None of them can do it.

On the horizontal support was a funnel filled with fine sand, swinging left and right. Over time, the sand trickling onto the table formed a small mound. The question was: which diagram below most closely resembled the longitudinal cross-section of the sand pile?

...Huh?

Chen Ruowen pursed her lips at the very first question, then let her eyes sweep rapidly down the page.

Well, she smiled.

"I don't know a single answer."

It took her only about two or three seconds to reach the bottom row of the test paper, where a line of inconspicuous small print caught her eye.

"Please write your name in the designated box and immediately hand your test to the proctor."

Chen Ruowen raised an eyebrow. She had already written her name when she received the paper, and after reading this instruction, it took her barely 0.1 seconds to decide. She pushed back her chair, picked up her paper, and calmly walked up to the podium.

However, her seat was in the very last row of the student area, and she didn't hurry her steps. Two boys sitting closer to the front, who moved quickly, beat her to it and handed in their papers first.

Chen Ruowen was the third. Professor Qiao took her paper, and then, in a voice only the two of them could hear, whispered,

"Still in the mood to play on your phone? You don't seem nervous at all."

Chen Ruowen gave a nonchalant shrug.

"Even went so far as to stage a phone call during the exam—so much drama, why not become an actress instead? And with such poor acting skills, you’re not fooling anyone. Next time, tell the school to pay more and hire someone better."

...

I really want to strangle her...

Or just eliminate her right away...

Does she really think being pretty means she can do whatever she wants?!

Calling me dramatic!

Calling my acting bad!

Plenty of people were fooled by me, for the record!

When some noticed how quickly others finished, anyone with a bit of sense realized something was off. Upon reading the small print at the bottom of the exam, they sprang from their seats, practically spitting blood, and swarmed the podium to submit their papers.

Qiao Yusen collected the papers in order and, once most had been handed in, decisively ended the first round of testing.

"Students who haven't handed in their papers may pack up and go home. If the winter camp isn’t full, the school will post a notice on its website after the New Year for a second round of selection. Please stay tuned."

...

The locker doors were wide open, the desks and chairs in disarray, and bed linens, pillowcases, towels, and other items were strewn all over the floor.

When Wang Lan saw this chaotic scene, she almost thought the dorm had been robbed—if not for the very familiar new roommate sitting amid the mess.

She stooped to pick up the most unsightly pieces of fabric from the floor and finally cleared a path to her own bed. Approaching the woman who was half-kneeling on her bed, flinging sheets around, she asked curiously,

"What... are you doing?"

Chen Ruowen tossed her pillow from the bed to the floor, then pulled a brand-new, obviously expensive pillow from her box and set it at her headboard.

"Oh, I can't sleep on hotel bedding. I always bring my own. This is the first time I've changed all this myself, so things are a bit messy. Just bear with me for a moment."

This... is just "a bit messy"?

Wang Lan wiped cold sweat from her brow at the sight of the chaos.

This is more like a demolition site!

"Um... do you want some help?" Wang Lan offered.

Upon hearing this, Chen Ruowen immediately stopped what she was doing, and without ceremony handed Wang Lan a velvet comforter she had pulled from her suitcase but could no longer fold back. True sincerity shone on her face.

"Then I’ll trouble you. You’re so kind."

I was only being polite—how could you take it seriously?

Wang Lan was forced to take over the job of making the bed from the ever-so-unbothered Chen Ruowen.

"You said you can’t sleep on hotel beds. Have you not traveled much before?"

"Not at all, I travel several times a year." Chen Ruowen hopped onto her freshly made single bed, patted the mattress, and complained, "This bed is way too small."

"Then why did you say this is your first time changing sheets?" Wang Lan asked, puzzled.

"My assistant always did it for me before!" Chen Ruowen gave Wang Lan a strange look, as if she’d asked a truly silly question. "Too bad outsiders aren’t allowed in the activity center, or I wouldn’t have to do it myself."

Are you sure you did it yourself?

Wang Lan glanced skeptically at her own handiwork, mentally substituting "assistant" with "maid" in Chen Ruowen’s earlier statement.

"Thanks for your help today. How about I treat you to a meal to show my gratitude? What would you like? Anything at all."

Wang Lan reminded her quietly, "We’re not allowed to leave the activity center during the winter camp... We can only eat in the cafeteria..."

Chen Ruowen shook her finger lightly.

With Bai Jinyan not here, did they really think she’d obediently eat in the cafeteria?

Not a chance.

"Just name anything you want. I guarantee you’ll get it tomorrow."

...

Before eight o’clock the next morning, the assembly room was already packed—a clear sign of how effective Qiao Yusen’s methods had been.

After a sleepless night, Chen Ruowen yawned and picked a random empty seat. The very next moment, the examiner for the second round entered, beaming and carrying a thick stack of test papers.

She quickly distributed the papers to the first student in each row, signaling them to pass them back, then wrote three words on the blackboard: "Tong Jinfeng."

"I’m a mathematics teacher at Southern University’s School of Science, and your chief examiner for this round. The second test is very simple."

Once she saw that everyone had their papers, a benevolent smile lit her round face.

"All you have to do is complete the test in your hands."

"The exam lasts four hours. Make good use of your time."

This time, everyone was wary. As soon as they got their papers, they flipped to the last page to check for any "write your name and submit" trick.

No such luck.

And when they skimmed the five pages crammed with questions, nearly everyone’s jaw dropped. The classroom erupted into chatter, and before long, several students couldn’t help but raise their hands.

Ms. Tong seemed to have expected this, happily calling on the nearest student.

"What’s your question?"

The student stood up, holding the paper.

"Teacher, why are there both humanities and science questions on here?"

A chorus of agreement immediately swept the room.

"Yeah! And not just both—they both count toward our scores! I switched tracks in my sophomore year! How am I supposed to remember stuff from humanities?"

"I switched in my first week of high school! What do you expect from me?"

Ms. Tong raised her hand for silence, smiling contentedly.

"The exam is equal for everyone. You’ve all switched tracks, and final rankings are based on total scores, so don’t worry."

This explanation eased the tension a little, but not much. Those who’d switched early were still anxious, while those who’d switched later were determined to score as high as possible.

Chen Ruowen was something of an all-rounder herself, but the material she’d studied in the past two years was... not quite the same as ordinary high school courses! Even her science background was only half-baked. With a sense of despair, she fixed her gaze on the first physics problem and sighed.

This time, she truly had no idea where to start...