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Chapter 42
During break time, Lin ChuSui glanced back at Xu JiaNing.
Xu JiaNing had dark circles under his eyes as he furiously scribbled down ancient poems and verses, looking as if he was possessed.
Last night at 1am when she went to get water, Xu JiaNing was still not asleep.
At 3am when she went to the bathroom, there was still light coming from Xu JiaNing's room.
At 5am the housekeeper said he had already gotten up and started reciting ancient poems.
...
Could this guy have been driven mad by exam-oriented education?
Recently, relations between the siblings had thawed, which made Fang YouYi very happy. As a result, the home atmosphere became more harmonious, and Lao Xu also stopped giving Lin ChuSui a hard time.
Although Lin ChuSui did not like Lao Xu, she would not rebel just for the sake of rebellion, and deliberately go against him.
She wanted to try becoming a better person.
Lin ChuSui secretly sized up the youth beside her.
His dark eyes were full of focus, his neck was slender, and his Adam's apple protruded, looking very sexy.
He was drawing a cube. Lin ChuSui leaned over to look, her gaze following the movements of his pen.
Without using a ruler, he could still draw such straight lines.
Could it be because of his long fingers?
"Lin ChuSui," he suddenly spoke.
"Hmm?"
"Look at your own book, don't look at me."
"Oh!"
Lin ChuSui took out her book of ancient poems and verses and started reciting them wholeheartedly: "In my youth I was a bit wild, a pear tree pressing down a crabapple."
"Behind the palace were beauties three thousand, an iron pestle grinding needles to embroidered flowers."
XiaoYan: ...
He casually picked up Lin ChuSui's book and looked at the cover—
The Complete Book of Hilarious Mismatching Ancient Poems and Verses
After flipping through it, it was basically all nonsensical combinations of ancient poems and verses.
No wonder this girl had such a good memory, yet could recite ancient poems and verses so confusingly and oddly.
"So you're reciting this?"
"Isn't this the complete book of ancient poems and verses? I bought it at a bookstore."
XiaoYan pointed at the "mismatching" characters on the cover: "May I ask, dear classmate Xiao Guai, did you see these words when you bought it?"
Lin ChuSui bit her lip, her little finger pointing at the "hilarious" characters: "I saw these. My dad said lighthearted learning has the best results, and I might even be able to get into Peking University with this."
"With this book, you can get into Peking University's kindergarten."
"..."
XiaoYan handed her his own book of ancient poems and verses: "Recite this."
Lin ChuSui treasured it as if it were a precious jewel, immediately bringing it up to her face: "No problem at all!"
His book looked quite old, at least two years of use. Despite the age, there were no wrinkles, and the corners of the pages were very flat.
"Recite while writing it down."
"No need to write it down," Lin ChuSui confidently said. "I can remember it after reading it once."
"But you make too many mistakes. That has nothing to do with memory, it should be related to IQ."
"..."
"Classmate Xiao, may I ask, with your poisonous mouth, how have you not been beaten to death since you were little?"
XiaoYan: "Because in the past, I did not speak."
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
"For two years after the surgery, I did not speak."
"Why didn't you speak?"
XiaoYan recounted it casually as if it were a small matter: "I felt that everyone was deceiving me. This world was all lies."
"Then later, why did you start speaking again?"
"Someone saved me and brought me to a place with light."
...
During self-study period, Lin ChuSui silently wrote down the ancient poems and verses by herself.
Just as she had said, she really did memorize them quickly. In less than half a class, she had memorized over half the book.
XiaoYan watched as the little girl concentrated on writing, taking each stroke seriously.
With her memory, if she properly caught up on the basics, she might be able to test into a decent university.
He should... be able to help her.
"Classmate Xiao," Lin ChuSui put down her pen and gently nudged him with her elbow, "help me see how to write the next line."
XiaoYan took the small note she handed over, which only had one line of a poem written:
"I only wish your heart to be like mine, ____________."
After handing it over, Lin ChuSui didn't even dare look at his expression, only kept her head lowered and continued pretending to look at her book.
Her ears were completely red.
XiaoYan looked at her childish yet cute elementary school penmanship, and asked, "Is this a required ancient poem?"
"Yes," Lin ChuSui firmly nodded, bracing herself.
"I don't remember this being assigned to recite."
"That's because you... didn't pay attention."
"Is that so?"
"Yes." Blushing, she reached to take back the paper, "If you don't know how to write it, give it back."
"I know it."
XiaoYan pressed down on the paper and picked up a pen, completing the line after "I only wish your heart to be like mine"—
"Then you would not fail my feelings."
He wrote each character very forcefully and carefully, the strong and beautiful penmanship forming a stark contrast with Lin ChuSui's elementary school handwriting.
Lin ChuSui tried hard to control the upwards curve of her lips. She carefully folded up the paper and tucked it into her backpack's inner compartment.
The first round of evaluations for the essay contest had started.
For this essay contest, teachers would first select the top ten outstanding essays from the school.
Then the students would vote for the most popular essay.
The winning essay could be nominated to participate in a city contest held by the city writer's association.
To everyone's surprise, Lin ChuSui and Xu JiaNing's essays were ranked number nine and ten in the top ten.
Xu JiaNing was surprised that Lin ChuSui, a worthless nobody, had also made it into the top ten, and was ranked right after him.
Being on par with this nobody...
was an enormous disgrace!
Meanwhile, Lin ChuSui was surprised that Xu JiaNing's weird titled essay...could make it into the top 10?
She reasonably suspected that the teachers simply saw his name "Xu JiaNing" and let him in without even looking at the content.
After all, this fake foreign devil was so good at buttering up teachers.
And the essay that the teachers unanimously agreed was the best this time was QiaoDanqi's.
Xu JiaNing felt this name sounded familiar, and suddenly recalled this was QiaoDanqi who had snatched his second place ranking!
This made Xu JiaNing fall into deep self-doubt and melancholy—his grades were not as good as hers, and now even his essay was not as good.
Until he saw that QiaoDanqi's essay was titled "My Life's Enlightenment - Overcoming Myself", and then he looked again at his own article:
"Shocking! The Unknown Secrets in Dream of the Red Chamber, Too Shocking! JiaBaoyu and LinDaiyu Actually..."
Xu JiaNing suddenly gained a bit of realization.
He found QiaoDanqi's essay to read: "The path of life is rugged and bumpy, and learning is the same... I used to think my journey of studying would stop at being in the top ten of my grade, and I could progress no further. Until one person's appearance changed my attitude."
"That person was like the starlight in darkness, like the kite string pulling the kite, like a torch in the fog... Lighting up the long road of my life. His inspirational story deeply shocked and moved me, making me realize—sunshine always comes after the rain."
"So I decided to chase him, and even want to surpass him! Although we are strangers, through these silent contests, he is not only my opponent, but my confidant. It is his invisible encouragement that has allowed me to step by step reach the second ranking of the grade."
"As Gorky said: Man's greatest victory is victory over self. I too must strive to overcome myself and surpass myself, in order to catch up to his pace."
...
Xu JiaNing was quite disdainful: "Even an essay like this could win, yet my research on Dream of the Red Chamber failed—Chinese exam-oriented education is done for."
Seeing his sour grapes attitude, Lin ChuSui almost spat in disdain.
She turned and said to Xu JiaNing, "I counted, she used 10 parallel structures, 18 similes, to express her admiration for a celebrity... It's a very good model essay. If only you were a little more humble, your Chinese grades wouldn't be failing."
Upon hearing this, LuChi put down his pen and looked up at Lin ChuSui, "ChuGe, could you tell who she was expressing admiration for in the essay?"
Without thinking, Lin ChuSui said, "Gorky, of course."
"No wonder your Chinese test scores are always just 1 point above passing." LuChi handed his phone to her, "Look at the perceptive online commentary analyzing this essay."
Curious, Lin ChuSui took his phone to look—
"My Life Enlightenment - Overcoming Myself" - This essay seems to be hinting at something. The person she refers to as her kindred spirit, isn't that actually referring to Xiao Yan? The more I read it, the more it seems like him."
"Not bad for a top student, such an advanced confession, I can only admire."
"The key is, under the strict ban on puppy love in Nancheng No. 1 Middle School, she was able to win first prize in the essay contest with this figurative confession letter. That's amazing."
"A romantic story between top students is really impressive!"
"I'm so envious of this kind of feeling."
"Damn, I ship this kindred spirits couple!"
......
Lin ChuSui: ?
During the afternoon break, Lin ChuSui was practicing shots angrily on the edge of the playground. Every ball could kill someone. Lu Chi and several others stayed far away to avoid accidental injury.
Facing the sunshine, Xiao Yan sat on the grass beside the court correcting her English essay.
The gentle voice of the female broadcaster came from the school radio station:
"Today I recommend an essay to everyone, 'My Life Enlightenment - Overcoming Myself' by Qiao Danqi. After reading it, it is really inspiring and touching!"
Male broadcaster: "And I heard this essay has deep meaning."
Female broadcaster: "So sincere and moving, it brought tears to my eyes."
Male broadcaster: "Without further ado, let's appreciate this essay together!"
......
The more Lin ChuSui listened, the more unhappy she became. She shot the balls harder and harder, slamming the backboard loudly.
Lu Chi stopped: "Yo, Boss Chu, are you playing basketball or dismantling the backboard?"
"Don't want to play anymore!"
Lin ChuSui really wasn't in the mood to continue. She glanced at Xiao Yan in the distance on the grass.
In the evening sun, the boy's fair skin seemed to be coated with a layer of soft light.
She felt stifled inside and went to sit next to him, asking, "Are you listening to the radio?"
"Listening."
"Aren't you correcting my English essay? How can you multitask so well?"
Xiao Yan finally put down the essay he was holding and slowly raised his head to look at her: "I can juggle three things at once, what do you think?"
"Bragging, I don't believe it."
Xiao Yan didn't care and continued to lower his head to correct the essay.
Seeing that he didn't respond, Lin ChuSui felt even more unhappy inside, and said, "Chewing gum while doing homework while shaking your leg - anyone can multitask like that."
Xiao Yan said lightly: "Can it be a little more technical?"
Lin ChuSui: "Then show me your 'technical' multitasking." "Is this a bet?"
"Yes!"
Xiao Yan thought for a moment and said, "Then I want to place a wager."
Lin ChuSui looked at him with a smile, realizing that no matter what game she played with Xiao Yan, she always felt very happy.
"No problem, I agree to any wager."
"For the final exam, you have to test into the top 100 of the grade and top 20 of the class."
Lin ChuSui's eyes widened in disbelief.
There were over a thousand seniors in their grade. To rank in the top 100 meant she had to surpass ninety percent of people.
How was that possible!
"Dare to play?"
Looking at Xiao Yan's piercing gaze, Lin ChuSui actually felt a little scared. But...she didn't want him to look down on her for some reason.
She wanted to be friends with him, wanted to get close to him, and secretly...wanted to become someone very special in his life.
So she had to follow his rules.
Lin ChuSui gritted her teeth and said, "I...dare."
Xiao Yan said lightly: "Okay, call your friends over as witnesses."
Looking at Xiao Yan's faint smile, Lin ChuSui thought to herself that this guy was really cunning, knowing that she would likely...go back on her word if she lost.
She called over several boys from the school basketball team to witness.
Xiao Yan: "Give me a pen and paper."
"Don't you already have them in your hands?"
"Aren't you going to watch my 'technical' multitasking performance?"
Lin ChuSui obediently took out paper and a pen from her schoolbag and handed it to him: "You'd better make me convinced!"
Xiao Yan pulled over his schoolbag and propped it on two books, then held a pen in each hand and wrote on the paper.
Lin ChuSui curiously leaned over to look. On the left book, he was writing in English.
The left-handed writing was sloppy, but she could see that Xiao Yan was reciting Shakespeare's Sonnets from memory.
Writing with the left hand was nothing special. What made Lin ChuSui stare wide-eyed was that his right hand also started writing—
"The descendant of Emperor Gao Yang, My Imperial Highness calls you Bo Yong. You grasped integrity in Meng Chen, only since Geng Yin have I descended. I overviewed your first steps, and bestowed on you an auspicious name: I named you Zheng Zheng, and called you Ling Jun..."
Lin ChuSui exclaimed loudly: "Oh my god!"
Not only her, the members of the basketball team who came to watch were also yelling "wtf" repeatedly.
He looked at Lin ChuSui: "Convinced?"
Lin ChuSui didn't expect Xiao Yan to be so skillful.
He could multitask, but she couldn't test into the top 100 of the grade!
Lin ChuSui stubbornly said: "This... is just okay. I can also draw while writing my name at the same time."
Lu Chi: "Boss Chu, isn't that a little shameless? You scribbling while writing your own name, how can that compare to the genius' 'left hand Shakespeare, right hand Qu Yuan'?"
Lin ChuSui glared at him fiercely: "Shut up."
She felt bitter inside.
Xiao Yan's hands still didn't stop, continuing to recite from memory Sonnets and Li Sao, but his mouth slowly recited—
"I walked through Jiangnan, those looks that waited in the seasons, like the blooming and falling of lotus flowers. The east wind doesn't come, the willow fuzz in March doesn't fly, your heart is like a small, lonely city, just like the evening stone streets..."
Watching his thin lips open and close, reciting Zheng Chouyu's "Passerby", Lin ChuSui was stunned speechless.
She was about to faint!
This was way more awesome than Guo Jing drawing circles with one hand and squares with the other!
The boys around directly knelt on the grass to worship Xiao Yan.
A true genius!
Xiao Yan stopped his actions. The boys grabbed the two books at his hands: "I want it, I want it!"
"The genius shone his light on this, I still can't test into Peking University!"
"Li Sao is mine!"
"Fight for what, tear it apart! F**k!"
The idiots scrambled away, fighting over the books that the genius had enlightened.
Xiao Yan seldom showed off like this, but he enjoyed watching Lin ChuSui's shocked and distorted expression.
It was a little delightful.
"Classmate, convinced yet?"
Lin ChuSui's heart was pounding wildly. Thinking of the impossible top 100 task, she stubbornly said: "It's...just triple multitasking. If you can do four things at once, then I'll admit you're good."
Xiao Yan said: "Intentionally making things difficult huh."
Lin ChuSui patted him on the shoulder and said uneasily: "If you can't do it then concede defeat, I won't laugh at you, it's already very impressive."
Xiao Yan took the opportunity to grasp her hand and whispered in her ear—
"When I have a girlfriend...she takes care of business on top, then I can probably multitask four things at once."
"......"