I Am A Prodigy

“Now you know why the university placed such importance in this?” Pu Lin looked at them, filled with a feeling of superiority. He heard of that news from a senior in the graduate program.

“Senior Pu, who is that mathematical genius?” asked someone from the crowd.

“Uh…” Pu Lin was dumbstruck for a moment, then said, “You’ll know when they make the announcement. That’s all I can tell you. This is supposed to be a secret to begin with!”

After a moment’s pause, he added, “If not for someone being too full of himself, I would not have told you this news! Listen up, the university is a place to study. Even if you’re extra talented in any field, it’s not something to be proud of. A student should behave like one!”

His words were sufficiently obvious, just shy of naming the target.

Quite a number of them shifted their attention to Ye Lingchen. After all, Ye Lingchen was the famous one recently.

“F*ck! What’s the matter with this guy? Those in the dark might even mistake him as the mathematical genius!” Xiang muttered grumpily.

“Jealousy. He’s jealous and used someone else’s results to push Ye’zi down. What good is that?”

“Ye’zi’s basketball obtained the recognition of Capital City itself. That’s on par with mathematics!”

“Look, the university authorities are here!” shouted someone in the crowd.

As they looked over, they saw the leaders walk in one after another. The voices of discussions immediately toned down.

“Principal, vice-principal, and the director of student affairs are here! They really value this event greatly!”

“Not only that. There are two more over there. They should be the leaders of Capital City. After all, this is quite an important thing!”

“That’s right. It’s regarding the glory of the entire Capital City!”

Whispers filled the hall, carrying with them feelings of awe and surprise.

“They’re making such a big deal out of this?” Ye Lingchen was surprised. He did not expect this competition to have attracted that much attention.

“Ye’zi, this type of competition is at the national level. The results will be announced to the entire country. It’s only normal for it to be a big deal!” whispered Little Gen. “I wonder who that mathematical genius is. This brought great honor to our university!”

“It’s been a long time since Capital City placed first in a competition like this. I’m afraid this will stir up the entire Capital City, bringing glory to the capital.”

“Ye’zi, I’ve watched the videos of past competitions. F*ck me, those people are really OP brainiacs!” Potato lamented. “Perhaps you don’t know. I’ve never understood any of the questions in their competition. However, they could answer them within a minute. They’re really terrifying! With the number of calculations involved, I won’t even make it

“That’s right. For them to master mathematics to such a degree, they’re a terrifying existence. I have the utmost respect for these mathematical geniuses. They are really smart. I wonder how their brains developed.”

“Ye’zi, once we get back, I’ll look up the competition footage for you. I guarantee you’ll be surprised!”

Ye Lingchen looked at them, keeping his silence.

‘I’m not sure if I’ll be surprised, but I can guarantee that you guys will be surprised.’

With the leaders seated, the principal cleared his throat and started his speech.

“Hello, dear students. This time, I’m very delighted that Capital City placed first in the National Mathematics Competition. As it goes, learning…”

After some pointless opening speech, he finally cut into the topic at hand.

“Unexpectedly, the one that helped Capital City place first in this competition is a student at our university! Next, I would like to invite this student to the stage to receive his prize. This is an honor that he can be proud of for life, and also the pride of our Capital City! Let’s give him a round of applause!”

Clap clap clap!

In an instant, the hall was filled with thunderous applause.

The crowd could not help but hold their breath as they looked around.

Ye Lingchen was caught off guard. ‘I need to receive a prize?’

He raised his leg, getting ready to walk up the stage.

“What are you doing?” Pu Lin scowled when he saw Ye Lingchen’s actions, blocking him. “Get back to your line and stand still!”

However, the very next instant…

“That student is…Ye Lingchen!” The principal’s voice was loud and strong, filled with pride. “Please welcome student Ye Lingchen onto the stage!”

‘Ye Lingchen?’

‘Which Ye Lingchen?’

The whole university’s students were flabbergasted. In their minds, they all thought of that famous Ye Lingchen. ‘Could it be that our university has another Ye Lingchen in hiding?’

“Excuse me, I need to receive my prize,” said Ye Lingchen nonchalantly.

Pu Lin’s mind was blown, turning blank immediately and lost the capability to think. He could only stare stupidly at Ye Lingchen. “It’s you? How can it be you?!”

His simple mind could not react fast enough and froze on the spot.

Ye Lingchen ignored him and pushed him aside lightly before slowly walking towards the stage.

“W-w-wtf?! It’s really that Ye Lingchen!”

“What? Isn’t he in the language department? Furthermore, he’s just a first-year student! What’s going on?”

“He’s already tied to so many legends, and now you’re telling me he’s a mathematical genius too?”

Putting others aside, even Ye Lingchen’s classmates were stunned, including his lecturers.

“F*ck! F*ck! Ye’zi went forward?!”

“It’s Ye’zi! The mathematical genius is Ye’zi! OMG, monster! He’s been hiding from us all these while!”

“That scumbag! He’s never hit the books in front of us, passing off as a slacker. He’s definitely studied secretly at home!”

“What’s going on? How can Ye’zi be that amazing? He’s a hidden curve breaker! Is he still human? This is too much!”

“Ye’zi, you’re amazing!”

As for the girls, they were even crazier.

“It’s that Ye Lingchen. It’s the prince charming of our university, Ye Lingchen!”

“Ahhh, he’s so handsome. Oh no, I’m feeling faint!”

“If Ye Lingchen walks over to propose to me now, I’ll be willing to do anything for him.”

“To think that he’s a curve breaker too. His future is limitless. Handsome, good at basketball, and he can cook. He’s definitely perfect boyfriend material!”

“F*ck! Even Korean dramas won’t dare to show it like this. Ahhhh, he has the aura of a main character! Oppa, I love you!”

…

“That’s right. Student Ye Lingchen is from the language department. Furthermore, he’s only a first-year student. However, he’s managed to achieve the unimaginable. Education has nothing to do with age. The first to reach is the master! Knowledge has no bounds either. Although he’s in the language department, he could still achieve greatness in mathematics! Although he’s a mathematical genius, he’s willing to remain hidden in the language department. What would you call this? True talent hides itself! At such a young age, he’s already reached such enlightenment. Student Ye Lingchen is truly our Capital City’s pride! My pride!”

As expected of the principal. As someone blessed with speechcraft, words flowed forth from his mouth, praising Ye Lingchen to the heavens. Finally, he returned to the topic at hand and took out a shiny plaque.

“This reward plaque was an honor sent over from the Capital City office! Student Ye, this plaque belongs to you. However, you can choose to leave it on display in the university to motivate your juniors and be their pride.”

With that, he looked over quietly, asking sincerely, “Student Ye, what do you think?”

‘The principal is hoping for me to contribute this plaque to the university for display? No way!’

All those words of praises were probably all for this.

Ye Lingchen’s expression turned serious, then nodded thoughtfully. “The principal is right. This plaque is not just for me, but it also carries great meaning for the university!”

The principal nodded in satisfaction, but then Ye Lingchen added, “Worry not, principal. Once I’m home, I’ll take a big closeup picture of this and frame it nicely before sending it over to the university for display!”

“Picture?” The principal was flabbergasted. “That’s not what I meant…”

“That’s alright principal. As a student, it’s my pleasure!” Ye Lingchen said confidently in an awe-inspiring tone.

The principal was speechless.