Chapter 32: Chapter 32: Why are you sneaking around?
Don’t be fooled by the mere five problems; the difficulty far surpassed anything she’d encountered before.
She barely managed to solve the first and second questions, but starting from the third, she began to flounder, facing a problem type she had never seen before.
After pondering for ages without success, she could only seek help from Sheng Chuyi, “How do I solve this problem?”
Sheng Chuyi tossed her an Olympic Mathematics textbook, “The examples and explanations for the last three problems are on pages 132, 145, and 154. Read those first, and if you still don’t understand, then you can ask me.”
“Got it!” Shen Zhaozhao pouted, took the book, and flipped to the pages he had mentioned, indeed finding similar problem types.
The textbook in her hands, known as the “ceiling” of the Olympic Mathematics world, was infamously difficult just by the name alone.
And yet this person had mastered the entire content through self-study, even remembering the page numbers for every problem—it was downright abnormal.
Mathematics is a discipline with a very strong logical component, with knowledge points building from granular to comprehensive, progressively and cyclically forming a complete knowledge system.
Olympic Mathematics, as a branch of math, places even greater emphasis on the cultivation and training of one’s thinking abilities.
By the time Shen Zhaozhao finished all the example problems and clarified the logic, only to realize night had fallen by the time she solved the questions—nearly an hour had slipped away on these five problems.
It took even longer than her usual homework.
Shen Zhaozhao once again regretted her earlier carelessness.
Fortunately, snacks were there to console her.
But just as she was about to dig into a bag of chips, Zhaozhao’s mother’s voice came through from next door.
It’s time for dinner!
Reluctantly, Shen Zhaozhao put the snacks away and said to Sheng Chuyi, “I’ll leave these with you for now. Sneak them to me later.”
Ms. Shu Ran had strict control over her snacking; although she didn’t forbid Zhaozhao from eating them, she also didn’t allow her to indulge.
It was better to leave them next door for now and get them from the balcony when Ms. Shu Ran was not paying attention. That way, she wouldn’t have to worry about getting caught.
When Shen Zhaozhao walked in, she instinctively glanced at the kitchen, just as Shu Ran came out. Seeing her peeking around, Shu Ran couldn’t help but express her disdain, “Why are you skulking about?”
“I’m not!” Shen Zhaozhao immediately straightened up.
“Your homeroom teacher said you signed up for the summer Olympic Mathematics training camp?” Shu Ran placed the dishes on the dining table and went back to dish out rice.
Shen Zhaozhao closed the door behind her and followed in, “Mom, would you and Dad be disappointed if I don’t make it into the camp?”
Shu Ran glanced at her, “Isn’t it quite normal if you don’t make it? Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Your father and I never expected you to achieve anything spectacular.”
Shen Zhaozhao puffed her cheeks, “Mom, can’t you have a little faith in me? Maybe I’m a math genius.”
“Alright, if you say so,” Shu Ran handed her a bowl of rice, her tone couldn’t be more nonchalant.
It was clear she didn’t believe her.
This disbelief sparked a defiant spirit in Shen Zhaozhao; it was just an Olympic Mathematics training camp—she was sure she could get in.
“By the way, where’s Dad?” Shen Zhaozhao placed her rice on the table and then noticed someone was missing from the house.
Her dad hadn’t come home yet.
Zhaozhao’s mother: “Your dad heard you were representing your class at the Olympic Mathematics training camp and started bragging to his colleagues. He’s been dragged out to treat them to a meal!”
Would he still be so thrilled if he knew she only agreed to sign up so she could nap openly during class? And it was just signing up—whether she could stay was still up in the air.