Chapter 6: Stunning the Entire Audience – The Master of Problem Solving

"If you can solve it, I will agree to let you change seats." He paused, then added, "But if you can't, don't mention this again."

Lin Qianfan seemed strangely delighted at these words. He looked up at the blackboard and stared at the problem for a few seconds. Then, to everyone's surprise, he nodded quickly, strode up to the podium, picked up a piece of chalk, and said, "Alright, I'll do it."

Fang Zhengyang was stunned. He had thought this was a brilliant way to handle the situation. He expected Lin Qianfan to back down or make excuses. After all, if a good-for-nothing athlete were to sit next to the top student, it would be a disservice to her education. This problem was meant to crush Lin Qianfan's confidence. Yet, the moment he heard the challenge, Lin Qianfan had walked straight to the podium.

"A newborn calf is not afraid of the tiger," he sneered inwardly, crossing his arms and standing to the side to watch.

The students below were in an uproar.

"Lin Qianfan is so shameless; he actually dares to go up there for such a difficult problem," a girl scoffed.

"Get down already, don't waste everyone's time," another boy echoed.

"He's digging his own grave," Li Yanzi said, crossing her arms with a smug smile.

"Forget it, let's just watch him make a fool of himself," Xu Qian said coldly.

Lin Qianfan stood before the blackboard, completely ignoring the voices. Holding the chalk, he scanned the problem, his brain rapidly recalling knowledge from his past life. Then, he began to write.

The chalk slid across the board, the crisp sound of "clack-clack" echoing through the classroom as he wrote at a lightning pace. A few minutes later, Lin Qianfan stopped, brushed the chalk dust off his hands, turned around, and looked at Fang Zhengyang.

"Teacher, I'm done."

Fang Zhengyang was slightly taken aback. He walked to the blackboard and scrutinized the steps Lin Qianfan had written. He had expected Lin Qianfan to be just putting on a show, but as it turned out, the boy's logic was crystal clear and the answer was entirely correct. He had chosen this problem specifically, as it incorporated various mathematical concepts and even required some techniques used in math competitions. He never expected Lin Qianfan to solve it.

The students below gradually quieted down.

"Is he just scribbling nonsense?" a girl whispered, her tone uncertain.

"It actually looks like it makes sense," another boy frowned, staring at the board.

"Tch, he's just faking it. The answer is bound to be wrong," Li Yanzi said, still looking disdainful.

"Lin Qianfan, you... you know how to solve this?" Fang Zhengyang turned his head, looking at him with a complex expression.

Lin Qianfan smiled. "Teacher, didn't you ask me to prove it? I did my best."

Fang Zhengyang paused, a vague sense of unease creeping into his mind. "Coincidence, it must be a coincidence," he thought to himself.

"This was just a warm-up to test your fundamentals. If you really want to sit next to Xia Ruo, you have to solve these!" With that, Fang Zhengyang wrote two more problems on the board.

These were even harder than the first, involving deeper mathematical concepts. Not only was this beyond Lin Qianfan, but even he, as the math teacher, would have needed some time to work through them.

"Try these two," Fang Zhengyang said, his tone testing him.

Lin Qianfan nodded. "Sure."

He picked up the chalk again and began to write. This time, the murmurs from the crowd grew even louder.

"No way, he can still do it?" a boy whispered, his voice full of disbelief.

"He's faking it; he'll be exposed soon," another girl sneered.

Lin Qianfan wrote line after line on the board, his steps remaining clean and concise. In less than ten minutes, he put the chalk down again.

"Teacher, I'm done," he said, his voice calm.

Fang Zhengyang hurried to the board to carefully examine his process. As he looked, his expression changed completely. He glanced down at the answer key in the workbook—it was correct. These problems were several levels harder than the previous one, yet Lin Qianfan’s process was flawless.

"How is this possible..." he muttered.

The other students in the class were also stunned. The mockery on many faces slowly vanished, replaced by shock and admiration, though some were filled with jealousy.

"This is too absurd. How did he do it?" a student couldn't help but whisper.

"Lin Qianfan is amazing! A hidden genius!"

"Is he cheating?" Xu Qian gritted her teeth, her expression as sour as if she had swallowed a fly.

Xia Ruo, who had been keeping her head down, finally looked up at Lin Qianfan on the podium, her eyes filled with bewilderment. "When did he become so good?" she wondered.

Lin Qianfan looked at Fang Zhengyang and grinned. "Teacher, can I change seats now?"

Fang Zhengyang stood in front of the board, staring at the steps over and over. After a long silence, he finally spoke: "Are you... sure you did this yourself?"

Lin Qianfan raised an eyebrow. Without a word, he walked back to his seat, pulled a workbook from his bag, and tore out a few sheets of paper.

"Teacher, if you're worried, feel free to give me a few more problems. I'll solve them for you right here and now."

The classroom fell into a deathly silence. No one had expected Lin Qianfan to issue such a bold challenge.

Fang Zhengyang frowned, took the paper, hesitated for a few seconds, then shook his head.

"That won't be necessary," he said, his voice lower, fearing further humiliation. "Since you were able to solve those two problems, it shows you truly have the ability."

"As for the seat change..." He paused and looked toward Xia Ruo. "Xia Ruo, do you have any objections?"

Xia Ruo was startled to be called out. She said softly, "No objections."

Fang Zhengyang nodded and clapped his hands. "Alright, everyone, quiet down. The seat change for Lin Qianfan and Xia Ruo is settled."

As soon as he finished speaking, the classroom erupted into another commotion.

"This is too crazy."
"Lin Qianfan actually pulled it off?"
"When did he get so good?"

Lin Qianfan scanned the room, shouldered his bag, and walked toward Xia Ruo’s desk.

"Excuse me, please move," he said to the student originally sitting next to her.

The student was stunned for a moment, then stood up, grabbed their bag, and moved toward the back. After Lin Qianfan sat down, he turned to look at Xia Ruo.

"We're desk-mates from now on. Take care of me, top student!"

Xia Ruo kept her head down and didn't look at him, merely letting out a soft "Mm."

Lin Qianfan smiled, said nothing more, and focused on the lesson. As soon as the bell rang, the classroom became lively. Just as Lin Qianfan was about to head to the restroom, he noticed Xu Qian standing before him with a few others.

"Lin Qianfan, what's the meaning of this?" Xu Qian stared at him coldly.

Lin Qianfan stopped and looked up at her. "What meaning?"

"Why did you insist on sitting next to Xia Ruo?" Her voice was loud enough to attract the attention of many students.