Chapter 115: Do You See Any Problems?

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The expression on the judge’s face had clearly captured the hearts of everyone around him. The people who had found Qin Anyi’s sudden, inexplicable answer amusing all felt their hearts sink at the same time when they saw the judge’s reaction.

Could it be… that he had actually guessed correctly?!

That was absurd! The judge had spoken only two words, and Qin Anyi had somehow guessed the answer? How was anyone supposed to live with that?

“You… you… how did you know the answer was Mexico?” The judge stared blankly at Qin Anyi, his hands trembling slightly as he held the tablet. The whole thing was simply too strange. He had only read out two words—two words!—and someone had already called out the answer.

“You may consider it luck, or intuition, or anything else you like. But that shouldn’t be the point, should it? My actions complied with the rules, and I answered correctly. Therefore, according to the rules, I should receive the point.”

Qin Anyi smiled, making no attempt to explain himself.

Chapter 116: What Do You Think the Problem Is?

“Yes… yes… Question fifty-three: Where is the Pyramid of the Sun located? Answer: Mexico! Changqing No. 1 receives one point!”

The entire auditorium erupted. The chaotic noise soon turned into a continuous murmur of discussion. What had just happened was so difficult to understand that everyone present was left bewildered.

Could this person really read minds? Had the judge’s opening joke actually come true? Otherwise, how could he have stated the correct answer without even knowing what the question was, and done so without the slightest hesitation?

Or perhaps… he had cheated?

And the only person capable of helping him cheat under such circumstances was the one person who knew the question in advance—the judge himself.

“He didn’t cheat.” The principal of the Experimental School, seated in the front row, shook his head and spoke softly. “Anyone who cheated would never choose such a conspicuous method. It would be far too easy to arouse suspicion, and that is the last thing a cheater wants. Besides, how could this student from Changqing No. 1 have colluded with a government official he was meeting for the first time—and carried it out so flawlessly?”

“Then, Principal Li, how do you explain what has happened before us?” asked a middle-aged official seated beside him with a smile.

This man was the deputy director of the Provincial Department of Education, who had come to observe the knowledge competition. To demonstrate its importance, the Provincial Department of Education sent a deputy director to lead the delegation every year.

Chapter 116: What Do You Think the Problem Is?

“Student, please state the answer you believe to be correct,” the judge said angrily.

“January second,” Qin Anyi replied calmly, completely ignoring the judge’s displeasure.

The judge lowered his head and looked at the tablet in his hands. Though visibly reluctant, he still nodded.

“Correct answer.”

What exactly was this competition going to become?

The rule allowing contestants to answer at any time had originally been established to impose certain limitations while also giving those with slightly less ability a chance to rely on luck. But the situation before them…

“Xie An,” Qin Anyi said in an even, quiet voice.

The judge mechanically glanced down at the tablet, then nodded.

“Question fifty-five: From whom does the allusion ‘Rising Again in the East’ originate? Answer: Xie An. Correct. Changqing No. 1 receives one additional point.”

“No! This is wrong! This can’t be happening! There must be something wrong!”

Wang Fei suddenly shouted.

This was the second time he had yelled those words that day. The first had been that morning, when Qin Anyi had exceeded everyone’s expectations by achieving a perfect score in the memory section.

Overwhelmed by shock, Wang Fei had shouted that there had to be a problem without giving the matter any thought. He had then been harshly reprimanded by the old principal of the Experimental School. Afterward, Wang Fei had deeply regretted his impulsiveness. His behavior had indeed been foolish.

After all, memory was not something one could cheat at—especially the memorization of completely unrelated material. Even if someone knew in advance what had to be memorized, who could truly remember it for a long time, let alone recite all of it?

But this time, his outburst was completely different. Wang Fei had thought it through. The situation before him was simply too strange, and he believed that the others must be harboring the same doubts. Therefore, he was certain that the principal would not reprimand him for questioning it again.

Sure enough, the old principal merely sat upright in the front row. Upon hearing Wang Fei’s challenge, he did not even blink.

“Oh? Student Wang Fei, what exactly do you think the problem is?” Qin Anyi turned his head and asked mildly, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.