Who Was Number One?

The previous week's sharing had focused on insomnia and lullabies. What should I discuss in the upcoming livestream? Perhaps hair growth?

Rumor has it that many people are experiencing hair loss due to the stress of modern life. Tang Qiao began planning the content for her next livestream but didn't realize she had forgotten to check the audience's reactions on the livestream platform after her last broadcast.

The following day at Feng City First High School

Just before the morning self-study session, Wen Guanjie and all the teachers from the Mathematics team convened in their office.

"Mr. Wen, have the results for yesterday's Mathematical Olympiad qualifiers been posted? How did our students perform? Who are the top three?" inquired one of the teachers with curiosity.

"Yes, we have the results. Miss Yan Ping, Mr. Zhang, and I spent last night grading the exam papers," Wen Guanjie replied as he placed a stack of papers on the table. He continued with a hint of regret, "Regarding the results..." He shook his head. "Overall, the scores are not satisfactory. Three students scored zero points."

Many others had scored as low as ten or twenty points.

The other teachers sighed as they examined the test papers. "This one is from Wu Xiaoxiao in Class 2, right? She usually does quite well in math. Why such a low score this time? She only got five points!"

"This one is the same. I taught this student, he only managed ten points," shared another math teacher as they looked at the mostly empty test papers. The sight of blank pages was giving them headaches. White, blank pages everywhere, except the multiple-choice questions. Other questions had almost no responses.

"It's understandable. The Mathematical Olympiad contains many questions beyond the regular curriculum. Students typically focus on the questions that will appear in the college entrance exam, so it's normal for them to struggle with these," one teacher consoled.

Another teacher sighed, "It seems that our First High School will be the laughingstock once more in the city-level preliminaries." Their school had a reputation for consistently placing last in the city's preliminary rounds. Other high schools often mocked them for being the perennial underachievers.

At this point, a teacher asked, "So, who are the top three in this exam?" The top three would represent the school in the municipal preliminaries. It was a significant honor.

A colleague replied, "Third place goes to Gao Yang from Class 2."

"I see." Nodded the other teachers. "I know him. He secured the highest score in the entire school in Mathematics."

The conversation continued, "Second place belongs to Jiang Xinghai from Class Three."

"That's not surprising. Jiang Xinghai has always excelled in math." Another teacher chimed in, "And what about the first place? Is it from Miss Yan Ping's class?"

The teachers shared a chuckle, teasing, "Is it Lin Qingyu? She's a promising student in Miss Yan Ping's class."

Yan Ping's expression soured considerably.

The teacher who had revealed the results noticed Yan Ping's expression and refrained from further remarks. The rest of the teachers took note of Yan Ping's reaction and gradually stopped teasing her. They exchanged glances, puzzled. Doesn't it belong to Lin Qingyu? That will be unusual.

Just then, one of the teachers exclaimed, "I've found Lin Qingyu's test paper!"

All eyes turned toward the teacher who had made the discovery. They watched as the teacher pulled out a test paper with a blank page on it, except for two bold, red words—25.

The other teachers were left astonished. Can it be true that Lin Qingyu had scored only 25 points? It seems impossible.

One teacher approached Lin Qingyu's test paper and tried to lighten the mood, saying, "Don't worry, it's alright. Many of the questions in the Olympiad are beyond the usual curriculum. It's normal not to know how to solve them. Lin Qingyu usually focuses on preparing for the college entrance examination."

The other teachers chimed in, agreeing, "That's correct. The Mathematical Olympiad is just an extra challenge. Our primary focus should remain on the college entrance exam."

Yan Ping's expression finally showed some relief.

"Then who secured the first place this time?" inquired one teacher. There was no hope that Lin Qingyu could be in first place with only 25 points.

Yan Ping's face darkened again as the old topic resurfaced.

The teacher who had revealed the results forced a smile and replied awkwardly, "Let Mr. Wen announce the first place."

All eyes turned to Wen Guanjie. He was wearing the same clothes as the previous day, showing signs of fatigue from late-night paper grading, with dark circles under his eyes. Nevertheless, he appeared in good spirits, offering a smile that smoothed the wrinkles on his face. He addressed everyone, saying, "The first place goes to my student…"

Everyone leaned in, their curiosity piqued.

Suddenly, the teacher who had been examining the test papers interrupted, "Eh? Tang Qiao?"

Other teachers also joined in, "Tang Qiao? I remember... "

"Wait a minute... Why are we talking about Tang Qiao now..." A teacher suddenly realized.