The Power of a Genius

Si You only felt as though a haze had settled before his eyes and heat was gradually rising through his body. Otherwise, he was fine.

But Jiang Tingxu's gesture to help him catch his breath only made his throat itch more. Si You was practically risking his life to hold it in.

No... He had known from reading Jiang Tingxu's profile that this Best Actor was influential and easy to get along with, and every celebrity who had worked with him had nothing but praise for him. Still, Si You had assumed some of it was embellished, exaggerated by the media. But after spending these past few days with him, he realized Jiang Tingxu truly lived up to his reputation.

Jiang Tingxu finally finished editing his last sentence, slipped his phone into his pocket, then 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 every ounce of vigilance raised while fully awake.

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

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

One guest had already collapsed, and going outside in such heavy rain was even more dangerous. The production team told everyone to move about freely, with cameras following them.

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

Yes, Xue Boyu was only a freshman. He had been admitted to the best drama academy in A City without retaking exams or pulling strings, scoring a full forty-three points above the admission threshold in his academic subjects. His fans were very satisfied, but only Xue Boyu himself knew that he had overperformed on the college entrance exam. Chinese and English were no problem for him, but math was truly his fatal weakness!

Xue Boyu listened to an online class while grinding through his textbook. Before long, his head started to grow muddled. He really was not cut out for this!

"It's just simple linear algebra. You still can't get the answer after 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 college. Worried about hitting a sore spot, he said tactfully, "It's too hard."

"What's so hard about a determinant?" Si You took Xue Boyu's pen and quickly 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 Genius.

At first, Xue Boyu assumed Si You was just showing off. But soon, Si You proved with sheet after sheet of densely written scratch paper that he really knew what he was doing. From calculating determinants to the rules of matrix operations, whatever Xue Boyu pointed out, Si You wrote it down in a flurry. Of course, although Si You had scored astonishingly high on the college entrance exam in his previous life and had studied diligently in university, some knowledge points had faded from his memory. But that was fine. He grabbed Xue Boyu's online course, dragged it to the relevant section, listened for a couple of lines, 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 could not take it anymore. He shoved aside the camera that was practically pressed against the scratch paper. "As long as you can film it, that's enough. What, are you trying to scan the answers from this close?"

The cameraman: "..."

Even the production team was stunned. Si You this season... was surprisingly funny.

One cameraman had been specially assigned to Si You by the director. Other than when he went to the bathroom or returned to his room, the cameraman followed Si You around at all times. The moment Si You began explaining the problem to Xue Boyu, the live broadcast comments erupted in mockery. After all, Si You's past had already been thoroughly exposed—he had not properly attended school. But very quickly, everyone fell silent.

[Uh, I graduated years ago. Can any experts tell me whether he got it right?]

[I'm a math major. He got it right. More than that, his reasoning is incredibly 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! Whenever he was asked to buy something, he was the kind of person who immediately pulled out a calculator!

Jiang Tingxu had come over at some point as well, holding a cup of hot tea as he listened from the side. And some viewers had voiced the same thoughts he had.

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

[His former company was Xinghai Media... I wonder if everyone 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 one-liners and trying to steal attention on camera. I watched him flop with my own eyes, and now he has left the industry. Some people say Chen Dong's later ridiculous antics were all instructed by Xinghai. They wanted to make him famous as quickly as possible, but because they lacked resources, they could only take the controversial fame route and wait for the right moment.]

[That company? I know it. Not just Chen Dong—Su Piaoran, Lin Xiang, and Chu Hesheng all came from there. Lin Xiang flopped too. Su Piaoran and Chu Hesheng have some resources now, but that only happened after they left Xinghai. Seriously, every somewhat famous artist from that company is strange.]

That did not wrong Xinghai. Xinghai rarely signed artists who already had some fame because it did not want to spend money. It only trained newcomers, targeting those who did not understand the industry yet dreamed of entering show business. It would spare them a few resources, let the newcomers taste a little sweetness, then make them willingly work themselves to the bone for the company. Their agents were even worse, squeezing them dry. The moment an artist showed even the slightest potential, they would make them do everything possible to stand out, even if it meant being cursed by everyone.

Si You's popularity now came wave after wave. If he had continued self-destructing, he should have flopped long ago. The entertainment industry moved too quickly; someone who had lost everyone's favor did not even need another glance. He would naturally fade into obscurity. Unfortunately, everything Si You did now overturned his former persona, and he had genuine ability. As a result, the rumors that Xinghai forcibly pushed its artists down the controversial fame route became far more believable.

Zheng Hao was berated bloody by the company, accused of mishandling Si You's situation. They had clearly concluded that Si You was worthless, yet one thing after another kept happening with him. Zheng Hao stared blankly, suddenly remembering the day he had thrown Si You out of the apartment. Si You had asked him, "If I become famous someday, will you regret how you treated me today?"

Thinking of that, Zheng Hao shuddered for no reason.

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

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

Si You still did not know that the company was fighting over him internally. He had taught Xue Boyu for an hour and found that while the kid worked hard, his comprehension was not particularly strong. 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 wanted to say something.

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

This was actually a small test. If Jiang Tingxu refused, Si You would give their relationship a new definition.

Si You had been busy these past few days, and he had spoken with Jiang Tingxu quite a lot. If they were a little closer than strangers, perhaps they could be considered ordinary friends. Jiang Tingxu probably would not find him bothersome? In any case, since coming to this world, Si You 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, "All right. Give me a few minutes."

[???]

Xue Boyu coughed lightly, joy spreading across his face. He had witnessed it. He had witnessed it.