Let's Do Some Questions - Chapter 9

Song Man endured the most boring evening self-study session she had experienced in years.

She had originally planned to leave as soon as class ended and skip the rest of the evening session, but for some reason, Chu Fengqiu kept following her.

Song Man found it very annoying.

Chu Fengqiu, however, said it was her responsibility.

Song Man thought about her parents and decided to tolerate it.

As soon as school was over, she left without a second thought. Staying any longer would suffocate her.

Chu Fengqiu watched Song Man’s rapidly disappearing back with a hint of helplessness.

She didn’t actually want to interfere so forcefully in Song Man’s life. Part of it was indeed her responsibility, but a larger part was personal.

Chu Fengqiu had probed several times tonight, but Song Man had deflected her every time.

For a moment, Chu Fengqiu even wavered, wondering if perhaps her feeling was wrong, but she quickly dismissed the thought.

How to handle the prickly Song Man was something Chu Fengqiu hadn’t quite figured out yet.

Song Man felt uncomfortable all evening. She didn’t want to do anything. She went home, washed up, and lay down on her bed.

There was a knock on her door. Song Man saw who it was and knew her dad was about to have a heart-to-heart with her.

“How did you feel today?”

“Boring to death.”

Song Man expressed her dissatisfaction with the arrangement.

“Are you getting along well with your deskmate?”

“It’s okay, I guess.”

Song Man had wanted to complain a bit, but then thought there wasn’t really anything worth mentioning.

If she said Chu Fengqiu wouldn’t let her play on her phone, her dad probably wouldn’t criticize Chu Fengqiu; instead, he’d praise her for doing a good job.

“Your teacher said the top student in your class is a girl, her grades are excellent, and she’s very disciplined. They hope she can influence you.”

When Song’s dad heard this news, he couldn’t have been more pleased.

Top student, disciplined, and a girl. What if it were a boy and he got ideas about his daughter?

Even though his daughter was a little devil, her looks were undeniable.

Song Man pouted, offering no comment.

“Remember to say hello to your sister before you go to bed. She’s joining the company soon and won’t be home as often anymore.”

“That’s really great.”

Song Man almost set off firecrackers in celebration.

She really didn’t want to face Song Qinglan, no matter the mood, she just didn’t want to.

“You child, why are you reacting like this? Your sister always brought you good things when she came back. Are you really looking forward to her leaving?”

“I’m just cheering for her growth, Dad. Is there anything else?”

Xu Qinglang wanted to say something, but in the end, it turned into a sigh.

“You used to be so clingy to your sister when you were little.”

Song Man didn’t say anything, just waved her hand.

Her relationship with Song Qinglan wasn’t something that could be explained simply by sisterly affection or mutual animosity. It was so complicated that she herself didn’t want to explore it, much less explore Song Qinglan’s feelings.

Song Man sat cross-legged on her bed, opened the Question Bank app on her phone, and clicked into the Live Stream section.

This study app was quite well-known among students, divided into several sections.

They were the Solo Study Section, Speed PK Section, Exam Hall Section, Error Correction Section, Difficult Problems Section, and Live Stream Section.

Their functions were just as their names suggested: studying alone, competing with others in speed, studying together in a large group, correcting mistakes, tackling difficult problems, and live streaming study sessions.

Basically, just keep studying.

Song Man had planned to start a live stream to do problems, but she saw a familiar name on the homepage recommendations and abandoned her original idea, clicking into it.

The screen showed scrolling comments, but they didn’t block the person’s test questions.

【Ahhhhhh I didn’t even get to see the question!】

【Q-Shen is too fast, I’m only halfway through!】

【Giving up on studying to watch the master solve problems, only to find the master’s speed is beyond my reach.】

【Sexy student, online and feeling defeated.】

【Every time I come to the live stream and see the masters doing problems, I feel like we’re not the same species.】

【Q-Shen must be the fastest at solving problems in the entire live stream section!】

【Whoever says fastest probably hasn’t seen A Man, right?】

So the comments sparked a debate about whether A Man or Q-Shen was faster.

Song Man was suddenly mentioned, but she was already used to it.

【Speed is definitely A Man! He won against Q-Shen in Speed PK, didn’t he?】

【Q-Shen won one round back, okay?】

【Best of three, A Man is better!】

【But I think in terms of problem-solving approach, Q-Shen’s is easier to understand. A Man is too rough and concise.】

【A Man is definitely the most brutal and straightforward problem solver in the entire Question Bank…】

Seeing the topic getting increasingly off-track, Song Man quickly sent a comment to get everyone back to Q’s live stream.

When she first joined the Question Bank, there was a gender selection, but Song Man was too lazy to fill out such information, so her status was confidential. It wasn’t until she became famous here later, due to her problem-solving approach, that she was dubbed the “Number One Straight Man” of the Question Bank. Everyone used ‘he’ when referring to her, and Song Man didn’t deny it, which was taken as tacit agreement.

Song Man forgot that as a well-known user in the Question Bank, her comments had special badges.

It was fine if she didn’t speak, but one comment stirred up a thousand waves.

【Catch A Man!!!】

【Man Shen is here! How many days has it been since you live-streamed studying?】

【Caught another A Man lurking in Q-Shen’s live stream.】

【Want to see A Man and Q-Shen PK!】

【Want to see +1.】

【Want to see + ID number.】

“So everyone came to my live stream to see A Man?”

A voice, distorted by a voice changer, came from the phone, attracting everyone’s attention.

Unbeknownst to them, the pen strokes on the screen had stopped moving.

This was why Song Man liked this Question Bank; it did a good job with privacy. Live streams didn’t require showing your face or even your hands, only screen projection to show the pen strokes. The voice could also be processed with a voice changer, making it impossible to distinguish gender and not sounding harsh.

“We’re almost done with this test paper. After I finish, how about I have A Man join me to explain it to you?”

【Q-Shen is secretly exploiting A Man’s labor again.】

That Q-Shen and A Man had a good relationship was something all Question Bank students knew.

【I’m willing! Hurry up, gods!】

【Maybe they’re goddesses, not gods?】

【Are you dreaming in the Question Bank upstairs?】

Song Man twitched her mouth seeing the comments, wondering why there was so much discussion about gender.

Q-Shen’s full ID was Ah Q. Like Song Man, their gender was confidential. During live streams, they rarely spoke except for necessary explanations. Their problem-solving approach was much more detailed than Song Man’s, making it very comfortable to follow. Some people thought Ah Q must be a gentle boy, while others disagreed.

Anyway, Ah Q’s gender had always been a mystery in the Question Bank, and Ah Q themselves had never directly addressed the issue.

To be honest, even Song Man didn’t know.

Because they had never discussed this issue, they didn’t care what gender the other person was.

Ah Q quickly finished the remaining problems, leaving a spot for a voice call, waiting for Song Man to join.

After joining, Song Man selected the voice changer and said hello.

Song Man’s problem-solving approach was simple and brutal, aiming to solve a problem using the fastest method. Many times, it gave people an unexpected feeling, and upon closer examination, they found it was indeed feasible.

Ah Q, on the other hand, was the type who explained things slowly and clearly. Every step was written out very clearly. Looking at it, one could quickly understand their problem-solving approach. Some people commented that watching them solve problems was a pleasure.

【The feeling of both of them explaining together is like basking in a spring breeze one second, and being thrown off a car the next.】

【I understand the logic, but how does A Man’s brain work to come up with these methods!】

【Every time I hear their voice changers, I really want to hear their real voices.】

Other streamers either live-streamed themselves doing test papers directly or used their real voices. Some popular ones who were good-looking even showed their faces.

But these two, the most popular and highly acclaimed, were very mysterious.

No hands, no face, not even their real voices.

Song Man didn’t want to reveal her identity, while Ah Q was simply too lazy to bother.

When Ah Q finished the stream, the two of them agreed to start a PK match.

Students from the live stream rushed to the PK section, eager to watch.

【It’s not me doing the problems, but I feel so excited.】

【I love watching masters compete like this, it’s thrilling.】

【I’m betting on A Man this round!】

【I’m betting on Q-Shen!】

【A Man, A Man, A Man!】

The developer of the Question Bank was also a very smart businessman. To unlock some test papers and materials in the Question Bank, you needed to buy “Question Coins,” which naturally required topping up money.

But this app wasn’t just for making money. If you finished a set of test papers with an accuracy rate of 60% or more, you would be rewarded with Question Coins. The higher the accuracy rate, the more coins you could get. Question Coins could also be used for tipping in live streams and betting in Speed PKs.

Song Man glanced at the betting table; she still had more chips on her side.

Song Man raised her hand and bet 1000 on herself.

1 Question Coin = 1 Yuan.

The students below commented on how generous Song Man was.

Song Man wasn’t short on Question Coins. She had done enough test papers inside, so she had accumulated a lot of coins. Besides, even if she used up all her coins, she could just top up more. Money wasn’t a big issue.

Ah Q also bet a thousand, betting on themselves as well.

Song Man flexed her fingers. She wouldn’t be polite.

The countdown began, and the questions appeared on the screen.

Song Man put in her full concentration, quickly circling the options on the test paper.

The freedom to flip through the test paper was very high; you could jump to any page you wanted and choose which problem to do first.

Song Man went straight down from the multiple-choice questions, while Ah Q first scanned the entire test paper before starting to write.

【For the thrill, watch A Man! For comfort, watch Q-Shen! I just like getting on the black car!】

【Let’s get on the black car together!】

【Watching A Man is like watching a roller coaster, the kind without a seatbelt, you don’t know when you’ll be thrown off.】

【Q-Shen’s problem-solving method is very suitable for learning. Last time I used Q-Shen’s method, my problem-solving speed increased, it’s very efficient.】

【After being brainwashed by A Man’s approach, my problem-solving has become much more brutal. Even the teacher was surprised, but it’s correct hahaha.】

Song Man paid no mind to the comments, her hands moving non-stop, muttering formulas under her breath.

Speed PKs had no sound, so she could mutter freely.

She didn’t check Ah Q’s progress, focusing entirely on increasing her own speed.

A knock on the door made Song Man’s train of thought pause.

“Playing games, busy.”

Song Man didn’t care who was knocking, she just yelled out first and continued looking at the problem.

Only after finishing all the problems did she put down her phone, relax her tense body, and wipe the sweat from her forehead and palms.

Competition could keep her feeling tense and focused, and competing with someone evenly matched was exhilarating.

Song Man raised her eyebrows and smiled. At this moment, Q had also submitted their paper.

The result was determined by speed and accuracy, and everyone watched the screen nervously.

【A Man is fast! Man Shen must win! My Question Coins depend on you!】

【A Man has a big chance of winning this round.】

【I bet on Q-Shen, hope Q-Shen wins!】

【Definitely A Man, she finished first, Q-Shen was one problem behind.】

【I don’t think so, I was running the Question Bank on two screens just now, one watching A Man and one watching Q-Shen, and they had different answers for two problems.】

【Brother upstairs is awesome! You actually remembered and compared them!】

【The Question Bank is full of talents, the one who remembered the problems must be Xiao Zhua, right? I was watching Xiao Zhua’s live stream just now and heard that Q-Shen and A Man were having a PK, so that guy immediately ended his stream.】

【It should be Xiao Zhua, his memory is insane.】

Song Man frowned seeing these comments. Two problems were different?

Song Man recalled the test paper she had just done. She felt she should have been confident in every problem she wrote.

Could it be that Ah Q had regressed?

Ding! A sound indicated the result was out.

Song Man watched the screen somewhat nervously, and was a little surprised when she saw the result.

Draw.

【It’s actually a draw…】

【Thank goodness it’s a draw!】

【I’m curious where Man Shen made a mistake.】

【Gods fighting!!!】

【Where did Man Shen make a mistake that the scores were tied?】

Although Ah Q was one problem slower than Song Man and also made a mistake on a small sub-question, Song Man made a mistake on a major question.

Overall, the two were still tied.

The page jumped to the Error Correction section. Song Man looked at the problem she got wrong and examined it carefully.

The initial calculation and steps should have been fine, but there was a small error in the middle, which led to everything after that being calculated incorrectly.

Song Man saw a chat box icon appear in the upper right corner with a small red dot. She clicked it open, and sure enough, it was Ah Q.

【Ah Q】: Why did you calculate it wrong? With your ability, you shouldn’t have.

【A Man】: I was interrupted just now and got distracted.

【Ah Q】: No wonder. A lucky draw.

【A Man】: What about you? How did you get that multiple-choice question wrong?

【Ah Q】: Had a momentary lapse in thinking.

Song Man exited the Error Correction page, enlarged the chat window, and began chatting with Ah Q attentively.

She thought Ah Q was a very interesting person.

Although they were online friends, or even rivals, she had a good impression of this person.

They didn’t just discuss problems; sometimes they would talk about things in their lives.

At first, she thought Ah Q’s name came from “The True Story of Ah Q,” as most people who saw the name would likely think so.

But Ah Q wasn’t someone who would use the spiritual victory method. She could feel the confidence and gentleness conveyed in their every move. When they discussed the name issue, Ah Q said they just picked it randomly and didn’t think too much about it at the time.

【A Man】: My life has changed a bit recently.

【Ah Q】: Are you adapting?

【A Man】: It’s a bit restricted, but I can tolerate it for now.

【Ah Q】: Seeing you say ‘tolerate’ is quite rare.

【Ah Q】: My life has also had some small changes recently. I think it’s not bad.

The night was hazy, and the moonlight was gentle.

Chu Fengqiu had a small night light on and was typing while leaning against the bed.

She looked at A Man’s ID on the screen, her thoughts drifting.

A Man was a good friend she met on a study app. Their ability was not to be underestimated, sometimes even surpassing hers.

A carefree boy, which reminded her of someone.

Speaking of which, Song Man’s problem-solving approach was also simple and brutal, just like A Man’s.

A bold guess suddenly formed in Chu Fengqiu’s mind, and then she immediately dismissed it.

How could there be such a coincidence in the world? Moreover, she hadn’t figured out the secrets about Song Man yet.

Besides, A Man said they were in Baijin City, not Qingcheng.

【A Man】: You’ve always lived quite freely. Avengers 4 is coming out, are you watching it?

【Ah Q】: Of course. It’s a shame we’re not in the same place, otherwise I could treat you to a movie.

As a friend, Chu Fengqiu felt it would be wonderful if she could watch a movie with A Man, discuss the plot, and talk about things they were interested in.

【A Man】: If we can meet, I’ll definitely take you up on that.

Song Man also wanted to treat Ah Q to a meal, but Ah Q was in Jiming City, which was too far away.

After chatting with Ah Q for a while, Song Man felt a bit sleepy and said goodnight to Ah Q.

She picked up the remote control and pressed a button. The curtains automatically closed, dispelling the clear moonlight from the room.

Song Man didn’t know that the stranger she thought had appeared in her life due to changes already had a long-standing connection with her.

At that time, she only thought it was an insignificant butterfly, and even if its colors were vibrant, it wouldn’t cause a ripple when it flew past.

Later, she found out that even if Chu Fengqiu was a butterfly, she was the damn butterfly that flapped its wings in the Amazon rainforest in South America and caused a tornado in Texas.

Just before falling asleep, Song Man thought of a question: who had knocked on her door earlier? But it probably wasn’t anything important; if it were, that person would definitely have come back.

Just as she was drifting off to sleep, Song Man heard another series of knocks.

Song Man was woken up and called out impatiently, “Come in.”

Song Qinglan’s face appeared before Song Man, jolting her awake.

“I’m leaving tomorrow. Don’t you have anything to say to me?”

Song Qinglan walked in and reached out to ruffle Song Man’s hair, but Song Man dodged her.

Song Qinglan’s hand stiffened. Song Man thought Song Qinglan would withdraw her hand, but unexpectedly, she quickly ruffled her hair.

“Childish.”

Song Man rolled her eyes.

“Wishing you a successful start, continuous promotion, prosperity, all your wishes come true, daily income of ten thousand, early birth of a son, and a happy marriage for a hundred years.”

It was safe to say she was being very perfunctory.

“My sister is getting less and less cute as she grows up.”

“Likewise.”

“You’ve been transferred to a good class, have you been studying hard?”

“Could it be that you suggested this to Mom and Dad?”

Song Man sat up on the bed, staring at Song Qinglan.

“I just think it’s not a solution for you to mess around like this every day. You can’t just mess up your life completely, can you?”

What exactly do you want, Sis!

Song Man almost couldn’t help but ask this question, but she managed to hold it back.

“I know what I’m doing with my life, you don’t need to worry about it.”

“Look at you, you haven’t even said three sentences to me, and the smell of gunpowder is already so strong. You used to stick behind me and call out ‘Sister’ all the time.”

“Song! Qing! Lan!”

“Alright, alright, I didn’t come here to argue with you. But to prevent you from skipping evening self-study, I made a small suggestion to Mom and Dad.”

“What?”

Song Man had a bad feeling.

“You’ll know tomorrow.”

Song Qinglan’s lips curved into a smile, and she turned to leave.

Song Man threw her pillow at the door.

How annoying is this person? Coming over late at night just to say something like that.

Song Man put on her slippers, threw the pillow back on the bed, and pattered to her parents’ bedroom.

Song Zici opened the door and saw Song Man standing there, her face immediately breaking into a smile.

“What’s wrong, Manman?”

“Sister said she made a small suggestion to you. What did she tell you?”

“Your sister said it would be better for you to live at school, it can train you.”

???

Song Qinglan was still messing with her even after leaving?

She couldn’t figure out what Song Qinglan was trying to do anymore.

“Mom, I don’t want to go.”

“Your dad and I will discuss it.”

Song Zici gently comforted Song Man, but her tone suggested the suggestion was feasible.

Song Man was a bit annoyed. Although she knew they were doing it for her own good, she didn’t need this kind of control right now. Apparently, her parents thought she did.

“Then you guys discuss it properly.”

Song Man’s thoughts were a bit messy, and she returned to her room.

What was Song Qinglan up to? Did she suddenly want to have genuine sisterly affection? Did she want to be a good sister now?

Song Man locked the door and messed up her hair.

Before, her relationship with Song Qinglan wasn’t like this.

When she was little, she was quite clingy to Song Qinglan, calling her “Sister” all the time. Song Qinglan was five years older than her and indeed a good sister in the eyes of outsiders.

Song Qinglan was well-behaved since childhood, never causing trouble, helping her parents take care of her younger sister, she was the ideal daughter. She would give everything to her sister, spoil her, and quickly apologize if she caused trouble, like a little adult.

Song Man had always liked her sister very much, even relying on her.

Although sometimes Song Qinglan would look at her with an expression she couldn’t understand, and sometimes she would be very impatient with her, this didn’t matter to Song Man. Song Qinglan was still the sister who doted on her the most, indulging her in everything she did.

Until she was thirteen, on a night of thunder and lightning.

Song Man remembered the wind outside was strong that day. The wind seemed to carry the force to destroy everything, banging against the windows and making strange wailing sounds like ghosts.

Lightning illuminated the room like broad daylight for a moment. At that time, Song Man was still just a pampered, spoiled rich girl. The curtains at home weren’t automated yet, and she didn’t even have the courage to go close them.

She hugged her pillow and went to her sister’s door. The door wasn’t locked. She gently turned the handle and opened a crack.

Perhaps the sound of the thunder and rain was too loud, so her sister, who was standing by the window with her back to her, didn’t notice.

“It should be almost successful, right? She’s been pampered and is very spoiled, doesn’t like reading, and doesn’t want to go to class.”

Song Man paused, instinctively feeling that she was definitely talking about herself.

She had complained to Song Qinglan just yesterday that she really didn’t want to go to school and didn’t want to listen to the teachers drone on.

She hadn’t finished explaining the reason: it was because she already knew all the problems, so she was too lazy to listen.

She stood there hugging her pillow, not pushing the door open, and continued listening to the voice inside.

“Don’t worry, Grandpa, I won’t go easy on her.”

“Uncle… he’s been good to me, but I won’t forget that he was the third party. That’s an unchangeable fact.”

“Sometimes I think, our family is actually quite good like this. At least when Mom wanted to have children, she had the right to choose.”

Song Qinglan’s words froze Song Man in place, making her head feel confused.

Song Man quietly closed the door and fled back to her room as if escaping.

Outside, the thunder and rain still raged, but she no longer had time to be afraid.

A more terrifying truth was laid out before her. She wasn’t stupid; on the contrary, she was very smart.

If thirteen years of companionship and doting were all a facade, Song Man had to admire Song Qinglan for being able to act so well.

One must know that Song Qinglan was only five years older than her.

Song Man remembered Song Qinglan’s grandfather. She had known before that they were half-sisters, but Song Man didn’t care about bl00d relations; Song Qinglan was her sister.

But she treated the other person as her real sister, while the other person might not have thought so.

As for Song Qinglan’s grandfather… that old man had never given her a good look.

Song Man lay in bed, thinking wildly for half an hour, then picked up her pillow again and knocked on Song Qinglan’s door.

Song Qinglan took her hand, a hint of impatience on her face. The expression disappeared extremely quickly, but Song Man still caught it.

Song Qinglan’s smile was still gentle, but in Song Man’s eyes, it carried a hint of terror.

The next day, Song Man used the excuse of not feeling well to skip class.

Song Qinglan immediately requested a week off for Song Man, as if she had contracted a serious illness.

It was then that Song Man realized how beautifully Song Qinglan played this game of “killing with kindness.”

Even if she could study, she would be ruined if this continued.

Song Man didn’t take on a “rags-to-riches” script. In her heart, even if Song Qinglan had ulterior motives, she was still the sister who had accompanied her for thirteen years, never missing important moments in her life, and even spending more time with her than her parents.

Song Man subtly inquired about her dad and mom’s story, asked many people, and finally pieced together the answer.

Being a “third party” might not be confirmed, but her dad was her mom’s assistant before Song Qinglan’s dad passed away, and their relationship was quite good.

Song Man didn’t feel she owed Song Qinglan anything, nor did she feel Song Qinglan owed her anything.

Even if Song Qinglan had bad intentions, after pretending for over ten years like this, she should have developed some genuine feelings, right?

Song Man kept thinking about this matter for several days. What was initially a fake illness turned into a real one.

After a serious illness, Song Man figured it out.

Didn’t Song Qinglan do all these things for one reason?

For the Tian’en Group.

The Tian’en Group was the Song family’s industry, which had flourished through generations of management.

Then why not just give it up?

If she didn’t become the heir and didn’t compete with Song Qinglan, and just acted like the ignorant and spoiled person Song Qinglan wanted her to be, wouldn’t that be fine?

The more Song Man thought about it, the more feasible it seemed, because her personality was inherently averse to restraint. She could handle the proper, serious stuff, but she didn’t like it. If she could freely do what she liked, that would be even better.

So Song Man started learning self-defense, learning Sanda, becoming the school’s “big sister,” skipping classes casually, riding the coolest motorcycles, being as willful as possible.

After a period of living like this, Song Man felt…

It was damn awesome.

This was the joy of life!

So Song Man happily became a delinquent.

But at the same time, she didn’t forget to secretly study behind the scenes, because she still enjoyed exercising her brain.

On the surface, she made herself look like she was truly ruined, while secretly doing problems and being a top student behind everyone’s backs.

This kind of life couldn’t be more comfortable.

As for other people’s opinions… Song Man didn’t care at all.

It was just hard to explain to her parents.

Fortunately, her parents doted on her immensely and let her do whatever she wanted, letting her cause trouble.

Her dad was more anxious and hoped she would study hard, but her mom felt that since she would have an heir anyway, her elder daughter was so smart and capable, it didn’t matter if her younger daughter was spoiled and playful. As long as she married someone who loved her and lived a happy life, that was enough.

But recently, Song Qinglan seemed to have gone crazy, suddenly wanting to be genuinely sincere?

And playing this game of saving her misguided younger sister?

First instigating her to change classes, then making her live at school, under the guise of studying and training. What exactly did this person want?

Could it be that because she was about to start working at the group, she felt she had the upper hand and no longer needed to worry about her, so she wanted to give her a hand and let her have a bright future?

Huh?

Did Song Qinglan think she was her puppet, who could be made to fall or rise whenever she wanted?

She wouldn’t even look to see if she was willing.

Isn’t it better to pretend to be a bad student and be happy?

She would just pretend not to see the performance she was supposed to cooperate with.

The next day, Song Man didn’t go to class and went straight to an internet cafe.

When Xu Qinglang came back from work and found out about this, he immediately took some things and visited Chu Fengqiu’s home.

Song Man came back after having fun in the evening, stepped through the door, and saw Chu Fengqiu sitting on the sofa. She thought she had entered the wrong house.

???

What’s going on?