buddy on the school's Track and Field team, and he could take out half our Math Olympiad team by himself." Shen Qi stated an objective fact.

"Terrifying!"

"Super terrifying!"

"Savages are the scariest!"

The rest of the team trembled, then went back to reading their own books and working on their own problems.

"Shen Qi, what the hell are you competing in? A math league? They even have leagues for math now? A bunch of weaklings competing in some ridiculous league! What? Doing well in this stupid competition could get you into Tsinghua? What the hell is wrong with this world? A weakling's still a weakling at Tsinghua—just a high-level weakling with a diploma! Shen Qi, you'd better do well in that math league. If you don't bring back the championship, I'll chop your dick off!" That was the WeChat message Xu Rui sent Shen Qi.

The language was crude and blunt, but Shen Qi felt the warmth behind it.

Everyone had witnessed Shen Qi's progress over the past two months.

Xu Rui had accepted the fact. Since his best buddy Shen Qi was determined to work hard and improve, he wished him a bright future and success in his studies.

"Shen Qi-chan, do your best! I'll be waiting for your good news O(∩_∩)O~" That was the WeChat message Chen Xiaoting sent Shen Qi, gentle and sweet in style.

"As the class math representative, I didn't even get the chance to represent our class in the Mathematics League Competition, but you did. Shen Qi, help me make up for that regret. Class 2 is counting on you. Don't let the people in Classes 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 look down on us." Huang Zikun, who wasn't especially close to Shen Qi but wasn't distant from him either, sent him a WeChat message too. The usually arrogant Huang Zikun even sounded a little jealous.

Zhang Wanbang hadn't said a word to Shen Qi before the competition. He hadn't even shown his face.

But Shen Qi knew that aside from his parents, the person who cared most about him might be Zhang Wanbang.

And the person who understood him best was probably Teacher Zhang.

May 17, Sunday.

Shen Qi wore his Nangang Second High School uniform. He packed his student ID, competition pass, pens, and ruler into his schoolbag, then sat in the front passenger seat and used his phone to reply to several classmates one by one.

The car was a black Mercedes-Benz C-Class. Though it was several years old, it still looked about seventy or eighty percent new. Shen Zhishan stopped at a red light and asked, "Shen Qi, you've been on your phone ever since we left. Are you too nervous, or are you too relaxed?"

"My classmates are all concerned about me competing in the Mathematics League, so I'm thanking them for their support. I'm not too relaxed, and I'm not too nervous either. I'm just keeping a level head." Shen Qi sent his last text, then put away his phone.

"It's good to be able to keep a level head." Shen Zhishan opened the sunroof to let some air in. "Shen Qi, I've seen your recent progress and how hard you've been working to improve. Let's talk openly: what are your goals for the future?"

"Go to college."

"Which college do you want to attend?"

Shen Qi looked up at the morning sky through the sunroof. The weather was nice today. "I like universities with nice-sounding names, like Shuimu, Fudan, Tongji, and Yixian."

"Universities with nice-sounding names are all top schools. You've got high ambitions. But relying on math alone, it'll be hard to get into those nice-sounding schools, won't it?" Shen Zhishan asked.

Shen Qi said, "I hope I can win a major prize in this Mathematics League and try for a special recruitment spot for top talent in a major field at one of those elite universities. The math departments at the schools I just mentioned are all very well known. Teacher Zhang said that more than half of the new students admitted to their math departments are specially recruited. Of course, I can't give up on the college entrance exams. That's my fallback plan. Anyway, I'll work hard at both the competitions and the exams."

"You're closer to Teacher Zhang than you are to me," Shen Zhishan said with a laugh. Then he added, "That's fine. Your plans are pretty sensible and well thought out, but your mom wants you to study medicine."

Instead of answering, Shen Qi asked, "What about you? What do you want me to study?"

"I used to want you to go to a military academy, but your personality isn't suited to a military career. You should choose your own path and your own life. All I can do is prepare the tuition. Where you go a year from now is up to you."

"Long live understanding. Dad, you didn't have to drive me. It only takes ten minutes to ride my bike to school."

"Today is a new beginning in your life. I have to personally take you to the Mathematics League Competition. That's just a father's love."

"Dad, what I mean is, you're driving even slower than I would on my bike. We've been stuck at this intersection for ten minutes, and we've missed seven rounds of the lights... We're going to be late!"

At last, Shen Zhishan got through the most congested intersection, and Shen Qi got out in front of Nangang Second High School.

A bus was parked by the school gate. The Math Olympiad team captain, Meng Tianqiang, was anxiously looking around beside it.

When Meng Tianqiang spotted Shen Qi, he waved and shouted, "Shen Qi, hurry up and get on!"

Shen Qi sprinted to the bus's front door and got on with Meng Tianqiang.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Teacher Cao." After boarding, Shen Qi apologized to Cao Xin'an, who was sitting in the front row.

Cao Xin'an asked expressionlessly, "Did you bring your student ID and competition pass?"

"I did, I did." Shen Qi took out his student ID and competition pass to show Cao Xin'an.

Cao Xin'an held out his right hand. "Turn off your phone and give it to me. Then go find a seat in the back."

Shen Qi took out his phone, turned it off, and handed it to Cao Xin'an for safekeeping. Then he went to find a seat at the back of the bus.

The bus started up and headed south.

There were more than a dozen people on the bus: the driver, Cao Xin'an, and all the members of Nangang Second High School's Math Olympiad team.

Cao Xin'an was the team's leader. Today, he would lead them into battle in the annual Provincial High School Mathematics League.

Cao Xin'an had led the team the previous year too, but the results had been poor: they'd won only two first prizes, and no one had made the provincial team.

The year before that had been even worse. They'd won no first prizes and only three second prizes.

Cao Xin'an's proudest achievement dated back eight years, when he was still teaching at Nangang Second High School and hadn't yet retired.

That year's team had been packed with talent. Every member had won first prize, and half had qualified for the provincial team. The most gifted student had eventually made that year's Olympic Math national team. He'd represented China at the competition in the United States and won an IMO gold medal, then earned admission to Shuimu University. He was now pursuing a doctorate at Trinity College, Cambridge University.

Over the past eight years, the overall level of math at Nangang Second High School had declined, and Cao Xin'an couldn't accept it. Rehired after retirement, he was an old warhorse still ready to serve, with just one wish: before he died, he wanted to send another student to the national team.

But the overall competitive level of this year's Math Olympiad team didn't satisfy Cao Xin'an. He was already sixty-four and couldn't keep at it for many more years.

The only member of the team who gave Cao Xin'an even a little comfort was the captain, Meng Tianqiang.

Last year, when Meng Tianqiang was in his second year of high school, he'd competed in the Mathematics League and won first prize. But first prize at the provincial level was probably the best he could manage. Qualifying for the provincial team would be difficult.

"Do I really have to hold on until I'm seventy? I don't even know if I'll live that long." Cao Xin'an felt helpless. He wasn't afraid of dying; he was afraid his students would amount to nothing.