Everyone's been reborn, so who would bother finding a wife on their own?

Chapter 36 Competition

The exams are finally over.

The atmosphere in the office was more lively than usual.

Several teachers huddled together, holding test papers and talking.

"Did you look at the last question on the math test this morning?" Ms. Wu, who teaches Class 8, put down her red pen, adjusted her glasses, and said, "It was an Olympiad math problem."

"I saw it." Teacher Chen next to him nodded, his expression not very good. "My students came to me complaining that they had never seen a question like this before."

Teacher Wu sighed, "Let alone the students, even I would be stunned for a moment. This isn't a placement test, it's a competition selection!"

Teacher Chen lowered her voice, "I heard that the test paper was written by Zhang Mo."

Teacher Wu paused for a moment, then remained silent.

There was a two-second silence in the office.

Then someone muttered something under their breath.

"The homeroom teacher of the top-performing class, of course, will set questions that favor his own class."

Upon hearing this, the group exchanged glances but remained silent.

But everyone knows what they're really thinking.

Zhang Mo is the homeroom teacher of the top-performing class and also the dean of students in the first year of junior high school. Everyone knows what that means.

Gao Xiao sat in her seat, holding a stack of Chinese test papers, but didn't open them.

She listened to those words without much expression on her face, but her heart felt heavy.

There are only three spots for the city's "Three Good Students" award in the entire school.

One in the third year of junior high, one in the second year, and one in the first year.

For the teacher, it's a real achievement no matter which student in their class wins it.

After years of hard work, she finally took over a top-performing class and was hoping to make a good impression with these students so she would be more confident in applying for senior teacher status next year.

The results of it?

Zhang Mo's move completely blocked the road.

The last big question was an Olympiad math problem; the students in their class had practiced it, but students in other classes had never seen it before.

Isn't this blatantly sending spots to the elite class?

Gao Xiao took a deep breath, flipped through the test paper in her hand, and said nothing.

It's not that I don't want to talk about it.

It's no use saying anything.

She knew Zhang Mo very well.

Just then, the door was pushed open.

A man in his fifties walked in, wearing glasses, with his hair neatly combed, holding a stack of math test papers.

The office fell silent instantly.

Zhang Mo.

He walked to his desk, put the exam paper on it, and then pulled up a chair to sit down.

He didn't greet anyone.

He acted as if he were the only person in the office.

The teachers lowered their heads and continued to look through the things in their hands.

No one spoke.

Zhang Mo began flipping through the exam papers.

He flipped through the pages very quickly, one after another, shaking his head as he did so.

When he turned to the sixth page, he stopped, looked at the exam paper, and sighed.

"Which class is this student in?"

He held up the test paper, which had his class name written on it.

"Class Six," he read aloud to himself, then looked at Teacher Chen, "Teacher Chen, the students in your class."

Teacher Chen paused for a moment, then remained silent.

Zhang Mo put down the test paper and flipped through a few more pages.

"Class 8." He held up another one. "Teacher Wu, it's from your class."

Teacher Wu's expression changed, but she still didn't say anything.

Zhang Mo continued flipping through the pages, shaking his head as he did so.

"This year's students are getting worse and worse."

He then flipped to another test paper, looked at the last big question for a while, and shook his head.

Then, looking at the name on the test paper, he sighed and said, "Mr. Gao, I heard you say before that there's a girl in your class who does quite well academically, what's her name, Xiao Yunqing? The principal even wanted her to get into our advanced class. Haha, she can't even solve such a simple problem, and she wants to get into the advanced class..."

He threw the exam paper on the table and leaned back in his chair.

Gao Xiao's face looked very grim at that moment, but he still didn't lash out.

"I deliberately made this question easy to help the students in the regular classes. And what was the result?"

He smiled, a smile tinged with sarcasm.

"Few were written out. And none were written correctly."

The office was quiet.

Teacher Chen and Teacher Wu both had their heads down and looked rather unwell.

Gao Xiao sat there, almost crumpling the Chinese test paper in her hand.

Simple?

That question was an Olympiad math problem. To a group of elementary school students who had just entered junior high school, it was considered easy?

She looked up and glanced at Zhang Mo.

Zhang Mo didn't look at her and continued talking to himself.

"Sometimes I really don't understand what students are learning these days. They can't do the basic problems, they can't do the difficult ones, and they can't even solve slightly different problems. At this rate, how are they supposed to get into high school?"

"When did our Yucai No. 1 Middle School start cultivating this kind of talent?"

He paused, then pulled out another test paper.

"Take a look at this."

He held up the exam paper, on which was written the name: Su Tao.

He specifically picked this out from the test papers of other classes, just to show off to the other teachers.

"From our class," he said with a hint of pride, "Although it wasn't great, at least the approach was correct. Anyone with a little thought could solve this kind of problem. It's a pity about the students from other classes..."

After he finished speaking, he put down the test paper and glanced at the teachers in the office.

That look in his eyes seemed to say, "This is all the students you teach are capable of."

Gao Xiao finally couldn't hold back anymore.

She put her Chinese test paper on the table and looked up.

"Teacher Zhang, what do you mean by that?"

Zhang Mo paused for a moment and looked at her.

"Teacher Gao, what's wrong?"

Gao Xiao stood up and looked at him.

"Was that problem you set an Olympiad math problem?"

Zhang Mo nodded. "Yes, what's wrong?"

Gao Xiao continued, "You only explained the solution to that problem in the advanced class, right?"

Zhang Mo smiled, a smile that carried a hint of indifference.

"Ms. Gao, what are you saying? I'm the homeroom teacher of the advanced class. Is there a problem with teaching my own students problem-solving methods?"

Gao Xiao looked at him. "No problem. But do you think it's fair that you're using this method to set questions, excluding students from other classes?"

Zhang Mo's smile faded.

He looked at Gao Xiao with a cold gaze.

"Mr. Gao, do you think I'm giving preferential treatment to the advanced class?"

Gao Xiao didn't say anything.

Zhang Mo stood up and walked up to her.

"Mr. Gao, you seem to have a problem with this. Maybe you don't teach math, so you don't understand it. This subject is all about talent. Apart from our elite class, the students in your other classes, even if I put the answers in front of them, they still wouldn't understand. Do you believe me?" Zhang Mo said with a sneer.

"Fine, since you're not convinced, then let me ask you."

He took Su Tao's test paper and slammed it on the table.

"Are there any students in your class who can solve this problem?"

Gao Xiao opened her mouth, but couldn't say anything.

Zhang Mo continued, "Is there? Point it out, any one of them, as long as you can write it down, I'll apologize on the spot."

Gao Xiao remained silent.

The office was quiet.

The other teachers all kept their heads down; no one dared to look up.

Zhang Mo waited for a while, but didn't receive a reply, so he smiled.

There was a hint of victory in that smile.

"Ms. Gao, I know you're not convinced. But that's the truth. The elite class is the elite class, and the regular class is the regular class. Do you think putting students into the same class makes it an elite class?"

"Top classes aren't named by their titles, they're earned through hard work and results! If you apply even a little bit of the standards for a high-achieving class, they all start crying and screaming."

After he finished speaking, he turned around, walked back to his seat, and sat down. "Alright, everyone stop standing there and get back to what you were doing."

The office returned to silence.

But the oppressive atmosphere only intensified.

Gao Xiao stood there, his face ashen.

Looking at Zhang Mo's face, she felt a tightness in her chest.

But what could she say?

Zhang Mo is right.

Indeed, none of her students could solve that problem.

At least, she thought no one could write it.

Just then, a gust of wind suddenly blew in through the window.

The stack of math test papers next to Gao Xiao was blown open by the wind, and several pages flipped through with a rustling sound.

Gao Xiao looked down.

A test paper was turned to the last page.

The answer area for that big question was completely filled with writing.

The steps are numerous and detailed, arranged from beginning to end.

Gao Xiao was stunned for a moment.

She pulled out the exam paper as if possessed and looked down at it.

The name field had two characters written on it.

Song Huan.

Gao Xiao blinked.

She remembered this student.

They're from my own class.

The one who was late on the first day of school, sat in the last row, and even slept in class.

But his grades seem to be quite good; he ranked second in the entire school in the entrance exam for junior high school.

She continued reading.

The steps for that problem were written very clearly, with each step listed out in detail.

The process begins with setting up unknowns, then transforming the conditions, applying formulas, and finally calculating.

Step by step, everything was clear.

The last line contains a number.

1.

Gao Xiao's hand trembled slightly.

She looked up at Zhang Mo.

"Teacher Zhang."

Zhang Mo looked up. "What's wrong?"

Gao Xiao asked, "What is the answer to this question?"

Zhang Mo paused for a moment, then smiled.

"1," he said. "I deliberately made it easy; the answer is 1. Unfortunately, no one except those in my class wrote it down."

Gao Xiao looked at him without saying anything.

She turned the test paper around and held it up in front of him.

"Then what is this?"

Zhang Mo's smile froze.

He stared at the exam paper for a few seconds.

Then he stood up, walked over, and snatched the exam paper.

Look down.

The first line defines the unknown.

The second line contains the transformation conditions.

The third line applies the formula.

The fourth line involves substituting values ​​for calculation.

The fifth line leads to the conclusion.

The last line contains the number 1.

Zhang Mo frowned.

He flipped to the next page to look at the previous steps.

Every step is correct.

Every formula was used perfectly.

It's even more complete and concise than Su Tao's steps.

He raised his head and looked at Gao Xiao.

"Are these from your class?"

Gao Xiao nodded.

"Song Huan," she said, "from our class."

Zhang Mo remained silent for a few seconds.

Then he spoke, his voice a little dry.

"It must have been a guess. Even if the answer was right, you didn't get any points if the process was wrong."

Gao Xiao didn't say anything.

Zhang Mo looked down at the exam paper again.

I read it once.

I watched it again.

The more he looked, the uglier his expression became.

Because that process was entirely wrong.

No, that's all right!

Every step is correct.

He put down the test paper and looked at Gao Xiao.

There was a hint of disbelief in his eyes.

"How did he solve this problem?"

Gao Xiao looked at him but didn't answer.

The office was quiet.

The other teachers all looked up and watched this scene.

The wind blew in through the window, making the exam papers on the table rustle.

Zhang Mo stood there, holding the exam paper in his hand, his expression quite interesting.

He opened his mouth, as if to say something.

But he didn't say anything.

……

Zhang Mo was the last to leave the office.

One by one, the motion-activated lights in the corridor went out, leaving only the green light of the emergency exit.

He stood at the top of the stairs, not going down, but going up.

The door to the rooftop was unlocked.

He pushed open the door, and the night wind rushed in, ruffling his sparse hair.

He lit a cigarette.

The stars flickered in the wind.

Fifteen years.

Zhang Mo thought to himself.

Fifteen years ago, you and I entered Yucai together.

You teach Chinese, I teach math.

You said you wanted to be the best teacher, and I said I did too.

Later, you got promoted to intermediate teacher through your father's connections, but I didn't.

You became the grade head because of your dad's connections, but I didn't.

Your class is number one every year, all the good students in the school are assigned to you, while my class is number two every year.

But things are different now...

Your father has fallen from power; you have no one backing you anymore.

I am the head of the teaching department!

He stubbed out his cigarette on the railing; sparks flew and were scattered by the wind.

The senior teacher position is mine!

Gao Xiao, you can't win this time.