Chapter 9: Impossible—Absolutely Impossible

Xu Ming acted immediately. He took out his straw-colored draft notebook and began to work through the problems, starting with the fill-in-the-blanks.

Immersed in the task, he quickly regained the intuitive feel he had for solving problems earlier that morning. There was a sense of effortless confidence in his work. Having already reviewed the textbook’s key concepts and possessing the ability to flexibly apply various formulas and theorems, he found that after a brief moment of contemplation upon reading each question, a clear path to the solution would emerge, leading him to the accurate result. His steps were logical, and he was virtually error-free.

At the podium, Wang Qingtao was focused intently on his lecture, unaware of what was happening at Xu Ming’s desk. As time flew by, two periods of evening study passed in the blink of an eye.

"I don't know how many times I've said this, but remember these twelve words I've given you when you're working on problems: Clear thinking, simple process, accurate answer. I hope this is the last time I have to say it; my lips are practically worn thin."

After finishing another geometry problem, Wang Qingtao used a humorous and relaxed tone to impart his wisdom, a style he always maintained. He hoped that by making his students like him, they would develop a deep interest in mathematics—a case of "love me, love my dog"—which would, in turn, help boost their grades.

As the class chuckled knowingly, the bell rang precisely on time. Wang Qingtao did not drag out the lesson; he simply placed his chalk and the test papers on the podium and called out, "Take a break."

The classroom instantly buzzed with activity. Some students headed for the restroom, while others continued to study their mistakes. It was only then that Wang Qingtao remembered Xu Ming. His gaze drifted over. In his field of vision, Xu Ming looked focused, seemingly writing something, which left the teacher uneasy.

"Could he be copying down the steps I just explained?" Wang Qingtao muttered to himself, shaking his head, before walking over to Xu Ming’s desk.

Copying down solution steps was a common practice; many students felt it proved they had been paying attention. However, the most critical thing was to truly understand the logic behind the problem-solving process. One had to be able to integrate these concepts and apply them to new scenarios. Otherwise, if they encountered a similar problem with even a slight variation, they would be completely lost, left only with a "Solution:" written at the top of the page.

He held a positive view of Xu Ming’s attitude, but not his methods. He wanted to make things clear to him so that he could improve his math score as much as possible in the remaining hundred days.

That way, he would be fulfilling his responsibilities.

Li Wenhui, looking sharp and energetic, had just stood up when he noticed the homeroom teacher walking toward Xu Ming. A look of realization dawned on his face, and he sat back down, his curiosity piqued by the impending drama.

"Is Xu Ming about to get scolded?"

After a brief moment of hesitation, he turned his chair to face away from the podium, giving him a perfect view of both Xu Ming and the teacher. "He turned in a blank paper on such a simple test. Who knows how much he’ll drag down our class’s college admission rate during the Gaokao. It’s no wonder he’s going to get chewed out."

Just as Li Wenhui was gloating, Wang Qingtao reached Xu Ming’s side and lowered his gaze to the test paper. The paper, which had previously been empty, was now filled with formulas and symbols. At first, he didn't think much of it, assuming his judgment was correct and that Xu Ming had merely copied the answers. But when his eyes caught the actual steps of the solution, his pupils contracted in shock.

He realized the steps on the paper were entirely different from the ones he had just explained—it was an alternative method.

"Could he have re-solved it?"

Surprised, he didn't ask directly but instead pulled up a chair to sit beside him. He squinted to examine the proof for the long-form answer. This problem involved finding the minimum value of a function. The method he had taught the class was a clever shortcut, designed to minimize complex algebraic derivations to make it easier for others to understand.

Xu Ming, however, had chosen the opposite approach, one that involved other theorems and concepts. If one weren't absolutely confident in their own abilities, the slightest error would lead them into a dead end, wasting precious exam time. Yet, this method was also correct and yielded the same result.

Just as Wang Qingtao was filled with curiosity, Xu Ming finally finished the last difficult problem involving derivatives and hidden zeros.

"Finally done." He tossed his pen onto the paper, his tense spirit instantly relaxing.

"Hoo..." He let out a long, slow breath. Just as he was about to stand up and stretch, his homeroom teacher’s voice sounded abruptly in his ear.

"Let me see your paper."

Xu Ming turned his head, startled to see Wang Qingtao, and his body instinctively recoiled against the wall. He stammered, "O-Old... Mr. Wang." He had been so focused on the work he hadn't noticed his desk partner had left.

Wang Qingtao picked up the paper and looked at the long-form problems that had been covered by the draft paper. He saw that Xu Ming had completed all of them, and he still couldn't find a single error.

He hadn't even covered this material in his two periods of study. This meant Xu Ming hadn't turned in a blank paper because he couldn't solve it; it was clearly a deliberate choice.

Realizing the truth, he took a deep breath and asked, "Why didn't you write anything during the exam?"

"Well... I have my own study plan," Xu Ming replied after a pause.

Wang Qingtao fell into a brief silence. He then picked up a pen and began to grade the paper for the second time, right there on the spot. Apart from a few errors in the multiple-choice section, every fill-in-the-blank and long-form answer was marked as perfect. Finally, he wrote "130" at the top of the paper.

Facing a result that completely defied his expectations, Wang Qingtao recalled what other teachers had mentioned over the past two days: Xu Ming had indeed been reviewing mathematics according to his own rhythm and methods. In that light, handing in a blank paper the day before yesterday was somewhat understandable.

However, in his experience, only the talented students from the city’s key high schools who participated in math competitions did things this way. Thinking of Dongping No. 1 High School, which lacked such a fertile environment, he felt a twinge of regret.

He quickly collected his thoughts, patted Xu Ming on the shoulder, and said with a hint of emotion, "In the future, try to use simpler methods when solving problems. Also, don't neglect your other subjects. The Gaokao won't just look at your math score."

Xu Ming took back the paper, a sheepish look on his face. It wasn't that he was intentionally trying to make things difficult; it was just that after unlocking the "Formula Derivation" trait, he had grown to love the process itself. The deeper his understanding of the formulas, the more clearly he could see the logic underlying mathematics.

As he was thinking this, he saw Wang Qingtao suddenly stand up and address the class solemnly.

"I would like to make a correction: Xu Ming’s actual score is 130."

Almost as soon as the words left his lips, a commotion rippled through the classroom. Li Wenhui, who had been waiting to see Xu Ming get a dressing down, had his mouth hanging open in shock, his face filled with confusion.

What on earth? Shouldn't the homeroom teacher be reprimanding him instead of praising him? Besides, he had personally collected the papers—Xu Ming clearly hadn't answered anything. Where did such a high score come from?