That despicable Qin Ye.
He actually looked down on him, actually didn’t pay him any attention.
Zong Jincheng had consistently ranked on the Qingbo Academy’s honor roll and had even been one of the only two students to make it onto the joint examination list alongside Qin Ye, yet Qin Ye still didn’t remember him, didn’t recognize him.
Infuriating, absolutely infuriating!
Lin Yu was right—people tend to focus on those ahead of them. Only by surpassing Qin Ye would Qin Ye finally notice him, would he be consumed with jealousy, just like how Zong Jincheng felt now!!
Zong Jincheng’s fury burned fiercely, his boundless energy startling even Pan Hongzhi. The kid was practically going mad—who had provoked him this time?
Wait, no—the little devil had been provoked before, but never this intensely. Pan Hongzhi could clearly sense that the boy was so angry he could eat someone alive, yet he was channeling that rage into motivation, flipping through books and starting to memorize.
When a person is furious, it’s hard to absorb anything. Merely reading, let alone memorizing, is a challenge.
But the little devil held the book, forcing his eyes to recognize every character, then using his prodigious memory to commit all the knowledge to his mind.
Immersive studying gradually calms the heart.
Zong Jincheng was so engrossed in his memorization in the large study that even Pan Hongzhi couldn’t bear to disturb him, quietly retreating behind him, not daring to make a sound.
After finishing his memorization, the little devil began reading the annotations, asking Pan Hongzhi whenever he didn’t understand something, then continuing to memorize.
This cycle repeated.
They had returned close to noon, and the household’s meal was already prepared. Zong Wenxiu wanted to call his brother to eat, but Xu Wan stopped him.
“Leave him be. It’s rare for Jincheng to be so absorbed in his studies. Don’t cut his momentum short. Don’t worry, I’ve already sent them some buns. If he’s hungry, he’ll eat them.”
When a child is deeply focused on something, it’s best not to interrupt, even for routine habits like eating or sleeping. As long as it doesn’t happen every day, a single instance shouldn’t be disrupted, as it can affect the child’s ability to develop concentration.
“But… just buns?” Zong Wenxiu asked hesitantly.
Though buns could fill the stomach, they were too plain. He worried that his brother’s growth might suffer from such a simple meal.
Xu Wan shook her head with a smile. “It’s just one meal; it won’t have any effect. A richer meal might distract him from his current focus. I want him to savor this state a bit longer.”
For every scholar, self-study occupies much of their time. Only by finding the joy of deep immersion can one gradually come to love learning itself.
This feeling, Zong Wenxiu had experienced, and so had Xu Wan.
Only Zong Jincheng hadn’t.
Relying on his photographic memory, he treated learning as a playful activity. Even when he pushed himself hard, it was always fueled by sheer willpower.
He had never experienced what it felt like to genuinely enjoy learning.
“Teacher Pan, is this part written incorrectly?”
“Here? Let me see. It’s correct. The method might not apply now, but it was ingenious for its time. You need to consider the historical context, which is…”
At first, the little devil only memorized by rote, but later he began trying to understand the ideas behind the text. Eventually, he started discussing the text’s inconsistencies with Pan Hongzhi.
Teacher and student exchanged ideas freely, receiving immediate feedback before diving back into the next round of study.
Since that day, Zong Jincheng had thrown himself into his studies, earnestly exploring the art of learning with Pan Hongzhi.
Though his boundless energy was still overwhelming, this time it was channeled into Pan Hongzhi’s comfort zone, making their evening chats far less headache-inducing.
“Teacher, how do the students in the Child Prodigy Class study? Am I learning as fast as them?” the little devil asked.
Pan Hongzhi replied, “I’m not sure; I’ve never been in the Child Prodigy Class. But the child prodigy exams focus on memorization and comprehension—things you excel at, Jincheng.”
Zong Jincheng rolled over, clenching his fist. “Exactly, this is my strength. No one can match me. I will definitely defeat Qin Ye.”
Pan Hongzhi smiled quietly.
But this time, it wasn’t the sneering kind of smile from before. Instead, it was a genuine smile, feeling that the young master had grown once more.
Though the words were the same—defeat Qin Ye—the tone had shifted. Before, it had sounded like childish playfulness, but now it carried a solemn weight.
Finally, he could sense the little devil’s seriousness.
But of all times, why now…
Pan Hongzhi thought of Zong Jincheng’s atrocious handwriting. The exam results might deliver a heavy blow to him, so early the next morning, he went to Xu Wan to discuss it.
“Jincheng has been studying with such fervor these past few days. I’m worried that if he doesn’t do well in the joint exam, it might completely deflate his momentum. Even though his effort came after the exam, the results will still have a significant impact on him.”
Pan Hongzhi, having experienced countless exams, knew well how each one could affect a student. This lesson was coming at an inopportune time.
Xu Wan added another layer of bad news: “The dean said the exam papers are being graded by the respective academies. Jincheng’s paper is at Hanlin North Academy, and the dean can’t intervene.”
“Hanlin North Academy is grading Jincheng’s paper??”
Pan Hongzhi was horrified. “Hanlin North Academy places great emphasis on students’ handwriting. They’re used to seeing their own students’ neat writing. When they suddenly encounter Jincheng’s paper, they’ll likely give him a low grade.”
The more he thought about it, the more disastrous it seemed—a catastrophe too painful to imagine.
In a last-ditch effort, he asked, “Is there really no way to have Qingbo Academy’s teachers grade Jincheng’s paper?”
Xu Wan replied, “The papers are only returned to Qingbo Academy after grading, and the joint exam rankings are announced the next day. At most, we can have our teachers regrade the papers after the results are out, but the official rankings will still reflect the initial grading.”
Pan Hongzhi: “…”
It’s over. The little devil is going to lose it.
No, given his recent state, losing it might be the best-case scenario. The real fear is that he’ll just give up entirely.
Xu Wan’s teaching career was about to face its greatest challenge, with only four days left until the joint exam results were announced.
During these days, not only was Pan Hongzhi anxious, but the other private tutors were also on edge, fearing that if Zong Jincheng quit, they’d all lose their lucrative jobs.
They began offering Xu Wan suggestions:
“Why not bribe the graders at Hanlin North Academy? Pan Hongzhi, you’re closest to them. Talk to them privately. It’s not cheating—just asking them to be more patient when grading. Jincheng’s handwriting is legible if you look closely enough.”
“I don’t think that’s appropriate. If it’s discovered, the graders could be expelled from the academy and branded with the stigma of fraud for life. Jincheng would also be implicated. No, no.”
“I say we do what we did with Qingbo Academy—have the Marquis’s estate build a dormitory for Hanlin North Academy. Their academy would naturally treat Jincheng with more respect, and the graders would be more patient, ensuring his grades aren’t too dismal.”
