"What's going on? Yue'er, you really can't solve it?" Jian Yinchen's expression was one of shock, his eyes wide.
"But..." He furrowed his brows, and his shoulders slouched with regret. "I thought you'd be able to solve that one question. That's why I specifically brought it out. Who knew you wouldn't be able to..."
The kids began murmuring among themselves.
"My mom always praised her over my older sister, saying she could even solve university-level questions. Why can't she solve a middle school question now?" Their voices were loud, like blades. Each word pierced Jian Yue's ears, straight to her heart, leaving her chest clenched. She felt an ominous feeling surround her...
Like a puff of smoke, the doubt she had been clearing for the past month—by doing her best at every banquet—came rushing back.
The children made no effort to lower their voices. Remembering how their mothers would always compare them to her stirred a strange feeling in their chests.
"She couldn't even solve such simple questions."
"Yeah, I always thought she was amazing. That's why I tried to stick to her. She wasn't amazing at all!"
"Can she push me back?" muttered the boy who had pushed her earlier on the swing. "I pushed her when she was on the swing because I thought she was awesome, but clearly, she isn't." His resentment was clear.
"Yeah, me too. I feel swindled—as if I've been scammed."
Another girl added, "We probably are. After all, she's just like us."
"Yeah, we're scammed."
"Humph, she's a liar! I don't want to be friends with her again."
"Me too."
"Me too."
"Me too."
Slowly, the little kids started retreating.
They didn't want to play with a liar at all.
Jian Yue's hand clenched tightly, her face as pale as a sheet of paper. Her knuckles turned white, nails digging into her palms. Her bloodshot eyes stared at her feet. Her heart twisted painfully in her chest, as if someone were stabbing it with knives—but no, it was words.
"Liar."
"Liar."
"Liar." The word repeated in her ears.
No, it wasn't just in her ears.
It was reality.
One by one, the kids, filled with indignation, stepped back and retreated. They all wore the same looks of annoyance and disappointment.
The wind stirred faintly, whispering through the trees above, but to her, the world had gone quiet—except for the sound of her heartbeat thundering in her ears.
She wanted to say something. Anything.
But her lips trembled, and the words stuck in her throat like thorns. The stares. The disappointment. The betrayal in their eyes—all of it made her stomach twist. It wasn't just the question. It wasn't just one wrong answer. It was everything.
Her mother was right. The moment she stopped being unbeatable, the instant she became less than awesome, everything she had worked to build would shatter—like a porcelain vase knocked off the edge of a table. Her mother was right—so right that Jian Yue's eyes felt hot and watery. The world blurred before her eyes, but her mind was insanely clear.
Her whole reputation had been built on being a genius. But what kind of genius was she, if she couldn't even solve a middle school question?
Her heart constricted in her chest. What would her mother say? And her father? Her grandfather?
She had to tell her mother soon.
From now on, she promised to diligently attend her classes, solve more questions, and listen to her teachers all day long.
One girl stomped her foot on the ground, drawing everyone's attention. Her little face twisted with hatred and arrogance. "You! From now on, I won't be friends with you anymore. I also don't want to wear the same hairpin as a liar like you!"
That jolted their memories, and the little ones instantly chorused her words.
"Me too, I don't want a hairpin like hers!"
"Mom said being with a liar makes you a liar too. Is that why I lied to my mom last night and said I didn't have homework? That must be it! She made me lie!" An accusing finger pointed at her, the boy's eyes blazing with blame.
Yes, she made him lie—because she was a liar.
"Xue'er, let's leave this place! We can't stay with a liar who lies about everything." Before leaving, one girl called out to Xiao Xue, whose expression was a mix of shock, bewilderment, and confusion.
Xiao Xue didn't know what to say or do. Everything had happened so fast that her little brain lagged behind.
Under everyone's watchful gaze, she looked at Jian Yue with conflicting emotions.
"Yue'er, is it true?"
Is it true that you're a liar?
Is it true?
Her best friend asking her such a question brought Jian Yue an indescribable feeling.
She slowly opened her mouth, her trembling voice making its way to everyone's ears. "I—I'm not a liar... I never lied."
"But you can't solve a middle school question, though you claimed to be able to solve university-level ones," Pei Lu said again, his chest puffed out proudly.
She had embarrassed him earlier—now it was her turn to be embarrassed.
"It's different!" Jian Yue retorted.
"How's a middle school question different from a university-level one?"
"Well, since you can't solve it, why don't you apologize and accept my... No, my little brother won't be friends with someone like you. You might lead him down the wrong path. Just apologize and stop attending any banquets ever again. You're a shame!"