Please give the novel a rating or a review on NovelUpdates
———-

Chapter 5: A Math Showdown

“Lu Li! Put your manly pride on the line and compete with me academically… do you dare or not?”

Shen Tan glared at Lu Li, seething with anger.

Lu Li did not even look up. “I don’t dare.”

What a boring, adolescent drama king.

Lu Li could not be bothered to waste time on someone like that.

Shen Tan pushed up his glasses and sneered. “I knew you were gutless; you’re not worthy to be my opponent!”

Lu Li said, “…”

So childish; next time I meet someone this juvenile, I’d better go around him, Lu Li thought silently.

Normally Lu Li left right after class, so he spent little time with his classmates and was not familiar with Shen Tan.

He disliked people stuck in adolescent fantasies; they were childish and troublesome.

Lu Li’s silence made Shen Tan even more overbearing. “What’s the use of good looks? You can’t beat me in grades or courage, so in the end you’re still trash!”

He turned to Shao Linlin, holding his head high like a triumphant rooster.

Shao Linlin pouted, a trace of disappointment in her eyes.

Her family ran a martial-arts club, and under her father’s influence she always believed it was better to die standing than live kneeling.

Although she thought Lu Li was handsome, she disliked weak boys; even if he could not beat Shen Tan, he should still accept the challenge, right?

Recklessness was closer to courage than cowardice, and a coward was more shameful than a loser.

Noticing the disappointment in Shao Linlin’s eyes, Shen Tan felt even more pleased with himself.

Lu Li still showed no reaction, but Tang Yang could not bear it. He stood up and said, “Quit acting already. Can’t you see Lu Li doesn’t even want to bother with you? You really think you’re something.”

Tang Yang was Lu Li’s only friend in the class. He knew Lu Li was aloof and never liked to bicker with others.

Shen Tan shot him a sideways glance. “What did you say?”

Tang Yang sneered. “I said, stop thinking you’re a big deal. If Lu Li had enough study time, you’d never beat him.”

Shen Tan shouted, “Is his lack of study time my fault? He’s not working hard! Heaven rewards diligence; skill comes from practice, idleness breeds mediocrity. Don’t you even understand such basic truth? No wonder you’re the worst in the class!”

Tang Yang swallowed the insult. He knew Lu Li’s family situation but could not bring it up, fearing gossip.

Worse still, he really was at the bottom of the class, so he could not out-argue Shen Tan and could only stew in silence.

“Being friends with a loser like you, it’s only natural he can’t beat me!” Shen Tan laughed loudly.

“You… ” Tang Yang’s face turned crimson; he pointed but could not form a single word.

The bottom student being mocked by the top student would never stir righteous anger among the class; besides, Shen Tan’s father was the discipline director, and everyone was used to him throwing his weight around, so no one opposed him.

Shen Tan’s ridicule made Class 4 laugh along. They acted as if they had heard a hilarious joke, and the classroom filled with cheerful air.

“Hey, that’s enough; don’t overdo it.” A cold voice suddenly cut through the laughter.

Shen Tan froze. He turned and met Lu Li’s indifferent, distant gaze.

Puffing out his chest, Shen Tan said, “What? Where was I wrong? You two are both trash!”

“Good grades don’t mean everything. Some people lack the talent for study, and even hard work may not yield top marks, yet they might possess outstanding gifts elsewhere,” Lu Li said calmly.

“Take Tang Yang, for example. All you know is that his grades are poor, but did you know he’s a programming prodigy? He can even design a mobile app by himself. Can you do that, Shen Tan?”

Shen Tan paused, then scoffed. “That’s just fiddling with phones and computers. Who can’t do that? If that counts as genius, are there any idiots left in the world?”

“You… ” Tang Yang raised his fist in rage; his eyes practically spat fire.

Shen Tan laughed again, tilting his acne-covered face in provocation. “What, you want to hit me? Ha, a muscle-head with no brains.”

He was not afraid of being hit; if Tang Yang dared swing, his father, the discipline director, could expel Tang Yang with full justification.

Just as Tang Yang was about to lose control, Lu Li held him back.

Lu Li saw through Shen Tan’s plan in a glance. They were seniors now; any disciplinary record would have serious consequences.

“Shen Tan, don’t go too far,” Lu Li narrowed his eyes. “Apologize to Tang Yang.”

“Apologize?” Shen Tan said arrogantly. “Impossible… unless you and I compete in academics. If I lose, I’ll apologize.”

Lu Li frowned slightly. “That’s it?”

“It’s not that simple! If I win, from now on whenever you and Tang Yang see me, you must bow and salute and respectfully call me ‘Brother Shen’!”

Tang Yang was about to tell Lu Li to refuse, but Lu Li accepted without the slightest hesitation. “Fine. How do you want to compete?”

“I’m not bullying you; we’ll keep it fair,” Shen Tan chuckled. “Mr. Liu said there would be a math test today. Whoever scores higher wins!”

Mr. Liu was Class 4’s math teacher and homeroom teacher.

“Deal!” Lu Li agreed readily.

Lu Li and Shen Tan locked eyes, then returned to their seats.

The students whispered among themselves:

“Lu Li is really going to challenge Shen Tan in math? Math is Shen Tan’s forte; he scores 100 every time. Lu Li is doomed.”

“Exactly. Lu Li may be good-looking, but in Intelligence he’s still a notch below Shen Tan. Accepting this challenge is foolish and overestimates his ability.”

“Yeah, he shouldn’t offend Shen Tan just for Tang Yang. Tang Yang really is useless.”

Ignoring the chatter, Lu Li kept reading his math book. Problems that had confused him before now opened up like shy maidens loosening their clothes and allowed him to understand them deeply.

Suddenly an arm draped over his shoulder. Tang Yang leaned in and whispered, “Maybe I should just admit defeat so you don’t get dragged down.”

Tang Yang knew that if not for him, Lu Li would not even bother with Shen Tan.

“Afraid I’ll lose?” Lu Li looked up at him.

Tang Yang said, “As nasty as Shen Tan is, his talent in math is undeniable. I heard he attends an Olympiad class and regularly tackles problems beyond the syllabus.”

Lu Li shook his head and said no more. When people dodge excrement, the excrement imagines they’re scared of it.

At that moment, Mr. Liu… middle-aged, balding, and pot-bellied… walked into the classroom, holding a stack of test papers.

After distributing the papers, he said, “Today’s test is a bit harder. A professor from Yongning University’s math department wrote these Olympiad problems specially for the talent search. Do your best; it’s fine if you can’t finish a few.”

“Ha-ha-ha, I bet none of you little rookies can get them all right.”

———-
Support the Translation! 🌐✨

Your donations not only show appreciation but also keep the translator motivated! Every contribution helps continue bringing you more of what you love. Thank you for being a part of this journey! 💖

https://www.ko-fi.com/maxoofie