The Power of a Top Student

Si You only felt as though there was a haze before his eyes, and his body was gradually heating up. Otherwise, he was fine.

But Jiang Tingxu's gesture to help him catch his breath made his throat itch even worse. Si You was really using every ounce of strength to hold it in.

No... although he had known from looking through Jiang Tingxu's profile that this Best Actor was influential and easy to get along with, and every celebrity who had worked with him spoke highly of him, he had assumed there had to be some embellishment, amplified by the media. But after spending the past few days together, he found that Jiang Tingxu truly lived up to his reputation.

Jiang Tingxu finally finished editing the last sentence, slipped his phone into his pocket, and quietly asked Si You, "How are you feeling now?"

Si You was flattered. "Pretty good. I'm fine."

What Si You did not know was that, in Jiang Tingxu's eyes, he was like a feline with his guard raised to the maximum even while fully awake.

Having once faced the entire internet turning against him, Si You did not dare make mistakes. He needed to keep enough energy in reserve at all times to deal with every problem.

The doctor could not come for the time being, so Song Yalin could only use physical cooling methods on Jiang Yao. Zhang Jianlin wanted to take over midway, but Song Yalin would not let him.

One guest had already gone down. Going outside in such heavy rain was even more dangerous, so the production team let everyone move about freely while the cameras followed them.

Xue Boyu picked out a clean spot by the balcony window and took out his textbook.

Yes, Xue Boyu was only a freshman. He had gotten into the best drama academy in A City without retaking exams or pulling strings, and his cultural subject scores had exceeded the admission cutoff by a full forty-three points. His fans were all very pleased, but only Xue Boyu knew that he had overperformed on the college entrance exam. Chinese and English had not been a problem, but math was truly his weak point!

Xue Boyu listened to an online class while gnawing his way through the textbook. Before long, his mind began to grow foggy. He really was not cut out for this!

"It's just basic linear algebra. You can't solve it in ten minutes?"

Si You's voice suddenly rang out, startling Xue Boyu.

Xue Boyu wanted to argue, but then remembered that Si You seemed never to have attended university. Worried he might hit a sore spot, he tactfully said, "It's too hard."

"What's so hard about a determinant?" Si You took Xue Boyu's pen and rapidly wrote out the steps on the paper. "Come on, I'll explain. You listen."

Xue Boyu: "!"

What was this oppressive force emanating from the depths of his soul...

The answer was: The power of a top student.

At first, Xue Boyu thought Si You was just showing off. But soon, Si You proved with page after page of densely written scratch paper that he really knew what he was doing. From determinant calculations to the rules of matrix operations, whatever Xue Boyu pointed out, Si You wrote it down in a blur. Of course, although Si You had scored astonishingly high on the college entrance exam in his previous life and had studied diligently at university, some knowledge points had faded from his memory. But that was fine. He grabbed Xue Boyu's online lesson, skipped to the relevant section, listened for a moment, and immediately understood it all. "Oh..."

Xue Boyu: "?" What were you "oh"-ing about?!

"So you calculate it like this..." Si You continued writing, then finally lost patience and shoved aside the camera that was practically pressing against the scratch paper. "As long as you can film it, that's enough. Are you getting this close so you can scan the answers?"

The cameraman: "..."

The production team was stunned. Si You this season... was pretty witty.

One of the cameramen had been specially assigned to Si You by the director. Other than when Si You used the bathroom or returned to his room, the cameraman followed him wherever he went. When the scene of him tutoring Xue Boyu had just been broadcast live, the comments had been full of mockery. After all, Si You's past had been thoroughly exposed—he had never properly gone to school. But very soon, everyone fell silent.

[Uh, I've been out of school for years. Can any experts tell me whether he got it right?]

[I'm a math major. He got it right, and his reasoning is exceptionally clear.]

These problems were not actually difficult. Any currently enrolled top student could solve them. But the issue was that this was Si You! Last season, he could not even handle three-digit addition and subtraction! The kind of person who immediately pulled out a calculator whenever he was told to buy something!

At some point, Jiang Tingxu had come over as well. He stood to the side holding a cup of hot tea and listened, while some netizens voiced the very things he was thinking.

[The old Si You was obviously forcing a persona...]

[His former employer was Xinghai Media... I wonder if anyone remembers an artist named Chen Dong. He could have risen to fame with that drama My Heart at Ease, but then he kept spouting bizarre catchphrases and trying to grab attention on camera. I watched him flop with my own eyes, and now he's left the industry. Some people said Chen Dong's later ridiculous antics were all ordered by Xinghai. They wanted to make him famous as quickly as possible, but since they lacked resources, they could only take the black-and-red route and wait for the right opportunity.]

[This company, I know it. It wasn't just Chen Dong—Su Piaoran, Lin Xiang, and Chu Hesheng all came from there too. Lin Xiang flopped as well. Su Piaoran and Chu Hesheng have some resources now, but that was only after they left Xinghai. Seriously, every somewhat famous artist under them is bizarre.]

Xinghai was not being wrongly accused. Xinghai rarely signed artists with even a little fame because they did not want to spend money. They trained newcomers instead, targeting those who did not understand the industry but dreamed of entering show business. They would spare a little of their resources, let the newcomers taste some sweetness, and make them willingly work themselves to the bone for the company. Their agents were even more exploitative, squeezing them dry. At the slightest sign of potential, they made their artists think of every possible way to stand out, even if it meant being cursed by everyone.

Si You's popularity kept surging in wave after wave. If he had continued self-destructing, he should have flopped long ago. The entertainment industry changed too quickly; there was no need to spare a glance for someone who had lost everyone's support. He would naturally fade into obscurity. But unfortunately, everything Si You did now overturned his previous persona, and he had real ability. Thus, the rumors that Xinghai forced its artists down the black-and-red path became far more credible.

Zheng Hao was cursed out by the company until he was completely humiliated. They accused him of mishandling Si You's affairs. They had clearly concluded that the man had no value, yet Si You kept making one comeback after another. Zheng Hao stared blankly ahead, suddenly remembering the day he had driven Si You out of the apartment, when Si You had asked him, "When I become famous later, will you regret the attitude you had today?"

At that thought, Zheng Hao inexplicably shuddered.

Elsewhere, agent Yuan Fei smoked a cigarette as he watched Si You's performance on the screen. Unlike the irritation he had felt when first taking him on, Yuan Fei had sharp, sensitive eyes. He saw a certain possibility in Si You.

Then Yuan Fei made a call. "Yes, send me two clever, sensible assistants. What? Zhao Wei wants to take over Si You? Tell him it's impossible. I offered him the chance before, and he refused. Now he has no chance."

Si You still did not know that the company was internally fighting over him. He had taught Xue Boyu for an hour and found that the kid was hardworking enough, though not particularly quick-witted. Still, it was enough.

Si You's throat hurt a little. When he turned his head, he saw Jiang Tingxu.

"Hmm?" Jiang Tingxu could tell he had something to say.

Si You paused. "I want some ginger tea."

This was actually a mild test. If Jiang Tingxu refused, Si You would form a new understanding of their relationship.

Si You had been busy these past few days, and he had interacted with Jiang Tingxu quite a bit. If they were a little closer than strangers, perhaps they could be considered ordinary friends. Jiang Tingxu probably would not find him annoying? In any case, ever since Si You had come to this world, he had not had a single close relationship. But Jiang Tingxu was somewhat different.

[I suspect this guy is taking advantage of my husband.]

Jiang Tingxu said, "Okay. Give me a few minutes."

[???]

Xue Boyu cleared his throat. Delight spread across his face. He was shipping them, he was shipping them.