novelinnhs Chapter 13 is all about the background.
Chapter 13 is all about the background.
"Lin Yu, as the top scorer, you will sit in the front row of the stage tomorrow. Get ready."
Lin Yu didn't say anything, but simply picked up the all-English journal on the table again.
It was afternoon self-study time. Xia Zijing walked to Lin Yu's desk.
She didn't take the book; instead, she held a neatly folded A4 sheet of paper in her hand.
"Your spot is gone."
Xia Zijing pushed up her black-rimmed glasses, her tone completely flat.
Lin Yu turned a page of the journal.
"What quota?"
"At tomorrow's commendation ceremony, the city's only direct recommendation spot for the provincial-level Tsinghua-Peking University winter camp will be announced. With this spot, as long as the student's college entrance exam score is above the first-tier university cutoff, a reduced score agreement can be signed."
Xia Zijing unfolded the A4 paper and slammed it on Lin Yu's desk. "This is the internal procedure sheet for the teaching and research group. Your name has been crossed out."
Lin Yu's gaze fell on the paper.
Nominee: Lin Yu (Jiangcheng No.1 Middle School).
This line of text was roughly crossed out with a black marker. Next to it was a new name handwritten, followed by the personal seal of the deputy head of the municipal teaching and research group—Liu Jianguo.
"Liu Jianguo, a municipal education researcher, is the deputy leader of the question-setting team for this joint examination."
Xia Zijing looked at Lin Yu, "He has another identity. Li Hao's uncle."
The fat man, listening nearby, gasped in shock: "Holy crap! Li Hao tricked us before he left! His uncle abused his power to settle personal scores!"
Lin Yu leaned back in his chair. His gaze lingered on the red personal seal for two seconds.
What was his reason for crossing me out?
"Your paper is not in compliance with regulations and is suspected of being fraudulent. In addition, you have consistently failed Chinese, and your overall quality assessment is substandard. They believe you lack rigorous academic spirit."
Xia Zijin stated the facts.
Lin Yu smiled. A very slight smile.
He folded the A4 paper in half, then in half again, and casually tossed it into the trash can at his feet.
"Academic spirit".
Lin Yu stood up and zipped his school uniform all the way down. "I originally didn't want to go because I thought the awards ceremony would be too noisy."
He looked at Xia Zijin.
"Bring a voice recorder tomorrow. I'll show you what a 'dimensional reduction attack' really means."
The following morning at 9:00 AM. Jiangcheng No.1 Middle School Auditorium.
The chandeliers in the dome were all turned on, making it as bright as day. In the front row sat high-ranking officials from the Municipal Education Bureau and principals from ten high schools. In the middle and back rows were representatives of the city's top fifty students.
Su Qingwan sat in the fourth row. She was wearing a newly bought pleated skirt today, and her hair was combed extremely smoothly. Although Li Hao was not there, she still remained the focus of everyone's attention, firmly holding seventh place in the city based on her own grades.
She turned her head slightly and saw Lin Yu sitting at the very edge of the first row. He was resting his chin on his hand, idly twirling a pen.
"bluff."
Su Qingwan silently recited in her heart.
The meeting proceeded step by step. The mayor delivered a speech, followed by a address from the director of the education bureau.
9:30. The conference entered its core phase.
The host raised his voice: "Next, please welcome Mr. Liu Jianguo, Deputy Head of the Municipal Teaching and Research Group and Special-Grade Teacher, to give an academic summary of this joint examination and announce the allocation of recommended places for the Tsinghua and Peking University Winter Camps in this city!"
There was thunderous applause.
Liu Jianguo, in his fifties, wore a navy blue suit and his hair was neatly combed. He walked onto the stage, adjusted the microphone, and his sharp gaze swept across the entire room.
"This joint examination of ten schools has exposed many problems."
Liu Jianguo's voice carried an undeniable authority.
"I reviewed the science exam papers. Some students, despite achieving high total scores, presented extremely perfunctory problem-solving processes. They skipped steps and used formulas that were beyond the syllabus and illogical to arrive at answers. This behavior is not only disrespectful to academia but also a provocation against the examination system!"
The entire room fell silent instantly. Dozens of eyes turned to Lin Yu in the first row.
Everyone knows who ranked second in the city and first in the total score in this science comprehensive exam.
Wang the Bald sat in the back, cold sweat beading on his forehead. Old Zhou gripped his thermos tightly, barely daring to breathe.
Liu Jianguo continued speaking.
"When selecting promising students for provincial winter camps, we look not only at their explosive potential in science subjects, but also at their overall qualities. How can a student who can't even pass Chinese class or do basic reading comprehension well be expected to focus on scientific research?"
Liu Jianguo picked up a red-headed document from the table.
"After careful consideration by the teaching and research group, the sole recommendation spot for this Tsinghua-Peking University Winter Camp will be awarded to Zhang Ming, a student from the Second Municipal High School, who ranks third in the city overall, has extremely balanced scores across all subjects, and demonstrates rigorous and standardized problem-solving techniques!"
Sparse applause rang out from the audience. The principal of the No. 2 Middle School was beaming.
Su Qingwan's lips curled into a cold smile. This is reality. So what if you get first place? Without connections or resources, as long as the higher-ups find some irregular excuse, everything you've worked so hard to achieve can be taken away in an instant.
Liu Jianguo put down the documents and looked down at Lin Yu.
"I hope some students will face reality and put away their attention-seeking cleverness. The college entrance examination is not a numbers game; academic integrity allows no room for error!"
"Well said."
Suddenly, an extremely piercing electrical whistling sound came from the loudspeakers in the auditorium.
Everyone covered their ears.
After the static disappeared, a calm, emotionless sound exploded in the auditorium.
Lin Yu stood up. He had somehow moved to the side of the first row, holding a spare portable microphone in his hand.
His school uniform was open, one hand in his pocket. His back was ramrod straight.
"Trying to please the crowd. Scholarship cannot tolerate any imperfections."
Lin Yu, holding the microphone, climbed the steps and headed directly for the podium.
The entire room fell silent.
Liu Jianguo's expression changed, and he pointed at Lin Yu, shouting, "What are you doing! Which class are you in? Get down here!"
Baldy Wang jumped to his feet in a panic: "Lin Yu! Stop fooling around!"
Lin Yu did not stop. He walked to the center of the platform and stood less than two meters away from Liu Jianguo.
"You just said that my solution process was not in accordance with the rules and that I skipped some steps."
Lin Yu looked at Liu Jianguo with the same gaze he would give a dead object.
"Can I understand this to mean that the team that created this science exam believes that the standard answers you provided are absolute truth?"
Liu Jianguo sneered, "Our question-setting team of ten top-level teachers spent half a month meticulously refining the answer. Every step of the standard answer has undergone rigorous verification. You, a high school student, think you can overturn the authority of these top-level teachers?"
"authority."
Lin Yu tapped the microphone twice. The dull thud resonated in everyone's hearts.
He turned around and walked directly to the huge electronic whiteboard behind the podium.
Pick up the stylus.
"You don't need to know how to make a refrigerator cool to the touch."
Lin Yu raised his wrist, and the stylus landed on the whiteboard. "But if the person who set the question doesn't even understand the most basic law of conservation of energy, then this refrigerator is just industrial waste."