Chapter 256: The Third Watch of the Disgusting Competition

Qin Huai was embarrassed. He smiled and stopped asking any more questions. The three of them got into the car. He Xiaoying became more nervous. "I can't do it. I need to study and read first to calm my nervous heart."

"Interesting." Shuishui thought that He Xiaoying was very adorable.

"Please check if this formula is correct," she said as she showed Shuishui her notebook.

Shuishui looked at the mathematical formulas and the densely packed explanations in Xioaying's notebook. She thought that they were simple equations with complicated solutions. "Actually, I don't know whether they're correct or not. I always study the equation first and see if there's an easy or simple solution for it. But if you simply want me to check if the formulas used are correct, then yes, they are," Shuishui said.

Shuishui didn't quite understand the model Xiaoying had used, but she understood the equation and the formula used. She had the ability to easily remember formulas. For Shuishui, understanding the main concept was the main priority in solving equations. Mathematics was about solutions and answers, not theories and concepts. She could not give away her own understanding of the formulas and the equations because she had accumulated her knowledge over several years. She felt that it might not be useful to tell them. It might complicate their understanding of the equations instead.

They soon arrived at Beijing Yidao University. They went straight to the gymnasium. The tables and chairs were already set. They were screened to check if they had brought any electronic gadgets. Afterwards, they were brought to their seats.

Shuishui saw someone she knew. It was Mu Zilin. When Mu Zilin saw Shuishui, he walked towards her. "I knew you would come. I came to join in the fun. After the event, let's go back together. It might take two hours. Our classes are over," Zilin said.

"If the school allows us to leave, I'll go." Shuishui nodded. Shuishui noticed that Mu Zilin seemed calmer than usual.

Mu Zilin patted Shuishui's arm. "I'm looking forward to the moment in the competition when you turn into a tyrant."

Shuishui was helpless. "What do you mean?" She wondered what Zilin meant.

"I'm serious. When I first came here, this group of people looked down on me because I transferred from a foreign school. In the beginning, I wasn't able to keep up with the lessons because I was still adjusting to the environment. Isn't that normal? After the exam, I'll ask you again. Go find a seat," Zilin said as he walked to his seat. He was seated farther at the back. He sat down and looked to see where Shuishui was sitting.

Shuishui was seated at the front, so Zilin felt that she was under a lot of pressure.

Almost all the seats were occupied. Several participants didn't show up. Before the exam began, someone walked up to the podium and discussed the exam rules. The punishment for cheating was very severe. Anyone caught cheating would be heavily sanctioned by the school to which he belonged. It would ruin one's scholastic record. Participants are also not allowed to look around. They would be allowed to submit their papers ahead of everyone else if they finished early. It was also made clear that participants who finished early were not allowed to stand up. They had to raise their hands and wait until the teacher collected their paper. There were also clear rules about going to the comfort room during the examination. No two people would be allowed to go together.

The test sheets were then distributed among the participants.

The papers were passed down to the participants. They were instructed to only look at the test papers when the proctor gave the go signal.

Shuishui casually looked at the papers and realized that it was quite a long test. She was shocked when she saw the questions. There were 20 multiple choice questions, 10 short questions, and 5 longer questions. Moreover, the equations were not simple. She laughed inwardly as she browsed through the paper. It was quite an interesting test. She then started to answer.

She wanted to answer the test slowly, but it seemed that she could not do it. She went through the multiple-choice questions very quickly. She used up the draft paper very quickly. She raised her hand and asked for another sheet. She wanted to use the draft paper that she used to exchange for a new one. The proctor would not directly give her another sheet as a strategy to prevent cheating among test takers.

Shuishui finished the first multiple-choice test questions very quickly. She found many of the questions quite easy. She moved on to the ten short questions. She read the first question. It was a one-dimensional quadratic equation and a functional solution. She analyzed the equation first. The solution would be quite complicated. She realized that the questions were made to confuse the test takers.

Shuishui was very meticulous and paid attention to details. She slowly solved the equations.

There were only forty minutes left. She looked at the remaining five big problems. Solving each would not take more than ten minutes. The first problem was about summations. She tried to recall how to go about it and quickly solved it. It was also a tricky item because it had two possible solutions. The first solution was different from the second solution, which was a graph. She took a deep breath and began to write down her solution.

She paused for a moment on the third problem. She found it a little troublesome. She skipped over it for a while and went straight to the fourth problem. It required the area of the center of a bridge, like a parabola. She quickly wrote down her answer. Shuishui was aware that time was against her. She wrote down her solutions as neatly as she could.

The fifth question was the most difficult in the entire test. She needed to use the coordinate and coefficient methods to solve the curve equation. The question seemed to be a supplementary question to the previous question. Shuishui frowned in confusion.

This third question was troublesome but not very difficult. As soon as she finished answering the item, her pen made a beeping sound as a signal for her to stop writing.

She put down her pen in annoyance. Her annoyance turned into anger. She rolled her eyes. What the hell. She did not think the would be unable to finish the test.

It was just a math competition, not an Olympiad. Shuishui knew she wouldn't do well in a Mathematical Olympiad. The question wasn't entirely scientific, but she felt frustrated that she was unable to finish.

Shuishui huffed. The competition made her very unhappy. The test had a total of 150 points. Two points would be given for each correctly answered multiple choice question, and ten points would be given for each of the minor questions. They all required solutions, but Shuishui felt that they were meant to confuse the test taker. The first three major questions were worth ten points each, and the last two major questions were worth fifteen points each.

Mu Zilin waited for Shuishui at the door. He walked over to Shuishui's side and said, "I think the exam was really strange. I think I answered the test very quickly, but I was only able to work on one major question, and there was not enough time."

"A regular college entrance exam has about ten multiple choice questions, six minor questions, and about three to five major questions. Such an exam would require around two hours to answer. That test basically had twice the number of major questions, and there was just not enough time." Shuishui was a little unhappy. She was disgusted by how the exam was crafted.

She was not a math major. She was a physics major. Typical math equations were not difficult for her. She didn't aim to join Mathematical Olympiads because those were more difficult, and one would need to learn and study more intensively in preparation for such a competition. She realized that complicated questions would cause a mental block, especially when there's time constraint.

Looking at Shuishui's unhappy expression, Mu Zilin knew that she did not do very well in the exam. However, he knew she did better than he did.

"All right. Go and ask permission if you can leave already. Let's go out and eat something delicious. Let's just try to relax." Zilin avoided talking about the exam.

Shuishui nodded. "Okay. Wait for me at the university entrance. I'll ask permission first."

Mu Ziyu also nodded. He also wanted to take his leave.

Shuishui happened to meet Qin Huai and He Xiaoying. "I'm leaving. It's already 5:30 anyway. I don't know if it's okay."

"It should be okay," Qin Huai said. He and Xiaoying both lived in the school dormitory and had to go back to the campus.

Shuishui asked for permission from the teacher, who also agreed. She told Shuishui to stay safe and be mindful of her surroundings. As they walked out of the school gate, Shuishui heard other test takers talk about the exam.

"What a disgusting question."

"There were too many items to answer, and there wasn't enough time."

"In order to save time, I answered the last part first. I ended up not having enough time, so I answered all the multiple-choice questions randomly."

There were many others who were complaining about the test.

Shuishui finally felt much better, because she realized she was not the only one who felt bad about the whole thing.

Mu Zilin could not help but laugh. "Of the people who came with me, even the best seemed to have answered only the third question. The multiple-choice questions were also so confusing."

Mu Zilin continued to complain. "Basically, no one was able to finish the test. I don't know what they mean to get out of this competition."

Shuishui shook her head. "I just needed more time to answer the last question. It was really unscientific."

Shuishui was still relatively unhappy that she had been unable to finish the test.

Mu Zilin patted his forehead. "D*mn. You only missed one last question. What are you so worried about?" He felt that Shuishui was overreacting.

Shuishui was hesitant. She felt like she suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder to some extent.

She was really bothered by the last question. She shook her head and tried to stop thinking about it. The more she thought about it, the more unhappy she felt.

Mu Zilin casually pulled Shuishui's arm and walked forward. Those who knew Mu Zilin and Shuishui saw them and thought that they were dating. Qin Huai looked at Mu Zilin. "No way. Is that Shuishui's boyfriend? He's quite handsome. There's no hope for them."

"He's from another school. I'm a little surprised. Besides, Shuishui had just transferred here from another city. I wonder how they met." He Xiaoying was curious. She knew Shuishui had just moved to Beijing that summer.

"Maybe they had quickly decided to date. They're both good-looking anyway," Qin Huai said. He and Xiaoying were with the others, and they left with the school bus.

"I want to eat roast duck!" Shuishui said as Zilin pulled her.

"Okay, okay, my great aunt. I'll let you eat the best food around. I'll let you eat until you're full. Then, I'll take you out for dessert tonight. How about that?" Mu Zilin felt that Shuishui was really unhappy. She was starting to act like a little girl. She was whining and not even smiling.

"Okay. Turning grief and anger into appetite!" Shuishui was suddenly excited to eat. She turned to Zilin and said, "I want good food. If it's not good, I'll hit you."

"Okay, okay. If you don't like the food, you can hit me. No, no, if it's not good, you can hit my brother." Zilin laughed. He felt that he had said it too well.

Shuishui pushed Mu Zilin. She poked his head and said, "You're so funny aren't you? To be honest, I'm hungry now."

"I think you're like a pig. You just eat and sleep. When you wake up, you eat again." Mu Zilin laughed again.

"I want to just eat and sleep too, but reality doesn't allow it. Let's go." Shuishui and Mu Zilin walked to the side of the road. Shuishui waved her hand and hailed a taxi.

They got into the car, and Mu Zilin gave the driver the exact location.

Not long after they arrived at the location, Mu Ziyu arrived. Shuishui pinched Mu Zilin's arm. "You're such a snitch," she said.

"I had no choice. I posted it on my WeChat Moments and my brother saw it, so he asked me who I was with." Mu Zilin rubbed his arm in pain. He didn't do it on purpose.