Chapter 83: Proven Innocent |
Liu Changqing and Liu Zhiyue entered the office.
The sound of the door caught the attention of the teachers inside. They turned to see the pair, their eyes filled with curiosity.
The homeroom teacher’s face turned bright red, clearly embarrassed by the commotion.
“You again…”
“Which one of you is the math teacher?”
Ignoring her comment, Liu Changqing directed his question to the room.
“…”
No one responded.
Liu Changqing turned to his son.
“It’s him,” Liu Zhiyue said, pointing to a middle-aged man with sparse hair, who flinched at being singled out.
The man slowly turned around, forcing a smile on his wrinkled face.
“Ah, yes… Parent, how can I help you?”
He remembered Liu Changqing clearly. The last time this man came to the school, it had been anything but ordinary. He knew Liu Changqing was fiercely protective of his son.
Without hesitation, Liu Changqing grabbed a chair, placed it beside the math teacher’s desk, and pulled two sheets of blank A4 paper from the nearby printer.
He spread the paper on the desk and motioned to his son.
“Come here.”
“Dad… what are we doing?”
Though puzzled, Liu Zhiyue obediently sat down.
The three of them exchanged glances before the math teacher broke the silence.
“Parent, what exactly—”
“Make a test.”
“Huh?”
The math teacher looked dumbfounded.
Liu Changqing ignored his expression and turned to his son.
“What level of math are you at?”
“I’ve self-studied up to high school… almost finished.”
“Ha!”
A mocking sound came from the homeroom teacher standing behind them.
Liu Changqing didn’t react, keeping his focus on the math teacher.
“Write some questions. I’m not asking for an entire test, just a few challenging problems. Use high school-level material, around the second-year level. No deliberate outliers—I’ve been to school, too.”
Though Liu Changqing’s tone was calm, there was an undeniable tension beneath it, like a storm waiting to break.
The math teacher glanced at Liu Zhiyue, then nodded.
Without saying much, he grabbed a pen and began writing questions on one of the A4 sheets. With over 20 years of teaching experience, creating challenging math problems was second nature to him.
The office fell into an uneasy silence as everyone watched.
Behind Liu Changqing, the homeroom teacher rolled her eyes before turning to leave.
She had barely taken two steps when Liu Changqing’s voice stopped her.
“It won’t take long.”
“…”
She turned back, surprised that he had addressed her without even looking.
“We’ll need you to notify the leadership when we’re done,” he added.
“You—!”
“Shh.”
Raising a hand to signal quiet, Liu Changqing glanced at her over his shoulder.
“Don’t interrupt while he’s writing.”
Furious, the homeroom teacher stomped back to her desk, determined to stay and see if Liu Zhiyue truly had the ability he claimed.
Minutes ticked by as the math teacher worked diligently, occasionally pausing to think before continuing. Finally, he set his pen down.
“Alright, here are three problems. If he can solve these, I have no further doubts.”
Liu Changqing took the sheet and examined it.
The problems involved a mix of advanced middle school and early high school concepts. They were challenging but not impossible.
Satisfied, he placed the paper in front of his son.
Without hesitation, Liu Zhiyue began working, his pen gliding across the notebook as he outlined his formulas.
The other teachers in the room stopped what they were doing to watch.
Liu Changqing stood silently, observing his son’s clear, methodical approach to the problems.
Watching the boy’s serious expression, Liu Changqing felt a wave of pride.
He thought back to his son’s earlier boast about “hiding his true strength” and began to believe it might actually be true.
As the minutes passed, the room remained silent except for the sound of Liu Zhiyue’s pen on paper.
Eventually, the boy put down his pen, signaling he had finished.
The math teacher, sitting beside him, immediately picked up the completed sheet.
His eyes widened as he reviewed the solutions.
“Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!”
The teacher looked at Liu Zhiyue as if seeing a gem for the first time.
“This boy’s skill is remarkable. I underestimated him!”
“Well? Any issues?” Liu Changqing asked.
“None at all! He solved these perfectly—and with such elegance!”
The teacher couldn’t help but click his tongue in admiration as he looked over the work again.
“This boy is a prodigy. We don’t need to question his scores anymore.”
“Then who accused him of cheating?” Liu Changqing pressed.
“Uh…”
Caught off guard, the math teacher hesitated, unable to provide an answer.
But Liu Changqing had already figured it out.
Turning to face the homeroom teacher, whose face had turned ashen, he smiled.
“Well then, Teacher, could you notify the administration? My son’s grades appear to be genuine.”
By the time Liu Changqing and Liu Zhiyue left the office, all doubts had been cleared.
Though the homeroom teacher initially tried to argue, the evidence was irrefutable. The other subject teachers also prepared questions for Liu Zhiyue to answer on the spot.
Each time, he aced them effortlessly.
His results spoke for themselves—he had earned his scores through hard work and intelligence.
As they descended the stairs, Liu Changqing felt his earlier frustration melt away. He clapped his son on the back.
“Well done, kid. You should’ve shown your true abilities sooner. If you keep playing the fool, people will treat you like one.”
“Huh? What does that mean?”
“Nothing. Just don’t deliberately fail anymore. Work hard and aim to be the top student in the province when you take your college entrance exams!”
“That’s years away…”
“Four years isn’t that far. It’ll fly by.”
As they chatted, Liu Changqing watched his son walk beside him, his spirits restored.
But just as they were about to leave the school building, they stopped.
Standing in their way was a girl.
Liu Changqing frowned in confusion as he looked at her.
“Could you step aside, please?” he asked.