I'm A Math Idiot, So What? - Chapter 49

Then everyone went their separate ways. Wang Ziqi had just returned and hadn’t had time to find a place to stay, so she temporarily shared a hotel near the school with Zhang Ziqin. Su Xu also went back to the KTV to continue working. I felt like I had exerted myself quite a bit; after spending a whole night in the police station breathing secondhand smoke, I just wanted to go home and take a shower.

However, Fang Congxin insisted on taking me to the hospital for a check-up. I was reluctant, thinking he was overreacting, but Fang Congxin said that if I didn’t want to go to the hospital, I had to go back to his house instead. His grandmother had taught in the Southwest many years ago and learned some local remedies from the natives, so he wanted her to take a look to ease his worries. I still wasn’t keen on going.

Professor Fang yawned and said that since his parents had entrusted me to them, and they hadn’t done a good job in taking care of me, he felt guilty and needed to call them to apologize. I thought about it and said it would be better to go after all; taking care of my health couldn’t hurt. Professor Fang said that since we were taking good care of me, he wouldn’t need to make that call. So the three of us, along with He Xiaoping, headed to Fang Congxin’s house. I didn’t quite understand why He Xiaoping was following us, especially since Fang Congxin had directly told him he could go home.

He Xiaoping then retorted in a mocking tone, saying, “You scummy guy, you treat me like a napkin, using me and tossing me aside,” while winking at Fang Congxin with a flirtatious expression. With Fang Congxin’s tacit approval, he confidently got into the car. If it weren’t for the depth of that wink, which was almost as greasy as Luhua oil, I might have started questioning their brotherly bonding under socialism.

As we drove to the villa area where Fang Congxin lived, Teacher Feng had already been waiting for us downstairs in a coat for quite a while. Upon seeing us get out of the car, she rushed over anxiously, asking me if I was okay. When she confirmed I wasn’t seriously injured, she breathed a sigh of relief and, with a bemused smile, recounted how Fang Congxin had pulled Professor Fang out to rescue me. Fang Congxin claimed that I had been beaten badly outside, which panicked Professor Fang so much that he hurried over without even changing his clothes. “Thank goodness, thank goodness, I didn’t get distorted. I think if Lin Meng were distorted, wouldn’t she turn into Linlin Xi?” Teacher Feng covered her mouth and laughed heartily.Although today’s situation turned out to be such a big deal by accident, I really feel bad for disturbing so many people.

I forced a laugh at this not-at-all funny cold joke. Once we were inside, Teacher Feng removed the tissue I had stuffed in my nose, saying that it was an extremely unscientific method. She then took a cold compress from the fridge and told me to apply it to the bridge of my nose. Even though the bleeding had stopped, I still needed to keep my head tilted back and apply it a bit longer. She advised me not to do any exercise tonight that might irritate the capillaries and just to keep calm. Professor Fang suggested that if I solved a few math problems, my mind would settle down naturally. Sure, but that’s unnecessary, Professor. You don’t even know how passionate and excited I get when faced with math.

Fortunately, Professor Fang only mentioned it casually, and after Fang Congxin urged him to rest, he went back to his room. Before leaving, he looked at Fang Congxin and sneered, “Am I just the ‘tool’ you often talk about? You wait for me to show up and then push me hard for results, but when I’m inconvenient, you just kick me out?” He Xiaoping, feeling somewhat sympathetic, nodded in agreement, confirming that it was indeed the case. After Professor Fang left, Teacher Feng served me a bowl of warm Longan Eight Treasure Porridge, telling me to eat it after I finished with the cold compress. Older people generally sleep early, and today she stayed up so late for me, so I urged her to rest early. Teacher Feng purposely imitated Professor Fang’s tone of lamenting about being a tool as she walked away with her hands clasped behind her.

Once the two elders were gone, I didn’t care about appearances anymore. I immediately tossed the cold compress aside and started drinking the porridge. I had originally been worried about Zhang Ziqin, and while I was focused on feeding her, I had neglected my own hunger. After running around and being beaten up tonight, I was starving. I was probably eating so messily that Fang Congxin didn’t have the heart to scold me; he simply picked up the cold compress and pressed it against my nose again.

I insisted that I didn’t need it, but Fang Congxin said I should follow the doctor’s advice. I replied that I could manage it myself, but Fang Congxin said, “Grandma told you to keep your head tilted back. If you’re holding the bowl in one hand and the spoon in the other, are you expecting to use your foot for this?” I had no choice but to lift the bowl and quickly pour the porridge into my mouth.

After eating a few bites and putting the bowl down, I found He Xiaoping sitting directly across from me, resting his chin in his hand and watching me with sly eyes. Fang Congxin stepped out to take a call, leaving just the two of us in the living room. To avoid an awkward silence, I said, “Thank you for running over for me so late tonight.”

“Not at all. You’re our company’s client, and helping maintain client interests is also about maintaining the relationship between you and us.” When he mentioned “client,” I felt a little guilty.I brought up the question that I hadn’t clarified last time at Fang Congxin’s place: “What does this little bit of money mean to your company? Why would it be worth so much trouble?”

“Heh, it’s not about the money,” he replied.

“I heard Fang Congxin mention something about it being related to the Party,” I said.

He Xiaoping nodded, “That’s right.” He picked up two condiment bottles from the dining table and placed them on either side, saying, “Our company has two factions: one led by Big Chief Fang, and the other by Little Chief Fang. Big Chief Fang is the cousin of Little Chief Fang. Little Chief Fang is Fang Congxin.”

I couldn’t help but think of the story of the Struggle for the Throne among Nine Dragons, and I sat up straight, saying, “I get it—regardless of their brotherly bond, they are at each other’s throats for profit, right?”

He Xiaoping responded with a “Hmm.”

“Then right now, between Big Chief Fang and Little Chief Fang, who has the upper hand?”

He Xiaoping pointed to the left condiment bottle, his facial features contorting as he sighed, “It’s definitely Big Chief Fang. It’s almost a ruthless slaughter of Little Chief Fang; sometimes the bullying gets so bad that even we can’t bear to see it.”

My mouth fell open in shock—on a normal day, Fang Congxin appears so successful and commanding in front of me; I hadn’t expected him to be in such a tough spot at the company. I thought with his combat effectiveness, he should at least be holding his own, right?

“Does Big Chief Fang have any sense of humanity left? He’s bullying his own brother!”

He Xiaoping shook his head, “Don’t get excited. Old Lady Feng said you can’t get worked up.” He waved his hand, sighed again, and said bitterly, “Business is like a battlefield; how can you expect brotherhood and harmony? Let me show you. Not long ago, Big Chief Fang sent us a company-wide email, and, wow, I almost wanted to quit in protest for Little Chief Fang.” With that, he took out his phone, scrolled for a bit, and indicated for me to take a look.

The email from [email protected] read: “Next Monday marks the third anniversary of my wedding with my beloved wife, and the company has decided to take a day off. Please enjoy this beautiful holiday with your warm wishes. Anyone who comes to work next Monday will be terminated. If there are urgent or significant matters, please consult the eternal single man, Fang Congxin. Do not disturb me. Thank you.”

It was signed with an English name: Rick.

I focused and read it through, “Hmm—how should I put this? It’s quite different from the kind of combative emails I imagined. Can you elaborate further on the interests of the Parties?”

He Xiaoping furrowed his brow, “Can’t you see it? In our company, Big Chief Fang represents the wife faction, while Little Chief Fang represents the bachelor faction. The wife faction often struts around the company, mocking the bachelor faction for not having anyone to care for them.”

What’s this wife faction and bachelor faction? I don’t even have a ‘wife pancake’!I said, “Can you be more serious?”

He Xiaoping declared earnestly, “How am I not serious? What I’m saying is all true. Big Chief Fang is a wife’s slave. Ever since he got married, he’s been showing off his affection at the company every day. The company is even named after his wife.”

“Mumu Tech?”

“Yeah, it adds up to Linlin. At first, Little Chief Fang wasn’t very happy about it, but it seems he was persuaded by Big Chief Fang through some means. However, back then they weren’t so out of control, and they could talk things out. Later on, Big Chief Fang did behave a bit ostentatiously, mocking and ridiculing Little Chief Fang both openly and secretly.”

“You’re discriminating against singles. What’s wrong with being single? Does a single person eat his food or drink his water? Why do you have to confront them like that?” I stood up and shouted.

“Don’t get worked up,” He Xiaoping pressed me back into my seat. “Originally, single people didn’t need to be ridiculed to such an extent. Mainly, under Big Chief Fang’s propaganda, even the new cleaning auntie knows that Little Chief Fang has secretly had a crush on a girl for many years, and he hasn’t even dared to make a move, which is what made Big Chief Fang laugh at him.”

“Ah…” I thought of Tong Xiao, “Fang Congxin must have his concerns.”

“That’s true. That girl seems to have a boyfriend. I heard that her boyfriend posts photos of them eating together online every few days, making it look like a food blogger’s account.”

I thought about how there are still men as boring as Xu Zheng in this world, who every time they come to our school for a free meal, snap countless pictures on their phone, saying they can look back and relive those moments when they go home to chew on some yellow waste like pineapple fried corn from the Polytechnic University.

He Xiaoping held his face in despair, “Oh dear, just think about it, how hard must Little Chief Fang have it! How bitter! How miserable!”

I nodded repeatedly, “Hard, bitter, miserable. But what does this have to do with signing an agreement with me?”

“How does it not relate? Under Big Chief Fang’s persistent provocation, Little Chief Fang finally exploded like a volcano and really wanted to resign. This made Big Chief Fang a bit anxious, asking him what he would do. He said he wanted to become a math teacher. Big Chief Fang then jokingly suggested hiring him as a part-time math teacher in the name of the company and paying him an hourly wage for tutoring, on the condition that he wouldn’t quit the project at Changning University. Because if he did, Big Chief Fang would have to step in and replace him. His wife just had their second child, and he couldn’t leave. Who would have thought Little Chief Fang was serious and immediately took a long break for himself?”

Finally, I understood—it turns out I was just a tool, a stepping stone in their mutual struggle.I discreetly asked, “So what’s the hourly wage?”

“How would I, a legal advisor, know these things?”

“Aren’t you the one who sent me the payment reminder?”

“Oh right, Chief Fang said I was too free and asked me to personally handle this project.” He Xiaoping held up a finger and said, “This amount.”

I replied, “One hundred an hour?”

He Xiaoping shook his head, “No, no, no, ten thousand an hour.”

No wonder Fang Congxin was so generous at the time; my mouth dropped open, “Am I really worth that much? Then—if I collude with Fang Congxin, making ten million a year wouldn’t be a dream. I don’t ask for much, just three zeros would be fine.”

“Hey, sharp. But this matter essentially has nothing to do with you. Little Chief Fang has worked hard all these years to take care of Big Chief Fang of the Cheng Family; it hasn’t been easy for him at all. Big Chief Fang is just borrowing the situation to give Little Chief Fang some indirect compensation. Who cares whether it’s real classes or fake classes?”

“Oh—” I was still immersed in the shock brought on by that exorbitant hourly wage, when I heard He Xiaoping shift gears, “But this matter had some changes later.”

“What happened?”

“Big Chief Fang took care of his wife during her postpartum confinement and the daily affairs became quite complicated. When public and personal matters get mixed, even the smartest person can be confused at times. When he saw the contract, he suddenly realized that he had been tricked by Little Chief Fang. Little Chief Fang used company funds to go to Changning to pursue his crush. The girl he secretly liked is at Changning University; how could he just abandon the project there? So, Big Chief Fang decided not to pay that money and is now pressing me for the client’s tutoring fees, which is your money. Hehe. That payment reminder was something Big Chief Fang asked me to send. My apologies.”

“Ah! So that ten million just disappeared in the blink of an eye?”

“Yes, a cooked duck flew away because of that woman. What a pity.” He Xiaoping shook his head. I watched helplessly as the opportunity to profit slipped right through my fingers, feeling a deep sense of loss. I couldn’t help but say, “Everything went wrong because that woman is at Changning. I think you should look for her and see if she can temporarily transfer schools; the price is negotiable, and she can transfer back after the project ends.”

He Xiaoping paused, clasped his hands together and said, “You truly are a business genius.”

“You’re overrating me. Do you know Tong Xiao? Do you want me to give you her contact information? By the way, Fang Congxin said Tong Xiao doesn’t have a boyfriend.”

He Xiaoping, who had been chatty just a moment ago, was caught off guard and asked, “Tong Xiao is—?”

“She’s the one Little Chief Fang likes, named Tong Xiao. I heard Fang Congxin say it himself; he said there was some misunderstanding.”

“Really?” After being stunned for a moment, He Xiaoping managed to ask.

I replied, “It can’t be false.””Fang Congxin even urged me to occasionally create some flirtation to stimulate her.” He Xiaoping chuckled with his wide pancake face, saying meaningfully, “Heh, you guys are quite romantic. He’s kept a lot of things from me.” I waved my hand, “You can’t blame him; he just found out. I mean, he’s from Peking University, yet he can’t even figure out if the person he likes has a partner or not, and he’s been bullied for it. Honestly, he deserves it.” I paused, “I don’t intend to be biased towards you guys, just so you know. I focus on the matter, not the person.” He Xiaoping laughed even more, “Indeed, indeed.”

“Hey, your company has two factions; which side are you on?”

“I’m currently in the fence-sitting camp, since my wife and I are separated.” After chatting with He Xiaoping for a while, I relaxed and clasped my fists, saying, “The virtue of moderation is truly profound.”

At that moment, Fang Congxin entered after finishing a call. Seeing the two of us happily chatting, he gave He Xiaoping a wary glance and asked me seriously, “What did he tell you?”

He Xiaoping winked at me. I thought to myself that I’m aware Fang Congxin also cares about appearances, “Nothing much; he just mentioned his wife is separated.” Fang Congxin looked at him with confusion, “When did you get a wife? I didn’t know.”

He Xiaoping stood up, patting his backside, “Hey, we were just chatting casually!” I looked at He Xiaoping in shock, “Why are you lying to me?”

“Seeing how naïve you are, I just wanted to tease you.”

“Then was what you said earlier true?”

“You guess.” He Xiaoping giggled, then turned to Fang Congxin, “Oh no need to rush me; I’m going upstairs to sleep right now. Don’t worry about me; I brought my own clothes, so you don’t need to prepare anything for me. Ah, I’ve been so uncomfortable staying in the hotel these past few days—” While speaking, He Xiaoping shook his head and walked up the stairs in a manner reminiscent of Zhang Jiayi.

Once he went upstairs, Fang Congxin said, “You should talk less with him in the future.”

“Why?”

“One of the rules of survival is to not get too close to someone who knows too many secrets.”

“Why?”

“People who possess many secrets either keep their mouths shut tightly or are inquisitive. Which one do you think he is?”

“The latter?”

Fang Congxin nodded, “You see, your head is empty; you won’t catch on, and you end up being taken advantage of while helping them count the money. The more you talk to him, the more information he’ll extract from you.”

“That’s not true, is it?” I thought back to whether I had revealed any secrets and realized, “Who are you calling empty-headed?”

“Judging by how you reacted, you still won’t admit your head is empty.” Fang Congxin scoffed, poured himself a glass of water, gulped down a few sips, and stood by the window, saying, “Today’s incident is my fault. I didn’t want you to play the bad guy to them, so I stopped you from calling her. If you had called back then, things wouldn’t have escalated like this.”

I was taken aback and took a few seconds to realize he was talking about Zhang Ziqin and Zhao Xiaoxiao. Seeing I had nothing to say, he took a couple of steps closer, “You too; there are so many people Zhao Xiaoxiao could call, why did she end up calling you? You’re just too straightforward—”

“That’s classic victim-blaming; I’m at fault just because I got attacked?” I rubbed my nose, “When our good friends fight, we need to step in. Wang Ziqi has someone who cares for her, as she gets taken away, but I have no one who cares, so I have to get beaten up? What sense does that make?”

Fang Congxin’s expression darkened, “I didn’t mean it that way—”

“I’m not wrong in saying this either. How could no one care for me? Look, you’re quite nice to me; you specifically came to help me late at night. Fang Congxin, thank you. Without you, I’m not even sure how we’d make it through tonight.”

Fang Congxin probably didn’t show his emotions much; after I said that, he lowered his head and sipped his water, no longer trying to find a way to retort. I decided to play along, “Or maybe you like me?”

“Pfft—” Oh dear, was it worth making you spit water in surprise?!

“What are you flustered about?””I was just saying it casually. I don’t really know how much of what He Xiaoping says is true, but from what he implied, you’ve had a crush on Tong Xiao for quite a while. Tong Xiao is definitely a tough nut to crack; there are no shortage of competitors now or in the future. You’ve endured quite a lot, and even if you do win her over, it won’t necessarily be easy.

If it were up to me, I’d suggest you change your target. For example, someone like me would be quite easy to pursue, and even once you do catch up, it would feel quite reassuring.” Fang Congxin wiped his mouth with a napkin and remained silent. Hey, not saying a word is really disrespectful, isn’t it? At least throw me a compliment like, “You’re not worse than Tong Xiao,” so I don’t lose face here. I cleared my throat and had to fill the silence myself: “But you’re not really my type either. I want to find someone who seems a bit safer.

Unless Liu Haoran were to cry and beg me to marry him, I might consider adjusting my standards a bit.” Fang Congxin threw the wad of napkins at me and said, “Dream on!” Well, I might as well be dreaming. Should I actually expect you to like me? Yet, you don’t like me, yet you still told me to obediently wait at the police station and not to be afraid; you don’t like me, yet you cupped my face and asked where else I was hurt; you don’t like me, yet you handed over cash to Su Xu without hesitation. I definitely don’t want to be so delusional.

“I want to go home.” I stood up, feeling disheartened.

“It’s too late; just stay here.” I looked at him.

“In the guest room,” he added.

“Do I seem like I have even a tiny misconception that I want to sleep in your room? For crying out loud, this is your villa in the city; I’m sure I know how many guest rooms it has.”

“Then why insist on going back?” I frowned and said, “I didn’t bring my sanitary pad.”

Fang Congxin froze for a moment, scratched his head, and said awkwardly, “I have some in my car.”

I looked at him in shock: “How do you even have such a strange interest?”

Fang Congxin glared at me like he wanted to hit me: “Yesterday, you spilled everything from your bag in my car and didn’t pick it up properly. This morning, I took my dad to school, and he helped me grab it all.”

I shrank my neck: “Then thank you, Professor Fang.”

Fang Congxin stared at me, and I straightened my back: “Just look at how you’re trying to avoid the subject; do you think sanitary pads are something dirty?! Just because you went to Peking University doesn’t mean you learned anything practical. The improvement of women’s status is indeed a long way to go—”

Hey, this is the first time Fang Congxin is left speechless by me! In the end, Fang Congxin still drove me home. Just the thought of staying under the same roof as Professor Fang made me feel uneasy all over.”My dad wouldn’t eat you.”
“You don’t understand. Just think about what it feels like to live next to a killer.”
“……”
Memo from Fang Congxin: After thinking it over, there are more happy moments. After all, during her toughest time, she thought of me. She told me to consider her for a bit. Can the frog that is slowly being boiled in warm water finally be eaten?