The Genius Game - Chapter 18

Thanks to the Revival Pill, Sun Lianhu was alive and kicking.

But Jian Tanxi and Qin Man, along with her son, had just been beaten and were severely injured. Staying conscious was already a struggle for them.

Qu Chen lay on the ground, quietly crying while tightly clutching the pen in his hand.

Jian Tanxi wanted to take the pen from him, but he refused.

Jian Tanxi let it go, as their lives were at stake, and the priority now was to think about whom to recommend.

However, no one had any ideas.

Sun Lianhu suddenly spoke up, “How about recommending No. 4? We don’t know much about No. 4. Maybe, even though he’s dressed as a worker, he’s actually not a laborer but a big entrepreneur?”

Jian Tanxi replied, “That’s unlikely. And even if he really is some big entrepreneur, his height isn’t enough.”

“From the photo, he does seem a bit short. But what if he’s 185?”

“Unlikely. At a glance, he doesn’t even look 170 cm tall.”

“Are your eyes always accurate?”

“Even if not precise, No. 4 definitely isn’t 185 cm tall and doesn’t meet Miss Jenny’s requirement.”

Qin Man suddenly said, “Miss Jenny only said the height should be over 185, but she didn’t specify the unit. We don’t know if it’s 185 centimeters or 185 millimeters…”

Jian Tanxi responded, “If that’s the case, it might be worth a try… but I think Miss Jenny meant 185 centimeters. If we exploit this loophole and anger her, she might retaliate even more harshly. Besides, even ignoring the height, No. 4 is just a worker, his job isn’t respectable.”

“Moreover, he’s too thin and doesn’t meet the ‘well-proportioned’ requirement. On top of that, No. 4 isn’t handsome, and we don’t know his marital status. Maybe he’s been married and has children? That would mean too many shortcomings.”

After this analysis, Qin Man also felt it was inappropriate.

Just then, Qu Chen suddenly stretched out his two small hands, one grabbing Qin Man and the other grabbing Jian Tanxi.

He muttered to himself, but his words were incoherent, and no one could understand what he was saying.

He might have been bidding farewell to the world in his own way.

Qin Man and Jian Tanxi were his closest people, so in his final moments, he wanted to hold onto them.

The pen he had been gripping tightly loosened and ended up in Jian Tanxi’s hand.

Jian Tanxi was heartbroken, but there was nothing she could do.

She only had one Revival Pill left. Even if she gave it to Qu Chen, it would only keep him alive for a short while.

If they couldn’t recommend a suitable groom, they would all be beaten to death. If the adults died, leaving Qu Chen alone in this instance, he would surely not survive.

At that moment, Jian Tanxi looked again at Miss Jenny’s criteria for a groom, then glanced at the pen in her hand.

Calmly, she stood up and limped toward Miss Jenny.

One of her legs had been broken earlier, so she couldn’t walk properly.

Enduring the pain, she made her way to Miss Jenny.

Miss Jenny asked, “Have you decided whom to recommend?”

Jian Tanxi replied, “I have. But first, I’d like to ask a question.”

“What question?”

Jian Tanxi raised the pen in her hand. “Can I use this pen?”

“Well… the game rules didn’t say you can’t use a pen. But what can that pen of yours do?”

“You’ll find out soon.”

Miss Jenny’s criteria for a groom were listed above her head.

Miss Jenny is currently on a piece of paper, so her criteria for a spouse are also written on that paper.

Jian Tanxi picked up a pen and crossed out two items from the list of spouse requirements: “presentable in public and skilled in the kitchen” and “under 35 years old.”

Then, Jian Tanxi said, “Alright, Miss Jenny, the candidate I recommend is number 3.”

Seeing Jian Tanxi do this, Qin Man and Sun Lianhu were both astonished.

However, Qin Man quickly smiled knowingly, understanding Jian Tanxi’s intention.

Sun Lianhu nervously shouted, “Jian Tanxi! What are you doing? Number 3 was just recommended earlier, it can’t be number 3!”

Unexpectedly, Miss Jenny said, “I think number 3 is quite good. I want number 3 to be my groom.”

Sun Lianhu exclaimed, “Why wasn’t number 3 acceptable earlier, but now he is?”

Miss Jenny didn’t answer him. Instead, she said to the king, “Your Majesty, please bring candidate number 3 over. I want to hold the wedding with him. These four contestants have helped me find the perfect groom, and I will give them gifts later.”

The king asked, “Miss Jenny, are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“But candidate number 3 can’t cook, and he’s already over 35 years old.”

“I know, but those two requirements are no longer on my list.”

“Is that so? Then I’ll go and bring candidate number 3 over.”

With that, the king left.

Sun Lianhu was dumbfounded.

He finally understood why Jian Tanxi had done what she did earlier.

He muttered, “So all we had to do was cross out the requirements we couldn’t meet… It’s that simple?”

Jian Tanxi said, “That’s right, it’s that simple. It’s just that most people wouldn’t think of it. And even if they did, they might not carry a pen with them.”

Qin Man added, “Theoretically, any of the six candidates could be recommended, as long as you cross out the requirements they don’t meet. For example, if you recommend candidate number 6, you’d cross out ‘good figure’ and ‘unmarried and childless.’ If you recommend candidate number 5, the chef, you’d cross out ‘respectable job,’ ‘good figure,’ ‘not too fat,’ and ‘handsome and wealthy.'”

Jian Tanxi said, “Yes.”

Sun Lianhu was still in shock and took a while to regain his composure.

About twenty minutes later, the king brought candidate number 3 over.

Candidate number 3 was an elegant nobleman, handsome and charming, with the only drawbacks being that he couldn’t cook and was over 35 years old.

But now, Miss Jenny didn’t mind anymore.

The speakers played the “Wedding March” again. Miss Jenny stepped out of the paper and held the wedding with candidate number 3.

The king also stepped out of the paper and officiated the ceremony for them.

After the bride and groom exchanged rings, the king said, “Now, the bride and groom will toast the guests. Considering that most of the guests are women and children, let’s replace the wine with juice.”

Miss Jenny poured four glasses of juice, placed them on a tray, and walked over to Jian Tanxi and the others.

Seeing her approach, Jian Tanxi felt a bit scared and instinctively wanted to step back. However, her leg was injured, making it difficult to move.

Miss Jenny smiled and said, “Thank you for helping me find a groom. Now, please drink this juice.”

Jian Tanxi said, “Thank you, but I’m not thirsty.”

Miss Jenny immediately changed her expression and said angrily, “You don’t want to drink my wedding toast?”

Jian Tanxi felt that provoking Miss Jenny was far more terrifying than drinking juice with unknown effects.

It was better to just drink it, after all, she had already cleared the level. Miss Jenny probably wouldn’t go so far as to poison her.

Just as Jian Tanxi was about to choose a glass of juice, Qin Man limped over and said, “Let me drink first.”

Without another word, she downed one of the glasses.

Jian Tanxi was grateful for Qin Man’s willingness to test the risk, but she also watched her with concern.

Unexpectedly, Qin Man’s wounds gradually healed, and her complexion regained its rosy glow.

Qin Man nodded to Jian Tanxi, signaling that the juice was safe to drink.

So, Jian Tanxi drank as well.

After finishing her glass, her body recovered completely, as if she had taken a healing pill.

Perhaps the juice really did contain healing pills.

Qin Man also picked up a glass and fed it to Qu Chen.

Qu Chen had a sweet tooth. After taking a sip, he liked it so much that he finished the whole glass.

Not long after, Qu Chen’s body recovered as well.

Overwhelmed with joy, Qin Man hugged him tightly.

But as soon as Qu Chen recovered, he couldn’t stay still. He broke free from Qin Man’s embrace, ran around the church, and even picked a few flowers. Seeing that the bride and groom didn’t seem angry, Qin Man didn’t force him to return them.

Qu Chen ran back and gave one flower each to Qin Man and Jian Tanxi.

Jian Tanxi tucked the flower into her bag.

She ruffled Qu Chen’s hair and said, “Xiao Chen, we owe our success in clearing this level to you.”

Qu Chen didn’t understand her words, but he happily spun around with his flower.

When it was Sun Lianhu’s turn to drink the juice, he saw that Jian Tanxi and the others had recovered. He thought that if he drank it, his physical condition would surely improve even further. After all, his body was already healed, drinking juice with restorative effects would surely grant him a double boost.

He happily gulped it down, but then something felt wrong. Suddenly, his whole body went numb, aching and itching unbearably, as if thousands of ants were crawling over him, or countless insects were gnawing at his flesh.

Sun Lianhu cried out, “Wait… what’s in this?”

Miss Jenny said calmly, “Three of these glasses contain healing effects. The fourth has Insect-Ant Pills. It seems you were unlucky and picked the one with the pills.”

Sun Lianhu: “…”

Overwhelmed by discomfort, Sun Lianhu rolled on the ground in agony. He was convinced that Miss Jenny had deliberately targeted him out of spite.

But he didn’t dare curse at her. What if he angered her and she refused to let him leave?

So, he had no choice but to endure it.

Watching Sun Lianhu’s contorted expressions, Jian Tanxi and Qin Man were absolutely delighted.

The King announced, “The wedding ceremony is now complete. Rewards will be distributed to the players. This level’s reward is special abilities. Jian Tanxi, having contributed the most to clearing the level, will receive two abilities. The others will each receive one. Specific ability details will be announced directly in your minds, no one else will hear them.”

At that moment, a mechanical voice echoed in Jian Tanxi’s mind: “Congratulations, Player Jian Tanxi. You have obtained two abilities. First Ability: Healing. Emit white light from your palm to heal injured areas. Can be used five times per month. Uses do not accumulate. Compared to healing pills, the advantage of this ability is that it remains with you permanently and will not run out like consumable pills.”

“However, the Healing ability can only restore one injured area at a time, unlike healing pills, which can instantly heal all wounds at once.”

“Second Ability: Mind Reading. It allows one to read a person’s mind and understand their true thoughts. Words can deceive, but the heart cannot. When utilized effectively, it can be of great help. The mind-reading ability can be used twice a month, and the usage count does not accumulate. “

Upon learning that he had acquired two abilities, Jian Tanxi was overjoyed.

He was especially delighted about the second ability. With the power of mind reading, Jian Tanxi would now be able to know what Qu Chen was truly thinking.

If they were to team up with Qin Man and Qu Chen again in the future, the mind-reading ability would help them gather a wealth of information.