Xu Xiaoya's face flushed with anger: "How could you possibly get full marks in every subject if you didn't cheat?"
It seems the scores are really out. Zhao Qiang said, "Class monitor, you can't just assume I cheated because I got full marks in every subject, can you? Ask Junior Sister Luo to tell me if this makes sense."
Luo Xiaowei nodded and said, "Xu Xiaoya, shouldn't we investigate this matter more carefully? It's not good to be so hasty."
Xu Xiaoya suddenly stood up, startling Zhao Qiang, who shrank back on the sofa. He thought Xu Xiaoya was furious and wanted to fight him. Although Zhao Qiang would stand up for thugs, he had never fought a female classmate since birth and couldn't bring himself to do it.
"Zhao Qiang, if you didn't cheat, do you dare to do another test paper?" Xu Xiaoya was very excited, her eyes were red.
Zhao Qiang secretly glanced at his backpack, which contained his laptop. Because Xiao Wei said that the chip's stored power was enough to last for several days and nights, Zhao Qiang had never turned it off. Considering Xu Xiaoya's temper, Zhao Qiang knew that she would not let this matter rest until he gave her an explanation. He would have to rely on Xiao Wei to do the exercises to prove his 'innocence'.
"Alright! Class monitor, you've always been very kind to me, so I'll give you face this time. Come on, if I answer the questions correctly this time, you can't keep arguing about this anymore."
The reverse psychology worked, and Xu Xiaoya chuckled: "Don't worry, as long as you answer these test papers right under my nose, I guarantee I'll acknowledge the scores you got before."
“Uh…” Zhao Qiang hesitated. Could he still secretly copy the answers from the electronic watch while answering the test under Xu Xiaoya’s watchful eye? “Class monitor, I need to be quiet when I’m doing the test because I’ve been learning mental arithmetic recently. If you’re really supervising me, I’m afraid I won’t be able to do a single question.”
Xu Xiaoya rolled her eyes at Zhao Qiang and said, "Zhao Qiang, you don't need quiet, you just want to cheat without anyone watching, right?"
Zhao Qiang said, "Squad leader, I'm really hurt by what you're saying. All I asked you to do was call me 'brother' three times. Alright, stop messing with me. Let's cancel the bet. You should go home. I'm not playing along."
Xu Xiaoya's face flushed red again. Luo Xiaowei knew nothing about the bet. Since she had already met Zhao Qiang, she wasn't in a hurry to ask him about the 'Dark Night Legend' and happily watched the fun from the sidelines.
"Who told you about the bet!" Xu Xiaoya's voice was loud, startling Zhao's parents who peeked into the main room. Zhao Qiang, afraid that his parents would worry, hurriedly comforted Xu Xiaoya: "Keep your voice down, keep your voice down, my dear class monitor, what exactly do you want? If I want to cheat, I need tools, right? How can I cheat if you take my books away?"
Xu Xiaoya thought about it and realized that since she had launched a surprise attack, Zhao Qiang couldn't possibly be prepared. So she agreed to Zhao Qiang's request to take the test by himself, "Okay, you wait here, I'll go back to the car to get the test paper."
Zhao Qiang plopped back down on the sofa. Damn it, Xu Xiaoya really came prepared. She chased him for hundreds of kilometers just to test him. Women are truly incomprehensible.
A beep sounded outside; Xu Xiaoya had unlocked the car. Zhao Qiang glanced at Luo Xiaowei sitting next to him, thinking to himself that these two female classmates were quite something; they both owned cars. He'd never heard of this before in school, and they were probably rich girls. If their families weren't wealthy, these cars must have been bought for them by some rich second-generation heir. That must be it.
Xu Xiaoya returned to the room carrying a file bag. Zhao Qiang pointed to his room and said, "I have a desk and lamp in my room. Can I go there to answer the questions?"
Xu Xiaoya peeked out and saw a glass panel on the bedroom door, but the view was blocked by a white curtain inside. She pushed the door open, pulled back the curtain, and said, "We can supervise you answering questions in the living room, right?"
Zhao Qiang nodded: "Okay, to ensure the authenticity of this result, you go in first to check the exam room, and then search me. Otherwise, if you accuse me of cheating after this exam, I won't have time to go crazy with you."
Xu Xiaoya said, "Don't worry, I'll pay attention to these issues. You sit here and don't move. I'll go in and check the exam room."
Zhao Qiang's room hadn't been lived in for a while, and it had a musty smell. Fortunately, Liu Huilan cleaned it from time to time, so it was still quite clean. Xu Xiaoya moved all the books off the desk, opened the drawer and looked inside. It was full of useless books and boys' collectibles. She pursed her lips, closed the drawer, and then waved to Zhao Qiang outside.
Zhao Qiang entered the room and sat down at the desk. Xu Xiaoya said with a mischievous smile, "Raise your hands for inspection."
Zhao Qiang didn't believe Xu Xiaoya could tell there was something wrong with his watch, so he raised his hands for inspection. Xu Xiaoya smiled and patted Zhao Qiang's pockets, then touched his waist sheepishly to make sure there were no cheat sheets in his pockets or waist before saying, "Put your hands down, you look like a Japanese soldier surrendering. Now answer the questions honestly, understand?"
Xu Xiaoya was, after all, his class monitor, and she still maintained her usual authority. After Zhao Qiang's initial resentment dissipated, he lost his temper and said, "Alright, alright, aren't you still monitoring outside? Give me the questions."
Xu Xiaoya was about to draw one sheet from the test papers when Zhao Qiang saw that there was one for each subject, so he snatched it away, saying, "Give them all to me, so you don't have to waste time handing out the papers again and again. My parents are waiting for me to eat."
After saying that, Zhao Qiang went into his room, sat down at his desk with his back to the outside, and began answering the questions. His laptop was on the living room table. Although there was a wall blocking the view, the Bluetooth signal that Xiao Wei had modified was very strong, and the digital watch could still send and receive messages normally. A minute later, Zhao Qiang began receiving the correct answers and quickly copied them down! Because he was facing away from Xu Xiaoya, Zhao Qiang used his body to cover the digital watch.
Fifteen minutes later, the first test paper was handed out. Xu Xiaoya was full of surprise. Zhao Qiang hadn't written anything down from beginning to end, and he hadn't paused once he started answering the questions. Even if he had memorized the whole textbook, he wouldn't have this level of answering questions.
Xu Xiaoya didn't have time to grade the first test paper that was handed in. She was afraid that Zhao Qiang in the bedroom would take the opportunity to cheat, so she had to keep an eye on him every second. Luo Xiaowei said, "Do you have the standard answers? I'll grade them for you, and you can check them again at the end."
Xu Xiaoya took out the standard answer from the file bag and handed it to Luo Xiaowei: "Thank you, junior sister."
Luo Xiaowei pointed to Zhao Qiang's bedroom and said, "We're fighting for a common goal, so we're comrades in arms now. There's no need to be so polite."
While observing Zhao Qiang writing furiously in the bedroom, Xu Xiaoya asked Luo Xiaowei, "By the way, Junior Sister Luo, I haven't had a chance to ask you what you want with Zhao Qiang? I heard you've been seeing him a lot lately, which isn't like you."
While comparing the answers to the papers, Luo Xiaowei said, "Actually, it's nothing. I suspect he's a computer expert, but he won't admit it. Now I'm being asked to invite him to join a hacker website."
Xu Xiaoya was stunned for a moment, forgetting to continue monitoring Zhao Qiang. She turned around and said, "Computer expert? You're not kidding, are you? As far as I know, he doesn't even go to internet cafes, and his computer class grades are terrible. He just recently found a part-time job at a computer company and DIY'd a laptop for himself. I've seen that laptop before; it's really broken. How can someone like him be considered an expert?"
Luo Xiaowei sighed: "I know about these things too. I didn't believe he was a computer expert at first, but now I have new information. All the evidence points to him. This guy is pretending to be weak while actually being strong. He's very good at hiding his true abilities."
Xu Xiaoya watched as Luo Xiaowei kept marking red checkmarks, indicating that the test paper was a perfect score. She thought to herself, just like Luo Xiaowei, that Zhao Qiang was really pretending to be weak while actually being strong!
Volume 1 [026] I swear, I won't go
Luo Xiaowei showed the test paper to Xu Xiaoya and said with a smile, "Full marks! It seems you misunderstood him."
With a creak, Zhao Qiang opened the bedroom door and handed out the second test paper. Xu Xiaoya, already dejected, took it without much enthusiasm and handed it to Luo Xiaowei. Then, she stared blankly as Luo Xiaowei continued to mark checkmarks on it. Turning her head to look at Zhao Qiang's back as he wrote rapidly in the bedroom, Xu Xiaoya was completely convinced. Even if she couldn't understand what magic pill Zhao Qiang had taken, the stark reality forced her to admit defeat. Zhao Qiang was indeed better than her.
As Zhao Qiang handed out the third exam paper, Xu Xiaoya said in a low voice, "You don't need to do it anymore. I believe you didn't cheat."
Seeing Xu Xiaoya's expression, Zhao Qiang felt a little guilty. To be honest, he had cheated, and it seemed he had gone too far by using cheating to hurt the class monitor's self-esteem. Zhao Qiang said apologetically, "Class monitor, I'm sorry I might have taken your first place, but I won't do it again next time. It was all because of that old man who was proctoring the exam that day. He said if my scores on the two papers differed too much, he wouldn't let me off the hook. You know I'm just an ordinary student. If the department takes notice, will I still be able to graduate? So I did go a bit too far this time, but I promise I won't do it again next time, okay?"
Xu Xiaoya wasn't an unreasonable person. Now that Zhao Qiang's innocence had been proven, she regretted her impulsiveness and said, "Zhao Qiang, I should be the one apologizing. I was too eager for Professor Gu to take me as a student, so I was a bit impatient. I'm sorry, I misunderstood you. I think Professor Gu's appreciation of you is due to your abilities. I am willing to take full responsibility for the trouble my impulsiveness caused you."
Zhao Qiang didn't quite understand: "Wait a minute, wait a minute, what does that old man want to do? Explain yourself clearly, no one has ever told me about this before."
Xu Xiaoya patted her head. Yes, Professor Gu Yu, in order to live up to his title as an honorary professor of Donghai University, decided to select a student to be his graduate student during the midterm exams. Not many people knew about this, not even most of the instructors, let alone Zhao Qiang. Xu Xiaoya had previously scolded Zhao Qiang for trying to steal her spot.
Xu Xiaoya quickly explained, emphasizing Professor Gu's identity, "Zhao Qiang, don't underestimate Professor Gu. Don't just treat him as an ordinary teacher. He has a lot of influence. Putting aside his reputation in academia, just look at how many of his students now hold important positions. Even if you don't achieve research results, just being his junior brother will make everything you do in the future much easier!"
Zhao Qiang suddenly realized that the old man had taken a liking to his speed and accuracy in answering questions. But was this achievement truly his own? Of course not! Would Zhao Qiang dare to go to the old man's place to sell melons? Of course not!
Cheating in front of such a knowledgeable professor, even if he isn't caught today, he will be caught sooner or later. You can probably guess what will happen to Zhao Qiang then. So he absolutely cannot go!
Zhao Qiang said to Xu Xiaoya, "Class monitor, you're so angry because I took your spot, right? You suspect me of cheating and even came all the way here to test me again."
Xu Xiaoya blushed and lowered her head shyly. "Zhao Qiang, I'm the class monitor, can't you give me some face? I've already apologized to you. You really are capable, I admit it. I've given up on the idea of competing for Professor Gu's student spot. I think you're more suitable than me."
Xu Xiaoya was originally an outgoing and carefree person who said what she thought and did what she wanted. She suspected Zhao Qiang of cheating, so she chased after him regardless of everything. After realizing she was wrong, she immediately admitted her mistake and apologized, and willingly gave up the competition.
Zhao Qiang hurriedly said, "No, no, no, class monitor, you mustn't give up! I'd rather die than become that old man's student!"
Xu Xiaoya doubted she had misheard, and Luo Xiaowei couldn't understand it either; no one should be foolish enough to give up such a good opportunity.
Zhao Qiang said, "Really! You have to believe me. I didn't know the other meaning behind this midterm exam before. Now I understand that Professor Gu wanted to select students. Class monitor, don't worry, I will definitely not become his student."
Xu Xiaoya said, "Zhao Qiang, I don't understand. This is a golden opportunity, how could you give it up?"
Zhao Qiang said, "This might be a huge opportunity for you, but I'm already tired of university life. Class monitor, you know my situation and you've seen my family's circumstances. Do you think I need to go on to graduate school for a few more years? Besides, what's the point of graduate school? Isn't it to earn more money in the future? If I can earn more money now, why waste two years on graduate school?"
Luo Xiaowei had been listening passively. She found Zhao Qiang's logic amusing, but it was indeed true. She interjected, "Zhao Qiang, are you confident you can earn a higher salary than a graduate student?"
Xu Xiaoya said, "Yes, Zhao Qiang, what makes you say that?"
Zhao Qiang said, "That's my business. In short, I'm not going to be an old man's student. Believe it or not."
Xu Xiaoya said, "But what if Professor Gu insists on choosing you?"
Zhao Qiang said, "I don't believe he can force me to be his student at gunpoint."
Xu Xiaoya said, "I don't think so. According to what you said, I should have a good chance. But I still feel in my heart that you gave this spot to me. Zhao Qiang, are you saying this on purpose? We are supposed to compete based on our own strength. Your test score was indeed higher than mine this time. Logically speaking, I should be the one who failed."
Zhao Qiang said, "Class monitor, how could you be so foolish? Does a person's grades only depend on one exam? Don't you even think about my usual grades? If Professor Gu wants me to be his student, he must be blind."
Xu Xiaoya said angrily, "You're not allowed to talk about Professor Gu like that!"
Zhao Qiang said, "Yes, yes, I was blind. Can we just end things here? I swear on my personal reputation that I will never become Professor Gu's student, and it's not because of you. I just want to make money, support myself better, and let my parents live a happy life so they don't have to worry about money anymore."
Xu Xiaoya hesitated for a moment, then said, "Thank you, Zhao Qiang. Although you convinced me with such a reason, I still appreciate your kindness. If I can really become Professor Gu's student, I will definitely repay you!"
Luo Xiaowei interjected, "Zhao Qiang, there's a great opportunity to make money right now, you should seize it."
Zhao Qiang coughed and said, "Junior Sister Luo, now it's our turn. Since you didn't come with our class monitor, let's talk about your business."
Luo Xiaowei smiled: "Zhao Qiang, do I need to explain why I'm here? I wasn't sure about your identity before, but now I feel there's no need to ask anymore. You and I both know this perfectly well. Actually, I have no ill intentions. Someone values your skills and is willing to hire you as the website's technical director for a high price, part-time is also fine. Didn't you say you wanted to earn money to support your parents? I've brought this opportunity to your doorstep. Whether you can seize it is up to you."
Zhao Qiang coughed again, deciding to continue denying it. "Junior Sister Luo, I don't quite understand what you mean."
Luo Xiaowei mentioned, "Hu Xiaojiang is my cousin, and he is under my command in Donghai City."
Damn it! Zhao Qiang knew where the problem lay. He hadn't hidden too much from Hu Xiaojiang because he wanted to maintain a good business relationship with him. Who would have thought that Hu Xiaojiang and Luo Xiaowei were relatives? Moreover, Hu Xiaojiang had implicated him. Now Luo Xiaowei was convinced that he was the one behind "Dark Night Legend." No matter how many lies Zhao Qiang told, it was useless.
(May the candlelight of Christmas Eve bring you warmth and fragrance. Merry Christmas! Also, I'd like to ask for a recommendation vote.)
Volume 1 [027] Lunch
Fortunately, Zhao Qiang wasn't one to dwell on things. He quickly realized what he had done. He hadn't done anything special; he had simply posted screenshots of the Red Star scanner's results online. So what if Luo Xiaowei found out it was him? As long as Xiaowei's presence on the laptop wasn't exposed, no one could harm Zhao Qiang because of this. On the contrary, they should show him some respect because of this small bit of fame.
However, Zhao Qiang absolutely could not agree to Luo Xiaowei's claim that someone was interested in his skills and wanted to hire him as the website's technical director. If he were truly capable, it would be fine, and he might even agree to Professor Gu taking him as a disciple. But in reality, Zhao Qiang's current situation was entirely due to a strange chip. Without Xiaowei's help in the laptop, Zhao Qiang would still be useless.
Using others is never the right way. As the saying goes, if you walk by the river long enough, you're bound to wash your shoes eventually. If he spends all his time hanging around in front of truly capable people, Zhao Qiang is absolutely certain that his true colors will be seen through. So this is definitely not something he can agree to! Otherwise, he'll be ruining Xiao Wei's freedom. She might be taken away by her original owner or the government in a few days. At that point, Zhao Qiang won't be able to maintain his current standard of living, and he might even end up in jail. That would be a huge loss.
These thoughts flashed through Zhao Qiang's mind. He said to Luo Xiaowei, "Okay, even if we both know the truth about this, I won't agree to it. I just want to continue being a student and doing my job, and get my diploma safely. As for anything further ahead, I haven't started planning yet."
Luo Xiaowei continued to tempt him: "Zhao Qiang, don't have any concerns because it involves hackers. My cousin is no ordinary person. She is absolutely capable of ensuring your safety. Moreover, I can agree on her salary in advance. It will be at least five thousand a month, and there will be an additional bonus at the end of the year. What do you think?"
Five thousand a month at the very least, not including the year-end bonus—good heavens, that's way too high! Zhao Qiang's heart was pounding wildly, but after the pounding, he still had to face reality. The person Luo Xiaowei was talking about must be the owner of the 'black' website, the cousin she mentioned. The more complicated she seemed, the more afraid Zhao Qiang became. What if she saw through his lack of skills and knew nothing about him? Wouldn't that mean he'd be doomed?
So Zhao Qiang said firmly, "I'm sorry, Junior Sister Luo, I won't agree to that. Alright, if you still want to stay for lunch, then don't bring this up again."
Zhao Qiang's words were firm, so Luo Xiaowei had no choice but to give up for the time being, as Zhao's parents came to call them out for dinner. The kitchen and dining room were in the side room. At this moment, Zhao's mother steamed a pot of rice and made four dishes: a plate of stir-fried eggs with chives, using chives from the small vegetable garden by the door, which were fresh and green, and eggs from their own free-range hens, definitely not fed with feed; a plate of stir-fried artificial meat, which is basically soy protein meat, dried and can be stored for a long time. When eating, it can be soaked in water and then stir-fried or used as a cold dish, a staple dish in rural households; a plate of cold pickled vegetable shreds, where mustard roots are salted, shredded, soaked in water, and mixed with chopped green onions, cilantro, soy sauce, vinegar, and sesame oil, making it the perfect dish to accompany porridge; and finally, a plate of four salted duck eggs, each cut in half, with oily yolks emitting a fragrant aroma that was particularly tempting.
Liu Huilan was a typical rural woman. Xu Xiaoya and Luo Xiaowei arrived in a luxury car, and she treated the two girls as honored guests. However, due to the short notice, the ingredients at home could only make this one meal. Liu Huilan carefully invited the two girls to sit down, saying, "We rural people don't have much to eat, and time was a bit tight, so I didn't make many dishes. I apologize for not being able to entertain you properly. Please forgive me, you two classmates from the big city."
To be honest, of the four dishes on the table, the two girls had only eaten stir-fried eggs with chives before. They didn't recognize one of the other three dishes, and they didn't care for pickled vegetables, let alone salted duck eggs. So, when they saw all this, the two girls secretly frowned, but fortunately, they were well-mannered and didn't show it. Actually, this meal also revealed Zhao Qiang's family's financial situation; his statement that he didn't want to continue his studies and only wanted to make money was understandable.
Zhao Weidong washed the chopsticks again and again, and even took out a snow-white towel to wipe them clean before handing them to the table. Watching his parents busy themselves, Zhao Qiang felt really bad. He originally wanted to go home and spend a few happy days with his parents, but who knew that these two women would ruin everything and make his parents suffer along with him. In his heart, Zhao Qiang didn't know how many times he had cursed those two girls.
Yes, in the eyes of other boys, they are the darlings of heaven, flowers they want to protect and cherish. But for a poor boy who has no expectations of them, they are completely irrelevant to him. So Zhao Qiang has no need to carefully flatter them, and instead gets annoyed that they are ruining his peaceful life.
Zhao Qiang was the first to grab his rice bowl and say, "Eat." Then he reached for the dish with his chopsticks and started eating heartily. The two girls hadn't expected him to be so honest, not even urging them to start eating first. This kind of neglect was a first for both of them, but this was Zhao Qiang's home, so what could Xu Xiaoya and Luo Xiaowei do? They could only eat, otherwise Zhao Qiang wouldn't care if they went hungry.
The rice smelled delicious. Luo Xiaowei took a small bite and nodded secretly, saying it was no less than the high-grade rice used in hotels. Liu Huilan said, "This is a mu of rice that Xiaoqiang's father planted by the river. The yield isn't high, but it's enough to feed the family for a year."
Xu Xiaoya also took a bite and said, "Auntie, this rice tastes really good! It's more than ten times better than what we eat at school!"
Liu Huilan said happily, "Really? I was worried that you city people wouldn't be used to the food. I'm glad you like it. I'll bring some back for each of you when you leave."
Xu Xiaoya didn't stand on ceremony: "Thank you, Auntie."
Zhao Qiang finally relaxed his attack on the food and looked up, saying, "Mom, we don't have much rice left, and they don't need it, so don't worry about it." Zhao Qiang was unwilling to accept this; why should his family have to pay for the rice they caused him?
Before Xu Xiaoya could express her opinion, Zhao's father slapped Zhao Qiang on the back, saying, "You little brat, is this how you treat your classmates? I always teach you to be friendly and cooperative with your classmates at school, but you've forgotten everything I've taught you."
Xu Xiaoya and Luo Xiaowei both chuckled, thankfully covering their mouths in time; their expressions were quite charming! Zhao Qiang was a little dazed; a school beauty is a school beauty, and even if he harbored resentment towards them, he couldn't erase their beauty.
Liu Huilan called to Luo Xiaowei, "Girl, try some salted duck eggs. These are eggs laid by our own ducks. We didn't want to use salt, so we asked Xiaoqiang to take them with him when he left. Now that he's home, let's eat them."
Unable to refuse such hospitality, Luo Xiaowei could only pick up a little bit of egg yolk with the tip of her chopsticks. She put it in her mouth, tasted it, and exclaimed with delight, "Auntie, this salted duck egg tastes so good!"
Xu Xiaoya, who had been focused on the stir-fried eggs with chives, shifted her focus and said, "Really? I'll try some too... Hmm, the duck egg oil is delicious, it tastes like real salted duck eggs, much better than those fed with Sudan Red. Quick, give me one."
Seeing the two girls grinning from ear to ear as they enjoyed their food, Liu Huilan reminded them, "The egg whites might be a bit salty. You can eat the yolks and keep the egg whites."