chapter 31
Gu Qingning nodded, her gaze sweeping over the exam papers on the desk.
Across from her, Principal Zhang reminded, “You may begin answering the questions.”
At his words, Gu Qingning reached for a paper and lifted a pen.
Her eyes scanned the questions briefly, and without hesitation, she began writing.
The speed at which she answered astonished the proctors.
These weren’t multiple-choice questions—how could someone just fill them in without thinking?
Could she possibly be scribbling randomly?
Ignoring their doubts, Gu Qingning’s hand moved constantly, leaving neat strokes of black ink wherever the pen touched the paper.
Question after question, she hardly paused.
In less than twenty minutes, she was already working on her second paper.
Yet everyone around still didn’t take it seriously, assuming she was just guessing.
After all, her entrance exam performance had been terrible—no one could believe a failing student could suddenly become a top scholar.
At the classroom door, Gu Zhao finished what he was doing and hurried over.
He lowered his voice and asked, “Teacher Li, how is she doing?”
“She’s been inside for over half an hour,” Li Fei replied.
The classroom curtains were drawn, so Gu Zhao couldn’t see inside.
He stepped forward, trying to peek through a crack in the window, but it was futile.
Inside, Gu Qingning was already on her third paper.
Her speed was astonishing, and even Principal Zhang was starting to lose his composure.
He walked over quietly, picked up one of her papers, which was already filled with ink, and returned.
The head teacher and a few proctors gathered around.
At first glance, their reaction was: her handwriting is terrible.
It was extremely sloppy.
To be blunt, even doodles would look better.
“This answer… is correct.”
The astonished voice was barely above a whisper, and the group stared in disbelief, double-checking the answers.
The exam papers had been prepared by the proctors themselves—they knew better than anyone what the correct answers were.
After thorough checking, not a single mistake could be found.
They exchanged looks.
Shock was reflected in everyone’s eyes.
She wasn’t guessing—she had answered every question on that paper correctly.
Principal Zhang was still confused; there were questions even he didn’t know the answers to, but judging from everyone’s expressions, he could guess a little.
He quietly asked, “She got… many correct?”
The head teacher whispered into his ear, and Zhang’s face turned pale.
If he hadn’t personally organized the exam and supervised it in person, he would have suspected Gu Qingning of cheating.
For a moment, everyone’s gaze toward Gu Qingning changed.
A perfect score on an entire exam, completed in such a short time—the evidence of her ability was undeniable.
The head teacher reacted first, quickly walking up to Gu Qingning and picking up another completed paper.
He returned, and Principal Zhang and the others gathered around.
Ten minutes later, everyone stood there in stunned silence, staring at the papers.
One proctor swallowed hard, his throat dry, and said, “All correct again.”
Before anyone could react, a cold, clear voice added, “I’ve finished.”
Gu Qingning stood, and all eyes turned toward her.
Most of the looks were of shock and disbelief.
Principal Zhang couldn’t believe his ears, his voice trembling slightly, “You finished all of them?”
Gu Qingning nodded. The nearest proctor picked up her paper.
From start to finish, the result was the same.
Not a single wrong answer, not even a typo.
He looked up at the questioning eyes around him and said quietly, “Everything is correct.”
Everyone knew exactly how difficult these three papers were—these questions went far beyond the high school senior year curriculum.
Even the genius Gu Zhao, who had once been a top student at their school, had missed five points. And she—Gu Qingning—completed three papers in one hour, all with perfect scores.
This wasn’t just being a top student—it was being a study god.
Everyone was shocked, their eyes wide.
Perfect scores?
“Can I move up to senior year now?”
Her calm voice brought everyone back to reality. Principal Zhang looked at her, smiling ingratiatingly, “Of course, I’ll arrange it immediately and transfer you to the S class.”
S class was the elite class for top senior students, reserved for academic prodigies.
Gu Qingning placed her hands in her pockets and said calmly, “I’m not going to S class.”
Principal Zhang froze. “Huh?”
Did he hear that correctly?
Thinking she might not know what S class was, he said warmly, “Gu, S class is the elite senior class. It has the best teaching resources.”
“I know,” Gu Qingning replied, then added, “I want to join C class.”
Everyone was stunned. She didn’t want S class but chose C class?
What was she thinking?
“Gu, are you sure? S class would give you the best chance to enter the top university in the capital,” Principal Zhang tried to persuade.
Gu Qingning’s expression remained indifferent. “I only want C class.”
Her resolute tone left everyone struggling.
It was such a waste for a student like her not to join S class. With her scores, she could have easily secured a spot at the top university. A genius like her would have brought glory to their school once again.
“Since you want C class, we’ll respect your choice.”
Others looked displeased. “Principal…”
Zhang waved them off. “Gu, do you have any other requests?”
“I want to live on campus, but I want a single room,” she said.
Principal Zhang readily agreed. “Simple. I’ll arrange the paperwork immediately.”
Gu Qingning thanked him, “Nothing else. I’ll be leaving now.”
She stepped toward the door.
As soon as it opened, Gu Zhao rushed over.
He carefully observed her expression—no smile at all. Had she bombed the exam?
He asked cautiously, “Qingning, how was the exam?”
Gu Qingning grabbed her backpack and said casually, “It was okay.”
“Okay?”
Gu Zhao was puzzled. Did that mean it was good or bad?
Before he could ask more, Gu Qingning had already walked down the steps and left.
He wanted to follow, but Principal Zhang stopped him.
“Third Young Master, we want to discuss something with you.”
“I don’t have time now. Can it wait?”
Principal Zhang said, “It’s about Gu Qingning’s exam results.”
Gu Zhao paused, turning to look. “She did terribly?”
Zhang shook his head repeatedly. “Of course not. Gu Qingning got full marks.”
Li Fei was astonished, her voice rising in pitch. “Full marks?”
As her homeroom teacher, she knew Gu Qingning’s usual performance in class. She had struggled with the first-year courses, and now she scored full marks on a grade-skipping exam—it was almost unbelievable.
Gu Zhao was also shocked, blurting out, “Are you sure there’s no mistake?”
Did Principal Zhang give her an easy pass just for his sake?
He gave Zhang a look, and Zhang understood.
Smiling, he handed over the papers. “Exams at our school are always fair. You don’t need to doubt it. The
