I was a top student in America.

Li Ao slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked out of the examination hall, where the corridor was filled with groans of despair.

The students crowded outside the door, huddled together in twos and threes to compare answers, most of them looking frustrated, while a few looked smug.

"That last geometry problem gave me a headache trying to find the auxiliary lines, and I ended up wasting an entire page of scratch paper."

"Don't even mention geometry. I got stuck on the third step of the third-to-last recurrence sequence problem."

"Hey, can you guys stop comparing answers? Can't you at least show some consideration to those who didn't finish?"

"Yeah, there's another match this afternoon, don't get carried away!"

Li Ao didn't stop and walked straight through the crowd.

He heard every complaint from those around him, but he didn't find it particularly difficult.

This year's exam questions were indeed complex, vaguely reminiscent of the American Mathematics Competitions (AMC12), but overall it wasn't quite at that level.

Most of the questions can still be solved by applying the formula even with slight variations. As long as you are quick-witted, you won't be unable to finish answering them.

Of course, this is also because he has the ability to apply knowledge to new situations and has recently done a lot of practice questions.

He kept these thoughts to himself and pushed aside the people blocking his way to continue walking towards the stairwell.

He hadn't taken two steps when someone called out to him from behind.

When I turned around, it was Ryan.

For some reason, this guy seemed to be in a good mood. He squeezed through the crowd to the front and habitually adjusted his glasses.

"Leo, what's the plan for lunch? If you're traveling alone, do you want to eat with some people from our school?"

"No, I brought sandwiches."

Li Ao shook his head, showing little interest in this kind of ineffective socializing.

Ryan's lips moved slightly; he really wanted to find out if he had finished the last geometry problem.

But then he remembered that Li Ao was from the "South District," and he was afraid that he might accidentally anger the other party and get beaten up, so he swallowed his words back.

Anyway, there's another exam this afternoon, so being one question ahead now won't make a difference. We'll see who's right after all the exams are over.

"Okay, I'll head out now. See you this afternoon."

After saying that, Ryan turned and went downstairs.

This statewide mathematics competition was divided into two sessions, with a one-and-a-half-hour break at noon, followed by the second session in the afternoon.

During the lunch break, the candidates were scattered in twos and threes inside and outside the examination hall.

Downstairs, delegations from several schools huddled around a bench, munching on sandwiches they had brought, and asking their teachers to help them review the morning's exam questions.

At the other end of the corridor, people were still huddled together checking their answers; and a few who couldn't stay awake any longer simply leaned against the wall and closed their eyes to rest.

In contrast, Li Ao, all alone, seemed somewhat out of place.

He quickly finished the dry bread his grandmother had stuffed into his bag that morning, found a quiet corner by the window at the end of the corridor, sat down, and started looking at his notebook of wrong answers.

However, when he flipped through the book, his focus was not on reviewing the wrong questions, but on trying to break down the underlying logic of each question and extract more general solutions, hoping to see if he could stimulate the [Intelligence] attribute on the panel to continue to rise.

This corner wasn't too far from Whitney Young High School's headquarters. When Li Ao was reading, he always felt like someone was watching him. Occasionally, when he looked up, he would meet Ryan's scrutinizing gaze several times.

The feeling of being constantly watched made him quite uncomfortable.

If it weren't for the good light by the window, he would have left long ago.

At 1 p.m., the second exam started on time.

The test paper was clearly more challenging than the one in the morning, with not only more complex questions but also a significantly increased amount of calculation, but Li Ao still managed to do very well.

After completing the last big question, there was still plenty of time left to check.

He had a general idea of ​​what was going on: even if he didn't get a perfect score on this test, he would at most lose a few points on the problem-solving steps.

After the second session ended, candidates from various schools gradually emerged from the examination hall.

Compared to the gloomy atmosphere of the morning, the atmosphere was noticeably more relaxed, and the conversations in the corridor were louder.

After all, I had been working so hard for this competition, and once I handed in my paper, I could finally relax.

Especially for students living in wealthy suburbs of Chicago, who rarely see anyone around their homes, the prospect of visiting a bustling area like Hyde Park is irresistible, and they can't wait to stroll around the streets.

Li Ao had to go to work at "Iron Box" in the afternoon and had no interest in strolling around.

He slung his backpack over one shoulder, left the building, and walked straight to his bicycle.

They hadn't gone far when Ryan suddenly appeared out of nowhere, his attitude unusually familiar:

"Leo! My dad's here to pick me up. Where do you live? Want a ride?"

"Thanks, I rode my bike, it's only a few miles from home."

Li Ao politely declined in a lukewarm manner.

Ryan didn't press the issue, casually tossing out a "Be careful on the road" before turning and getting into his dad's Volvo.

……

In apartment 306, Grandma Liu Guifang was sitting on a small stool in the living room, picking vegetables.

Seeing Li Ao enter, she casually asked, "How did the exam go today?"

Before Li Ao could respond, she paused, the vegetable leaves in her hand faltering. Afraid that the question would upset her grandson, she quickly changed the subject, "Look, Mrs. Collins next door brought over some fresh vegetables. I'll stir-fry them tonight. Don't always make do with those nearly expired canned goods on the balcony."

Li Ao smiled, understanding the old lady's intention.

Liu Guifang may seem stubborn, but she always protects him.

He figured it was time to give his grandmother a little surprise.

"Grandma, I've made some money recently." He walked over, his tone relaxed. "I've saved enough for our winter."

Upon hearing the first half of the sentence, Liu Guifang's eyes lit up, and she was about to open her mouth to say a few words of praise, but she was stunned on the spot by the second half of the sentence, "the savings have been saved up enough".

Winter savings would cost at least a thousand or eight hundred yuan, but this kid is either in school or training all day, where would he get so much money?

"How much did you actually earn?"

Liu Guifang put down the vegetables in her hands completely, her voice tense.

Anyone who's been in the South District for a while knows that, apart from those gangsters on the streets, who has the ability to make a lot of money in such a short time?

"A little over a thousand yuan."

Li Ao answered casually.

Liu Guifang swallowed hard, frowned, and stared at her grandson: "You didn't get involved in any shady dealings, did you?"

"Grandma, what are you thinking?" Li Ao sighed helplessly. "I work and train every day, and when I come back I have to study and help people revise documents. Where do I have time to do bad things?"

"Now even our math teacher is my client. If you don't believe me, just look up the school's contact book and give him a call."

Seeing the old lady's skeptical look, Li Ao simply turned around and went back into the house. A short while later, he took out a stack of neatly arranged US dollars and handed it over, with both small and large bills.

Looking at the thick wad of money in her hand, and thinking about how her grandson had been working hard from dawn till dusk these past few days, Liu Guifang's eyes welled up with tears, feeling both excited and delighted.

"My grandson's really something... Just you wait, Grandma's going to get you something nice tonight!"

She jumped up, wiped her hands haphazardly on her apron, and said, "The corner grocery store is having a tilapia sale today, I'll go pick out a couple for you to nourish yourself!"

No sooner had she finished speaking than the old lady had already run out the door like a gust of wind.

When Li Ao returned from his job at "Iron Box" that evening, the hallway was already filled with delicious aromas.

The caramelized aroma of pan-fried tilapia, combined with the spiciness of parsley and black pepper, is irresistible.

After dinner, Li Ao wanted to help clear the dishes, but Liu Guifang blocked him from the kitchen door as if guarding him closely, refusing to let him touch the dishes.

Left with no other option, he simply went back to his room to continue studying math problems.

With the statewide competitions over, the next goal is to get back to the AMC12.

In addition, AP Calculus should also be put on the agenda.

Wyndham High School doesn't offer AP courses at all, so expecting Mrs. Paterson to approve funding for study guides is a pipe dream.

Right now, we can only hope to get some materials from Professor Brown or try our luck at the public library.

While students from various schools temporarily left the competition and returned to their daily lives, several teachers selected by the ICTM organizing committee had already begun grading exam papers at a marking center in a building at the University of Chicago.

……