Not long after the two of them finished their bet, the invigilator walked in with the exam papers. After opening the door and checking to make sure there were no cheat sheets, all the candidates took their seats.
After taking his seat, Luo Chuan looked around. The huge classroom had only twenty-odd desks and chairs, arranged in four rows of five.
There was ample space between each seat, and every movement was in plain sight.
Luo Chuan's seat was in the third row of the second column. Qiao Yingzi was directly in front of him, and coincidentally, his left was Qian San Yi.
They exchanged a glance before quickly looking away, then took out their stationery.
However, Luo Chuan didn't notice that Qian San Yi kept looking at an empty seat in front of him, a trace of worry flashing in his eyes. That was Jiang Tian Hao's seat, but because of his family's bankruptcy, he had gone from a "rich second generation" to a "negative second generation".
Now he was focused on his "Tian Hao's Kitchen", eager to make money through business. He didn't even want to participate in the competition.
He had tried to persuade Jiang Tian Hao, but it didn't have much effect. All he could do was try his best to help his friend.
As Qian San Yi was lost in thought, a music track suddenly played from a loudspeaker outside. This signaled the beginning of the exam.
Upon receiving the exam paper, Qian San Yi quickly skimmed through the whole thing, then frowned slightly. The difficulty of the competition exam was completely different from the questions they usually encountered.
But he still had confidence in getting 80% of the marks.
He glanced at the others. Almost everyone was frowning, except for one person who had already started writing as soon as the papers were handed out.
Seeing Luo Chuan writing non-stop, without the slightest pause, Qian San Yi shook his head. Was he too lazy even to pretend?
He stopped thinking about it and started solving the problems one by one.
Qiao Yingzi, on the other side, didn't loosen her furrowed brow after looking at the exam paper. It was much more challenging than she expected. Now she could only try her best to score.
Luo Chuan was completely immersed in answering the questions. With the "Focus" skill activated, he completely ignored everyone else. All that remained in his vision was the exam paper in front of him.
His LV3 Mathematics ability, coupled with 50% Focus and 30% Thinking, made solving these questions incredibly easy. The moment he saw a problem, the solution automatically appeared in his mind, and not just one solution either.
His LV3 Mental Calculation skill meant that he didn't even need to do the most basic calculations. Even the extra-curricular questions couldn't stop the pen in Luo Chuan's hand.
Fifteen minutes later, Luo Chuan put down his pen. His exam paper was filled from beginning to end, neat and clear.
"Finished," Luo Chuan breathed out, briefly reviewing his work to ensure there were no errors.
He couldn't turn in his paper until half an hour after the start of the exam. Bored, Luo Chuan started observing the people around him. After taking a look at their expressions, he had a rough idea of how the exam was going.
The fifteen minutes passed in a flash. Luo Chuan immediately packed his stationery, stood up, and handed in his paper.
This series of actions was naturally noticed by others. Apart from a small number of people who cast dismissive glances, the others didn't think too much about it, believing that he had given up on the exam.
Even Qian San Yi and Qiao Yingzi thought the same.
"Teacher, I'm handing in my paper."
The invigilator glanced coldly at Luo Chuan and said, "Put it on the table."
Luo Chuan placed his paper down, turned around, and left the classroom. The invigilator, after flipping through Luo Chuan's paper, was instantly surprised.
He didn't teach mathematics, so he couldn't tell if the answers were correct or not. But Luo Chuan's handwriting was exceptionally neat and beautiful. It was a pleasure to look at, a perfect reflection of the person. His initial bad impression of Luo Chuan gradually improved.
Maybe he really was a scholar after all.
After leaving the classroom building, Luo Chuan looked around, unsure where to go.
It was Saturday, and the only people at Elite High School besides the teachers were the students taking the exam. The whole school was eerily quiet.
Unable to leave for the time being, Luo Chuan started wandering around the school, taking a closer look at this city's key high school. He treated it as a way to unwind.
As he walked, Luo Chuan suddenly caught a whiff of barbecue. He followed the smell to a fence, and outside the fence was a street food stall.
"Boss, two chicken wings, a skewer of mushrooms, and a sausage."
The boss looked back, saw Luo Chuan, and immediately smiled,
"Coming right up, that'll be fourteen."
Luo Chuan paid, and five minutes later, he was carrying his skewers, eating as he continued to wander around the school.
Just as he turned a corner, a figure suddenly appeared. Luo Chuan instinctively took a step back.
"Who's there?"
After regaining his balance, Luo Chuan looked at the figure that had suddenly appeared. A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes. A white school uniform, short black hair tied in two pigtails, and a pair of large black-rimmed glasses. Who else could it be besides Lin Miao Miao?
He hadn't expected to run into Lin Miao Miao again. However, she clearly didn't recognize him. She took a deep breath, her face radiating a sense of delight.
"Classmate, where did you buy these skewers?"
Luo Chuan pointed in a direction, saying,
"Over there, by the fence. There's a stall outside."
"Thanks!"
With that, Lin Miao Miao dashed towards the direction Luo Chuan had indicated, looking incredibly eager.
Luo Chuan chuckled and shook his head. He remembered Lin Miao Miao was a big foodie. It was no wonder that the smell of barbecue was like blood in the water to her.
However, before Luo Chuan could go very far, Lin Miao Miao returned. But the fierce expression on her face indicated something had happened.
The moment she saw Luo Chuan, she transformed into a lioness and roared,
"You liar, don't run!"
Luo Chuan stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Lin Miao Miao, a puzzled look on his face.
"What do you mean, classmate?"
Lin Miao Miao quickly stepped forward and grabbed Luo Chuan's arm. Her face was flushed with anger, her cheeks puffed up. This wasn't fierce but rather a bit cute.
"What do you mean? Is it funny to deceive me? There's no stall there. You made me run for nothing."
Luo Chuan lifted the bag in his hand and said with a playful smile,
"Classmate, maybe you're just unlucky. Maybe the stall left by the time you got there."
Hearing this, the anger on Lin Miao Miao's face froze. The part of her brain occupied by food finally came back online.
Right! How could she have forgotten? He already had the skewers in his hand, the most obvious evidence.
And he had been so helpful in giving directions. She was just unlucky that she didn't see the stall. In the end, she even blamed him.
Feeling incredibly embarrassed, Lin Miao Miao's face turned crimson. This was shame.
"I'm sorry, I misunderstood."
Lin Miao Miao apologized and released her grip on Luo Chuan's arm.
Luo Chuan waved his hand, indicating that it was alright.
Lin Miao Miao breathed a sigh of relief. She was about to turn and leave when her stomach let out a series of loud rumbles, a sound that could be heard from two miles away.
Lin Miao Miao felt incredibly awkward and awkwardly smiled at Luo Chuan before trying to slip away.
Just then, Luo Chuan suddenly called out to her,
"Wait."
Chapter Summary: Thanks to "二零二" book friend for the vote support, thanks to all book friends for the flower and comment support. Thank you for your support!