The Genius Game - Chapter 14

She hoped Sun Lianhu or Qin Man would bring good news.

This time, she wore a watch to keep track of time.

Seeing that the time was almost up, she silently thought, “I want to go back,” and returned to the church.

She was the first one back; the other three hadn’t returned yet.

Miss Jenny asked, “Jian Tanxi, you must have found a suitable groom for me.”

Jian Tanxi replied, “Yes, but I’ll have to tell you later. Miss Jenny, please wait a moment.”

Miss Jenny said nothing more.

After a while, Sun Lianhu and Qin Man also emerged.

Qin Man looked around but didn’t see Qu Chen and grew worried.

Jian Tanxi reassured her, “Sister Qin Man, don’t worry. Qu Chen has been in for less than two hours; he probably has about ten minutes left. He’ll definitely come out by then.”

Qin Man nodded and asked, “What did you find out?”

Jian Tanxi shared her observations and analyzed, “No. 5, Steve, probably won’t do. His appearance, demeanor, and job don’t meet the requirements. I didn’t have time to observe other aspects. Sister Qin Man, you observed No. 2. How is he?”

Qin Man said, “No. 2’s situation is a bit unusual… Let’s talk about it later. Sun Lianhu, share what you found out.”

Sun Lianhu teased, “Ladies, if you want to know what I found, shouldn’t you offer something in return?”

Seeing Sun Lianhu’s shameless attitude, Jian Tanxi was furious. She turned to Qin Man and said, “Sister Qin Man, the game rules only forbid killing, but they don’t prohibit beating someone to a pulp. What do you think?”

Qin Man replied, “I agree with you.”

With that, the two of them simultaneously attacked Sun Lianhu, who struggled to defend himself and retreated repeatedly.

In terms of physical strength, the three of them were fairly evenly matched.

But now, with two against one, Sun Lianhu was clearly at a disadvantage.

Though he could fight back, he was hit several times, and the pain made him grimace.

Qin Man and Jian Tanxi despised him, so they struck with even more force than Sun Lianhu.

In pain, Sun Lianhu quickly said, “Stop hitting me! I’ll talk, alright!”

Jian Tanxi didn’t stop, continuing to strike as she said, “Go ahead! We’ll decide whether to stop based on whether what you say is true!”

Sun Lianhu had no choice but to dodge while speaking, “I observed No. 3! No. 3 is a nobleman and meets all of Miss Jenny’s requirements. However, he’s already 35 years and one month old, so his age is slightly off… Also, he can’t cook. I wanted him to learn, but he can’t see me, so we couldn’t communicate. And I didn’t have enough time to think of another solution.

But there’s one good thing: he brings his finished plates to the kitchen! That counts as ‘presentable in the hall and capable in the kitchen,’ right? After all, Miss Jenny didn’t explicitly say she wanted someone who can cook… Ouch, stop hitting me…”

Jian Tanxi and Qin Man stopped hitting Sun Lianhu and calmly analyzed the situation.

Jian Tanxi said, “No. 3’s shortcomings are his age and cooking skills… As for his age, he’s only one month over. If we explain it well to Miss Jenny, she might not mind… But when it comes to cooking, he has no skills at all. Will that work?”

Qin Man said, “Candidate number three is the most handsome among the six, and he truly is nobility. His assets, demeanor, and work are all… Wait, Sun Lianhu, you didn’t mention what his job is.”

Sun Lianhu replied, “He owns a textile factory, and it’s quite large. He doesn’t need to do manual labor himself, just supervises the workers.”

Qin Man remarked, “A textile factory owner… that’s a respectable profession. As for the requirement of ‘being presentable in the hall and capable in the kitchen,’ it doesn’t explicitly state that he must be skilled in cooking. It’s just that when we hear that phrase, we instinctively think of culinary ability.”

Jian Tanxi asked, “So, should we recommend candidate number three to Miss Jenny?”

Qin Man shook her head. “No, I think candidate number two might also be a possibility.”

“Number two? He seems to have a bad temper.”

“True, from my observation, he does have a short fuse. But he has a nickname, ‘Mr. Perfect.'”

“Mr. Perfect?”

“Yes, because he pursues perfection in everything he does. Thanks to this trait, he excels in both studies and work. However, he also expects perfection from others, and if they fall short, he loses his temper. That’s why he comes across as ill-tempered. He’s a financial analyst with a high salary and comes from a wealthy family, so his assets are not an issue. He’s only 29 years old. I haven’t had time to investigate other aspects.”

Jian Tanxi said, “So his temper is his only flaw… But the nickname ‘Mr. Perfect’ must mean something… Our task is to help Miss Jenny find the perfect groom. So, does having ‘perfect’ in his nickname count as meeting the criteria?”

Qin Man replied, “I also think candidate number two, ‘Mr. Perfect,’ might very well fit the requirements.”

Sun Lianhu argued, “I believe candidate number three is the one who truly meets the criteria. Number two only has a matching nickname. Choosing a groom should be based on overall strength, and number three clearly has the highest overall qualifications.”

Now, the three of them had two options.

Originally, there would be no harm in trying both.

But if they made the wrong recommendation, Miss Jenny would resort to violence.

They still didn’t know how severe her punishment would be, what if she killed them with a single strike?

Then they would never be able to clear this level…

So, they had to be extremely cautious with their recommendation.

Jian Tanxi suggested, “Since Qu Chen hasn’t come out yet, why don’t we see what he’s found out?”

Sun Lianhu scoffed, “He doesn’t know how to observe properly. Even if he did notice something, he wouldn’t be able to articulate it.”

Jian Tanxi retorted, “What if he suddenly learned how to speak today?”

Sun Lianhu dismissed the idea. “That’s impossible.”

Qin Man frowned at his words but remained silent.

A minute later, Qu Chen emerged, grinning and running around playfully.

Jian Tanxi grabbed him and asked, “Xiao Chen, did you notice anything in that world just now?”

Qu Chen looked at her blankly, then broke free and continued running around.

Qin Man said somewhat sadly, “Even if Xiao Chen saw something, he wouldn’t be able to tell us. Besides, he doesn’t know how to observe and analyze things like we do. It’s very likely that he just ran around during these two hours. He loves new places, and he’s been very excited ever since he went to a new spot, so his excitement hasn’t worn off yet.”

Jian Tanxi asked Qin Man, “Sister Qin Man, can you tell anything from Xiao Chen’s expression?”

Qin Man smiled bitterly. “All I can tell is that he’s very happy, and he’s not hungry right now.”

Jian Tanxi, however, had a different perspective. “I think we can at least deduce one characteristic of Candidate No. 6.”

Qin Man asked, “What is it?”

“Xiao Chen just went to Candidate No. 6’s place. He went happily and came back happily, which at least proves that Candidate No. 6 probably has a good temper and didn’t lose his temper during those two hours. Otherwise, if No. 6 had yelled or been fierce, Xiao Chen might have been scared and wouldn’t be this excited upon returning.”

Qin Man’s eyes lit up. “Yes, you’re absolutely right. This No. 6 appears to be a lawyer, so his job is respectable, and his salary definitely isn’t low. A family that can raise a lawyer must at least be middle-class, so his financial situation is also fine. Plus, with a good temper, he meets several of Miss Jenny’s criteria. The only things we don’t know are whether he can cook and what his marital and parental status is.”

Just then, Qu Chen came running back. Jian Tanxi grabbed him and observed him carefully.

Then, Jian Tanxi said excitedly to Qin Man, “Sister Man, look at Xiao Chen’s teeth.”

Qin Man noticed that there were some pastry crumbs stuck to Qu Chen’s teeth.

The three of them had just eaten yesterday, so they wouldn’t be hungry today. A normal child wouldn’t choose to eat anything today.

But Qu Chen is simple-minded. He loves snacks and will stuff them into his mouth whether he’s hungry or not.

This suggests that he found food while he was in the other world.

So, it’s very likely that this food was made by Candidate No. 6.

Of course, it could also have been bought by him, or Qu Chen might have gotten it from somewhere else, unrelated to No. 6.

But regardless, there’s a possibility that Candidate No. 6 baked the pastries.

Jian Tanxi and Qin Man exchanged glances, both understanding what the other was thinking.

Jian Tanxi asked, “Sister Qin Man, should we give it a try? Recommend No. 6?”

Qin Man said, “Judging by the pastry crumbs on Xiao Chen’s teeth, No. 6 might know how to cook. Based on the known clues, No. 6 doesn’t have any other shortcomings. The main issue is that his neck leans forward a bit, but his back is relatively straight, so his posture isn’t exactly bad. Moreover, among the six candidates, his looks are already quite handsome. So, I think it’s worth a try.”

Jian Tanxi still wanted to think things through carefully before making a decision. “Sister Man, how do you think No. 6 compares to Candidates No. 2 and No. 3? Does he have a good chance of winning?”

Qin Man pondered for a moment and said, “All three of them meet many of Miss Jenny’s requirements. However, Candidate No. 2 has a bad temper, which is a clear drawback. No. 3 is over 35 years old and doesn’t know how to cook, both of these clearly don’t meet the marriage requirements.”

“Candidate No. 6 is the only one without obvious shortcomings, or if there are any, we haven’t spotted them. His current biggest issue is forward head posture, but that can be corrected. Besides, as a lawyer, he frequently looks down to review documents, so developing a slight forward tilt over time is perfectly normal. This “flaw” actually suggests he’s a diligent lawyer with a heavy caseload, which undoubtedly means he earns well. Let’s try to persuade Miss Jenny.”

Sun Lianhu complained, “Hey, aren’t you going to ask for my opinion?”

Jian Tanxi retorted impatiently, “Didn’t you hear our analysis just now? Do you have any different views?”

Sun Lianhu insisted, “I still choose my Candidate No. 3. He’s the most perfect and the most handsome.”

Jian Tanxi countered, “Candidate No. 3 is clearly over the age limit.”

“Only by one month, it’s hardly significant.”

With that, Sun Lianhu rushed up to Miss Jenny and declared, “Miss Jenny, I believe Candidate No. 3 is the most suitable to be your groom.”