"Could it be just another coincidence?"
If it had been earlier, Lin Jinfen might still have believed it was. Even if not, she might've assumed that Huang Yifan had encountered similar problems before, which explained why he could solve them. After all, no one would naturally suspect that Huang Yifan might actually be a genius. However, after seeing the essay Ye Fei brought out and the shocking zero score on the English test, it would be foolish to chalk things up to coincidence.
The three teachers looked at one another, all momentarily stunned by the realization.
"Right, Huang Yifan once wrote a ghost story. At the time, I thought he'd copied it. But now..."
Suddenly, Lin Jinfen remembered the Strange Tales-style ghost story Huang Yifan had written before.
"Let me look for it. I think it's still in my drawer."
After rummaging for a bit, she finally found the sheet tucked away in the corner of the drawer.
"Mr. Ye, you're a Chinese major. Take a look at it."
A few minutes later, Ye Fei put the ghost story down.
"On the surface, this ghost story seems pretty ordinary, but even so, it's clearly not something a middle schooler could've written. That's just my initial judgment, of course. I keep feeling like this story touches on some deeper philosophical ideas. I need to take this one home tonight and study it more."
"Ah..."
Lin Jinfen was startled by his reaction. She hadn't expected this seemingly unremarkable ghost story to earn such high praise from Ye Fei.
"Wait, Mr. Ye, is there any chance this story was copied?"
"I don't think so. But just to be sure, let me search online."
A quick search brought back results.
"Biting a Ghost", not even the "Strange Tales" showed up. So how could this have been plagiarized?
"I see now."
Lin Jinfen felt ashamed. Laughable, really. She'd actually assumed that story was plagiarized.
Was he really just a failing student?
At this moment, all three of them were silently asking themselves the same question.
"I think we don't need any more proof. Huang Yifan has been hiding from us this whole time. Or rather, he wasn't trying to deceive us. He just didn't want to show off his talent."
Ye Fei made his conclusion.
"That little rascal. The act he put on earlier, we almost bought it."
Lin Jinfen felt like tearing her hair out, thinking back to when they called Huang Yifan in for questioning. Then there was that sob story he told about his father. Yet again, he'd played them. Previously, it had been with his clever tricks. This time, it was with a performance worthy of an actor.
What kind of failing student is this sharp?
"Exactly. That kid should've become an actor."
Huang Yilian was equally speechless.
Thinking back to last night, when she was distraught over Huang Yifan's zero score. Then this morning, when he told that pitiful story about being beaten by his dad. She'd felt so helpless, so sure she'd failed as a teacher. And now, out of nowhere, it turned out life had played a massive joke on her. The student she thought could barely get thirty points in English was actually a hidden genius.
And this genius was so low-key. If not for the surprise zero on the English test, if not for Ye Fei's suspicion, if not for a chain of coincidences stacking up, he could have graduated, and they'd have never known. They'd had a genius sitting right under their noses the entire time.
It felt like another kind of failure.
"So what now?"
"I've got math first period. I'm going to test him."
Though her emotions were still swirling, Lin Jinfen wanted to confirm it for herself.
"I don't think you'll succeed."
Ye Fei smiled. "Huang Yifan has been keeping this up for a year. Clearly, he doesn't want us to find out. If you test him directly, he'll probably just keep acting."
Ye Fei hadn't seen the performance himself, but judging by their reactions earlier, it must have been pretty convincing. He was even considering having a private conversation with this low-key genius. And that ghost story really was something special. It would be a shame not to nurture a student like this.
"Mr. Ye, don't underestimate me. Before, we were all blind to it. But now that we know, I refuse to believe I can't uncover what he's hiding."
"Ha, sounds like you're confident."
"Of course. After class, I'll report back to you."
"Great, wishing you a smooth victory."
…
"Class, most of you did well on the recent monthly test. Today we're going to review the paper, but before that, I've got a question for you all."
The first period was math, taught by their homeroom teacher, Lin Jinfen. She acted as if nothing had happened and taught as usual.
"This question is from a previous year's high school entrance exam. While it might not appear in this year's test, it's very representative. Even if it doesn't come up exactly, the concepts might appear in a modified form."
As she spoke, she picked up the chalk and wrote the question on the blackboard.
"Take a look, everyone. You've got three minutes. Raise your hand if you can solve it."
She stepped aside to let them think.
It was a difficult problem.
After three minutes, not a single hand went up.
Lin Jinfen wasn't surprised.
She knew the question was hard. The average student couldn't solve it.
Even students like Jiang Weiwei would need to spend a few hours to figure it out.
This question wasn't for the others. It was aimed squarely at Huang Yifan.
But unfortunately, just as Ye Fei predicted.
Even now, Huang Yifan was putting on a show, pretending to be clueless like everyone else.
She glanced at him. He looked totally unbothered, just like all the other students.
If this had been before, his expression wouldn't have surprised her. He really did look like someone who didn't understand the problem.
But now, seeing how calm and composed he was, Lin Jinfen couldn't help but chuckle to herself.
Keep pretending.
You think this act will still fool us?
Suddenly, she had an idea. She raised her voice and said, "Looks like this problem is really tough. But to boost motivation and to reward anyone who can solve it, I'm announcing a special prize. If you solve this question, then from today until the high school entrance exam, you don't have to do any of my math homework."
The classroom burst into chaos.
Who doesn't hate homework?
This was a huge deal.
Such an incentive got everyone fired up again. Even those who had given up looked back at the board. Maybe a second glance would help them figure it out. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
But a few minutes later, even with everyone giving it their all, it was clear the problem was still too hard. Most students were racking their brains to no avail. Even top students like Jiang Weiwei were biting their pens, completely stuck.
"No hands raised?"
Lin Jinfen scanned the room.
"Alright then. Since no one solved it, the reward is off the table. Let's go over the test paper."
Pretending to be disappointed, she was about to pass out the test papers and begin the review.
But right at that moment, a student who had never raised his hand before suddenly lifted it into the air.
"Third row, third seat. Huang Yifan."
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