A perfect score on the college entrance exam? The Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng has astonis

On Douyin (TikTok).

Chen Mo's speech clips were edited into various versions.

Some people paired it with traditional Chinese music, some with piano pieces, and some with instrumental music.

The version with the most views.

The background music is an old song – "Tomorrow Will Be Better".

A flood of tearful comments appeared on the screen.

Someone wrote: "If I had heard this poem during my senior year of high school, I would probably be at Tsinghua University now."

Someone wrote: "When I heard the saying 'It's too late to study when you're old,' I thought of my dad. He's fifty this year and he's still learning English on his own."

Someone wrote: "Chen Mo is not a genius, he is the 'If only I had tried a little harder back then' in the hearts of every ordinary person."

On Bilibili.

A professor from the Chinese Department of Peking University posted a status update.

His verified information states that he is a "Professor and Doctoral Supervisor in the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Peking University".

The profile picture is a half-body shot of him, with gray hair and wearing a pair of metal-framed glasses.

His post consisted of only one sentence.

"After listening to Chen Mo's 'Exhortation to Learning,' I remained silent for an hour. Then I sent a message to my graduate students: 'Go listen to what poetry is.'"

This post was screenshotted.

It was shared on Weibo and Douyin.

The news spread to every place where Chen Mo's name appeared.

In the comments section, someone asked, "Professor, how is Chen Mo's academic level?"

The professor replied, "It's not a matter of how he is, it's a matter of where he's standing. I can't reach him."

Someone else asked, "Could the Chinese Literature Department at Peking University teach him?"

The professor replied with two words: "No."

The messages started flooding the Peking University Chinese Department professors' group chat in the afternoon.

It started when someone forwarded a link to "Exhortation to Learning" with the caption: "Everyone, listen to this."

Then the group was quiet for about twenty minutes.

Twenty minutes later, the first reply appeared: "I've listened to it. Who wrote it?"

"Chen Mo, the one who got a perfect score on the college entrance exam, the one who wrote 'Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng' and 'Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River'."

The group chat fell silent again.

Then came the second reply, from a professor in his sixties.

His hair had turned completely white, and after retiring, he was rehired to mentor doctoral students.

He wrote a long passage: "I have studied Tang and Song poetry all my life, and I thought my understanding of poetry had reached a level of perfection."

"But today, after listening to this poem, 'Exhortation to Learning,' I suddenly realized that what I've been studying is all in books, while his poetry is in life. 'The lamp burns at midnight, the rooster crows at dawn'—this isn't just a classical allusion; it's a scene that every student has experienced."

"Those who don't study hard in their youth are not preaching; it's a regret that everyone has when they get old. He used the simplest words to express the most profound truth. That's genius."

Someone replied below.

"Professor, you're right. But I'd like to add one point—he's not just a genius, he's a genius among geniuses."

"We've studied poetry our whole lives and haven't been able to write a single poem that will be passed down through the ages. He was eighteen, and he wrote one casually that became a classic. This can't be explained by hard work; it's a gift from God."

The old professor replied, "It wasn't just a meal; it was an entire Manchu Han Imperial Feast."

However, just as the entire internet was flooded with posts about "Exhortation to Learning".

A familiar name has reappeared on the trending topics list.

Liu Zhiyuan.

He posted a new video.

At the beginning of the video, he is sitting behind that familiar desk.

Behind me was a row of bookshelves filled with literary classics.

His expression was more serious than before, so serious that it was even somewhat heavy.

"Everyone, I've heard Chen Mo's new poem 'Exhortation to Learning,' and I admit it's well-written."

"But I have a question: Didn't Chen Mo get full marks in all subjects? Why did he only showcase his literary skills? Someone who scored 750 on the college entrance exam got full marks in Chinese, math, English, and science."

"But what we see now is only his Chinese language score."

"What about his math? His English? His combined science score?"

He paused for a moment, then looked directly at the camera.

"Literature can be cheated on. You have a team behind you, a few people helping you write poems and articles, and you take them out and say they are yours, and no one can prove that they weren't written by you."

"But I'm bad at math, bad at physics, bad at chemistry. In these subjects, you either know it or you don't, and no team can help you."

"So, Chen Mo—if you really are a genius, if you really scored 750 points, then show the strength you have from a perfect score on the college entrance exam and prove your achievements in other subjects."

"Don't just let us see your poems and essays, let us see your math, your physics, your chemistry, let us see if you are a real genius or just a packaged 'literary prodigy'."

The video garnered over ten million views within half an hour of its release.

In the comments section, some people supported it, some opposed it, and some were skeptical.

"Teacher Liu is right! What's so special about just being able to write poetry? A perfect score on the college entrance exam means a perfect score in all subjects!"

"Are you all out of your minds? He wrote 'Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng,' 'Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River,' and 'Exhortation to Learning'—three masterpieces that have stood the test of time, and you're still questioning them?"

"Literature is different from science. Literature can be ghostwritten, but science cannot. If he wants to prove himself, he should demonstrate his scientific abilities."

"You're asking a poet to prove mathematics? Why don't you ask Einstein to write 'Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River'?"

"Didn't he get full marks in all subjects? Full marks in all subjects means full marks in math too. Since he got full marks in math, why not prove it?"

"You're just jealous. Is it so hard to admit that someone else is good?"

"It's not jealousy, it's reasonable skepticism. Anyone would question someone who usually scores around 400 points suddenly getting a perfect score on the college entrance exam."

The debate is getting increasingly heated.

Someone dug up his chemistry, biology, and English scores—all unremarkable.

These screenshots went viral, accompanied by the caption: "This is your genius? Someone who hasn't scored 120 in three years scored 150 on the college entrance exam? Do you believe it?"

But some people are refuting this.

"Have you forgotten? Chen Mo sleeps in class, hands in blank exam papers, and only scores a little over 400 on the monthly exam—he has never denied these things himself."

"He never said, 'I work very hard all the time.' He only said, 'Anyone with hands can do it.' You question him because you are judging a genius by the standards of ordinary people."

Su Wanci sat on the sofa at home, holding her phone in front of her, the screen showing Liu Zhiyuan's serious face.

She listened to the entire video.

From "I've heard Chen Mo's new poem 'Exhortation to Learning,' and I admit it's well-written" to "Are you a real genius, or just a packaged 'literary prodigy'?"

Every word felt like a thorn stuck in her ear.

She rewound the video and listened to the ending remarks again.

"Literature can be cheated on."

"I'm bad at math, bad at physics, bad at chemistry."

"Show me the ability to get a perfect score on the college entrance exam."

Her brows furrowed more and more, and her fingers tapped loudly on the edge of her phone.

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