Campus Ace Girl-Chapter 263 - 264: Beicheng is great, a small trial!
Gu Mingzhu stood on the pathway, a light smile on her face.
As Gu Anxi walked past, she didn’t spare Gu Mingzhu a glance and went straight to the academic affairs office.
The department head, surnamed Liu, was a single woman in her forties and a full professor.
Since the Gu family matriarch had spoken to her beforehand, Director Liu already viewed Gu Anxi with prejudice. Seeing her draped in a man’s oversized coat only worsened her impression, even though the coat appeared to be of exceptionally good quality.
Professor Liu pushed up her black-rimmed glasses and handed Gu Anxi a form. "From Qing University?"
Gu Anxi nodded. "Yes."
Professor Liu frowned. "Fine Arts Department? Sophomore?"
She paused. "North City University’s Fine Arts Department is full. Only the Computer Science department has openings. Let me tell you, our Computer Science department at North City University is the best in the country, full of top students. There’s only one girl, Chu Yan, who is ranked first in the entire department. You should learn from her. Here are some test papers for you to fill out."
Gu Anxi didn’t argue; she did as Professor Liu instructed, took the papers, and found a corner to complete them.
About an hour later, she was finished.
Professor Liu looked up in surprise. "Done already?"
She graded them herself, and upon finishing, she was quite taken aback.
Gu Anxi had passed all the basic courses and computer professional courses, with scores exactly at the passing mark—not a single point more, not a single point less.
Professor Liu looked up. "How did you become an exchange student with grades like these? The exchange students we send from North City University to Qing University are all top-ten in their grade, with excellent scores in every subject. One of them even scored 580 points on a set of papers."
Gu Anxi muttered, "Is that so? Please, Professor, give me one more chance."
Professor Liu looked at her with disdain. "And you think you can make a significant improvement by taking it again? You Qing University students really do think differently!"
Gu Anxi replied very humbly, "Professor, the truth is, my ranking at Qing University really isn’t good; I’m usually at the bottom. I’m not sure if I can score 580 points on that set of papers, but I’d like to try."
The department head looked at her as if she were a little fool, then shook her head. "If you want to try, then go ahead."
She then found that set of papers for Gu Anxi, who took them and began working immediately.
An hour later, she submitted the test. Professor Liu frowned. "So quickly? Don’t tell me it’s another bare pass?"
She then quickly graded it. As she marked, her expression began to change...
Half an hour later, she totaled the score—
581 points.
Professor Liu’s expression became quite colorful. North City University’s top ten students score 580, while a supposedly bottom-ranking student from Qing University scores 581. This was Qing University completely crushing North City University!
Professor Liu looked at Gu Anxi. "Have you done this set of papers before?"
Just then, another teacher came over. "Absolutely impossible. These papers were prepared by North City University professors and are very recent. There’s no way they could have leaked to Qing University."
Professor Liu forced a smile. "The score is quite good. It’s just... not very stable."
She found a young professor. "Professor Li, assign her to the same class as Chu Yan. Then there will be exactly two girls in the class."
She emphasized again, "Chu Yan is very strong in her major; you should learn diligently from her. Also, the male students in your class are very good in their major subjects too. There are things here you can’t learn at Qing University, so don’t waste such a fine opportunity."
Gu Anxi nodded earnestly. "Thank you, Professor Liu."
As Gu Anxi left, Professor Liu retracted her gaze. Professor Li suddenly remarked, "How strange."
"What is it?" Professor Liu leaned in.
Professor Li held the two sets of test papers Gu Anxi had completed, his expression quite serious. "Director, look. On the first set of papers, she only answered the fill-in-the-blank and multiple-choice questions; she didn’t attempt a single long-answer question."
"On the second set, she scored 581 points. Aside from a few minor questions she skipped, an entire essay was also left unwritten... Could she have been too lazy to write it? Or could this be the legendary ’score-capping,’ and a particularly perverse form of it?" Professor Li’s voice grew softer and softer.
Professor Liu immediately re-examined both sets of papers, and her expression shifted—
This wasn’t Qing University crushing North City University; it was her, a professor, having her intelligence ground into the dust by a student!
She immediately called Principal Wang at Qing University, demanding an explanation.
Principal Wang’s reply was very diplomatic. "Ah, Professor Liu! Thank you for taking in our student. Student Gu isn’t usually very fond of studying, so we thought sending her to North City University would be beneficial. The academic atmosphere there is so strong, after all! She hasn’t caused you any trouble, has she?"
Professor Liu, who was quite well-known in the education sector, felt her lips twitch. "She’s doing... fine."
Then, as if casually, she asked, "How is Gu Anxi’s ranking at Qing University?"
Principal Wang gave a mysterious smile. "Let me check! Gu Anxi has taken three major exams at the university; her average rank in the department is over 800."
Professor Liu clutched the phone, almost dropping it.
What? A student ranked over 800 at Qing University completely demolished our North City University’s top ten in the department, and this was even a cross-departmental test!
Professor Liu managed a faint smile. "It seems Qing University is quite strict with its students."
Principal Wang began to air his grievances. "What’s the use of being strict? This child just doesn’t like to study! Old Gao is always complaining that she sleeps in class and even wants to expel her. It’s been a massive headache for me. So, sending her to North City University to soak up some of your noble campus culture seemed like a perfect solution."
After hearing this, Professor Liu felt utterly dismayed.
Is it the quality of teaching at our North City University that’s poor, or the quality of our students?
After mulling it over, she called Old Gao to probe further.
Professor Gao didn’t deny Gu Anxi’s habit of sleeping in class, but he remained tight-lipped about everything else.
When Professor Liu hung up the phone, she silently thought, That girl probably got hold of this test set through some channel and practiced it. That’s the only explanation that makes sense.
When Gu Anxi walked out of the academic affairs office, she saw Bo Xichen waiting for her downstairs. He looked like he had been there for quite a while.
She went over and whispered, "Why weren’t you waiting in the car? It’s so cold out here."
He put his arm around her. "Worried about your Little Uncle now, are you?"
Gu Anxi struggled out of his embrace. "You’re freezing!"
She darted a few steps away, then glanced back to see Bo Xichen standing there, a smile on his face.
As she got into the car, Gu Anxi couldn’t shake the feeling that his smile held some hidden, ill intent.
***
「At the same time, in a private villa in Beicheng.」
「Study room.」
Gu Yuanshan sat in a rosewood chair, looking at Shen Congwen. "How are things at North City University?"
Before Shen Congwen could speak, he continued, "Did she enroll successfully? Which department?"
Shen Congwen said softly, "Mr. Gu, rest assured, she passed."
Gu Yuanshan’s hand, resting on the armrest, relaxed slightly. He smiled faintly. "I heard that child’s academic performance isn’t great, probably just at the passing level. But as long as she passed, that’s good."
Shen Congwen hesitated for a moment. "Initially, that was indeed the case; she barely passed every subject. But then, for some reason, she completed another set of papers and surprisingly achieved a high score of 581 points."
Gu Yuanshan stood up. "She scored that high? That child is quite remarkable. Qing University has always been considered inferior to North City University. I never imagined she’d come here and immediately stun all those professors!"
