Sorry, My Beloved Is The Motherland - Chapter 6 - Pretending Is Better Than Dating

“Besides, without investigation, you have no right to speak. Whether I am a hypocrite or not, you have to try to find out.”

Du Qingquan didn’t expect Ning Fu to say this and was momentarily stunned. He sneered, “What a ‘without investigation, you have no right to speak’!”

Du Qingquan’s eyes, behind thick lenses, swept over Ning Fu with disdain as he mocked, “People who don’t respect knowledge will reveal their true colors no matter what kind of facade they put on!”

Wow, this bookworm really has a way with insults!

—This implied that her recent actions were all about seeking fame and making hypocritical gestures to improve her reputation.

Ning Fu slightly restrained her smile and said calmly, “If you want to see if there’s a fox under the facade, why don’t we make a bet?”

T/N: The phrase “a fox under the facade” is a metaphorical expression. It suggests that someone might be hiding their true nature or intentions behind a deceptive outward appearance.

Lu Qingquan raised his chin high, “A bet it is. What do you want to bet on?”

He didn’t believe for a second that Ning Fu, who was always preoccupied with love and romance, was genuinely as studious as she claimed to be.

Ning Fu blinked, “You can ask me any chemistry question. If I answer correctly, you have to lend me both volumes of the chemistry textbook. If I can’t answer…”

Seeing Du Qingquan staring at her, she deliberately changed her tone and asked, “If I can’t answer, what do you want from me?”

Ning Fu’s smile carried a hint of cunning, making her really seem like a fox.

Even though the bookworm Du Qingquan was deeply immersed in the ocean of knowledge, he could still distinguish beauty from ugliness.

Ning Fu’s smile dazzled him, leaving him momentarily speechless. After a few seconds, he managed to stammer out in frustration, “If… if you can’t answer, you have to apologize to my math book!”

Ning Fu raised an eyebrow and said seriously, “It’s a deal.”

Now, everyone in the courtyard who wasn’t out working had gathered around to watch the spectacle.

Du Qingquan, as if presenting a precious treasure, brought out his high school chemistry textbook from the house. He gave Ning Fu a disdainful look before opening the first few pages.

He started with a simple question to test her. In his mind, Ning Fu was just an embroidered pillow—beautiful but empty inside—so it didn’t matter whether the question was hard or easy; she wouldn’t be able to answer it anyway.

Ning Fu simply commanded, “Turn to the back.”

—Isn’t this just a contest of who can pretend better?

Although she was a novice in this area, she was very interested.

In the past, in the world of female supporting characters in quick-transmigration stories, she had only performed the roles of a delicate white lotus and a tea-scented beauty in front of the male leads, supporting males, and antagonists. Today, she finally got the chance to play the dominant “Phoenix Overlord” and give a good slap to the faces of the insignificant supporting characters!

When it came to fields she was interested in, Ning Fu was always able to delve deep, put in effort, and learn quickly.

Du Qingquan was shocked by Ning Fu’s arrogance!

He reevaluated her from head to toe and sneered, “Don’t regret asking me for a difficult question. I’m considering that you’re a girl and worried you might not be able to save face!”

Ning Fu returned his sneer with a sincere smile, “Then, I thank you in advance for your concern, Comrade Qingquan. How about this: if I can’t answer, please enlighten me, and I’ll call you Teacher Qingquan. How does that sound?”

The stakes of the bet were raised!

The male educated youths watching the spectacle cheered loudly, enjoying the drama.

Someone shouted, “Du Qingquan, why waste those simple questions?”

—Why not pick the hardest one to stump Ning Fu, so everyone can witness the ‘apprenticeship ceremony’?

Some people secretly criticized Du Qingquan in their hearts, thinking that he really didn’t know how to cherish a beautiful girl. If she really couldn’t save face, what would he do then?

Others sighed inwardly, wondering why they hadn’t realized the usefulness of knowledge back when they were studying. If they could make Comrade Ning Fu call them “teacher,” they would certainly feel delighted.

Du Qingquan was unaware of the onlookers’ thoughts and didn’t care. He stared at the extremely beautiful female educated youth in front of him, and his initial disdain and contempt had been unconsciously replaced by a competitive spirit.

Du Qingquan abruptly flipped the book to the middle and selected a practice question from the textbook. With an aloof tone, he said, “Let’s try this question. Do you recognize these elements and symbols?”

It wasn’t that he looked down on the female lead, but even educated youths from big cities might not have a solid foundation. Chemistry was a profound subject, and cramming at the last minute wouldn’t be effective.

He had read the entire high school chemistry textbook several times, but since he was self-taught, some of his understanding was still incomplete. The practice questions in the book hadn’t been fully mastered yet. The current question on equilibrium constants was of medium to high difficulty even for him.

Ning Fu glanced at the question, then casually broke off a twig and wrote the answer on the ground.

With each stroke of the twig on the ground, Du Qingquan’s eyes widened a bit more.

The answer she casually wrote down was actually the completely correct standard answer!

How was this possible?!

Du Qingquan’s incredulous expression caused a small commotion among the crowd.

They had originally been looking forward to the spectacle of Ning Fu calling Du Qingquan “teacher”! Now, it seemed the tables had turned!

The crowd’s astonished and eager gazes converged on Ning Fu. She clasped her hands behind her back, tilted her head slightly, and gave Du Qingquan a smile, “Next question.”

What is high-level pretentiousness?

High-level pretentiousness is looking down on your opponent from a completely different level!

She didn’t ask Du Qingquan whether she got the question right.

A true hero never looks back at the explosion.

A true academic prodigy never worries about marking the wrong answer on the test sheet.

Just like a master swordsman knows where the enemy’s next strike will land and how to counter it with a single, fatal blow.

Even if she was wearing a coarse cloth jacket and holding a twig behind her back, it didn’t stop the crowd from looking at her as if they were a group of novice warriors gazing at a reclusive, hidden master who was actually an undefeated legend.

“Hey, hey, bookworm, did she really get it right? Hurry up and give the next question!”

Du Qingquan snapped out of his daze, hurriedly flipping several pages forward in the book, and pointed out another question to Ning Fu.

This was a question he had just figured out a couple of days ago, and it had taken him a lot of effort.

Half a minute later, Ning Fu provided the standard answer again.

What does half a minute mean?

Half a minute is the time it takes an average person to read the question.

From receiving the information to analyzing the question, to clarifying the thought process, and mobilizing the knowledge reserves to solve the problem, the steps that would take an average person several minutes, Ning Fu completed in just half a minute.

Although Du Qingquan was reluctant to believe it, in his heart, he knew that chemistry was a subject that didn’t lie, and there was no such thing as luck in it.

You either know it or you don’t; you can’t rely on guessing.

“She… actually understands it!”

Du Qingquan looked at Ning Fu, his eyes filled with a strange light.

He quickly flipped several pages forward and pointed to a question, asking Ning Fu, “Can you solve this one?”

This question had been troubling him for three days. At this moment, Du Qingquan didn’t care about his pride, and even the bet they had just made was forgotten. His mind was entirely focused on obtaining the solution from Ning Fu.

The test suddenly turned into a request for guidance.

A few minutes ago, in Du Qingquan’s eyes, Ning Fu was still an immature girl preoccupied with romantic affairs, unworthy of touching a book. But now, she become a goddess holding the key to the door of knowledge.

Ning Fu generously explained the problem to Du Qingquan in detail. The two engaged in a question-and-answer session, unconsciously ignoring all the gazes around them.

The onlookers were not mere wooden figures; they could clearly see that Ning Fu was not just an embroidered pillow.

Look at Du Qingquan, who usually only had eyes for his books, now blushing with excitement, staring at Ning Fu with the same intense gaze he reserved for his treasured textbooks. It could almost be described as affectionate.

Ugh, thinking about it that way is a bit nauseating, isn’t it?

“I never thought Xiao Ning was so impressive…”

“Ahem, that’s because you didn’t recognize the gold inlaid with jade!”

T/N: The phrase “gold inlaid with jade” (金镶玉, jīn xiāng yù) is a Chinese idiom used to describe something or someone that is exceptionally valuable and beautiful, combining the best qualities.

Someone else muttered softly, “Who knew she was so good at studying! She used to come here all the time just for Gao Han. We never talked to her about these things…”

What he said was indeed correct. At that time, Ning Fu’s reputation among the educated youths was not good.

In those days, engaging in improper romantic relationships was considered a very serious offense and could easily be escalated to a major issue. The male educated youths in Tula Gaqi, apart from sneaking a few curious glances at Gao Han and the original Ning Fu, dared not approach her proactively for fear of tarnishing their own reputations.

It wasn’t until Cui Guofu, the procurement officer from the Livestock Station who was supposed to accompany Ning Fu to the town’s supply and marketing cooperative, found his way to the male educated youths’ dormitory that Du Qingquan’s “one-on-one high school chemistry tutoring session” with the female lead came to an end.

There were still two questions left unfinished in this chapter, and Du Qingquan, whose study progress and plans had been interrupted, looked at the newcomer with displeasure.

Cui Guofu felt both awkward and innocent. “It’s not… I didn’t mean to, but we really have to go. Xiao Ning, don’t you still need to mail a letter? If we delay any longer, both the post office and the supply and marketing cooperative will be closed.”

Du Qingquan looked at Ning Fu longingly, as if he wished he could see her off with eighteen farewells. Ning Fu didn’t mind his sticky, almost stringy gaze, after all, he wasn’t craving her looks or body, but her intellect.

T/N: The phrase “eighteen farewells” (十八相送, shíbā xiāng sòng) is a Chinese idiom that describes a very reluctant and prolonged farewell, often filled with deep emotion and attachment.

Seeing that Ning Fu was about to leave, the onlookers, still eager for more, were not having it. Someone loudly reminded Du Qingquan.

“Hey! Bookworm, you made a bet with Comrade Ning Fu just now. You’re not going to pretend to forget and renege on it, are you?”

“That’s right, Comrade Xiao Ning said if she couldn’t answer, she would call you Teacher Du…” The male educated youth watching the spectacle spoke with ill intent, “Now that Ning Fu has taught you so many questions, almost half the book, shouldn’t you call her Teacher Xiao Ning?”

Du Qingquan was taken aback, only then remembering their earlier bet.

Recalling his earlier disdainful attitude towards her, along with those negative assumptions and judgments, his face flushed red with embarrassment, and he wished he could find a hole to crawl into.

Du Qingquan stammered for a long time, and finally, just as Cui Guofu was about to urge him, he mumbled, “Teacher Xiao Ning, thank you for teaching me today.”

It wasn’t just about solving the problems; she also taught him not to let his prejudices and competitiveness blind him.

But she still shouldn’t have dirtied the book!

Ning Fu raised an eyebrow. This bookworm was more willing to accept his loss than she had expected; he was a straightforward person.

She smiled and said, “I’m really sorry for dirtying your math textbook earlier.”

Seeing her sincere apology, Du Qingquan became flustered and didn’t know where to put his hands and feet. “No, no need…” He took a deep breath and then mustered the courage to look at Ning Fu—

“It was my fault. I shouldn’t have said those things about you. Please forgive me!” He suddenly bowed to Ning Fu, and because he was so emotional, his face turned red when he straightened up.

“Um… if I have questions in the future, can you still teach me?”