NOVEL NEXT Chapter 98: Everyone is Confused! These Tomatoes Are Poisonous!_1
June 8, 2021.
That afternoon marked the final round of the Evolutionary Science College Entrance Exam—the finals.
As everyone present discussed the likely outcome while watching the two prodigies on stage, Chen Haicheng, seated among the dozens in the leaders' section, remarked with a wide grin, "Ah, who would have thought! A small city like Luo City actually seeing the day it advances to the finals of the Evolutionary Science exam! This truly is a rare sight!"
At that moment, the leaders' section was relatively quiet, so Chen Haicheng's words reached the ears of his colleagues perfectly clearly. Everyone looked as if they had just bitten into a lemon, their hearts sour with envy. In particular, Director Liu, an old flame of his, found her usually elegant and attractive face contorting into an ugly grimace. At the same time, she was cursing up a storm in her mind. How could this shameless dog of a man, Chen Haicheng, have the gall to put on this 'Versailles' act here? Five years in Luo City, and the college entrance exam scores got worse year after year. Last year, they even hit rock bottom, dead last in the entire province! Worse even than Haiyuan City, a traditionally underperforming city in the exams, making them a complete laughingstock. After five years of being berated annually, fiercely reprimanded by the leaders from Jingdou... How could such a pathetic person have the audacity to put on this 'Versailles' act here? Was it just because he got lucky this year, stumbled upon some freakish good fortune, and produced a dark horse in the college entrance exam? Did that give him the right to act like an insufferable clown, prancing about? PAH! Chen Haicheng, that shameless dog of a man!
The more Director Liu thought, the angrier she became, her chest heaving like turbulent waves.
And at this very moment, it wasn't just Director Liu; the other directors present felt the same way. They all thought Chen Haicheng was being far too arrogant, the very picture of a petty person intoxicated by success.
As for Chen Haicheng, faced with the disdainful gazes of his colleagues, he felt absolutely no inner turmoil; in fact, he almost wanted to laugh.
Face? What's that? Is it edible? For the past five years, after every college entrance exam, he'd been 'cordially greeted' by his superiors in public. Each time, their words were honey-sweet as they 'spewed fragrance' at him—a euphemism for a thorough dressing-down. After such treatment, something as worthless as 'face' had long been discarded. What was there left to care about? Besides, as the saying goes: A tree without bark will surely die, but a shameless man is invincible. And now! He finally had a chance to indulge in a bit of 'Versailles.' Of course, he had to go all out, aggressively rubbing it in their faces! To hell with face and dignity! This was about high-intensity 'Versailles.' Not doing so would be letting down Su Yan after such an incredible performance!
Thinking of this, Chen Haicheng ignored his colleagues' contemptuous glares and continued his 'Versailles' monologue:
"What does everyone think about the upcoming finals? Personally, I think Su Yan's chances of winning are pretty low. Even though he has punched out Shenzhen's top student, kicked Narrow State's academic ace, and thrashed the Heavenly Sons from various cities, I still think he will lose. After all, his opponent is a scion of Jingdou's Li Family; his strength must be overwhelming. So, to sum up, I'd give it 90-10 odds at best: Li Changxiao 9, Su Yan 1. I wonder if everyone thinks my analysis is reasonable, or if there are any other opinions?"
Having said this, Chen Haicheng looked at his fellow colleagues with a smile, waiting for them to express their views. His recent analysis was a page taken straight from the playbook of those directors from the leading educational cities. First, they would analyze at length, acknowledging Su Yan's formidability, but then conclude, "I still think he will lose." At the time, such analyses had infuriated Chen Haicheng. He'd felt targeted, as if someone was deliberately trying to disgust him. So now, he was retaliating, giving them a taste of their own medicine.
As the saying goes, one doesn't hit a smiling face. Faced with Chen Haicheng's grinning 'Versailles' act, the other directors found it difficult to lash out. They could only force smiles and begin to offer their opinions one by one.
"Well, 90-10 is a bit much," one director said. "I'd say it's more like 60-40. As for who's the 6 and who's the 4, those in the know will understand. I'll say no more."
"Mm, I agree," another chimed in. "90-10 is too extreme. 50-50 is more like it. Either could win or lose; it all depends on their performance that day."
"Honestly," a third director commented, "both analyses are quite insightful. They sound logical and convincing, making it hard for me not to agree."
"I never expected it, but it seems we all share the same thought," said a fourth. "I also believe it's a 50-50 chance for the two on stage; either could win."
After they had spoken, the directors from the four leading educational cities had all given conservative analyses, not explicitly stating who had the better chance of winning. Instead, they resorted to speaking in riddles or simply calling it a 50-50 toss-up, ensuring they wouldn't be wrong regardless of the outcome.
In truth, they couldn't really be blamed. If anyone was at fault, it was Su Yan, who had caused far too many upsets throughout the competition. He'd punched top students, kicked academic aces, and steamrolled his way through the qualifiers, emerging as the dark horse of the college entrance exam. His victories had practically slapped their faces swollen; how could they dare to confidently predict the winner now?
However, Director Liu, seated beside him, directly offered Chen Haicheng a definitive opinion.
"Don't even ask," she stated flatly. "If you're asking, it's 10-0. Su Yan 10, Li Changxiao 0. Su Yan will undoubtedly crush Li Changxiao. For him, becoming the top scorer of the college entrance exam is a piece of cake!"