Chapter 7 – No one has ever treated me like this

After asking this question, Lu Xingwang waited for a while.

However, he clearly overestimated Jianmei’s intelligence. After waiting for a while, the person who used to be very talkative today seemed completely clueless and did not understand the meaning of Lu Xingwang’s question. Not only that, he even thought that Lu Xingwang was interested in his teacher and went on to introduce Mr. Wang in detail.

Lu Xingwang: …

Finally,

Just as Jianmei was about to start another topic and introduce the teachers of other subjects, Lu Xingwang timely interrupted him: “Don’t you have homework to do?”

Jianmei realized belatedly, “Yes, I do.”

Lu Xingwang seemed to have a hidden meaning in his words: “Have you mastered today’s lesson?”

Jianmei didn’t sense anything amiss and, upon hearing Lu Xingwang’s question, he happened to have the textbook just distributed in front of him. Seeing the math book, he couldn’t help but say, “Other subjects are okay, but I struggle with math.”

“Ah… math is so difficult.”

“The subject I’m worst at is math.”

“I don’t know why, even when I substitute the equations, I always make mistakes.”

“The teacher assigned a problem set today, and I just glanced at the complex questions… They are really difficult.”

Although Jianmei was genuinely troubled, on the other side, the person sitting at the desk in the dormitory reacted differently upon seeing this conversation. Their usually indifferent brows and eyes lifted slightly, and their slender index finger rested on the desktop as they casually asked, “Which question?”

Jianmei didn’t suspect anything, so he took the initiative to send a photo to Lu Xingwang, saying, “These two questions.”

Since the incident half a month ago, he had understood that Lu Xingwang was probably just as academically challenged as himself. Of course, being academically challenged also had its benefits. It was like finding a friend with a common topic, someone to complain with and share their feelings.

“They are really difficult.”

“It’s giving me a headache just looking at them, right?”

“I tried solving one of the questions, but I’m not sure if it’s correct…”

Lu Xingwang succinctly concluded: “It’s indeed incorrect.”

Jianmei’s complaints came to a halt.

“You made a mistake in the third set,” Lu Xingwang even noticed the problem with a few glances, “And even with your incorrect calculation method, you made the same mistake in the final set.”

Jian Mei: ?

In his assumption, isn’t Lu Xingwang just as academically challenged as himself?

He quickly grabbed the exercise book and checked it, then recalculated the equation as pointed out by Lu Xingwang. Suddenly, it seemed like… he had solved it?

Jian Mei sent the calculation result to him: “Is this right?”

Lu Xingwang: [Hmm]

“Wow!”

“You learn so fast!”

“Did you also learn this on the first day of school?”

Jian Mei sincerely felt happy for his friend: “You’re super amazing!”

When Lu Xingwang saw his message, his eyes flickered, but he didn’t react much, just replied calmly: [Our school starts at a different time from yours]

Jian Mei was taken aback. In many instances, although Lu Xingwang rarely shared his own affairs with him, he could vaguely sense that their lives seemed to have many inconsistencies.

[Moreover]

Lu Xingwang always said surprising things in a calm manner: [I’m no longer attending school]

Jian Mei looked at the answer on his phone, feeling stunned. Although Lu Xingwang didn’t explicitly disclose his age, Jian Mei guessed it should be similar. Previously, when he asked questions, Lu Xingwang didn’t know, indicating that he shouldn’t be someone who has already finished school. If he’s not attending school now, it means he dropped out without finishing, facing his own difficulties and hardships.

Wow, I’m really stupid and kept poking at other people’s sore spots!

Jian Mei quickly typed: “I’m sorry.”

“I shouldn’t have asked you the question.” Jian Mei also sent a crying face emoji. “Please forgive me.”

The genius teenager who had already obtained an advanced graduation certificate from the academy completely didn’t get what Jian Mei was saying, but it was normal. He often couldn’t align his thinking with this silly child.

[It’s fine] Lu Xingwang didn’t mind. [I already know most of it.]

Of course, he didn’t really intend to keep teaching Jian Mei how to solve problems in the future. Although these questions weren’t difficult, he didn’t want to waste time on meaningless things. Therefore, when he kept seeing the curriculum of the eighth grade in the online class, he wouldn’t look any further. Perhaps it was his innate nature to strive for excellence, or perhaps it was a habit that had become deformed since childhood. He had to do it even if it seemed impossible. When faced with difficulties or others’ doubts, he subconsciously had to accomplish it. Achieving it didn’t have much to do with Jian Mei himself.

[I have roughly understood mathematics. It’s not inherently difficult, but you need to be more careful. When solving problems, you should double-check each step multiple times, and then the answer will be correct.] Since he wouldn’t help him with questions in the future, Lu Xingwang added another sentence, then continued, [Pay more attention from now on.]

This could be considered his final advice to him.

It’s strange to think about it. This is the first time in his life that he wasted time and energy on someone he had never met before. But it ends here. Since everything has been said to this extent, Jian Mei should probably understand.

“Ding.”

A message notification sounded.

Lu Xingwang opened the message screen and saw Jian Mei’s question: “So… did you investigate for my sake?”

The air fell into silence.

Lu Xingwang’s slender fingers tapped on the desktop, occasionally pausing. He sneered at Jian Mei’s guess, but sometimes he felt that although this kid was dumb, his brain occasionally worked quickly, albeit in the wrong directions. Even through the screen, he could almost imagine Jian Mei’s smiling face. It was inexplicably annoying.

Therefore, he decided to pour cold water on the person with an uplifted tail and let them calm down.

[No.]

He typed these two words, but before he could send them, the person on the other side clearly had faster typing speed and reactions. They sent several consecutive messages. Unable to send his own response for now, Lu Xingwang clicked on Jian Mei’s latest message and was somewhat surprised to see a long string of text:

“Have you been studying for the past half month?”

“Did you start studying because I asked you questions?”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“No one has ever treated me like this, really.”

“I used to think you didn’t like me and found me annoying. It turns out I misunderstood.”

…

Was he overthinking?

Underneath Jian Mei’s long string of messages, there was even an unplayed voice message. Before clicking on it, Lu Xingwang hesitated. He didn’t know what astonishing words that noisy child would utter this time. He could choose not to listen since he was just a passing guest in his life. But on the message screen, a long string of heartfelt words from Jian Mei kept flashing, making Lu Xingwang’s hand, which was ready to dismiss them, hesitate.

Finally,

The slender fingertips hesitated for a moment before confirming the reception. Almost simultaneously, a clear and slightly excited voice sounded in the quiet room:

“No matter what reasons you have for not going to school, whether it’s because of difficulties or other reasons, you are so clever and amazing. You can learn difficult knowledge so quickly. I believe you will be able to overcome the difficulties in the future and become an extraordinary person.”

He seemed to be consoling someone for the first time, a bit clumsy, but his voice was soft, like a cloud landing on one’s heart. “I heard what you said. Don’t worry, I will definitely learn to be more attentive in the future. You’ve taught me, and I must work harder not to disappoint you.”

Lu Xingwang’s eyes flickered, and the young boy’s words paused, coming to an end with a cautious sincerity. “Thank you.”

It was as if a child who had always been neglected suddenly received a candy, and holding that candy, he felt a bit at a loss and reacted excessively, making it seem a bit of an overreaction to a bittersweet feeling.

“I’m really happy,” he said softly.