74: Chapter 74 Refusing Tutoring Starts with Me

School of Computer Science teaching building, Principal's office.

Professor Qian Qidong sat comfortably on the sofa, drinking the tea Principal Ding had personally poured for him, looking quite content.

Opposite him, a refined, bespectacled man wore a wry smile.

"I say, Qidong, although we are old classmates, aren't you being a bit too impolite? Do you know how much this pot of tea costs?"

"Look at how stingy you are. It's not easy for me to come out here, you know? You keep nagging just because I drank a few cups of your tea." Professor Qian Qidong, looking completely unbothered, picked up another cup of tea and downed it in one gulp.

Drinking it like a cow...

The refined man shook his head with a wry smile.

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"Forget it, I know you've been working hard. Drink up, drink as much as you want. Once you're done, hurry back and get on with your research. The country is still waiting for good news from you!"

Mentioning this, Professor Qian Qidong's expression darkened.

"Old Ding, I've been at your school for three days now, and you still don't have a shred of information?"

"The information you provided is too sparse." The refined man surnamed Ding shook his head and said, "No gender, no age, no detailed information at all. Being able to trace it to our School of Computer Science based solely on an IP address is already quite precise. As for anything else, there's nothing I can do."

"Think carefully." Professor Qian Qidong put down his teacup, looking serious. "Do you really not have any professors who meet the conditions I described?"

"We are the School of Computer Science and Technology!" Principal Ding said with a helpless laugh. "Never mind professors; even the students are studying computer Science! I should be asking you—are you sure the IP address you provided is accurate?"

"I can guarantee that." Professor Qian Qidong nodded solemnly.

"Then there's nothing I can do." Principal Ding shook his head. "Our School of Computer Science only has a dozen or so professors. I've already screened them all for you, and I'm almost certain the person you're looking for isn't among them."

"What about the students?"

Principal Ding couldn't help but laugh. "I say, Qidong, have you lost your mind from anxiety? Even though it's classified and you won't tell me, are you sure the person you're looking for is a student?"

"This..." Professor Qian Qidong thought it over carefully again and shook his head helplessly. He really had been blinded by anxiety; how could a student possibly know those things?

"So, Qidong, go back first and don't worry. I'll keep an eye out for the person you mentioned, and if they appear, I'll let you know as soon as possible."

"That's all I can do." Professor Qian Qidong nodded slightly. He had rushed to W City in a panic, already anticipating this result. Although disappointed now, it wasn't unexpected. But this meant his research would...

"Right, there's one more thing." Professor Qian Qidong recalled something. "I met a student while sunbathing this morning and chatted with him for a bit."

"It turned out he had been kicked out by his teacher. I say, Old Ding, even if a student has poor grades, there's no need to kick them out and deny them the chance to take the exam, right? And you call yourself an educational pioneer."

"There's such a thing?" Principal Ding was incredulous. "What's his name? What major is he in?"

"His name is Wang Shuo, and he's in the Computer Science and Technology major!"

"Wang Shuo?!" Principal Ding was stunned for a moment, then gave a wry smile. "Are you sure it's Wang Shuo?"

...

"Tutoring?"

Wang Shuo stared wide-eyed at Li Yao, who had suddenly appeared in front of him, and the visibly impatient Zhou Peng beside him. He suspected he had misheard. Beside him, Zheng Jun and Li Li were also stunned.

Just a moment ago, shortly after Zheng Jun and Li Li had arrived, the three of them were just chatting about trivial matters when Li Yao suddenly descended with the air of a savior, saying things that Wang Shuo couldn't quite understand.

"Yes, tutoring." Li Yao said with a hint of arrogance. "Classmate Wang Shuo, rest assured, I won't charge a single cent for your tutoring. I guarantee one-on-one guidance throughout the entire process. If you have any questions you don't understand, you can ask at any time. I'll teach you until you know it."

Wang Shuo opened his mouth slightly, but before he could speak, Li Yao interrupted him.

"Classmate Wang Shuo, you don't need to thank me. As members of the same class, it's only right that we help each other. Of course, you don't need to belittle yourself too much. Although my grades are indeed very good, I am still just an ordinary student. In our school, there are some very impressive seniors, not to mention even more impressive professors."

Li Yao said in a patronizing tone, "My purpose in saying this isn't to make you, Classmate Wang Shuo, realize the gap, but to hope that you will strive for success. We don't expect you to catch up to others, but at least you should narrow the gap."

"I know you missed your lessons due to health reasons, but that doesn't matter. With my help, I believe you will soon be able to catch up with the curriculum, and perhaps even fight for a spot in the top ten of the class."

Wang Shuo didn't know what to say anymore... Strange things happen every year, but there are especially many this year. Why do they all happen to him?

"Wang Shuo..." Zheng Jun put down his chopsticks and murmured, "I think... that makes sense."

Li Li nodded.

You two... whose side are you on?

How does what he said make any sense?

Wang Shuo really wanted to tell them that he had digested six courses in less than an hour, just to scare the life out of them.

But...

"Haha, thank you very much, Classmate Li Yao, but I don't think it's necessary."

You don't hit a smiling face; he would endure it.

Li Yao's smiling expression faltered slightly, then he continued, "Classmate Wang Shuo might not know much about me yet, so let me introduce myself. My name is Li Yao, I'm 18 years old, my ancestral home is Jining, Shandong Province, and my parents currently live in Shanghai, running some small businesses."

"Since I started school, I have received 25 'Three-Good Student' awards, 15 of which were at the municipal level; I have participated in 20 Math Olympiad competitions, winning the grand prize 19 times and second prize once; I won't go into detail about other awards. This year, I was admitted to our institution with the second-highest Science score in Shandong Province, and to this day, I still maintain the top position in our class."

He really is impressive, Wang Shuo thought with some admiration.

But...

"As for the tutoring, let's just forget about it. Classmate Li Yao, thank you for your encouragement, but I believe I can do it myself." Wang Shuo smiled.

"Haha." Li Yao maintained his smile and urged, "Classmate Wang Shuo, I just told you that there are some very impressive seniors in our school, and I... happen to have a close relationship with one of them."

A close relationship... Wang Shuo's mind wandered for a moment.

"This senior is currently a member of Professor Zeng Xuewei's research team. Oh, I suppose you don't know Professor Zeng Xuewei yet, do you?"

Wang Shuo showed an awkward smile. "This..."

Li Yao ignored him and continued, "Professor Zeng Xuewei is our school's Honorary Vice Principal and a doctoral supervisor. The professional research team he leads is famous, not just in our school, but throughout the entire Huazhong University of Science and Technology and even all of China. If you can enter such a research team to study a subject, then I can say with certainty..."

A glint of light appeared in Li Yao's eyes.

"From then on, your path ahead will be smooth sailing, without the slightest obstacle. No matter where you go, this will be a brilliant stroke on your resume!"

Is it that awesome? Wang Shuo felt a little regretful; he should have learned more about it earlier.

"And my senior is a member of such a research team." Li Yao said proudly. "Now that the exams are halfway over, I won't hide it from you all: my senior found out that Professor Zeng Xuewei's research team is likely to have added a new project, and it's a long-term project. They need to recruit a few team members from the freshmen, and this exam is very likely related to that."

Using exams to select project team members. Aside from Zhou Peng, who already knew, and Wang Shuo, who remained unmoved by everything, the others... for example, Zheng Jun and Li Li, were stunned by what they heard.

What they originally thought was a simple, routine exam had suddenly become incredibly significant in an instant.

Although Zheng Jun was always easygoing, he couldn't help but feel a strange, slight nervousness about the upcoming exam in the afternoon.

"My goal is to join this project team, and I must get in no matter what."

Li Yao's determined gaze infected Wang Shuo, who nodded. "I believe in you, Classmate Li Yao. You will definitely succeed!"

"Thank you, Classmate Wang Shuo. I have always believed in myself!"

After saying this, Li Yao noticed the atmosphere was a bit strange. He had come to encourage this academic underachiever, so why did it seem like he was the one being encouraged instead?

Back to the main topic.

"So, Classmate Wang Shuo, there is now a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in front of you. I hope you will consider it carefully." Li Yao looked sincere, while Zhou Peng beside him had already started eating.

He had never begged to tutor someone before. He didn't believe that Wang Shuo, an underachiever who had been kicked out of the exam room by a teacher, wouldn't be tempted. Haha, people are all concerned about face; he felt he understood Wang Shuo's mentality very well, so... he had to put on a good show.

"It's really too much trouble for you, Classmate Li Yao, to come all this way just for this matter. I also feel very embarrassed, but since you've already come, it seems impolite not to express my stance, so..."

Li Yao smiled slightly, full of confidence.

Opposite him, Wang Shuo revealed a row of white teeth and smiled slightly.

"I refuse."