Chapter 24: It’s Quite Cute

After finishing the preliminary interview, He Zhi went to the restroom once more.

When the contestants gathered, Song Yi pulled him out from the crowd, and the assistant director led him into the recording hall to rehearse and familiarize with the process.

After explaining the procedure, the assistant director took the microphone and said, “Everyone, take a break. Our program will officially start recording in ten minutes.”

The contestants responded in unison, “Okay.”

He Zhi dared not open his mouth, struggling to suppress the trembling of his jaw.

Song Yi hooked his arm around He Zhi’s shoulder.

“Ah Zhi, stop shaking. The production team isn’t stupid. They won’t design the first two rounds of the elimination matches to be too difficult.”

He Zhi trembled, “Really…?”

Song Yi patted He Zhi’s shoulder, “Of course. Otherwise, if they eliminated all seventy-plus contestants at once, leaving only big shots like me, how would the show be recorded?”

Dai Fanze closed his eyes and said, “You call yourself a big shot? How would the show even be recorded?”

Song Yi clicked his tongue. “Fatso.”

Dai Fanze slowly opened his eyes, then lazily pointed at the person beside him.

“Ah Zhi, learn from your brother Jing and me—never panic when things happen. If it’s time to sleep, then sleep…”

He swallowed the rest of his sentence.

Jing Sicun hadn’t closed his eyes at all.

He was half-squinting, looking in a certain direction.

Dai Fanze followed his gaze and saw the back of Ke Ni’s head sitting in the front row.

The sloth slowly turned his head to look at Jing Sicun, then at Ke Ni, and slowly spread his lips into a mysterious smile.

Ke Ni’s occipital bone was round and full, and the makeup artist had styled her hair into two fashionable, fluffy braids.

A bespectacled young man hunched over and quietly approached Ke Ni, suddenly tapping her on the shoulder.

Ke Ni calmly turned her head.

“Do you want to die?”

The boy smiled.

“You always see my shadow first, huh?”

Ke Ni shot back without mercy, “No, I smell the stench of a scumbag on you first.”

Ke Ni didn’t seem angry, just indifferent.

It was similar to hearing malicious words in the resting room—aware but too lazy to expose or think much about it.

She didn’t care about nasty words, or rather, she couldn’t say she didn’t care at all.

More like confusion:

She didn’t have anything special she wanted to do anyway, so whatever.

Jing Sicun even had the feeling that the anger behind Ke Ni’s harsh “scumbag” probably wasn’t because of the bespectacled boy.

The one who lit that fire might have been herself.

Jing Sicun looked at Ke Ni and raised an eyebrow.

Maybe he hadn’t expected to be glared at like that.

The boy’s smile stiffened, and he awkwardly scratched his nose before sitting down.

“Why are you still mad?”

He waved back, “Over at Feng Zi’an’s side—”

Behind the boy followed a guy with a lifted chin and an unpleasant face.

He was probably the one who called Ke Ni a “pretty face.”

Jing Sicun nudged Song Yi with his leg and raised his chin slightly toward the front-row seats.

“Know them?”

Song Yi released He Zhi and leaned closer to Jing Sicun.

The set of Extreme Brainpower was exquisitely and meticulously constructed, with a geometric titanium alloy backdrop paired with titanium-white lights, giving a futuristic sci-fi vibe.

The contestants’ seats were arranged in tiers, forming a semi-elliptical shape around the central stage.

Through the gaps between the front-row contestants, Song Yi saw Ke Ni, then the contestant leaning toward her and talking sideways.

He asked Jing Sicun, “You mean those two sitting beside Ke Ni?”

Song Yi was a social butterfly.

“Lin Xirun and Feng Zi’an. They’re from Finance University, probably the same school as Ke Ni. The more refined-looking one is Lin Xirun, pretty easy to approach. I even added him on WeChat while watching the Go match.”

Song Yi curled his lips unconsciously.

“That Feng Zi’an though, kinda arrogant, pretty wild.”

Jing Sicun showed no particular emotion.

He looked at Ke Ni’s equally expressionless profile and said faintly, “Is that so?”

Ke Ni seemed to sense it and suddenly glanced back, meeting Jing Sicun and Song Yi’s gaze.

Then, she shot Jing Sicun a glare.

Song Yi was just about to wave hello but noticed Ke Ni had viciously turned her head away.

The two braids, adorned with small floral decorations, swung through the air, cutting off any possibility of interaction.

Song Yi pointed at his own nose.

“Me? Did Ke Ni just glare at me?”

By now, He Zhi’s jaw had stopped trembling.

He muttered, “Ke Ni was glaring at Brother Jing.”

Song Yi immediately widened his eyes.

“Jing Sicun, are you bullying my sister?”

Jing Sicun smirked, “Who’s your sister?”

Whether the lavender essential oil Ke Ni gave He Zhi worked for him or not, it certainly helped Dai Fanze.

Thanks to the lavender oil, Dai Fanze managed to block out He Zhi’s sleep talking and slept well for several nights.

Naturally, he had to stand up for Ke Ni and speak some justice.

Dai Fanze said, “Song Yi, you’re shameless.”

He Zhi nodded. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.”

At that moment, the staff and cameramen were taking their positions.

Suddenly, the venue lit up as bright as day.

The assistant director maintained discipline, and the host made their entrance.

Six hours after arriving at the program’s recording location, Extreme Brainpower finally began filming.

Jing Sicun looked toward Ke Ni’s direction.

Her posture was similar to He Zhi’s—shoulders squared, head held high, chest out, the porcelain-white curve of her neck taut.

Just like they worried about He Zhi, Jing Sicun was also concerned about Ke Ni’s condition.

From the few phone calls Ke Ni made at the grocery store, Jing Sicun could tell her family situation was complicated.

She could also tell Ke Ni liked to keep the peace, pretend to be optimistic, and play obedient…

All the unhappy moments Jing Sicun had seen from Ke Ni happened because of the competition.

He could only infer that Ke Ni’s emotional knots were related to both the competition and her family situation.

The secret Jing Sicun held was explosive for Ke Ni.

Once the recording ended…

She might just silence him.

Thinking of this, Jing Sicun smiled slightly.

The host began introducing each contestant’s educational background and honors or awards.

Each introduction lasted several minutes.

Ke Ni clapped along numbly as the introductions went by; Song Yi acted like a second host, whispering the information he knew about each contestant to Jing Sicun and the others.

The background music was stirring and uplifting.

Song Yi whispered through Jing Sicun and Dai Fanze, “Wow, I’ve got goosebumps. I feel like the champion’s trophy is waving at me.”

Dai Fanze rolled his eyes.

After the long buildup, the host finally revealed the competition for the first episode—

Platonic Solid Number Maze.

The topic description was filled with complicated terms:

Highly vertex-symmetric, Timaeus, classical elements, extreme calculation ability, and concentration beyond the ordinary…

All of which were just to mess with their heads.

Jing Sicun glanced over.

Basically, it was just a set of four dodecahedrons, each colored differently:

Red, orange, yellow, and green.

Each color corresponded to an arithmetic operation: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division.

Each congruent regular pentagon face was covered with a maze path, full of different numbers.

When the path crossed a colored edge, the contestant had to apply that operation to the number they encountered.

At the end of the 3D maze, contestants needed to input the calculation result of all numbers along the path into a machine.

This was a timed competition.

There were thousands of dodecahedrons on site; each correctly solved maze added five points.

Incorrect calculations scored no points.

During the preliminaries, Jing Sicun had sat next to Ke Ni; she was pretty good with calculation problems.

She should be fine.

Contestants competed in three batches.

Ke Ni was in the first batch.

Before going on stage, she glanced once at Jing Sicun and the others, then strode on with murderous intent.

She looked more like she was going to behead someone than compete.

He Zhi was also good at calculation and felt his nerves ease considerably after seeing the topic.

He Zhi caught Ke Ni’s chilly gaze.

“Brother Jing.”

Jing Sicun watched the competition with interest.

“Hmm?”

“Nothing…”

He Zhi wanted to say he thought Brother Jing was doomed, but thought better of it—such words before a match weren’t very auspicious.

The competition was intense, and the tense, suppressed atmosphere lasted over two hours.

All three batches finished the challenge, and the scores were announced:

First place, Jing Sicun.

Second, Xia Jiyi.

Third, Zoe.

Fourth, Dai Fanze.

Fifth, Feng Zi’an.

Sixth, An Shirui.

He Zhi was exactly tenth.

Song Yi, better at memory and spatial tasks, fell out of the top ten.

Ke Ni ranked ahead of Song Yi and Lin Xirun, within the top twenty.

Seven contestants were eliminated and left with regret under the host’s commentary and background music.

By this point, the contestant portion was basically over.

The production team kept only the top ten for follow-up interviews, announcing that the others could leave freely.

He Zhi, having made the top ten, was so excited he practically radiated energy, hopping and skipping out of sight.

The assistant director called for the top ten to gather, but Dai Fanze leisurely looked back and didn’t see a trace of He Zhi.

Dai Fanze asked, “Song Yi, where’s Ah Zhi?”

Song Yi squatted nearby, planning to wait until his three outstanding teammates finished their interviews before eating together.

“Probably went to the restroom again.”

Jing Sicun said, “I’ll check the lounge.”

Sure enough, He Zhi was in the lounge talking to Ke Ni.

Ke Ni had been smiling as she congratulated He Zhi but darkened when she caught sight of Jing Sicun approaching.

“I have something to do; I’ll leave first. Coffee next time.”

He Zhi’s face flushed.

“Bye, Ke Ni! Let’s hang out when we have time!”

Ke Ni stomped hard on Jing Sicun’s foot as she passed by.

Jing Sicun stopped her.

“Contestant, I think you’re in the wrong show?”

Ke Ni’s phone rang with an urgent ringtone.

She answered it while glaring at Jing Sicun.

Jing Sicun smiled at the corner of his mouth.

“With moves that agile, you should compete in Boys and Girls Advance.”

He paused.

“You could win a refrigerator.”

He Zhi watched as Ke Ni punched Jing Sicun’s back.

He grinned and stepped back, afraid to get caught in the crossfire.

Ke Ni punched the phone and then hurried off.

Jing Sicun pulled the cowering He Zhi out.

“Let’s go, time for interviews.”

Most contestants had left by then; the sky outside had darkened.

The remaining ones took longer with interviews.

Interviews were done in order of contestant ranking.

Just as He Zhi entered, Song Yi was already starving, pressed shoulder to back.

Song Yi said, “Let’s play some games. I need a distraction, otherwise Dai’s ugly black messenger bag looks like a squid dumpling.”

Dai Fanze nudged Jing Sicun.

“Jing, you in? I can’t carry Song Yi by myself.”

Song Yi cursed, “Bullshit! What are you grabbing my head for?”

Playing PUBG on the way to the lounge, Song Yi shouted now and then, “Jing Sicun, don’t be so heartless! That’s me! You’re aiming at me!”

Sneaky.

Like someone hiding behind a windowsill late at night.

Jing Sicun chuckled lazily.

Then his smile faded.

The recording lasted from morning till night.

They ate the ordinary boxed lunch the production team prepared at noon—small portions and not tasty—so as soon as recording ended, the contestants quickly left the venue.

In the corridor, Jing Sicun met Feng Zi’an, Lin Xirun, and second-ranked Xia Jiyi.

Song Yi said Xia Jiyi was a small celebrity with an agency and an assistant.

Jing Sicun recalled the filthy conversation behind the curtain—

“No need to team up with the pretty face. He’s a better fit.”

Jing Sicun glanced coldly, kept playing, and immediately headshotted the player hiding behind Song Yi’s character.

Feng Zi’an and the others were talking when they suddenly fell silent upon seeing the three gamers—Jing Sicun, Song Yi, and Dai Fanze.

Song Yi was a social butterfly and still greeted the three across the way while playing.

Feng Zi’an deliberately provoked, brushing past Jing Sicun to bump him.

Jing Sicun remained steady, didn’t miss a beat, and headshotted another player.

Feng Zi’an’s attempt failed; he staggered back three steps.

He may have twisted his ankle and almost fell if Lin Xirun and Xia Jiyi hadn’t grabbed him.

Song Yi noticed the commotion and turned.

Jing Sicun barely raised his eyelids, eyes sliding to the corner. “Sorry.”

Feng Zi’an was helped away by his companions.

Song Yi asked after they left, “What happened?”

He had known Jing Sicun for years and knew him to be taciturn but gentlemanly.

Back in their youth class, Song Yi dropped a praying mantis into Jing Sicun’s cup, but Jing never got mad.

That oppressive aura just now…

What was that about?

He Zhi ran over from afar.

“Brother Jing, Brother Dai, Brother Song, my interview’s done!”

Jing Sicun’s expression remained the same.

“Let’s go eat.”

They planned to have barbecue.

Driving the car, Song Yi in the passenger seat said, “I’ve got to send the photos I took to Ke Ni.”

He Zhi leaned on the backs of the front two seats.

“What photos?”

Song Yi said, “The promo shots from last time.”

He Zhi exclaimed, “Wow, Brother Song, how did you even get those? Let me see!”

Song Yi proudly handed over his phone.

“Who else but your Brother Song? The famous social butterfly of Tech University!”

He Zhi said, “Ke Ni really looks good.”

Then he passed the phone back between the seat backs.

Jing Sicun took the phone.

She was pretty, but the picture quality was too blurry.

He glanced.

“Did you use a landline to take this?”

Song Yi yelled from beside him, claiming he had taken a photo of the staff’s computer screen.

“Just getting a shot was lucky. What’s a landline?”

After the fuss, Song Yi said, “My little sister’s so cute, I’ve got to show my mom too.”

The SUV drove half a street into the night before Jing Sicun suddenly said, “Yeah, she is pretty cute.”