Ch 85: Rebirth of the Tool Man in a Pampered Protagonist Novel

“Everyone, do as you wish. I won’t be in the same team as him. I’ll choose Team A first.”

Jin Yu emphasized once again to the other invited main team members, her expression filled with arrogance and a hint of jealousy and anger.

In fact, there was a reason why Jin Yu displayed such targeted attitude today.

Regardless of family matters and talent, Jin Yu was still nurtured by a prominent family. Especially in intellectual families like those involved in scientific research, they highly valued the character of their family members. The thing they detested the most was when their family members caused trouble outside due to arrogance and a sense of superiority.

On weekdays, although Jin Yu was arrogant and superior, overall she was easy to get along with aside from being a bit spoiled.

The reason why she specifically targeted Fang Ziyang today, apart from being dissatisfied with his sudden arrival, was because she saw Fang Ziyang and Tang Xun’s departure accompanied by Xie Zheng.

Jin Yu had a secret that no one else knew—she had always had a crush on Xie Zheng.

Despite Xie Zheng appearing unappealing in recent years and being unable to find a partner, he was actually very popular. Not to mention the fanatical fans on Weibo, many outstanding young ladies and gentlemen from high society secretly admired him.

Jin Yu was one of them. She was not afraid of Xie Zheng’s reputation as a jinxed person. She had wanted to marry into the Xie family regardless. However, her grandfather stopped her in the end, saying that she was not suitable to be Xie Zheng’s fiancée. Moreover, Xie Zheng had no interest in her. Although they had met at various gatherings multiple times, he didn’t even remember her name. It was truly disheartening…

So when Jin Yu saw Xie Zheng speaking gently with Fang Ziyang, her woman’s intuition told her that there must be something fishy between them!

Even if Fang Ziyang was outstanding, the abilities he had demonstrated so far were truly insignificant in the eyes of true geniuses. So why did Fang Ziyang receive Xie Zheng’s favor? Jin Yu had secretly observed Xie Zheng for many years and had never seen him show such a gentle expression to anyone.

As a genius who had been praised and adored by countless people since childhood, Jin Yu couldn’t tolerate losing to someone who was inferior to her!

With Jin Yu’s repeated emphasis, the competition for team selection became even more intense.

However, there were only six members in one team, so it was inevitable to divide into two teams. Everyone quickly began to argue for a spot in Jin Yu’s team.

“Why should I withdraw? Why don’t you go to Team B yourself?”

“Didn’t you say earlier that Fang Ziyang is Tang Xun’s brother and must have some real talent? Why are you now looking down on him? You flip-flopper.”

“Hmph, didn’t you say something like that just now? Hypocrite!”

“I have worked with Jin Yu before, and we have good cooperation. So, of course, we should be in the same team now.”

“Hey, everyone, let’s not argue. How about rock-paper-scissors? It’s the fairest way to decide.”

“Fair my ass! Do you think we don’t know that rock-paper-scissors can calculate the winning rate? Are we here to play games with rock-paper-scissors?”

“Then how about drawing lots?”

“…”

Everyone argued fiercely, their faces red with anger, no longer resembling the brilliant and outstanding young individuals they usually appeared as.

In the world, there were no truly selfless individuals, especially young people who had not yet experienced the harsh realities of society. This was the time for them to enjoy fame and fortune. This international scientific competition was not a small event—it could be said to determine their lifelong fortunes. Who wouldn’t want to seize this opportunity?

At such moments, concerns about face and humility were truly foolish.

Moreover, their participation in this competition was not just for their own future but also to bring glory to their families and teachers.

Of course, among the invited main team members, although Jin Yu was remarkable, she was not the only outstanding one. The other three young individuals had talents and abilities comparable to hers, so they remained calm at the moment.

Jin Yu raised her chin slightly, slightly smug, and then looked at the other three.

“Zhao Kairui, Yuan Zhuoting, Yang Qilong, do you want to join Team A as well? If the four of us work together, we will definitely become the official team members and secure the top three spots. Unless you want to disappoint your families and teachers.”

Zhao Kairui and Yuan Zhuoting did not immediately answer as they weighed the pros and cons.

However, Yang Qilong did not hesitate. He smiled and walked towards Jin Yu, saying, “It is an honor for me to be in the same team as Miss Jin…”

While speaking, Yang Qilong’s gaze toward Fang Ziyang was not too friendly.

He didn’t have any personal grievances against Fang Ziyang. It was because of Tang Xun.

As the saying goes, if you don’t attract jealousy, you’re mediocre. Tang Xun’s talent had reached an astonishing level, and his achievements at the age of twenty were already on par with many renowned professors. This made the contemporaries of such geniuses pale in comparison, and there were many who envied Tang Xun. Yang Qilong was one of them. It was already fine for Tang Xun to be outstanding, but why did his younger brother, who had achieved nothing, receive an invitation just because of Tang Xun’s glory?

He didn’t dare to confront Tang Xun directly, but it was still acceptable to bully Tang Xun’s younger brother within the rules.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Furthermore, building a good relationship with the precious little girl from the Jin family would be beneficial regardless of the outcome of this competition.

Facing such rejection and malice right after his arrival, Fang Ziyang found it somewhat amusing and helpless. He didn’t intentionally want to challenge them; it was purely because these people were too impatient and didn’t give him a chance to demonstrate himself before excluding him.

Fortunately, he had a strong psychological resilience from living two lives, so this matter didn’t bother him.

So after Yang Qilong finished expressing his stance, Fang Ziyang calmly stood in place without any reaction.

He genuinely didn’t care. After all, strength was his confidence, and he was confident enough to single-handedly defeat an entire team’s boss.

If they wanted to look down on him, then so be it. In the end, it wouldn’t be him who would be proven wrong.

However, his calmness was not perceived the same way by others.

His slender figure made him appear somewhat thin and small. When he remained silent, it seemed like he was pretending to be indifferent and calm, evoking sympathy from others.

Jin Yu and Yang Qilong remained firm in their intentions, but Zhao Kairui and Yuan Zhuoting began to waver.

People naturally sympathize with the underdog. Fang Ziyang was targeted so openly and blatantly without even doing anything, and Jin Yu and Yang Qilong had truly gone too far. This international scientific competition was so important, and they believed that the country wouldn’t make hasty decisions. If Fang Ziyang was invited, then he must have some merits. It couldn’t be as simple as being Tang Xun’s brother.

Jin Yu and Yang Qilong are purely making things difficult for others due to personal emotions.

Their reasons for rejecting others, doubting their abilities, and suspecting favoritism are just excuses to justify their actions.

Zhao Kairui, who has a more amiable personality, couldn’t bear to watch and thought for a moment before walking towards Fang Ziyang.

With a gentle smile, he said, “Since it’s a team division, competition would make it more interesting. I’ll join Team B. I haven’t had a chance to spar with Miss Jin, so this is a good opportunity.”

Jin Yu didn’t expect Zhao Kairui to choose to oppose her, and her expression immediately turned sour.

Compared to Fang Ziyang’s previously arrogant and flamboyant self-awareness, Jin Yu was a true princess who had been doted on by her family from the bottom of their hearts. Throughout her life, there were only a few things she had wanted to accomplish but couldn’t, and she couldn’t tolerate anyone going against her wishes.

Seeing Zhao Kairui not giving her face like this, Jin Yu became angry. “Zhao Kairui, how dare you not give me face!”

“Miss Jin is joking. Isn’t the team division a voluntary choice? I didn’t choose to be in the same team as you, so it’s not about giving or not giving face. I didn’t realize Miss Jin has quite an imposing presence. Do you want me to introduce you to a plastic surgeon, maybe get a jaw slimming injection? I know a few reliable people in that field.”

Zhao Kairui still wore a warm smile, but his words were not polite.

His family background couldn’t match Jin Yu’s, but his talent was not inferior to hers. He also had a teacher with considerable influence in official circles to rely on. So why should he go against his own wishes and grovel to Jin Yu?

If Jin Yu had the ability, she should confront him head-on.

If she couldn’t, then she shouldn’t bully others without leaving any room for them.

Jin Yu didn’t have the ability to deal with Zhao Kairui, so she could only grit her teeth in anger. She glared at Zhao Kairui with resentment before turning to Yuan Zhuoting and asked indignantly,

“What about you, Yuan Zhuoting? Will you choose Team A or Team B? Think carefully and don’t follow some people’s lead to act self-righteous. This is an international event that will be broadcasted worldwide. I believe you understand the significance without me needing to explain. I remember you wanted to achieve a ranking to restore your teacher’s reputation. Have you thought it through?”

Yuan Zhuoting came from an ordinary family background and was selected into the youth program due to his exceptional intelligence. Later, he became a student of a well-known mathematics professor. However, that professor’s reputation was tarnished a few years ago due to academic misconduct. Despite the evidence, Yuan Zhuoting refused to leave the professor and find a new mentor, as he didn’t believe his teacher could stoop so low.

For the past few years, Yuan Zhuoting had been working hard to showcase himself in various competitions and seminars to help restore his teacher’s reputation.

When he received the invitation this time, although it wasn’t explicitly stated, everyone knew that he wanted to prove himself by achieving a ranking in the competition. Regardless of the evidence of academic misconduct, his success would be the best proof of his teacher’s capabilities.

From Jin Yu’s perspective, with this condition as persuasion, Yuan Zhuoting would definitely not be foolish enough to go to Team B.

After all, if Yuan Zhuoting joined their team, they would have three strong players, and becoming official team members in Team A would be within reach. If Yuan Zhuoting went to Team B, it would be a 2 vs. 2 situation, requiring more effort to compete.

However, what Jin Yu didn’t expect was that her words not only failed to persuade Yuan Zhuoting but also had the opposite effect.

Yuan Zhuoting, who had been hesitant, immediately made his decision after Jin Yu finished speaking. He walked straight toward Fang Ziyang’s side.

Then, with a gaze full of hatred towards Jin Yu, he spoke coldly, “I hate it when people force me to make choices.”

When their teacher encountered trouble, everyone had pressured and persuaded him in the same way, using the most malicious intent and attitude to bully his teacher.

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