Chapter 200 - 199: Mocked by the Entire Internet
[This problem is so easy. It’ll be a real embarrassment if Joanna actually can’t solve it. The production team sure knows how to stir things up.]
On the show, Joanna suggested she and Zachary Carter work on it together, and the barrage of mocking comments became too numerous to count.
[She can’t solve it herself, so she thinks no one else can either? Zach is famously intelligent. Joanna really picked the wrong person to team up with.]
[Oh my god, this is such a train wreck, hahahaha. I don’t even dare to fast-forward.]
Joanna’s move not only drew merciless ridicule from Zachary Carter’s fans but also baffled casual viewers. After all, Zachary Carter had cultivated a strong "genius" persona on the show.
Almost everyone could predict what would happen next. Even Joanna’s Fans were so worried they couldn’t bear to watch.
So when they saw her calmly hold up her scratch paper and announce she’d solved it, no one registered what was happening for a moment.
It wasn’t until the password-locked door opened with a BEEP that everyone snapped out of it, rewinding in disbelief to watch it all over again.
Joanna... had actually solved it. And she was right...
Meanwhile, Zachary Carter, the one famous for his intelligence, was the one who couldn’t solve it??
How is that possible!
Zachary Carter’s fans refused to believe it, immediately jumping to one conclusion: "[The production team must have leaked the problem to her in advance! With her educational background, there’s no way Joanna could have solved it!]"
[Exactly! The backers who got her on this show could definitely leak her the answers. This whole password-door challenge was probably a setup just to make Joanna famous!]
The fans spoke with such conviction, you’d think they had personally witnessed the production team slipping Joanna the answers.
After that emotional rollercoaster, Joanna’s Fans were furious. "[Seriously? First, you mock our Joanna, saying she can’t do it. Now that she has, you claim the show leaked her the answer. So you just get to say whatever fits your narrative, huh?!]"
[It wasn’t even that hard. You just had to plug the numbers into the formula. What’s with all this talk about leaked answers? Maybe the ones who couldn’t solve it should be reflecting on their own intelligence!]
"[What are Joanna’s Fans trying to say? That Zach isn’t as smart as Joanna? What a joke. Our Zach has a college degree!]"
[A degree from an art school. That doesn’t mean he passed his academic courses.]
The two factions became intractable, but ultimately, rational onlookers were the majority.
[A Carter Fan is being way too aggressive. The facts are right there, and they still won’t accept it. He couldn’t solve it, period. Is it really that hard to admit someone else was better?]
Some couldn’t help but chime in: "[I’ve felt for a while now that Zachary Carter’s whole ’genius’ persona is just an act. I don’t know if you all remember, but every time he explains his deductive reasoning, it’s like he’s reading from a script.]"
[Yes, yes, I noticed that too! Last time he was the culprit, he couldn’t even fudge the timeline properly. He was just stammering and faltering.]
Once one person brought it up, many more immediately began pointing out things that had seemed off to them.
[I noticed that too. He’s not a good fit for *Investigation Together*. I have no idea how he became a permanent cast member. And speaking of which, is his industry standing really that much higher than Joanna’s?]
[At least Joanna is an actress with real skills and a huge following. He’s just an idol from a boy band. What significant roles has he even had? And his fans have the nerve to mock Joanna...]
Ever since Zachary Carter became a permanent cast member on *Investigation Together*, his fans had been hyping up his talent and industry status. But now, a quick search by netizens revealed he had no noteworthy projects to his name.
Meanwhile, Joanna, the one under scrutiny, had played numerous roles over the past two years. Regardless of screen time, she had always delivered brilliant performances.
Suddenly, Zachary Carter became the laughingstock of the entire internet.
Zachary Carter’s fans remained stubborn: "[If the show didn’t leak the answer, how could Joanna possibly have solved it?! She didn’t even graduate from high school!]"
It was a valid point. But before Zachary Carter’s fans could continue their questioning,
one of Joanna’s Fans posted several behind-the-scenes photos from a film set. The pictures showed Joanna in costume, sitting in various corners, looking serious and engrossed in something. A closer look revealed she was working on high school test papers for different subjects.
[...Uh, am I seeing this right? Is that one of those notoriously difficult college entrance exam prep books???]
[Wait, what is Joanna doing that for?! Is this some kind of new persona she’s trying out?!]
The netizens were baffled. Just then, a user claiming to be a crew member commented: "[I hear Joanna is preparing for the college entrance exams. She spends all her free time on set studying hard.]"
[.........]
[...............]
The moment that comment appeared, all arguments ceased.
Fine, fine. The world had officially gone mad.
Joanna had no idea that news of her studying for the college entrance exams had captured the attention of the entire internet.
At that moment, she had just finished memorizing a passage of classical literature for her language studies. As soon as Simon Lockwood got home from work, she trotted over to him, math test in hand, her eyes wide with a thirst for knowledge. "I don’t get this long-form problem..."
Simon hadn’t even taken off his overcoat. One hand instinctively wrapped around her waist while the other took the black pen. He lowered his head slightly to explain, "First, apply Rolle’s theorem, and then..."
"Do you get it now?" Simon’s gaze rested on her face.
When he explained problems, his tone was more serious than usual, methodical and earnest.
Joanna nodded obediently, like a model student. "Mhm, mhm."
She said, "I’m going to do a few more similar problems now."
Simon’s grip on her waist tightened, stopping her from heading upstairs. He met her puzzled gaze and said simply, "Dinner first."
He had checked the security cameras; Joanna had been in the study all day, barely touching her phone or watching TV. It was commendable.
Just then, the housekeeper brought the food to the table. To Joanna’s surprise, she saw her favorite Sichuan boiled beef and spicy numbing hot pot. Her eyes lit up instantly.
Ever since the time she’d had a few too many bites of spicy chicken and ended up with a stomachache all night, Simon had become very strict with her diet, forbidding anything too spicy or stimulating.
Seeing the spicy, fragrant dishes on the table again, Joanna was so moved she could have cried. She looked like she’d just seen a pile of cash.
She scarfed down several bites in a row. Simon frowned. "Take it easy."
"Mhm, mhm!" Joanna nodded as she ate, then swiftly, accurately, and ruthlessly snatched another piece of beef with her chopsticks and popped it into her mouth. ’Ah... pure bliss,’ she thought.
For the sake of long-term, sustainable enjoyment, Joanna didn’t dare overdo it this time. Once she’d satisfied her craving, she obediently moved on to some of the lighter dishes.
As she ate, a wave of melancholy washed over her. "Once I start filming, it’ll be catered boxed lunches every day..."
The shoot wasn’t in Aethelburg, so it was unrealistic for Simon to cook and deliver food to her every day. Besides, she didn’t want to tire him out like that.
Simon frowned, a little displeased. "It wouldn’t be any trouble."