The exam spanned two days, with three questions each day. Each question was worth 21 points, and candidates were given four and a half hours to complete them.
The rules followed the IMO format closely, though the difficulty level had been slightly elevated.
Jiang Fuyue and Tan Jiaxu were assigned to the same exam room.
Ling Xuan and Chen Cheng were in the next room.
The first bell rang—invigilators began distributing the papers.
Five minutes later, the second bell rang—it was time to start.
Jiang Fuyue skimmed all three problems quickly. The question types were standard, and the difficulty level was slightly lower than she had expected.
She completed the first question in five minutes, the second in ten.
Fifteen minutes later, she had solved the third.
“Teacher, I’m handing in my paper.”
The room fell silent in an instant. The scratching of pens on paper stopped, and even breathing seemed to still.
The invigilator froze at the podium.
Only when Jiang Fuyue spoke again did he snap back to reality. “You… finished?”
“Mm.”
“There are still four hours left. You don’t want to check your answers?”
Jiang Fuyue shook her head. “No need.”
The invigilator checked her paper and scrap sheets according to protocol and, finding nothing amiss, allowed her to submit.
And just like that, under everyone’s stunned or awestruck gazes, Jiang Fuyue calmly walked out.
Tan Jiaxu looked down at his own test paper and suddenly felt like getting the questions in advance wasn’t so lucky after all.
Yes—two of the three questions had appeared in Jiang Fuyue’s predictions.
He had been ecstatic, thinking he was about to ascend to heaven… but the next moment, Jiang Fuyue had submitted her paper four hours early.
Humble as he was, he could only sigh: I can’t compete! Your dad is still your dad!
Others reacted even more dramatically—
There were gasps, pens thrown, papers dropped, and even someone who collapsed to the floor with a loud thud and couldn’t get up.
At least Tan Jiaxu had some idea of Jiang Fuyue’s capabilities and was mentally prepared. The others…
Cr*p! I’m deaf now! Didn’t hear anything! Not listening!
We knew she was strong, but this is just… too strong!
I’m losing it here…
Help! Someone just crushed us all on the spot!
The city is full of traps—I’m heading back to the countryside!
…
No matter how shocked or shaken they were, the exam went on. After the initial uproar, everyone took a deep breath and went back to tackling the tough questions.
Still, the same thought echoed in everyone’s mind: She finished all that in half an hour?!
Well, Jiang Fuyue did.
Outside the exam hall, Xu Jing saw her swaggering out. Though he had expected it, he still couldn’t help staring in disbelief.
“Done?”
Jiang Fuyue: “Done.”
He quickly corrected himself: “Pft, I mean—you finished?”
“Mm.”
Next to him, Fan Shiguang nearly dropped his jaw.
He checked his watch, then pulled out his phone to confirm the time. Yep—not even forty minutes had passed.
She—she—she actually walked out already?!
Xu Jing chuckled to himself and cleared his throat. “So, how was it? Was it hard?”
“Standard types. Medium difficulty.”
“How much do you think you’ll score?”
Jiang Fuyue answered honestly: “Barring any surprises, full marks.”
Their back-and-forth made Fan Shiguang’s eyes turn green with envy.
She’s way too bold!
…
Fang Liuliu was in the neighboring exam room.
Her session went fairly smoothly. Other than spending too long on the second sub-question and hitting a mental block on the third, the rest felt okay.
She thought she had done quite well.
Looking at the others in the room—frowns everywhere, fingers scratching heads—her confidence grew.
This good mood lasted until she handed in her paper and joined the crowd discussing answers outside the exam room.
Fang Liuliu listened with a half-smile as she eavesdropped.
She had definitely nailed questions one and two.
Then suddenly—
“Hey, did you hear? Someone in the next room handed in their paper just thirty minutes in! Four hours early!”
“What the h*ll—who was it?! I want to bow down!”
“Who else could it be but the Goddess Yue?”
“Jiang Fuyue?!”
“Why are you so shocked? She handed in early during the joint exams too.”
“But—this is too early, right?! I hadn’t even finished question one in half an hour!”
“What kind of brain does she have? Can we even compare?”
“Rumor has it, she’s never not handed in early—whether it’s the IPhO or IOI, she leaves early and still smashes everyone. The foreign students were all left speechless.”
“Not just finishing early—she always scores full marks too!”
“Is she going for full marks again at the CMO this time?”
“Maybe!”
“Wanna bet on it?”
“One bag of spicy strips—betting on full marks.”
“A pound of sunflower seeds—full marks.”
“Two packs of nuts—also full marks.”
“A bottle of Coke…”
“A bag of peanuts…”
“Isn’t anyone betting she won’t get full marks? Should I start?”
“You’ll lose your pants, I swear.”
“Then forget it—two pounds of pistachios, full marks for Goddess Yue, hehe…”
As Fang Liuliu listened to all the joking and banter, the name “Jiang Fuyue” pierced her ears like a spell.
Handed in four hours early?!
Is she crazy?!
…
The next day, the exam continued. Same three questions. Same four and a half hours.
But the difficulty had definitely jumped.
Looking around the room, half the students were biting pen caps, the other half picking at their fingers.
Very few were actually solving problems.
Not because they didn’t want to, but because they couldn’t.
Fang Liuliu blanked out at the very first question.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Chen Cheng scribbling furiously to her left, and her heart clenched.
To the right, Ling Xuan looked calm and composed.
She panicked completely—
Was she the only one who couldn’t solve it?
Exams weren’t just about ability—they tested mental endurance too.
As for Fang Liuliu’s ability—hard to say, it depended on the day.
But her mental game? It had definitely collapsed.
Four and a half hours could feel like the blink of an eye for some, but like an eternity for others.
For Fang Liuliu, it was the latter.
When she came out and heard that Jiang Fuyue had once again handed in early, she was stunned.
“Again?! How is that possible?!”
“Why not? It’s her usual routine.”
“You—you guys didn’t find the questions hard?”
“Of course they were hard! I only managed the first sub-question for all three.”
A dark glint flashed in Fang Liuliu’s eyes. “What if Jiang Fuyue submitted early because she couldn’t solve them and just guessed?”
Someone frowned immediately. “What are you saying?”
“Still half-asleep?”
“She already recited all six questions—yesterday and today’s—by heart in the group chat, complete with detailed steps and answers. And you’re saying she couldn’t solve them? You must be on 2G.”
Fang Liuliu was shocked. “She recited them?”
“Yeah—word for word. Even the punctuation matched.”
“How is that possible?!”
“Don’t believe it? Go check the group.”
Fang Liuliu pulled out her phone and trembled as she opened the group chat.
The more she scrolled, the wider her eyes got, until her face was filled with disbelief.
…
Outside the gates of K University.
In a luxury Bentley, Fang Ye sat in the driver’s seat, handling work on his tablet.
Liu Kaiyan sat in the front passenger seat, peeking out the half-open window, anxiously waiting.
“Why isn’t Liuliu out yet?”
Fang Ye: “Relax. Just wait a bit longer.”
Although the couple had had a rough patch not long ago, with years of marriage between them, once Liu Kaiyan softened up, they were quickly back to normal.
“She’s here!”
Liu Kaiyan opened the door, grabbed a bouquet, and walked up to her daughter.
“Finally done with the exam! Are you tired? You look so pale—come on, get in the car. I brought you bird’s nest, it’s still warm!”
Fang Liuliu took the flowers and forced a smile. “Thanks, Mom.”
The family drove off together.
In the car, Liu Kaiyan beamed. Fang Ye also looked to be in a good mood.
Fang Liuliu sipped her bird’s nest absentmindedly. Her favorite treat felt utterly bland now.
“…Liuliu?!”
“Huh? Mom, what did you say? I was lost in thought and didn’t hear.”
Liu Kaiyan: “I asked how the exam went. Was it hard?”
Fang Liuliu’s eyes flickered. “Today’s questions were pretty tough. Hard to say how I did…”
“I believe in your ability. Results come out tomorrow, right?”
“…Yeah.”
“You’ll definitely make it into the national training team.”
Fang Liuliu’s smile froze.
…
Meanwhile, Jiang Fuyue, having handed in her paper early, greeted Xu Jing and hopped into someone’s “getaway car.”
While other students were still grappling with the test, she was already seated inside, enjoying the view of old Imperial City alleyways fading into the distance.
“Where are you taking me?”
Xie Dingyuan smiled. “You’ll see.”
