The proctor's face darkened. She was a Chinese teacher herself, and while the students below took the exam, she had started working through the same paper at the teacher's desk. As a Chinese teacher, she was very fast, but even she had only finished everything except the essay half an hour ago.
In other words, even at her speed, taking the test seriously, she had only just begun writing the essay after half an hour. There was no way to finish an essay in half an hour.
And now, a student actually wanted to hand in his paper?
There was no doubt about it. He must not have put any effort into the essay, and he'd probably rushed through the earlier questions too! Maybe he'd left huge sections blank!
The proctor glared furiously. Teachers hated students who couldn't even take an exam properly. They were hopeless! If Chen Zhao had been one of her own students, she'd have grabbed a textbook and smacked him over the head with it!
"Teacher, I did the test carefully." Chen Zhao stood up, a little awkwardly, and explained, "I've nearly filled the essay section too. I wrote about eleven hundred characters."
"It's only been an hour and ten minutes since the exam started. You did every question carefully and finished already?! I'm a Chinese teacher. Don't you think I know how long a paper takes?!" The proctor was furious. She shouted, "Sit down and check your earlier answers! Go back and fill in anything you haven't done! The college entrance exam is almost here, and you're still acting so carelessly! If you don't want to take the test, you shouldn't have come!"
Everyone in the classroom turned to look at Chen Zhao. Many students covered their mouths and snickered.
That's what you get for trying to leave so early. The teacher put you in your place!
Chen Zhao could only sigh. He really had worked too quickly, so he understood why the teacher didn't believe him.
There was no point arguing at a time like this. He'd have to prove it with facts.
Chen Zhao picked up his paper and quickly walked to the front, handing it to the teacher. "Please take a look before deciding whether I can leave. If you're not satisfied, I'll go back and keep working."
The teacher knitted her brows and lowered her head to look at Chen Zhao's paper, her fury ready to erupt at any moment!
What could anyone possibly accomplish on a test in an hour and ten minutes?
He'd probably just scribbled a few lines for each question and called it done.
And he still dared to ask her to look?!
But when she looked down, the proctor froze for a moment. The sight she'd expected—just three or five hastily written words for each question—was nowhere to be seen. Chen Zhao's entire answer sheet was filled! Dense writing covered every answer space!
So what if he'd filled it all in? His handwriting was an absolute mess, and the content was probably all made up! All she had to do was check one question to see!
Thinking this, the proctor picked a reading comprehension question. As she read, the anger on her face slowly faded, giving way to... astonishment!
The answer was detailed and excellent! Each section hit the points needed for full credit. If she were marking the paper, it would probably get full marks!
The proctor realized something was off. She started from the first question, comparing Chen Zhao's answer sheet with the answers she'd written on her scratch paper.
The more she read, the more astonished she became!
Question one: correct!
Question two: correct!
Question three: correct again!
She kept going, and every answer was right! Not a single multiple-choice question was wrong, and the reading comprehension answers were all thorough—some were even more precisely worded than her own. Even the most difficult translation from the extracurricular Classical Chinese passage was flawless. After checking for a long time, the proctor was stunned to realize she couldn't find a single place to deduct marks! The only marks she could take off were for handwriting. The student's writing really was ugly, all jagged and spiky.
If you can't find the book title, try searching for the author. Maybe it was just renamed!
Then the proctor suddenly remembered: getting the earlier questions right didn't mean he'd put any effort into the essay!
There were students like that in her own class. They did ordinary questions very well but were hopeless at essays. Every time they wrote, they rambled on with a pile of useless nonsense or left the page blank, and their Chinese scores ended up failing because of the essay.
Thinking this, the proctor turned to the back of Chen Zhao's answer sheet to check his essay.
The next second, the entire class heard the proctor suck in a sharp breath!
Many students looked up at her. The proctor wore an expression as if she'd seen a ghost, staring down at the answer sheet in her hands. It was as though she'd witnessed something extraordinary.
At that moment, a storm was raging in the proctor's heart!
This essay... was actually... written in Classical Chinese!
An essay written in Classical Chinese?!
How was that possible?!
The proctor was still stunned when Chen Zhao, waiting beside her, began to grow impatient. "Teacher, you can see I really did the test carefully. I have something to do tonight. Can I hand it in and leave?"
The proctor started, then remembered that Chen Zhao was still waiting beside her. She quickly nodded. "You can."
The students below, who'd been waiting to see him get laughed at, were all taken aback. He could leave?
What was going on? Hadn't she just said there was no way to finish the test in an hour and ten minutes? Hadn't she just berated Chen Zhao? Why had her attitude suddenly changed completely, and why was she letting him go?
Could it be... that his answer sheet was actually pretty good?
But how was that possible? It had only been an hour and ten minutes. How fast would someone have to write to finish everything?
Chen Zhao didn't know what everyone else in the exam room was wondering, and he paid no attention to the proctor, who was staring at the essay in a daze. He left the classroom without looking back and hurried off. He had to get home and start his livestream. Little Bamboo Shoot had arranged to play a match with him tonight! Since school let out early on exam days, he could make time to stream a few more rounds tonight!
Chen Zhao was now full of enthusiasm for livestreaming. Going live meant gaining followers and getting tips. Playing games while making money—what could be better?
And when he thought of the photo of Little Bamboo Shoot he'd found online last night, he got excited all over again. What a joy it would be to have such a gorgeous teammate!
Chen Zhao had left, but the proctor was still staring at his essay.
The more she read, the more astonished she became.
This essay written in Classical Chinese was actually quite impressive!
Most students struggled just to translate Classical Chinese. Even memorizing the passages in their textbooks was difficult. Yet this student named Chen Zhao had written an entire essay in Classical Chinese! She'd skimmed through it, and the language was indeed proper Classical Chinese, without any errors or awkward phrasing. Most astonishingly, translated into modern Chinese, it was a clear, well-organized argumentative essay that fully met the requirements of the prompt.
The classroom door suddenly swung open, and the head of academic affairs walked in.
The head of academic affairs visited the exam rooms during every exam to check on things, and this time he happened to arrive.
And, as it happened, he was also a Chinese teacher.
The proctor hurried over and showed him Chen Zhao's answer sheet.
"Director, take a look at this student's answer sheet. He handed it in five minutes ago, and his essay is... written in Classical Chinese."
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