Teacher's Apology

The image on the blackboard was enough to make one dizzy just by looking at it!

Usually, geometry problems involved simple squares, a sphere, or perhaps an ellipsoid if they were trying to be particularly difficult.

But what the hell were these overlapping cylinders? What was with that slanted cross-section? And what kind of nonsense was this function equation for the line!

The underachievers and struggling students in the back row all had their mouths agape, stunned into silence.

The top students in the front row, despite having their scratch paper ready and pens in hand, couldn't bring themselves to start calculating—how could they solve it when they couldn't even understand the diagram?

On the podium, Chen Zhao also stared up at the diagram, silent and motionless. He looked like a statue.

Seeing Chen Zhao standing there blankly, the students in the class began to whisper:

"Alright, Chen Zhao has lost it."

"Hahahaha, Chen Zhao is officially a fool."

"I knew Chen Zhao couldn't do it. Besides, who the hell could solve a god-tier problem like this!"

"The director really is like fine wine; he just keeps bringing out harder problems to break anyone who dares to defy him!"

"Well, that's that. He's going home for a week of reflection and getting a disciplinary mark."

"Sigh, why did Chen Zhao have to brag so much? Isn't this just shooting himself in the foot?"

"If Chen Zhao can solve this, I'll eat my math textbook right here on the spot!"

In the front row, the three top students exchanged glances.

They saw the same three words in each other's eyes: "Can't do it."

This problem was even harder than the last one. At least they could understand the premise of the previous one, but this time, they couldn't even decipher the diagram!

The director said, "I'll give you five minutes."

As soon as the director finished speaking, Chen Zhao suddenly waved his hand. "No need."

The whole class stared at Chen Zhao. Was he planning to give up?

But the next second, Chen Zhao's actions left everyone dumbfounded!

He picked up a piece of chalk and began writing rapidly on the blackboard, an equation leaping onto the surface:

"x²/4+y²/3=1"

He went straight to the result!

The students were shocked. They finally realized that the two minutes Chen Zhao spent staring at the board weren't because he couldn't solve it, but because he was doing mental math! Now, the answer was right there!

"Is this correct, sir?" Chen Zhao turned to look at the grade director and repeated the answer, "x squared divided by 4, plus y squared divided by 3, equals 1."

The director's expression became complex—shock, confusion, and, above all, disbelief. After a long silence, the director nodded hesitantly. "That is the correct answer."

The entire class was stunned!

The homeroom teacher was stunned!

The homeroom teacher following behind the director was also stunned!

A problem of this difficulty, solved in under two minutes without even needing scratch paper for calculations?! Was his brain a computer?

"Then please give me the third problem, sir," Chen Zhao said.

The director shook his head. "No need for a third problem. The difficulty coefficient for these two problems during the exam was 0.005, meaning only five out of a thousand students could solve them. The fact that you could do it is enough to prove your ability."

"I apologize, student Chen Zhao. I owe you an apology." The grade director bowed slightly.

The students in the class were all blank-faced, their brains unable to process what was happening.

What was this situation? Chen Zhao, who always ranked at the bottom of the class in math, had actually solved an insanely difficult problem and made the furious grade director apologize in defeat? A teacher apologizing to a student?

Chen Zhao dropped the chalk, dusted off his hands, and walked off the podium.

At the same time, a system voice rang in his mind:

[Task completed. Reward issued: High IQ Experience Period extended by one day.]

Chen Zhao was satisfied. He came up, showed off a bit to clear his name, solved two simple problems, and even got an extension on his High IQ Experience Period? That was a good deal! The only downside was that the reward was a bit stingy—only one day. The system was truly miserly. He wasn't asking for ten days or half a month, but even three, four, or a week would have been nice!

Before Chen Zhao could even return to his seat, he was called back by the grade director.

"Student Chen Zhao, I have a question. If your math skills are this good, why have you failed your math exams every single time?" the director asked, puzzled.

This question stumped Chen Zhao, leaving him momentarily at a loss.

The other students in the class were also watching Chen Zhao, waiting to see how he would answer.

Previously, the class had looked at Chen Zhao with the eyes of someone viewing a lazy underachiever, but now, many of their gazes had shifted. Everyone realized that this so-called bottom-ranked student was far from as simple as he appeared on the surface!

The whole class was waiting for an answer, the homeroom teacher was waiting for an answer, and the grade director was waiting for an answer.

Chen Zhao took a deep breath. He thought of several ways to explain it, but ultimately decided to just go for it!

"Actually, my math skills have always been good, but ever since I started high school, I've been hiding my strength. Every time I take an exam, I write the real answers on my scratch paper and then just scribble nonsense on the test paper," Chen Zhao said.

The class was dumbfounded.

Hiding one's strength during an exam was just a joke people made; many students who did poorly would say, "I decided to keep hiding my strength this time." But in Chen Zhao's case, it turned out to be true? Was there really someone who would do this? Intentionally scoring low, and keeping it up for three whole years?

You've been hiding your true strength since the first year of high school, scribbling nonsense all over your test papers—what exactly were you trying to achieve?

The homeroom teacher couldn't help but ask, "Why would you do something like this? What is the point of hiding your strength?"

Chen Zhao thought to himself, Why is everyone so nosy? Can't you tell the reason I made up was nonsense? Do you really have to get to the bottom of it? I definitely can't tell you about the system; even if I did, you wouldn't believe me! A system that can increase my IQ—I got it for no reason at all, no one would believe that!

But there was no choice; he had to answer the teacher's question.

Chen Zhao's mind raced, "Back in middle school, I realized that I'm the type of person who gets arrogant and complacent easily. Every time I did well on an exam, I would inevitably slack off afterward, and my grades would drop. So, after starting high school, I decided to do poorly on every test to motivate myself and stay grounded."

The homeroom teacher and the grade director exchanged glances, both seeing expressions in each other's eyes that said, "This student is something else!", "Is there really such a student in this world?", "I really misjudged him," and so on.

"So, were you only hiding your strength in mathematics, or in all your subjects?" the grade director suddenly asked.

Chen Zhao didn't dare to be overconfident. Just as he opened his mouth to say it was only math, the system's voice suddenly rang out in his mind:

[Triggered Mission: Counterattack of the Ranking]

[Mission Description: The boast has already been made; once a boast is made, it's like spilled water—it cannot be taken back. To maintain your dignity and reputation, tell the teachers, "I have studied all my subjects very well, and in the upcoming exams, I will no longer hide my strength; I will give it my all," and then achieve a high score in the subsequent school exams!]

[Mission Steps: Study hard]

[Mission Reward: One random draw]

Chen Zhao was miserable!

Why does this system only trigger missions?

Doesn't it know the principle of knowing when to stop showing off?

But the system's commands could not be disobeyed, and heaven knows what would happen if he didn't accept the mission. Chen Zhao had no choice but to bite the bullet and recite the lines:

"I have studied all my subjects very well, and in the upcoming exams, I will no longer hide my strength; I will give it my all."

The grade director smiled and nodded with satisfaction, "Good, then I will look forward to your progress."

Afterward, the grade director walked out the front door of the classroom to inspect other rooms.

Chen Zhao returned to his seat and let out a long sigh.