“Don’t worry, he’s only got ten cards. If you put a bomb and I use a bomb, our rewards are going to skyrocket!” Xu Mang said over the phone whilst moving his mouse. “Hurry up and bomb him!”
“So, should I bomb him now?”
“Do it!”
Four 3’s appeared on the War of Landlords game interface, the multiplier on the bottom reaching x720.
“I’ve used my bomb…”
“See, he can’t counter!” Xu Mang laughed maniacally, placing down his four Aces. “Now it’s my time to shine!”
Then, the multiplier reached x1440.
Just as you could see, Xu Mang was playing Dou Dizhu, and with him was Yang Xiaoman. Both of them were sly and cunning, and together they started their raid against innocent passersby. This time… they had found a cash cow.
Just as they were starting up their black market, the cash cow transformed, becoming a ferocious tiger.
“Double Kings!”
“Airplane!”
Xu Mang and Yang Xiaoman were destroyed…
“You dragged me down again! You made me lose in League, and now, you can’t even let me enjoy a game of Dou Dizhu!” Yang Xiaoman was furious. “I’m so going to get you for this tomorrow at school!”
She hung up, and Xu Mang stared at the disconnected call on his phone screen. A sudden chill ran down his spine. This girl cared way too much about whether she won or lost. There was always a winner and a loser in a game, you couldn’t just keep winning every single time! How were other people supposed to play, then!
“Sigh… So much anger in such a small body.”
***
The next day, Xu Mang was indeed beaten up by the aggressive Yang Xiaoman. Although the two didn’t want to admit it, both of them knew that their relationship had changed a little, still, neither wanted to break the thin veil between them.
“Tell me the truth! Did you really hand in five empty answer sheets?” Yang Xiaoman asked, “If you did… you better start coming up with a solution soon, or else you’re going to be expelled again.”
“Whatever. Every school has a brave warrior willing to hand in empty papers, and I’m one of them.” Xu Mang laughed. “Someone even handed in an essay criticizing society during the college entrance exams, my blank sheets are much classier than that.”
Xu Mang was speaking of the legendary 0-mark essay during the college entrance exam. Without exception, all of them had written about the worst parts of society, but… Xu Mang had always scorned those people.
Perhaps they thought they were brave, willing to use a 0 in their college entrance exams to expose the darker sides of society, and yet, not only was it not enough to garner any significant attention, they just threw away an opportunity.
It was a lose-lose situation!
“Hmph! I’m not talking to you anymore!” Yang Xiaoman scoffed, turning to pick up her phone and scroll through Weibo.
A little later, Yang Xiaoman tilted her head. “I want to eat burgers today.”
“What happened to not talking to me anymore?” Xu Mang teased.
“Shut up! I want a spicy chicken burger!” Yang Xiaoman’s face turned red, her flushed cheeks making her look like your typical tsundere. “I also want a cola, spicy wings, egg tarts, and K*C, but only thighs!”
Although he really didn’t want to, his body reacted almost of its own volition. Xu Mang obediently wrote down everything Yang Xiaoman had ordered. After all… he had signed the “Xu-Yang Treaty”.
Not long after, the bell rang, and Liang Feng walked into class with the answer key in hand.
Their actual exam papers would take until tomorrow or the day after before they were returned to the school, but as their Math teacher, Liang Feng was just itching to explain the Math exam that would go down in history as Ning city’s hardest midterm.
“Looking at your expressions, I can already tell that you haven’t done well during this year’s Math exam.” Liang Feng stood expressionlessly on the stage, speaking in a flat voice. “But you shouldn’t worry too much either, the Math paper this time was indeed a little out of our syllabus, failing should be the norm!”
“However…” Lian Feng’s entire aura shifted.
“All of you need to continue to work hard, the hardest warriors will not fear their enemies, what will come out during the college entrance exams, and how difficult it will be, no one knows!” Lian Feng said. “Now, I’ll go through each of the questions once, make sure to take notes!”
“Multiple choice question one…”
“Multiple choice question two…”
“Multiple choice question three…”
Liang Feng was extremely dedicated as a teacher, giving detailed analysis for every question, including detailed breakdowns of every step in the process, and all the formulas that were needed. The students listening were focused as well.
All except Xu Mang and Yang Xiaoman.
One was lying on his table asleep, while the other had her blank head in her hands.
Of course, Liang Feng ignored both of them, having already given up on the former, and having given in to the latter.
The first period ended, but still, Liang Feng unabashedly used up the ten-minute break in between classes, continuing to explain Math questions in front of the class. The students were already very much used to him keeping them back after class, because in their eyes, if a teacher didn’t do so, they weren’t doing their job right.
“This question is extremely difficult, it’s only normal that you wouldn’t know how to solve it because it requires the use of a very obscure and specific formula.” Liang Feng said. “I’ll announce the answer first, the answer is 5, did anyone get it correct?”
Yang Xiaoman raised her hand, not a single emotion readable from her deadpan face.
“Only one?”
Liang Feng wasn’t surprised at this outcome. In fact, he had expected it, and so he continued, “Yang Xiaoman, can you explain to the class your thought process on how you solved this question?”
“Okay!”
The spotlight was given to Yang Xiaoman, and she put on a great show. So you do this, and then you subtract this from this… The students’ minds were blown.
What the hell!
Such technique!!
Everyone in the class was completely floored by Yang Xiaoman’s superhuman intellect.
Suddenly, a voice was heard above the crowd.
“Huh? This question?” Xu Mang had awoken from his slumber, the effects of sleep still obvious on his face. “Mr. Liang, I got it right too!”
“…”
“…”
“…”
The classroom descended into chaos, and soon after came the never-ending laughter. Xu Mang… got it right? Impossible! He couldn’t have become this arrogant just because he got the final question correct last time, right?
What was going on?
A question paper set by the most infamous teacher in the Su District, the Math paper that would go down in history as the Ning District’s hardest!
And you got it correct?
There was only one possible explanation… He had guessed the answer!
“Don’t mess around!”
Liang Feng said in exasperation.”Now, I’ll be explaining the third fill-in-the-blank question. This question is only moderately difficult, even though it’s a little out of our syllabus, some of you would probably have still been able to solve it, the answer is X=1, who got it right?”
Yang Xiaoman raised her hand, Li Hua raised his hand, and Xu Mang… slowly started to do the same.
“Xu Mang! We are in the middle of class, if you keep playing around, don’t come crying to me when I kick you out!” Liang Feng’s expression darkened, shooting his final warning in Xu Mang’s direction.
“Li Hua! Explain what you were thinking while solving this question.” Liang Feng pointed at the second-placed student in the class.
Li Hua gave an encore of Yang Xiaoman’s previous performance, and the rest of the students reacted just as enthusiastically.
“The fourth question is quite simple, those that got this question wrong should go reflect on why they couldn’t even get a simple question like this right.” Liang Feng paused for a moment before continuing slowly. “Question five… is the absolute hardest question in the entire fill-in-the-blank section, the answer is -20, please raise your hand if you were correct.”
Yang Xiaoman again…
And a quivering Xu Mang.
Liang Feng was shaking as well, but out of rage instead of fear.
Slam!
“Out!”