After the birthday party ended, Yan Lu and Shi Qingqing went to a nearby café together. After ordering two cups of coffee and so desserts, they put on their headphones and got ready to watch the livestream.
"It’s starting—it’s starting!" Shi Qingqing shouted.
Yan Lu quickly put down the half-eaten tiramisu and leaned in.
The mont the livestream cara turned on, it focused on a girl sitting by the floor-to-ceiling window, head lowered, reading a book.
Outside the window, neon lights sparkled in the bustling city. The soft, warm glow from the lamp cast a gentle halo around the girl, making her look like she was part of a high-end magazine spread.
"It’s An’an!" Yan Lu exclaid excitedly.
Amidst the barrage of comnts flooding the chat with "Happy Birthday Rong Xianning," one stood out: "This girl really knows how to put on a show. This is a livestream, sis, can you actually focus on reading?"
Soon after, the chat was filled with mocking comnts: "She’s reading an English original? Seriously? Does she even understand it? Trying way too hard, sis."
——"If I’m not embarrassed, the embarrassing one is soone else. But dear sisters, I’m dying of second-hand embarrassnt here."
——"I just curled my toes into a four-bedroom apartnt. Insane, way too insane."
——"Isn’t there a staff mber to remind her? This is over the top. Setting up as an academic star during our Brother Rong’s birthday livestream—trying to make our Brother Rong look up to her, huh?"
——"Does she think Brother Rong is a nerd who’ll fall for girls who love studying? Sis, you miscalculated big ti."
Shi Qingqing voiced her own confusion: "What is she doing?"
Seeing the barrage of mocking and critical comnts targeting An’an, Yan Lu couldn’t hold back her anger and reported every single one of them.
Her fingers flew across the keyboard as she typed and sent her response to the chat: ——"A bunch of academic losers can’t possibly comprehend the world of a genius. Open your eyes and read the title on the cover: *Spaceti Physics.* Spaceti physics! Of course, your brain cells wouldn’t understand it. But she’s a prodigy, a true academic goddess. What do you expect her to do with fragnted ti—take selfies and scroll through her phone like you all? This is the difference between you ordinary folks and a genius!"
Yan Lu copied and posted her statent multiple tis, completely drowning out the hate comnts.
Shi Qingqing asked, puzzled, "A prodigy? An academic goddess?"
Yan Lu retorted irritably, "Of course! Do you know who won the gold dal and ranked first in last year’s CMO? It’s An’an! Even the academic stars grood by De Ren couldn’t outperform her. She’s been number one her entire life, never once second place. When I’m with her, she never plays with her phone during free ti—there’s always a book in her hand. You all don’t understand, fine, but attacking and mocking her? What’s the point?"
Shi Qingqing gasped in surprise. "So she’s the gold dalist from last year’s CMO?"
Her cousin participated in last year’s CMO but, unfortunately, didn’t rank. According to her cousin, the CMO questions were extraordinarily difficult. The gold dalists who make it into De Ren’s Young Talent Class are grood for careers in scientific research and are considered the backbone of the nation. When her cousin ntioned it, there was obvious envy in her tone—and she noted that the gold dalist that year was a girl from a small town who outperford even De Ren’s students.
Shi Qingqing never would’ve guessed that the gold dalist her cousin admired turned out to be the girl in black sitting beside her earlier. She regretted not chatting with her more—flirting with a mind like that might add a touch of brilliance to her own life.
Perhaps the wait was too long, as the girl eventually closed her book and stood up.
At that mont, Rong Xianning walked into the cara fra.
The entire chat exploded with gushing admiration for Rong Xianning’s looks, completely burying all of Yan Lu’s comnts. Not that anyone was likely to take her ssages seriously.
"An’an, it’s been a while." Rong Xianning greeted.
Yan Lu was stunned, exchanging bewildered glances with Shi Qingqing.
Shi Qingqing murmured in disbelief, "She knows Rong Xianning?"
Yan Lu stared in confusion, "I don’t know! An’an never told anything."
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