I'm A Math Idiot, So What? - Chapter 47

After prying for a long time, I finally pieced together a rough understanding of Wang Ziqi’s shell. The little brother’s name is Su Xu. As everyone knows, once God bestows a particular surname, that person’s life experience is destined to be anything but simple.

Su Xu grew up in Southwest Small Town and has had a very troubled life—his birth mother committed suicide, his birth father is in prison, his adoptive father died in a car accident, and his adoptive mother passed away from illness. Forty-six words, every one of them soaked in blood. This year, Su Xu scored high enough to enroll in the computer science department at Changning University, but he decided to drop out because there was no one to take care of him after his adoptive mother died. Wang Ziqi happened to be filming a documentary there and, after hearing about the situation, spent a long time persuading him at his home.

Later, when his adoptive mother passed away, it was Wang Ziqi who helped organize the funeral. Afterward, she brought Su Xu to school with her. Freshman registration was already earlier than for others, so he was more than two months late, but the school didn’t make an issue of it and even helped him apply for a poverty scholarship.

All these formalities and connections were also handled by Wang Ziqi. Speaking of which, Wang Ziqi has already been back to school for several days; she really kept this from me well. As I listened intermittently, Wang Ziqi finally confessed to me guiltily that when she had persuaded Su Xu, she fabricated a story claiming that she also came from a particularly poor background. She told him that her good friend—namely, me—was also broke, but we were living a happy and stable life at Changning University. She urged me not to give away the charade and to pretend to be poor in front of Su Xu to protect his self-esteem. I didn’t quite understand why she wanted me to pretend to be poor. Didn’t I already exude an air of poverty from top to bottom, inside and out? Did I really need to fake it?!!! After I finished eating, the restaurant entered its morning rush.

University students from Changning and Changning University of Technology came and went, and there weren’t enough hands, so Wang Ziqi and I put down our bowls and worked as servers clearing plates in the hall for a while. The Chen Rice that Old Lin bought also needed to be dealt with. Sister Mei mentioned a method for making rice tea—roast the rice on low heat and then brew it with some seasonings to eat later. After we finished in the hall, Wang Ziqi and I hid in the back kitchen to roast the rice. Su Xu also wanted to come help but was discouraged by a single look from Wang Ziqi.He’s scared of Wang Ziqi, but I’m not. I beckoned him with my hand.

Wang Ziqi still wanted to talk about studying, so I firmly said, “Studying and working aren’t contradictory. Didn’t we all get through this? Studying isn’t a big deal. I’ll arrange for a computer expert to give you private lessons later.” Wang Ziqi asked, “Who do you know that’s an expert?” I replied, “Just because you can keep things from me, doesn’t mean I can’t keep things from you. Little Xu, hurry over and lend a hand.” Su Xu smiled gratefully at me, sneaking glances at Wang Ziqi’s expression. When he saw she wasn’t getting angry again, he smiled at me again. Oh my, I could practically see him wagging his tail at me.

We were busy until noon. I pulled out my phone and saw it was already lunchtime. I quickly had Old Lin pack me two dishes to take to school. Old Lin efficiently packed them for me in a takeout box. Leaving behind a bewildered Wang Ziqi and with my hands full, I rushed to the Information Management Center.

Halfway there, I felt something was off and detoured to the Convenience Store to buy a set of plastic lunch boxes. I borrowed some hot water to rinse them, then poured all the food into them. With this delay, I only reached the System Group at one o’clock. I crouched at the glass of the conference room to observe the environment. Fang Congxin was there. Why wasn’t Tong Xiao here?

In the spacious conference room, Fang Congxin suddenly looked up from discussing something with a young guy who was losing his hair, and when he spotted me peeking in, his face darkened. He said arrogantly, “Why are you just getting here? You’ve nearly starved me.” With that, he walked toward me. I quickly hid the plastic bag behind me and whispered, “Wait a minute, don’t be anxious. Tong Xiao is coming.”

“Tong Xiao has a class and can’t make it.”

“What?! Why didn’t you say so earlier! I rushed all the way here!” I said in frustration.

“Am I supposed to starve just because she’s not coming? Give it to me!” He snatched the plastic bag from me and said, “I’m going to eat in my office.”

I didn’t want to follow him, but I still had to reason with him, so I had no choice but to trail behind him, taking small steps and lowering my voice to argue, “Fang Congxin, don’t go too far.””What’s the point of putting on a show if Tong Xiao isn’t coming? I’m not doing this for nothing. If you want me to bring lunch every day, fine, but you’ll have to pay more!”

“How much?”

“29.”

“Why is it a mix of single and double digits this time?”

Fang Congxin opened an office door. Of course, I knew that White Cut Chicken + Boiled Choy Sum + Soup of the Day + rice was a big combo costing 29 yuan; I had sold it so many times, how could I not know? I glanced around; the office was really a mess. Besides a stationery cabinet, a desk, and two chairs, there was nothing else. It was less appealing than a storage room. Fang Congxin pulled out a pot of green plants from under the desk and said, “Look, I saw someone selling this on the street this morning. I thought it looked a bit like you, so I bought it for you.”

Although I had done some research on plants for a while, I never really got into it, so I pointed at the small green leaves and asked, “What’s this called?”

“Sensitive Plant.”

I had at least heard of the Sensitive Plant. I held my face in mock shyness, “Hehe, I’m not really that beautiful or enchanting, am I?” After saying that, I touched one of its leaves. “Hmm, didn’t they say the leaves of the Sensitive Plant fold up when touched? Why isn’t it closing?”

Fang Congxin had been waiting for me to ask. Before I even finished the last syllable, he immediately perked up and said, “Because this Sensitive Plant has a thick skin.”

“…So you bought a pot of Sensitive Plant just to insult me? From now on, just give me that money; it’d be more efficient to insult me directly. You childish king!” Fang Congxin fiddled with the food, looking at me somewhat sheepishly, “Are you angry?”

I wasn’t really that angry at first, but his weak inquiry caused me to explode like a spark igniting gunpowder. “Are you happy when others say you have a thick skin? What thick-skinned things have I done? Didn’t I just owe you money? Being rich is so impressive! Just because you have money doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want, like asking me to deliver lunch!

I almost died from exhaustion this morning, rushing over here just to avoid delaying your dating life. The person isn’t even here, and you didn’t say sorry! You act like it’s completely fine that I owe you! Let me tell you, even clay figurines have their pride, and cornered rats bite back! You give me a pot of grass, and you’re still taking a jab at me!”“Are you really thanking me?” Fang Congxin stood up and then sat back down, only to stand up again. “I didn’t mean—insult you—did I?”

“What do you think?” I waved my hand dismissively. “I’m leaving, eat at your own pace! You can keep the pot of grass; in this shabby office of yours, it’s the only thing that’s fitting. What are you even complaining about?”

With that, I stormed out. As I reached the bottom of the stairs, a light breeze hit me, and I thought to myself, I’ve really toughened up; I even dared to curse at my creditor! But then I reconsidered, so what if I cursed? Who’s afraid of who? In this world, it’s the one in debt who’s really the boss! Tch!

In the afternoon, I was busy handling the requirements for my postgraduate recommendation according to the school’s guidelines, then attended two lectures, and by the time evening rolled around, I was feeling a bit dazed. Then I used the excuse of celebrating my successful recommendation and Wang Ziqi’s return to invite Zhang Ziqin to the Big Song KTV near the school. Zhang Ziqin loved both the Scalpel and karaoke, and she showed up wearing sunglasses.

The name Big Song KTV sounded flashy. It had just opened this summer, and the excitement of the promotional period hadn’t worn off yet. As soon as we walked in, a row of staff wearing black headsets at the entrance bowed to us and shouted in unison, “Welcome!” After that, they gathered together in an orderly fashion, stepping in rhythm like during military training, using glow sticks to form various star shapes, and then each one spun around, creating a dizzying display of twinkling stars, clearly trying hard to create a kitschy atmosphere.

Since it was our first time there, we enthusiastically engaged with the performance before heading straight to the buffet area to grab something to eat. We guessed that once Zhang Ziqin heard us talk, she wouldn’t be able to eat anything, so we kept urging her to fill up before singing. Once we entered the private room, since I was the one revealing the truth about the scumbag, I felt a heavy mental burden. I ignored their requests to stop and stubbornly took the lead in singing to build my confidence.

After I finished a song, Wang Ziqi rolled her eyes. “Seriously, with your sense of rhythm, who would believe you used to play the piano?” Zhang Ziqin kicked Wang Ziqi hard under the table.

Wang Ziqi replied, “We think of her as one of us, so there’s no need to be so cautious when we speak.”

“Just like whatever she tells you next doesn’t come with any ill intent,” Wang Ziqi said. She then gave me a knowing look, indicating that I should continue. I nodded emphatically and declared, “I need to pee.” Wang Ziqi, exasperated, responded, “Then hurry up and go!” I dropped the microphone and headed outside. After squatting in the bathroom for a long time, I thought to myself that there was no escaping this—eventually, I had to face it. On the way back, I instructed the waiter to bring a few more bottles of beer to bolster my courage.

Upon entering the private room, however, Zhang Ziqin was nowhere to be found. “Where is she?” I asked. “She went to the bathroom to look for you; didn’t you see her?” My confidence was waning; I was starting to feel exhausted. Just when I looked down to gather my thoughts again, the beer was delivered to the table. To my surprise, there was a bottle of Dark Beer in front of me and a can of Coke in front of Wang Ziqi. What was this waiter thinking? I looked up, and lo and behold, it was Su Xu.

Once again, the scene unfolded with Wang Ziqi scolding Su Xu. I was on edge and couldn’t afford to be distracted by their playful arguing and banter; I kept meditating to regain my composure. Previously, Wang Ziqi had said that Su Xu was just a clueless newcomer from a small town, which was why he was running around attending to everything personally. I doubted it; in just a few days, he managed to handle two part-time jobs. He wasn’t that weak.

After all the scolding Wang Ziqi dished out, Su Xu easily countered with, “This place is quite expensive.” That effectively silenced Wang Ziqi. Normally, she wasn’t the kind of person to be speechless, but now she looked flustered—talk about caring too much leading to confusion. I had to step in and diffuse the situation, saying, “It’s fine; though I’m poor, my boyfriend is rich. He’ll come to pay later. You go ahead and do your thing.”

As soon as Su Xu stepped out, Wang Ziqi hurried over to me and said, “You really are quick on your feet. Today, we won’t go Dutch; I’ll cover it.”

“With you being so understanding, I feel more at ease,” I replied.

We waited in the room for a while, but Zhang Ziqin still hadn’t returned. Just as I was thinking about going out to look for her, Su Xu walked back in and said to Wang Ziqi, “The sister who came with you is chasing after a guy.”

“What?” We both stood up and headed outside. After taking a couple of steps, we heard Zhang Ziqin’s voice calling from not far away, “Zhao Xiaoxiao, you jerk, stop right there!” We quickly hurried toward the sound.Zhang Ziqin was seen running with a terrifying right eye, her sunglasses having long since flown off. Zhao Xiaoxiao, being an art student, took advantage of Zhang Ziqin’s absence these past few days to dye his hair Granny Gray. He stumbled around, and at first glance, the scene resembled something from a zombie film.

There was no need to imagine; it was clear as day that Zhang Ziqin had caught Zhao Xiaoxiao in the act of cheating. If it weren’t for the fruit knife in Zhang Ziqin’s hand, which he had somehow acquired, we would have had to confront Zhao Xiaoxiao ourselves. Fortunately, I had benefited from the night runs with Fang Congxin a few days earlier, and my legs were in decent shape, so I quickly ran to Zhang Ziqin’s side. Zhang Ziqin glared fiercely at Zhao Xiaoxiao and shouted, “You—do you believe I’ll turn you into Van Gogh?” Zhao Xiaoxiao was genuinely frightened; covering his ears, he yelled, “Qin, I was wrong!” Probably terrified of becoming a modern-day Van Gogh, Zhao Xiaoxiao ran away too fast, and in the blink of an eye, he had lost him. However, Zhang Ziqin remained stubborn in her pursuit, though her pace had clearly slowed down.

As she continued, Zhang Ziqin suddenly turned around, and after a few steps, she bumped straight into us. It turned out that after running in circles, she realized that the layout of the corridor here formed a large closed loop. So, with both of them moving in the same direction, turning around was effectively heading towards each other. She was waiting here, ready to catch him red-handed.

Truly, she was a science student! Even in catching a cheater, she had skills! By contrast, the art student’s wits appeared lackluster, as evidenced by Zhao Xiaoxiao’s pale face, which was as white as paper. The young security guard here, like the batch of newbie service staff at the entrance, exuded a strange, rustic vibe. Faced with this unexpected situation, he panted as he caught up and reported in the style of a Cop and Robber Film, “Drop your weapon! This is the last warning, drop your weapon!”

This made Zhang Ziqin take a moment to glance at the young man amidst her busy pursuit. Seizing the opportunity while both were catching their breath, I gestured downwards and said, “Zhang Ziqin, chasing someone with a knife is a crime; there are cameras everywhere. If you want to take him out, there are places you can do that without being filmed.”

Once she heard what I said, Zhang Ziqin, managing to catch her breath, replied, “Then get me an apple. If the police ask, I’ll just say I was peeling an apple while chasing someone.” “…” Fortunately, Zhang Ziqin took my advice, threw down the knife, and revealed a bleak smile: “I just wanted to scare him.””My knife is for saving people. I don’t want to think of this trash whenever I take out a knife again.” After throwing it, she looked at me and asked, “Did you already know?”

“Yeah, since yesterday. If you want to scold me, go ahead; if you want to hit me, then do it.”

“How dare this jerk try to sow discord among our friends?! Lin Meng, I’m sorry for putting you in this position, and I even asked you to come sing—” Just as she was saying this, she suddenly leaped and lunged at Zhao Xiaoxiao. “Am I out of my mind for not hitting him but going after my friend instead?!”

Wang Ziqi, standing nearby, quickly grabbed her. “Stop, stop!”

“Why should I leave a scumbag like him for the New Year’s roast meat?!” Zhang Ziqin shouted while straddling Zhao Xiaoxiao. I hurriedly joined in.

Thus, the four of us—Zhao Xiaoxiao, Zhang Ziqin, Wang Ziqi, and I—ended up stacked together in the style of a Burger King Triple Whopper. Zhao Xiaoxiao, as the bottom bun, let out a piercing scream. Wang Ziqi held up Zhang Ziqin’s hand, which was raised high. “Stop it! You’ll get your hands dirty.”

Zhao Xiaoxiao continued to struggle on the ground, flopping around like a turtle lying on its back. Amid the chaos, my nose tinged, and hot liquid streamed from my nostrils. I was taken aback. When I looked up, I saw Wang Ziqi being hugged from behind by Su Xu; looking down, I recognized Zhao Xiaoxiao’s blank face with his hand raised.

Rewind a bit—apparently, that chaotic punch was originally aimed at Wang Ziqi. But she had the sweetness of love as armor and was pulled away by Su Xu in the blink of an eye. Once Wang Ziqi left, I lost my balance and crumpled right into Zhao Xiaoxiao.

“How dare you hit my friend! Today is your end!” Zhang Ziqin yelled.

“What’s going on?!” A stern, authoritative voice rang out. I looked up and saw the police had arrived.