Chapter 34: Cheerful Arithmetic

A few small flowers bloomed amidst the verdant grass. The little tabby cat tilted its head in confusion, studying them intently.

"Damn it."

Zhou Yili was instantly enraged by a single remark—this person really dared to say anything with that mouth of his.

He gripped that slender, pale wrist tightly, unconsciously pressing it against the car until the tendons on the back of his hand stood out.

"Shen Jixing, do you know whose hands you’ve fallen into now?" Zhou Yili’s dark eyes glared fiercely at him.

Shen Jixing hesitated for two seconds, then decided it was best to soothe his temper.

"I’m just telling the truth." His eyelashes were long and cool, like wings dusted with frost. He gazed calmly at Zhou Yili and comforted him, "Don’t get so defensive."

"…"

Zhou Yili’s defenses shattered.

He should have known long ago that this man was born indifferent—he cared for no one, belonged to no one.

That’s why, back then, Zhou Yili had done everything in his power to throw himself into his arms.

Shen Jixing had once called him cute, had ruffled his hair, and had even leaned down to gently kiss the corner of his lips.

But in the end, he still said, "Let’s just forget it, Zhou Yili."

Zhou Yili’s Adam’s apple bobbed; he seemed to want to unleash his anger on that face, but the moment he pressed down, faint red marks appeared.

He wanted to bite Shen Jixing’s neck again.

If he cared so much about his career, his status, his reputation—so much that he could abandon everything, even his own health—then he could just try filming a variety show with a fresh bite mark.

Zhou Yili stared at that delicate, porcelain skin.

His Adam’s apple shifted several times.

In the end, he decided to resort to verbal attacks.

You never liked me in the first place, did you? You were just playing around with me, teasing me like a dog for your own amusement. Well, the tables have turned now—your career is in shambles, and it’s my turn for revenge...

"But I really liked you back then."

Shen Jixing looked at him carelessly. "Otherwise, why would I have dated you?"

"…"

Shen Jixing rubbed his wrist and stood up.

As the grass swayed, Zhou Yili, face cold, picked up the little tabby cat that had been secretly watching.

Without a backward glance, he strode away.

Shen Jixing couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh. It seemed that comfort had worked.

"Although he’s grown up, he’s still pretty easy to coax."

…

The afternoon recording resumed.

Fang Siqian, caught right in the middle of controversy, was urgently recalled by his company. Furious in the office, he blamed his failure to showcase his strengths and attract new fans.

His assistant had just finished dodging his rampage and was picking up scattered pens.

"Brother Fang, never mind gaining fans for now—the priority is to stabilize your current base…"

He caught Fang Siqian’s eye.

"How about some Lanzhou hand-pulled noodles?" The assistant kindly split the chopsticks. "I’ll cook you some snail noodles tonight for a change."

"…"

Fang Siqian withdrew his gaze, icy cold.

With adaptability like that, why hadn’t he chosen a different line of work… the assistant thought wearily.

"I once took second place in the city math competition. Do you think solving problems is hard for me?" Fang Siqian said.

If only he had the chance, it would definitely be his time to shine, a perfect way to wash away the morning’s humiliation.

"Didn’t Best Actor Shen say he was first in the entire country…" The assistant trailed off.

"Do you think that’s possible?"

Fang Siqian picked up the remote and turned on the livestream. "If Shen Jixing really took first place, would he have ended up with no university offers, faking his education to pad his own résumé?"

The assistant nodded; it seemed logical.

Fang Siqian stared at the restarted livestream, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

He’d like to see how Shen Jixing, who never went to university, could possibly solve these problems!

"Brother Fang, what are you doing with your hands under the table?" the assistant asked curiously.

Irritated, Fang Siqian grabbed a pen and poked the assistant like he was a dartboard.

"What do you think? The group chats on Weibo are exploding—of course I’m busy holding things together…!!!"

Of course, like an octopus, he was desperately typing sweet words to placate his most loyal female fans.

He truly…

Hated Shen Jixing to death.

…

The five guests were forced to return to their positions from when the livestream had cut off, pretending as if nothing had happened.

"We’re back!"

"Great, five minutes of broadcast, two hours of charging, and the screen is so smooth—no lag at all!"

"Cleared the trash, I’ll watch you act for a bit—show me my Star-wife!"

"What do you mean by clearing the trash?"

"Fang Siqian is the trash."

Zhou Yili’s fans proved a tough opponent for Fang’s fans. Their own Weibo was in chaos, and they had no energy to argue with other fandoms; they just wanted to see Shen Jixing fail and relax for a moment.

After all, their idol had left, and Shen Jixing was all alone now.

"Hey, you’re all by yourself."

Across the forty-million-pixel holographic screen, Zhou Yili leaned lazily against the table, glancing sideways at him. "Can you handle it?"

"If you really can’t, just call me ‘big brother’ and I’ll come over in the middle to help you solve a couple problems."

Big brother?

Shen Jixing looked at him through the blue glow of the digital screen.

Zhou Yili always liked to turn the tables.

At certain times, his desire to dominate was overwhelming—he always wanted Shen Jixing to call him ‘big brother’.

"No need." Shen Jixing’s expression was as aloof and indifferent as ever. "Don’t you know your own limitations?"

"What limitations?"

"Are these two really that close?"

"Whatever the case, Zhou Yili is being way too disrespectful to his teammate—doesn’t even care about his opinion… Typical for someone who dyes his hair—no manners."

"He dyed his hair, so what?"

"I’ve dyed my hair, my arm hair, and even my armpit hair—if I dyed myself gold from head to toe and turned into a lion, I’d follow the internet cable and bite you!"

"…Can you all stop provoking Zhou Yili’s fans?"

At first, they all thought Zhou Yili’s lack of respect for his teammate was wrong.

But once he began solving problems—

They spoke too soon.

The second round was a competition to see which team could solve the most problems in one hour.

The elegant older sister, Qi Yan, wielded pen and paper with bold strokes, successfully solving the hardest calculus question. She raised her brows, a rare hint of the pride she’d had at eighteen when her mind was at its sharpest.

Then she turned her head—

The average age of the babies here was forty-five.

She tentatively asked, "Six-Eared Macaque?"

Zhou Yili offered a humble smile. "The Child Elder of Tianshan."

Sister Qi: "6."

"The sister has a good temper—she actually didn’t curse at him."

"Stop trying, you little rascal. When I saw that a shirt cost five hundred before the discount and eighteen thousand after, my vision went black…"

"Was it a bone-breaking discount? (cheeky)"

"The big sister’s inner thoughts: Go on, go find Best Actor Shen—don’t walk, run!"

"Being a fan of this rascal is so embarrassing, it’s a stain on my résumé… How many problems has Star-wife solved? (starry eyes)"

Shen’s fans were silent.

Especially because of that nickname—it felt powerless, as if their wife was being stolen right from under them.

"Zero."

"It seems Best Actor Shen hasn’t started yet… I suddenly have a bad feeling."

"These problems seem really difficult, lots of twists and turns—each one takes about ten minutes. Let’s wait and see."

"Ha, if he can’t do it, he can’t do it. Everyone knows Shen Jixing is an illiterate who faked his academic background!"

A cool, slender figure stood within the blue holographic screen.

Perfect, like a generated gaming character.

Zhou Yili’s fans, who had migrated from the music fandom, were used to thin gruel, and doted on Shen Jixing excessively.

"Why are the expectations so high? He already looks this good—if he’s a little dumb, so what?"

"Cold and beautiful dummy—I love him even more, secretly making grass for him."

"…?"

Just then, Shen Jixing suddenly raised his hand.

With what seemed an exasperated gesture, he lightly rubbed his ear, closed his eyes, and cleared his mind of all distractions.

The audience in the barrage thought he would finally start answering the questions.

"Fine, rub your head if you want—Star-wife’s ears are all red."

Then, Shen Jixing raised his hand again—this time, was he rubbing his eyes?

He began entering answers—

A total of thirty problems.

The first group was on question three—Qi Yan had solved three, Zhou Yili was still playing in the dirt.

The second group was on the first question—Sheng Que had solved none, and Cen Susu was hitting Sheng Que.

"Didn’t you say you could do it? Why can’t you answer? Say something, didn’t you always barely pass?"

The little seaweed-haired girl shook Sheng Que frantically.

Sheng Que, dizzy from both calculation and shaking, replied, "I’m… entering… the… wrong… answer… can’t… do… it…"

Cen Susu let go. "Really?"

She tried to enter an answer, but it vanished—proving it was wrong.

"And you criticize me! You can’t do it either!" Sheng Que finally seized the opportunity to retort.

Cen Susu: "All my talent points are in stamina. I can dance a girl group routine for 72 hours straight!"

Sheng Que pointed at the happy calculation game. "So?"

Cen Susu showed her sweet little dimples. "I’m illiterate."

"…"

Meanwhile, in the five minutes they spent bickering—

Shen Jixing finished inputting all thirty answers, set his hands down calmly, and turned to walk toward the exit—

"Wait, what just happened?"