Chapter 42: Just Say Me

Chapter 42

During break time, Lin ChuSui glanced back at Xu JiaNing.

Xu JiaNing had dark circles under his eyes as he furiously scribbled down ancient poems and verses, looking as if he was possessed.

Last night at 1am when she went to get water, Xu JiaNing was still not asleep.

At 3am when she went to the bathroom, there was still light coming from Xu JiaNing's room.

At 5am the housekeeper said he had already gotten up and started reciting ancient poems.

...

Could this guy have been driven mad by exam-oriented education?

Recently, relations between the siblings had thawed, which made Fang YouYi very happy. As a result, the home atmosphere became more harmonious, and Lao Xu also stopped giving Lin ChuSui a hard time.

Although Lin ChuSui did not like Lao Xu, she would not rebel just for the sake of rebellion, and deliberately go against him.

She wanted to try becoming a better person.

Lin ChuSui secretly sized up the youth beside her.

His dark eyes were full of focus, his neck was slender, and his Adam's apple protruded, looking very sexy.

He was drawing a cube. Lin ChuSui leaned over to look, her gaze following the movements of his pen.

Without using a ruler, he could still draw such straight lines.

Could it be because of his long fingers?

"Lin ChuSui," he suddenly spoke.

"Hmm?"

"Look at your own book, don't look at me."

"Oh!"

Lin ChuSui took out her book of ancient poems and verses and started reciting them wholeheartedly: "In my youth I was a bit wild, a pear tree pressing down a crabapple."

"Behind the palace were beauties three thousand, an iron pestle grinding needles to embroidered flowers."

XiaoYan: ...

He casually picked up Lin ChuSui's book and looked at the cover—

The Complete Book of Hilarious Mismatching Ancient Poems and Verses

After flipping through it, it was basically all nonsensical combinations of ancient poems and verses.

No wonder this girl had such a good memory, yet could recite ancient poems and verses so confusingly and oddly.

"So you're reciting this?"

"Isn't this the complete book of ancient poems and verses? I bought it at a bookstore."

XiaoYan pointed at the "mismatching" characters on the cover: "May I ask, dear classmate Xiao Guai, did you see these words when you bought it?"

Lin ChuSui bit her lip, her little finger pointing at the "hilarious" characters: "I saw these. My dad said lighthearted learning has the best results, and I might even be able to get into Peking University with this."

"With this book, you can get into Peking University's kindergarten."

"..."

XiaoYan handed her his own book of ancient poems and verses: "Recite this."

Lin ChuSui treasured it as if it were a precious jewel, immediately bringing it up to her face: "No problem at all!"

His book looked quite old, at least two years of use. Despite the age, there were no wrinkles, and the corners of the pages were very flat.

"Recite while writing it down."

"No need to write it down," Lin ChuSui confidently said. "I can remember it after reading it once."

"But you make too many mistakes. That has nothing to do with memory, it should be related to IQ."

"..."

"Classmate Xiao, may I ask, with your poisonous mouth, how have you not been beaten to death since you were little?"

XiaoYan: "Because in the past, I did not speak."

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"For two years after the surgery, I did not speak."

"Why didn't you speak?"

XiaoYan recounted it casually as if it were a small matter: "I felt that everyone was deceiving me. This world was all lies."

"Then later, why did you start speaking again?"

"Someone saved me and brought me to a place with light."

...

During self-study period, Lin ChuSui silently wrote down the ancient poems and verses by herself.

Just as she had said, she really did memorize them quickly. In less than half a class, she had memorized over half the book.

XiaoYan watched as the little girl concentrated on writing, taking each stroke seriously.

With her memory, if she properly caught up on the basics, she might be able to test into a decent university.

He should... be able to help her.

"Classmate Xiao," Lin ChuSui put down her pen and gently nudged him with her elbow, "help me see how to write the next line."

XiaoYan took the small note she handed over, which only had one line of a poem written:

"I only wish your heart to be like mine, ____________."

After handing it over, Lin ChuSui didn't even dare look at his expression, only kept her head lowered and continued pretending to look at her book.

Her ears were completely red.

XiaoYan looked at her childish yet cute elementary school penmanship, and asked, "Is this a required ancient poem?"

"Yes," Lin ChuSui firmly nodded, bracing herself.

"I don't remember this being assigned to recite."

"Bragging, I don't believe it."

Xiao Yan didn't care and continued to lower his head to correct the essay.

Seeing that he didn't respond, Lin ChuSui felt even more unhappy inside, and said, "Chewing gum while doing homework while shaking your leg - anyone can multitask like that."

Xiao Yan said lightly: "Can it be a little more technical?"

Lin ChuSui: "Then show me your 'technical' multitasking."

"Is this a bet?"

"Yes!"

Xiao Yan thought for a moment and said, "Then I want to place a wager."

Lin ChuSui looked at him with a smile, realizing that no matter what game she played with Xiao Yan, she always felt very happy.

"No problem, I agree to any wager."

"For the final exam, you have to test into the top 100 of the grade and top 20 of the class."

Lin ChuSui's eyes widened in disbelief.

There were over a thousand seniors in their grade. To rank in the top 100 meant she had to surpass ninety percent of people.

How was that possible!

"Dare to play?"

Looking at Xiao Yan's piercing gaze, Lin ChuSui actually felt a little scared. But...she didn't want him to look down on her for some reason.

She wanted to be friends with him, wanted to get close to him, and secretly...wanted to become someone very special in his life.

So she had to follow his rules.

Lin ChuSui gritted her teeth and said, "I...dare."

Xiao Yan said lightly: "Okay, call your friends over as witnesses."

Looking at Xiao Yan's faint smile, Lin ChuSui thought to herself that this guy was really cunning, knowing that she would likely...go back on her word if she lost.

She called over several boys from the school basketball team to witness.

Xiao Yan: "Give me a pen and paper."

"Don't you already have them in your hands?"

"Aren't you going to watch my 'technical' multitasking performance?"

Lin ChuSui obediently took out paper and a pen from her schoolbag and handed it to him: "You'd better make me convinced!"

Xiao Yan pulled over his schoolbag and propped it on two books, then held a pen in each hand and wrote on the paper.

Lin ChuSui curiously leaned over to look. On the left book, he was writing in English.

The left-handed writing was sloppy, but she could see that Xiao Yan was reciting Shakespeare's Sonnets from memory.

Writing with the left hand was nothing special. What made Lin ChuSui stare wide-eyed was that his right hand also started writing—

"The descendant of Emperor Gao Yang, My Imperial Highness calls you Bo Yong. You grasped integrity in Meng Chen, only since Geng Yin have I descended. I overviewed your first steps, and bestowed on you an auspicious name: I named you Zheng Zheng, and called you Ling Jun..."

Lin ChuSui exclaimed loudly: "Oh my god!"

Not only her, the members of the basketball team who came to watch were also yelling "wtf" repeatedly.

He looked at Lin ChuSui: "Convinced?"

Lin ChuSui didn't expect Xiao Yan to be so skillful.

He could multitask, but she couldn't test into the top 100 of the grade!

Lin ChuSui stubbornly said: "This... is just okay. I can also draw while writing my name at the same time."

Lu Chi: "Boss Chu, isn't that a little shameless? You scribbling while writing your own name, how can that compare to the genius' 'left hand Shakespeare, right hand Qu Yuan'?"

Lin ChuSui glared at him fiercely: "Shut up."

She felt bitter inside.

Xiao Yan's hands still didn't stop, continuing to recite from memory Sonnets and Li Sao, but his mouth slowly recited—

"I walked through Jiangnan, those looks that waited in the seasons, like the blooming and falling of lotus flowers. The east wind doesn't come, the willow fuzz in March doesn't fly, your heart is like a small, lonely city, just like the evening stone streets..."

Watching his thin lips open and close, reciting Zheng Chouyu's "Passerby", Lin ChuSui was stunned speechless.

She was about to faint!

This was way more awesome than Guo Jing drawing circles with one hand and squares with the other!

The boys around directly knelt on the grass to worship Xiao Yan.

A true genius!

Xiao Yan stopped his actions. The boys grabbed the two books at his hands: "I want it, I want it!"

"The genius shone his light on this, I still can't test into Peking University!"

"Li Sao is mine!"

"Fight for what, tear it apart! F**k!"

The idiots scrambled away, fighting over the books that the genius had enlightened.

Xiao Yan seldom showed off like this, but he enjoyed watching Lin ChuSui's shocked and distorted expression.

It was a little delightful.

"Classmate, convinced yet?"

Lin ChuSui's heart was pounding wildly. Thinking of the impossible top 100 task, she stubbornly said: "It's...just triple multitasking. If you can do four things at once, then I'll admit you're good."

Xiao Yan said: "Intentionally making things difficult huh."

Lin ChuSui patted him on the shoulder and said uneasily: "If you can't do it then concede defeat, I won't laugh at you, it's already very impressive."

Xiao Yan took the opportunity to grasp her hand and whispered in her ear—

"When I have a girlfriend...she takes care of business on top, then I can probably multitask four things at once."

"......"