50. Quick Answer Showdown

Seeing the smile on their professor’s face, the teaching assistant shook his head in resignation.

Each year at the Winter Camp, the professors of Nanjing University, who usually put on an air of maturity, would fight tooth and nail for a spot on this event—not necessarily to recruit outstanding talent, but simply to stir things up. Every year, if they didn’t cause a little commotion, they simply wouldn’t be satisfied.

It was enough to make one’s heart race in anxiety.

As the competitive spirit among the students below reached its peak, Professor Yao announced the start of the contest at just the right moment.

“Each question is limited to thirty seconds. After buzzing in, each team has only five seconds to answer. Each team may buzz in at most twice per question, and the two attempts cannot be consecutive. You may only buzz in after I say ‘begin’; buzzing early will not count. That’s all for the rules. Any questions?”

The students all nodded their understanding. The members of Teams Three and Four shot each other fierce glances, then, almost in unison, had the quickest member on their team place a hand beside the buzzer, ready to strike at a moment’s notice.

“Listen to the first question: Who are the seven individuals historically known as the ‘Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove’ in ancient China?” Professor Yao glanced at the anxious students whose faces already betrayed the answer, and waved her hand with a smile.

“Buzz in—begin!”

Ding!

Surprisingly, it was the restless boy from Team One who pressed the buzzer first.

“Ruan Ji, Ji Kang, Shan Tao, Liu Ling, Ruan Xian, Xiang Xiu, Wang Rong!” he shouted, hopping in excitement, nearly climbing onto the table.

“Correct.”

The remaining teams all showed expressions of annoyance. Xiao Gao even slapped his right hand in frustration.

Wu Jie patted Xiao Gao on the shoulder. “Don’t get nervous.”

“Second question. The world-renowned dramatist Montlicki is known for his ‘drama epics.’ Name his three great tragedies and their years of creation. Please answer!”

Ding!

Vincent from Team One pressed the buzzer again, blurting out the answer without hesitation.

Now, everyone’s faces darkened a little. Out of five questions, Team One had already answered four correctly, scoring five points. How were the other teams supposed to keep up at this rate?

Watching the boy next to her brimming with energy, Chen Ruowen leaned toward Xiao Gao.

“Xiao Gao, don’t focus on Professor Yao’s questions. Just listen for her to say ‘begin’ or ‘answer.’ That’s all you need to do.”

The person in front of her seemed stunned, silent for a while.

“Xiao Gao?” Chen Ruowen frowned and repeated herself.

Wu Jie also timely patted Xiao Gao on the shoulder. Finally, he snapped back to reality, scratching his head awkwardly.

“Sorry, Ruowen, you’re just too beautiful. When you come close, my mind goes blank—I can’t hear a thing you say…”

“…Hahaha!”

Wu Jie and the others laughed with understanding, while Chen Ruowen rolled her eyes helplessly.

“You really have time to notice things like that at a moment like this?”

Xiao Gao was thoroughly embarrassed. “I… I can’t help it…”

Wu Jie and the rest nodded in solemn agreement.

Chen Ruowen had no choice but to repeat her advice; after listening, Xiao Gao’s eyes lit up and he nodded vigorously.

“One of the founders of quantum mechanics, Erwin Schrödinger, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in which year, and for what achievement? Please answer.”

Ding!

This time, Xiao Gao’s quick reflexes finally paid off. Seeing the buzzer light up before him, he clenched his fist in excitement.

Wu Jie immediately leaned in to the microphone. “1933, for the development of atomic theory, sharing the prize with Dirac.”

“Correct.”

Team Four exchanged high-fives all around to celebrate, while Vincent from Team One looked at his own hands in disbelief, as if he couldn’t fathom someone beating his reaction speed.

The following rounds became a fierce contest. Team One maintained a strong lead, with Team Four close behind. The other teams, so far empty-handed, began to form alliances, focusing their efforts on Teams One and Four, timing their buzzers with Professor Yao’s speaking rhythm.

As a result, Vincent’s advantage in speed was greatly reduced, and the chances to answer became more evenly distributed among the teams.

“…Three years ago, Voltrube Motors launched the ‘Angel’ series sedan, one of the world’s top ten luxury car lines. How many cars are in the Angel fleet? What is the top speed? Please answer!”

Ding!

This time, Team Three finally buzzed in first, but after pressing the buzzer, the team members exchanged helpless glances, clearly having no idea how to answer.

“Five, four, three…” Professor Yao counted down.

In a flurry, one member of Team Three grabbed the microphone and blurted out, “Ten—twelve cars!”

Professor Yao shook her head regretfully. “Incorrect.”

Ding!

Team One immediately seized the chance. A teammate leaned into the microphone and called out, “Sixteen cars!”

Chen Ruowen couldn’t help twitching at the corner of her mouth—these people were just guessing wildly.

“Incorrect.”

At last, Team Four got their chance. Wu Jie rubbed his hands together, then leaned in and tossed out a random number.

“There are—”

“Eight cars,” Chen Ruowen smoothly took the microphone from Wu Jie’s hand and announced confidently. “The fastest is the ‘Holy Angel.’ Its theoretical top speed is 450 kilometers per hour, but due to track limitations, it usually only reaches 420 to 430.”

“Correct. One point,” Professor Yao promptly confirmed.

Wu Jie smacked his forehead, annoyed. “Almost forgot—questions involving money should be left to you.”

Xiao Gao, curious, asked, “How do you know that the Holy Angel can only go 420 to 430?”

“I had someone test it,” Chen Ruowen replied offhandedly.

Xiao Gao’s mouth dropped open. “You own a Holy Angel? Isn’t that supposed to be one of the world’s top ten luxury cars? It must cost a fortune!”

“To be precise,” Chen Ruowen smiled faintly, “I own the entire Angel fleet.”

…

I really don’t want to talk to this person anymore…

Professor Yao, looking at the ever-thinning pile of question cards in her hand, took a sip of water and let out a long breath.

“There are now ten questions left. All are open-ended; there is no single correct answer. As long as your answer is reasonable and supported, you will receive points. You have ten minutes to rest before the final round. I hope you’ll do your best.”

“That means we have ten more chances to score,” Wu Jie said in the lounge area, pulling out his notebook and jotting down brief notes on each team’s status.

A total of 190 questions had been asked so far. Aside from a few rounds that ended inconclusively, Team One led with a comfortable margin of thirty points, Team Four trailed by three, and Team Three—though constantly targeted by Team Four—was still quite strong, tied for third with Team Six at twenty-five points. Team Two, with the fewest members, had completed the earlier team-building exercises the fastest, but now sat at the bottom with just fifteen points.

“We’re definitely making it to the next round, but winning against Team One still won’t be easy. Team Three could catch up at any moment,” Wu Jie mused.

Xiao Gao whistled, teasing, “Captain, I wouldn’t mind losing to Team One, but if we end up showing off and get overtaken by Team Three instead, that would be pretty embarrassing!”

Wu Jie shot Xiao Gao a look. This competition was important for him—his preferred faculty hadn’t sent a professor to the Winter Camp, and he wasn’t confident about the later interviews. If he could take first place here, it would save him a lot of trouble.