Sun Siyuan looked at the jumble of colors on the Rubik's Cube in front of him, his face expressionless. He didn't offer a single word of praise.
Fu Xiaoxiao was immediately displeased. "Aren't I amazing?!" he shouted.
Sun Siyuan raised an eyebrow. "It's just two squares. You're still a long way from completing a whole side."
Fu Xiaoxiao couldn't argue with Sun Siyuan, so he let out a whimper like a puppy's.
Yu Xuanxuan comforted him. "Xiao Xiao, you're already super amazing! I can't do it at all."
Ji Youyou's eyes sparkled. "Xiao Xiao is the best!"
The praise soothed Fu Xiaoxiao considerably. He looked up at Sun Siyuan again and pressed, "Then can you solve it?"
"..." Sun Siyuan said awkwardly, "I've never played with a Rubik's Cube before, so of course I can't."
"Then you're an adult, but you're not even as good as a kid!"
Sun Siyuan lost his temper and snorted. "Adults are way better than kids!"
Not to be outdone, Fu Xiaoxiao stomped his foot. "Adults just aren't as good as kids!"
"Adults are better!"
"Kids are!"
"Obviously, it's adults!!"
"Kids!!"
Fu Xiaoxiao and Sun Siyuan faced off like two fighting roosters, neither willing to give ground, each louder than the other.
Watching the scene, Ji Mingzhe sighed softly, looking weary.
He could no longer tell which of the two, Fu Xiaoxiao or Sun Siyuan, was the child!
Sun Siyuan and Fu Xiaoxiao went from "discussing whether adults or children were better" to "an adult could definitely solve the Rubik's Cube."
Holding the cube, Sun Siyuan said confidently, "Even if I can't solve it, someone else definitely can."
With that, he took the cube and headed for Yu Ruicheng, who swiftly shut the bathroom door, as if to say, "Do not disturb."
Sun Siyuan paused, then went to Ji Mingzhe. "Mingzhe, can you do it?"
Ji Mingzhe smiled helplessly. "Sorry, I can't either."
Sun Siyuan stood there holding the cube, dumbfounded.
All three adults present had been defeated.
Fu Xiaoxiao folded his arms, practically sticking his tail up to the sky with pride. "See? Kids are better after all!"
"..." Sun Siyuan felt humiliated, but he stubbornly insisted, "Says who? Su Huaiming definitely can."
"He can't." Fu Xiaoxiao seemed to remember something and let out a long sigh. "He's super dumb. He even needs me to take care of him," he said with absolute certainty.
[Hahahahaha, the old father is in tears]
[Give Su Huaiming a little dignity. He isn't dumb, his intelligence just isn't obvious, doge.jpg]
[Su Huaiming just has the face of someone who can't solve a Rubik's Cube]
Sun Siyuan still refused to give up and searched the whole place for Su Huaiming.
Su Huaiming came out of a small room nearby, holding his phone. Sun Siyuan rushed over as though he'd spotted a lifeline, unable to hide the urgency in his voice. "Can you solve a Rubik's Cube?"
Without even looking up, Su Huaiming casually took the cube.
Su Huaiming had long fingers, delicate knuckles, and fair, translucent skin, like soft jade warm to the touch. The plasticky cube in his hands made them look even more like a work of art.
Su Huaiming's fingers moved lightly, seemingly without much effort. The colors of the cube shifted in his hand, too fast for the eye to follow.
Without even looking at it, Su Huaiming handed the cube to Sun Siyuan a dozen or so seconds later.
!!!!
Sun Siyuan stared at the fully solved cube in his hand, utterly dumbfounded. He even forgot to show off to Fu Xiaoxiao.
The viewers in the livestream were equally bewildered.
[?? What just happened!]
[Su Huaiming actually solved a Rubik's Cube with one hand. That's amazing!]
[That was so fast, I couldn't see how Su Huaiming did it at all]
[I couldn't see either, plus one]
[I just timed it. Su Huaiming took about sixteen seconds]
[Here's a joke: the world record is 14 seconds]
[!! Su Huaiming was so casual just now, he wasn't even trying his hardest. If he got serious, wouldn't he... break the world record!]
Su Huaiming had no idea his casual action had caused such a sensation. He headed straight for the couch, intending to curl up and continue reading his novel.
But before he could sit down, he found himself facing two pairs of sparkling eyes.
Ji Youyou and Yu Xuanxuan had come over and were leaning on his knees, their little cheeks flushed as they gazed at Su Huaiming in admiration.
"Can you do it again? I want to see."
Ji Youyou also said in a soft little voice, "I want to see too!"
Su Huaiming was overwhelmed by their cuteness. He casually stroked the two little ones' hair and held out his hand to Sun Siyuan.
Only then did Sun Siyuan come to his senses. He immediately scrambled the cube, trying to make sure no two squares of the same color were next to each other. Only then did he hand it to Su Huaiming.
"Watch closely." After saying that, Su Huaiming turned the cube in one hand. The cube seemed as light as a feather, and he restored it to its original state without the slightest effort.
The two little ones didn't dare blink for fear of missing it, but all they saw were colors that almost blurred together. They had no idea how Su Huaiming had done it.
Fu Xiaoxiao came over too, wearing the same jaw-dropped expression as the other two little ones. An enterprising netizen turned it into a meme.
For the first time, Sun Siyuan was utterly convinced by someone. "When did you learn to solve a Rubik's Cube with one hand? How come I didn't know?" he exclaimed.
Su Huaiming chuckled but didn't explain.
In his previous life, he had been bedridden with a lingering illness, unable to get out of bed, and there had been only so many things he could play with. Afraid he would get bored, his parents had brought him all kinds of little toys, and a Rubik's Cube had been one of them.
After playing with it for so long, he had naturally become fairly proficient. It was nothing remarkable.
Sun Siyuan thought Su Huaiming had looked incredibly cool just now. He moved closer, turning the cube in his hands. "Quick, teach me. For example, how do I get this green square next to the one below it?"
Su Huaiming took the cube and quickly turned it twice.
Sun Siyuan tried to learn. He asked humbly, "How did you know to turn it like that? Is there a formula?"
Su Huaiming's expression turned strange. "You need a formula for that? Can't you tell at a glance?"
Sun Siyuan: "..."
The viewers in the livestream: "..."
[Listen to him! Is that something a human being would say?!]
[Stop showing off, my legs are going numb from kneeling]
[He really is impressive. This isn't something just anyone can do]
[He looked like a total noob, but he turned out to be a king]
[Quick, check Weibo! The video of Su Huaiming solving the cube has already been reposted over ten thousand times, and the Rubik’s Cube Association has invited him to join!]
Topics such as #Su Huaiming Rubik's Cube# and #Su Huaiming Is Amazing# shot up the trending list. The most popular post was the invitation from the Rubik’s Cube Association:
[@Rubik’s Cube Association: There are lots of fellow enthusiasts here. Let's compete to see who's fastest! @Su Huaiming.]
Netizens flocked to the comments:
[Awesome, he actually got an invitation from the Rubik’s Cube Association!]
[For those who don't know, this association has very high entry requirements. It's been around for over a decade, but it still has fewer than a thousand members, and every one of them holds a world record]
[Well, well, the little entertainment industry really is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers]
[I've watched the video four times. I don't know anything about Rubik's Cubes, but Su Huaiming's hands are seriously gorgeous. Hand lovers rejoice!]
[Su Huaiming really is a treasure of a guy. I've decided to become his fan!]
After just a few days of filming the variety show, Su Huaiming's popularity had soared, and his reputation had improved considerably. More importantly, he had single-handedly generated many talking points for the production team. This was a very rare quality in the entertainment industry, and he had the potential to become a hit.
His agent had originally left Su Huaiming to his own devices, thinking he wasn't fit to be seen in public. He hadn't expected Su Huaiming to surprise him!
The agent remained excited for several days. Determined to make the most of Su Huaiming, he called him after making his plans.
"After the variety show finishes filming, you'll have ten days off. I've arranged everything for you. You'd better appreciate the opportunities I worked so hard to get you!" the agent continued. "Once filming ends, you'll fly straight to the neighboring city to shoot a commercial, then fly to the far south that same day to film a survival variety show. It'll take about three days, and the conditions will be tough, so bear with it. I also got you a role. I'll send you the script later."
The agent emphasized, "Your acting isn't important, but you absolutely mustn't be late. The filming schedule is tight, and you need to finish all your scenes within three days."
After listening for a while, Su Huaiming asked in puzzlement, "Then when do I get to rest?"
The question caught the agent off guard. "You're popular right now, so you need to spend all your time working. Rest can wait until later."
Su Huaiming wasn't going to listen to his empty promises.
He had signed with this unscrupulous variety show, so no matter how hard he worked, most of the money he earned would go into the company's pockets, and he wouldn't get what he deserved.
Besides, the schedule was too tight. Between the commercial, the survival variety show, and finishing all his scenes in a few days, he probably wouldn't even get a few hours of sleep... Even a production team's donkey didn't work as hard as he did!
Su Huaiming only wanted to lie flat and rest. He said bluntly, "I'm resting for those ten days. Give those opportunities to someone else."
"..." The agent was dumbfounded, and his voice rose considerably. "Is there something wrong with your brain? How dare you refuse me?!"
Su Huaiming held the phone farther away, frowning as he rubbed his stinging ear. Then he said, "I haven't signed a contract, so of course I can refuse."
"You, you..." The agent had never expected Su Huaiming to be so unyielding, without even bothering with polite words.
"Is there anything else? If not, I'll hang up now." Though Su Huaiming said that, he hung up without waiting for the agent to speak.
The agent: "..."
His vision went dark with anger, and he nearly threw his phone.
Su Huaiming's wings had grown strong, and now he wanted to escape their control. No way!
Someone else had just happened to have the same thought as him.