Absolute Protagonist C05

Genius Deduction Method 5

Class 1 has always been the best-performing class in the grade. During every monthly exam, its students consistently dominate the top 50 rankings. However, during the October monthly exam, the bottom-ranked Class 13 suddenly rose to prominence, particularly with the first place in the entire grade being taken by someone no one had ever heard of before. This sparked quite a bit of discussion.

Class 1’s homeroom teacher, Teacher Li, wore a dark expression for half a month after the rankings were announced, exuding a gloomy aura. She also sternly reprimanded the students in her class.

She especially targeted the former grade first-place holder, now relegated to second place. “Shaoyang, just look at yourself. You shouldn’t have made such a simple mistake…”

The bell for the end of class had already rung, yet Teacher Li was still passionately pointing at the latest test papers and lecturing. Sitting in the third row by the window, a girl couldn’t help but nudge her deskmate. “Tsk, tsk, tsk, Shaoyang is so pitiful! He scored three more points than the last monthly exam, but he still got scolded by the teacher!”

“Huh?” The girl sitting next to her seemed distracted and absent-minded. She asked, “What did you say, Feifei?”

Fang Feifei smiled helplessly. “Ah, our school’s beauty, you really need to pay attention! The teacher is in a bad mood right now, so don’t end up in her crosshairs!”

“Honestly, the teacher is being unreasonable! A total score of 750, and that Chen Mo guy who got first place scored 745! He only lost five points in Chinese. Is that kind of monstrous score even humanly possible? That’s something only a freak could achieve!” Her thoughts quickly returned to the earlier topic. “No matter how impressive Shao the Scholar is, he’s still human. The teacher getting angry won’t change anything!”

“Don’t you agree, Mengyao?” She clung to her best friend’s arm, shaking it slightly.

“Huh? Yeah…” Xiao Mengyao replied absentmindedly, but the mention of that familiar name made her daze out again. “…Could it be him?”

“Mengyao, what did you say?”

“…Nothing.”

Xiao Mengyao shook her head, but she couldn’t stop her thoughts from spiraling. She had a bad feeling.

…It shouldn’t be him. Leaving aside whether his gambler father would even allow him to attend school, even if he did come, he would have fallen months behind in progress. Even though his grades in middle school were decent, there’s no way he could jump to first place in the grade… I’m just overthinking things!

After all, “Chen Mo” wasn’t an uncommon name. It could easily be someone with the same name.

“By the way, why does the name Chen Mo sound so familiar?”

Just as Xiao Mengyao was trying to comfort herself, Fang Feifei suddenly exclaimed, “I remember now! That guy who pestered you before was called Chen Mo, wasn’t he? They couldn’t be the same person, right?” The teasing tone in her voice clearly indicated she wasn’t serious.

Xiao Mengyao also laughed. “That’s impossible.”

That guy was just a poor kid who always wore shabby clothes. It was said that he had an abusive father. At school, he was timid, always keeping his head down and silent, like a ghost. Even though his grades were consistently high, he wasn’t well-liked.

In contrast, Xiao Mengyao had been beautiful, elegant, and gentle since she was young, with a reputation for being kind. Even though she didn’t like him either, she still maintained a warm smile in front of him.

…Perhaps because she had spoken up for him a few times, the poor kid developed feelings for her. Every time he talked to her, he would blush. His clumsy attempts at hiding it were obvious, though she didn’t bother to call him out on it.

If it weren’t for knowing that he had a crush on her, Xiao Mengyao wouldn’t have borrowed money from him when she was desperately in need. Who could have guessed that he, a guy, would be so petty? Just because she was a few days late returning it, he came to demand repayment right at the school gate! If she hadn’t been quick-witted, her reputation would’ve been ruined.

Seeing Xiao Mengyao’s expression change, Fang Feifei thought she was recalling unpleasant memories. She quickly apologized, “Mengyao, are you okay? I shouldn’t have mentioned him! How could a delinquent like that possibly be related to the top scorer?”

Xiao Mengyao hesitated, then sighed gently. “It’s fine, Feifei. You didn’t mean any harm. Besides, Chen Mo isn’t inherently a bad person. We were middle school classmates, and I heard his family situation was complicated. Maybe he just got influenced by it…”

Someone nearby chimed in, “Wait, you two went to the same middle school? What a coincidence! I heard the top scorer this time also went to your middle school.”

Fang Feifei looked curious. “How do you know that?”

The boy grinned. “I saw it on the school forum, of course.”

Glancing around to make sure the teacher was gone, he quietly handed over a brand-new phone, scrolling to a post. “Look!”

{818 The Mysterious Top Scorer in the First-Year Monthly Exam}

The post was by a familiar account, one that was always active on the forum. It was said the poster had a relative who was a teacher, so they often had access to first-hand information.

The post seemed hastily written, with only scattered details under the eye-catching title. But as Xiao Mengyao read through the information—name, age, middle school—she felt an ominous chill spreading through her.

Finally, she reached the last part of the post, which featured a photo. The quality was mediocre, and the angle was ordinary, clearly taken on a phone.

The boy in the photo sat quietly in a classroom, one hand propping up his head while the other twirled a pen. His eyelashes cast shadows under his eyes, and the faintest smile played on his lips. Sunlight poured through the window, making him seem like he was glowing.

The comments under the post were filled with excited screams. Even with a poorly taken photo, the mysterious boy had already captured the hearts of many girls.

But Xiao Mengyao’s heart sank deeper and deeper amidst those excited cries. A cold chill swept through her, and she shivered.

After three years as classmates, no matter how much his demeanor had changed, she still recognized that face.

It was him? It really was him? How could it be him?!

Her mind was in turmoil, panic bubbling up. “…Why is he at our school? He must be here to cause trouble for me!”

If he exposed the truth…

No! He didn’t have any evidence. How could mere words convince anyone? Last time was proof enough, wasn’t it? Calm down, I need to stay calm!

Seeing Xiao Mengyao’s pale and sweating face, Fang Feifei thought she was unwell. “Mengyao, are you okay? Should we go to the infirmary?”

Xiao Mengyao quickly shook her head but pointed to the photo on the post. “I know him… It’s him…”

Regardless of the situation, she needed to act first and take control of the narrative.

Soon, a rumor spread in Class 1: the new top scorer was the same delinquent who had bullied their class beauty before.

Instantly, admiration for the top scorer turned into animosity among Class 1 students. Some even posted the rumor under the forum post, though it was met with skepticism by others.

After all, the current Chen Mo wasn’t the same dropout who used to hang around outside the school gates. With his new status as a top student, most people, except those infatuated with Xiao Mengyao, weren’t inclined to believe her one-sided claims.

There was even a group of new fans of the genius scholar who outright refused to believe the rumors. This group, unknown even to Chu Si himself, was made up of a curious mix of followers: some were pure face fans who admired his looks, while others were students who worshipped him for his academic prowess. In their eyes, the genius scholar had both talent and looks, so why would he waste time bothering with Xiao Mengyao? They, on the other hand, would be more than happy to be “bothered” by him!

At this moment, in Class 13:

“Genius scholar, how do you solve this problem? No matter how I try, I can’t get the correct answer.”

In the back corner of Class 13, the moment a girl vacated her seat, a boy immediately took her place, eagerly handing over his workbook to the boy beside him.

“Oh, for this one, you first draw an auxiliary line…” Chu Si took the workbook and, with a few quick strokes, laid out the solution process. His writing was clear and fluid, with each line of elegant formulas making the problem-solving steps immediately apparent. While writing, he casually explained key points, pinpointing the challenging aspects, quickly enlightening his listener.

The boy’s eyes lit up as he nodded repeatedly, nearly ready to fall to his knees in admiration for the genius scholar.

Not long after the boy left, another girl approached and took his place, as if they were lining up in an orderly queue.

This unique “queue for problem-solving” had already become a distinct scene in Class 13, playing out almost every day.

Since the monthly exam results were announced, the learning atmosphere in Class 13 had undergone a dramatic shift. The arrival of the genius scholar unknowingly unleashed his overwhelming charisma, turning the entire class into members of the “Five-Three Fan Club.” They now clung to their workbooks daily, as if ready to debut as a study group alongside the “Five-Three.”

For some reason, Chu Si’s explanations always seemed exceptionally clear and easy to understand, and his students quickly absorbed the knowledge. This positive reinforcement fueled their enthusiasm for learning even further.

Additionally, the genius scholar was consistently warm and humble, never showing impatience when answering questions. On the contrary, the more someone loved learning, the more likely they were to win his favor.

This newfound insight lit up the eyes of certain girls who previously cared more about their looks than their studies. It seemed they had discovered a new strategy to “conquer” the genius scholar.

Of course, after diligently following this strategy for ten days to half a month, these girls were delighted to find that their efforts had indeed paid off!

—Although the genius scholar remained unconquered, they had conquered an entire “Five-Three” workbook! Their grades skyrocketed, and now their moms no longer worried about their studies.

Even the seat next to Chu Si, which had once been empty, had now been elevated to “The Right Hand of the God” and “The Golden Throne Closest to God.” Everyone wanted to claim it, but in the end, it remained vacant.

—These two nicknames had originally been a joke by a few anime-obsessed teens in the class, but somehow, they had spread. When Chu Si first heard them, he was utterly mortified.

However, the enthusiastic, over-the-top teens in the class didn’t care. They even established rules for “competing” for the Golden Throne, such as only being allowed to ask Chu Si for help after discussing the problem among themselves and failing to solve it; a maximum of five people per day were permitted to disturb him; and anyone who repeatedly troubled the genius scholar but showed no improvement on quizzes would be blacklisted. Hearing these detailed and peculiar rules, Chu Si didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

As soon as the fourth person left after asking a question, a boy suddenly darted into the seat next to Chu Si, waving his hand grandly. “All of you, stand aside! Today, the Golden Throne is under my exclusive contract!”

“You shameless thief! How dare you covet the throne?” someone nearby immediately retorted in a theatrical manner. “Guards, seize him!”

Students from other classes passing by outside the window stopped and stared, confused. “What is Class 13 up to? Are they rehearsing for a play?”

Chu Si: “…”

Chu Si raised his hand to cover his face.

…A bunch of clowns!

How had he not realized before how ridiculous this group was? Being surrounded by them for so long, he felt like his own demeanor was starting to shift.

Suddenly, someone in the class shouted, “Everyone, check the forum! Someone’s slandering the genius scholar!”

“What?!” The boy who was still in character roared dramatically, “Insulting our genius scholar? Do they think my blade is dull?”

The wave of anger that had just risen in the class instantly dissipated.
Everyone: “…”

———

—五三 (Five-Three): Refers to a popular series of educational workbooks in China called Five-Year College Entrance Examination, Three-Year Simulation (五年高考三年模拟). These books are well-known for their rigorous exercises and are synonymous with intense study and exam preparation.