My textbook turned into a beautiful girl

Chapter 11 CMC National Undergraduate Mathematics Competition

"Am I really that easily recognizable?"

An Yi muttered to himself in confusion.

Although that video did go viral on Bilibili, An Yi doesn't know exactly how popular it has become, but it's just for fun. Who would bother to remember what the main character looks like? Unless they have a very distinctive appearance that makes them memorable at a glance.

Such people do exist, but An Yi does not belong to this category.

In terms of looks, he is above average. His style is on the clean-cut side, and with a little styling, he can be considered handsome, but he is far from being the kind of guy you can't forget after just one glance.

Such people are extremely rare, even on a global scale!

But now, the way he was being looked at by An Yi was so frequent and numerous that he couldn't help but start to suspect something.

"What kind of recognizability?" Calculus asked him curiously.

So An Yi recounted his discovery.

Now that you mention it, it does seem so.

The young girl, Gao Shu, looked around curiously, confirming that what An Yi said was true. "But your suspicion is also very reasonable. So, are there any other possibilities that would cause others to look at us?"

"Other possibilities?"

An Yi thought about it seriously, "They can't see you, but if they only see me, it seems like there's only... wait!"

Often, when we can't figure something out, all we lack is a crucial flash of inspiration.

Others, including those monitoring the game, cannot see advanced mathematics because the system uses a protective shield to avoid causing unnecessary negative impacts during gameplay. Other individuals may even subconsciously avoid advanced mathematics.

To be fair, this kind of shielding has brought some unexpected benefits. For example, right now, An Yi and the Advanced Mathematics students can occupy seats in the crowded cafeteria, and there is no one else around them, so their activities are completely unrestricted, which feels a bit like a "small paradise".

It was with this thought that An Yi immediately recalled the section after the system introduced the function at the beginning.

Meanwhile, to ensure a smooth gaming experience, this game will provide a certain level of privacy protection for your gameplay interactions, presenting you with a reasonable public image that conforms to social norms and abides by public order and good morals.

Because no other person or thing can observe the existence of advanced mathematics, if An Yi were to talk to thin air by himself, it would be difficult not to be suspected of being mentally ill. With this "privacy protection," he can confidently and boldly communicate with advanced mathematics "without any scruples."

But at this moment, he suddenly realized a serious problem.

What is meant by "a reasonable public image that conforms to social norms and abides by public order and good customs"?

The word "reasonable" is actually quite broad; it doesn't only refer to "completely ordinary and common behavior" that is considered reasonable!

A bad feeling suddenly washed over An Yi. If the "reasonable image" presented to him by the system wasn't actually that reasonable, then the fact that he was being stared at and pointed at from time to time would have another plausible explanation!

But how can we figure this out? We can't just grab anyone and ask...

As An Yi was pondering a feasible method, a light screen popped up in front of him.

The content displayed on the screen is quite simple: "Do you need us to show you real-time privacy protection features for your reference, evaluation, and adjustments?"

It even has such a user-friendly feature!

An Yi chose "Yes" without hesitation.

Then the screen in front of him transformed into a standard horizontal video window. The video content was a third-person view of An Yi from an angle above. In the upper right corner, there was a line of small print that read, "Privacy protection is in effect, safeguarding your privacy and security," which looked quite professional.

The content presented after "privacy protection" was quite reliable. There were no issues such as frame drops, stuttering, or other problems that would be easily noticed. Everything looked like something that was happening in real life, quite realistic and reasonable...

But the problem is that it's a bit too real and too reasonable!

An Yi's eyes twitched slightly. Under the "privacy protection screen," he sat alone at the dining table, holding a green copy of "Advanced Mathematics, Volume 1," studying it with a focused and engrossed expression, showing no sign of being disturbed by the surrounding noise and unable to concentrate.

At noon, in the university cafeteria, I studied advanced mathematics.

This phenomenon would be quite reasonable and common in a library, but now... this is a cafeteria! The people at the seats are either eating, chatting, or scrolling through their phones watching videos and playing games. Who's holding a book? It's one thing if it's a novel—you could explain it as someone who likes reading physical books—but the problem is that it's "Advanced Mathematics," a book that everyone can recognize at a glance!

An Yi finally understood why so many people noticed him and whispered about him. If it were him in the past, he probably would have taken a second look and shared it with his friends.

After all, this is Jingjiang University, which offers a high degree of freedom and lacks the rigorous academic atmosphere and pressure of top universities. Therefore, it is quite rare and remarkable that they study diligently even while eating.

A message popped up on the screen: "[Do you need to make adjustments?]"

An Yi chose "No".

"Judging from your expression, you've already figured it out?" Calculus asked curiously.

"right."

An Yi nodded and explained the whole process again.

"No wonder... but why did you choose not to make any adjustments?"

The advanced calculus teacher then asked, "Aren't you worried that they'll misunderstand you?"

"It's perfectly fine. First of all, most people are just watching for fun and will forget about it in a flash. Even if a small minority think I'm faking my efforts, that I'm just a attention-seeking 'hard-working guy' or something... so what?"

An Yi explained.

"What they think of me is none of my business! I won't be affected by their opinions because I basically have no interaction with them."

Of course, another reason that An Yi didn't mention was that maintaining this image is actually more beneficial than harmful in the long run.

This point can actually be applied to some cultivation novels, and almost everyone can understand it.

Imagine a character who is a swordsman who practices swordsmanship at an almost inhuman intensity every day, but whose combat power is always quite worrying because of his poor aptitude. It can be said that if such a character appears in a work, there is a 90% chance that he is used for a "breakthrough," and he would be the least surprising character.

Sword cultivators are inherently yin, and those who strive to become yin within yin.

That's the kind of weakling who was originally just a roadside item with a combat power of only 5 points. But when he saw the wooden sword he used to have as a child, his combat power increased by 5 points. Suddenly, his inner demons dissipated and he had an epiphany, so he gained another 5 points. Then, his experience and instincts accumulated over the years allowed him to gain another 5 points in combat power. In the end, his combat power became 5^5^5^5... Yes, that's how it's increased. That's what a hardworking sword cultivator is like!

In short, the vast majority of people agree that "hard work really pays off."

Therefore, becoming "Brother Hard Work" now might only result in some minor negative public opinion. But then, wouldn't his subsequent explosive improvement in academic performance make perfect sense?

Just as An Yi made his decision, he noticed his phone vibrating in his pocket... He had already blocked text messages, so the vibration could only be coming from a phone call.

He took out his phone and glanced at it; it was a call from an unknown number.

"Harassing phone calls?"

He muttered something as he hung up, and just as he was about to find a topic to chat about with advanced mathematics, the phone rang again persistently, so he had no choice but to answer it.

"Feed?" An Yi asked.

"Feed? You mean An Yi?"

A slightly familiar voice came from the phone. An Yi was certain she had heard it somewhere before, but couldn't quite place it.

"Yes, that's me. Who are you? What do you need?" he asked in return.

"I'm Teacher Liu, the one who called you up to the podium to answer questions this morning. I specifically asked your grade advisor for your phone number."

"Oh, Teacher Liu!"

An Yi suddenly realized and finally matched the voice with the person.

"Ms. Liu, what did you want to see me about? It's not about the attendance and class participation we talked about before, is it? I'll still go, don't worry!"

For a moment, that was all An Yi could think of, so she decided to "strike first" and make her attitude clear... After all, the other party was a teacher, and she didn't need to cause a conflict with him for a dispensable reward, right?

Moreover, as the saying goes, one doesn't hit a smiling face. If he said that, even if Teacher Liu wanted to back out, her attitude would definitely be better.

His plan was perfect, but unfortunately, Teacher Liu didn't follow the rules at all.

"What? Oh, you mean that reward? Hey, what kind of person do you take me for? I can definitely keep this promise. I called to ask if you've studied a lot of 'Advanced Mathematics' yet? Or rather, have you finished it?"

"I haven't finished learning it yet, but..."

An Yi thought for a moment, "It's almost done, maybe it'll take another day or two. What's wrong, teacher?"

He didn't reveal the details directly, but only gave a general overview, subtly employing the "art of language."

In fact, after a morning, An Yi had already learned the seventh and last chapter of "Advanced Mathematics, Volume 1"—differential equations. He had finished learning the entire content of indefinite integrals and definite integrals.

This learning speed is obviously astonishingly fast, but given that An Yi is currently in a state of "half-step photographic memory", and that understanding those formulas and theorems is not difficult for him, it is reasonable.

If this learning pace continues, finishing "Advanced Mathematics, Volume 1" today is practically a certainty, and An Yi might even be able to continue studying the content of "Advanced Mathematics, Volume 2". Overall, one or two days is definitely more than enough time.

In fact, although he initially selected "Advanced Mathematics, Volume 1" as his target on his phone, when he actually decided on his target, An Yi's target was the girl from Advanced Mathematics as a whole, and there was no distinction between the two volumes.

This is easy to confirm, because correspondingly, whenever An Yi needed to really study, the advanced mathematics book that appeared in his hands was also a bound volume.

Therefore, it can be said that there is still a long way to go and a heavy responsibility to be undertaken!

An Yi glanced at the calculus girl's favorability rating, which was currently [Current Favorability: 40/100].

I wonder if a bonus CG will be unlocked after the affection level reaches 100/100?

Although An Yi hadn't played many visual novels, she had heard of them before, and just thinking about it made her incredibly excited!

"Oh, in just one or two days, you've practically finished learning! I knew your points accumulation was pretty good..."

Teacher Liu was clearly influenced by An Yi's use of "the art of language," and was convinced that An Yi was only half a chapter or at most one chapter away from completing the course. At that moment, Teacher Liu felt much more at ease and explained his true purpose.

"Well, you should know about CMC, right?"

An Yi: "..."

After an awkward two-second silence, he coughed twice and asked.

"Ahem... Um, teacher, my English isn't very good. Is CMC some kind of special English word?"

"You bastard, you never tell the truth! If your English is bad, how could you get a 137 on the college entrance exam?"

"I've already done a background check on you," Teacher Liu said quietly. "Don't even think about hiding it from me!"

"No way, teacher? I only answered a few questions, why are you making a fuss about it? It can't be that serious." An Yi was stunned.

"Just curious. Okay, let's get down to business. The reason I specifically called you here is to ask if you want to participate in the CMC Math Competition."

Teacher Liu explained, "It's normal that you don't know since you're not a math major. CMC is an abbreviation for The Chinese Mathematics Competition for College Students, the national college mathematics competition. The reason they specifically asked if you had finished self-studying advanced mathematics is for this reason. If you have, you can register to participate, and there's plenty of time."

"The National Undergraduate Mathematics Competition?"

An Yi was taken aback again. "Is the test only on advanced mathematics? If so, then I should be fine."

"Because it's a national exam for university students, the CMC is divided into mathematics majors and non-mathematics majors. If you're a mathematics major, advanced mathematics alone is definitely not enough. It tests your knowledge of Mathematical Analysis, Higher Algebra, and Analytic Geometry."

Teacher Liu explained.

"However, you're an industrial engineering major, which is engineering, so you should participate in the non-mathematics category. This category only tests 'Advanced Mathematics' and 'Linear Algebra.' Although you haven't studied linear algebra yet, it's only tested in the finals and only accounts for 20% of the score, so it won't have much of an impact. I think with your current level, you should definitely participate. It would be great to broaden your horizons."

If it weren't for An Yi's previous performance in class, this wouldn't have happened at all.

For non-mathematics majors, it takes until their sophomore year to finish advanced mathematics and linear algebra. For freshmen, the teachers' attitude is usually, "Go have fun, just don't fail the final exam!"

"Teacher, what is the exact time?" An Yi asked.

「初赛开始时间是10月28号，星期六的上午，早上9:00~11:30。」

Teacher Liu smiled and said, "Today happens to be the registration deadline. It's the last day for the school to submit the final registration list. So, how about it, do you want to register?"

An Yi covered the microphone, turned her head, looked at the advanced mathematics girl next to her, and gave her a questioning look.

Because she wanted to hear what was happening on his phone, the girl was sitting close to him, her faint, indescribable fragrance almost enveloping him completely.

"Go on, go on~"

The girl, who was studying advanced mathematics, looked excited.

"This opportunity for business trips and leisure is absolutely not to be missed!"

"Then, if I get good grades, will I get a reward?" An Yi looked at her expectantly.

"What kind of reward do you want?" The girl in advanced mathematics blinked, her eyes so close that her long, curled eyelashes were clearly visible.

An Yi's heart stirred, and a bold idea popped into her head.