When He Hongtao approached, Xia Xinyu raised her hand without a second thought.

As He Hongtao stood before Xia Xinyu, he instinctively made a high-five motion.

But as soon as their hands connected, they both froze.

Something was wrong.

Very, very wrong.

Why did I high-five her?

Why did I raise my hand so readily?

After completing the action, they both tried to salvage the situation.

He Hongtao went to high-five the last student from Eleventh High.

Xia Xinyu lowered her head, pretending to meditate seriously for the upcoming competition.

But Zhang Jianjun didn't accept their attempts to divert attention.

I saw it, I saw it with my own two eyes!

How could this guy high-five my student right in front of me, and how could my student so readily blend in with Eleventh High?

I'm still here!

Not everyone present was blind.

And many, many people noticed this scene.

For example, the students from Fourth High on the stage looked at Xia Xinyu with bewildered expressions.

They all knew that Xia Xinyu's boyfriend was from Eleventh High, but this was Eleventh High's internal gathering. Why did you have to interfere…

Are they not even trying to hide it anymore?

The remaining students from Changjun and Hengzhong were also very surprised.

Why was the principal of Eleventh High so magnanimous?

She's a student from another school.

Or did the two schools have a very deep friendship?

But after seeing the way Zhang Jianjun and He Hongtao looked at each other, they realized: There's no deep friendship at all!

It could only be said that Xia Hai High School was too mysterious.

The competition between the students, even the two principals, could illustrate some problems.

But their principal was indeed strong.

Did our principal get his position through connections?

Chen Yuan also felt a peculiar vibe when he saw this scene…

Yu-zi, although your husband has a lot of influence in the school, basically holding the position of a great general, you should still be a little more low-key. Zhang Jianjun is very narrow-minded.

See, he's frowning unhappily.

"It's okay, it's okay." At this moment, He Hongtao even comforted Chen Yuan, as if to say, "I've got your back, the sky won't fall."

Good heavens, I seriously suspect you're deliberately provoking him!

"Are you good at Sudoku, Teacher?" Chen Yuan asked curiously after He Hongtao spoke to him.

"I write them sometimes when I'm bored, but I don't play it often." He Hongtao said helplessly, "But Principal Zhang wrote it out in tenth place, which put too much pressure on us. We had no choice but to bite the bullet and write."

"How long did it take the remaining two principals?" Chen Yuan asked curiously.

Hearing this question, He Hongtao chuckled, covered his mouth with one hand, and said with a smile, "Seven and a half minutes for one, and nine minutes for the other, haha."

What was he laughing at?!

Seeing He Hongtao suddenly cover his mouth and whisper to Chen Yuan, the principals from Changjun and Hengzhong tensed up, pressed their hands on the armrests, leaned forward, and became very vigilant.

It felt like someone was making fun of them behind their backs!

Otherwise, why would he say it so quietly and with a smug smile?

Was he saying that we were terrible at Sudoku and took twice as long as them?

He Hongtao, don't say anymore!

The two of them were more than a little anxious.

But the next moment, they confirmed their worries.

Because Chen Yuan, after being whispered to, actually looked over.

The two of them immediately lowered their gazes…

Ashamed.

"Don't look at them, be careful they'll notice." He Hongtao reminded Chen Yuan.

"Oh, oh, I understand." Only then did Chen Yuan stop paying attention to the remaining two principals.

But he had a feeling that something had happened between them just now.

Oh well, never mind.

As great principals, how could they be so sensitive and take such things to heart?

Damn it, he shifted his gaze because He Hongtao reminded him!

The two principals were now so ashamed that they wanted to cry.

If they could do it over, they would never play that damned Sudoku!

"But since I only got in with a hundredth place, and I'm competing with you young people, I don't think I'll get any points." He Hongtao said with great self-awareness.

"It's okay, with Sun Bai and me, it's no problem to take the top three." Chen Yuan said confidently.

Sun Bai, who was holding a tablet, slowly raised his head, "Huh?"

"Alright, then I'll rely on you guys."

He Hongtao gave a thumbs up and encouraged them.

Huh?

Sun Bai looked blank, completely unaware of what was happening.

Why, am I suffering the pains of a holy son before enjoying the blessings?

Why do I have to take the top three?

Doesn't everyone know that this place is full of monsters!

But although everyone here was a top student from a top school, Little Sun's ranking here wasn't bad, and he could be considered among the best.

After all, the holy son of Eleventh High would be a formidable closed-door disciple in other top schools.

Moreover, Sun Bai, who often dabbled in competitions, believed that he was not inferior to others.

Just like that, after everyone was seated and the auditorium was almost full, the competition began.

The big screen started broadcasting live.

A female host also came out, holding a microphone, and explained to everyone: "The competition is divided into three rounds. Also, these three rounds are completely confidential. Only after passing one round will you know what the next competition is. And each competition has a different scoring method."

After she said this, everyone became even more nervous.

It was all so mysterious.

"And for fairness, please don't make any noise to disturb the contestants."

After the host finished emphasizing this, she continued, "Of course, to give everyone a sense of participation, you can also log into the mini-program and compete synchronously with the contestants on site to see if you are better~"

Just like that, the others on site also entered the mini-program.

Then, they saw the first round.

Number memory.

Just four simple words, but they evoked endless imagination.

Memorize numbers?

In what way?

What would happen if you memorized them wrong?

At this time, the host continued, "The first round is number memory. In total, there are one hundred two-digit numbers. You need to write these numbers on your tablet or phone in order."

"And the rule for the 100 contestants on site is that they will receive corresponding scores according to the order of submission. For example, if you are the first to submit, the score is one hundred points."

As soon as she said this, everyone felt a little strange.

"What about the accuracy rate?"

"Yeah, the first place gets 100 points for doing it fast, but what if they're just writing randomly?"

"Good point." The host completed the dialogue with the audience and continued, "Then, we will calculate it using a deduction system. The faster you submit, the higher the initial score. But for each mistake, one point will be deducted. If you make more than 30 mistakes, you will be directly given a score of zero."

"Then this rule is okay, so there won't be anyone messing around and rushing to be first."

"That is to say, even if you're not the first to finish, you can still get the highest score if your accuracy rate is higher."

"If I remember quickly and write out the first seventy or so, can I still get at least seventy points if I just write randomly for the rest to get the first 100 points?"

"But you can't guarantee that the first ones are all correct."

"And if you can memorize that well, there's no need to take this shortcut."

This game was indeed a bit interesting, and everyone was very actively involved in thinking about it.

So, the host continued to explain the rules: "The method of the competition is that you cannot write numbers while memorizing them. When you start writing the numbers, all one hundred numbers will also be flipped over. There is no limit to the number of times you can look at the numbers, but there must be a one-minute interval between each time. Also, every time you flip the card to look at the numbers, you will also enter the deduction mechanism, and you will be deducted points again, one point for each time you look. Of course, the first time you look at the numbers doesn't count."

"The interval time and the point deduction mechanism prevent the behavior of looking once and writing once."

"Indeed, if there were unlimited times to flip the cards and no CD limit in between, it would basically be equivalent to writing while looking."

"Wait, there's a problem with this."

Suddenly, someone discovered the key point.

Several people turned to look at him.

Then, he explained, "If I'm the 95th to finish, I can only get 6 points according to the speed, but if I looked at the numbers 7 times during that time, wouldn't that be…"

"Damn, negative points!"

Everyone was shocked to discover that negative scores were possible.

Moreover, the possibility of it happening was extremely high.

If you were the 90th to finish and looked five times, but also made more than six mistakes in the numbers, then it would also be a negative score.

"As you may have noticed, this game is very exciting. Not only do you need to be fast, have a high accuracy rate, but you also can't flip the cards to look at the numbers too many times."

The host laughed as she spoke and joked, "Of course, to take care of those contestants who are not good at competitions, scores below zero will not appear in the rankings."

"Damn, there's a big screen ranking too!"

"Doesn't this mean we have to go look for who didn't make the list?"

"Too ruthless, really too ruthless."

"This competition is going to expose everyone's secrets."

Everyone gradually began to feel sorry for the contestants on stage.

The contestants on stage also felt an extremely strong sense of pressure.

After all, there were definitely classmates from their own class in the audience.

Their performance was being watched by supervisors!

But the most nervous of all was a certain principal.

Holding his knees with his hands, he was panicking now.

Who in the entire school didn't know me, He Hongtao?

If my name wasn't on the ranking, wouldn't all the students in the school know that their principal was so bad that he got a negative score?

And there was also Zhang Jianjun, such a role model, here!

If I wasn't on the list, and he got a lot of points instead, I would completely lose face!

Damn it, I knew I shouldn't have gone on stage.

That way, at least I could be like the remaining two principals and not be publicly executed.

Although the saying that four-strong, eight-strong, and sixteen-strong is true, those at home will not be noticed at all. People will only remember those on the field.

Hiss!

Zhang Jianjun, I'm going to fight you!

Testing memory, huh?

Then the key is how many times you flip the cards.

That is, how many to memorize at once.

Zhang Jianjun began to think.

Then, before starting, he had already formulated a strategy.

Anyone with a little intelligence should understand one thing—numbers cannot be memorized one by one.

All of them are two-digit numbers, which means that these numbers can be combined to be memorized.

26 34 89 53 17

If these are the numbers, then they should be memorized as 2634895317

Like a phone number, although it's missing one digit, memorizing this string is equivalent to memorizing five numbers.

Treat these five as a group.

Then, there are 20 groups in total.

Generally speaking, it's divided into 4 or 5 groups at a time.

That means, excluding the first time, you have to flip the cards 3 or 4 times.

At least, deduct 3 points or 4 points.

But there is a one-minute interval in between.

So, it takes at least six to eight minutes.

No, too slow.

This can indeed guarantee accuracy, after all, memorizing only four or five phone numbers each time is not too difficult for students with high IQs.

Getting points is no problem.

But getting high scores is not possible.

Then, you have to reduce the number of times you flip the cards.

20 groups of 'phone numbers', I will divide them into 7, 7, 6.

Memorize 35 numbers at a time,

No, because they are two-digit numbers, it's 70 numbers.

If I were younger, the me who was known as a child prodigy, even without any memory training, I could easily do this.

The current me can't compare to these young people.

I'm a little old.

But an old steed in the stable still aspires to travel a thousand *li*!

On this stage, Zhang Jianjun inexplicably felt a surge of passion.

Even if he knew that the him who was known as a child prodigy could not get first place among these hundred people, he still wanted everyone to know that the strength of Fourth High came from everyone from top to bottom!

Divide into 20 groups, 10 Arabic numerals in each group, five groups per round, a total of four rounds, memorize for 1 minute, write for 1 minute.

Then, that's a total of 8 minutes…

Too slow!

At this speed, I will definitely be ranked very far behind.

But what if I get them all right?

Xia Xinyu was thinking about this question.

Then, she immediately determined her strategy.

Although it's slow, as long as I get them all right, I will only have 3 points deducted for flipping the cards three times, 3 points.

As long as the speed is in the top eighty, then there will be at least 17 points.

Although it's a bit difficult to accumulate enough points to be in the top ten, at least there won't be a negative score…

Okay, that's it.

Zhang Jianjun and Xia Xinyu chose their respective approved methods.

As the chief of Fourth High, Shi Yi was thinking about how to get first place.

Then, he established the fastest writing tactic.

Each time, memorize 10 groups.

That is 100 Arabic numerals, 50 two-digit numbers.

Flip the card once in the middle, then go memorize the remaining half.

The writing time will not be too long.

But the key question is how long does it take to memorize 10 'phone numbers' at once.

Although I haven't had any special training, fortunately, Shi Yi has actually played this kind of number memorization game before.

It seems that this is my domain.

Lightly clenching his hands, Shi Yi was ready.

Wu Wenxin, who was next to him, also prepared after looking at him.

Okay, privacy screen protector.

I can only rely on myself.

Fortunately, I'm a new transfer student, and not many people know me, so even if I get a negative score, I won't be laughed at, right!

"So. Three, two, one, the competition begins!"

Just like that, as the host called out the start.

One hundred irregular two-digit numbers appeared on everyone's screens, like lottery numbers.

Seeing so many numbers again, Chen Yuan felt a sense of familiarity.

When he refreshed his first superpower, countless numbers appeared in his eyes, along with decimal points.

In the second week, it was the various voices in his mind, chaotic and disorganized.

Later on, there were also shadows of the future.

Two worlds appeared in his eyes at the same time.

When using the progress bar, he also memorized thousands of words in a very short time.

That's right, the torment of the superpower on me is much more terrifying than this mere competition.

My focus, mental strength, and memory have long been sublimated into a dragon!

These mere one hundred numbers are as cute as candy to Chen Yuan.

You even give me a visual?

Yuan God, activate!

Staring at these numbers, his lips moved quickly, Chen Yuan, who was silently reciting them in his heart, was doing his best to imprint these 'phone numbers' into his mind…

He didn't stop even when he had recited the fiftieth number.

That's right, he wanted to memorize one hundred at once!

(End of this chapter)