Kong Lian's hands trembled uncontrollably as she struggled to keep a smile on her face. Ren Ran remained calm and composed. She would not feel embarrassed even if she did not qualify again this time, just like last time.
Instead of announcing the results directly, Teacher Zhao said, "I know you're all eager to know your scores, but I want to say this first: No matter how you did on this exam, I hope none of you will rashly judge others based solely on one set of scores. Competitions are but one aspect."
"The champion of this provincial math olympiad is Ren Ran."
Zhao Yi immediately asked, "Teacher, what about Kong Lian? What place did she get?"
"Yeah, did she qualify for the finals?" Guo Tongwen chimed in.
Teacher Zhao sighed. "Unfortunately, Kong Lian did not qualify for the national finals this time."
He only said she did not qualify, omitting the specific ranking. There was no need to disclose it.
Ideally, the results should have been announced privately to the participants first. But the vice principal had instructed him to declare them in front of the whole class, saying it would increase class cohesion and school spirit, letting students share in the glory together.
In his opinion, those were just excuses. But since it came from the vice principal, he had no choice but to comply.
Just then, someone had already posted the full rankings online.
"Whoa!" Ding Chong whistled. "I see the list of qualifiers here."
Hearing this, others quickly checked their phones in secret. After seeing the results, they were shocked and turned to look at Kong Lian.
"Damn, only seventh place."
"Seems like her championship last time was inflated. Dropped from first directly to seventh?"
"Falling from first to seventh is too dramatic!"
"You think that's dramatic? How about Ren Ran rising from being disqualified to becoming the champion? That's even more interesting."
"Remember that audio clip played in the auditorium, with two names muted out?"
"Could one of them be Ren Ran?"
"Looking at these results, it's probably her."
"I heard they still haven't found the culprit behind it all."
"Any guesses on who it might be?"
"It must be whoever benefited last time." Guo Tongwen said loudly for all to hear.
Their gazes turned subtly to Kong Lian, making her very uncomfortable.
Hu Xiyue spoke up, "A re-test is an opportunity for those who didn't qualify, so they can be more relaxed. Good if you make it, no harm if you don't. But for those who already qualified, the pressure is doubled, which can mess with their mentality and affect their performance."
Hu Xiyue's words slightly improved Kong Lian's mood.
Ji Qing chimed in to defend her, "Kong Lian wasn't the only one who didn't qualify this time. Don't go dumping crap on her."
Zhao Yi scoffed, "How come the mentality of the other three qualifiers didn't collapse? It just shows they have true skills. Give them a few more chances and they'd still keep their spots. As for certain people's championships, the inflation is bigger than the Pacific Ocean."
"Right, the other person who didn't qualify ranked just sixth, only dropping one spot from before."
Seeing the classroom like a vegetable market, Teacher Zhao scowled. "Quiet!"
Kong Lian's hands trembled uncontrollably as she struggled to keep a smile on her face. Ren Ran remained calm and composed. She would not feel embarrassed even if she did not qualify again this time, just like last time.
Instead of announcing the results directly, Teacher Zhao said, "I know you're all eager to know your scores, but I want to say this first: No matter how you did on this exam, I hope none of you will rashly judge others based solely on one set of scores. Competitions are but one aspect."
"The champion of this provincial math olympiad is Ren Ran."
Zhao Yi immediately asked, "Teacher, what about Kong Lian? What place did she get?"
"Yeah, did she qualify for the finals?" Guo Tongwen chimed in.
Teacher Zhao sighed. "Unfortunately, Kong Lian did not qualify for the national finals this time."
He only said she did not qualify, omitting the specific ranking. There was no need to disclose it.
Ideally, the results should have been announced privately to the participants first. But the vice principal had instructed him to declare them in front of the whole class, saying it would increase class cohesion and school spirit, letting students share in the glory together.
In his opinion, those were just excuses. But since it came from the vice principal, he had no choice but to comply.
Just then, someone had already posted the full rankings online.
"Whoa!" Ding Chong whistled. "I see the list of qualifiers here."
Hearing this, others quickly checked their phones in secret. After seeing the results, they were shocked and turned to look at Kong Lian.
"Damn, only seventh place."
"Seems like her championship last time was inflated. Dropped from first directly to seventh?"
"Falling from first to seventh is too dramatic!"
"You think that's dramatic? How about Ren Ran rising from being disqualified to becoming the champion? That's even more interesting."
"Remember that audio clip played in the auditorium, with two names muted out?"
"Could one of them be Ren Ran?"
"Looking at these results, it's probably her."
"I heard they still haven't found the culprit behind it all."
"Any guesses on who it might be?"
"It must be whoever benefited last time." Guo Tongwen said loudly for all to hear.
Their gazes turned subtly to Kong Lian, making her very uncomfortable.
Hu Xiyue spoke up, "A re-test is an opportunity for those who didn't qualify, so they can be more relaxed. Good if you make it, no harm if you don't. But for those who already qualified, the pressure is doubled, which can mess with their mentality and affect their performance."
Hu Xiyue's words slightly improved Kong Lian's mood.
Ji Qing chimed in to defend her, "Kong Lian wasn't the only one who didn't qualify this time. Don't go dumping crap on her."
Zhao Yi scoffed, "How come the mentality of the other three qualifiers didn't collapse? It just shows they have true skills. Give them a few more chances and they'd still keep their spots. As for certain people's championships, the inflation is bigger than the Pacific Ocean."
"Right, the other person who didn't qualify ranked just sixth, only dropping one spot from before."
Seeing the classroom like a vegetable market, Teacher Zhao scowled. "Quiet!"
