Top Student at Their Peak
Chapter 107 - 77: An Interview with Clear Love and Hate_3

Chapter 107: Chapter 77: An Interview with Clear Love and Hate_3

It’s obviously not the first time giving a special interview in front of the camera.

Qiao Yu performed perfectly, not feeling nervous at all even when faced with the camera.

The three of them chatted casually for about five minutes, and then the cameraman across from them gave an OK gesture.

"Qiao Yu, we’re officially starting now."

"Alright."

Zhang Zhen sat up straight and said, "Congratulations, Qiao Yu, for winning the gold medal in the algebra and number theory group of the Little Alibaba Math Competition finals. When did you realize you had such a talent in mathematics?"

"Actually, it wasn’t something I realized myself. I have to thank Teacher Lan from our school. Originally, I wasn’t very interested in mathematics, but by chance, Teacher Lan discovered my talent while solving Olympic Competition questions and started to mentor me carefully.

By the way, he also gave me two mathematics books. They were very enlightening, and sparked my great interest in mathematics, especially algebra and number theory, particularly in the distribution of prime numbers..."

Qiao Yu spoke freely.

The questions the reporter might ask were already shown to him by Principal Zhang, who told him to respond as he liked.

For such an opportunity, Qiao Yu certainly didn’t mind helping the good guy boast a bit.

"So this is your first time participating in the Little Alibaba Math Competition, right?"

"Yes."

"It’s your first time in this competition, and you won the gold medal. We confirmed that the two silver medalists in the algebra and number theory track, one is a current master’s student at MIT and the other is an undergraduate at MIT. Other winners are also mostly students from prestigious universities. Are you surprised by this ranking?"

"It was indeed a bit surprising. How should I put it, I found that the questions in this year’s final were actually quite simple while answering them. At the time, I even thought whether everyone would get full marks and win the gold medal, and if the prize promised by the Little Alibaba Group would be enough to go around. In the end, I really didn’t expect to be the only one with a gold medal."

For such straightforward questions, Qiao Yu really spoke his mind, because that’s exactly what he thought back then.

And since Principal Zhang just said to tell the truth, he had no concerns about being candid.

This answer even made Zhang Zhen, the experienced reporter, smile a little.

Now the colleagues from the new media department would definitely be pleased. Such a straightforward answer is sure to generate traffic! The KPI will be excellent!

Originally, the new media side didn’t want him to send all the interview questions to Principal Zhang first, fearing the school would coach Qiao Yu on how to reply and end up with unremarkable materials, but Zhang Zhen directly rejected that idea.

This special interview was arranged through his connections, and if surprises from spontaneous interviews yielded good materials, the new media department would be happy, but what about him? His task was to release the interview, no matter what Qiao Yu said. Ultimately, it all depended on his pen to polish it, and the audience wasn’t ordinary people browsing short videos, so it didn’t need attention-grabbing answers.

Who knew that Xingtie First Middle School really took an unconventional path. It was obvious that they didn’t instruct Qiao Yu on how to respond at all.

Perhaps Qiao Yu also realized that speaking blunt truths might sound hurtful when spread, so he added, "Of course, because I was invited to participate in the finals at Xiao Lake University, it was easier to concentrate on answering questions in such an environment.

Had it been at home, answering for eight consecutive hours as per contest rules, interruptions for various reasons might have delayed my progress. So I was lucky to take first place, right?"

The added explanation was quite good, though Zhang Zhen felt the new media department might edit out this additional statement when releasing the video externally.

There’s no choice; the whole press focuses greatly on KPIs, especially the new media section, and traffic is an evident necessity.

This sudden humility might not stir controversy then.

Zhang Zhen was still pondering on editing issues when Qiao Yu paused and suddenly added, "But compared to the two from MIT behind me, hmm, let’s say, maybe it’s the true reflection of MIT’s math level. Winning a silver medal is not bad for them, after all."

This statement was another unexpected turn for Zhang Zhen. Was this a direct diss at MIT?

The new media colleagues must be torn about whether to edit this or not?

Zhang Zhen instinctively gazed at Zhang Tiejun beside him. To his surprise, the principal sat there as steady as a rock.

Well then, Railway First Middle School is truly taking an unconventional route.

"So, Qiao Yu, do you have some different perspectives or critiques on MIT’s mathematics level? After all, in terms of theory, MIT is a world-renowned university, even though it’s not an Ivy League University, it almost has the same standard and reputation as the Ivy League."

"Eh? This isn’t one of the preset questions, right?" Qiao Yu asked curiously.

"Don’t worry, the interview’s final form will be in written form, and the recorded material will be edited. If you don’t want to answer, it’s fine," Zhang Zhen immediately replied.

"Oh, it’s okay, I just asked casually. Mainly because I often watch different universities’ textbooks and class videos online, and I make comparisons when summarizing them.

I’m not sure about other subjects, but personally, I believe MIT’s math isn’t as good as Harvard’s, and it doesn’t beat Princeton either. It also has a considerable gap compared to Huaxia’s Yanbei University and Huaqing University."