Bab 37: 37. You Don't Have to Keep Checking.
even happier when he noticed John's uneasiness. Under Mr. Wiles' constant urging, the
two of them finally came up with a question, which they wrote on a piece of paper and
placed in front of Aiden and Davy.
On the count of five, you may begin the mental arithmetic competition! Mr. Wiles started
counting down. Five, four, three... Episode 76. This is absurd.
Davy immediately set to work solving the math problem. It must be said that Davy really
did live up to his reputation as a math prodigy. After only a few seconds, he had already
successfully solved the first problem.
This was an incredibly complicated...
...involved the addition and subtraction of several very large numbers. Most people
wouldn't have been able to read the problem from beginning to end without their eyes
glazing over, let alone solve it within seconds. Davy had a triumphant look in his eyes
when he glanced over at Aiden.
He had already started working on the next problem, but Aiden hadn't so much as
touched his pencil. His eyes were closed and it was difficult to know what he was
thinking. Aiden, what's wrong? Hurry up and answer the question! John was so anxious
he would have liked to slap Aiden.
The kid sure had a lot of nerve falling fast asleep right after getting them into this mess.
Ha! Pretending he doesn't care, pretending to be deep, Mr. Wiles sneered. After that, he
stopped paying attention to Aiden.
In his opinion, this match had ended. Davy was certain to win, and Aiden would be forced
to run down the mountain naked in front of everyone. This would be a victory against the
K family.
In truth, he had resented the Ks for a long time, especially after the enormous success of
Anthony K. Today, he would finally be able to hold his head high and claim victory for
himself. The minutes inched by. Mr. Wiles was enjoying the tension in the room when he
heard a sudden cough.
Ahem. Aiden yawned and stretched. I'm so sorry, he said sleepily.
These questions, they're just so easy. Guess they must have put me to sleep. The others
were dumbstruck.
Even Davy was stunned by Aiden's words, and his focus was momentarily shattered.
Davy is almost done, Mr. Wiles said with a confident smile. Both had been given ten
questions, but Davy had already completed the first nine.
Now he was about to solve the last question. Given how ahead he was, even if Aiden
were a human computer, he still wouldn't be able to catch up, right? Mr. Wiles stood up.
He smoothed his clothes with his hands and prepared to announce Davy's victory.
Beside him, John watched the two children darkly. Dora seemed to understand the
seriousness of the matter, and her tiny brow furrowed with worry. Big brother Aiden, do
your best! Even at this critical moment, Aiden turned around and made an okay gesture
at DorDora.
Then he slowly picked up his pen. His eyes, which had looked so lazy and undisciplined
before, immediately sharpened as he focused on the page in front of him. A flash of
wisdom filled Aiden's mind's eye.
To the others, he suddenly seemed to be a completely different person. Ding! Proficient
level mathematics ability activated. Automatically scanning the question.
Scanning complete. All answers have been sent. Aiden quickly wrote a series of answers
on the paper.
In less than a second, he solved the first problem. In the next second, he solved three
problems. Three seconds later, Aiden had already stopped writing.
There were a total of ten problems. He had already written down the solution to each
one. I'm done with my problems, Aiden said casually.
Davy, pencil still in hand, froze instantly. He looked at Aiden in disbelief. Mr. Wiles'
reaction was even more intense.
Impossible! This is not possible! He grabbed Aiden's test paper and yelled desperately.
This is absurd! John, bring me a calculator. I want to check these myself. Very quickly, Miss Lee fetched them an
expensive-looking scientific calculator. Mr. Wiles used the calculator to check that
Aiden's answers were correct.
But as he went on, his heart started to sink. Without a doubt, Aiden's answers to every
question were correct. His hand was trembling slightly as he set the calculator down on
the coffee table.
You don't need to continue the test. A small, tender hand pressed Mr. Wiles' palm. Davy
looked at Aiden's test for a long time.
With his talent in math, he quickly saw that Aiden's answers were correct. Aiden
completed the test in far less time than Davy had, so there could be no doubt who had
won. This news was a huge blow to Davy.
Since he was young, he had been labeled a prodigy and praised for his talent in math.
He had never experienced such a one-sided defeat before. This feeling of powerlessness
was like a tall mountain sitting on top of Davy's heart.
He finally knew what it felt like to look up to another person. He stood in front of Aiden,
looking serious. Aiden, you're better at math than I am.
You won this time, but I'm going to keep hard so I can beat you next time. Aiden was
impressed by Davy's willingness to admit defeat, and he couldn't help feeling admiration for the boy. He was bound to accomplish great things in his life.
However, what Davy said next instantly shattered Aiden's good impression of him. When
the time comes, Dora will be mine! Aiden was speechless. Dora, totally ignoring Davy,
cheered and threw herself into Aiden's arms.
She looked up at him with admiration. Big brother, you were so great! She and John were
nervous for Aiden just now. John sighed and smiled at Aiden bitterly.
He now understood why Aiden knew he would win. He had only pretended to be nervous
to fool Mr. Wiles, but his superb acting skills had fooled all of them. John smiled, but he
was secretly shocked by Aiden's ability.
His culinary skills were superb, his character was excellent, and he also had a business
mind. Now it seemed that he was a mathematical genius as well. Wasn't this just the sort
of boy Anthony would need to succeed him as head of K-Group? He looked at Dora, who
was still hugging Aiden, and saw a possibility he had never previously considered.
The two of them were only about ten years apart. In contrast to John, Mr. Wiles's
expression was very ugly. He was not an idiot.
He had already realized that he had fallen into Aiden's trap, and he was furious over it.
He had been humiliated by this kid. If word got out about this, he'd be the laughingstock
of the Bayside District.
You only won because of a fluke, he said, pointing at Aiden in rage. If it was any other
field of mathematics, Davey would have mopped the floor with you. He meant to look
threatening, but instead he only seemed stubborn.
It was obvious he was being unreasonable. John laughed and guided Mr. Wiles back to
the sofa where he could sit down. Don't be angry, he said.
You'll give yourself a heart attack. Have a piece of cake. Don't be angry.
I'm not angry, Mr. Wiles said angrily. He picked
up the cake from the table and took a bite with as much ferocity as if he were biting
Aiden's head off. The flavor exploded in his mouth.
It had the tartness of apricots and the sweet wholesomeness of carrots. Instantly, a
sensation of warmth spread to his stomach, and Mr. Wiles could not help but feel
refreshed. He carefully chewed and swallowed each bite of the premium apricot carrot
cake until he had finished a slice.
Barely pausing, he cut himself another and resumed eating. After a long time, John
asked with a smile, How does it taste? Mr. Wiles would not even meet his eyes. It's fine,
he said.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone