I was a top student in America.

"We won! We fucking won!"

"Wyndham has reached the semifinals! Here we come for the Greater Chicago Championship!"

"Holy crap, Leo was amazing today! Four steals, he shut down Devin completely, and he still managed to score 17 points!"

"Inglewood just got taken down like that? Is this still the school team we know?"

"I'm going to brag about this to my brother tomorrow; he never even made the playoffs back in the day!"

……

The match had ended, with the score settling at 74 to 68, but the Wyndham students in the stands lingered, still huddled together, jumping and hopping.

The stadium was filled with shouts, and towels and water bottles were flying in the air.

This was a historic moment for the Wyndham school team, with everyone celebrating their victory.

Li Ao sat on the bench, enjoying the cheers and applause from his teammates and fans, but his mind was preoccupied with his own thoughts.

Today's victory is only a small part of his plan to leave the South District.

Next up are the USAMO, SAT, AP exams, and the Greater Chicago Championship – one tough battle after another.

That will be the real test for him.

Therefore, he dared not relax for even a moment.

Just as he was figuring out how to arrange his study plan, Jaylen plopped down next to him, so excited he was incoherent:

"Leo, pinch me! Am I dreaming? We really won! And I even got eight points!"

Li Ao chuckled and punched his shoulder: "No dream, you really played well today."

"Fine, even if it's a dream, don't wake me up!" Jay Chou was still immersed in ecstasy.

Li Ao knew that over the past month or so, Jaylen had put in a lot of effort in both basketball and mathematics, and his progress was quite obvious, which could be felt from his usual training and problem-solving sessions.

He felt that the other party's eight points were definitely not a fluke.

"Be confident, we're a strong team in the South Division now," Li Ao said.

"Leo, you said..." Jaylen wiped the sweat from his face, his eyes filled with anticipation, "If I can perform like this in the Greater Chicago Tournament, will any NCAA scouts take notice of me? Even if it's a small, unknown school, as long as they can give me a scholarship so I can continue playing, that's fine."

Li Ao was not surprised.

He had known this kid's thoughts all along, and he was working hard to catch up on his studies and practice so that he could escape the quagmire of the South District through basketball.

As the two were talking, Principal Smith and Mr. Brown walked quickly over from the VIP section.

As soon as the principal stood still, he raised his voice and shouted:

"Well done, guys! Coach Durant, you've made history, and Wyndham is proud of you!"

Mr. Brown, standing to the side, had no interest in celebrating the match. He leaned closer to Li Ao and asked impatiently:

"How's it going, Leo? Did you get the AIME answers right? How did the test go?"

"Yes, I just checked the standard answers this morning, so it should be a perfect score."

Principal Smith paused for a moment, then grinned and burst into laughter:

"Oh my gosh! A perfect score on the AIME? Does that mean a spot in the USAMO (United States Mathematical Olympiad) is practically guaranteed?"

"Great! That's fantastic!"

He patted Li Ao's shoulder heavily, his eyes brimming with undisguised pride.

If the results weren't still pending, he would love to grab a megaphone at the entrance and announce them right now.

Let those key high schools in the northern and western suburbs see who says that bad schools in the southern district can't produce top students.

However, being the head of a school, he possessed basic manners and, taking advantage of his good mood, immediately followed up with a guarantee:

"By the way, don't worry about the bonus the school promised. This time, I will do everything I can to get you the highest level of reward."

"The money will be deposited into your account as soon as the results are officially released!"

"Thank you very much, Principal." Hearing that the money was secured, Li Ao's smile immediately became much more sincere.

Mr. Brown stood to the side, rubbing his hands together excitedly, speechless for a long time.

Even though he already knew Li Ao's background, he still couldn't suppress his joy when he saw his student with one foot in the highest-level mathematics finals in the United States.

This is definitely the highlight of Robert Brown's teaching career.

The team members who were celebrating around them all stopped and looked at Li Ao, speechless with shock.

The students present were all from Wyndham. Although they knew that Li Ao was very good at math, the impact of entering the national finals was still a bit beyond their expectations.

After all, the Hawks were already incredibly excited just for making it to the Greater Chicago Tournament.

Moreover, his mother, who plays basketball, can also get a perfect score in a math competition?

Could you be any more outrageous?

Principal Smith was in high spirits today, experiencing two joyous occasions, and waved his hand dismissively:

"Let's go! The school's paying today, let's treat you to a big meal to celebrate!"

As soon as everyone reached the stadium corridor, Mrs. Paterson caught up, panting, accompanied by the crisp sound of high heels.

"Principal Smith," she breathed a sigh of relief and eagerly reported, "I've gotten inside information through connections; the cutoff scores for this year's USAMO have been released."

Principal Smith paused for a moment, a slight embarrassment on his face.

Yesterday, he asked Mrs. Paterson to inquire about the cutoff score, but he didn't realize he should have asked Li Ao's score first.

Isn't this just a waste of effort?

However, he quickly composed himself, his smile widening: "How many points?"

"It's probably between 200 and 210 points. The exact score is still being calculated, but the range is definitely correct. He will give me the specific score tonight."

Mrs. Paterson glanced at Li Ao, her tone carrying a hint of self-satisfaction.

To get this information first, she pulled a lot of strings, hoping the principal would praise her for being efficient.

But she quickly sensed something was off—the principal's face showed no surprise, as if he already knew the outcome.

"Thank you for your hard work, Mrs. Paterson," Principal Smith said with a cough. "However, Li Ao has already secured his place in the USAMO. He just checked the standard answers this morning, and he got a perfect score on the AIME."

Mrs. Paterson froze on the spot upon hearing this:

"How much? Full marks...full marks?"

"According to the standard algorithm, it definitely exceeds the limit, and AIME questions are all fill-in-the-blank, so there are no right or wrong answers."

Mr. Brown added from the side.

Mrs. Paterson turned to look at Li Ao, her eyes behind her reading glasses filled with disbelief.

So all that effort and trouble I went through to find out the cut-off scores was for nothing?

But beyond the shock, she felt mostly relieved.

A few months ago, when Li Ao applied for the application fee, he struggled even with a few AMC practice questions. Now, he has actually scored full marks on the more difficult AIME.

Luckily, I didn't hold back that 300 yuan of funding because I was stingy, otherwise I would be a sinner against the school now.

She took a deep breath, suppressing her complex emotions, and forced a smile: "Leo, well done, that's fantastic!"

"Thank you." Li Ao smiled and nodded in gratitude.

Seeing Mrs. Paterson's embarrassment, Principal Smith aptly smoothed things over:

"Better late than never! The basketball team made it into the tournament today. Come on, Mrs. Patterson, let's go get some fried chicken and celebrate!"

……

A week later, the USAMO finals arrived as scheduled.

The exam venue was located at the Illinois Institute of Mathematics and Sciences (IMSA), which is more than 30 miles away.

To ensure Li Ao's smooth journey, Wyndham High School specially arranged a school bus to pick him up and drop him off.

As the highest-level mathematics competition in the United States, the USAMO has a very demanding schedule: the exam lasts for two days, with four and a half hours each day, and only three major problems can be solved.

On the morning of the departure day, Li Ao had just settled into his seat on the school bus and was about to take out his paper and pen to warm up when Mr. Brown suddenly sat down next to him and spoke with a serious expression.

……