After Shen Qi spent 10 minutes finishing the second problem, he looked back at the first one. Damn, it was hard—the difficulty lay in the approach and the logic.
If you got stuck on the first problem, you were doomed. Fortunately, Shen Qi had switched to a different line of reasoning in time, and the solution had come easily.
If the first problem, the Seven Bridges problem, was tough, Shen Qi thought the second one was practically free points.
The second was an algebra problem. The test paper listed a pile of Arabic numerals, English and Greek symbols, and asked the test takers to find a pattern and prove it.
Shen Qi didn't even stop to think or make a rough draft. He picked up his pen and wrote directly on the exam paper. Cantor's set theory—easy as hell. Seven points handed to him on a platter. What a treat.
"14 points in the bag. Last problem."
Shen Qi started on the final problem. He still had an hour and 40 minutes, plenty of time.
The final problem was geometry and, in theory, the hardest one on the test. It took Shen Qi half an hour to solve.
By difficulty, the first problem was the hardest, the third was next, and the second was the easiest.
"Looks good. I'm turning it in."
After checking his work three times, Shen Qi turned in his paper 40 minutes early and left Room 101.
When he stepped outside the exam hall, he realized he wasn't the first to finish.
Several groups had gathered outside. They looked relaxed, chatting and laughing as if they'd come on a sightseeing trip, not to take the National Math Olympiad Preliminary.
The sight made Shen Qi's heart skip and his sphincter clench. Experts—so many experts!
The students all wearing white shirts were from Xiangnan Province's Math Olympiad team. Shen Qi counted: one, two, three, four, five, six. All six members had finished early, even before him.
The students in white T-shirts were from Zhedong Province's Math Olympiad team. Shen Qi counted again: one, two, three, four, five, six. All six of them had finished early too.
The most badass team was Ebei Province's Math Olympiad team. Not only had all six of their members finished early, but they'd split into pairs to play a game.
"Rook to the eighth rank, three squares forward."
"Cannon to the second file, across to the first."
The Ebei team members were playing Chinese chess, but they had no board or pieces. They just closed their eyes and called out moves, playing blindfolded.
"Insane. They're freaking strong. The 'Central Plains Five Whites' aren't just a name—their overall math ability really is incredible. You've got to hand it to them." Shen Qi was on edge. He looked around anxiously, craning his neck and hoping his five useless teammates might pull off a miracle for once.
But the result disappointed him. Not one of the five had come out. They were probably still struggling to the bitter end inside the exam hall.
"Ah, damn it. It's no use being awesome if this is how it goes. This is real life, not a game. Did I really think I could take on five people by myself?" Shen Qi leaned dejectedly against a tree, lonely and isolated. The Ebei team had friends to hang out with. What did he have? A few useless teammates. Comparing yourself to others was enough to make you sick.
Shen Qi looked toward the Second Teaching Building. Were his useless teammates still hanging in there?
"Look, that guy's peeking at us," one of the Ebei team members said, noticing Shen Qi not far away.
"From the lettering on his T-shirt, he's on the Nanyue Province Math Olympiad team. He's not bad—he only turned in his paper about ten minutes after us," another Ebei team member said.
"The Nanyue team isn't strong."
"He might've handed in a blank paper."
"Who cares? They're a nobody team. Come on, let's keep playing. Knight to the fourth file, third rank."
"King to the fifth file, across to the sixth..."
Shen Qi heard the Ebei team members talking. Forget it, I'll put up with it. We're outnumbered, so we should keep our heads down and not make a scene.
Students began filing out of the Second Teaching Building. The three-hour exam was over, and everyone had turned in their papers.
"The first problem was insanely hard. I guessed that there was no path connecting all seven bridges in a single stroke. I just made up the proof—totally pulled it out of my ass. The second problem was a bit easier, but the third was hard again. I might not even get 10 points on this National Preliminary paper. If Shen Qi hits me, you can't just stand there and let him, okay?" Qi Jianhong from Nanyue Province's Math Olympiad team said as he walked, looking extremely nervous.
"Would he dare?" Luo Ming, another team member, sounded a little more confident.
"Luo Ming, how many problems did you get right?" Qi Jianhong asked cautiously.
"At least two." Luo Ming looked regretful. "Give me ten more minutes—just ten—and I could've gotten a perfect score. What a shame. I ran out of time."
"Heh, heh, heh." A strange laugh sounded as Shen Qi appeared behind his five teammates like a ghost.
"Holy crap?"
"What the hell?"
"Shen Qi!"
"You turned in your paper early again?"
The five teammates jumped in fright and looked up at the sky. It had been blazing sunny, but now dark clouds had gathered overhead.
"Heh, heh, heh." Shen Qi's smile was impossible to read. "Don't say a word. We'll talk back at the dorm."
"Heh, your sister." His teammates cursed as they followed Shen Qi back to the dorm.
Teacher Tian was already waiting there. He had six copies of the National Preliminary exam and six copies of the official answer key.
A paper cup pressed into service as an ashtray was stuffed with cigarette butts. Teacher Tian stubbed out the cigarette he was smoking, turned off the air conditioner, and opened the doors and windows wide.
"Ugh, it reeks of smoke." Qi Jianhong pinched his nose and frowned.
"Teacher Tian, you've smoked so much. This is our dorm room..." Luo Ming complained.
"Sorry, I couldn't help myself. I'll be more careful next time." Teacher Tian apologized. He was under a lot of pressure.
Shen Qi pulled up a chair by the window and sat down, gazing into the distance without a word.
"I just got the National Preliminary exam and the official answer key from the organizing committee. Check your answers and estimate your scores so I know where we stand." Teacher Tian began handing out the papers and answer keys.
Qi Jianhong and the other four got their papers and answer keys and immediately started checking their answers.
They had just taken the National Preliminary, so they could still clearly remember what they'd written.
Checking their answers was nerve-racking, yet full of anticipation, like waiting to see the lottery results.
"The first problem, the Seven Bridges problem—it turns out there's no path you can draw in a single stroke. I guessed right! Even if they don't give me seven points, surely they'll give me two, right?"
"I got the second one right too!"
"The third one... Damn, I made a calculation error. But I got 90 percent of the derivation right. I only messed up the last step."
"I figure I can get 10 or 11 points, maybe 12 or 13?" Qi Jianhong could live with that. It was a few points higher than he'd expected.
"I should get at least 14. The graders might award me a point or two for the Seven Bridges problem." Luo Ming still looked regretful. Ten minutes. I only needed ten more minutes!
"Not bad, you two." Teacher Tian was a little surprised. Their results were slightly more optimistic than he'd expected. "Shu Minbo, Yang Huan, Cheng Le—how did you do?"
"Holy crap, I pulled off a critical hit! At least 17 points!"
"I think I can get around 14 or 15."
"I left the first problem blank, but got the other two right. Fourteen points."
The other three teammates estimated their scores one after another.
"Good, good. Apart from Qi Jianhong, everyone got at least 66 percent of their answers right. It's only an estimate, but you just took the exam, so I believe your estimates are accurate. We've got a chance. We still have hope!" Teacher Tian had caught a glimpse of hope for qualifying and finally smiled.
Only Shen Qi hadn't said a word since entering the dorm. He kept gazing out the window, lost in thought.
"Shen Qi, what are you looking at? What's your estimated score?" Teacher Tian walked over to him and asked with concern. Shen Qi was his last card—and his only trump card. He couldn't afford to have anything go wrong.
Shen Qi kept his eyes fixed on the distance and slowly said, "I'm looking at poetry and the faraway places."
Teacher Tian: "..."
Everyone else: "..."
"Oh no, Shen Qi's gone crazy. I thought he was acting weird outside, too." Qi Jianhong walked over to Shen Qi uneasily and said apologetically, "Shen Qi, this is all my fault. I know how badly you want to make it to the National Finals. My ability is limited, and I couldn't score very high. I didn't realize I'd hit you this hard. You're right—I'm trash."
"I used to be. Not anymore." Shen Qi stood up and shifted his gaze to the room. "10 + 14 + 14 + 14 + 17 + 21. We can get at least 90 points, so you're not trash. You did your best. Oh, and I should get a perfect score of 21. We still have hope."
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