Chapter 161: Competition Grouping, Two Peculiar Ones
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After the incident with the “fart bomb,” Su Qing and Chen Sichang received disciplinary actions, and since then, they ceased their provocations.
Perhaps having experienced Jiang Fuyue’s “cunning,” both of them became more cautious. Normally, they dared not provoke her in the female dormitory, and when they saw her on the road, they almost went out of their way to avoid her.
In this way, Jiang Fuyue became a genuine lone wolf.
She couldn’t enter the inner circle of the capital, had strained relationships with her roommates, and ate and attended classes alone.
In the eyes of outsiders, she seemed a bit pitiful.
But in Jiang Fuyue’s view—it couldn’t be more enjoyable!
Without people bothering her or distracting her with various troubles, after completing her daily training tasks, she had time to deal with group documents, review annual financial reports, and listen to Liu Jinzhong’s reports on the situation of Hu Ben and Little Six’s bar management.
“… Much better than I imagined. Although not professional enough, they handle things smoothly and haven’t caused any major trouble.”
Jiang Fuyue lightly acknowledged, “Keep an eye on it. How is Liu Sisi doing?”
“I asked her about her wishes. I arranged for her to enter Camp A last week to learn skills after mastering the basics.”
Camp A, a training club affiliated with the group.
On the surface, it looked like an ordinary training institution, but in reality, it was the training ground for Yufeng.
Covering both literature and martial arts.
From financial accounting to combat techniques, those who stood out in the end had the qualifications to stand by Jiang Fuyue’s side.
Whether Liu Sisi could endure and stand out depended on her own efforts.
After the routine report, Jiang Fuyue logged into the app at a specific time to watch Little Brother Jiang’s live broadcast.
The young man held an electric rice cooker, facing a large table of dishes, both meat and vegetarian.
He didn’t like to talk; he just ate, and he ate seriously, making it particularly delicious.
It seemed like the word “delicious” could be seen on his face through the screen.
The comment section was well-managed by Wu Qian, with almost no negative comments. Even if there were any, they were quickly deleted.
Jiang Fuyue put her phone aside and took out a prepared test paper, starting the last task of the day.
Once she finished, she could go to sleep.
At half past nine, Little Brother Jiang ended the live broadcast, and she also completed the final question of the day, gathering the sixteen test papers casually.
Packing up her things, she left the library, passing by a trash can. She casually stuffed the thirty test papers completed yesterday and today into it.
Clapping her hands, she walked away quickly.
This scene happened to be seen by Lin Shumo, who came out of the library a step later.
While he wouldn’t go to the trash can to rummage through test papers, the fact that Jiang Fuyue was doing something was known to him even without seeing it.
Because—
He walked over and fed the twelve test papers he had completed today into the trash can.
When knowledge was etched into the brain, the medium became dispensable.
…
On the third day of entering the camp, the grouping began.
In principle, it should be decided by drawing lots, but considering that everyone had been together for a few days and was already familiar with each other, with the consent of Yan Zhenfeng, they allowed self-formation of teams.
Twenty-five people were divided into five small groups, each consisting of five people, led by Yan Zhenfeng and three coaches, along with life teacher Sun Qun as the manager.
Although Sun Qun was labeled as the manager, in fact, there weren’t many major tasks to handle. After all, the daily training schedule was already arranged. If there was anything to manage, it would be some small group cooperation or trivial matters.
Therefore, Sun Qun, the life teacher, also obtained the qualification to manage a small group.
However, it was clear that the majority of students didn’t buy it.
“Is Teacher Sun okay? I heard that he seems to be a chemistry major.”
“He doesn’t teach us, so it doesn’t matter what major he is, right?”
“You’re naive; after being grouped, we’ll learn in a group cooperation mode. It’s fine during class since everyone is together, but if there are things we don’t understand after class, do we have to ask Teacher Yan every time? If the teacher managing our group can help, it will be much simpler.”
“Hiss… you have a point. It seems to make sense.”
“In short, teachers are resources. If you want to learn more, you must ensure that there are sufficient resources at your disposal that can be accessed at any time. I’m not saying Teacher Sun is not good, but he’s indeed not very suitable.”
“That Professor Yan’s group is definitely everyone’s first choice. How can we compete against that?”
“Even if we can’t, we should still give it a try. What if we manage to get in? Besides, if we can’t choose Professor Yan, there are still the three coaches, including Professor Qin. They are all physics experts, so what’s there to be afraid of?”
“Cough… But if we do it this way, doesn’t it mean there won’t be anyone choosing Teacher Sun?”
Five seconds of silence.
Someone muttered softly, “Who cares about all that…”
The summer camp is not the end; the international competition stage is.
This stage, euphemistically called training, is, in reality, a brutal elimination competition.
Out of twenty-five people, only five will remain to represent the country and stand on the IPhO competition platform.
The competition started subtly from the first day they entered the camp, but now, with the grouping, the surface harmony is completely shattered, revealing the true face of the fierce competition.
…
In the office:
Yan Zhenfeng: “Has the grouping been announced to everyone?”
Qin Libin: “Yes.” Qin Libin nodded, but there was a clear hesitation in his eyes. “Is this really okay? In previous years, we always drew lots directly. Why did we let the students form their own teams this year?”
Yan Zhenfeng: “Sometimes, it’s good to change things up, try something new. Following the same old path is boring.”
“Old Yan, tell us the truth. What’s the deeper meaning behind this arrangement? Don’t leave everyone in the dark.”
Yan Zhenfeng sighed, “Do you remember how we lost in Tel Aviv last year?”
Several people fell into silence.
Initially, there was no problem with the individual competition. All five students performed exceptionally well. However, due to the lack of overall planning and internal disagreements in the team competition, they ended up defeated.
“They say forcibly plucked melons aren’t sweet. Last year, we grouped directly and it led to a lack of cohesion among members and a lack of teamwork. We can’t afford to do it the same way this year.”
“But if they form their own groups, it doesn’t mean there won’t be conflicts among them. Moreover, you also have to consider the issue of uneven distribution…”
Yan Zhenfeng nodded, “As long as it’s a team, conflicts are inevitable, I agree on that. But conflicts can be reconcilable or irreconcilable. As for the issue of uneven distribution, I still need to think about it.”
Hearing this, Sun Qun smiled, “No need to say it; I’m sure my group will have the fewest members.”
But the actual situation turned out to be more chaotic than expected.
Firstly, Professor Yan’s group was overcrowded, which was expected.
In the order of registration, the first five were left in that group.
Then, the people who were eliminated began to flood into the three groups led by the coaches.
When these three groups were also full, the remaining ones were left with Sun Qun.
“I don’t want to be in this group!”
“I refuse too! Why should I be here just because my movements aren’t as fast as others?”
“This is unfair. I’m going to find Professor Yan and complain!”
“I’ll go too.”
“How about we all go together?”
The three looked at the unlucky two who had fallen into the same situation—Jiang Fuyue and Lin Shumo.
“Are you guys going or not? We can strive to get Teacher Sun’s group canceled and join other groups.”
Jiang Fuyue: “It doesn’t matter which group.”
Learning depends on oneself, not the group.
Although teamwork often has the effect of doubling the results with half the effort, she doesn’t need it.
If she wants, she can finish the tasks of the entire team alone, and the progress will be faster than other groups.
Why bother with this, wasting time?
Lin Shumo was even more straightforward, “Not going.”
During the grouping, he didn’t even go to compete. Like Jiang Fuyue, he observed coldly and ended up wherever he was assigned.
Casual to the point of being infuriating, unimaginably laid-back.
As expected—
The three stared at the two mismatched individuals as if they had seen ghosts.
“Are you two crazy?”
“The selection for the national team depends on the group’s results. Following Teacher Sun, you definitely won’t get high scores!”
Indeed, Jiang Fuyue is strong, and Lin Shumo is also a master, but the team’s results are the average of the five sets of test papers.
Even if these two are outstanding, they can only do well on their own test papers. Even if they score full marks, there are still three others dragging down the average.
How can they compete with other groups?
Anyway, they’re not planning to stay, so let them continue their nonsense. If they mess things up, it’s their own fault.
“Are you really not going?” asked once again.
Jiang Fuyue: “Not going.”
Lin Shumo didn’t even bother to respond.
The person gritted their teeth, a hint of indignation still on their face. “Fine, don’t go! You two just wait to be eliminated!”
With that, they led the other two angrily towards the office.
Jiang Fuyue continued working on the problems.
Lin Shumo calmly turned the page of the analysis of the English competition in his hand…
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