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Chapter 9: Director Shen, please honor your promise.

Seeing Dai Ming say that, Shen Huan showed a smile he had fully expected.

He had long known that Dai Ming was a professor in the mathematics department of Yongning University, and today Dai Ming had come to the school to scout students for special admission.

He had volunteered to guide Dai Ming around the campus precisely so Shen Tan could establish a connection with him.

After hearing Dai Ming’s self-introduction, Shen Tan quickly turned his head.

With reverence on his face, he looked at Dai Ming, his expression full of admiration.

This man turned out to be a professor from Yongning University, the very place he dreamed of attending.

The students of Class 4 also stared at Dai Ming one after another in astonishment.

Was this really a professor from the nation’s top university, they wondered, their mouths forming little o’s.

Seeing a professor from Yongning University… the best university in the nation… appear at a high school was like Brother Kun dribbling a basketball in a crowded street, making everyone unable to resist looking twice even though they knew they shouldn’t.

Another look felt as if you would melt, and one step closer felt as if you would explode.

Even Tang Yang and Shao Linlin, that duo of hidden dragon and young phoenix, stared eagerly at Dai Ming, their eyes sparkling.

Dai Ming paid no mind to the students’ scrutiny; he smiled and asked Lu Li, “Student Lu, do you dare answer my question?”

Professors from Yongning University were known for both virtue and talent, so a problem posed by him was absolutely fair; if Lu Li did not dare to accept the challenge, he must have cheated, or so the students thought.

Lu Li froze for a moment, for he had assumed this Dai Ming was merely a small fry under Shen Huan, never imagining that he was actually a big fish.

Seeing Lu Li remain silent, Mr. Liu thought he was frightened, so he hurriedly nudged his shoulder and whispered excitedly, “Say yes quickly; with your ability you can definitely solve it, and if you catch Professor Dai’s eye you might even get a special admission slot!”

But Lu Li shook his head, spread his hands, and said without arrogance, “Professor Dai, if I accept the challenge and answer the question, even if I write it correctly, it can only prove I did not cheat.”

“But what meaning does that have for me?”

“Rumor spreads with a single mouth yet refuting it breaks your legs; my reputation has already been stained, but those who fabricated lies about me pay no price at all.”

Dai Ming nodded slightly and said, “You make sense; if you solve the problem, I will require Director Shen and Student Shen Tan to apologize to you.”

“Only an apology?” Lu Li chuckled softly. “Professor Dai, that is too easy; if apologies worked, our neighbor who bows the most expertly would have conquered the world by now.”

“Lu Li, what do you want then?” Shen Tan glared.

Lu Li fixed his gaze and said, “It is not about what I want, but whether you have the sense of responsibility to make amends after doing wrong; spreading rumors carries punishment, and I hope this director and this classmate will courageously admit their mistakes and accept penalties.”

Professor Dai blinked in surprise, for Lu Li had thrown back to Shen Huan and Shen Tan the very words he himself had just spoken to Lu Li.

“Then how do you want us to make amends?” Shen Huan narrowed his eyes.

At this moment Mr. Liu interjected with a click of his tongue, “How about this: if Lu Li did not cheat, Director Shen, please pay him 1,000 yuan for emotional damages, how about it?”

Mr. Liu knew Lu Li’s family was poor, and receiving some compensation would help him.

Shen Huan burst out laughing, “Fine! If Lu Li didn’t cheat, I’ll give him 5,000 yuan, but what if he did cheat?”

Lu Li declared firmly, “I am willing to accept any punishment, including expulsion.”

“Good, a word once spoken cannot be taken back!” Hearing that Lu Li was willing to accept all penalties, Shen Tan clapped excitedly.

Lu Li cleared his throat, looked at Dai Ming, and gestured invitingly, “Professor Dai, please set the problem.”

Dai Ming nodded slightly, thought for a moment, then picked up chalk and a set square and began writing on the blackboard.

Because Dai Ming’s mathematical prowess was formidable, in short order a large derivative problem with clear logic filled the blackboard.

After reading the question, the students were blank-faced; it was so hard that they could not understand it at all.

Eager to give it a try, Shen Tan examined the problem, but halfway through he bit his nails in frustration, thinking that it seemed even harder than the other questions on the test paper.

Mr. Liu frowned slightly; as a math teacher he already had an idea, but working out the detailed steps would still take him some time.

As for Shen Huan, he was hopeless; although he had started as a math teacher, after years as a director of discipline he had long thrown mathematics out of his mind.

Dai Ming clapped the chalk dust from his hands and smiled at Lu Li, “Student Lu, you may think it over; there is no need to rush.”

Lu Li replied quietly, “There is no need to waste time.”

He picked up the chalk, strode forward, and began writing rapidly.

Mr. Liu was astonished, “Has Lu Li already figured it out? I didn’t expect him to act so quickly.”

Shen Huan was equally surprised; he pulled Shen Tan aside and whispered, “Can you do this problem?”

Shen Tan shook his head, “No, it is extremely difficult and I have no clue at all.”

Shen Huan asked in puzzlement, “Didn’t you say this Lu Li was only second in your class and far beneath you, so how could he solve it?”

Shen Tan sneered, “Even I can’t do it, so how could he? He must be putting on a brave face in front of Professor Dai and scribbling a few strokes.”

Only then did Shen Huan relax.

Dai Ming focused intently on Lu Li’s solution, the thick lenses of his glasses reflecting a white arc of light.

He had already examined Lu Li’s test paper earlier, and its content was neat and concise, with not a single unnecessary step in the reasoning.

That meant that if this Student Lu had not cheated, he must have fully understood the setter’s mind and spotted the crux of the problem at a glance.

That would make this Student Lu a rare mathematics prodigy.

“I hope you won’t disappoint me,” Dai Ming thought to himself.

Although the problem Dai Ming posed looked short, the solution required many steps, and in a short while Lu Li filled the entire board with formulas.

Watching this, Shen Huan almost laughed out loud; he had still harbored some doubt that Lu Li really knew how to solve it, but now he no longer believed so.

What problem needed that many formulas, he thought, so the kid must be scribbling nonsense.

Little did he know that after reading through Lu Li’s answer, the sweat kept beading on Shen Tan’s forehead and his thin shoulders trembled.

After drawing the final stroke, Lu Li tossed the chalk aside and cleared his throat, “Professor Dai, please check it.”

But Dai Ming needed no further checking; he had followed every step as Lu Li wrote, and when Lu Li finished he was already certain the answer was correct.

What surprised him even more was that Lu Li’s line of attack was cleverer than the one he had designed, and the solution even saved two steps compared with his own expectation.

“Clap, clap, clap.” With a smile on his face, Dai Ming applauded in appreciation, “Student Lu, your mathematical talent is impressive; are you interested in taking the special admission exam for Yongning University? I can arrange it right away.”

The moment these words were spoken, the classroom fell silent, and in the next instant exploded into thunderous discussion.

“Lu Li got it right, really?”

“How could it be fake? Can’t you hear the implication? Not only did Lu Li solve it, Professor Dai wants him to take Yongning University’s special admission exam!”

“Damn, is Lu Li that awesome? So that test paper earlier was also done by himself with no cheating at all?”

“Obviously; only someone as lacking as Shen Tan would frame Lu Li for cheating.”

Hearing this, Shen Tan’s shoulders kept trembling, for after watching Lu Li solve the problem with his own eyes he finally realized Lu Li really had not cheated and had scored full marks on his own ability.

Shen Huan felt even more embarrassed, for the special admission spot he had fought so long to secure had been handed to Lu Li by Dai Ming just like that.

Lu Li chuckled softly and gazed quietly at Shen Huan.

Shen Huan seethed, thinking, Could this kid truly want me to apologize to him; he was, after all, the director of discipline… how could he apologize to a student?

Wouldn’t that make him lose all face?

Shen Huan’s face instantly darkened.

He was just about to find an excuse to dodge when he heard Dai Ming say coolly, “Director Shen, please honor your promise.”

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