"Good, you said it yourself, the whole class is a witness!"
Gao Fei gritted his teeth and nodded. Hu Xu immediately chimed in, "Yes, we are all witnesses!"
The other students in the back rows also started to heckle.
Only a few top students and those with average grades in the class watched Gao Fei and his heckling classmates like clowns.
"Let's wait a moment. If you can't solve this problem and are just acting impulsively, won't it be a waste of class time?"
Xu Qing suddenly stopped him, a playful look on his face.
"If I can't solve this problem, I'll kneel down and kowtow to you three times on the spot!"
"Alright, you said it yourself, the whole class are witnesses!"
Xu Qing walked down from the podium with his hands behind his back, looking at this student who had been slacking off for three years, not believing he could solve this mock exam question.
Facing the teacher's ridicule and the mocking gazes of his classmates, Gao Fei remained exceptionally calm.
He picked up a piece of chalk, scanned the mock exam question on the blackboard, found the key points and knowledge areas, and immediately began writing.
Through three life simulations, in addition to enhanced intelligence, Gao Fei also gained the refinement of all his knowledge and experienced the feedback from the nine-year high school simulation.
Now, facing a mock exam question that wasn't even a final prediction, the difficulty was child's play to him.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
From the moment he started writing, the entire class fell silent.
The top students sitting in the front rows merely glanced at the figure on the stage before lowering their heads and returning to their books.
These top students never believed that a student ranked at the bottom of the entire grade could solve a problem that even they couldn't.
The average students in the middle rows, who had been merely heckling earlier, now looked at Gao Fei's focused posture with amusement.
In the VIP section at the back, the "greats" who had no interest in studying were slumped in their seats.
They also didn't believe that Gao Fei, who always brought up the rear in every exam, had the ability to solve difficult problems.
What they were more concerned about now was how to mock Gao Fei when he knelt and kowtowed later.
Out of the forty-six students in the class, only Hu Xu watched Gao Fei with genuine attention, clenching his fists to cheer him on.
Even though he didn't know why Gao Fei was so brave, as a brother, loyalty was enough.
Three minutes passed.
Gao Fei had not yet stopped writing, still standing at the blackboard diligently solving the problem.
At the front of the podium.
Xu Qing had been playful at first, but as Gao Fei's solution steps became increasingly complete and clear, fine beads of sweat began to form on his forehead.
The top students in the front rows looked up again and saw the neat solution process. A flash of inspiration struck each of them, and they picked up their pens, following Gao Fei's steps to quickly outline the solution method.
Middle and back rows.
Students whispered amongst themselves, their attention no longer on Gao Fei.
They were now more concerned about whether they would go to the restroom or the school store after class in five minutes.
Just as the top students were frowning over their solutions and the other students were counting down to the end of class, a calm and indifferent voice came from the podium.
"I'm done, Teacher Xu. Please check it!"
Everyone turned their gaze towards the front.
More than forty pairs of eyes, filled with shock, ridicule, and confusion...
Finally, all fell upon the math teacher.
"Teacher Xu, am I correct?"
Gao Fei walked down from the podium, a triumphant look in his eyes as he questioned.
Xu Qing slowly came back to his senses, his gaze shifting from the blackboard. He opened his mouth, unsure of how to respond.
Old Xu was reluctant, but the solution steps on the blackboard were a perfect answer.
He could only sigh and say with a slightly bitter smile, "I'm a man of my word, you win, Gao Fei!"
As he finished speaking, the entire class erupted in an uproar.
"Holy crap, Gao Fei actually solved it, and Old Xu lost!"
"Is this still the Gao Fei I know? The bottom of the class, second to last in the grade, actually solved the problem that stumped the top students!"
"Damn it, did Gao Fei look at the answer key? I can't believe he solved it himself!"
The class, which had been deathly silent moments ago, suddenly became incredibly noisy.
There were various theories amongst the students about how Gao Fei had managed to solve the difficult problem.
It was because they couldn't believe that Gao Fei, the king of the bottom ranks for three years, could solve a problem that even the top students couldn't.
Amidst the din, someone mentioned "kowtow," and the conversation immediately shifted.
Everyone looked at Xu Qing, who had a receding hairline, and the pressure instantly fell upon him.
He stood there, unsure of what to do, as this would completely ruin his reputation if he genuinely conceded.
Gao Fei, who had lived two lives and knew he relied on a cheat to solve the problem, stepped forward.
He first signaled for his classmates to be quiet, then looked at Xu Qing, whose face was a mix of red and white, and said, "Teacher Xu, what you said earlier was a bit harsh, but I know you were trying to motivate me, and you didn't want to see me continue to fall behind. You were actually thinking of your students.
Thank you, Teacher Xu. I won't disappoint you in the coming month!"
This sudden display of emotional intelligence and de-escalation finally gave Xu Qing an out.
"Gao Fei, I'm very pleased that you understand the teacher's good intentions. What I said earlier was because I was too agitated, which led me to speak hurtfully. I apologize to you!"
The scene of a loving teacher and filial student finally concluded with the ringing of the school bell.
Gao Fei, who had intended to return to his seat, was instead led to the office by Xu Qing, leaving the bewildered students behind.
Mathematics Teaching and Research Office.
Xu Qing had initially intended to take him to the grade office, but to confirm his suspicions, he played it safe and brought him to the teaching and research group, where teachers were rarely present during class.
The two entered the office, and the door was shut with a thud.
Xu Qing looked at Gao Fei sternly, his expression very serious, devoid of the feigned kindness from earlier. "Let's be honest, Gao Fei. Did you peek at the mock exam paper beforehand? Otherwise, how did you solve that problem just now?"
Peeked at the exam paper?
Gao Fei's expression changed, and his smile disappeared. "Teacher Xu, you can mock my poor grades and call me a slacker.
But to accuse me of cheating on the mock exam is an insult to my character!"
Xu Qing no longer hid his intentions and told him that the problem that had stumped everyone was from the actual exam paper of the mock test to be held in three days.
Upon learning the truth, Gao Fei's anger slowly subsided, and he could understand Old Xu's suspicion.
It was understandable for anyone to be suspicious when the second-to-last student in the entire grade suddenly solved a problem that the teaching and research group had spent great effort to devise.
Xu Qing wasted no more time, placed a test paper on the desk, and said, "I don't need your explanation. If you want to prove you didn't cheat and clear your name, then complete this test paper with your own ability."
After all, it concerned an exam paper leak, and his concern was justifiable.
Moreover, he didn't believe that Gao Fei, second to last in the grade, could complete the paper he was now presenting.
This was because the paper was a reserve draft prepared by the teaching and research group to prevent exam leaks.
The question types on it were already comparable to the college entrance examination math questions.