Ch 35: Those who wronged me are now begging me for mercy

Food in One Word

Was this some kind of ad?

The three of them were completely dumbfounded. As they scrolled down, there were more ads.

Stuff like “Midnight Kitten,” and “Buy salted duck eggs and you’ll be my eternal sugar daddy.” It seemed there was nothing Rong Ziyin wouldn’t write about in his Moments.

So, what could they possibly analyze from this? The ethical boundaries of marketing?

The three boys exchanged confused looks, unable to make sense of it. They couldn’t even fully understand what Rong Ziyin was posting.

After all, they lived relatively sheltered lives, and micro-businesses were something they had never encountered before.

So, what on earth was this Rong Ziyin all about?

By dinnertime, when they saw Rong Ziyin’s latest post showing three people holding up salted duck eggs with the caption, “Cheers to our eggs,” they were even more bewildered.

The boy who had added Rong Ziyin on WeChat couldn’t resist probing him.

“Senior, can I ask about that thing in your Moments…”

Within a minute, he received a reply from Rong Ziyin, “Oh, that? I’m a micro-business owner, just running a small side hustle.”

“???” Dumbfounded, the boy was left speechless.

But Rong Ziyin kept talking, “By the way, do you guys want any salted duck eggs?”

The three boys exchanged confused looks. “What does that mean?”

In the next second, Rong Ziyin thoughtfully sent them several videos showcasing various ways to enjoy salted duck eggs as part of different dishes.

It was around dinnertime, and videos like these were impossible to resist, especially when their growling stomachs craved something delicious.

So, five minutes later, the three boys inexplicably each ordered thirty salted duck eggs from Rong Ziyin. Since Rong Ziyin had them ready and they lived next door, the delivery was almost immediate.

The delivery boy? None other than the mechanical engineering student.

Facing this seemingly more down-to-earth senior, the three boys couldn’t help but ask, “Why did Senior Rong bring so many salted duck eggs to the show?”

The mechanical engineering student replied, “Oh, he sells salted duck eggs. Everyone at our school orders from him.”

The three boys: “???”

The mechanical engineering student added enthusiastically, “You should try them—they’re really delicious!”

Then he turned and walked away, heading toward Rong Ziyin’s room.

“Senior, are you going to study together?”

The mechanical engineering student frowned, “Hmm, you could say that.”

The three boys exchanged uneasy glances.

Meanwhile, back in Rong Ziyin’s room, the mechanical engineering student had a big smile on his face.

“Come on! Are you guys done updating? Let’s do a trio queue!”

Rong Ziyin and the girl from the landscaping department both looked up, “Let’s go!”

Then came the familiar sound from the game, “Timi.”

Bronze-level trio queue, first to reach gold is a dog.

As Rong Ziyin put it, even last-minute cramming requires knowing what you’re cramming for. With only three days left before the competition, it was better to enjoy some downtime.

At the same time, the competition group chat was buzzing with activity, and the main topic of discussion was Rong Ziyin and his two teammates.

Unlike the fans outside, these participants had been in the show for over a month and knew well how the production team could be ruthless.

From the moment Rong Ziyin’s team moved in, they understood the hint: Rong Ziyin wasn’t just for show; he was a formidable opponent. Otherwise, the production team wouldn’t have kept them in the dorms for more than one episode.

Because of this, these top students from various schools were even more concerned about how Rong Ziyin’s team would affect the competition.

“Does anyone have friends at Nongda? Can they give us the inside scoop?” someone asked. Soon, another person replied.

“Even if they do, it’s useless. The fans’ social media frenzy has made Nongda students defensive. They’re all tight-lipped, giving us no chance.”

“What about their school forum?”

“Can’t get in. Nongda’s forum is ancient—you need a student ID to access it, not even public networks work.”

“Then we’ll have to wait for the mock test and see. Who knows which team they’ll choose to go up against. Good luck to us all.”

Just then, someone remembered the youth class team and tagged them, “You guys are staying next door; did you notice anything?”

After all, their team had someone who specialized in psychology.

But none of them expected the response: “Rong Ziyin is a micro-business owner.”

“???”

“He sold me 30 salted duck eggs during dinner!”

“…” The chat fell silent.

It was as if the boy had found an outlet for his frustration, so he added, “You won’t believe it—they’re not even studying for the upcoming ranking test; the three of them are playing games.”

“Honor of Kings, bronze level! And they’ve lost five times in a row!” The three boys from the youth class team felt like complete idiots.

After adding Rong Ziyin on WeChat, they hadn’t discovered anything, and instead, they had spent money buying his salted duck eggs, becoming his customers. Feeling frustrated, they were determined to find something incriminating about Rong Ziyin.

Just then, the first boy to add Rong Ziyin received a WeChat notification: Rong Ziyin had just sent him game coins in Honor of Kings!

So, he was really playing games?

Since a person’s character can often be revealed through gaming, they quickly logged into Honor of Kings to spectate Rong Ziyin’s match.

Honor of Kings has a spectating feature, and when they joined, they were thrilled to see Rong Ziyin and his two teammates in a trio queue.

This was perfect! They could analyze the three of them together.

However, half an hour later, they watched in disbelief as Rong Ziyin and his team chased an enemy hero across half the map. Just when it seemed they would secure the kill, Rong Ziyin, playing as the hero Xiang Yu, used his skill to push the enemy away, allowing them to escape. Meanwhile, the opposing team successfully destroyed their base and won the game.

They couldn’t analyze any personality traits; all they could see was how poorly the game was played.

“You won’t believe it! They’ve been playing for two hours, and they’re still stuck at bronze three.”

“…” The chat was even quieter.

What kind of bizarre opponents had they encountered?

Rong Ziyin suddenly received a system notification, gaining 10,000 bewilderment points.

System: “Wow! That was a big one!”

“These little lambs are indeed exceptional,” Rong Ziyin couldn’t help but smile as he maneuvered Xiang Yu’s skill to once again send the enemy back to safety, causing all four teammates’ abilities to miss their mark.

The mechanical engineering student was already on the verge of a breakdown, clinging to Rong Ziyin’s arm and wailing, “Dad, please switch to Yao, just sit on my head, that’s all I’m asking.”

Rong Ziyin replied, “Mind your language; we have a lady here! You can’t just casually talk about riding people.”

“…” The girl from the landscaping department wanted to slap Rong Ziyin to death. Now he remembers she’s a lady, but when he said she could uproot trees with her bare hands, where was this concern?

After yet another team wipe, the two simultaneously threw down their phones, refusing to continue playing with Rong Ziyin, and decided to head back to their dorms.

Rong Ziyin tried to console them: “Don’t be upset, just have fun!”

Both of them retorted in unison: “We’re not having fun at all, damn it!”

And thus, the ship of friendship between the three sank. Over the next two days, they avoided meeting each other, fearing that their anger would lead to violence if they did.

But their relaxed attitude, when seen by the other teams, appeared enigmatic and inscrutable. The three boys who first tried to spy on Rong Ziyin and his team were so worried they couldn’t sleep at night.

According to the competition rules, even though they were last episode’s winners, they didn’t have immunity this time. If Rong Ziyin challenged them, they had no choice but to fight. Compared to the other teams, they seemed the weakest.

In other words, once the competition resumed, if Rong Ziyin’s team got the chance to compete and chose them as opponents, it would be a battle to the death. And while Rong Ziyin’s team could review their previous performance, they knew nothing about Rong Ziyin.

Amidst this tense atmosphere, the mock exam finally arrived.

This variety show’s process was far more rigorous and complex than usual. Since all participants were top students, and it was a points-based competition, not every team got to participate in every recording session. Only the top six teams in the mock exam rankings would get to compete.

To ensure fairness, the mock exam was conducted online with remote proctoring. This meant that during the exam, each participant’s room would be monitored, and any viewer could watch them live. Meanwhile, viewers could also check the answers in real time on the show’s official website.

In other words, even if you randomly guessed an answer, the viewers would know immediately, leaving no room for cheating.

As a result, the mock exams were always one of the most anticipated parts of the show for the audience.

With five minutes left before the exam, the official website’s live stream was already packed with viewers. Seventy percent of them were there for Rong Ziyin, eager to see if he truly had the talent. Meanwhile, Nongda students were glued to their screens, anxiously rooting for their academic champion.

When the clock struck the hour, the exam’s theme was revealed: 100 multiple-choice questions to be answered in 10 minutes. This meant each question had to be answered in less than six seconds—leaving no time to think, only to respond immediately.

It was terrifying.

But even more terrifying was the theme—National Geography.

The Nongda students collectively gasped, their minds buzzing. This was the worst luck ever! The three from Nongda were from the landscaping, mechanical engineering, and veterinary departments—none of which were remotely related to this topic!

The forum was instantly filled with wails of despair.

“Oh my god, this is divine-level bad luck! The previous themes were all general knowledge; why is it national geography this time?”

“Don’t panic yet. I think the landscaping girl might be okay!”

“One person won’t be enough! What about Rong Ziyin?”

“Say no more, we’re already bracing for the next trending topic: ‘Nongda Vase, True to Its Name.'”

Even the veterinary department’s dean was worried sick, though he tried to keep a calm facade as he checked Rong Ziyin’s answers. To his surprise, Rong Ziyin was answering at lightning speed, even faster than the geography and humanities student.

“This can’t be real! Is the kid just guessing?” The dean was bewildered and asked his colleague.

“Not necessarily,” the female teacher frowned. Although she wasn’t well-versed in geography, she knew that the answers Rong Ziyin had already submitted were correct.

So, what was going on with Rong Ziyin?

Apparently, many viewers watching Rong Ziyin had the same thought.

At first, some assumed Rong Ziyin was just putting on a show. But they soon noticed that his answers almost matched those of the geography and humanities student. In the few cases where they differed, a quick Google search showed that Rong Ziyin’s answer was actually correct.

“Did he get the answers in advance?” someone speculated.

“Don’t be ridiculous; the production team isn’t that crazy.”

“Who knows? Otherwise, how do you explain a veterinary student outperforming a geography and humanities major on this topic? It doesn’t make sense!”

“Exactly! Something feels off!”

“Production team, we demand an explanation!”

Before the mock exam even ended, the viewers were already in an uproar. Amid the chaos, the mock exam concluded, and after the computer-graded the answers, Rong Ziyin emerged with a perfect score, ranking first. The geography and humanities student came in second, two points behind.

“How is this possible?” When the results came out, all the top students were stunned.

Veterinary science! If Rong Ziyin had been in a geography-related field, they wouldn’t be questioning their sanity.

“I think we deserve an explanation,” one of the more hot-headed participants demanded from the production team. They genuinely suspected that the production team had leaked the questions to Rong Ziyin.

Especially the geography and humanities student—this was supposed to be his specialty, and he had lost to Rong Ziyin!

Unable to wait for the production team’s explanation, they decided to confront Rong Ziyin in his dorm.

A nearby PD quickly asked the head director, “Should we stop them? This looks like trouble.”

The head director gritted his teeth, “Let them go! We’ll treat it as a crisis management exercise.”

They didn’t understand how Rong Ziyin had aced the exam, but in this situation, no matter what they said, the participants and viewers wouldn’t believe it. So, it was better to let them confront Rong Ziyin directly—who knows, maybe it would clear up the doubts and even yield some unexpected results.

With the production team’s tacit approval, this group of top students banded together and knocked on Rong Ziyin’s door.

The door was opened by the PD responsible for filming Rong Ziyin.

Inside, Rong Ziyin was clearly unprepared for visitors. He had taken off the white lab coat he had been wearing for the camera and was now casually dressed in his eye-catching red-and-green veterinary school uniform. In his hands, he was busily filling out a thick stack of shipping labels, with neatly packed salted duck eggs at his feet.

Everyone: …

They felt like they might have figured out the reason for Rong Ziyin’s good geography skills. After all, as a nationwide micro-merchant, it seemed that “traveling a thousand miles” might indeed be more effective than “reading ten thousand books.”

The situation quickly became very awkward.

The system urgently prompted: “Master, say something quick! This is live, and if you handle this well, you’ll gain a ton of followers and points!”

Rong Ziyin thought the system made a good point, so he pulled out the most common phrase students say after exams, “The test was pretty hard. How many points did you all get?”

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