The following day was Sunday, and Lin Yuan went to work as usual.
In today's Qinzhou Art Academy, the Department of Fine Arts was conducting a collective examination.
The test lasted for one day.
Watercolor in the morning, and sketching in the afternoon.
This day's examination not only challenged the students' drawing skills but also tested the physical endurance of the art tutors.
Art tutors needed to grade the student's work on the same day so that the results could be announced the next day.
Time was limited.
After the exam, the students returned to the dormitory.
Meanwhile, the tutors of the fine arts department had to stay in the office and work overtime to correct the test papers.
It wasn't until nine o'clock in the evening that the instructors of the Fine Arts Department completed grading the papers one after another.
Inside a large office in the Department of Fine Arts, Professor Kong An of the Department of Painting was relieved. He stretched his waist and smiled, "Finally, it's over. Have you noticed that the students' drawing performance seems to have improved quite a bit this semester?"
"Yes."
Kong An's observation resonated with all the sketch teachers.
With the exams finished, everyone waited for the final statistics of the results while chatting:
"The progress is remarkable."
"I approved a hundred paintings and encountered a dozen very good sketches. Previously, we'd only see three or five at most."
"I've started recording grades next door. It's estimated that the average sketching score this time is much higher than last semester. It seems like everyone has been studying sketching diligently recently."
"..."
At this moment, one of the sketch teachers remarked, "Isn't there a sophomore in the painting club teaching sketching for a fee? I believe he's contributed to the overall improvement in drawing performance in the department this year."
"I've heard about that too."
A female sketching teacher, sipping her coffee, added, "There's a student in my class who had a poor drawing foundation. After learning with him twice, his skills have notably improved."
"What surprised me was that the instructor was also a student, not from our art department."
The coffee-sipping teacher expressed regret, saying, "He knows how to teach, and is confident in his sketching skills. Why didn't he report this to our art department earlier?"
"Anything else?"
Kong An raised his eyebrows, curious.
As a sketching professor, he rarely taught students directly.
Occasionally, he would conduct large-scale public classes, facing numerous students and spending half a day just taking roll calls.
"I heard from the students."
The sketch instructor by the window smiled and said, "That kid seems to be Lin Yuan, a sophomore composition student. He's been teaching at the painting club recently, for a fee. His rate isn't cheap."
"Lin Yuan?"
Kong An inquired, "How much does he charge?"
Someone responded, "Five hundred per hour."
Kong An was taken aback, "That's quite something. I tutor students, and I charge a thousand yuan per hour..."
As a respected professor at Qin Yi, Kong An's professional reputation allowed him to charge such a rate, especially given his expertise in sketching.
And yet, here was a student, who hadn't even graduated, daring to charge five hundred per hour?
Was he undervaluing himself?
Or was the student's fee too exorbitant?
It seemed like they were treating the art students as cash cows, didn't it?
Noting Kong An's dissatisfaction, the coffee-sipping tutor sneered, "Of course, he's not in the same league as you, Professor Kong, but that kid definitely knows his stuff. Many students have shown significant improvement after learning from him. So, I think it's worth paying five hundred for an hour of his time."
Kong An's tone sharpened slightly, "He's just a student; this kind of behavior isn't setting a good precedent."
"Indeed, Professor Kong. Do you agree?"
A male sketch teacher nearby remarked, "I'm not comfortable with it either. You should criticize him. With your position, you could put an end to this phenomenon!"
This particular male sketch teacher harbored a strong dislike for Lin Yuan.
During a class session, he overheard students saying that Lin Yuan's teaching skills surpassed his own.
As a senior sketch tutor, being told he was inferior to a sophomore was a blow to his pride.
"Old Gao, you're mistaken."
The coffee-drinking instructor frowned, "Lin Yuan's teaching has indeed led to improvements in the students' sketching skills. Moreover, the students willingly pay for his classes. It's not right to overlook his contributions."
"It's just a few isolated cases."
The male tutor known as Lao Gao responded indifferently, "There's no need to exaggerate the impact of that student. While one-on-one teaching can yield short-term improvements for students with a good grasp of sketching, we, as teachers, are responsible for educating entire classes of students. We need to adopt a broader perspective as sketching instructors. We're not just tutoring one student per class, are we?"
Ignoring the coffee-sipping mentor, Lao Gao wore a sour expression.
Just then, the door swung open, and a staff member entered, saying, "Professor Kong, the results are in. Would you like to take a look?"
"Sure."
Kong An glanced at the score sheet, then at the top fifty names of the exam. Suddenly, he asked, "Is there a problem with the system? Why do some students have an 'l' after their names?"
"It's not a system issue."
The staff member sighed, "I'm not sure why, but many students added this letter to their names in this exam. I couldn't verify it against their student IDs, so I simply entered the name as written by the student."
Kong An frowned, "This is absurd."
The coffee-sipping teacher interjected, "Let me see."
Kong An handed her the report card.
As she glanced at it, she seemed confused at first, but then her expression changed, and she exclaimed, "I think I understand now. Come take a look, and let's confirm each student's identity."
What was happening?
Were they verifying students' identities?
Curiosity piqued, the other tutors gathered around. After a few seconds, their expressions turned peculiar.
"What's going on?"
Kong An felt perplexed.
What was the meaning of this letter "l"?
Could it be some sort of mysterious code?
One teacher, feeling awkward, said, "This third student with the added letters is named Zhong Yu, a student in our class... It seems... he's taken Lin Yuan's classes several times..."
Another teacher chimed in, "The fourth student, Pang Bo, is also from our class. He's attended Lin Yuan's classes."
And another said, "The sixth place..."
"And the eighth..."
"Ah, there's also the ninth and tenth."
"..."
Thirty-nine out of the top 50 students on the transcript had appended a capital letter "l" to their names.
Kong An grew anxious, "What on earth is happening?"
Finally finishing her coffee, the instructor said, "Professor Kong, these students are really up to something. All the students who added letters to their names have one thing in common: they've all been taught by Lin Yuan!"
"And so..."
Another instructor added, "l, I'm afraid, refers to Lin Yuan."
The situation was somewhat embarrassing, leaving everyone unsure of how to react. Most of the top 50 students in this sketch exam were taught by Lin Yuan?
Didn't the sketch teachers value their reputation?
While embarrassing, everyone was also a bit astonished. Previously, they'd thought Lin Yuan was teaching one-on-one to improve individual students' sketching skills. But to have such a significant impact on such a large scale seemed outrageous.
"I see."
Kong An took a deep breath, looking at the report card, "I'll speak to the principal."
Hearing this, the senior sketch teacher exclaimed, "You must speak to the principal! These students are out of control, especially Lin Yuan! It's like they're disrespecting our art department!"
"What are you saying?"
Kong An shot Lao Gao a complicated look, "I used my influence to enhance the drawing performance of the entire art department. This is the first time in years I've encountered such a student. I also want the principal to transfer him to our art department!"