Chapter 312: Face Slapping In The Friendly Match – 4
In the bullet comments section, some of the netizens were defending Fu Zhi, while others were standing on Gu Yan’s side. That said, no one believed that Fu Zhi could finish two question papers in an hour, let alone get all the answers right.
Besides, rumor had it that Fujino had been able to get the runner-up spot at last year’s international physics compet.i.tion for singles by barely finishing an SSS+ Physics test paper.
In the stadium, the back of Fu Zhi’s qipao was wet with sweat, and the audience clearly felt that she was a little overwhelmed.
As for Fujino, he had handed in his test paper 15 minutes after the beginning of the contest. He glanced at Fu Zhi triumphantly and then went to a.s.sist Akita in finishing his part.
There was nothing but black color on the big screen. The number of viewers in the live-streaming room plummeted rapidly. At the same time, the topic “Fu Zhi lost the match after freezing out her teammate” rose until it became the hottest topic on Weibo.
The live-streaming session lasted for three hours, and a number of netizens that had not joined the session frantically flocked to Weibo to see what was happening.
[I demand that Fu Zhi comes out and apologizes! Not only did she take advantage of Gu Yan, but she also dumped her when she had no use for her anymore! She’s a leech, a clown, and an ingrate! Stop glorifying a useless person like her! It makes me sick!]
[Look at Gu Yan’s lips, guys. It seems like she’s accusing Fu Zhi of being wrong all the time and dragging them down.]
[Well, I expected nothing more from a selfish person like her. I just never thought she would put her personal gain before the interest of the country. It really makes me wonder if she’s an idiot.]
...
When there were only five minutes left, Akita had done his part and handed in the test paper. Then, both he and Fujino retreated to the center of the stage.
A commotion spread across the stadium, and Fu Zhi’s fingers suddenly trembled. It was a well-known fact that it was even more strenuous than physical exertion when one’s brain was working under pressure. The tips of Fu Zhi’s fingers were pale, and she looked exhausted.
Gu Yan was sitting on a chair in the waiting area as she looked coldly at Fu Zhi.
One second before Fu Zhi finished the last question, the system handed in the test paper automatically.
The screen lit up again, and the team from Country R scored 300 out of 200 points. Then, the cameraman shifted the camera to the right, but there was nothing on the column that showed Fu Zhi’s score.
[What the f*ck? No score? Does that mean 0 points? What happened to the 120 points that Gu Yan got, huh? Why wasn’t that recorded?]
[See? This is what happens when one tries to act tough. I would like to see what kind of excuses you’re going to give this time!]
[That’s it! The truth has been revealed! Look at it yourselves, Fu Zhi’s fans. Your G.o.ddess has gotten a zero. I wonder how she managed to get this score, as I’ve never seen someone score zero in his or her examination before. In any case, you guys should stop saying that it’s Gu Yan’s fault. She’s innocent!]
[This girl really disgusts me. Not only did she try to curry favor with Jiang Zong, but she also iced Gu Yan out! Now, she has disgraced our country!]
[If you guys are so good, why don’t you do it instead? If you have the time to insult Fu Zhi, then you probably should make use of that time and consider why your idol did not become the team leader!]
...
Criticizing and insulting each other’s idols was a normal occurrence in the bullet comments section of the variety show “Up Up You Go”.
The crowd in the stadium was also a bit downbeat, but when they thought about Fujino and Akita’s strength, they quickly felt relieved and held up the Chinese flag, waving it in the direction of Fu Zhi.
Concurrently, Fujino suddenly thought of something, and his expression changed. With his eyes wide in disbelief, he turned to look at Fu Zhi and mumbled, “The time-lag system...”
He was speaking the language of his own country, so even though everyone heard him, n.o.body understood what he was talking about.
Some of the spectators then stood up, and just as they were about to leave, in a second, the column that showed Fu Zhi’s score lit up with a faint ding.
Then, three digits appeared on the screen one after another—
325 points.
The word “vs” appeared in the center of the screen, followed by two sets of numbers that moved forward, and Country R’s score was crushed, leaving the 325 points in the center of the screen.
“Fu Zhi!”
Someone in the stadium shouted, followed by a second person and a third one, until the entire audience in the stadium was chanting her name. Then, “Chasing Dream”, a famous piece by “Addiction”, was belted out of the speakers.
From Fu Zhi’s point of view, she could clearly see the red flag being raised high in the air. It fluttered in tandem with the movement of the audience and resembled a wave of the ocean.
Their country had won.
They had destroyed their opponents by winning all three rounds!
The flag of China was being hoisted high on the flagpole. At that moment, everyone in the stadium fell silent and turned their heads up in unison as a sense of honor washed over them like a tidal wave. Some of them were so touched that their eyes were red around the rims.
The host picked up the microphone and addressed the judge. “I guess everyone here is curious to know why the score appeared late.”
The judge explained, “The contestant’s score was delayed because she finished the last two big questions of the SSS+ question paper. However, the way she answered the two questions was different from the standard answers, so the system fed the paper back to us and let us review her answers.”
He paused for a moment before continuing. “She scored full marks in the first test paper, and she did not make any mistakes in the last two questions of the second test paper. She’s indeed a genius!”
The crowd was stunned.
[Erm... Am I hallucinating?]
[I’m so proud of you, Zhizhi!]
[Where are Gu Yan’s fans right now, huh? Why don’t you guys say something? Cat got your tongue?]
[Mamma Mia! It seems like I was wrong about Fu Zhi the whole time. She’s capable, level-headed, and dependable. It felt really great seeing those people from Country R getting slapped in the face!]
[All of you talk as if you’re physically on the scene. Did you see Gu Yan be a hindrance with your own eyes? Why don’t you guys say that Fu Zhi wants to show off?]
[Chill, guys! The two of them have a very good relationship behind the cameras. We must not insult either of them and cause their relationship to go sour!]
...
There was an endless discussion in the comments section, and Gu Yan’s fans were trying their best to whitewash Gu Yan.
The host handed a microphone to Fu Zhi and said, “Everyone likes you very much. Do you have anything to say?”
Fu Zhi pressed her lips tightly as she looked at the flag that fluttered high in the air. After a short while, she said, “This is just the beginning. This year, our country’s flag will soar above all other flags in Country M’s Physics a.s.sociation.”
“Fu Zhi, Fu Zhi, Fu Zhi!”
Fu Zhi’s name could be heard echoing in the stadium.
The second song of “Addiction”, “Honor”, was heard as the host announced that the Chinese team had won the compet.i.tion.
Since China was the organizer of the compet.i.tion, Fujino walked up to Fu Zhi. With his eyes bursting with burning battle intent, he offered Fu Zhi a handshake and said, “You’re strong. The next time we meet will be at the international Physics compet.i.tion, and I will not lose again.”
A female voice shouted, “Zhizhi, listen to mama! Don’t shake hands with him! He doesn’t deserve it!”
“You’re right. I’m pretty strong.” Fu Zhi smiled as she raised her hand. “But you’re too weak. If you keep focusing on your opponent’s shortcomings, it will get you nowhere.”
Fujino looked at Fu Zhi respectfully, and the netizens in front of the screen felt proud as well.
The partic.i.p.ants from Country R had looked down on them and denigrated them before the compet.i.tion had started. However, not only had Fu Zhi not given them a taste of their own medicine, but she’d been kind enough to evaluate them and give them a constructive suggestion.
This was the great virtue pa.s.sed down by their ancestors for more than 5,000 years. Staying humble and not getting drunk on success.
For a moment, some of the netizens seemed to realize why the Physics a.s.sociation had decided to let Fu Zhi become the team leader in the end.
She was able to stay calm and level-headed and she would not get carried away by her success.