Hateful Lin Wanwan

“This game is called ‘Pass the Flower’!”

The teacher held up a bright red flower that seemed to have appeared out of thin air. Smiling, she said, “Whoever is left holding the flower when the music stops has to come up and perform for everyone, okay?”

“Okay—!”

The kids’ enthusiastic response nearly took the roof off the building.

Only Chen Zhi sat there, expressionless.

If looks could kill, that red flower would have been torn into a thousand pieces by now.

“Alright, everyone, move your chairs! Let’s make a big circle!”

Amidst a chaotic clatter of furniture, the new formation was quickly established.

Chen Zhi intentionally chose a spot as far away from Lin Wanwan as possible. As long as there was enough physical distance, he figured his bad luck wouldn’t be able to catch up to him.

However, he had barely sat down, and the seat of his chair wasn’t even warm yet.

“Zhizhi! There’s a spot here!”

Accompanied by a gust of sweet fragrance, Lin Wanwan dragged her little pink chair over. With an agility that defied her age, she forcefully wedged herself into the gap to Chen Zhi’s left.

“...” Chen Zhi silently scooted to the right.

“Big Bro, I’m coming too!”

On his right, Li Zihan came huffing and puffing, dragging his chair until it was pressed tightly against Chen Zhi’s right arm.

Chen Zhi was sandwiched in the middle. To his left was an over-excited social butterfly; to his right was a crybaby who could have a meltdown at any moment.

Despair.

“The music is starting!”

The teacher turned her back and began tapping a rhythm on the podium with a chalkboard eraser.

Thump, thump, thump.

That red flower became a hot potato, flying through the children’s hands. Everyone who caught it shrieked like they’d received an electric shock before tossing it to the next person. The scene was pure chaos, comparable to a crowd of seniors fighting over discounted eggs at a wet market.

Chen Zhi silently calculated the frequency of the teacher’s taps and the speed of the flower’s progression.

At that moment, the flower was on the opposite side of the circle.

Chen Zhi breathed a sigh of relief. This round, he was safe.

However, he had underestimated the sheer biodiversity of a kindergarten classroom.

Just as the flower reached Lin Wanwan, the rapid tapping suddenly slowed down.

Lin Wanwan held the flower, but she didn’t panic and throw it like the others. Her large eyes darted around, and a mischievous smirk played on her lips.

She didn't pass it to Chen Zhi immediately.

Instead, she held it, fiddling with it in her hands.

Thump... thump...

The rhythm grew slower and slower.

The entire class held their breath, staring at the flower in Lin Wanwan’s hands.

Chen Zhi’s heart skipped a beat. What was this girl up to?

Just as the teacher’s eraser was raised high, about to strike the final heavy beat—

“Catch!”

Lin Wanwan spun around and, with lightning speed, shoved the big red flower into Chen Zhi’s arms!

At that exact moment.

Whack!

The eraser slammed onto the podium.

The music stopped.

The world went silent.

Chen Zhi looked down at the vibrant red flower in his lap.

Then he turned his head to look at Lin Wanwan, who was grinning like a fox that had just raided a chicken coop.

She even had the nerve to pat her chest, saying with a fake look of innocence, “Whew, that was close! It almost caught me.”

Chen Zhi: “...”

Darn you, Lin Wanwan!

Don’t think you can do whatever you want just because you’re cute!

I have a breaking point too.

“Wow! It’s Chen Zhi!”

The teacher turned around, looking at the trio in the corner with a pleasant surprise. “Come on, everyone, let’s have a round of applause for Chen Zhi! He’s going to perform for us!”

Clap, clap, clap, clap!

The applause was thunderous.

Li Zihan was clapping so hard his palms turned red, a look of “My Big Bro is the best” pride on his face. He seemed completely oblivious to the fact that if Chen Zhi had been a second faster, he would have been the one in the hot seat.

Chen Zhi took a deep breath and slowly stood up.

He looked at the podium. Those few meters of floor looked like a red carpet leading straight to the gallows.

He calculated what he should actually do.

Expressionless, Chen Zhi walked onto the stage and stood before the blackboard.

Dozens of pairs of eyes stared at him with anticipation. Lin Wanwan, in particular, was resting her chin on her hands, her eyes sparkling as she waited for the show to begin.

Chen Zhi remained silent for three seconds.

Then, he pulled a small picture book he always carried from his pocket. He flipped to the first page and began to speak in a voice that, while high-pitched, was remarkably steady:

“I don’t know how to sing or dance, so I’ll do a recitation for everyone.”

“Next, I will read a segment regarding the ‘Technical Analysis of MACD Bearish Divergence in Secondary Market K-Line Trends’... Oh, wait, wrong one.”

Chen Zhi calmly closed the book—which featured Ultraman on the cover—and stuffed it back into his pocket. He then put his hands behind his back and looked at the stunned teacher and students.

“Just kidding. Actually, I’ll recite the multiplication tables.”

The teacher blinked.

Multiplication tables?

For a group of toddlers still struggling with why “1+1” doesn't equal “11,” wasn't this a bit of a dimensional strike?

But looking at Chen Zhi’s serious little face—which looked like he was chairing a corporate board meeting—the teacher subconsciously nodded. “Oh... alright. Go ahead, Chen Zhi.”

Chen Zhi cleared his throat, his gaze drifting blankly toward the bulletin board at the back of the room. He began a completely emotionless monotone recitation:

“One times one is one. One times two is two. Two times two is four...”

His pace was steady, his pronunciation crisp. He sounded like a robotic voice broadcast.

The other children didn't understand a single word of the "incantation" he was chanting, but they were deeply impressed. In their eyes, Chen Zhi was currently radiating the holy light of an "Alpha Student." Those incomprehensible number combinations sounded even more profound and powerful than Ultraman’s laser beams.

“...Eight times nine is seventy-two. Nine times nine is eighty-one. I’m finished.”

Chen Zhi finished with a rapid-fire ending, gave a polite, perfunctory bow, and moved with such fluid efficiency that it seemed as if staying on stage for one more second would shorten his lifespan.

A deathly silence filled the room.

Three seconds later.

“Woooah—!!!”

A cheer ten times louder than the previous applause erupted.

“Chen Zhi is so cool!”

“I heard you don’t learn multiplication tables until the third grade!”

“Wow, if he knows them in preschool, isn't he a genius?!”

Li Zihan was so excited he jumped to his feet, eyes shining. As expected of the Big Bro I just acknowledged; he’s incredible.

The teacher was beaming, her face flushed with excitement as she led the applause. “Wonderful! See, everyone? Chen Zhi is so smart! We should all learn from him!”

Enduring the massive wave of second-hand embarrassment, Chen Zhi walked back to his seat with a blank face.

He had barely sat down when Lin Wanwan’s little head leaned over.

Her big eyes blinked with curiosity. “Chen Zhi, what was that ‘MACD Divergence’ thing? Is it even cooler than the multiplication tables?”

Chen Zhi glanced at her—the culprit behind this whole ordeal—and let out a cold snort. “That’s adult dark magic. It’s specifically designed to make money disappear. You want to learn? I can teach you. I guarantee you’ll learn it, and once you do, you won’t even be able to afford a lollipop.”

Although Lin Wanwan didn't understand what "bankruptcy" meant, she instinctively sensed the danger and shook her head like a rattle. "No, no! If the money is gone, I won't be able to buy strawberry candies anymore."