I'm A Math Idiot, So What? - Chapter 79

Chapter 79: Bonus – Overjoyed (1)

Gao Yu was a commercial prodigy.

The newly adapted production of The Butterfly Lovers had been delayed for ages due to funding and casting issues. Yet, what seemed like a misfortune turned into a blessing. Once she secured Fang Congxin and Lin Meng for the leads, she knew a golden business opportunity had arrived.

First, she renamed the play The Butterfly Prequel.

Next, she rebranded Fang Congxin and Lin Meng as “Special Guest Stars.”

Then, all promotional materials blared the headline: “Internet Sensation Couple’s Stage Debut!”

Finally, she secured Mumu Tech as a sponsor.

Mumu Tech would never have considered investing in a mere school play. But Gao Yu approached Fang Yuke, the company’s CEO and Fang Congxin’s cousin. When Fang Yuke heard his cousin was going to play a butterfly, he immediately agreed, even reserving VIP front-row seats for the entire Fang family—a dozen members in all. He insisted on showing unwavering support for their family’s stage debut, promising to fly in from Beijing personally… to watch the spectacle, no, to watch the play.

The last to find out about this were Fang Congxin and Lin Meng themselves.

Having long since forgotten the minor incident amid the uproar over their brawl, and with so much time having passed, the pair had no idea they were now “Special Guest Stars” in The Butterfly Prequel.

When Fang Congxin heard about it, he declared he’d rather die than embarrass himself on stage.

His absolute bottom line was getting her a couple of flying machines with some LED light effects, or maybe dyeing Xiao Q’s decorative fur to take the fall.

But Gao Yu cornered Lin Meng, reminding her of the promise she’d made so casually back then. Now that the promotional materials were out, backing out would doom the Drama Club.

Lin Meng figured it was just a matter of waving some wings on stage. A little embarrassment to save the Drama Club—a worthy price to pay. So she went to work on Fang Congxin, relentlessly pestering him every day.

His expression gradually shifted from “You’ve got to be kidding me” to “Let me think about it,” and finally to “Never again”—all in just half a month.

Lin Meng hadn’t anticipated the Drama Club’s success. They’d rented the school’s largest auditorium, and though the audience didn’t reach a million, it certainly numbered in the tens of thousands.

Backstage, wearing massive pink wings, she nervously glanced at Fang Congxin.

The wings had a small mechanism: a press of the hand would make them flutter.

Fang Congxin sat on a stool, studying the wing-flapping rhythm. Noticing Lin Meng’s wavering resolve, he suggested, “Why don’t we just fly away?”

“No, no, we can’t!” Lin Meng insisted. “The Drama Club has come too far. This one performance could sustain us for three years!”

As she spoke, her face took on the weathered look of an old farmer puffing on a pipe by the fields.

At this point, Fang Congxin had resigned himself, saying, “At worst, my big brother will laugh at me for three years.”

Lin Meng stiffened. “What? Your big brother’s here?”

“Who’s your big brother?”

“Is it Rick, the guy who always bullied you?”

Seeing his wife’s unwavering support, Fang Congxin felt a surge of warmth mixed with resentment. “Yeah, you might remember him—Fang Yuke, a Taixi alumnus. He’s always been my tormentor.”

Lin Meng stiffened again. “What?! Your big brother’s name is Fang! Yu! Ke!”

Then it was their turn to go onstage.

Fang Congxin pointed out that his big brother was sitting in the middle of the second row.

Lin Meng scanned the audience while flapping her wings, but after two flaps, they jammed.

One wing remained rigidly upright throughout the performance. As soon as they came offstage, Lin Meng, like a true star, dragged Gao Yu aside and demanded to know where she’d gotten those massive wings from some corner of Yiwu. She’d seen her idol laughing so hard, he nearly fell off his chair.

Fang Congxin asked Lin Meng who her idol was. “Zhou Linlin, of course!” she exclaimed. “Didn’t you see your sister-in-law laughing so hard you could see her tonsils from across the room?”

“German majors are different,” Fang Congxin muttered. “Their uvulas are practically Olympic-level.”

Then, her voice rising with excitement, Lin Meng continued, “Zhou Linlin was the mascot for all the underachievers at Taixi High School! Before the gaokao, every one of us in the ‘dunce’ group got a big headshot of Zhou Linlin to bless our exams and help us overperform.”

Zhou Linlin was considered their spiritual leader.

Fang Congxin listened without a trace of emotion until Lin Meng shyly added, “But Fang Yuke is actually my dream man.” Only then did his expression finally twitch.

“Don’t you know the legends about Fang Yuke?” Lin Meng asked.

“Legends about his petty vindictiveness?” Fang Congxin retorted.

“Ah, you’re just saying that because you’re jealous,” Lin Meng teased. “Jealous he could still sign up for sports classes in his senior year, right?”

Fang Congxin sneered coldly. “Feel free to elaborate.”

Oblivious to the knife hidden in her boyfriend’s smile, Lin Meng eagerly launched into her explanation.

Like every small town, Taixi High School was flanked by a sports stadium, a science museum, and an art center, buzzing with activity day and night.

With resident teachers from New Oriental, the Art Center’s tutoring programs flourished, soon overshadowing its original purpose. It gradually evolved into a multi-functional learning and training hub.

Every senior at Taixi High School enrolled in one of the Art Center’s cram courses, Fang Yuke included. However, his chosen course had nothing to do with the college entrance exams.

He signed up for Tai Chi.

Legend had it that Tai Chi was a mandatory physical education course for male students at Peking University, so Fang Yuke wanted to learn it in advance. And he did indeed complete two full semesters.

This self-assured, composed, and masterful approach was unprecedented, leaving no equal before or since, and it continues to be celebrated to this day.

Fang Congxin snorted with amusement, “Typical ‘unprecedented and unparalleled’ show-off!”

Then, shaking off his cynicism, he ruthlessly revealed the truth.

It was true that Fang Yuke had signed up for Tai Chi, but not because it was important at Peking University, nor because he enjoyed exercise. He chose it because the Tai Chi classroom was in Room 304.

“Why?” Lin Meng asked.

Fang Congxin explained, “Fang Yuke was already a regular at Room 304. Thanks to the building’s L-shaped design, he could secretly peek at Zhou Linlin, who loved sitting by the window in Room 202.”

However, the previously unused Room 304 suddenly opened up.

A Tai Chi teacher, finally meeting the Art Center’s requirement of securing at least three students, commandeered the classroom.

After a brief stint at “Wife-Gazing Cliff,” Fang Yuke was unceremoniously kicked out by the Tai Chi teacher. Just then, Zhou Linlin came up to the third floor to use the restroom. Their unexpected encounter sparked Zhou Linlin’s intense curiosity about Fang Yuke’s sudden appearance at the Art Center. Holding her bladder, she glanced at the classrooms behind him:

• Ballet Class
• Guqin Class
• Belly Dance Class
• One classroom with no sign yet.

“What are you staring at?!” Fang Yuke snapped. “I’m here to learn Tai Chi!”

Zhou Linlin frowned, momentarily taken aback. “Oh, I thought you were here for the chemistry competition lecture in room 307 around the corner. So, you’re learning Tai Chi? That’s… good, really good! I wish you a speedy path to becoming the next Zhang Sanfeng!”

Thus, the heir apparent to Zhang Sanfeng, blessed by love and sheer coincidence, began practicing Tai Chi during the precious final year of high school, each moment as valuable as gold. The clueless bystanders among us would later romanticize this into an epic tale of the Master.

Lin Meng couldn’t help but sigh in admiration. What a deeply moving, unrequited-love-infused coming-of-age romance!

Just imagining the scene… I can practically see it through a soft, Japanese-style filter in my mind.

Fang Congxin was so enraged he nearly spat blood. After her exclamation, Lin Meng added, “As an outsider who wasn’t even there, you’ve recreated the scene so vividly, without a single false note. You’re a natural-born actor—playing just a butterfly is a waste of your talent. Why not seize this chance and join the Drama Club?”

Lin Meng remained oblivious to his darkening expression.

After the curtain call, she bolted off to meet her idol.

Zhou Linlin was equally thrilled to see her. “I never imagined it was you!” she exclaimed.

“I heard about a freshman girl the Dragon of Extinction called to the blackboard in physics class. He symbolically analyzed the forces acting on a car, then asked her how to make it move.”

“She paused and said, ‘Let me think… I believe you should pull it hard.'”

“The Dragon of Extinction immediately sent her to stand outside the classroom.”

Lin Meng dramatically clutched her chest. “That was me! That was me! You should have seen the Dragon of Extinction that day—he was practically breathing fire!”

Standing behind her, Fang Congxin felt utterly humiliated and desperately wanted to drag her away.

Zhou Linlin said, “If I’d known it was you, I would have helped my younger cousin chase after you. But I was still recovering from childbirth back then, so I could only get updates over the phone from Grandma. I couldn’t do much except compile a list of gifts girls like.”

“Who’s Grandma?” Lin Meng asked.

“Grandma is Fang Congxin’s grandmother, Teacher Feng,” Zhou Linlin explained. “You wouldn’t believe the uproar this whole affair caused at our company—and in our family!”

“I’m not in a rush,” Lin Meng said. “Tell me all about it.”

Fang Congxin, trailing behind, urged, “Let’s go, let’s go!”

“You go ahead,” Lin Meng said. “I’m catching up with my classmate over dinner.”

Fang Congxin glared at Fang Yuke.

Forced to play along, Fang Yuke tugged Zhou Linlin’s arm. Zhou Linlin shot him a sharp look and retorted, “Can you men stop interrupting when we women are talking?”

Then Zhou Linlin and Lin Meng found a quiet corner to chat over drinks.

At the next table sat Fang Congxin and Fang Yuke.

“Why are you so free?” Fang Congxin grumbled at Fang Yuke. “You’re even harassing people who should be resting after childbirth!”

“Hey, don’t blame me!” Fang Yuke protested. “You know your sister-in-law’s temperament! How could she resist observing such a juicy drama unfold?”

“Juicy gossip? That’s just something married couples like you wouldn’t understand—the excitement of us young lovers.”

Fang Yuke shook his head. “That’s right. We’ve got two kids to raise, after all. Unlike you, who almost couldn’t even give a ring away, living life so carefree.”

“Keep this up,” Fang Congxin warned, “and I’m striking out on my own!”

“Go ahead and start your own company,” Fang Yuke scoffed. “What are you going to call it? Mumu Muxi?”

“That sounds like some cheap knockoff brand,” he continued. “You really think you can make it work?”

The two nearly came to blows over this.

In stark contrast to this heated exchange, the meeting between the two sisters-in-law was all sunshine and clear skies.

Zhou Linlin was tutoring Lin Meng, catching her up on the lessons she’d missed while Fang Congxin was away.