"Whatever happens, happens." Shen Qi smiled.
"Looks like you're back to your peak condition?" Mu Rong felt 99% relieved, but her woman's intuition told her that something still seemed off.
Shen Qi avoided the topic of the national finals and asked, "Teacher Mu, how many years did you stay at Peking University? At least nine years for your undergraduate, master's, and doctoral studies combined, right?"
"Exactly nine years," Mu Rong said.
"Did Teacher Mu attend the physics experimental class at Yenching University?"
"No, but I was an assistant in the experimental class when I was doing my master's degree. Many of the problems I taught you at Nangang Second High School came from the internal training problems of the Yenching University Physics Experimental Class. I taught you according to the standards of the Yenching University Experimental Class. It's a pity that you are the only one who made it to the national finals." Mu Rong sighed.
Shen Qi asked, "Weren't you admitted to Peking University through a special recommendation program?"
Mu Rong shook her head. "No, I just took the college entrance exam once, and I got into Peking University. It was all about fate."
"Haha! You're going with the flow too." Shen Qi laughed. "Teacher Mu, your tone and demeanor are very similar to that King of Show Offs I met at the university next door."
Mu Rong said, "Girls at Peking University generally don't put on airs. You'll see when you officially register at Peking University. The girls at Peking University are quite cute. Alright, Shen Qi, you can wander around by yourself. I need to go to a meeting at the organizing committee. Tomorrow is a day off, and the lab exam is the day after tomorrow."
The rain stopped, and Shen Qi returned the umbrella to Mu Rong before taking a walk on the Yenching University campus.
Actually, Shen Qi couldn't guarantee anything about the recently concluded CPhO National Final theory exam. He completed all 280 points, but time was tight, so he might get a perfect score, or he might not.
It's fifty-fifty; the chance of not getting a perfect score is more than fifty.
Shen Qi casually found a stone bench to sit on. Just then, his phone rang. He answered, "Hello, Teacher Qin."
The caller was an acquaintance, Qin Wu, a reporter from the Guangdong section of QQ News: "Shen Qi, hello, have you finished the theory exam for the National Competition in Physics? Would it be convenient for us to meet?"
"Teacher Qin, are you in the capital?"
"Yes, I'm at Peking University. I'm here to cover the national physics competition finals. Shen Qi, what's your location? I'll come find you."
"Coordinates: Under a tree, northwest of the Yifu Building."
"Okay, I'm nearby, I'll be right there."
Not long after, Qin Wu found Shen Qi: "How was it? Did you do well on the theory questions?"
"I'll just take the test casually; the outcome doesn't matter," Shen Qi said calmly.
"Looks like things are going well!" Qin Wu pulled out a voice recorder.
"Hey, hey, hey, Teacher Qin, can you please stop recording?" Shen Qi asked somewhat awkwardly upon seeing the recording pen.
"How can I remember what you said if I don't record it?" Qin Wu explained. "I want to do a feature on you, Shen Qi, and hope to collect more material about your daily life before and after the competition and the college entrance examination. Please understand."
"Before coming to the capital, we had a conversation at a coffee shop near my house. I just casually mentioned that I was thinking of aiming for the top science score in this year's college entrance examination. Teacher Qin, what you did was write an article saying that Shen Qi, the Olympic Math champion, would casually take the exam and aim for the top science score in the province... Do you think I don't read the news online?" Shen Qi complained.
"Just a casual test, that's what you said exactly, I didn't make it up," Qin Wu said.
"I was stupid, really stupid. I never imagined your industry was so murky. Teacher Qin, what will the people think of me after you write like this? They'll definitely say that Shen Qi is just a pretentious show-off, setting up flags everywhere! Teacher Qin, you're putting me in an unjust position, which will have an extremely negative social impact on my future application to join the Party."
As they were talking, Shen Qi snatched the recording pen from Qin Wu's hand with lightning speed and made a throwing motion. "What do you want with the recording pen?"
"Don't throw it!" Qin Wu quickly stopped him, snatching back the recorder. "This recording equipment is quite expensive."
"Would it be alright to record my interview with pen and paper?" Shen Qi offered a constructive suggestion.
"Okay, okay." Qin Wu compromised, then put away the recorder and took out his notebook and pen.
The two chatted for a while, with Qin Wu occasionally jotting down notes in his notebook.
The scores for the CPhO National Final exam were released at 9 a. m. the following day.
If any contestant finds their score disputed, they can apply for a review within one hour, from 10:00 to 11:00.
Shen Qi and Mu Rong arrived at the door of the organizing committee's temporary office around 9 a. m.
"Let's check the scores, Shen Qi. If you think there's any controversy, we can go in and apply for a review," Mu Rong said, looking a little apprehensive.
"Go ahead and check." Shen Qi took out his phone. Although he appeared calm on the surface, he was actually a little nervous inside.
I don't want to be disappointed, but this time, maybe I will be disappointed... Shen Qi accessed the China Physics Olympiad website's score checking system on his mobile phone and entered his name and exam number.
After clicking "Search," some information instantly appears on your phone:
Shen Qi
Nangang Second High School
CPhO National Final Theory Exam Score: 280
"This..." Shen Qi was a little surprised. He tried again, and it was still 280. Holy crap, a perfect score!
Mu Rong's heart raced; she couldn't tell from Shen Qi's expression whether it was good news or bad news.
"Here, Teacher Mu, take a look." Shen Qi handed the phone to Mu Rong.
Mu Rong took the phone and glanced at it, overjoyed. "280, perfect score! Shen, the academic star, has finally returned to his peak!"
"I said before the exam, let nature take its course." Shen Qi smiled slightly, making no mention of the hasty handing in of the paper; let such things disappear forever into the mists of history.
"This really is just a natural occurrence," Shen Qi said sincerely. He was full of confidence and got full marks the first two times, scoring 199 in a row. This time, however, his lightning-fast answering of the questions produced a small but remarkable miracle.
"I'll treat you to a nice lunch," Mu Rong said, then reminded him, "Don't slack off on tomorrow's lab questions. They're worth 80 points. As long as you don't make any obvious mistakes in the experimental steps or break the equipment, the scores between the contestants usually won't be too far apart."
"To put it simply, CPhO mainly tests theory, and Shen Qi, you got a perfect score on the theory exam. You're definitely in the top ten in the national finals! I'm going to the organizing committee now to sign and confirm your theory score, and then I'll draw lots to see your experimental questions in order. Just wander around nearby and don't go too far. Here, fill out this form and sign it." Mu Rong took out a form and a pen from her bag and handed them to Shen Qi.
Shen Qi wrote down his theoretical question score in the form, agreeing to accept the organizing committee's judgment, and agreeing to follow the organization's arrangements for the order of drawing lots for tomorrow's experimental questions.
After quickly filling out and signing the form, Shen Qi handed it to Mu Rong.
Mu Rong took the form and walked briskly into the organizing committee office.
"Hey, Teacher Mu, your ballpoint pen!"
Shen Qi called out, but Mu Rong, who was overjoyed, had already entered the building and disappeared.
Suddenly, Shen Qi spotted a familiar figure under a tree not far away.
Shen Qi confirmed again that the student under the tree looked very familiar. Yes, it was him, a student from Hangzhou Second High School.
Yesterday, during the theory test, this student from Hangzhou Second High School sat in the seat in front of Shen Qi. He handed in his paper ten minutes early, full of confidence and composure.
Shen Qi was deeply impressed by him.
At this moment, the contestant was crouching under a tree, crying, heartbroken.
Shen Qi walked over to the contestant and comforted him, "Student, please don't cry. As a national finalist and a top student, you must maintain sufficient dignity and composure."
"Protect... protect my ass... I only got 172 points on the theory test... Waaah, I'm doomed... I won't even make the top 30, maybe not even the top 50..." A boy from Hangzhou Second High School shed tears.
"I used to be just like you." Shen Qi squatted down to face the boy and said calmly, "In you, I seem to see a reflection of my former self—proud, impulsive, and even a little bit wild."
"What the hell... what are you trying to say?" The boy looked completely bewildered.
"In the past, I always handed in my papers early. I'm not bragging, but I did the same thing in the top international academic competitions, and I even got full marks and bonus points," Shen Qi said calmly, without any pretense. He was just sharing his true feelings with people like him who understood him. "Later, I stopped doing that. Even for the simplest papers, I would wait until the bell rang before handing them in."
The boy suddenly realized and carefully examined Shen Qi's appearance. "You... you're Shen Qi? IMO champion Shen Qi? Shen Qi who was admitted to Peking University without taking the entrance exam?"
"Who I am is not important, please don't interrupt me," Shen Qi said calmly. "Before, I had no choice. Now, I just want to be a quiet, top student."
(I returned to work from my hometown today and spent the whole day on the road, so I couldn't write anything. Since the book goes live on March 1st, which is only a few days away, I need to save up some drafts. This chapter is from my saved drafts and was uploaded automatically. That's all for today.)