I'm A Math Idiot, So What? - Chapter 27

I ran up to intercept him: “Hey, why are you so determined to make things difficult for me?”

He sidestepped me and, without blinking, said, “For justice.”

I scoffed.

Fortunately, the corridor leading to the private room was long enough for me to intercept him a few times. Eventually, I just stationed myself at the door, stubbornly insisting, “You have to let me know what’s going on, right?”

He stared at me for a while, which made me a bit nervous. Just when I was wondering if he had misunderstood my words as “let me die quickly” and was about to make a move, he said lightly, “Don’t you remember me?”

I swallowed hard.

Oh my goodness, I hope I didn’t owe any love debts back in the day.

“Back then, you copied q/b as 3/2, and the source of that q/b was me.”

“What?! You were Yuan Longping in that old copycat gang?!” Fang Congxin’s words nearly made me drop my glasses in shock. Our group, hidden with talents, had actually produced a Peking University student! It was truly a moment of pride!

“What Yuan Longping?” He probably had never heard of it and asked me, amused but exasperated.

“Back in the day, our homework copying had clear divisions of labor. Some collected homework, others disseminated it. Tan Tong was one of the main collectors back then. Every morning, he would be the first to trace the original assignments and deliver them to us—meaning me.”

“Your organization sounds like some kind of underground party.”

I waved dismissively: “Thanks for the compliment. To protect those being copied, our group operated on single-line contacts. We didn’t know the original sources. Tan Tong was my contact, indeed from Class 12, known for being an early bird. I affectionately called him the newspaper delivery guy. For a while, he was diligent, providing me with several notebooks worth of work, saying their class had a major contributor. That’s why we jokingly called the contributor from Class 12 ‘Mr. Yuan Longping.’ Turns out, that was you.”

His eyelashes fluttered: “I didn’t like crowded buses, so I took the early one to school. Tan Tong was my deskmate and also arrived early. I never cared if someone copied my homework. Later, when you made the 3/2 mistake, the teacher called me out by name for criticism. You can refer to my speech in The Beauty of Mathematics for the critique.”

I was at a loss for words, thinking this explained why Mr. Yuan Longping suddenly stopped supplying us and why our newspaper delivery guy was out of work. Apparently, I caused him to be criticized by the teacher. Years later, he saw me repeating the same mistake in his father’s class and couldn’t help but poke fun at me. That made sense, but…

I scratched my chin: “I remember when Tan Tong handed us the math homework, he specifically asked me to return the political and history assignments, saying Mr. Yuan Longping found them useful—tsk—though I never quite understood what for.”

He licked his lips, looking at the ceiling: “Receiving without giving in return is rude.”

“Oh.” I smacked my lips, “So someone’s taking advantage, then complaining about it.”

“…” I finally got to him; his expression turned a bit sour.

“Since we were all teammates in the same group, isn’t there a bit of camaraderie between us? You were quite relentless with your words in The Beauty of Mathematics.””You already know the extent of my mathematical ability. Deducting ten points is like cutting my main artery, it’s practically fatal—”

He raised his head slightly and moved his lips.

I sighed, “Fang Congxin, it’s my fault for cheating in class, and I owe you for past grievances. I get that maybe I deserve some payback, but we don’t really have any deep-seated hatred between us, right? Messaging me on the campus forum, threatening that I won’t pass and suggesting I drop the course—isn’t that taking it a bit too far? After all, we’re fellow alumni.”

He shrugged, “That wasn’t a threat. It was a reasonable suggestion based on facts.”

“Huh?”

“I know how challenging my dad’s classes are. My original thought was to dock enough points from you to force you to drop his class.” He rubbed his nose and glanced at me a little guiltily.

“What do you mean?” I was puzzled.

“Our company collaborates with Changning University. I’ve seen your school’s course selection policy, which states the drop period lasts four weeks.” His speech slowed as he cautiously observed my expression, then continued, “I only found out this morning that this policy isn’t the latest version.”

I closed my eyes briefly to gather my thoughts. “So what you’re saying is, you reported me to make me drop the class, but your plan backfired? Okay, assuming the drop period is four weeks, wasn’t it risky for you to do this? What if I hadn’t dropped the class?”

“That’s why I messaged you to advise you to drop it,” he replied with innocent eyes.

“Where in your message did you say that?”

He pulled out his phone, “I originally said: ‘You should drop the class; you won’t pass.’ Simple, clear, and to the point.”

“…”

“Of course, I had a final fallback plan. Before the end of the fourth week’s classes, I was going to confirm everything with my dad again. To be clear, I had no intention of tripping you up.”

I took a deep breath. “Now that things have turned out like this, don’t you feel at least a little guilty?”

“I do.”

“It doesn’t show.”

He patted his chest, “I’m more reserved. It’s all stored here in my heart.”

I put my hands on my hips, “Can we continue this conversation in the hallway?”

“Why?”

“It’ll make it easier to push you down the stairs.” I answered sincerely.

Of course, it was a joke.

As I pondered it all, Fang Congxin and Huang Tao had resolved their grievances with a laugh, but not with me. The fight back then stemmed from my cheating. It’s his generosity and tolerance if he doesn’t hold a grudge, and totally understandable if he does. Just because he and Huang Tao became friends doesn’t automatically mean he’d forgive me too. These are two separate issues and shouldn’t be confused.

Secondly, I did cheat in The Beauty of Mathematics. Flies don’t land on seamless eggs.If I hadn’t cheated, he wouldn’t have had the opportunity. Besides, he was just being well-intentioned but made a mistake. Even if his intentions were bad, I’m not really in a position to blame him.

It’s apparent that cheating is the root of all evil. Although I only cheated twice formally, each time Fang Congxin caught me. It does seem a bit unlucky.

Thirdly, things haven’t reached an irreparable stage. Since Fang Congxin was trying to make me drop the class, today he’s probably trying to fix the situation. With his role as the beloved son, the course withdrawal form is practically mine. I’ll consider the previous incidents as life’s way of giving me a bit of advice, a detour, if you will.

So, I magnanimously said to Fang Congxin, “Thank you for moving past our previous issues and finding a balance between looking out for my future and correcting my bad habits. Although your elaborate setup backfired spectacularly, its intention was good and aligns with my goals. Why not let’s collaborate today and ask your dad to help me drop the course?”

Fang Congxin pursed his lips, “Oh, thank you for being so generous. How do you propose we collaborate?”

I said, “It’s simple. I’ll teach you a trick.”

Then I placed my hand on my neck and dramatically yelled, “Dad, if you don’t let her drop the course, she’ll die! If she dies, I won’t live either! Do you want the Fang family to end with me?! Do you want to be left alone in an empty nest?! Do you want to see the old bury the young?!”

After my immersive performance, I turned to him, “I think if you do that, Professor Fang will definitely agree.”

He remained silent for a moment, then slowly raised his hand to applaud, “Thanks, I wouldn’t have thought of such an elaborate plan if you hadn’t suggested it. But first, let me check where the nearest psychiatric hospital is to my home, just in case my dad decides to investigate.”

“I’m just kidding! Later, don’t mention my cheating, and when my dad brings up The Beauty of Mathematics, just go along with him.”

“Let’s hope everything goes as you wish,” he shrugged.