Yi Zhong was also on Qingping Road, not far from Cen Jin’s marital home.

When she and Wu Fu initially chose to settle here, they had considered their future child’s schooling. Who would have thought that just as they were laying the foundation for the future, they would face going their separate ways?

Passing the community’s south gate and driving west for about 500 meters brought them to Yi Zhong.

This was a century-old school combining junior and senior high, possessing the province’s finest teachers and students.

Good wood yields no bad fruit—parents would do anything to get their children in. One could say becoming a Yi Zhong student was equivalent to stepping through the gates of a prestigious university.

On the way, Cen Jin had given Li Wu many points to note, and the young man had agreed to all of them.

She felt fairly at ease about Li Wu; this child was steady and reticent, not the kind of slick boy who loved to show off and make mistakes by talking too much.

Yi Zhong’s stone pillars stood tall, its security strict.

Having communicated with Teacher Qi in advance, as soon as they faced the security guard, he asked: “Are you here to see Director Qi?”

Cen Jin nodded.

The guard immediately opened the sliding gate and directed them to an underground parking spot.

Cen Jin thanked him and drove in slowly.

As the car descended, the surroundings gradually darkened. Cen Jin turned to observe Li Wu’s expression: “Nervous?”

Li Wu nodded: “A little.”

“Don’t be afraid,” Cen Jin turned the wheel, comforting him: “It’s just meeting a teacher, just answer whatever he asks.”

Cen Jin asked: “How’s your math?”

Li Wu said: “Average.”

“Don’t answer the teacher like that later,” Cen Jin encouraged: “Be more confident.”

“…How should I say it?”

“‘Pretty good, it’s my best subject,'” Cen Jin exemplified, raising an eyebrow: “I looked through your papers, and your math seems quite good, probably your best subject, right?”

“No,” Li Wu denied: “Physics is.”

Cen Jin backed the car up methodically: “See? Now you’re being confident.”

Li Wu remained silent.

Cen Jin pressed the foot brake, “But the teacher we’re meeting today teaches math, he’s trained several International Math Olympiad champions.”

Li Wu pressed his lips together: “Mm.”

Cen Jin unfastened her seatbelt and looked at him again: “Li Wu, have you ever lied?”

The young man shook his head.

Cen Jin bit her lip: “Then just say, ‘Math is my favorite subject’—you can manage something slightly clever like that, right?”

Li Wu choked, saying in a deep voice: “Physics is my favorite too.”

Cen Jin laughed helplessly: “Suit yourself.” After all, she wouldn’t be the one at a disadvantage, only this inflexible, stubborn child.

They got out of the car and walked out of the underground garage one after another.

Cen Jin was somewhat nervous, taking slight deep breaths.

She rarely faced important people or matters alone. Even for work-related things, she had her group and team, everyone discussing and deciding on plans and results together. Her decks were presented by Wu Fu.

It was class time, and the campus walkways were quiet, with only camphor leaves rustling and birds chirping.

The distant sports field was like a carpet, with students’ unified shouting carrying over.

Though faint and unclear, this sound was enough to make Li Wu’s heart surge, as if he had already become one of them, running freely around the track, tireless.

But this spiritual resonance was already distant for Cen Jin. In a brief moment, she withdrew her gaze and stepped onto the stone stairs of the Wenzi Building.

Director Qi’s office was on the second floor.

Stopping in the hall, Cen Jin called him again and followed his directions to find his exact location.

The office door was open, with lively conversation inside, both men and women, local Yi City dialect mixing with standard Mandarin, sounding quite familiar.

Cen Jin knocked on the door frame, and the discussion abruptly stopped.

Cen Jin adjusted her smile, ensuring the curve was appropriate, before leaning in and introducing herself: “Excuse me, I’m here to find…”

With just one look, the middle-aged man behind the desk recognized her: “Old Cen’s daughter, right?”

Cen Jin’s eyes curved as she nodded: “Hello, Teacher Qi.”

“Come in, come in, please come in. Is the child here too?” The man in the gray-blue shirt hurriedly welcomed them, while the several teachers chatting around his desk dispersed to their positions.

“Yes, he’s here.” Cen Jin looked back, gesturing for Li Wu to follow her.

Noticing the young man, Qi Sixian paused, then curved his brows, “It’s him, right? Your father said his name is Li Wu?”

Li Wu nodded, then remembering Cen Jin’s repeated reminders not to just nod and shake his head, quickly said: “Hello, Teacher Qi.”

His pronunciation was clear, his voice clean, without any mumbling.

“Ah, good,” Qi Sixian smiled, looking up to examine him: “Quite tall.”

Cen Jin chimed in: “He wasn’t even as tall as me two years ago.”

Qi Sixian said: “He looks neat too, much better than those boys in my class who keep fussing with their hair,” thinking about it made him snort in annoyance, “Instead of focusing on studies, they want to be celebrities.”

“I heard from my father that your class has always been first in the school,” Cen Jin used some of the information her father had given her: “Maybe they’re already solid in their studies, so the kids are starting to think about improving the class’s average looks.”

Qi Sixian’s eyes crinkled with laughter: “As long as their grades are excellent, I don’t care if they look human or ghost.”

He didn’t digress further, bringing the focus back, asking Li Wu: “You were studying in Nongxi before?”

Li Wu said: “Yes.”

Qi Sixian nodded, considering the many eyes in the office, then extended an invitation: “Let me show you around, and familiarize you with the campus environment.”

Not expecting things to go so smoothly, Cen Jin’s eyes brightened as she gladly agreed.

The three went down together, passing through the school motto monument in the center of the flower garden as Qi Sixian introduced the teaching buildings.

Cen Jin occasionally responded while Li Wu listened quietly throughout.

Passing first-floor classrooms, the students inside all craned their necks like geese, eagerly looking out.

The next moment, the teacher at the podium scolded them harshly, and they all simultaneously retracted their necks.

Cen Jin noticed their uniform attire and asked quietly: “Teacher Qi, the uniforms here need to be custom-ordered, right?”

Qi Sixian said: “Yes, after moving into the dormitory tomorrow, take Li Wu to the general affairs office to get measured. You can pick it up this time next week.”

Cen Jin expressed her thanks.

Qi Sixian asked: “Little Cen, where did you attend high school?”

“Attached School.”

“Your father had no vision,” Qi Sixian snorted: “Why didn’t he arrange for you to come here then? Uncle could have looked after you more.”

Cen Jin smiled slightly: “Mainly because the school was too good, he was worried I’d be under too much pressure.”

“As if the Attached School’s competition wasn’t intense? You people…” Qi Sixian sighed, hesitating before continuing: “You and your father are truly good people, most people couldn’t do this, couldn’t go to this extent.”

Cen Jin handled it skillfully: “It’s only possible with your help, otherwise we’d have good intentions but no ability.”

Qi Sixian glanced at the young man beside her: “Li Wu studies science track, I think we should put him in Class 10, that class is quite good… Are you planning for him to commute or board?”

Cen Jin replied: “Planning for him to board.”

“That’s good,” Qi Sixian approved: “The campus atmosphere is good, and it’s better for focusing on studies.”

After speaking, the man pointed to a location: “That’s the student dormitory, the conditions are quite good.”

Cen Jin looked in the direction he indicated, where several tall buildings stood, in cold gray tones, like solemn guards.

Cen Jin asked: “Can we go in and look?”

Qi Sixian nodded: “Yes.”

After a brief tour of the boys’ dormitory, Cen Jin had a general idea of what supplies Li Wu would need and felt reassured leaving the dorm building.

Next came the clock tower, cafeteria, gymnasium, technology building, laboratory building… The facilities were complete, and even with just a cursory glance, one could sense the campus’s vast size and the educators’ painstaking efforts.

Cen Jin asked curiously: “Has Yi Zhong been expanded? I’ve been here before, it didn’t seem this big.”

Qi Sixian said: “Yes, that was in 2015, the next year we increased enrollment and brought in many new teachers.”

Cen Jin expressed some regret: “It’s a pity you’re teaching senior year now, it would have been good if Li Wu could be in your class.”

“It’s not impossible,” Qi Sixian patted Li Wu’s shoulder: “Study hard, there’s still a chance to move up before senior year. If you rank in the top thirty of your grade in the second-semester final exam of junior year, you can enter the experimental class in senior year, maybe even end up in my class.”

Cen Jin looked at Li Wu with a smile: “Then he’ll have to work very hard.”

Li Wu didn’t know how to react, taking silence as agreement.

Qi Sixian had seen many impoverished students, but Li Wu particularly appealed to him.

Looking at his exterior, he couldn’t find much sparkle in this child’s eyes, that kind of bright glimmer full of desire and anticipation for the future. But he wasn’t dejected; his whole being was enveloped by a deep, enduring spirit from within. This kind of willpower might drive someone forward more effectively than pure desire.

Li Wu had a quality that Qi Sixian quite liked. Finding him pleasant to look at, he couldn’t help asking: “How’s your math?”

The inevitable question came, and Cen Jin secretly crossed her fingers.

Li Wu paused, then said: “Average.”

Cen Jin choked, sighing internally.

The next moment, she heard the young man’s voice: “I like math, I will work hard to learn it well.”

“Good, good!” Qi Sixian beamed, “I have confidence in you.”

——

After saying goodbye to Teacher Qi, Cen Jin was in high spirits, her steps notably lighter.

She had been holding onto anger lately, her internal organs like congested roads, but now they were finally cleared, making even the air seem doubly fresh.

“Let’s go home later and celebrate with a meal,” outside the school gates, Cen Jin suggested: “You’re moving to school tomorrow, time is tight, let’s go to the mall first to buy some things.”

“Okay.” Li Wu rarely raised questions or objections.

Though indebted, with his current limited abilities, all he could do was obey and try not to trouble Cen Jin.

At a red light, Cen Jin tapped the steering wheel, asking knowingly: “Wasn’t physics your favorite?”

Li Wu: “…”

He was quiet for a moment, then explained very seriously: “Math is physics’ research method and tool, they’re inseparable.”

“Then why argue with me earlier,” Cen Jin glanced at him sideways, both amused and exasperated: “Now you’re putting on an act in front of me.”

Li Wu pressed his lips tightly together.

“Say something.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Did I ask for an apology?”

“…” The woman’s temper came on strong, and Li Wu clenched his fists, his palms almost sweating.

The car was quiet for a while before Cen Jin became earnest again: “You need to study hard, understand? Educational opportunities don’t come easily.”

“Yes.”

“If your math is average, you need to put in more effort.”

“Mm.”

“Don’t do this again next time, especially when adults give you advice.”

“Okay, I won’t do it again next time.” He agreed to everything obediently.

“That’s more like it.” Cen Jin was finally satisfied.

The car grew quiet, and long-absent joy lifted Li Wu’s heart, making it feel light. He turned to look out the window, where tall buildings loomed on both sides, their dense windows like diamond facets, flashing with cold, hard light, but his resistance and discomfort were fading. In his view, a gray bird whose name he didn’t know flew between the buildings, then beat its wings upward, soaring in the sky, and he felt it was himself.

—

Author’s Note:

•  deck: This just means PowerPoint, a term commonly used in foreign companies and advertising agencies. I will gradually introduce more about the female protagonist’s work content and background.