This year’s high school math competition wasn’t being held at No. 4 High School but at the affiliated school.

When the group arrived, they still had 40 minutes before the competition started.

The cold wind outside stung their faces, and if they weren’t dressed warmly enough, it felt like the wind cut straight through to their bones.

Not wanting to wait outside, Cen Huai’an and the others verified their identities and entered the exam room.

The teachers who had brought them over also had designated rest areas.

When Cen Huai’an received the competition paper, he frowned slightly.

The difficulty level was high, and he suspected his fellow freshmen from the Olympiad class wouldn’t do too well.

However, there was no point in overthinking it now. Cen Huai’an refocused and began working on his own paper.

Due to the paper’s difficulty, many of the problems had tricky pitfalls that could easily trip students up.

Cen Huai’an’s usual pace slowed down as he carefully avoided falling into any traps.

For problems with heavy calculations, he decided to return to them later, as they would take more time.

Around him, some students were frowning in concentration, while others scribbled away furiously.

This was where the brutal nature of competitions showed.

Either you knew the material, or you didn’t. Just being in the Olympiad class didn’t mean you had an exceptional math talent—there were always people smarter and more hardworking than you.

Cen Huai’an took a steady, methodical approach, solving one problem at a time.

When he finally finished, it was the longest he had ever taken during a competition, leaving him with little time for review.

Glancing at the clock, he quickly began checking his answers.

But before he could finish, the time was up, and the proctors began collecting the exams.

No one was allowed to write any longer.

Cen Huai’an flipped through his paper, taking a quick glance at the problems he had completed, then handed it in.

As soon as he stepped outside, he heard people groaning about how difficult the test was.

Some students had only completed half of the paper before being forced to turn it in, while others barely finished one page.

There were a lot of unfinished exams.

Zhang Lu came out looking defeated. “An An, I’m doomed! I totally bombed this competition.”

“What happened?” Cen Huai’an asked her.

Zhang Lu took a deep breath. “I didn’t finish the paper, and I’m not even sure if what I did finish is correct. The teacher was right—we’re just not ready for this competition.”

After venting for a bit, Zhang Lu felt better. She was only a freshman, after all.

She had time to improve and promised herself that by senior year, she’d ace it!

The senior competitors from No. 4 High School also emerged looking pale and unsteady, clearly shaken by the difficulty of the test.

No one asked Cen Huai’an how he had done, except for Zhang Lu and Teacher Jiang.

Cen Huai’an simply replied, “I finished the paper, but I didn’t have time to check everything. So I’m not sure how well I did.”

The results of this city math competition are crucial for participating in the national math competition; only first-place winners can attend.

The teachers at the fourth high school originally had high hopes for several top students in the senior year.

Now, seeing the expressions on their students’ faces, they could only sigh and refrain from asking more.

Zhang Lu sat on the bus, holding a water bottle and talking to Cen Huai’an next to her. “If the city competition is this difficult, how hard must the national competition be?”

After submitting her test paper, Zhang Lu already knew she wouldn’t win a prize this time.

But she was aware of her own level, just as Teacher Jiang had said—she was just there to make up the numbers.

She wasn’t too upset; her mindset was calm.

Cen Huai’an responded calmly, “We’ve done national math competition papers before.”

Zhang Lu couldn’t remember all the papers they had worked on in the math class.

She looked at him curiously and asked, “When?”

Cen Huai’an told her which day and which paper, and Zhang Lu widened her eyes. “You remember that?”

Cen Huai’an replied, “Why wouldn’t I remember?”

Zhang Lu felt a bit suddenly overwhelmed.

“Okay, you don’t need to say any more.”

Chatting with Cen Huai’an always felt like a dimensional reduction blow.

If he hadn’t been unwilling to skip grades, he might already be in college.

When the results of the city competition were announced, Cen Huai’an was in the math class working on problems.

Every day after the scheduled school classes, the students in the math class would study here.

Teacher Jiang walked in with a proud smile, holding two certificates, looking more spirited than usual.

“Everyone, stop for a moment. I have good news to announce.”

All the students in the class paused, looking up at him.

Only Cen Huai’an continued to write, focused on a crucial problem, unwilling to be disturbed.

“Congratulations to our sophomore math class’s Cen Huai’an and Tang Song. They achieved a first prize and a second prize in this city competition!”

“Wow!”

“So impressive!”

The classroom erupted with amazed voices, all eyes turning to the two of them.

Cen Huai’an remained focused on his calculations, as if the announcement didn’t concern him at all.

Tang Song looked at Teacher Jiang but didn’t seem very excited either.

“Cen Huai’an, Tang Song, come up to receive your awards.”

Cen Huai’an had just written down his final answer when Teacher Jiang finished speaking, so he stood up.

Tang Song moved at the same time; neither of them seemed particularly excited, much less than their classmates.

The other students enthusiastically clapped, gazing at the two as if they were divine beings, a level they couldn’t hope to reach.

After all, they had all participated in the competition together, and while no one else had even received a consolation prize, these two had managed to win good awards, creating a significant gap between them and the others.

Cen Huai’an looked at his first prize, finally showing a glimmer of joy in his eyes.

He wasn’t unhappy; it was just his reserved nature that made him prefer to keep his emotions hidden.

Among the clapping classmates, Zhang Lu clapped the hardest.

That was her brother up there; she felt particularly proud of him for winning first prize.

After Cen Huai’an was called away by Teacher Jiang, Tang Song returned to his seat.

He sat right behind Zhang Lu, who turned to look at Tang Song, who seemed a bit down.

“You got second prize! That’s amazing! The second prize can add points for college entrance exams.”

Tang Song put away the certificate and replied, “Yes.”

It was indeed true, but Tang Song still felt disappointed; his goal was to participate in the national math competition, and he felt his abilities weren’t sufficient yet.

Tang Song picked up his pen and resumed working on problems, and Zhang Lu sensed he seemed somewhat changed yet still the same.

However, his speed in solving problems had noticeably increased.

Zhang Lu suddenly felt a sense of urgency, silently turning around to focus on her own work.

Although she didn’t place much importance on the competition results, she didn’t want to be the underachiever in a class full of top students.

Cen Huai’an was called away by Teacher Jiang to discuss the national competition.

Teacher Jiang held a list in his hand, glanced down, and said, “Cen Huai’an, in addition to your first prize from the city competition, there are also two other students in the senior class who won first prizes. You three will be attending the national math competition together. Therefore, the school has special training planned for you. After class, go to Room 101 on the first floor of that building behind us.”

“Teacher, will only the three of us be in that class?”

“No, that’s the classroom for the senior math class.”

Of course, Cen Huai’an and the two senior students would be on a different learning pace.

They would tackle deeper problems, and the teacher would provide them with individual explanations.

After Teacher Jiang finished speaking, Cen Huai’an frowned and asked, “Can I not go?”

He was quite happy in the sophomore math class and didn’t want to change his environment.

“No. Your progress is different from that of the sophomores. Being here would hold you back. And I will also be teaching the senior math class, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

Cen Huai’an wasn’t scared, but hearing Teacher Jiang’s tone of voice made him realize he had no choice but to move to that class.

“Teacher, how long do I need to stay in the senior class?”

Cen Huai’an didn’t ask if he could skip it; he wanted to know when he could return.

“Until the national math competition is over,” Teacher Jiang replied. “But you know that with your level, it’s appropriate for you to be in the senior class.”

Cen Huai’an said, “I can do well in any class.” His tone wasn’t arrogant, but rather a natural confidence.

Teacher Jiang nodded. “I know.”

That’s why he agreed to let Cen Huai’an return to the sophomore class after the national competition.

Cen Huai’an looked at Teacher Jiang for a while, confirming that he wouldn’t change his mind, and he fell silent.

As Cen Huai’an packed up his things in the sophomore math class, Zhang Lu looked at him in surprise. “An An, what are you doing? Are you really going to participate in the competition now?”

“Not really.” Cen Huai’an didn’t have much to pack; just some books and scratch paper.

He looked up at Zhang Lu and said, “I’m moving to the senior math class.”

Zhang Lu was even more surprised, but she understood that this must be the homeroom teacher’s arrangement.

A hint of reluctance appeared in her eyes. “If you leave, will you come back later?”

Cen Huai’an packed his things into his backpack and lifted it with one hand. “I will come back.”

Zhang Lu brightened up again and rushed over to help him check if he had left anything behind.

“Go ahead. It’ll be a good chance for the senior students to experience the terror of you, the great demon king.”

Zhang Lu seemed to envision that scene, and it made her laugh.

“When the time comes, they’ll definitely feel as defeated as I and our classmates do every day.”

Cen Huai’an replied, “They won’t.”

He glanced at Zhang Lu again and said, “Sister, I’ve never seen you feel defeated.”

Zhang Lu smiled with a touch of pride. “You’re my brother, and you’re excellent. I can only be proud! Besides, I’m not planning to major in math in the future. I won’t feel sad if I’m not as good as you!”

Cen Huai’an nodded, waved at her, and nodded to the other classmates who were looking over before heading out with his backpack.

Tang Song watched Cen Huai’an walk away, and the light in his heart seemed to shine even brighter.

His gaze became more determined as he focused on writing down problems.

When Cen Huai’an followed Teacher Jiang into the senior math class, it felt like a drop of water entering a pot of oil, causing the entire pot to bubble.

“I heard he’s the one who, along with Xin Yang and Li Shilai, won first prize in the city competition.”

“The Cen Huai’an from the sophomore math class?”

“Yeah!”

“That’s incredible! The problems in the city competition are so difficult.”

“That’s why we knew about him before—because he’s so talented!”

In fact, there weren’t many students left in the senior math class.

Those who hadn’t won awards in the city competition weren’t interested in staying in the math class after hearing the results; they packed up and returned to their own classes to focus on preparing for the college entrance exams next year.

The remaining students in the class, besides Xin Yang and Li Shilai who were going to the national competition, were mostly curious about the incoming Cen Huai’an.

They were in a good mood; although they couldn’t attend the national competition, having won second prize would add points to their college entrance exams, making the difficulty of the exams a bit easier for them.

After Teacher Jiang helped Cen Huai’an settle into his seat, the curious gazes of the other students in the class still lingered on him, with some even ignoring the lesson to look at him.

This only made Cen Huai’an’s expression colder as he concentrated on the blackboard, trying to ignore the various looks directed at him.

However, what Cen Huai’an didn’t expect was that when he came in the next day, only he, Xin Yang, and Li Shilai were left in the class.

He sat at his desk, feeling a bit stunned—where did all the students from yesterday go?

Just then, Li Shilai, who sat in front of Cen Huai’an, suddenly turned around, greeting him enthusiastically. “I’m Li Shilai. I know you. You’re quite famous in our school’s math class.”

Cen Huai’an: ?

Seeing Cen Huai’an’s confusion, Li Shilai appeared surprised. “You didn’t know?”

Cen Huai’an asked, “Should I know?”

He hadn’t paid attention to why so many people recognized him; he focused most of his energy on learning new things.

Li Shilai noticed he genuinely didn’t know, retracting his almost-falling jaw, and briefly explained why many people knew him.

Cen Huai’an said, “Honestly, I think they should focus on their own studies.”

Focusing on him wouldn’t improve their grades.

Li Shilai countered, “How do you know no one has prayed to you before their exams?”

Cen Huai’an: …

“I don’t know, but I do know that praying to me won’t help.”

Li Shilai had a lively personality and quickly chatted with Cen Huai’an, letting him understand how other students viewed him.

It was an image that even Cen Huai’an found absurd, but he didn’t care too much.

Another student from the math class, with a different personality than Li Shilai, spoke less and always had a hint of arrogance in his gaze toward Cen Huai’an.