"Well, judging by how loudly you're crying, we're probably not dreaming," Ling, also known as SpicyHand HurryHusband, Chujin, said with certainty.
Ji Mochen, who was in so much pain that he was questioning the meaning of life, went through a cycle of shock, anger, and heartache... and then, expressionless, lowered his head to play with his phone.
There was nothing else he could do with his younger brother acting like this; he had to find something else to occupy himself.
He opened a social media app on his phone and logged into his account.
After scrolling through the trending topics, someone posted a smug update.
"Thank you all for your concern. Ruoruo's exam results are not bad."
As for the actual score...
Hehe~ I'm not going to tell you! Are you mad?
As expected, this message quickly climbed up the trending list, and the comments below, apart from fans saying "It's good as long as the results are fine," were mostly doubting Ji Mochen's attempt to save face.
To be honest, if this happened before Ji Mochen received a call from his older brother, he would have immediately revealed the results to shut down these critics. But now...
It's fine, go ahead and jump around. When the TV interview comes out, there will be plenty of opportunities to shut you all up.
And so, for the next two days, besides Ji Ruochu's mysterious college entrance exam results, the trending topic "Ji Mochen's Amazing Patience" kept trending.
"No, could he have been possessed? Internet users are mocking him to this extent, yet he refuses to disclose the results?"
"Indeed... Ruoruo's dad surprised us with his tight-lipped attitude this time."
"What should we do? The more he ignores the provocations from internet users, the more curious I become about his daughter's score."
"Haha, his tight-lipped attitude? Based on Ji Mochen's previous behavior, if Ruochu did well, he would have come out boasting. It's obvious she didn't do well!"
"Is the person above seriously criticizing or using a reverse psychology?"
"Oh? Reverse psychology? Interesting!"
"Yes! What about the critics? Where did they disappear to? Hurry up and get to work! Ji Mochen is definitely susceptible to reverse psychology. Quick! Provoke him!"
Internet users: ...Let's just give it a 6 out of 10.
Never before had such curious onlookers been seen.
However, what no one expected was that before the reverse psychology could provoke Ji Mochen, Director Qiu, who had been lurking in the shadows, was the one who emerged.
You see, for Director Qiu, who had finally completed the filming of "Free Roaming 2" after three years, Ruochu's current status was higher than that of the investors, you know?
After all, for a director who had been jokingly referred to by netizens as "three years for one film," at this critical juncture of three years, finding a bunch of investors was far less difficult than finding a suitable female lead.
Therefore, while netizens were busy using reverse psychology to tease Ji Mochen's fake attitude, and while the critics were taking turns attacking the "genius girl" persona, Qiu Xuetong rolled up her sleeves and went crazy... oh no, I mean, she vented on her social media accounts.
Qiu Xuetong: "No, do you all have a problem? Can't I, after three years of hard work, happily shed tears at the wrap party?"
Qiu Xuetong: "Also, can't you tell the difference between tears of joy and frustration? I feel like giving your Chinese teacher a talking-to on your behalf!"
Qiu Xuetong: [Let me say it again, when we were filming "Smooth Sailing," the editor and I had already decided that Ji Ruochu would be the female lead in the sequel, "Free Roaming 2." There were no hidden motives.]
Qiu Xuetong: [I want to make it clear that Ji Ruochu's acting skills are on par with ninety percent of the actresses in the entertainment industry. There's no need for her to rely on any connections or shortcuts.]
Qiu Xuetong: [Connections? Do you even know how difficult King Ji is to deal with? If it weren't for visiting him while he was away, not only would it have been impossible to sign Ji Ruochu as the female lead, but he would have given me a good beating!]
...
With Qiu Xuetong's relentless series of posts, Ji Ruochu once again dominated the hot search rankings.
Netizens' attention shifted from "Ji Mochen showing off" to speculating, "Does Ji Ruochu really have acting skills?"
Thus, the popularity of "Free Roaming 2" soared once again, and the production team capitalized on this momentum by releasing more materials.
Some of the materials even included behind-the-scenes footage from the previous film, which dispelled the rumors about Ji Ruochu using a stunt double for her action scenes.
After all... she was able to kick a prop into pieces when she was only six or seven years old. Did someone with such ability really need a stunt double?
[Ahhh! Our baby girl has kicked her way into our hearts!]
[What is the production team doing? These materials should have been released earlier!]
[I heard that Ji Mochen and his wife wanted to protect their child and didn't want her to be exposed too much when she was young.]
[To be honest, we don't know if Ji Ruochu's acting skills can surpass ninety percent of the actresses in the industry, but her martial arts skills are definitely top-notch.]
[That's true. There aren't many female martial arts stars, especially compared to male stars.]
[Ahhh, can we expect to see more badass female stars in martial arts films in the future?]
[You're thinking too much. Would Ji Mochen's daughter be willing to become a martial arts star?]
...
On that day, Ji Ruochu's popularity remained high, surpassing even the search results for college entrance exam scores.
Thus, the haters, who had nothing else to criticize, resorted to disguising themselves as ordinary netizens.
They said things like, "Why are you buying hot search rankings? Today should be a day for students receiving their exam results to shine. Do you love being in the spotlight that much?"
Some even claimed, "Is this because they know their 'academic genius' image is no longer credible, so they're now selling the image of a talented actress?"
Although the fans couldn't be bothered to pay attention to these superficial accusations, they still took the time to explain to the passersby on behalf of Ji Mochen and his daughter.
After all, this father-daughter duo had been unfairly treated. They didn't get Ji Mochen drunk and make him cry, nor did they deliberately create Ji Ruochu's "academic genius" image.
From the beginning, Ji Ruochu had been quietly studying, participating in competitions, and acting. Even now, netizens hadn't been able to find her social media accounts.
Despite doing nothing wrong, she was repeatedly labeled as someone who flaunts an image or engages in false advertising. It was truly a pitiful situation.
After a day and night of intense fighting, the fans of Ji Ruochu successfully reported a large number of fake accounts belonging to haters. The next day, Ji Ruochu's popularity finally subsided to some extent.
However, some things are just destined.
Take Ji Ruochu, for example. It seems like she was born to be a permanent resident on the trending lists.
Her fans were busy trying to wrap things up to avoid overwhelming the public with too many trends.
But guess what? Some official media outlets released an interview video very discreetly, and guess who was in it? Ji Ruochu.
Even the Kyoto Provincial Television Station started playing this interview video on a loop.
At first, there were some conspiracy theories, suggesting that Ji's family was really willing to go all out by mobilizing official media to create a buzz. But those theories were put to rest when netizens saw a screenshot posted by someone who had already watched the video.
In the footage, Ji Ruochu was wearing a light-colored sports shirt, with no makeup on her face, and her long ink-black hair was simply tied in a ponytail.
Under the unfiltered camera lens of the television station, her already delicate features became even more captivating.
Of course, what captured people's attention even more was the text displayed in the upper right corner of the screen:
Ji Ruochu
College Entrance Exam Score: 742
Top scorer in the Capital Province, highest score in the national college entrance exam this year.
As soon as this information was revealed, the online community exploded. In just a few minutes, search terms such as "Ji Ruochu national exam top scorer," "Ji Ruochu 742 points," "Ji Mochen, is this what you call a good score?" "Ji Mochen's ultimate Versailles," "No wonder provoking her didn't work," and others reappeared in the trending searches.
The busy fans exclaimed, "Wow! My child is amazing!"
Onlookers, who were simply enjoying the gossip, commented, "...That's a six out of six."
Even the die-hard internet trolls, who couldn't find anything negative to say, gave up, exhausted, and said, "Enough, let it be destroyed!"
To be honest, at first, netizens didn't pay much attention to Ji Ruochu frequently appearing on the trending lists. But now, it's different.
Come on, she's the top scorer in the college entrance exam!
And it's the highest score in the whole country!
Regardless of what she does in the future, based on this alone, she could easily overshadow all the stars in the entertainment industry.
In the past, although there were celebrities who graduated from prestigious schools, most of them attended vocational colleges, and many only completed high school.
Of course, education doesn't necessarily represent everything. After all, everyone's circumstances are different, and there are celebrities with average education who have good moral values and excellent reputations.
But that's just a small portion. Most of them have a very limited knowledge and common sense, and they often end up making fools of themselves in public.
Only Ji Ruochu, who initially appeared as a celebrity's child, can be said to be the child that netizens have watched grow up.
At this moment, when she appeared so conspicuously on television, she was no longer just Ji Mochen's daughter (Someone: ???). In the eyes of her fans, she was the pride raised by all of them!
"Great! Now I finally understand why parents are so fond of the saying 'hoping their children will become dragons.'"
"Mom, did you see that? Although your daughter is a troublemaker, the daughter she raised is truly remarkable!"
"...No need to go that far."
"Strange, what about the haters? They've been causing a fuss these past few days. Come out and speak up!"
"The haters are probably having an emergency meeting."
【Hilarious! Are you guys calling the top scorer of the college entrance examination, Ji Ruochu, "the collapse of the genius image"? Have you been drinking fake alcohol or should you just have a few bites of food?】
【Help! Is this considered a collapse? Honestly, even if you deduct a hundred points from such a score, there are few people in the entertainment industry who can surpass it, right?】
【Oh my god, I'm actually lucky enough to witness the gossip about the top scorer of the college entrance examination? I'm a gossip-loving person... I have no regrets in this life!】
【This... Autumn San Nian has truly struck gold! The daughter of a superstar, the nation's sweetheart, and the top scorer of the college entrance examination—these three buffs combined, this movie is guaranteed to be a hit!】
【As an ordinary viewer who just finished watching the interview, I have only one thing to say... this child is truly humble!】
As soon as this comment appeared, the netizens who had been chatting realized that they hadn't watched the interview video yet.
Within a few seconds, the view count of the video surged again.
The moment the video was clicked, a barrage of comments floated by: 【Follow the civilized path, Ji Ruochu's interview is in the last minute.】
The second comment: 【As a fan of Ji Ruochu, I politely suggest that the advice given by the previous academic overachiever is also worth listening to.】
It must be said that Ji Ruochu's fans had a strong sense of vigilance, afraid of giving the critics any ammunition. They provided warm reminders everywhere.
Although their rationality only lasted for a few minutes, it was... understandable.
After all, who could resist a beautiful girl, even if she was being filmed with a high-definition camera without any filters from all angles?
【Ah, ah, ah! My child! How did you become even more beautiful! Your mother will worry!】
【To be honest, Ji Ruochu is the most naturally beautiful actress I've seen in these years. And she hasn't undergone any cosmetic procedures. It's like a gift from heaven.】
As the barrage of comments rolled on, Ji Ruochu in the video had already started answering questions.
"Did you expect to achieve such a high score?"
"No." The girl with a high ponytail and a face full of collagen answered in a soft voice, "But after the exams, I checked my answers against the predicted score I had in mind."
"I heard that many classmates in your class have always aimed to surpass you, to the extent of giving up their guaranteed admissions. Is that true?"
"...Yes."
Ji Ruochu's expression was full of helplessness as she reluctantly admitted, "Although I really don't want to admit it, that's indeed the case."
"After the scores came out, did they say anything?"
"...They haven't contacted me yet."
The barrage instantly burst into laughter.
【The imagined interaction with an academic overachiever: exchanging thoughts and engaging in rational discussions.】
【The real-life interaction with an academic overachiever: Alright then! You actually scored higher than me, I'm not playing with you anymore!】
【Very well, a down-to-earth friendship indeed.】
"So, as the top scorer of the college entrance examination in Capital Province, do you have any good study methods to share with the audience watching at home?"
【Here it comes, the long-awaited study tips!】
【Great, I already have pen and paper ready!】
"...Actually, there are no special methods, just burying yourself in diligent study."
"Is that the only way?"
"There is no shortcut to learning like this. Each person has different methods of learning, so try various approaches and find the one that suits you best."
"For example, because I don't have exceptional talent, I can only rely on the simplest tactic of tackling a large number of practice questions."
Barrage: What do you mean by 'not exceptional'?
"This is not false modesty; it's true. You may only see the effortless side of me, but in reality, I solve three times the number of questions every day compared to other students."
There are often moments when I want to give up studying, and many times I don't understand why I need to memorize so much knowledge. I even feel devastated when I only score one or two points in an exam despite memorizing a mountain of information.
But... later on, I thought, why bother with so many 'whys'? Learning is not just for exams; exams are merely a tool to assess the quality of your learning.
Learning is about creating more choices for your future life path. If you can't understand it now, then don't dwell on it. Learn first, and understanding will come later.
If you want to do something, then go ahead and do it, because you can never be fully prepared."
