Rebirth: A Cinderella's Counterattack

Chapter 59: Chapter 59: Math Contest (Qixi Festival Bonus)

Luo Qianqian looked at her brother, finally realizing where the weird feeling came from. As a middle school student, her brother was only in the first year, was he really participating in the competition?

Luo Shufan looked at his sister and Xiao Yu holding hands, waiting at the First Middle School entrance, and asked in a daze, ”Weren’t you two going out to play?”

”Weren’t you also out playing?” Luo Qianqian rolled her eyes dramatically. The siblings had such an understanding, keeping the competition a secret from Luo’s Mom was unanimous; afraid she would come to escort them and worry them with her concern, while He Wenyu had completely forgotten about it, and it was Luo Qianqian who dragged her out early in the morning.

”...Since when could third graders participate in this competition?” Luo Shufan muttered to himself curiously, he had only heard of such contests in the fourth grade, and moreover, this wasn’t an event held by the city but a national one, ”Aren’t you afraid that Mom will find out and spank you?”

”If you know about it and don’t report it, you’ll be the first to get spanked,” Luo Qianqian said as she dragged He Wenyu away from Luo Shufan, waiting to enter.

This was Luo Qianqian’s first formal test since her rebirth, and she took great importance in it as it was a competition. Even if her opponent was her brother, she wouldn’t hold back, and even if she were to be labeled a ”Genius” and extensively publicized, she couldn’t afford to be underprepared — after all, she was in third grade now, not first.

”Hey Class President, you’re really early. Are you guys going out to play after the exam?” Jiang An suddenly popped up next to He Wenyu, ”I heard the First Middle School has animals now, do you want to go see them later?”

”Hello, Class President, thanks for your hard work, see you, Class President,” said He Wenyu, startled as she clung onto Luo Qianqian before greeting.

”We’ll see about that later. Isn’t this the preliminary round of a national exam? Why are there so few people?” Luo Qianqian looked at the sparse crowd outside the gate, with no more than three hundred people, recalling how every competition she had been to before was filled with people at the entrance. Nothing like the emptiness she saw now.

”This is our neighborhood’s examination site; do you think with so many people in our city we could all fit in one school?” First Middle School was directly associated with Bole Elementary School and was right across the street from it, with no more than twenty meters between the two school gates.

”Qianqian, I just saw Grandpa Zhang...” Luo Shufan squeezed through the crowd to his sister’s side and whispered in her ear.

Luo Qianqian rolled her eyes, ”Do you think you’re not being watched at Experimental Junior High? Someone’s bound to tattle,” she said blithely, ”Isn’t it normal to bump into someone in such a small place?”

”Not normal at all...” Luo Shufan muttered under his breath.

The school gates opened, with the examination rooms posted on the notice board, and the trio experienced the crush of people that came with class assignment day.

”Qianqian, I’ll be on the third floor for the exam. I’m going ahead. Wait for me at the gate after you’re done, and don’t run off; you guys are all on the first floor,” Luo Shufan said, having spotted his name and the exam room number due to his height advantage.

Soon, Luo Qianqian, He Wenyu, and three other classmates were all seated in the examination room, their whole class allocated to the same room.

When the time came, test papers were distributed. The exam room fell silent, with only the sound of flipping test papers. Luo Qianqian kept her head down, working on her paper. It wasn’t very difficult for her, having attended high school before, and although Elder Zhang taught few things from the textbook, he had taught them a great deal of the competition material. With a smile, Luo Qianqian continued answering the questions.

He Wenyu had just picked up her pen when she felt that this test paper was on a completely different level than the one Geng Zhi had given. If that test was like a 1+1 problem, this one was already 11+11, and with a bitter face, she watched as only Luo Qianqian kept her head down, seriously working on her answers.

”There are five minutes left before the test ends, please check your papers...” The broadcast sounded, and Luo Qianqian looked at the two blank questions on her paper somewhat blankly. Was it time already? She hadn’t finished? Even after Elder Zhang’s devilish training?

Unable to afford the luxury of surprise at the five-minute warning, Luo Qianqian fought against the clock to continue answering questions, while the rest of the class had expressions of relief: finally, the time had come.

”The test time is over, please put down your pens...” The broadcast sounded again. Luo Qianqian glanced at the last question, knowing she could do it but just didn’t have enough time. After all, the difficulty was only elementary and middle school level. Regretfully, she put down her pen, silently praying she could make it through the preliminary round as she wished.

Jiang An was the last one in the row, and as he collected the test papers from the front, he felt somewhat relieved seeing one after another blank paper—glad to know everyone was more or less at the same level and wouldn’t make him look too foolish. Then he saw his deskmate’s paper, filled to the brim, and stared at Luo Qianqian like she was a monster: ”Are you even human?”

”I didn’t finish either, there wasn’t enough time,” Luo Qianqian shrugged. ”Xiao Yu, how did you do?”

”If it was a cooking test, I’d definitely rank first.” Then he handed his pen to Luo Qianqian. ”Hurry back home, I still haven’t finished the homework Grandpa Zhang left us.”

”Class lead, we’re leaving first. My brother is waiting for us downstairs.” Luo Qianqian packed her pen, grabbed her bag, and dragged He Wenyu out of the exam room. She liked competitions, but that didn’t mean she enjoyed being gawked at like a monkey.

”Hey...” Jiang An was just about to call them back when he saw the stack of papers in his hands. He sighed and handed them to the invigilating teacher. So much for watching little animals together, how come they just ran off?

”Qianqian, I didn’t finish...” Luo Shufan looked at his sister, who obediently waited at the door, and felt a little embarrassed as his eyes reddened.

”I didn’t finish either, what, you gonna hit me?” Luo Qianqian tossed her pen-filled bag to Luo Shufan. ”Xiao Yu and I are going to eat something good. Did you bring money?”

At that moment, Luo Shufan wasn’t concerned with the competition anymore, looking at his sister with a grievous expression. ”You’re even raiding my pocket money.”

”That’s mine too, don’t forget to buy pig trotters later, or you won’t have any pocket money this month,” Luo Qianqian insisted, squeezing out the last bit of value from Luo Shufan, her free labor force.

”I went to buy it this morning. What do you guys want to eat? I only brought one yuan,” Luo Shufan said, looking sorrowfully at the round coin in his palm as if it was about to meet its end at any moment.

”Brother, I feel like we’re busted this time. Let’s treat ourselves for getting up so early and working hard,” Luo Qianqian said, her face full of self-pity as she looked at Luo Shufan with eyes that seemed to say, You still won’t let me have something nice to eat even though I’m this pitiful?

”I get up this early every day, alright? You’re just getting lazier. Godfather doesn’t even say anything to you. When was the last time you went for a run?” Luo Shufan chided them as they walked out of the school, continuing to grumble. ”Xiao Yu too, no longer practices horse stances with me. I look so silly doing it alone every day, don’t I?”

”Not just you... There are lots of cute dogs in the neighborhood too...” Luo Qianqian stuck out her tongue and, pulling He Wenyu along, ran off into the distance.