Chapter 26: A Perfect Score Earns You a Day Off

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Kung Fu Panda hasn't been released yet; otherwise, people would surely mistake Zhuo Nan for a panda fanatic. This guy spent last night chatting with his brain and watching quick-fix martial arts tutorials until five in the morning, barely slept two hours before Wang Liru woke him for school.

Truthfully, what they're teaching at school now hardly matters to Zhuo Nan; during the high school entrance exam, he could score whatever he liked. He simply couldn't tell Wang Liru that, so he dragged his weary body to class.

Shi Yang saw Zhuo Nan arrive and immediately greeted him with a grin, "Nan, hey, what's wrong? Insomnia again?" Fu Xin Xin, who stood nearby chatting with another classmate, had been watching Zhuo Nan all along, but guilt kept her from approaching him. Hearing Shi Yang's comment, she grew concerned, quickly pricking up her ears to hear Zhuo Nan's reply.

"Stayed up reading till five in the morning," Zhuo Nan sighed, tossed his backpack onto the desk, and slumped into his chair.

"Wow, Nan, you're really pushing yourself. If you can't get in, so be it. With your abil—" Shi Yang didn't finish; Zhuo Nan shot him a glare, and Shi Yang realized he'd almost slipped.

He sighed, "Ah, what can I do? You know how much my second uncle and aunt expect from me. If I don't try now, it'll be too late..."

Shi Yang thought of his own folks, who once held similar hopes for him, but he was never cut out for it. Still, he felt pretty good now, especially since he'd formally joined a certain underworld society... "Nan, Kun said there's an operation tomorrow..."

Seeing Fu Xin Xin turn around, Zhuo Nan signaled Shi Yang not to continue. Shi Yang got the message and returned to his seat.

"Zhuo Nan, did you finish your homework yesterday?" Fu Xin Xin adopted a businesslike tone, amusing Zhuo Nan; the girl was quite the actress.

"Finished." He handed his homework notebook to his current girlfriend and group leader.

Fu Xin Xin took the notebook, flipped through it, and was surprised. The last problem assigned yesterday was tough; she'd spent ages at home, finally solving it with her father's help. Yet Zhuo Nan had managed it too. Delighted, she asked, "Zhuo Nan, did you solve the last problem yourself?"

"Yes, why?"

Fu Xin Xin stared in disbelief. "Really? That was a question from last year's entrance exam, very challenging. You solved it too—amazing..."

Zhuo Nan scratched his head, embarrassed. "It's nothing. I've been reading a lot lately. Solving it isn't a big deal. No need to make such a fuss." In truth, he resented his brain for tricking him into thinking it needed input to calculate; it could have solved it all along, just messing with him.

"Zhuo Nan, keep it up. As long as you stay consistent, I believe you'll get into a good high school." At that moment, Fu Xin Xin played the housekeeper again...

But Nan wasn't so easily swayed by empty encouragement. He leaned in and whispered, "I'm so great. Shouldn't you reward me again at lunchtime?"

Remembering what happened that midday, Fu Xin Xin's face flushed instantly. She murmured, "You're awful," and hurried away to collect more homework.

Teasing Xin Xin felt wonderful; Zhuo Nan, full of mischievous thoughts, sat down. With the prospect of accompanying Sun Yan on errands today, his mood soured—time was never enough. He decided he couldn't attend class with so much to do and planned to take leave. Having made up his mind, he left his seat and exited the classroom. Though Fu Xin Xin had gone, her eyes lingered on Zhuo Nan; seeing him leave, she wondered, class would start soon—what was he doing?

The math teacher, old Zhou, sat in the office sipping tea and reading the newspaper. Ten minutes remained before class. He'd prepared early; the first two periods were both his math classes, and he planned to use the opportunity for a mock exam. After all, revision had begun, and the sea-of-problems tactic was officially underway.

"Excuse me," a clear voice sounded at the office door. The old man squinted at the visitor.

"Come in... Zhuo Nan, is there something you need?" Old Zhou asked. He disliked Zhuo Nan but felt more pity than anything. The boy was clever but unlucky, his parents gone early. Had he had a full family, Zhuo Nan would surely rank among the top three in class. Though Zhuo Wen Gang and Wang Liru treated him well, they weren't his biological parents, unable to discipline him as one.

Zhuo Nan approached respectfully. "Mr. Zhou, I'd like to request leave..."

Oh, yes, a brief introduction—Old Zhou's surname is Zhou; his name is irrelevant, just a minor character...

Old Zhou looked puzzled. "Is there something at home?"

"No, it's my own matter. I want to request leave for myself," Zhuo Nan replied candidly.

Old Zhou froze... "This child, less than three months to the entrance exam, and he still can't settle down..." His expression changed, and Zhuo Nan noticed the flicker of irritation.

The teacher hadn't given up on Zhuo Nan; otherwise, he'd show total indifference now. "Zhuo Nan, with less than three months to the entrance exam, it's time to focus. Your uncle and aunt have suffered so much and pinned high hopes on you, all to see you into a good high school. Why can't you see that? Now you want leave again—what for?"

At fifteen or sixteen, rebellion is natural. If Zhuo Nan's "previous self" had heard Zhou's words, he'd surely resist: you forbid it, I'll do it anyway... But Zhuo Nan smiled and replied, "Mr. Zhou, thank you for your guidance. But I truly have urgent matters today... I hope you'll approve my leave. Even if you don't, I'll have to skip class..."

Was this a threat? The wrinkles at the corners of Zhou's eyes twitched... He happened to glance at the stack of exam papers on his desk, and an idea popped into his head.

"Zhuo Nan, how about we make a deal?" At this moment, Old Zhou no longer seemed a teacher; to Zhuo Nan, he looked like a boss from a gangster film, his words echoing movie lines.

Still respectful... "Sir, please explain."

Old Zhou raised his teacup with a chuckle. "Next period is my class, and I'm planning a mock exam. The test is modeled on past entrance math papers. If you score full marks, you'll be allowed to request leave whenever you wish."

True to his reputation as a math teacher, Zhou's calculations were meticulous... Full marks? Even his star pupil Fu Xin Xin couldn't achieve that, let alone Zhuo Nan...

But, to Zhou's surprise, Zhuo Nan agreed. "Mr. Zhou, it's settled. I hope you won't go back on your word..."

Zhou thought he'd misheard. "This student agreed? Has he gone mad, desperate to take leave? On regular math tests, seventy points is a miracle for him, and this paper is out of one-fifty... But good, it'll kill his hopes, help him settle down and study..."

From start to finish, Old Zhou only wanted the best for Zhuo Nan, hoping he'd buckle down. Zhuo Nan understood Zhou's intentions too, but some things couldn't be explained.

"Mr. Zhou, I have another question." Zhuo Nan spoke up. Old Zhou smiled, thinking, "The boy still has time to quit."

"Heh, ready to give up? Then study properly from now on." After a lifetime of teaching, Zhou's greatest satisfaction wasn't producing top students, but transforming poor ones, helping them focus and learn.

"I'm not quitting. I just wanted to say, if I take leave, and the other subject teachers ask, could I trouble you to inform them?"

Old Zhou wondered where Zhuo Nan got his confidence.

"Don't worry. I'm the homeroom teacher. If I approve your leave, they won't object." He suppressed his anger and replied.

"That's a relief. Mr. Zhou, it's settled. I'll return and wait for your paper..." With a nod, Zhuo Nan left the office.

Alone in the room, Old Zhou pondered Zhuo Nan's confidence. Could he guarantee full marks without seeing the paper? Impossible, absolutely impossible...

Ding-ling-ling... The class bell snapped him from his thoughts. He grabbed the papers and muttered, "Zhuo Nan, let me see where your confidence comes from..."

Zhuo Nan had barely sat down in the classroom when Fu Xin Xin turned and asked, "Where did you just go?"

Zhuo Nan smiled, "I went to request leave. I have something to do and will be leaving soon..."

"Ah..." Fu Xin Xin was annoyed; Zhuo Nan let her down again, never focusing on his studies. How could he get into high school? She'd praised him just that morning, and now...

"Zhuo Nan, can't you try harder in your studies?" Seeing her anger, Zhuo Nan hurried to explain: "I made a bet with Mr. Zhou. If I get full marks in the math test, he'll let me take leave."

"Full marks..." Fu Xin Xin covered her mouth in disbelief... After countless mocks, no one in class had ever scored full marks; the highest was her own 139—already impressive...

"Don't worry, Xin Xin. I'll score full marks this time for you all to see..." Just as he finished, Old Zhou entered the classroom with the exam papers.

"Class, stand up, good morning, teacher..."

"Today's a mock test. Fu Xin Xin, come up and hand out the papers." Throughout, Old Zhou's gaze fixed on Zhuo Nan.

Zhuo Nan, on the other hand, looked relaxed, which puzzled Old Zhou—where did this confidence come from?... Impossible, absolutely impossible...

When Zhuo Nan received his paper, he glanced over it, then waited for instructions.

Once everyone had their tests, Old Zhou announced, "You have 100 minutes, full score is 150. Begin..."

With the signal, everyone started writing. Soon, differences emerged. The strong students buried themselves in the problems; the weaker ones sought ways to answer them, like the guy beside Nan, who made full use of his 'clairvoyant' and 'keen hearing' skills... constantly glancing around in small movements. But Old Zhou, watching Zhuo Nan for signs of cheating, caught him. "XXX, what are you looking at? Take the test seriously..." Bad luck; Old Zhou watched Zhuo Nan for cheating, but Nan didn't cheat, while the guy beside him couldn't help himself...

Old Zhou was curious. After the start command, Zhuo Nan never raised his head; his pen moved swiftly across the paper, the sound indicating rapid progress without pause. Did he not need to think?

Fu Xin Xin wondered the same, anxious about Zhuo Nan. Full marks... She herself wasn't capable, could Zhuo Nan manage? She couldn't turn to look, but she could listen—the writing from the seat behind assured her Zhuo Nan wrote quickly. Did he really know the answers? Suddenly, she recalled the morning's homework problem. Maybe he really could; she should trust him. With renewed faith, Fu Xin Xin bent to her own paper.

The guy beside Nan still gnawed his pen, shifty-eyed for a chance to cheat. When his gaze swept over Zhuo Nan's paper, he was stunned: "Damn, Nan's luck is off the charts..." Zhuo Nan's paper was dense with answers... "Never mind, Nan's skills may be weak, but I'll copy first and ask questions later." With that, XXX scribbled furiously...

Old Zhou, seeing Zhuo Nan so focused, approached out of curiosity to observe his answers—and was shocked... Several problems were the toughest from past entrance exams, which he'd modified for higher difficulty. Yet Zhuo Nan's answers were meticulously written, formulas precisely applied, solution steps clear and logical...

He finished the last few numbers, stood, and handed the paper to Old Zhou. "Mr. Zhou, I'm done."

Old Zhou was so astonished he couldn't find words... Half an hour, the boy finished in half an hour... And... He took the paper, controlling his excitement, and began grading... The result—full marks, truly full marks, not a single mistake... Genius? A math prodigy?

Fu Xin Xin had stopped writing, watching Old Zhou for his response. Everyone else paused too. Though they didn't know about the deal between Old Zhou and Zhuo Nan, they only wanted to see how Nan would be scolded this time...

But then... Old Zhou slowly lifted his gaze from the paper. Facing Zhuo Nan, his eyes showed approval and satisfaction. He spoke, "Full marks. Well done!"

Zhuo Nan didn't mind, but Fu Xin Xin was overjoyed, "Amazing, Zhuo Nan, I was right about you... Oh, what am I thinking, I still have so many questions left."

The rest of the class wore the same expression; every mouth could fit two eggs... Nan... Nan...

"Mr. Zhou, I have to go now..." Zhuo Nan packed his things and addressed the teacher.

Old Zhou smiled, "Go on, go on..."

In his laughter, Zhuo Nan heard happiness, satisfaction, pride...

****Another chapter at midnight****