Chapter 38
The stage lights were adjusted and the knowledge competition was about to begin.
The contestants were eager to perform well in front of the cameras and gain a bunch of fans.
The host Nalan wore a light blue cheongsam today, perfectly accentuating her body curves. She said, "Please come on stage, contestants."
Yuan Luoyi reluctantly took the stage. As soon as her feet touched it, a bright spotlight shone on her, dazzling her eyes for a few seconds until she adjusted to the intense light.
The fan clubs in the audience were thrilled.
"Ahhh! It's Yuan Luoyi!"
"We've been waiting so long to see her in person!"
"She's so cute, my heart is melting!"
The other contestants also took the stage one by one, with their respective fan clubs cheering them on. However, Yuan Luoyi's fans were the most excited, with beautiful girls screaming in excitement.
After finding her position, Yuan Luoyi sat down. Looking around, besides her, there were four other contestants: Su Xun, Sen Junxuan, Class A's head Yu Zilong, and Class C's beauty He Ya.
Yu Zilong was Yu Hua's cousin, and upon closer inspection, they did resemble each other.
As for He Ya, Yuan Luoyi hadn't interacted with her but knew she often hung out with Su Xun.
There was supposed to be another contestant, Di Aiyu, the academic commissioner of Class B, but she wasn't present as Yuan Luoyi heard she had gone to England for a short-term exchange program.
Host Nalan spoke the opening remarks, but Yuan Luoyi wasn't paying attention. Instead, she stared at the big screen, flooded with comments.
"That Su Xun looks really smart, I bet she'll win."
"Of course the winner will be Class A's head Yu Zilong, how else could he be the class leader without some ability?"
"Am I the only one who thinks Yuan Luoyi will win?"
"She's the cute little sister type from Class D. Star Galaxy Middle School separates classes by academic performance, so her grades must not be great."
Before Yuan Luoyi could finish reading the comments, the big screen suddenly switched to display the first question of the knowledge competition.
Nalan said, "Contestants, this is the first question of the knowledge competition and also the qualifying test. Those who pass can continue in the competition, while those who fail will be eliminated."
"Listen carefully, which of the following options is the formula for the period of a simple pendulum?"
"A: T=2π√(L/g)
B: T=π√(L/g)
C: T=1/2π√(L/g)
D: T=3π√(L/g)"
"You have five seconds to show your answer."
The countdown began.
Yuan Luoyi frowned deeply, while the other contestants appeared relaxed. This was high school physics knowledge that middle schoolers wouldn't know. However, they had all studied the "Physics and Chemistry Basics A" material provided by the production team, which covered the simple pendulum formula in the first chapter.
"Time's up, show your answers."
Su Xun smiled and pressed the button for option A, while the others also chose A. Only Yuan Luoyi didn't select anything.
Nalan looked at Yuan Luoyi in surprise, "Why didn't you choose an answer?"
Yuan Luoyi leaned closer to the mic, "Because there's no correct option."
The audience erupted in commotion.
"She's so bold! If she's right, everyone else will be eliminated."
"Then doesn't that mean she's the champion already?"
Nalan checked a small note and announced loudly, "The correct answer is A! Yuan Luoyi is eliminated from the competition, while the others may continue!"
Yuan Luoyi was stunned. She had been an assistant to an old mathematician in her previous life, and the simple pendulum formula was definitely not like that.
Yuan Luoyi's fan club wailed in despair, as they had come solely to watch her. With her elimination, they lost interest in continuing to watch the competition.
Two staff members escorted Yuan Luoyi away from the center stage to a dimly lit corner with no lighting and hard, cold benches without cushions.
She had literally been sent to sit on the cold, hard benches as punishment.
Su Xun smiled triumphantly, as her biggest competitor was gone, securing her victory for the day!
Sen Junxuan was puzzled, as Yuan Luoyi's academic ability wasn't poor, so how could she get such an easy question wrong?
At the judges' table, the question setters quickly wrote something down. Yuan Rui, sitting among them, glanced at Yuan Luoyi with an appreciative smile.
The competition continued with increasingly difficult questions, and everyone's expressions grew more serious.
Each time the answer was announced, the audience would exclaim in surprise at Su Xun's outstanding performance.
"This girl's knowledge is too vast!"
"High in looks and intelligence, a true beauty with brains!"
"She keeps getting the right answers without a single mistake, she's amazing!"
Amidst the clamor in the hall, only Yuan Luoyi remained quiet.
This feeling was very familiar... ah, yes, she had experienced this in her previous life, sitting alone in the audience.
Class A's students isolated Yuan Luoyi, refusing to sit near her, while Sen Junxuan gave her the cold shoulder, ignoring her attempts to get close to him.
Meanwhile, Su Xun proudly showcased her talents on stage as everyone cheered for her.
Yuan Luoyi sighed deeply, unsure of where she had gone wrong earlier. She closed her eyes, concentrating to recall the fragments of her memories.
The old mathematician loved calculus.
He said, "Child, look at this curve, how perfect! If we keep differentiating, we can calculate any point on it! The formula for the simple pendulum at any arbitrary angle can also be derived!"
Picking up the chalk, he rapidly derived the formulas on the blackboard, one string after another.
Yuan Luoyi wanted to see more, but her head started throbbing painfully, her vision swaying and her stomach churning. She stood up and quickly left.
A staff member asked, "The show hasn't ended yet, where are you going?"
Yuan Luoyi replied while running, "The restroom."
She specifically went to the upstairs restroom, which was rarely used.
Standing by the running sink, Yuan Luoyi splashed some water on her face, the coolness providing no relief from the dizziness, which only worsened.
Suddenly, her mind was flooded with unfamiliar voices echoing endlessly, like reverberations in a valley.
"Everyone, don't bother with Yuan Luoyi. She's unsociable, and nothing will happen if she's alone."
"Too unfriendly, no wonder she has no friends, haha."
"Yuan Luoyi, didn't the teacher tell you to integrate into the group? You have no sense of collective honor at all?"
"Don't come complaining to me about being deliberately isolated by your classmates! Everyone else is fine, so why are you the only one being isolated? You're an adult now, you should look within yourself for the problem."
"Your grades have also dropped a lot. Our Star Galaxy Middle School has a 95% college admission rate, and you're going to bring down our class's data!"
"With your behavior, doesn't the Yuan family feel ashamed?"
The icy water dripped from Yuan Luoyi's face onto the floor. Staring into the mirror, she saw her 17-year-old self, exhausted and suffering from a splitting headache.