Wrong Answer

The other students felt a bit uncomfortable. Tang Qiao had transformed her appearance with the new hairstyle, becoming exceptionally attractive. Following her morning incident, where she stood up to Hu Jiao, everyone found her rather intriguing. However, now she seemed to be adopting an arrogant attitude and pretending to be the top student. It was somewhat disappointing.

"Mathematics is the most rigorous subject," Tang Qiao asserted, looking up with a serious expression. "One is one, two is two. The answer I provided doesn't come from me but rather from the inherent logic of mathematics itself. You claimed my answer was incorrect and supported the wrong answer. So, can you explain the reasoning behind the incorrect answer?"

Just as she finished speaking, a powerful male voice resonated from the classroom entrance.

"You're absolutely right!"

The entire class turned toward the source of the voice.

Wen Guanjie held a book in one hand and a ferule in the other, two books tucked under his arm. He confidently entered the classroom, placed his book and ruler on the desk, and remarked, "Tang Qiao is correct. Mathematics is the most rigorous subject. It's not about the answer, but the underlying logic of mathematics itself."

Li Wenwen lowered her head. "Tang Qiao was the one who attempted the wrong question. Now it seems like we were the ones in the wrong."

Wen Guanjie glanced at Li Wenwen and then shifted his gaze to Tang Qiao. "Which question is it? Let me see."

Li Wenwen displayed a hint of delight. Before Tang Qiao could respond, she pointed at the book and said, "This question."

At that moment, the bell rang. Wen Guanjie picked up the question, briefly inspected it, and said, "Return to your seats. I'll explain this question today."

Li Wenwen was thrilled. She gave Tang Qiao a sly look and silently mouthed, "Prepare to make a fool of yourself!"

The other students were similarly eager, anticipating the spectacle.

Wen Guanjie transcribed the question onto the blackboard and instructed, "You guys attempt it first. I'll provide guidance once you're done."

The students couldn't believe their ears. They were expecting a scene!

Wen Guanjie retrieved a pen and began solving the problem himself. He compared his work to the original answer and had an idea. He strolled around the classroom, occasionally glancing at students' solutions. The rest of the students fidgeted in discomfort, wishing they could hide their answer sheets. Why is this question so challenging?

Wen Guanjie shook his head.

Five minutes later, Wen Guanjie returned to the podium and started elucidating the problem.

Step by step, he calculated it, arriving at the same conclusion as Tang Qiao's.

The entire class was taken aback. "Could Tang Qiao's answer really be correct?"

"Tang Qiao is incredible!"

Li Wenwen and Wang Meimei stared at the solutions on the blackboard, their faces flushed with disbelief.

Li Luo discreetly turned around and gave Tang Qiao a thumbs up, and in response, Tang Qiao offered a warm smile.

As the students engaged in their discussions, Wen Guanjie raised his hand, signaling for silence. He cleared his throat and began, "First, let me share something important with all of you. The preliminary rounds of the Mathematical Olympiad, scheduled for April, are right around the corner..."

However, some students seemed uninterested and let out yawns. The Mathematical Olympiad was a national competition aimed at selecting the best mathematical minds in the country. It comprised three stages, municipal preliminaries, provincial competitions, and national finals. The competition questions were exceptionally challenging, and participants faced off against top-tier students from across the nation. While the contest was notoriously difficult, it carried immense prestige. Participants' achievements were noted in their academic records, and outstanding performers could even bypass the regular college entrance examinations and gain direct admission to prestigious universities. For the cream of the crop, reaching the highest ranks could lead to representing their country in world-class competitions, bringing honor to their nation.

Yet, all this seemed quite distant from the students in this classroom.

One student asked, "Mr. Wen, you're not suggesting someone from our class should participate, are you?"

To partake in the Mathematical Olympiad preliminaries, students had to pass through their school's selection process. Subsequently, they would compete against students from various high schools in Feng City, with the victor serving as Feng City's representative in the municipal preliminaries. However, it was common knowledge that Feng City First High School had a less-than-stellar reputation in terms of academic results. Their previous representatives had consistently fared poorly, earning their school a reputation for subpar performance.

Upon witnessing the students' low spirits, Wen Guanjie became frustrated. He addressed them sternly, "Indeed, our class must designate a participant for the school competition."

The classroom fell silent as students exchanged glances, eventually settling their gaze on Chen Shuming and Jiang Mengyu. Both had consistently excelled in mathematics, ranking within the top 20 in their entire year. Then there was Tang Qiao, who had shown proficiency in math during the recent problems, though her past exam performance wasn't good, making her an uncertain choice. To play it safe, Mr. Wen Guanjie was unlikely to select her.