Chapter Two: I'm Really Not an Idiot

Although the voice was very soft, in the spacious and silent classroom, it sounded especially clear. In that instant, Yang Xiaofan’s face showed a hint of embarrassment. What made him even more uncomfortable was that not a single person in the class snickered; everyone’s expression was serious. This meant that everyone had already concluded he was mentally deficient. It was a sad story.

Professor Xiao was stunned for a few seconds at first, thinking Qin Nuanyu was joking. But when she saw the expressions of the students, she realized this might actually be serious!

“Ahem… Well, since Yang isn’t feeling well, let’s have someone else explain instead.”

Yang Xiaofan hurriedly shouted, “Professor Xiao, I’m not crazy, I’m not sick, I’m perfectly fine.”

He wasn’t joking. If he didn’t clarify things, he’d really become the class nutcase in everyone’s eyes.

But Professor Xiao looked at him with an understanding expression. “It’s all right, Yang. Everyone feels unwell sometimes. You’ll be better after you recover.”

Yang Xiaofan was on the verge of tears. Damn it, at this rate, even if he wasn’t insane, he’d be treated as if he were.

What could he do? How was he supposed to fix this?

Wait!

A flash of inspiration struck Yang Xiaofan. He instantly summoned the system screen and dumped the entire one hundred thousand yuan from his first top-up into his memory stat. The experience bar representing memory shot up rapidly.

In that moment, his mind felt suddenly clear, his consciousness razor-sharp. Many things he’d long forgotten now played before his eyes like a movie, everything vividly unfolding—including yesterday’s lesson.

Yang Xiaofan took a deep breath and the corners of his lips lifted.

“In the Northern Sea, there is a fish, its name is Kun. Kun is so large…”

“What?”

The entire class jolted in surprise.

Professor Xiao and the students had all assumed Yang Xiaofan’s mind was damaged, that he was mentally deficient.

But now, Yang Xiaofan, in an instant, not only recited the entire lesson with perfect clarity, but even flawlessly explained every annotation and commentary, word for word. Was this something a fool could do?

Ten minutes later, when Yang Xiaofan finished reciting the entire text and its notes, the classroom fell into utter silence. Everyone stared at him as if they’d seen a ghost.

Was this a joke? A so-called idiot, yet he performed the recitation task so perfectly? If he was considered brain-damaged, then what did that make everyone else?

After a long pause, no one knew who started it, but someone began to clap. Then a second, a third, a fourth… Very soon, the whole class, including Professor Xiao, was applauding Yang Xiaofan.

Every gaze filled with admiration and respect focused on him. Yang Xiaofan let out a sigh of relief, a faint smile emerging on his face. Finally, he would no longer be regarded as a lunatic.

Professor Xiao smiled and said, “It seems there was some misunderstanding. Yang’s mind is perfectly clear, and he studies very diligently. Everyone should learn from him in the future.”

The class erupted in thunderous applause once again, gratifying Yang Xiaofan’s vanity to the utmost.

With a cheat like this, how could he not be extraordinary? No wonder so many people dreamed of becoming protagonists—it was simply too exhilarating.

For the rest of the class, Professor Xiao didn’t call on Yang Xiaofan again, and Yang Xiaofan was more than happy to relax, laying his head on the desk and studying his cheat.

This “system” required top-ups to improve experience. Not only was it varied, but there were also many levels. For example, his painting skill had already reached the realm of master, but above master there was grandmaster, and even higher ranks beyond that.

The higher the level, the stronger the ability. In the end, one would truly have godlike powers, able to work wonders beyond imagining.

No wonder it was called the God-Making Project!

However, at its core, to truly reach a godlike level, the money required would be astronomical.

Thinking of his wallet, which was even cleaner than his face, Yang Xiaofan couldn’t help but sigh.

“It seems I really have to start making money.”

But he wasn’t too worried. He’d made money as a gaming booster before; now, with master-level painting skills, earning money by painting would be even easier.

He finally made it to the end of the school day. As soon as class was over, Yang Xiaofan rushed to the dormitory to begin his grand money-making plan.

He first searched online for painting prices. With his master-level skills, a random painting could fetch tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands! If he put in a little more effort, it might even be worth a million, or several million!

Of course, anything over a hundred million was impossible. After all, there were other master painters in the world, and the value of artwork also depended on its collectability. While he was alive, the same painting could be copied ten, a hundred, a thousand times… But once he died, each work would become unique, a true original. This, too, affected the price.

But even so, it was enough. A few paintings a day could easily bring in hundreds of thousands. Lafite, models, Ferraris—he could have as many as he wanted.

It was a hundred times better than being a game booster, a minor internet celebrity, or a struggling novelist.

Thinking of this, Yang Xiaofan cheerfully packed up his things, ready to head out and buy some art supplies.

Before he could leave, Gu Hao rushed in.

“Damn, Old Yang, do you know? There’s a painting master at our school!”

Yang Xiaofan frowned. “What’s going on?”

“You don’t know? The school forum and all the class WeChat groups are blowing up!”

Gu Hao, flustered and out of breath, hurried to the window and plopped his hefty frame onto the bed, jostling Yang Xiaofan. Those bear-like fingers moved with surprising agility as he popped open a bottle of soda, gulped down several mouthfuls, and spattered as he shouted:

“Someone drew a landscape on the school wall today. My god, the professors recognized it as a masterwork. Now the whole school, especially the little internet celebrities, are taking photos by the wall. I heard collectors have already started contacting the school, offering a million at least!”

Yang Xiaofan’s heart skipped a beat. Could it be the painting he did this morning?

He quickly opened his phone. Sure enough, it was the landscape he had casually drawn—the Green Mountains and Flowing Water. The online buzz was off the charts. Short video apps, the school forum, Weibo, classmates’ social feeds—it had gone viral everywhere.

It had even made it onto the top trending searches.