Chapter 3: The Death of Red Hare

Only half an hour had passed, and while others were still grappling with the earlier questions, Zhang Chu had already advanced to the essay section with unstoppable momentum.

Inside the examination hall, the two proctors, having witnessed Zhang Chu's earlier behavior, couldn't help but focus their attention on him, eager to see whether this outspoken student possessed true ability.

Zhou Yuling had been a Chinese teacher for many years, though she wasn't teaching the senior class this year. Zhang Chu's arrogant remarks had left her somewhat displeased. As a teacher, she preferred students who were grounded and diligent, so after making her rounds in the hall, she deliberately paused behind Zhang Chu.

"What beautiful handwriting!"

Though she hadn't yet read the content, the answer sheet was already filled with a series of fluent, powerful strokes—each character bold and vigorous, as if penned by a master calligrapher. Just by looking at Zhang Chu's script, Zhou Yuling's initial displeasure diminished, replaced by a budding admiration, hoping the student truly possessed exceptional talent.

It was startling—how many minutes had passed? The boy's answer sheet was already covered, and now he sat pondering his essay. Glancing instinctively at her watch, Zhou Yuling noted it was only nine thirty-two. While others were still working on classical poetry fill-ins, he was about to begin his essay. Perhaps his claim of submitting early was not mere bravado, but a genuine intention!

Zhang Chu, meanwhile, was oblivious to the complex gaze of the proctor behind him. He was wholly immersed in the Savior System, paying no heed to the outside world.

Damn! Damn!

"This is definitely not the world I once knew!"

Zhang Chu had nearly finished his Chinese exam before discovering the peculiarities of this world through the system. Why did the system alter the settings? Technological development was similar to Earth, familiar celebrities existed, Zhang Guorong hadn't played an April Fool's prank on his fans—he had actually married Mr. Tang and received blessings from the entire entertainment industry. Mei Jie, Anita Mui, though tormented by cancer, had undergone multiple surgeries and was in remission.

Zuolin and Youli dominated the music scene, the God of Songs was just emerging, the Four Heavenly Kings hadn't even been mentioned by the media, and Jonathan Lee had only just produced the album "Moments of Awakening." "Princess Pearl" aired in 2017, a young actress's name resounding through every street; F4 ignited Taiwan with "Meteor Garden," which had only aired in mainland China this month; that person called Jay Chou was nowhere to be found!

"Avatar" swept the globe in 2016, Adele had just released her album "21" this year, and "Friends" was still in its second season—far from being the nostalgic memory of drama fans.

Everything was chaotic—every timeline scrambled! Zhang Chu felt on the verge of collapse. What on earth was happening? Was there any hope for a normal life?

Yet the exam hall was not the place for existential contemplation. The Savior System permitted only one hour of external assistance, so Zhang Chu had to make the most of it.

"After the exam, I'll investigate carefully. I mustn't slip up."

The immediate priority was to write the essay well and earn enough reputation points. Such a powerful system couldn't go wasted.

"Write an essay on the topic 'Faith,' not less than 800 words, any genre except poetry..."

Suppressing his burgeoning curiosity, Zhang Chu began to tackle the prompt.

Though he had access to external help, this topic was vast—was "faith" a letter, integrity, belief, loyalty, righteousness, or the "trust" within the Confucian virtues? With such a broad scope, narrowing it down was essential, so he could find a suitable essay template.

"Integrity is common, nothing novel. Better to write something more impactful!"

He quickly searched the system's external resources for high-scoring exam essays, noting that while many writers had tackled "faith," not all would score well in this context. It was best to pick a proven, perfect-score essay.

Of course, luck played a role—a single essay might elicit different responses from different graders. The outcome was left to fate!

"Damn, how could I forget this essay!"

Annoyed, Zhang Chu tapped his forehead, recalling the essay he'd once revered before his own college entrance exam—"The Death of Red Hare," hailed as the strongest by countless students.

Originally meant to address integrity, the essay veered toward loyalty, which perfectly matched this exam's theme. After all, it was all "faith"—interpretation was flexible!

The only concern was that the essay had been a perfect-score composition in the 2001 Earth exam. In this world, now 2018, had it already appeared?

"System, search 'The Death of Red Hare' on this world's search engines. Has it surfaced before?"

"Congratulations, host. This essay has not appeared—you may use it!"

Delighted, Zhang Chu found his final problem solved. The Savior System’s external assistance was formidable, allowing access to search engines in both worlds. Even if Zhang Chu couldn't recall the essay verbatim, the system could retrieve it instantly—remarkably convenient!

This once-viral essay was written in classical vernacular, based on the Three Kingdoms, weaving a poignant tale of Red Hare's sacrifice for loyalty and faith. Though written on the spot, it brimmed with imagination and originality, compelling readers to marvel. Even more than a decade later, "The Death of Red Hare" remained a classic among perfect-score essays, once captivating the entire nation.

Choosing this composition was brilliant—it could secure a perfect score and, once it swept the country, bring in a flood of reputation points!

With a flourish, Zhang Chu wrote the title and began his essay.

"In the twenty-sixth year of Jian'an, 221 AD, Guan Yu fled Maicheng, defeated and captured, refusing to surrender, and was killed by Sun Quan. His steed, Red Hare, was bestowed upon Ma Zhong by Sun Quan..."

Hundreds of words flowed onto the page in one breath, hardly pausing for a moment.

There was not a single blemish on the answer sheet; it looked like a masterpiece worthy of collection.

This essay personified Red Hare, showing, through its dialogues with the horse-whisperer Bo Xi, its opinions of the contrasting characters of Guan Yu, Dong Zhuo, and Lü Bu. The language was sophisticated, the classical vernacular pure and skillful. Zhang Chu had once thought this essay was penned by some great historian, only to learn it was the work of a high school student.

"What a sin, I have become the original author of this essay."

Despite his words, Zhang Chu felt little embarrassment—his skin was well-tempered. Now he had finished arranging his test paper and answer sheet.

He lay sprawled across his desk, daydreaming of his imminent harvest of reputation points—a feeling so exhilarating he could hardly contain it.