Chapter 18: Offending Everyone

Among them was a history teacher with a distinctly intellectual temperament. As they passed various landmarks, he couldn't stop lecturing her on history.

"So, you see, the allusion of 'Relinquishing Military Power with a Cup of Wine'—that is exactly what the allusion is about..." the history teacher rambled on.

Jiang Xiaoya understood only vaguely. She asked with humility, "Doctor, I have a question. When Zhao Kuangyin relinquished military power with a cup of wine, was the wine a sauce-scented type or a strong-scented type?"

"This... this..."

The eloquent history teacher froze, completely bewildered by her question.

"Is it that difficult? Then let's change the question. During the Peach Garden Oath, were the peaches honey peaches, hairy peaches, or yellow peaches?"

"Huh? This... this..."

That wasn't a question either. No, wait, that wasn't a history question—that was trivia!

"Still not working? Then how about a more everyday question: what culinary styles were served at the Feast at Hongmen?"

"..."

The history teacher stammered, his face turning red from the effort, unable to utter a single word.

The others stared at Jiang Xiaoya in disbelief.

What kind of questions were these? Even if the man himself were here, he might not be able to answer them.

Zhou Yuyu, who was already unhappy seeing Jiang Xiaoya surrounded by attention like a star, was delighted to see her making her fellow contestant so difficult. Yet, she maintained a look of concern on her face, acting with quick wit to help diffuse the situation.

"Xiaoya, our Teacher Zhi studies formal history. The things you're asking... aren't written in the history books."

"Yeah, yeah, aren't you just making things difficult for him?"

"Teacher Zhi is so knowledgeable, yet you've managed to make him dizzy."

"Xiaoya, you should apologize to our teacher."

Seeing Zhou Yuyu speak up, the others chimed in one after another to defend the history teacher.

Only then did the history teacher's expression soften slightly.

"It's not written in history?"

After they finished speaking, Jiang Xiaoya smiled faintly. "During the 'Relinquishing Military Power with a Cup of Wine,' it was the early Song Dynasty. High-concentration white spirits did not yet exist, so there was no such thing as strong-scented or sauce-scented liquor. There was only low-alcohol yellow wine, also known as rice wine or fermented rice soup."

"The Peach Garden Oath is a fictionalized history. It took place in Zhuozhou, Hebei, a region famous for its hairy peaches."

"The Feast at Hongmen took place in Shaanxi, which belongs to Northwest cuisine. At that time, the culinary style was called Qin cuisine."

The smile on Zhou Yuyu's face gradually stiffened. The embarrassment that had been on the history teacher's face transferred to her.

The others who had urged Jiang Xiaoya to apologize also looked grim.

No one expected that Jiang Xiaoya could not only ask such questions but also answer them. Although her answers might not be perfectly precise, they were logical and convincing.

The viewers in the livestream were even more chaotic, each showing off their own unique brand of wit, truly living up to the saying: "Where there is a Zhuge Liang streamer, there must be a Pang Tong viewer."

【Why are you guys provoking Sister Stupid? If Sister Stupid dares to ask, she actually knows the answer.】

【Sister Stupid: "Subject to further investigation, no standard answer; I am the answer."】

【Why were there only the Four Great Beauties in ancient times? Answer: Because Sister Stupid is a modern person.】

【Why did Qin Shi Huang die in 210 BC? Because kings do not meet kings; he was avoiding Sister Stupid's brilliance.】

With such ridiculous comments, no one could leave without laughing.

The comments in Zhou Yuyu's livestream, however, were filled with sympathy.

【Jiang Xiaoya is so malicious. Is it really okay to attack an erudite teacher like that? (Yuyu is too kind; I feel bad for her for three seconds.)】

【Yuyu is just too kind-hearted. Out of everyone here, she was the first to stand up for the history teacher.】

【Only Yuyu has that kind of temperament. If it were me, I would have spat in her face long ago.】

【Protecting Yuyu, stay away from malicious women.】

Seeing that she had successfully offended everyone, Jiang Xiaoya prepared to slip away.

Suddenly, she heard someone cry out in alarm.

"Someone jumped in the river! Someone jumped in the river!"

Everyone, including Jiang Xiaoya, was startled and turned toward the river.

A crowd had already gathered there, and hearing that someone had jumped in, they were all filled with anxiety.

"Come on, let's go see."

The history teacher beside Jiang Xiaoya suggested, and the others nodded in agreement.

Jiang Xiaoya tried to take the opportunity to escape, but Zhou Yuyu reached out and grabbed her wrist.

"Xiaoya, let's go see. I remember you're a good swimmer."

Jiang Xiaoya: "..."

*I'm not just a good swimmer; I also know a bit of martial arts, and I'd love to teach you a lesson!*

Zhou Yuyu's voice was loud enough that the anxious bystanders heard her. They surged forward, shouting toward the crowd blocking the way.

"Move aside! There's someone here who can swim! Make way!"

"..."

Jiang Xiaoya was quickly pushed to the very front. The crowd behind her grew denser and denser, nearly crushing her.

An old man beside her was vividly recounting what had just happened.

"Oh my, I saw those two from far away just now—a man and a woman. The woman was wearing a red dress. They were hugging, and then the man said: 'Out with the old, in with the new.' Yes, he said exactly that, and then, while the girl wasn't looking, he pushed her into the river!"

"Heavens, how heartless!"

The surrounding crowd gasped in unison.

"It's not just heartless; he ran off right after pushing her. He's clearly guilty!"

The old man clapped his hands, filled with righteous indignation.

The others were even more incensed.

"Save the person first!"

The history teacher brushed a few strands of hair from his bald forehead, stood with hands on hips, and spoke indignantly.

"Can Xiaoya swim?" He turned to ask Jiang Xiaoya.

Jiang Xiaoya could swim; this was also why she had passed the program's assessment. On the application form, contestants were required to list one skill, and Jiang Xiaoya had listed swimming.

She couldn't lie about this.

Seeing her silence, the crowd grew impatient.

"If you can swim, hurry up and save them! Have people lost all their compassion nowadays?"

"Exactly! If I could swim, I would have jumped in long ago. Why would I hesitate?"

"If you don't want to save them, then get lost! Why are you taking up space in the front?"

Jiang Xiaoya calmly glanced at the vitriolic crowd and silently stepped back, making room.

"..." *Then you do it! Whoever can, do it!*

The message was clear.

At this point, not just the onlookers, but even Zhou Yuyu's group could no longer stand it.

"Jiang Xiaoya, I remember you said you could swim. When you filled out the form, you told everyone you were a great swimmer. The water doesn't look that deep; are you really going to stand by and watch someone die?"

Zhou Yuyu knew Jiang Xiaoya came from a poor, petty background, but she hadn't expected her to be this stupid.

She didn't realize that with her current popularity—reaching hundreds of thousands of viewers at a moment's notice—every move she made was being watched. If she incited public outrage, her persona would collapse, and the backlash would be devastating. The more famous she was, the harder she would be attacked.

"Has anyone died yet?" Jiang Xiaoya asked with a cold gaze.

Zhou Yuyu's face changed with rage, but in reality, she was ecstatic. This was exactly the response she was waiting for.

"You... you've gone too far!"

With eyes rimmed in red from fury, Zhou Yuyu ignored everyone's attempts to stop her. She stripped off her backpack and coat and climbed onto the railing.

Before jumping down, she turned back to glare at Jiang Xiaoya in the crowd with bloodshot eyes.