The events had affected the other students who were still in the competition.

Zhou Ran was undoubtedly believed to be the person to beat. Many were initially envious of him because he was matched with Ye Lingchen. It was equivalent to a walk in the park where one could relax and have a break!

Who would have thought that it that kind of break? He was inexplicably defeated without even needing to make any calculations.

Terrifying!

How was he so formidable? Was he even human?

"This kid, is actually...that strong? Is this real or fake?" Zhang Yu was still finding it a little hard to accept. Although he was siding with Capital, he found it laughable that the slacker he despised turned into a prodigy in a flash.

"All three questions are correct, and all his guesses were completely different answers. We can rule out the possibility that's he's simply guessing." Cao Tongtong took a deep breath and tried her level best to her inner shock down. She completely changed the way she looked at Ye Lingchen.

"Xu... Teacher Xu, who is he?" Xu Dong gulped and felt dryness in his throat. God only knew how much his heart was shaken after barely one minute. Fortunately for him, he had a human brain—if his brain was like that of a computer, he would probably crash instead of coming back to his senses.

Professors Bai, An, and Tang were also stunned. They turned their heads and stared at Xu Wanqing. "Teacher Xu, who the hell is he? You actually invited such a secret weapon and didn't tell us in advance. We wouldn't need to be so worried if we knew he was that smart! "

Xu Wanqing pursed her lips. "I've already introduced him to you before. He's a freshman in Capital University, and... I know he's very good at math, but I didn't think it was so outrageous."

"Is he really a student from Capital University?!" There was excitement in Professor An's voice. He looked at Ye Lingchen as though he was looking at some rare treasure. "I never imagined that we'd have this kind of math genius in our university. How could I now know about it? I'm ashamed. ASHAMED!"

Ashamed though he was, there was still excitement on his face. When he saw Ye Lingchen step down from the stage, he rushed up like an arrow and embraced Ye Lingchen's arm with both hands. He looked at Ye Lingchen eagerly. "Student Ye, are you really a student at Capital University?"

The sudden enthusiasm stunned Ye Lingchen somewhat and he nodded plainly.

"Hahaha, he's really from our school!" Professor An smiled and his entire body was trembling. He could not have been more excited. He tossed his virtue and reputation to the back of his head. He brought Ye Lingchen to the major provinces and cities, then held his head high and introduced the boy to them, "Everyone, look here! This is our freshman student at Capital University, the pride of math, and the pride of Capital University. Just forfeit this competition! Forfeit!"

After he finished speaking, he arched his hand towards the public with a smile.

"What? Only a freshman! This is too insane!"

"This kind of math talent is truly unprecedented. How does his brain work?"

"F*ck, this Old Man An is too smug. Such a shame. He's lucky to get this kind of good talent."

"Capital is likely getting first place this time."

...

Countless people looked at Ye Lingchen in bewilderment, shock, envy, and admiration.

"Save your smugness, Old Man An. The competition isn't over yet. The victor remains undecided!" It was then that an old man dressed in black said in a huff. He puffed his beard and glared at Professor An. "Both of Capital's earlier two contestants were eliminated us, Hong Kong! "

He was Professor She from Xiangjiang University.

"Old man She, just you wait for our revenge!" Professor An was filled with a fighting spirit and was incredibly confident in Ye Lingchen.

At the end of that round, Ye Lingchen became the biggest dark horse, one that was hair-raising and terrifying.

Ye Lingchen, whom everyone originally thought was a bonus question, transformed into an awe-inspiring existence that could not be avoided.

When Ye Lingchen came back, everyone in Capital's team pursed their lips. Some did not even dare to face Ye Lingchen.

They were surprised and embarrassed.

"Student Ye Lingchen, you can...you can count in seconds! How did you do it?" Xu Wanqing asked Ye Lingchen with a smile.

"I can't help it. The answers just jumped into my head. I can't chase those thoughts away even if I wanted to," Ye Lingchen shrugged.

"This... Student Ye, you're really good. We were wrong before. You are the strongest math genius I have ever seen," Professor Bai coughed and said.

Ye Lingchen nodded and replied, "Thank you for the compliment."

Zhang Yu and Cao Tongtong smiled sheepishly at Ye Lingchen.

There were only six provinces and cities left. It was a showdown between geniuses.

The computer screen started randomizing, and the pairings for the next round was confirmed!

"It's a narrow road for our opponents. Hahaha, let's see what Old Man She has to say this time." Professor An chuckled and said to Ye Lingchen: "Student Ye Lingchen, since our opponent is Xiangjiang, please don't hold back. I believe you can take your revenge!"

Professor She's face sank slightly and he could not help but curse out in his heart. His greatest fear was happening right in front of him.

"Set your mind at ease. I don't believe that he can answer every question in seconds. We still have a chance."

"Mm, I know." Bai Ling nodded and stared profoundly at Ye Lingchen before slowly taking the stage.

It was not an easy feat to answer math questions in seconds.

The audience silenced immediately and were watching quietly.

Bai Ling sat across from Ye Lingchen. Her fluid glance was like water flowing around in a circle. She smiled and implored, "Student Ye Lingchen, please take it easy on me."

"Student Bai Ling, you're beautiful," Ye Lingchen responded with a smile.

"Which part of me is beautiful?"

"Keep dreaming." [1]

Bai Ling, "..."

The round began.

The first question appeared slowly and the atmosphere at the scene became increasingly dignified. Everyone stared at Ye Lingchen to see if he could answer in seconds.

However, Ye Lingchen did not answer immediately.

Professor She breathed a sigh of relief. Ye Lingchen did not seem to be as amazing as he imagined.

Bai Ling's beautiful eyes stared at the question and her gaze lit up rapidly. She took a deep breath and was just about to speak, but Ye Lingchen answered before she could. "The answer is one."

"You!" Bai Ling stared at Ye Lingchen.

Ye Lingchen grinned. "Student Bai forfeited."

Bai Ling snorted and waited for the second question.

The second question was very lengthy. Bai Ling's brain waves were instantly activated and a smile appeared at the corner of her lips. Her lips were slightly ajar, but before she could make a sound, she heard Ye Lingchen say, "The answer is six-hundred-sixty-six."

"Oh, how unlucky of you, student Bai Ling. You forfeited again."

Bai Ling bit her lip.

The third question.

"The answer is 66."

"Classmate Bai Ling has forfeited again."

The fourth question.

"The answer is 6."

"So sorry, but student Bai Ling has forfeited again."

By then, everyone realized that Ye Lingchen answered when Bai Ling was just about to give her answer. It happened every single time, and he was clearly...teasing the girl!

Teasing! He was teasing her blatantly!

Motherf*cker! He really was a b*stard!

Translator's note:

[1] 想得美is usually translated as 'In your dreams', 'keep dreaming', or 'you wish'. Although this definition stays true to the meaning, it does not do justice to Ye Lingchen's snarky exchange with Bai Ling. A similar example often used in English is:

Person A: "Am I pretty?"

Person B: "You're pretty alright. Pretty stupid!"

Hope this helps to understand the exchange a little better! Again, we're really quite dismayed that we couldn't make this exchange a little authentic.