Chapter 80

Tao Shushu pondered; the main control teacher had just said someone strongly insisted on Qin Rui being the host, but it was unclear who.
The backstage also had a large screen displaying the stage in real time.
On the screen now, Qin Rui was speaking when he suddenly froze.
Freezing wasn't a big deal, if he could recover quickly, it would be fine. They were just students, and no one would criticize minor mistakes too harshly.
But Qin Rui's face suddenly turned pale, sweat dripping down his forehead, his expression like an addict having a breakdown on the spot.
The entire venue fell silent.
Tao Shushu couldn't help but cover her eyes. She swore she saw the principal, seated in the center of the leadership row, suddenly grip the floor with his leather shoes.
The main control teacher reacted swiftly, immediately calling another host to the stage to save the situation.
But the awkward atmosphere had already spread.
Qin Rui's mistake and sweating made people both disdain his poor stage performance and hesitant to criticize him harshly, since his pale face and sweat washing away his makeup to reveal dark circles might indicate genuine physical discomfort.
Some students with a strong sense of collective honor felt utterly frustrated on the spot.
On such an important occasion, the school had also arranged a medical team.
The control teacher sighed, looking as if he had aged over a decade. "Qin Rui, you don’t need to go on stage for now. Go get yourself checked first."
Qin Rui clenched his fist, questioning the Academic Genius System, "Why didn’t you warn me the punishment was about to start?"
"Host, you said you didn’t need my reminders," the Academic Genius System replied, its voice dripping with malice.
Qin Rui choked back his anger. He knew the Academic Genius System wasn’t entirely on his side, its constant attempts to embarrass him made that clear. But what could he do? From the moment he first resorted to unfair tactics to win, or even earlier, when he was lured by the system’s grand promises and bound himself to it, he had boarded this one-way pirate ship with no turning back.
Qin Rui felt utterly defeated.
His temples throbbed with pain as the Academic Genius System’s mocking laughter and the punishing electric currents drilled straight into his nerves.
He knew it was because his reputation at school continued to plummet.
Under the gazes of those around him, some sympathetic, others furious, he pulled out his phone.
There was still no good news from the people he had arranged to handle the situation.
The backstage area remained bustling, but the corner where Qin Rui stood felt frozen in ice.
On the other side, the control teacher was redistributing Qin Rui’s lines among the three remaining hosts.
Tao Shushu could roughly guess why Qin Rui had lost his composure.
But she felt no sympathy for him.
Watching the disheveled Qin Rui, who looked like a drowned rat, she calmly rehearsed her cue cards and even felt the urge to check her phone for updates on Nan Yuan.
However, her professionalism wouldn’t allow her to use her phone during the hosting duties.
Just then, a message notification flashed on Tao Shushu’s screen.
It was from Shen Yichen: "Today, I accompanied Old Master Lu to the hospital to visit Nan Yuan. Old Master Lu played the school anniversary livestream to stimulate him. Xun saw it and insisted on cheering you on. It wants you to take a look."
Tao Shushu hadn’t opened Xun for a while, so it couldn’t proactively send her messages.
As soon as she opened the interface, Xun winked and sent heart emojis across the screen, flooding it with lines of "Shushu, you’re the best! Go, Shushu!"
Tao Shushu smiled faintly, feeling as though through Xun, she could sense the enthusiasm of its creator.
She would do her best.
She would strive to restore this world to normalcy and ensure Nan Yuan could wake up safely.
Tao Shushu calmed her mind and earnestly recited the hosting lines originally assigned to Qin Rui.
After several performances, it was time for the segment where graduates from around the world connected with the school to send their blessings.
Several academic luminaries also sent their regards to Huiwen School, which had produced countless outstanding students.
Among them was Angus, who was eager to have Tao Shushu study under him.
Tao Shushu’s English was exceptionally fluent. She faced the camera without a trace of stage fright, confidently conversing with the graduates and academic giants, showcasing the excellence of Huiwen’s students.
Recently, Tao Shushu had been communicating frequently with Gu Lanchun, which had not only improved her spoken English but also honed her conversational skills and etiquette.
Even when faced with heavily accented academics or those who loved to ask challenging questions, Tao Shushu handled each situation steadily, leaving no room for awkward pauses or mistakes.
On camera, she appeared confident and radiant.
Finally, it was Angus’s turn. A towering figure in the field of physics, he greeted Tao Shushu with a smile. "Tao Shushu, my lab will always welcome you."
Angus didn't put Tao Shushu in an awkward position and quickly changed the subject. "To this day, I still consider Huiwen Highschool one of the best secondary schools I've ever visited. Huiwen's academic atmosphere and educational philosophy are highly advanced, and the quality of its students is exceptional."
"Both in the past and present, students from Huiwen Highschool have achieved remarkable success in various fields. I believe that in the future, more Huiwen students will embark on scientific paths. You are all welcome."
Professor Angus congratulated Huiwen on its anniversary in Chinese.
At that moment, the principal looked at Tao Shushu, his face crinkling into a beaming smile. The fact that Angus had sent a video message to celebrate Huiwen's anniversary was undoubtedly thanks to Tao Shushu.
He imagined that with Tao Shushu's talent in physics, she would undoubtedly become a great scientist in the future, she was simply outstanding.
For every teacher, nurturing talent is a matter of immense pride.
The anniversary celebration gradually reached its climax.
On international websites, the topic of "The Student Favored by Angus" quietly climbed the trending charts.
Anyone involved in physics research knew of Professor Angus's reputation.
Some had attended physics exchange summits with Angus and were already aware that he had encountered a young prodigy whom he was eager to take under his wing.
Others, less well-informed, were astonished upon seeing the video where Angus said, "My lab will always welcome you."
That was Professor Angus's lab, the same Angus whose work could potentially alter textbooks every year.
Even graduate students with substantial research experience and published journal papers found it difficult to pass Professor Angus's assessments and join his lab.
And even those who managed to join his lab rarely kept up with his godlike thought processes.
Everyone began to wonder just how talented the girl was, the one Angus praised so highly, evaluated so favorably, and publicly invited, who was still only a high school student.
They clicked on the video link.
In the video, Tao Shushu's voice was pleasant, and she demonstrated a remarkable fluency in translating and mastering professional terminology while interacting with various experts.
Their favorable impression of her grew.
Backstage, Qin Rui suddenly felt the intensity of the electric current surge. "What happened now?" he groaned.
"Tao Shushu's reputation in the physics world has completely overshadowed yours," the Academic Genius System said with amusement. Perhaps it was time to consider a new partner.
Qin Rui, in too much pain to remain seated, slumped to the floor, pounding the ground in frustration. He had worked tirelessly to propose projects, build his reputation in international academic circles, and even spent a fortune on purchasing papers to create the illusion of being a prodigy, all to make a name for himself in the physics community. He had done so much, strived so hard.
Yet everyone regarded him as a fraud, believing his experiments were nothing but castles in the air. Academically qualified individuals refused to join him, and universities were unwilling to collaborate.
But Tao Shushu had done nothing at all. Even before the competition results were announced, merely because Professor Angus admired her, her reputation had already surpassed his.
Was potential and intelligence really that important? Could genius truly be discerned during high school?
Qin Rui was unconvinced; his rationality was instantly devoured by anger.
"I want to change the order of Tao Shushu's performance and have her go on stage right now," Qin Rui declared.
The host backstage took a sip of water, and when he picked up the cue cards again, the neatly arranged order had mysteriously shifted.
Under the dim stage lights, the male host couldn’t clearly see the small performance number at the top of the card.
He announced, "Next up, Class One, please get ready."
Qin Rui glanced at the control teacher.
Sure enough, the control teacher immediately panicked.
The announcement had already been made incorrectly. The control teacher decided to switch the order and let Class One perform first.
"But Shushu..." Fang Le cried out anxiously.
Qin Rui thought maliciously, this was exactly the effect he wanted. He knew Tao Shushu had an abundance of lines, including long monologues and soliloquies.
He refused to believe that Tao Shushu could quickly adjust her state.
"I did it. Sometimes, even when you know she can accomplish the most difficult tasks, why do you still challenge her?" the Academic Genius System questioned, puzzled. "I cannot comprehend the irrationality of humans."
"But you’ve already learned to use human conspiracies," Qin Rui retorted sarcastically.
Qin Rui and the Academic Genius System, two collaborators each with their own schemes, focused their attention on Class One’s performance.
Tao Shushu changed her clothes at an astonishing speed.
Her skin was naturally flawless; even without foundation, she could withstand the harsh stage lighting, saving time on makeup.
Tao Shushu patted Fang Le reassuringly, "Don’t be afraid. It’s just an earlier performance. We’ve rehearsed so many times, we can definitely do it."
Her calm demeanor soothed the entire class, who had grown nervous due to the sudden change in order.
"Yeah, don’t be scared. Look, even Qin Rui’s announcement mistake didn’t cause any issues. As long as we perform as we practiced, everything will be fine," Fang Le encouraged her classmates.
The homeroom teacher, Shi Yu, helped the students adjust their costumes. Hearing Fang Le’s words, she shook her head but refrained from scolding them. "Class, I know you’ve rehearsed for a long time. Your hard work will surely be rewarded with your best performance."
Tao Shushu used a few Primary Clarity Cards.
The students of Class One encouraged one another, regained their confidence, and slowly took the stage according to their formation.
Even if it was just for Shushu’s final fluent monologue, they had to give their all in the earlier parts, maximizing the overall impact of the performance.
As the play began, Qin Rui’s pain strangely subsided. "What are you planning now?"
"Tao Shushu’s performance is brilliant. I’m just giving you time to enjoy it," the Academic Genius System replied.
Tao Shushu’s performance was indeed brilliant.
The play required emotion, and support required emotion as well.
Tao Shushu quickly switched into character. Having rehearsed countless times, she had every movement and every line committed to memory.
Her lines flowed effortlessly from her lips.
The foreign scholars who had been drawn by Professor Angus’s praise, having just seen the girl leave the stage and about to exit the live stream, noticed her reappearance.
Unlike her demeanor while hosting or conversing...
Tao Shushu was now completely immersed in her role.
The foreign guests couldn't help but close their eyes, quietly listening to this auditory feast.
Line after line of perfectly pronounced, emotionally charged dialogue flowed from Tao Shushu's lips.
It was like a lullaby heard while still in the mother's womb, gentle and all-encompassing.
Throughout the long monologue, Tao Shushu never stumbled once.
She spoke with such fluency and naturalness, as if she were the character herself, delivering the lines from the heart.
A few minutes later, when Tao Shushu finished, the entire class bowed together to conclude the performance.
Only then did the students in the audience snap out of their daze, erupting into applause.
The applause was far more enthusiastic than when the principal had spoken.
But the principal didn't mind at all. Seated in the center of the leadership row, he clapped the most fervently. "Tao Shushu is truly remarkable. She excels in physics, English, and her other grades have improved rapidly. She is outstanding and brilliant."
At that moment, the foreign guests were also awakened by the applause.
They didn't yet know the extent of Tao Shushu's talent in physics, but there was no doubt that her linguistic abilities had reached the pinnacle.
Her voice sounded like an angel's, and she spoke with incredible fluency. Even trained native voice actors occasionally misspeak, but she didn't falter at all.
Countless foreigners thought to themselves: they could listen to her monologue a million more times, it was truly that beautiful.
Meanwhile, the campus forum, which had been buzzing with activity just moments before, fell into a period of silence.
After a long while, one post finally broke the forum's quiet: "Please, someone share a clip of Tao Shushu's monologue! I'm begging you!"
As soon as this post appeared, countless replies flooded in.
"Tao Shushu's spoken English has improved so much, it's so gentle."
"It's so beautiful. If she recorded the college entrance exam listening section, I'm sure I'd get a perfect score."
"That final monologue was absolutely stunning! Mind-blowing!"
"Tao Shushu is too amazing, my new goddess."
"I heard her English wasn't great before, but she improved her grades this semester. Is this what it means to be a god? She decided to study seriously and improved effortlessly."
Qin Rui was drenched in cold sweat. He waved his hand, signaling to the school nurse that he was fine.
His nerves felt as if electric currents were shooting through them, causing waves of pain.
Qin Rui had lost again.
Tao Shushu had performed flawlessly, without a single mistake.
The Academic Genius System said pityingly, "You already knew her abilities. It was a futile effort."
Qin Rui forced himself to stand up. "It won't be futile for long."
Since Jia Xu wouldn’t come, he could go himself.
The Academic Genius System let out a playful, mocking laugh.
After stepping off the stage, Tao Shushu was surrounded by her classmates from Class One, celebrating.
Fang Le had tears in her eyes. "Shushu, you were amazing. So incredible. Absolutely perfect."
"Shushu is forever the best."
"If I hadn’t been on stage and heard Shujie’s monologue so many times, I would’ve knelt right then and there. It was just too awesome."
Tao Shushu patted Fang Le. "Why are you crying? When Director Fang wins international awards someday, you’ll probably cry a river."
Fang Le wiped her tears. "When I become a famous director, Shushu, you’ll still be my best leading lady."
Tao Shushu laughed and chatted happily with her classmates.
At that moment, she felt nothing but exhilaration. Pouring her heart and soul into the recitation had been unexpectedly thrilling.
And the compliments from her classmates were incredibly satisfying.
Praise was truly the best.
Tao Shushu instinctively wondered how Nan Yuan would praise her if he knew.
She pulled out her phone.
Fang Le said, "I need to share the good news with my parents too. I succeeded. I didn’t let down my role as the entertainment committee member, boohoo."
Feeling a bit guilty, Tao Shushu swiped her phone. The family group chat was already flooded with dozens of praises, but the person she most wanted to share her joy with was Nan Yuan, who couldn’t see her world.


Author’s Note:
I command Nan Yuan to appear before Shushu immediately, right now, to share her happiness.