Bab 6: Top Scorer
"Who is Li Xuan?"
The same question also appeared in Liu Zhen's mind.
He had never imagined that there would be such an unfamiliar name ahead of him.
He stood still for a moment, but he didn't show much reaction. Liu Zhen knew how to maintain his composure as a successful person.
"It seems... there's always someone stronger."
He didn't even realize how bitter his words sounded in his heart.
Someone beside him comforted him, "Even if you're not the top scorer, being second is still great."
Liu Zhen forced a smile and nodded, "Scores don't really matter. Now that the college entrance exam is over, let's relax and have some fun."
"Let's go to KFC for lunch, my treat!"
As soon as he said this, everyone cheered.
Liu Zhen let out a sigh of relief, looking relieved, but deep down, he was truly disappointed.
As the crowd dispersed, Liu Zhen overheard a conversation.
"Who is this Li Xuan?"
"I don't know. He wasn't on the score list before..."
A middle-aged woman angrily said, "Look at him. He's the one who put in real effort. He never appeared before, but at the most critical moment, he gets such a high score!"
"Look at you, always studying late into the night, and we spent so much money on tutoring. And yet, you still struggle to get into a second-tier university!"
It was just an ordinary conversation between a parent and their child, but to Liu Zhen, it sounded like mockery.
All those words, all that admiration...
Originally, they were supposed to be his!
A trace of jealousy flashed deep in his eyes.
"Who is this Li Xuan?"
"Why does he have such ability... why?"
"Why did he never show any outstanding performance before?"
"Or... did this guy cheat?"
He couldn't help but start to think in that direction.
There must be something unusual about this situation; it couldn't be so simple!
"Liu Zhen? Are you okay?"
Just as Liu Zhen was lost in his thoughts, someone suddenly asked him.
He was startled for a moment, then smiled as usual and said, "I'm fine. I was just thinking about whether you guys think McDonald's fries are better or KFC's."
Others exchanged puzzled glances, thinking that Liu Zhen was indeed extraordinary—unperturbed by success or failure...
But in reality...
On the other side, at the Education Bureau of Zhonghai City, Song Yang stood in front of the office desk of the bureau chief with a gloomy expression.
The day after the score list was released, he was urgently summoned to the bureau chief's office.
By now, Song Yang was well aware of the situation with the top scorer. Li Xuan scored 740 points, surpassing the second-place scorer who had 739 points by just one point. It was said that Li Xuan's essay was a full score, and his writing skills had impressed the examiners.
However, the picture of this Li Xuan...
Song Yang immediately matched it with the photo of the so-called Dr. Zhang from Zhonghai University.
Standing in front of the bureau chief, he knew that his position might not be secure anymore. Such a major mistake could lead to immediate dismissal, demoting him from the head of the bureau to a lower-level officer in a matter of seconds.
"Bureau Chief... I..."
He prepared to admit his mistake to the organization in a timely manner to prevent the issue from escalating.
But as soon as he spoke, he suddenly stopped.
The bureau chief, upon hearing Song Yang's voice, looked up with a rather cheerful expression, saying, "Oh, Old Song, you're here. Well done this year! The school you were in charge of, Zhonghai First High School, has lived up to expectations! Three students got into Huaqing University, two into Jing University, and there were ten students with scores over seven hundred!"
"Moreover, this year's provincial top scorer, and possibly even the national top scorer, will come from our Zhonghai!"
"I will report your work performance to the organization later. You have done really well!"
Listening to the bureau chief's words, Song Yang was dumbfounded.
He called me here to praise me?
Is he even talking about a promotion?
What about the matter with Li Xuan...
Should I bring it up or not?
As he hesitated, he secretly made up his mind.
"Thanks to the organization's trust, and it's also due to the outstanding performance of these students. I really didn't expect Li Xuan to become the top scorer," Song Yang said.
The bureau chief nodded and said, "Yes, we must take good care of this child. I looked up his information; he seems to be an orphan, a student from a humble background, and now he has achieved such success!"
"Yes, it seems that we can attract more students to come to Zhonghai City. It's a blessing for our city."
"This matter is worth commemorating!"
Although Song Yang didn't want to make a big deal out of the issue, since the bureau chief had spoken this way... he found himself in a difficult position.
In the end, he could only reluctantly nod and say, "Rest assured, Bureau Chief, I will handle this matter."
Li Xuan had also learned about his score, and he realized that he had become the top scorer.
He stood in front of the score list, looking serious.
"I just wanted to do well, I never thought about becoming the top scorer!"
"This is just a joke, isn't it!?"
Li Xuan could still remember the kind of publicity that came with being the top scorer.
Not only the school, but also the TV stations, newspapers, and even local websites would publicize his name and achievements. Interviews, photoshoots, and other attention would follow one after another.
But if the invigilators who had seen him before found out his true identity, wouldn't it be over for him?
"Damn it."
He looked at the scores of the other students he copied from. Two of them scored over 700 points, and one scored 690. Due to the relatively easy difficulty of the science and math sections this year, students in the arts had a slight advantage, which accidentally led to Li Xuan becoming the top scorer.
"Should I... run away?"
"I can't just go to jail for cheating with the swindler system, right?"
Actually, for Li Xuan now, going to college or not didn't matter much. The main concern was the situation with the Swindler Master System.
But even if he had to run away, he needed some preparation. At the very least, he needed enough cash, right? He couldn't survive by picking up trash while running, could he? Li Xuan wasn't willing to live that way.
Just then, Li Xuan's phone rang.
Looking at the caller ID, it was an unknown number, but it belonged to Zhonghai City.
"Hello."
The voice on the other end was quite old, "Li Xuan?"
Li Xuan, who was contemplating whether to run away, suddenly became vigilant.
The score list had just been released, and he received a call from an unknown number. Was it just a coincidence?
Or had he been exposed?
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