Chapter 13: The Mathematical Prodigy’s Last-Minute Triumph

Suddenly, a commotion arose at the classroom door.

Gu Haotian walked in and headed straight toward Lin Qianfan.

“Are you Lin Qianfan?” he asked from a lofty stance once he stopped.

“Yes, who are you?” Lin Qianfan looked up with a calm tone.

“Gu Haotian,” the other introduced himself, casually flipping through Lin Qianfan’s exercise book. “Not much to it.”

Lin Qianfan frowned slightly. “So, what’s your point?”

“Nothing, just wanted to get to know you.” Gu Haotian sneered disdainfully and turned to leave.

Lin Qianfan watched his retreating figure and muttered softly, “Is this guy crazy or what?”

In the blink of an eye, the day of the math competition arrived.

Lin Qianfan arrived at school early and was ushered onto a bus by the teacher, along with several other students heading to the competition venue.

The rules were clear: no phones allowed.

Lin Qianfan turned off his phone and left it at home.

The bus fell into silence, with only occasional murmurs about math problems.

Finally, the bus arrived steadily at the competition site.

A group of students filed out in single file, led by the director, who guided them inside.

The competition hall buzzed with noise; students from various schools crowded at the entrance.

The director gave the participants a brief instruction, and soon it was time for the students to enter the exam rooms.

The first phase was a written test. As the papers were handed out, Lin Qianfan glanced over the questions and a smug smile appeared on his face. Though somewhat difficult, he could solve them relying on the knowledge stored in his past memories.

Meanwhile, at Dreamseeker Studio in the eastern part of the city, several staff members clustered around a computer, deep in discussion.

“Look at these lyrics! They’re so evocative!”

“Yeah, the words are brilliantly written.”

“But... haven’t we contacted the author?”

“Contact? No need. We can compose the music ourselves and just produce it directly.”

As they spoke, they busily debated the lyrics; the sounds of keyboard typing and instrument tuning blended together, filling the recording studio with lively energy.

At another studio, Lanstarlight, chaos also erupted.

Song Qiyun suddenly slapped the lyrics onto the table, her pale face glowing with excitement, and exclaimed:

“Who wrote this? This is incredible!”

Her assistant, Tian Tian, quickly leaned in, “Lin Qianfan, the name is Lin Qianfan.”

Song Qiyun narrowed her eyes. “Who’s Lin Qianfan? A newcomer?”

“But these lyrics are definitely at a genius level.”

She pounded the table and shouted, “Find him!”

Tian Tian worked efficiently and found the contact information in under ten minutes.

She immediately dialed the number. “Beep—beep—beep—”

No one answered.

Tian Tian was stunned. “No answer?”

“Send a message,” Song Qiyun waved her hand, signaling to keep trying.

Time ticked by.

Lin Qianfan’s phone lay in his backpack, its screen filled with missed calls and unread messages.

Two days passed.

The producer at Lanstarlight Studio grew increasingly frustrated.

“What’s going on? No replies?”

“Right, no response.”

“How about the calls?”

“Made them, but no answer.”

Song Qiyun stood abruptly. “What the hell? Such great lyrics—does he not want to collaborate?”

“Boss, should we keep calling?” Tian Tian cautiously offered a cup of coffee.

“Yes.” Song Qiyun shot her a sharp look, her tone resolute.

“These lyrics are too good. If he doesn’t answer, we keep calling until he does!”

“But it’s been two days...” Tian Tian began, but Song Qiyun’s glare stopped her cold.

“Call again! If he still won’t pick up, we send an email. We must get in touch no matter what!”

Finally, the last exam session arrived.

“Next is the group discussion. The representative will give the speech. Please have each group member take their seat according to the number,” the host’s voice came through the microphone.

Reluctantly, Lin Qianfan stood and found his group seat by number.

“Hello, I’m Zhang Ran, your group member,” said a slender boy, extending his hand.

“Mm, I’m Lin Qianfan,” he replied indifferently, then sat down and began to zone out.

Once the discussion topic was handed out, the others plunged into lively debate, while Lin Qianfan leaned back, eyes vacant.

“Lin Qianfan, any thoughts?” Zhang Ran suddenly looked at him.

“Huh?” Startled, he blurted, “I think… this problem is kind of interesting.”

Zhang Ran frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Well… it’s pretty tough,” Lin Qianfan said, feeling all eyes on him.

“Isn’t that just stating the obvious?” a girl rolled her eyes and went back to writing.

Lin Qianfan scratched his head, realizing he probably wasn’t much help.

When the discussion ended, the group prepared to present their results.

“Lin Qianfan, you’ll take the last question,” Zhang Ran handed him a sheet of paper.

“Me?” Lin Qianfan’s eyes widened. “Why me?”

“You said the question was interesting, right?”

“Well, if it’s interesting, then it’s yours,” Zhang Ran shrugged.

Lin Qianfan opened his mouth but didn’t know how to refuse.

At their turn, Lin Qianfan took the paper and stood on stage. He glanced at the audience, his mind racing.

“Hello everyone, I’m Lin Qianfan.” His voice was clear and confident at the start. After a brief pause, he continued.

“First, I’m very pleased to represent our group in sharing our discussion results.”

He gently placed the paper on the podium without looking at it, leaned slightly forward, and spoke fluently and naturally.

“Actually, this problem seems complex, but we believe that grasping the core makes it easily solvable.”

The audience quieted considerably, all eyes on him.

“By analyzing the problem’s conditions, we found the crux lies in the interdependence of variables.” He raised his hand, pointing to the question displayed on the screen. His voice was steady and strong, without hesitation, perfectly pacing the delivery.

As he spoke, he wrote key formulas on the whiteboard with smooth, flowing movements.

The students and judges in the audience gradually straightened up. Those who had been looking down or whispering now fixed their attention entirely on Lin Qianfan.

He put down the pen, turned to the audience, and smiled faintly. “This is our group’s final conclusion.”

With that, he stood upright and bowed. “Thank you all.”

The room fell silent for two seconds before erupting into applause.

“Who is this kid? He’s amazing!”

“All those formulas… written on the spot?”

“So fluent—he sounds more professional than the teachers.”

Zhang Ran stared in shock, mouth slightly agape, stunned for a moment before snapping back to reality.

Lin Qianfan stepped down, plopped into his seat, and casually tossed the paper onto the desk.

Zhang Ran stared at him for a few seconds, disbelief coloring his voice. “Lin Qianfan, your performance just now…”

“Too… too fluent! Did you practice secretly before?” he asked incredulously.

“Practice what?” Lin Qianfan waved his hand. “Just used to it.”