Chapter 23: The Gathering Storm
The eighty-eight yuan buffet steak was indeed plentiful, though its quality was quite ordinary; after all, you get what you pay for. Zhang Chu was already stuffed, leaning back against his chair and rubbing his belly. “Mom, why did you take so many pastries? I can't possibly eat any more!”
“You have to finish them, whether you want to or not. Otherwise, we won’t get back our twenty yuan deposit per person. Rest a bit, or go to the bathroom if you have to, but you need to deal with this plate of pastries and fruit.”
This was the typical experience at a buffet: eyes bigger than the stomach, everyone piling their plates with food only to struggle with finishing it in the end, forced to endure the discomfort.
The whole family was sprawled across their chairs in perfect unison. Zhang Chu simply picked up his phone, deciding it was best to rest for a while—this sort of overeating was unhealthy.
In truth, he was only pretending to browse his phone, using the gesture as a cover to check his system. Within the Savior System, Zhang Chu was surprised to discover that his reputation points were steadily and rapidly increasing!
The points he’d previously used up for the exam and for writing “Detective Sherlock” were restored, surpassing the ten-thousand mark, and they continued to climb—the tens and units digits rising swiftly.
“What on earth is happening? I don’t think I’ve done anything,” Zhang Chu thought, baffled. He wondered if perhaps his fan fiction had been posted online ahead of schedule.
The speed of the reputation point increase was astonishing, far beyond what a niche detective novel could provide; in just one minute, his reputation had risen by more than three hundred points.
He quickly exited the system. Instead of seeking help through the system’s external assistance function, he used his own phone to search for the name “Zhang Chu,” hoping to see what was being said online.
Sure enough, a flood of news articles appeared, all centered around the same event.
“The Death of Red Hare,” as Jiangdong Province’s first perfect-score essay in the college entrance examination, had been revealed!
Not only was the full text exposed, but even the grading teachers’ comments were made public, complete with formal annotations.
All the reports originated from the Jiangdong Daily, and when Zhang Chu clicked on them, he found the content matched his own writing word for word.
“First perfect-score national college entrance exam essay unveiled!”
“Masterpiece in classical vernacular ‘The Death of Red Hare’ earns perfect score”
“Come and see the perfect-score college entrance exam essay—‘The Death of Red Hare’”
“After reading ‘The Death of Red Hare,’ what do you think of a perfect-score essay’s craftsmanship?”
“Jiangdong Province candidate Zhang Chu wins perfect essay score with ‘The Death of Red Hare’”
“‘The Death of Red Hare’—the essay most deserving of a perfect score nationwide!”
News of every kind burst forth, with many media outlets rushing to report without even verifying whether the essay was truly part of the college entrance exam.
Zhang Chu frowned slightly; the exam results hadn’t even been released, yet his essay was already made public. It all seemed rather abrupt.
What exactly was going on?
...
How many people in Jiangdong Province are named Zhang Chu? And how many of them took the college entrance exam at the same time?
No one had an answer, but Zhang Chu’s reputation points kept increasing. This time, the media coverage wasn’t just local news from Jiangcheng—it was a nationwide sensation!
“My goodness, a high school student wrote this? Unbelievable.”
“Who is Zhang Chu? I need to pay my respects!”
“I can barely tackle the classical language questions, and he managed to write this essay. Clearly, my years have been wasted!”
“Even if you gave me another ten years, I couldn’t write something like this.”
“Was this really written in the exam room? He must have prepared it in advance. How could anyone write such an essay in so little time? Does he think he’s Cao Zhi, composing poetry in seven steps?”
“I believe this essay deserves to be included in the Chinese curriculum for secondary schools. Whether in terms of theme, writing, logic, or structure, it’s a rare masterpiece in modern classical vernacular.”
“Wasn’t there a minimum of eight hundred characters? This essay doesn’t seem to have that many; it should have points deducted!”
“The grading for the college entrance exam hasn’t even finished yet—this can’t be the real exam essay, right?”
“If the reports turn out to be inaccurate, you’ll have to take responsibility!”
“Which school is Zhang Chu from? Such a remarkable essay must come from someone with a solid foundation.”
Even among netizens, opinions varied; some praised, others doubted, but all agreed “The Death of Red Hare” was an exceptionally fine essay.
...
In Jiangcheng, inside the editorial department of the Jiangdong Daily, most staff were busy preparing materials for the next day’s print. Newspapers typically had to be sent to the press after midnight, then delivered early to kiosks and subscribers.
“Our Jiangdong Daily has really made a splash today—the whole internet is sharing our report,” Editor-in-Chief Yan Yong said with gleaming eyes. He had risked scrutiny and pushed through opposition to publish the full text of “The Death of Red Hare,” precisely for this reason.
“Old Song, keep digging into the topic of ‘The Death of Red Hare.’ Make it a special feature series; it’s sure to bring us plenty of exposure. Who knows, next year’s financial allocation might increase because of this.”
Song Yinglong nodded eagerly. After years as an editor, it was his first time encountering such hot news.
“Chief Yan, we’ve already found out about Zhang Chu, the examinee. After handing in his paper early, he was interviewed by Jiangcheng News. We can portray him as a prodigy. I’m planning to interview his teachers at Jiangcheng Experimental High School, and Xiao Li will interview Zhang Chu himself.”
Yan Yong approved the idea: “Let’s capitalize on our local advantage. Edit those interview videos and upload them to our official Weibo. Let people get to know this young man from Jiangdong.”
“No problem, we’re all set on our end!”
Jiangdong Daily once had a circulation of several million copies; now, after business declined, it barely sold seven to eight hundred thousand. Outside Jiangdong Province, it held little influence.
Yan Yong hoped to use the “The Death of Red Hare” event to extend the reach of Jiangdong Daily. Even if people elsewhere couldn’t buy the paper edition, they might at least purchase the digital version!
As the only perfect-score college entrance exam essay leaked from all the provinces nationwide, “The Death of Red Hare” received attention that couldn’t be measured in numbers.
Especially since the essay was written in classical language, which added an extra layer of legend and discussion.
The names Zhang Chu and The Death of Red Hare were mentioned repeatedly, soaring to the top of Weibo trending topics, standing out amid national affairs and entertainment gossip.