Chapter 25: A Beautiful Misunderstanding

As a major province for education in the East, Jiangdong Province produces several perfect-score essays every year, but none has ever sparked nationwide discussion like “The Death of the Red Hare.” Liu Chengzheng is the principal of Jiangcheng Experimental High School—not the top school in Jiangcheng. The city’s First, Second, and Seventh High Schools are the elite institutions, monopolizing almost all the annual top scorers, perfect essays, and highest total scores. Although Jiangcheng Experimental is also a key high school, its academic achievements and the local trust it commands are far inferior to those three, making it little more than a supporting player every year.

But this year, the tables turned. The province’s first perfect-score essay came from his school!

“Who is Zhang Chu, anyway? How come I’ve never heard of him before?” Liu Chengzheng was filled with doubt. He was fairly familiar with the outstanding students in Grade Twelve—not to mention the top thirty in the first and second mock exams, at least the top fifteen he could name offhand.

Yet he simply couldn't match the name Zhang Chu to any student. From which hidden corner had this person jumped out? With thousands of students at the school, Liu Chengzheng, as principal, could hardly know them all. It seemed more likely that Zhang Chu was an unexpected rising star.

He picked up his phone and called his secretary. “Xiao Song, please pull up Zhang Chu’s file for me. Reporters want to interview us tomorrow. Tonight, contact Zhang Chu and his parents and have them get ready.”

“Understood. I’ll take care of it right away.”

A few minutes later, Liu Chengzheng received Zhang Chu’s information, but nothing on the file stood out. His monthly, midterm, and final exam scores were always average—so stable it was almost frightening. He was also notably low-key, the kind of student who blended into the crowd.

Even his Chinese grades weren’t particularly remarkable—the highest was a 118 in a monthly exam during the first semester of Grade Twelve. However, his family ran a bookstore; perhaps it was the influence of his upbringing?

Given his background, it was unlikely he had prior access to the exam content. Maybe he was just one of those students blessed with exam luck.

Every year, a few students perform beyond expectations, typically those with a solid foundation and a good mindset, scoring dozens of points above their usual. Conversely, some top students falter—carelessness or impatience slashes a potential 600 to 550.

With all these questions, Liu Chengzheng spent the night sleepless.

...

Zhang Chu and his companions returned home carrying several shopping bags. Chu Lan was in exceptionally high spirits today, having bought a great deal for all three of them.

“Go take a shower and get some sleep. There’s an interview tomorrow. Maybe get a haircut in the morning—they say you’ll be on TV.” Chu Lan sorted through her spoils, satisfied. “Lucky we bought some new clothes today. Otherwise, you’d have nothing to wear.”

Before they entered, the school had called: TV and Jiangdong Daily would be coming for interviews the next day, so they should prepare.

For Chu Lan, preparation meant making her son look handsome, not so much like a bookworm.

For Zhang Chu, his preparations were more involved—it was crucial to use this interview to boost his reputation score. High-profile events like the college entrance exam were rare opportunities that had to be seized.

“You think this is a matchmaking show or something…” Zhang Chu wanted to protest; his mother seemed to treat the interview as if it were a dating program.

Back in his room, Zhang Chu didn’t go to sleep right away; he started reading.

He must be the most unfortunate college entrance exam candidate. Others toss their books aside once the exam is over, but Zhang Chu had to start studying again, lest his true nature as an academic slacker be exposed once he entered university. At that moment, he wished he could go back and scold his past self!

Why bother showing off? Why score so high?

He should have been enjoying life, yet now he was more exhausted than the typical exam-taker.

Flipping through his Chinese textbook, Zhang Chu nearly wept. If he had another chance, he’d never pretend to be a genius!

Showing off requires caution; he had to master three years of high school material in three months—the challenge was nearly insurmountable.

“It’s too late to be gaming now,”

Chu Lan entered Zhang Chu’s room without knocking. It was past eleven, and she assumed he was playing games. To her surprise, she found her son at his desk, reading!

“I must be seeing things!” Chu Lan rubbed her eyes. Her son had never studied so diligently before the exam, but now, after the exam, he was even more motivated. Could it be that he always loved school?

It seemed “The Death of the Red Hare” was no accident, but the result of years of accumulated effort!

“Uh, don’t study too late.”

Zhang Chu twisted his neck, realizing this had led to a delightful misunderstanding…

After speaking, Chu Lan closed the door, tiptoed back to the living room, and turned down the TV volume.

“Is the kid asleep?” Zhang Bowen yawned. He’d received so much good news today that he was feeling exhausted.

“Not yet—he’s still studying. Clearly, we haven’t paid enough attention to him. So many surprises.”

Zhang Bowen widened his eyes, puzzled. “What kind of madness is this? The exam’s over.”

Though confused, the couple were pleased—their child’s passion for learning was surely a good thing.

...

Early the next morning, Zhang Chu was dragged out of bed by his mother. He’d been up late reading and doing exercises, and now couldn’t even enjoy a lazy morning.

Having previously connected to the minds of the math and English teachers through in-class assistance, Zhang Chu’s talent in those subjects seemed enhanced. At least he could understand the math textbook, unlike physics and chemistry, which left him utterly lost.

“I wonder if I’ll run into the physics, chemistry, and biology teachers when I go to school for my diploma. Maybe I can use my three remaining in-class assistance chances to make up for my shortcomings.”

Back when he took the science comprehensive exam, he lacked enough reputation points and needed to connect with three teachers, so he had used out-of-class assistance.

Now, thanks to the perfect-score essay, his reputation points had reached eighty thousand overnight, soon to hit one hundred thousand—enough for another prize draw.

“Jiangdong Daily and Jiangdong TV are coming to interview us—help me mop the floor quickly,” Chu Lan was busy tidying the house.

Zhang Chu pointed downstairs to the bookstore. “Mom, let’s have the interview in our bookstore. The environment looks more suitable, and it’s free advertising—maybe we’ll sell a few more books.”

Zhang Bowen quickly agreed, “Great idea! We’ll print out your article and post it in the store from now on!”