Chapter 24: Neither of Your Math Scores Adds Up to Shengsheng’s Alone

The most popular study efficiency supplement on the market is called "Big Brain Booster."

Li Xingming once discussed this name seriously with Ouyang, always feeling that it carried a faint, mocking undertone. It was like those items in open-world action-adventure games—found at the end of a winding, enemy-infested path—labeled with a glowing icon as a "Trap Skull."

Like his buddy, Li Xingming refused to take the medication. For one, he didn't need it; his soul strength was more than enough to ensure peak study efficiency... whenever he actually felt like studying. Secondly, his physical constitution was so extraordinary that he would simply metabolize the core transcendental properties of the drug.

Alas, the life of a jock.

If one were to use the academic paths of the old era as an analogy, Jiang Qianqian was an arts student, and Li Xingming was truly a jock. He intended to apply to the Knight Academy, a school that specialized in the thrill of combat. As for which university’s Knight Academy he would attend, that depended entirely on where Jiang Qianqian got in.

Being a jock was the right label; this academic path required essentially no extra effort for Li Xingming.

"Cough, cough... ha..."
"I can't breathe, man, give me some water. I'm choking."
"Why don't I feel anything? Looks like I need to up the dosage."
"Holy crap, why is my vision going black..."

Everyone usually took their supplements during the mid-session break of evening study hall; it was the most effective time to ensure they made it through the most exhausting part of the night.

It should be noted that these supplements had side effects. Aside from the gradually increasing drug tolerance and physical discomfort, Li Xingming felt the hardest part to deal with was the indigestion that came from overconsumption, which led to flatulence—extremely foul-smelling flatulence.

Consequently, by the third period of evening study, an ominous atmosphere would begin to permeate the classroom. The teacher on duty would thoughtfully turn on the ventilation function of the central air conditioning, but Li Xingming still found it hard to endure. Perhaps because exams were approaching, there were an unusually high number of people taking the drugs today, which meant the air in the classroom would soon be... particularly pungent.

"I'm going to find Qianqian and help her with some problems," Li Xingming said, standing up.

Ouyang stood up as well upon hearing this: "Damn, I'm bailing too. The junior from the Outreach Department has been begging me for help on WeChat for two hours, saying she can't resolve an issue with the accounts... Motherfucker, she's a sophomore already, how is she old enough to be in high school and still not know how to cook the books?"

"Students at this age spend all their time doing homework; it's normal that they don't know how to cook the books," Li Xingming comforted him. "Unless they're on the 'Shopkeeper' path."

"Fair point."

"Super" Little Ou took off. Li Xingming, meanwhile, crossed the corridor connecting the two teaching buildings and arrived at the senior arts class. Maple Sugar City No. 1 High School had only one arts class in total, which served as proof that pursuing the arts was not considered a popular or viable career path for the common folk these days.

The classroom had no central air conditioning on. The arts teacher strictly forbade the use of supplements; while they were indeed beneficial for improving academic test scores, they numbed one's sensibilities, and sensitivity was a necessity for comprehending arts-related paths. One must not lose the forest for the trees.

Jiang Qianqian was pleasantly—or perhaps nine-tenths—surprised by Li Xingming's arrival. She hurriedly found a spare little stool for him, and the two sat side by side at the desk.

The children in the arts class were already used to Li Xingming's presence. When they were freshmen, Li Xingming had come to the arts class and beaten up anyone—boy or girl—who tried to pursue Jiang Qianqian. He then took the opportunity to visit the arts building office and beat up several teachers who, according to leaks on the Maple Sugar City No. 1 High School's "insider" forum, had a history of exploiting female students. By beating them in advance, they likely wouldn't harbor any twisted intentions toward Jiang Qianqian.

Clearly, Jiang Qianqian had been studying intensely for the first two sessions; now, from her posture to her voice, she seemed a bit soft and drained.

"Ah-Ming, do you think I'll pass the Awakening Test this time?"
"You'll win."
"I saw on the forum that someone said Math D is supposed to be hard this time. It's hard in odd months, easy in even months, and the last exam of the year is always hard..."
"No matter how hard Math D is, it's still just Math D. It's not Math S. Relax, I'll 'transmit my power' to you the night before the exam."
"Hehe~"

Every time Jiang Qianqian felt unsure about an exam, Li Xingming would give her crash training the night before. Come to think of it, it really was like the ancient transcendent masters transmitting their power before a battle. She suddenly felt very confident, patted the Gravity Lady Sword propped up against the corner of the desk, and continued solving the problems in front of her.

I love this weapon so much. It feels like a token of love from Ah-Ming.

Li Xingming, bored, idly flipped through the notebook on Jiang Qianqian's desk. Her handwriting was beautiful—delicate and neat, yet not so dainty as to be overly affected, as was the case with many young girls.

"Is this a custom exercise book you made? It's very comprehensive. Each chapter has quite a few problems, covering basically every question type. It's too cumbersome for review, though; it would be perfect for a freshman just starting out."
"...That's my error log."
"Impressive."
"Hey, no, hey, Ah-Ming, you!" Jiang Qianqian's face flushed. "You're mocking me~ You're annoying!"

She reached out to touch Li Xingming's waist, wanting to pinch him but unable to bring herself to do it. Women seemed to share a common instinct: when the man they liked acted like a jerk, they wanted to pinch his soft flesh, but Jiang Qianqian liked Li Xingming too much to let him feel any pain. So, she could only wave her little hands and pat his shoulder haphazardly.

Just then, the homeroom teacher of the arts class snuck in through the back door like a ghost, running straight into the young couple being affectionate. The teacher just offered a pained, awkward smile; he didn't criticize them, and even nodded to greet Li Xingming. He was more than happy for Li Xingming to come every day and help Jiang Qianqian pass the Awakening Test sooner, which would earn him a bigger bonus at the end of the year. Jiang Qianqian was a bright child; once she awakened her transcendence, her prospects for further education would definitely be bright.

The teacher ignored the couple in the corner of the last row, moved quickly and quietly, and apprehended three sneaky students in the middle of the classroom who were attempting to take forbidden substances.

"Don't spend all day thinking about underhanded tricks! Focus on your specialty!"
"If I catch you one more time, you can forget about the exam—just get out of here and go home to reflect on your suspension!"
"We're sorry..."

The three students responded shamefully, heads bowed. They weren't taking study efficiency supplements. They were taking things that provided inspiration, more in line with the niche of an arts student. Truly, an underhanded trick.

Li Xingming couldn't be bothered to watch the commotion; he continued to flip through Jiang Qianqian's error log with interest, taking the opportunity to admire his childhood sweetheart's flustered expression. Jiang Qianqian looked so cute when she was blushing.

That is to say, men really do remain boys on some level. Li Xingming had been a high-level transcendent in his past life and had lived for quite a long time, yet in this life, he still enjoyed teasing the little girl.

"You are one of the few people I've ever met who is worse at math than Ouyang."
"..."
"Come to think of it, if you and Ouyang added your math scores from the Awakening Test together, would they even be as high as Sheng-Sheng's score?"
"I'm not talking to you anymore!"

Jiang Qianqian nearly choked; why did he suddenly bring up Sheng-Sheng? Yes, yes, I'm bad at math, so why don't you go be with a woman who's good at it! How hateful!

She buried her head in her work for a while, then secretly turned to peek at Li Xingming once. Twice. Three times.

"Addition: the duration of me not talking to you is half an hour."
"Okay, meow."
"Hmph!"