Let's Do Some Questions - Chapter 56

In reality, the process of every exam was pretty much the same, the only differences being the location, the classmates next to you, the proctors, and the difficulty of the test paper.

Song Man didn’t pay much attention to the first few things; she was only interested in the content of the test paper.

This time, she still needed to control her score carefully. Because of her score last time, Song Man was no longer in the exam room for the lowest scorers.

Song Man turned a blind eye to the small actions of the people next to her. For things like this, it was best to see through it but not say anything. After she finished her paper, she closed her eyes and rested on her desk.

She wasn’t particularly sleepy. The weather in Qingcheng had become very unpredictable lately, changing by the hour. It was like this every year around this time. Song Man had put on long sleeves and pants in the morning, only to feel unbearably hot by noon. She hadn’t gotten around to changing yet when it started drizzling in the afternoon. Although it stopped quickly, the sky remained overcast, carrying a chill.

That chill drifted in through the window, making Song Man shiver involuntarily. She sat up and rubbed her temples.

Song Man increased her accuracy a bit more this time. She casually twirled her pen, mimicking Chu Fengqiu, thinking that this time her rank could be visibly closer to Chu Fengqiu. Although Chu Fengqiu was in first place and still far away, it wasn’t a big problem. In her heart, she was someone who could crush Chu Fengqiu.

Well, maybe not exactly. Song Man propped her chin on her hand, looking at the questions on the paper. She didn’t actually have the idea of competing head-to-head with Chu Fengqiu, because her identity wasn’t convenient to expose, so she didn’t treat Chu Fengqiu as an opponent.

So, who had the upper hand was still unknown.

The midterm exams lasted for two days. On the third day, besides the Chinese and Math scores, Song Man was, as usual, second to last in the class, subtly only ten points lower than the very last place.

This was already an “airplane-style” ascent. Song Man didn’t think much of it, even feeling she had been lenient with her accuracy, but she received startled looks from her classmates and a shocked gaze from her homeroom teacher.

When the homeroom teacher messaged Xu Qinglang, she sincerely praised, “Your child is quite smart.”

When Song Man returned home, she was showered with praise. Song Zici said she could take a week off to go to Paris for a fashion show, which Song Man refused with a wry smile.

Ms. Song Zici’s rewards were always very direct; she believed material things were the most practical, and in truth, she wasn’t wrong.

Song Qinglan was busy with work and didn’t come home. She transferred fifty thousand yuan to Song Man and said she could ask for anything she wanted. Song Man figured she might as well take the money, but she didn’t ask for anything else.

Speaking of which, the calmest person was Chu Fengqiu next to her. It seemed she wasn’t surprised to see Song Man’s score, nor was she particularly happy for her.

All the midterm exam scores were out, and Chu Fengqiu was still the same as usual, showing no other reaction. How could this be!

Song Man endured and endured, but finally couldn’t take it anymore and poked Chu Fengqiu, who was doing homework in her room.

“En?”

Chu Fengqiu tilted her head to look at Song Man, waiting for her to continue.

“Don’t you think the weather has been really unpredictable lately?”

“En, so remember to wear more clothes. It’s okay to be a little warm, just don’t get cold. I’ll prepare an umbrella for you.”

“Then don’t you think something else has changed recently?”

Song Man was hinting wildly.

Chu Fengqiu thought for a moment, then cupped Song Man’s face and looked at her carefully, until Song Man felt uncomfortable and wanted to turn away. Only then did she speak.

“You’ve become prettier.”

???!!!

Oh my god.

The way Chu Fengqiu said this seriously was inexplicably charming and captivating, giving Song Man a beauty critical hit.

This damn charm!

Where did Chu Fengqiu learn this!!!

“That’s not it.”

Song Man shook her head, pulling away from Chu Fengqiu to try and bring her attention back to the main point.

“En?”

Chu Fengqiu was a little confused and started thinking.

What has changed recently?

Does her liking her more count?

Unfortunately, she couldn’t say that out loud yet.

Song Man wasn’t someone who liked beating around the bush. Seeing that Chu Fengqiu really seemed unable to guess, she just stated it directly.

“My score increased by almost a hundred points this time.”

That was a hundred points!

Although it wasn’t much for Song Man herself, her progress was truly terrifying. Her homeroom teacher looked at her like she was a little genius.

“You’ve always been excellent.”

Chu Fengqiu understood. So it was about this. In her view, Song Man was very excellent, and she could sense that Song Man was hiding something, so Chu Fengqiu wasn’t surprised by Song Man’s rapid progress at all.

“Are you serious, sister?”

Was the friend filter that strong? How could she possibly praise her by saying she had always been excellent?

But Song Man was still quite pleased. She used this to get a special exemption from homework tonight, asking Chu Fengqiu to play games with her.

They had already changed to couple names, displaying three little hearts as soon as they entered the game, which was particularly eye-catching.

When Song Man was about to play jungle, she found someone had taken it, so she played mid lane.

“Chu Fengqiu, are you still playing support?”

“No.”

Chu Fengqiu only played support for Song Man. Since Song Man had chosen mid, she didn’t want to play support and follow someone else, so she took top lane.

“En? You can play this hero too?”

Song Man was a little surprised to see Chu Fengqiu pick a warrior hero.

She had thought Chu Fengqiu only played support or bot lane.

“En.”

Chu Fengqiu’s response was as concise as ever. Song Man planned to support her from mid lane at any time, but found that Chu Fengqiu was doing perfectly fine by herself in top lane, solo killing the enemy ADC twice.

“Alright, Lao Chu, have you been secretly training behind my back?”

Song Man suspected Chu Fengqiu was secretly playing games without her knowledge, and she had some evidence.

“Sometimes I play a couple of rounds.”

Chu Fengqiu acted nonchalant, as if she really just played a couple of rounds when she was bored, completely omitting the fact that she stayed up until three or four in the morning studying the game thoroughly and practicing her skills.

After finishing the game, Song Man checked Chu Fengqiu’s match history. Chu Fengqiu hadn’t hidden her stats, so Song Man could see everything clearly.

“Alright, Lao Chu, you’re really gifted.”

Based on her stats, it seemed Chu Fengqiu only played when she had free time, mostly playing normal matches to improve her proficiency. In short, she exuded the aura of a pro player.

Chu Fengqiu accepted the praise, deciding to keep the fact that she had a smurf account specifically for improving her skills a secret.

In this routine of eating, sleeping, studying, and playing games, November 20th arrived in the blink of an eye, leaving three days until the meetup event.

Because Song Man confirmed her attendance, Question Bank had already put up posters for the event.

Song Man immediately saw herself on the guest list. Her avatar was next to A Q’s avatar, standing out among the many others.

Unlike others who used real photos or cute chibi images, Song Man’s avatar was just black text on a white background, a large capital “Man”. A Q next to her was also just a “Q”.

Song Man exited the event promotion page. While she was live-streaming her problem-solving session, some people were discussing the event.

【I’ve already bought my ticket to Qingcheng, see you all on Saturday!】

【Beat the Question Setters Squad 1/100】

【Squad 2/100】

【I’m taking leave on Saturday to be there! I can do it for Man Shen!】

“Taking special leave just to see me? No way?”

Song Man’s voice, distorted by the voice changer, reached the live stream. The sister whose comment was called out immediately got excited.

【Of course! I’m coming to this meetup just for you! Several of us have agreed to meet you!】

【That’s right, that’s right, Man Shen, we’ve even prepared gifts for you!】

【Wait, why are the girls upstairs as excited as if they’re supporting an idol?】

【I almost thought I entered the entertainment industry instead of Question Bank.】

【No, it’s just that we really want to meet you. I even dreamed that Man Shen was my boyfriend, okay?】

【Is the sister upstairs out of her mind? Can’t even the chicken coop hold you anymore! If Man Shen was your boyfriend, would he force you to do homework every day?!】

【First thing every morning, “Honey, have you done your homework?”】

【Hahahahahahaha I’m dying laughing hahahahaha.】

Song Man twitched her lips. She wasn’t that terrifying, okay?

“If we meet, we can chat. You don’t need to bring gifts.”

Song Man directly ignored the “boyfriend theory.” These girls would naturally understand when they met.

She continued doing problems, then saw someone in the live stream say that Lingnan was back.

Song Man was startled. She didn’t even bother with the problem, pausing immediately, exiting the live stream, and going to check on Lingnan.

Lingnan had disappeared for over half a month, but thankfully, she was back.

Although Song Man wasn’t very close to Lingnan, having heard Lingnan’s story, Song Man couldn’t help but pay more attention to her. She didn’t want Lingnan to just leave like that.

Lingnan had her camera on. She seemed even more haggard, her face pale, and she looked thinner. Even when she smiled at everyone, there was a sense of weakness.

“Hello everyone, I’ve successfully crawled back.”

Lingnan smiled, her expression showing happiness.

Someone happily asked if she was getting better, but Lingnan shook her head.

“I don’t know. Let’s not talk about that. The meetup is about to start! I really want to go too. I’ve been in the hospital room for days and couldn’t even touch my phone.”

Lingnan said this like a complaint, but there was no sorrow on her face.

Song Man noticed that compared to before, she seemed to have changed. That change wasn’t just physical, but also mental.

Before, Lingnan always gave off a melancholic feeling. Although she forced a smile, it made people feel sad. Now, however, she seemed much more peaceful.

Song Man hesitated for a moment, but then messaged Lingnan privately, asking about her situation.

【Lingnan】: It wasn’t a big deal, really. I just suddenly fainted, lost all consciousness, and woke up in the hospital room.

【Lingnan】: You must take good care of your health and not get sick. Having tubes inserted is really, really painful. Sometimes I just wanted to die like that, why endure such torment?

【Lingnan】: But when I saw my parents, I felt my thoughts were too selfish, not thinking about them at all.

【Lingnan】: Ah, why did I start talking about this again? Let’s not mention it, so it doesn’t make you feel bad.

【Lingnan】: Oh, right, are you going to the meetup?

【A Man】: I’ll be there.

【Lingnan】: That’s great, I plan to go too.

【A Man】: You need to take good care of your body.

Song Man was a little anxious. With Lingnan looking so weak, she worried she might faint on the street at any moment.

【Lingnan】: I’ve thought about it. I actually really like this app, and I really like everyone who’s been with me. They’re all especially nice. Anyway, I don’t know how long I can last if I don’t go out, so I might as well do some things I want to do while I can still move.

【Lingnan】: I happen to be in a hospital in Qingcheng. It’s perfect. If it were half a month ago, I might have had to make a trip.

Song Man wanted to persuade her, but then realized she didn’t know how.

【A Man】: Then be careful on the way.

【Lingnan】: See you then.

【A Man】: Okay, see you then.

Song Man put down her phone, looking distractedly at the problem she had paused earlier, no longer in the mood to solve it.

She actually wanted to know what Ke Lingyu was thinking, but there might not be a chance.

The day of the meetup was Saturday. Song Man checked the weather forecast, which showed cloudy turning sunny. It should be a nice day.

“Chu Fengqiu, do you have plans for Saturday?”

Song Man asked, looking at Chu Fengqiu who was tidying up her desk.

Since becoming friends with Chu Fengqiu, Chu Fengqiu had been a part of almost every one of her holidays.

Either they went out to play together, or they played games together. This seemed to have formed a habit of spending weekends together.

“I have something to do. I might not be back until the evening.”

The offline meetup started at 1 pm and ended at 7 pm. You could leave early, but you couldn’t stay late.

“Oh, okay. Then you go do your thing. I’m going to an internet cafe to play games with someone, and I’ll also be back in the evening.”

Song Man lied without batting an eye, watching Chu Fengqiu nod.

Saturday arrived quickly. Song Man deliberately woke up early. After breakfast, she went back to her room and started doing practice problems.

She absolutely had to PK A Q in person and make this old rival admire her immensely!

But she didn’t know if Chuanlin would go. Song Man logged onto Question Bank and checked. Chuanlin hadn’t been online for a long time, so she probably wasn’t going.

Song Man happened to see A Q online and asked if she had set off yet.

Song Man remembered A Q wasn’t in Qingcheng, so it would take some time to get there.

【A Q】: Getting ready to leave. I’ll arrive relatively early.

【A Man】: Okay, see you then.

Just as Song Man sent this message, she heard a knock on her door, followed by Chu Fengqiu’s voice.

“Song Man, I’m heading out.”

“Okay.”

Song Man replied, glanced at the time (it was still early for 1 pm), and lowered her head to continue doing problems.

At noon, Housekeeper Liu called Song Man for lunch. After eating, it was almost time to leave.

Song Man went back to her room and picked out a particularly cool-looking outfit from her closet. She even trimmed her eyebrows in the mirror. Song Man originally wanted to put on makeup, but then thought it was too much trouble, and she was clumsy anyway, so she gave up.

She combed her hair and gave herself a confident look in the mirror. She was definitely going to be the coolest person there today.

Song Man took a taxi to the venue, scanned her QR code to verify her identity, and entered the premises.

This floor of the activity center was quite large, divided into a discussion area and an exam area. The layout looked comfortable, and there were also some sponsor signs placed nearby, all stationery brands.

Song Man walked directly towards the exam area. A staff member asked her to show her QR code and required her to hand over her phone. They even scanned her whole body with a detector – it was very strict.

“Please rest assured, we will properly manage your phone. The exam area has multiple sections with different difficulties. We hope you have a pleasant experience.”

Even though the staff member smiled sweetly, the content of her words was enough to make millions of students cry.

Song Man showed her QR code. The staff member was startled after scanning it.

“You’re A Man?!”

“The real deal.”

Song Man raised an eyebrow, looking incredibly cool in her outfit today.

“Okay, verification successful. Since you are a special guest, you can go directly to the innermost section of the exam area without passing the outer exams. This is your pass. Just show it to the staff inside.”

The staff member placed a badge in Song Man’s hand and gave her a cheering gesture. After Song Man walked in, she immediately pulled out her phone and bombarded a group chat with exclamation points.

She couldn’t believe that A Man, known as the “number one straight man,” was such a beautiful girl! Would the question setters be too soft on her later?

After all, the Question Bank question setters had long been sharpening their knives for these young people. This meetup was meant to be a face-to-face crushing, to let them know that Dad is still Dad, and see if they still dared to complain that the questions weren’t difficult.

Now that both special guests were beautiful girls, the staff member was a little worried the question setters would get nervous.

Since it had just started, there weren’t many people in the exam area. Besides the staff, there were only a few others.

Song Man thought this group of Question Bank people were truly perverted. It was bad enough that you had to take exams to advance in the app, but at the meetup, you couldn’t even visit a slightly more difficult exam area without taking an exam. This wasn’t just perverted, it was extremely perverted.

With her pass, Song Man smoothly passed through several sections and entered the innermost area.

Someone was already sitting inside, looking at the test papers in their hand. Hearing the sound, they looked up and made eye contact with Song Man.

Holy crap crap crap crap!!!

No amount of “craps” could express Song Man’s shock at this moment. Song Man even wanted to turn around and leave, pretending she hadn’t appeared here at all.

In that instant, Song Man heard the sound of her persona collapsing, and even the smile on her face was hard to maintain.

Who the hell could tell her why Chu Fengqiu was here too?!

Ahhhhhh!

But thinking about it, it seemed quite normal. Chu Fengqiu’s grades were so good, the probability of her using Question Bank was also very high.

Song Man wanted to smack herself on the head. Why hadn’t she thought of this? If she had known, she wouldn’t have come.

Chu Fengqiu saw Song Man and also looked a little surprised, but quickly recovered, a hint of understanding on her face.

“Manman.”

She waved at Song Man, her expression natural.

Song Man, however, couldn’t be natural at all. She desperately wanted to hang herself from a southeast branch, because she had discovered something even more awkward than “We said goodnight to each other, but met in the Canyon.”

We said goodbye to each other, but met in the exam room.