Cheating Craft Chapter 58

Quiz 58: Jin Nai Nai’s Secret

In the same room, and at the same time as before, Meng Ming met Chen Fei a second time. Although Chen Fei had said, “You’re welcome to come again,” he’d a.s.sumed that, since the exam was already so near, Meng Ming would just give up. He hadn’t imagined that Meng Ming would actually return, and somewhat admired Meng Ming’s spirit. However, Chen Fei still didn’t believe that Meng Ming would be able to come up with any skill that he couldn’t see through in such a short amount of time.

“But…if we’re playing gambling games, I’ll be able to guess them no matter how many times we play. Do you want to do something else?”　　

“No need.” Meng Ming was already filled with confidence concerning his victory, and told Chen Fei to go pull out the same dice as before from the drawer.　　

“Dice?” Chen Fei was a bit confused, but he went to go retrieve the dice and plastic cups as he asked, “Wouldn’t games with playing cards be more advantageous to you?”

Meng Ming firmly replied, “No, let’s just play dice.”　　

Chen Fei placed the cups on the table, but Meng Ming didn’t pick them up. Instead, he picked up a piece of printer paper next to the table and said, “Let me borrow this for a moment.”　　

Borrow paper? What does he want to do? Chen Fei was confused. “Sure…” He replied.

After Chen Fei agreed, Meng Ming’s fingers immediately flew into action, folding the paper into the shape of a cup to make a paper cup!　　

“Alright! I’ll use this to shake the dice,” Meng Ming confidently smiled.　　

“Sure, but is that any different?” Chen Fei asked.　　

“Listen carefully!”　　

Meng Ming tossed the three dice into the cup and waved his hand to shake it!　　

What…exactly is this?! As Meng Ming lifted his hand, Chen Fei was taken aback!　　

Although he could sense that Meng Ming’s hand was constantly dancing in the air…the things going on in that paper cup… 　　

Can’t be sensed at all!　　

The bottom of the paper cup had already been firmly sealed with a paper sc.r.a.p so that no air could flow out! Moreover, although Meng Ming’s hand movements were extremely fast, no sounds of dice and paper coming into contact could be heard at all!　　

How, how is that possible, it’s clearly made of paper…no matter how deft one’s movements are, they should make some kind of sound! Chen Fei was somewhat unable to believe that he couldn’t sense this. Don’t tell me there aren’t any dice in the cup? That can’t be…I should be able to sense even the slightest of movements! What exactly is that cup… 　　

He could only sense Meng Ming’s hand place the cup down onto the table with a whoosh, but, despite how carefully he listened, he couldn’t hear any changes occurring in the cup!　　

“Please guess whether it’s large or small,” Meng Ming said.　　

Chen Fei was speechless. With this situation, he knew that Meng Ming had already won. He thought for a bit, and decided that no matter what, he should complete this bet. Thus, he said, “Large.”　

It didn’t matter whether he was right or wrong, the result no longer had any meaning.　　

“Ah, how did you do it?”　　

If anyone else shook a paper cup around so quickly, it would’ve been quickly torn apart. However, although Meng Ming had used a great amount of force, the paper cup not only remained intact, it also hadn’t emitted any sound from the inside! Meng Ming replied, “I made this cup. You must know what the internal structure is like.”　　

“Right,” Chen Fei said. “But it doesn’t feel any different from a normal cup…aside from sealing the opening for air flow.”　　

“But, in my hands, its insides are like cotton.”　　

Cotton?! Chen Fei suddenly understood. It was just like….a plastic cup stuffed with cotton. The dice flew and spun around the inside, but, with a very large cushioning force, any sounds generated would escape Chen Fei’s ears!　　

Paper manipulation’s second level. In Meng Ming’s hands, the outside of the cup was as hard and unbreakable as steel, while the inside was incomparably soft like cotton! — This cup was a completely private container that revealed absolutely no information to the outside world!　

The paper cup was slowly burned away, revealing three spinning dice on the table.　　

“Oh…I understand. You hadn’t simply used a bunch of tricks; that was strength.”　　

Meng Ming’s skills had already surpa.s.sed Chen Fei’s hearing ability! “This is actually the first time someone has done something I couldn’t hear.” Chen Fei felt some admiration. “Ah, that’s right, aren’t you anxious to meet with Sister?”　　

“Eh, not really anxious…” Meng Ming hurriedly explained.　　

Chen Fei said, “Since you’re already more amazing than I am, then I can put all my faith in you! I’ll bring you there. Oh, but Sister is currently studying under Mother’s watch, so we have to sneak there.”　　

“Sneak there?”　　

“Yes, follow me.”　　

“Hey, where exactly is this?!” [Meng Ming]　　

“Shh, lower your voice. Outside is Sister’s room, Mother and Sister are both right there…!” [Chen Fei]　　

Meng Ming and Chen Fei were crammed into a narrow dark s.p.a.ce. He wasn’t sure whether they were hiding in a trunk or a cabinet; it could’ve also been some kind of secret pa.s.sageway.　　

Having been squeezed so tightly, Meng Ming gloomily complained, “Eh, what exactly is this place for…?”　　

“Come on, this place was originally a place that only I could go to. Now that you’ve come as well, it’s obviously tight! Mother, and everyone else that lives here, definitely don’t know of this place,” Chen Fei said in a soft voice. “Every time I want to come talk to Sister, I secretly wait here until her tutoring sessions are over. Otherwise, Mother will see me and won’t let me disrupt Sister’s tutoring.”　

In other words, the two of them would have to stay crammed in there until Chen Fei’s mother left.　　

“Look.” Chen Fei carefully pushed a concealing object away, allowing some light in for Meng Ming to see. “Sister and Mother are in front of that desk. Careful, don’t let them discover us.”　　

Meng Ming stretched his neck out to look over, and saw that there were indeed two people’s backs in front. They were sitting in front of the desk, seemingly very engrossed in the tutoring session.　　

“Ok, close it first.” Chen Fei used the object to cover up again, making Meng Ming silently wait.　　

Jin Nai Nai studies so seriously… After personally witnessing Jin Nai Nai study, a strange feeling arose in Meng Ming’s heart. He wasn’t sure if it was an emotion of jealousy or disappointment. After a while, he asked Chen Fei, “Your sister has your mother’s last name?”　　

“No,” Chen Fei softly replied. “Sister is only older than me by 2 months.”　　

“Ah?! How is that possible?”　　

“Don’t be so loud…!” Chen Fei explained. “Sister is this family’s adopted daughter. This is something that many people know about. You came to find her, but you didn’t even know that?”　　

Adopted daughter?! Meng Ming was shocked. “That means…oh, no wonder she’s so hardworking.”　　

“Sister lost her parents when she was very young, but she’s always stayed strong. Everyone that recognises her knows how diligent she is. However, the reason Sister studies so hard isn’t because she’s adopted…”　　

Meng Ming found these words odd.　　

Chen Fei continued, “She was forced to by my family.”　　

Meng Ming had indeed heard that before. As Chen Fei was blind, his family no longer had any hopes for his studies; thus, the entire family’s energy was focused on Jin Nai Nai. They constantly supervised her, making sure she earned good academic achievements and pa.s.sed the exam to enter a famous school.

“Forced by the family, Sister replaced me and bears all of the academic pressure.” Chen Fei lowered his head. Although there wasn’t any trace of anger in his eyes, Meng Ming could sense Chen Fei’s self-blame from his words. Meng Ming could only say, “This might actually be really good for Jin Nai Nai. She must want to obtain academic achievements as quickly as possible.”　

“No, it’s not like that. Although she seems very obedient on the outside…” Chen Fei said with the same expression as before, but with somewhat more emotion, “Sister doesn’t love studying at all! She’s doing it all for the sake of helping me…”　　

“She doesn’t like studying? Impossible. She’s always number one. How can someone that dislikes studying do so well?!” Meng Ming asked.　　

There was another moment of silence.　　

Inside this tiny and narrow dark room, Chen Fei took a deep breath and blurted out, “Sister is learning for my sake. In order to prevent the family’s hopes from being destroyed, she alone took up the heavy burden of studying. Everyone thinks of her as a hardworking, studious child…but that’s just to the eyes of outside people.” He rubbed his face and his talking speed decreased. “I know that she doesn’t like studying. Unknown to others, she has her own little world.”

Meng Ming gradually recalled the last two times he met Jin Nai Nai. She was always very calm, unusually calm. She pretty much didn’t reveal any of her inner world to the outside. She doesn’t love studying, yet she still does it to such an extent. She’s already used to restraining herself, or….

— “Can’t you let me do what I want for a bit?” This question once again popped up in Meng Ming’s mind.　　

Suddenly, the sound of chairs and the table being pushed around came from Jin Nai Nai’s room. The revision had most likely ended, and the mother and daughter pair were having their final discussion.　　

This whole time, Jin Nai Nai had been closely watched at home, so Chen Fei obviously understood her feelings. Actually, Chen Fei had wanted his sister to register for the joint examinations since the beginning as well.　　

Rather than being confined like this, Sister enjoys being free and independent more…I’ll persuade her to do what she wants to do! Chen Fei then said to Meng Ming, “For my sake, and for the sake of this family’s hopes, Sister always tries her best to be a good student in front of us, her teachers, and her cla.s.smates. Although she goes to school every day and comes home to revise…she has never once let anyone know that she actually can’t understand the cla.s.ses or the learning materials at all.”

Jin Nai Nai wasn’t an expert at studying?!　　

Then, what is she relying on to memorize all this! Meng Ming seemed to realize something. “You mean…”　　

“Yea. Everyone believes that Sister is always number one for exams because she is an excellent L-type. In the entire world, only Sister and I know this secret…” 　　

These lines weren’t what Meng Ming had expected to hear. Jin Nai Nai actually had such unimaginable pressure on her back, and this secret was… 　　

“She’s a C-type student,” Chen Fei said in a low voice.

This last statement not only stunned Meng Ming, but even made him shiver—

“That’s not all. Sister is also the strongest C-type student.”　　

After school let out, Huang Qiao Yi went home alone and called Bai Jiu, asking if she was going to register for the joint examinations. Huang Qiao Yi hadn’t imagined in the slightest that Bai Jiu would say that she wanted to partic.i.p.ate in the unified examinations because she wanted to test in all eight subjects.　

“That means that Little Qiao wants to attend the joint examinations?” Bai Jiu asked.　　

“Ah, no, I haven’t decided yet…”

“Haven’t decided? Then you have to hurry up and think it through. Teacher w.a.n.g said today that you have to register by tonight. If you want to attend, you have to sign up on the school servers. The chance will be gone once it’s midnight.”　　

“She said that in cla.s.s? Aiya, I didn’t really notice.” Huang Qiao Yi recalled that Meng Ming didn’t seem to know about this matter either. In cla.s.s…Brother Meng Ming was asleep! I have to immediately contact him. “Got it, I’ll hurry up then.”　　

She then hung up.　　

Phew, cla.s.smate Bai Jiu is still so studious… 　　

Huang Qiao Yi had heard before that n.o.body in Bai Jiu’s home cared about her studies. She pretty much lived alone. However, she still studied on her own initiative, and also liked reading… Exactly how does she do it? Compared to Bai Jiu, Huang Qiao Yi didn’t really spend any time on studying aside from basic academic tasks. Her mother had told her since she was young that Little Qiao was her daughter, so she couldn’t possibly not get into university. Thus, Huang Qiao Yi had never been worried about it.　　

Is it bad for me to be like this…I’m different from all of the other students around me. For some reason, Huang Qiao Yi’s thoughts were in disarray. This entire semester, she seemed to have been worried over Meng Ming’s matters. This time, she finally resolved herself. Yea, I can’t worry about Brother Meng Ming all the time, I have to mind my own studies, too. Then, for this final, I will also attend the eight subject examinations!　　

After thinking this, she went to go study.　　

Swoosh. Chen Fei led Meng Ming out of the cramped place and into Jin Nai Nai’s room.　　

“Sorry for making you guys wait for so long.” Jin Nai Nai tidied up her desk, put on her large gla.s.ses and directly told them to sit wherever. It seemed like she knew everything already. “This is the second time cla.s.smate Meng Ming has visited, right? Sorry, my younger brother keeps dragging you around.”　　

“Actually,” Chen Fei whispered to Meng Ming, “Because I held you back the last time you came, Sister ended up getting mad at me.”　　

Huh? …Oi, why… Before Meng Ming had even spoken, he’d been tossed into disarray by the siblings’ dialogue. The person that stood before him was Jin Nai Nai, the student that was always number one. Was she really a C-type?! Seeing how hardworking she looked earlier, she doesn’t seem like a C-type at all…Moreover, Chen Fei had told Meng Ming that Jin Nai Nai had never interacted with any other C-types before.

Meng Ming asked, “How did you know that I came? This time, I came only to look for Chen Fei…”　　

Chen Fei only said, “Maybe Sister likes you~”　　

“Ok, you shut up.” Jin Nai Nai finished organizing her desk, and sat down on the bed with a huff.　　

The room was extremely clean. There weren’t any girly, personal items lying around; it was a very normal room. Aside from the bed, what took up the most s.p.a.ce were two large bookshelves. Of course, most of these bookshelves contained reference books that had rarely been flipped through.　

“Final joint exams…” After these exchanges, Jin Nai Nai’s eyes looked out the window as she said, “Ai, I still cannot attend. I’ve asked Mother twice.” It was clear to see from her expression that she really did want to partic.i.p.ate.　　

Meng Ming recalled back to that day after school when he’d chatted with Jin Nai Nai. “But you already said you wanted to partic.i.p.ate, right?” Meng Ming really hoped for her to attend.　　

“I do want to…” Jin Nai Nai closed her eyes. Her words contained a feeling of a desire that couldn’t be fulfilled.

At that moment, Chen Fei suddenly said, “Sister, go attend. I’ll deal with Mother.”　　

“Huh? But…” Jin Nai Nai’s eyes suddenly lit up upon hearing her younger brother’s words, but, at second thought, felt that it wasn’t right. She asked, “Deal with Mother? Aren’t the joint examinations and unified examinations at different times due to the different number of subjects?”

“Eh…” Meng Ming had been sleeping in cla.s.s for several days, and didn’t know the exact arrangements.　　

“The exams start at the same time. The joint exams lasts three days, and the unified exams lasts eight,” Chen Fei said. “Last time, the head of Lin Xian Central High’s administration and Sister’s teacher came here together and gave Mother some work, with the intention of having Sister attending the joint exams. I heard their conversation, they brought up times and locations.”　

“Even the school…” Jin Nai Nai was a bit stunned.　　

For the sake of obtaining higher grades, the school obviously wanted Jin Nai Nai to partic.i.p.ate in the joint exams as well. However, Jin Nai Nai couldn’t do it just because of school…. 　　

“Moreover, the joint examinations’ location has been set,” Chen Fei said. “If you partic.i.p.ate, you must live away from home for two days.” This was precisely the reason why Chen Fei really wanted his Sister to go.

Live away from home??  When Jin Nai Nai heard this, a strong yearning appeared in her heart.Wouldn’t that mean I can go out and play by myself? I can eat tons of bread? She wanted to go even more now, but she kept feeling that she couldn’t.

“Come on, Sister, you’ve worked hard for so long. It’s rare for you to have a wish, and you should let me do some things for you. Furthermore, Meng Ming came to invite you so sincerely…” Although he still wasn’t sure why Meng Ming wanted to invite her, Chen Fei felt that it was the same reason as his.　　

Jin Nai Nai was very touched, but she was still doubtful. “But, Mother still hasn’t agreed, right…?” Jin Nai Nai knew that Meng Ming had come twice, but there was nothing that could be done about her mother…!　　

Chen Fei had already antic.i.p.ated that this wouldn’t be enough to persuade her. He continued to finish his words, “That’s fine. Since the two exams start at the same time, I thought of a trick to get past her.”　　

“Don’t tell me, you want to…?” When Meng Ming heard this, he suddenly understood Chen Fei’s thought process.　　

Let Jin Nai Nai physically attend the joint examinations, but tell their mother that she had gone to partic.i.p.ate in the unified examinations?!　　

“That isn’t so easy, right?!” Meng Ming said. “The joint examinations means that Jin Nai Nai cannot go home for two days.”　　

“Don’t worry, leave it to me.” Chen Fei confidently promised, “I’ll make Mother believe that attending the unified exams  also requires living away from home.” He knew that if he wanted to free his sister of worries, he’d have to sweet-talk her and fill her with a sense of security.

Jin Nai Nai believed that Chen Fei did indeed have a way to do this, but she still asked, “Is that really…ok?”　　

“Don’t worry.” Chen Fei confidently replied.　　

Hearing Chen Fei’s words, she looked back at Meng Ming’s face. After a long while had pa.s.sed, Jin Nai Nai’s emotions finally relaxed!　

“Then…ok!” She suddenly stood up, stretching her body and raising her hands up high as she took a large breath. It was as if she’d completely tossed the worries that she’d been mulling over for a very long time out the window. “Then, I’ll be relying on you. For the sake of bread, I’ll attend the joint exams!”　

Great! Chen Fei didn’t have any more problems after hearing his sister say this. As long as Sister can persuade herself, n.o.body can obstruct her.　　

“Let’s register!”　　

　　……

How were they supposed to register?　　

Luckily, just as they were prepared to ask at school tomorrow, Meng Ming’s phone suddenly rang. It was Huang Qiao Yi.　

“What? The deadline is tonight?!” Meng Ming was taken aback. Jin Nai Nai and Chen Fei were also shocked upon hearing this.　　

From the other end of the phone came a reply, “Yes…I only just learned of it as well. They said it in cla.s.s before, but Brother Meng Ming was sleeping through it…”　　

That meant…　　

“We can only do this, then!” Meng Ming said to the two people in the room, “If we want to register, we have to go to school now and bring our student IDs to scan into the system. If we go any later, we won’t make it!”

He suddenly thought: Can Jin Nai Nai leave home so late at night?!　　

“No problem, let’s sneak out and run there,” Jin Nai Nai said with wide eyes. Since she’d already made her decision, she had no intention of changing it.　　

If we sneak out and run there, won’t we encounter her family members? Meng Ming was worrying about this, but Chen Fei’s words consoled him. “With Sister’s ability, you definitely won’t be discovered by anyone.”　　

Chen Fei told Meng Ming and Jin Nai Nai to hurry up and leave. He still needed to go back to his own room and prepare to go against their mother.　　

“Dearest brother, thank you so much, really. I’ll definitely play well this time! …Mm, I’ll also eat lots and lots of bread.” Jin Nai Nai directly walked out of the room without even changing her clothes, and said, “I’m leaving first. Cla.s.smate Meng Ming, hurry up and follow me.”　　

Huh? “Ah, ok.” Seeing that Jin Nai Nai had already left, Meng Ming quickly answered, and went to catch up to her.　　

“Zhuge Meng Ming.” Chen Fei suddenly stopped him.　　

Meng Ming paused in his tracks after hearing that Chen Fei seemed to have some more words to say.　　

“Although I’ve always wished for Sister to attend the final joint exam…just letting her go by herself is something that I definitely cannot stop worrying about,“ Chen Fei said. He knew of the possible dangers on the exam site.　　

Exactly what was he supposed to choose, risking his Sister going outside once, or forcing her to stay behind and be kept strictly under supervision? These past few days, Chen Fei really hadn’t been able to decide. It was just at that moment that Meng Ming had arrived.　　

“Zhuge Meng Ming, promise me,” Chen Fei said sincerely, with faith in his tone. “When I’m not there, you’ll properly protect her.”　　

In order to free his sister’s heart, Chen Fei had decided to hand her over to Meng Ming.　　

“Absolutely do not let Sister suffer from any harm.”　　

Meng Ming understood that the joint final examinations were far from normal. He silently turned around. Glancing to the side, he gave a slight smile, his gaze filled with confidence.　　

“Of course. We’re schoolmates.”　　

With this, he spurred back into motion, and left the room.