Chapter 22: Falling Asleep During Exams

The preliminary exam was held at the city education bureau compound, about ten kilometers away from Thirteenth Middle School.

On the way.

Zhao Yi was resting his eyes, hoping to regain his energy before the exam.

He Ronghua was sitting next to him.

He Ronghua was the top student in Thirteenth Middle School, always ranking first. There must have been something special about him.

His secret was...hard work!

Now, sitting in the car on the way to the education bureau, He Ronghua was still reading an extracurricular book, mumbling nonstop, "Wild grasses stretch endlessly, white poplars rustle bleakly. Severe frost fills the September air, sending me off to the distant suburbs."

"Wild grasses..."

"Severe frost..."

"What poem is this?" Zhao Yi asked after a few listens.

"Tao Yuanming's, 'Elegies Part Three'."

"Will it be on the exam?"

He Ronghua shook his head. "Not necessarily, but the college entrance examination might have poetry from outside the text. Memorizing more poems might just hit the jackpot."

Zhao Yi muttered, "There are too many extracurricular poems. Just memorize some classic ones. Learnt them all… there are three hundred Tang poems!"

"Zhao Yi, what you said is wrong!"

Wang Ping, who was sitting in the passenger seat, suddenly spoke up, "Chinese ancient poetry and ci recitation is a broad field. Memorizing more has no drawbacks. It can also increase literary knowledge, which is beneficial for understanding ancient poetry and writing essays."

"He Ronghua is the top student of the year. For him, increasing one point requires a lot of hard work."

"Of course, average students have plenty of room for improvement, so there's no need to spend too much energy on this."

Average students?

Isn't that what she's saying about me?

Soon, the car became Wang Ping's Chinese lecture. Sun Li kept asking for guidance on which essay topics were more likely to score high points.

"Blah blah blah..."

Zhao Yi's head was going to explode.

Fortunately, not everyone was concerned about Chinese. Lin Xiaoqing was holding a competition book, probably the only one in the car who cared about the competition.

After a period of silence, Lin Xiaoqing switched back to asking Zhao Yi questions.

"Ancient poem…"

"Pacific island country…"

"Greek mythology…"

Zhao Yi casually answered, making Lin Xiaoqing's mood worse.

"Humph!"

It was always the same ending.

Wang Ping, listening to the two of them answering questions, found an educational entry point, "Zhao Yi, you really know a lot. No wonder you're participating in the competition. Your Chinese score in the last exam was good, especially your essay."

"Oh."

It was rare to be praised by Teacher Wang, and Zhao Yi smiled at the corner of his mouth.

"Your problem is that you're too laid-back. Look at Lin Xiaoqing, look at He Ronghua, look at Sun Li. The people sitting in this car should be your role models!"

"If you could be like them..."

"Blah blah blah~~"

Zhao Yi's good mood vanished in an instant, so he simply closed his eyes and stopped talking.

Wang Ping nagged for quite a while. When she turned her head to see Zhao Yi's expression, she could hardly suppress her anger. She gritted her teeth and muttered, "Underachiever!"

Soon.

The car stopped at the education bureau compound.

They followed the teacher in charge and entered the back courtyard.

This used to be a school. After the school moved, the area was designated for the education bureau.

Zhao Yi found his examination room and sat down to wait for the exam.

There were four test papers, each with fifty multiple-choice questions on both sides. The test papers were obviously freshly printed, and the ink appeared crude.

'Youth Cup' extracurricular knowledge competition is a provincial contest linked to quality education, a mere formality but of substantial value.

First, there's confidentiality.

Every year, the test papers are set by four well-known professors. They are sent to the education bureau for printing the day before the test.

Having one person or one group set the questions increases the possibility of leaks, but having four unrelated people set the questions separately greatly reduces the chances of leaks.

Zhao Yi started answering the questions as soon as he got the test paper.

Prior to the test, they had agreed that he would focus on the last fifty questions.

Zhao Yi started from the back, "'Deep pines lack paths, sparse bamboos don't cover the mountain' comes from a poem by Lu Zhi of the Yuan Dynasty, _____?"

[Causality Law!]

[Answer: B.]

"Please point out the couplet, 'Ghosts and foxes have character; laughter and scolding form essays.' Which ancient Chinese celebrity does this refer to?"

[Causality Law!]

[Answer: A.]

...

...

He quickly finished the fifty questions.

Zhao Yi checked his energy and found that he had only consumed 11 points.

Much better than the Chinese exam!

Keep going!

This time he started from the first question and relied on the Causality Law after reading each question.

One question.

Then another.

Using the Causality Law consecutively was somewhat annoying, but he finally completed the remaining 150 questions, and Zhao Yi let out a long breath.

He pressed hard on his temples.

His head was aching!

[Energy: 61/103.]

Zhao Yi had no interest in checking the time and simply lay down on the table to sleep.

He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again.

"Student, wake up! It's time to collect the papers!"

The proctor patted his shoulder, the tone of his voice gentle with a slight smile. It was the first time he had seen someone sleep through a knowledge competition exam.

Others felt the same.

The students nearby looked at Zhao Yi, their eyes filled with curiosity.

Sun Li and Zhao Yi were in the same examination room. When she noticed Zhao Yi sleeping, she couldn't help but laugh out loud.

When they got back in the car, Sun Li told the others about what happened. He Ronghua and the others didn't care about the competition, so they only listened as a joke.

Wang Ping couldn't help but mock, "Sleeping in Chinese class, sleeping in competition exams too!"

Lin Xiaoqing pouted and complained, "Zhao Yi, you've gone too far! We're a team, you're not just taking this exam for yourself."

Zhao Yi said indifferently, "Don't worry, I've done them all, from beginning to end. I didn't miss a single question. We'll definitely make it to the finals this time."

The others looked at him in disbelief.

Wang Ping said, "Alright, enough. Now that the exam is over, let's drop the competition."

Zhao Yi muttered quietly in frustration, "I told you, but you still don't believe it. What's my level? We'll definitely reach the finals with full marks!"

The group shook their heads.

Zhao Yi felt he had a mature attitude, but it was still frustrating when others didn't take him seriously. So he simply suggested, "How about we make a bet? Teacher Wang, if we advance to the finals, you'll stop worrying about me in class."

Wang Ping's spirits lifted, "Fine! If we don't make it to the finals, starting now, you can't sleep for a minute. Every class, sit up straight and listen attentively!"

"OK!"

"I want in too! I want in too! Zhao Yi, let me bet with you too!" Lin Xiaoqing's spirits rose when she heard about the bet.

Zhao Yi shook his head disdainfully, "You? Sorry, I don't bet with people who have poor credibility. Not unless you pay off your debt first."

"What debt?" Sun Li turned and asked.

Lin Xiaoqing glared at Zhao Yi, her clenched fist threatening.

Zhao Yi laughed, "It's nothing! She just owes me a bottle of Nutrient Express."

"Nutrient Express?" Sun Li waved her hand nonchalantly, "I'll buy you a bottle when we get back!"

Zhao Yi's face went blank.

Little girl.

So naive!