Wei Guobin had initially assumed that Wen Qi was just some rich kid here to gain experience, nothing more than a disposable pawn. However, the scene before him completely overturned that notion.
He kept sneaking glances at the questions on the side, and many of them he himself wasn't entirely confident about. Yet Wen Qi, with just a quick scan, rapidly fired off answers.
At first, Wei Guobin thought Wen Qi was just guessing randomly—after all, with multiple-choice questions, anyone could pick answers and finish. But when he discreetly checked some of Wen Qi's responses, he was stunned to find that many were correct.
Of course, there were plenty of questions Wei Guobin himself wasn't sure about, but judging by the confident, assured aura Wen Qi exuded at that moment, no one would believe he was just scribbling nonsense. Because Wen Qi radiated the kind of presence that only a true expert possessed—it wasn't something that could be faked.
Wei Guobin muttered to himself:
"So he really is a genius playing the fool!"
With that thought, Wei Guobin couldn't help but feel excited. A rising star, and he happened to be the one proctoring his exam—that meant there was some fate between them. This undoubtedly made it easier for him to build a good relationship with Wen Qi later on.
He kept marveling that today must be his lucky day. What he thought was a hot potato had turned into an incredible surprise.
Wei Guobin's mood lifted like clouds parting to reveal the sun, his face brimming with barely concealed joy and anticipation.
The written exam, which normally took two hours, was being completed by Wen Qi at an astonishing speed.
His pen danced like lightning, swishing and scratching, finishing in just over half an hour. If it weren't for the later essay questions requiring extensive writing, which slowed him down a bit, it would have been even faster.
After finishing everything, Wen Qi confidently reviewed his answers, estimating to himself: Going all out this time, even if I don't get a perfect score, I should manage at least 95.
The points deducted would mainly come from the subjective essay questions, which had no standard answers—everyone had their own reasoning. So some marks would inevitably be lost, but there was no helping it; he had done his best.
Meanwhile, Wei Guobin, seeing Wen Qi finish the paper in such a short time, stood frozen in shock, rooted to the spot, unsure what to do.
There was still over an hour left. Were they supposed to just stare at each other for the rest of the time?
But there was no way around it—the rules didn't allow early submission. They had to wait for the designated person to collect the papers to ensure fairness.
Wen Qi wasn't aware of these rules. After finishing, he turned to look at Wei Guobin. Though he didn't speak, his eyes conveyed the question clearly: Could he hand in his paper early?
Wei Guobin didn't say a word either, just shot back a look that said no.
Wen Qi understood immediately and felt a wave of exasperation. If he'd known he couldn't leave early, he wouldn't have rushed. With all this time left, what was he supposed to do now?
He glanced helplessly at his completed paper, then at the endless time ahead, sighed, and thought, "Whatever, I'll just go for it." He covered his paper and laid his head down on the desk, ready to sleep.
As he rested his head, Wen Qi inwardly cursed his own oversight—why hadn't he considered the no-early-submission rule? Now he was stuck sleeping here.
Soon, drowsiness overtook him, and he drifted off.
Wei Guobin, meanwhile, was so shocked his mouth hung open wide enough to fit an egg.
He was certain that Wen Qi was the first person in the history of the association's exams to fall asleep in the advanced exam hall. He didn't know about the beginner or intermediate levels, but in the advanced hall, this was definitely a first.
How much confidence must someone have to sleep so soundly? Wei Guobin initially thought Wen Qi was just pretending, resting his eyes.
But after a minute or two, he suddenly heard snoring. Curious, he looked around, only to realize it was coming from Wen Qi right in front of him.
Seeing this, Wei Guobin was utterly speechless. He thought:
"What the hell? Even if you're a genius, do you have to be this carefree? Are you that confident, not worried about your exam results at all? So sure of yourself?"
For a moment, Wei Guobin didn't know what to do.
Waking him up didn't seem right—he wasn't cheating, just sleeping. But letting him snore away felt disrespectful to the proctor.
Wei Guobin stood there, brows furrowed, caught in a dilemma. He glanced at Wen Qi, sound asleep, then at the slow-moving clock on the wall, feeling as if time had frozen.
"What do I do? If a passing inspector sees this, who knows what they'll think?"
Wei Guobin muttered under his breath. He paced back and forth, his steps light, afraid to wake Wen Qi, yet hoping he'd wake up on his own.
"Ah, forget it, let him sleep. Maybe he really is that confident."
In the end, Wei Guobin decided not to wake him, staying by his side, though his eyes now held a mix of complex emotions.
About half an hour into Wen Qi's nap, an inspector made their routine rounds and reached his area.
Typically, inspections for advanced exams were just a quick glance. So the inspector just peered through the window. The previous exam rooms had all been normal.
Some examinees were fully focused, working hard with furrowed brows, deep in thought; others seemed to have sudden breakthroughs, their faces lighting up with joy; still others stared at multiple answers, torn between choices, struggling to decide. Overall, everyone was taking the exam seriously.
But when the inspector reached Wen Qi's room, the scene took a drastic turn. Through the window, they saw the examinee sleeping soundly, and they were stunned, eyes wide, mouth slightly open.
"What the hell? In such a tense exam, he's asleep? And why isn't the proctor saying anything, just letting him sleep?"
The inspector thought, feeling exasperated, and waved at Wei Guobin, signaling him to come out.
Wei Guobin saw the inspector calling him and walked out quickly without hesitation.
The inspector's face was stern, voice raised: "What's going on? That examinee is sleeping, and you're not doing anything about it? Letting him sleep like that—don't you think it's disrespectful to you?"
Wei Guobin, already impressed by Wen Qi's abilities, replied nonchalantly: "It's fine. He finished the paper and has nothing else to do. Since he can't submit early, he probably woke up too early and got sleepy. Sleeping a bit isn't a big deal."
The inspector hadn't expected such a response and was momentarily taken aback, disbelief written all over their face. They had assumed Wei Guobin would apologize or explain nervously, but instead, he was so calm and composed.
But thinking about it, Wei Guobin had a point. As long as there was no collusion or cheating between examinees and proctors, the inspectors didn't need to interfere with anything else.
The inspector paused, giving Wei Guobin a long, searching look, as if trying to confirm whether he was telling the truth.
Wei Guobin met the inspector's gaze openly, his eyes clear and steady, without a hint of evasion or guilt.
After a moment's thought, the inspector found no reason to argue and could only say helplessly: "Fine, just keep an eye on it."
With that, they turned and left.
Wei Guobin watched the inspector's retreating figure, feeling a wave of relief. He let out a soft breath, as if shedding a heavy burden, and returned to the exam room.
Back inside, looking at Wen Qi still fast asleep, Wei Guobin silently marveled: "This young man really is something else."