CSGM - Chapter 9

Chapter 9: How Interesting

System: "Congratulations, Host! You have acquired the Expert Memory Talent!"

As the System's announcement ended, Chu Xi saw the memory talent section on her personal panel update.

Before:

"Memory Talent: Primary."

Now:

"Memory Talent: Expert."

In that instant, her body felt as if it were enveloped by the soft water of a hot spring. Wisps of warm steam rushed into her skull, and her brain felt a refreshing and comfortable sensation, as if it had been cleansed.

Then, a flash of inspiration struck her mind, as if some kind of intellect had been unlocked.

This wondrous experience was fleeting, disappearing before Chu Xi could even describe it in detail.

At the same time, the massive leap in her memory talent caused her IQ score to increase as well.

On her personal panel, her IQ instantly rose from 140 to 144.

According to China's standard IQ classifications, a score below 70 is considered low intelligence, 70 to 80 indicates some intellectual deficiencies, 80 to 90 is below average, 90 to 110 is average, 110 to 120 is excellent, 120 to 140 is very excellent, and anything above 140 falls into the realm of genius.

Chu Xi's current IQ was four points higher than 140. Moreover, having been a powerhouse across 99 transmigration worlds, she had accumulated a great deal of practical experience. Even among geniuses, she had the ability to come out on top.

On this show, Luo Yangtian's IQ was 114, which was not too bad.

Ren Zhi's IQ was 128, worth a second look compared to the others.

As for the remaining two, Chu Xi couldn't be bothered to even mention them.

Li Xiling was a hopeless case. Although her IQ wasn't below 90, to Chu Xi, that level of intelligence was infinitely close to a block of wood.

But that didn't mean Chu Xi disliked it.

On the contrary, everyone knew that poor students were the fastest way to boost a score.

The worse a student's initial grades, the more room they had for improvement.

Chu Xi liked that very much.

It was already eleven o'clock at night when she returned to the tent.

In the sky at the edge of the grassland, the night was as dark as thick ink, dotted with stars, with clouds drifting gracefully.

The night was quite beautiful.

Unexpectedly, Ren Zhi was still awake.

When Chu Xi returned, she saw her holding a notebook in one hand and a pen in the other, her head bowed as she seriously pondered something.

"What are you doing? We have a live broadcast tomorrow, aren't you going to rest?" Chu Xi offered the greeting of a typical roommate, tinged with a hint of curiosity.

Ren Zhi looked up. She had removed her makeup, but her skin was still as translucent and white as a freshly peeled egg. Her eyelashes were slender, long, and curled, and her eyes were dark and bright. With a slight smile, she looked like a beautiful water lily emerging from the water.

Compared to her, Chu Xi was like a white begonia blooming alone on a branch.

"I'm planning the menu and ingredients for tomorrow's trial dishes. I want to draft a few options for everyone to choose from to be more efficient," Ren Zhi said.

"No one else is in a hurry, so why are you?" Chu Xi laughed.

She found it amusing. A workaholic, are you?

The cameras are gone, and you're still working overtime on a plan.

She suggested to Ren Zhi, "You don't need to think about it. Just do it at 9 tomorrow."

But Ren Zhi shook her head. "I'm worried there won't be enough time."

"First, group discussions can easily lead to disagreements and waste time."

"Second, if we decide on the menu too late, we might not be able to buy all the ingredients at the market."

"Third, none of us are sure what dishes we can make yet, so we need to set aside enough time for trial cooking."

It all sounded quite logical.

But Chu Xi saw through the surface and exposed the truth. "This is anxiety. You're worrying about a day that hasn't even arrived yet. What was your name again? It's unnecessary."

Ren Zhi was stunned.

Not by Chu Xi saying "it's unnecessary," but by her asking... what her name was?

Was this person really that rude? Didn't she bother to learn about her colleagues before coming?

Even if she hadn't done her research beforehand, they had been filming together for a whole day and she still hadn't remembered her colleague's name.

In this industry, that was an extremely disrespectful act.

And yet Chu Xi could ask so brazenly, without a care in the world.

Ren Zhi never looked down on anyone because of their low status or lack of fame, but Chu Xi's careless attitude truly sparked a trace of dissatisfaction in her.

She impassively lowered her head and continued with her work, replying, "Ren Zhi."

"The 'Zhi' from the saying 'a child of noble character (zhī shū dá lǐ)'?"

"Yes."

"Pretty good. The name suits you."

A sliver of moonlight filtered into the tent, sifting through her thick eyelashes and casting a silver glow in the depths of Ren Zhi's clear eyes.

Her eye sockets were a bit deeper than average, but they were perfectly proportioned with her pair of peach blossom eyes, which also accentuated her high and elegant nose bridge. Her features were harmoniously flawless.

Under the hazy, intersecting light, Chu Xi realized she was indeed quite beautiful.

The public's aesthetic standards in this world weren't half bad.

And compared to me?

Chu Xi pillowed her head with her hands, a smile playing on her lips, and thought for only a second.

I'm a ten, Ren Zhi is a three.

At that time, she never imagined that one day she would have a different understanding of this "three."

It wasn't a three out of ten, but the "three" from the saying, "the world holds but three parts of moonlight."

Ren Zhi let out a dry laugh. "Thanks."

She'd heard that kind of nonsense at least fifty times since she became famous.

At the moment, her thoughts were focused on drafting a reasonably allocated menu, while Chu Xi had turned to prop her head on her hand, observing her serious expression.

Chu Xi was thinking: Ren Zhi's IQ is 128. Not bad. She looks like she has the capacity to learn.

Because a person's ability to focus was a very precious mental skill.

In Ren Zhi's complete concentration, she saw a glimmer of hope that "this child is teachable."

The tent was quiet and free of distractions, and time seemed to flow slowly. Her tone when speaking to Ren Zhi was more leisurely than it had been during the day.

Chu Xi: "Have you ever tested your IQ?"

Ren Zhi: "Only during a physical exam as a child. Not since then."

Chu Xi: "What was it when you were a child?"

Ren Zhi: "120."

Chu Xi nodded. "Smart since you were young. But did you know that a person's IQ can be improved through learning and practice in adulthood?"

Ren Zhi's gaze finally shifted from the small, word-filled notebook. She glanced at her, her eyes seeming to ask why she was bringing this up.

Chu Xi's lips curled up as she said leisurely, "You must get a lot of scripts, right? Are they easy to memorize? Your foundation is good. I can teach you the Memory Palace training method to help you memorize scripts faster."

Ren Zhi smiled faintly. "You should probably start by remembering the names of our show's cast members."

Chu Xi was silent for a second. She hadn't expected to be shut down like that, nor had she expected this woman to be so passive-aggressive when rejecting someone.

She had only been trying to change the subject for Ren Zhi's sake.

As for making money, it was simply the easiest thing in the world. Did it really require worrying and preparing late into the night?

Chu Xi looked at her densely filled draft and let out an amused laugh.

"You hold a grudge?"

All she did was ask for a name.

"I don't. I'll forget by tomorrow."

"You're really interesting." Chu Xi's smile was genuine. She said to Ren Zhi, "Getting through this show is simple. You don't need to worry. Just lie flat and sleep."

Chu Xi really, really wanted to give her an analogy-

It's like playing a game. Is it useful to grind levels and force your way through dungeons every day?

Yes.

But wouldn't it be more practical to just find a max-level god to team up with and carry you? And more efficient, too.

But seeing Ren Zhi holding a grudge like a puffed-up pufferfish, she decided against it.

Late at night, 3 AM.

"Spicy chicken... braised chicken wings... braised pig's trotters... clay pot fish soup... no vegetables... vegetables... also need to prepare drinks... alcohol... Xiao Tian cooking..."

Chu Xi couldn't sleep and was listening to the intermittent muttering from beside her.

Ren Zhi's eyelids were heavy, her hands clutching the blanket, her elegant brows slightly furrowed.

If she hadn't heard the rest of it, Chu Xi might have thought Ren Zhi was having a hunger-fueled dream from dieting too much, feasting on a grand meal in her sleep.

If that were the case, it would have been quite interesting-a top-tier actress, so restrained in public, losing control in private.

But the reality was even more interesting.

Ren Zhi was actually thinking about tomorrow's menu in her dreams.

What one thinks about by day, one dreams of by night. She was too stressed, wasn't she?

It was just a show. Why take it so seriously?

Was there any difficulty in running a restaurant to make money?

Watching Ren Zhi by her pillow, lost in her dreams and completely preoccupied, Chu Xi couldn't help but smile.

How amusing. Still working for the show even in her dreams.

Chu Xi reached out and gently patted Ren Zhi's back. "Stop muttering. Sleep."

Look, she was even biting her hair.

With a crook of her finger, Chu Xi pulled the small, soft strand of hair from between her two pink, moist lips to prevent some idiot from accidentally eating it. That stuff would get stuck in your throat.

But as she inadvertently brushed against Ren Zhi's face, Ren Zhi reflexively raised her hand and-pa-slapped her hand away.

After hitting her, Ren Zhi pulled the blanket and turned over to sleep.

Chu Xi pressed the tip of her tongue against her teeth and let out a soft "tsk."

I really couldn't tell. Turns out she has quite a temper.

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