Jin Baihui clutched the chalk and silently walked back to her seat.

Jin Baihui wore square glasses with vertical and horizontal lenses set in a red plastic frame. She raised her hand to adjust her glasses, and her piercing gaze penetrated the lenses, falling on Lin Zhixia.

She and Lin Zhixia were separated by some distance, looking at each other across the space, and she mouthed the words: Find you after class.

Find me after class? What does Jin Baihui want to tell me? Lin Zhixia felt confused.

What was stranger was that Jin Baihui stopped participating in the math warm-up quiz. She sat quietly and properly, never raising her hand again.

With Jin Baihui and Lin Zhixia both withdrawing from the competition, students from Classes 17 and 18 had more chances to perform. The outstanding ones among them eagerly raised their hands, striving to earn honor for their classes.

However, this math warm-up quiz was approaching its end.

Class 17 was behind Class 18 by one point, making the last question crucial. Teacher Zhang hadn’t begun reading the question when Lin Zhixia predicted: “Class 17 and Class 18 will end in a tie.”

“Yes,” Jiang Yubai agreed.

Teacher Zhang cleared his throat and began reading: “There is a set that only contains two-digit numbers. All the two-digit numbers in the set are positive integers. Each element in this set can be divided by its own ones digit or tens digit. Students, please tell me, what is the sum of all elements in the set?”

As soon as Teacher Zhang finished speaking, Duan Qiyan frantically raised his hand.

Duan Qiyan’s profile was stern, his gaze defiant. His arm remained straight, his wrist tense, pointing directly at the ceiling, like a bright flag raised high.

Teacher Zhang indeed called his name: “Duan Qiyan, you may answer.”

Duan Qiyan had already calculated the answer. He knew the set must include numbers like 11, 22, 33… 99, plus the five special numbers 12, 15, 24, 36, 48. The sum of all elements in the set would equal 630!

Right! Six hundred and thirty!

Fighting for the honor of Experimental Elementary School!

Duan Qiyan confidently shouted: “Three hundred and six!”

Just as the word “six” left his mouth, Duan Qiyan’s temple pulsed twice.

Why? Why on earth? In his mind floated six hundred and thirty, but what he announced was three hundred and six?

He had committed the lowest-level error in a competition setting because he was too nervous and too afraid of failure! He hurriedly corrected himself: “Teacher, I misspoke, it’s not three hundred and six…”

Teacher Zhang comforted him with a smile: “Making a calculation error is normal. Even computers have compilation errors, let alone a person. It’s okay, Class 17 loses one point.”

Class 17’s score was now only 18 points.

They were destined to lose to Class 18.

Class 17’s morale immediately plummeted. Duan Qiyan became the eternal sinner. He stood rooted to the spot like a stone statue, watching helplessly as Jin Baihui raised her hand. And Teacher Zhang called on Jin Baihui without any hesitation.

Jin Baihui didn’t stand up. Sitting in her seat, she unexpectedly blurted out: “The answer is one thousand.”

Jin Baihui’s homeroom teacher sighed: “How could it be one thousand? Jin Baihui, this question isn’t difficult. You can solve it. I’ll announce the correct answer—it’s six hundred and thirty. Think about it again after class.”

The homeroom teacher personally deducted one point from Class 18.

The final score became 19 to 18. Class 18 got 19 points, Class 17 got 18 points. Though Class 18 won, it was a narrow victory. Neither teacher commented on the outcome; they simply encouraged everyone to think actively, do more problems, and strive for excellence.

“Strive for excellence!” Lin Zhixia repeated with enthusiasm.

Shen Fuxuan in the front row turned around to look at her: “Our class lost, aren’t you angry?”

“Not angry,” Lin Zhixia spoke her mind. “As long as the competition process makes me happy, I don’t care about winning or losing. Also, don’t you think Jin Baihui deliberately gave us a point? Jin Baihui is quite fair.”

“That question was too simple; she couldn’t have calculated incorrectly,” Shen Fuxuan agreed with Lin Zhixia’s inference.

Han Peng interjected: “Simple? By that logic, Duan Qiyan also deliberately lost to Class 18? Duan Qiyan is very strong, the number one warrior from Experimental Elementary School! He couldn’t have calculated incorrectly either.”

“Experimental Elementary School’s number one fool,” Shen Fuxuan laughed mockingly.

Before school started, Shen Fuxuan never expected Duan Qiyan would provide him with so much to laugh about. The mighty number one warrior from Experimental Elementary School first started the trend of “running out of the classroom when feeling embarrassed,” and then dragged down the entire class in the math quiz… Duan Qiyan probably wouldn’t be able to hold onto third place in the next exam.

Shen Fuxuan predicted that Jiang Yubai would become third in the class.

Just then, Jiang Yubai asked Shen Fuxuan: “Why didn’t you raise your hand to answer questions?”

Shen Fuxuan stretched lazily and said slowly: “On my mother’s computer, there’s a folder with the competition class’s opening materials. I’ve seen the questions for this math quiz…”

“So, do you remember the questions?” Lin Zhixia suddenly interrupted him. “Shen Fuxuan, do you never forget things you’ve seen? Don’t you find this way of remembering things very troubling?”

“Not at all,” Shen Fuxuan scratched his neck.

Lin Zhixia stared at him intently, as if trying to penetrate his soul and will. She thought she had found someone like herself, but Shen Fuxuan said: “How could that be possible? How could I still remember those things? I just don’t like redoing problems; it’s so boring.”

Lin Zhixia seemed lost in thought.

The projector stopped working, and the dismissal bell rang.

Students walked out of the classroom in light steps, leaving in groups.

Lin Zhixia followed behind Jiang Yubai as they walked out together. The sun shone on the steps, alternating stripes of light and shadow. Jin Baihui stood sideways in the shadows and called out fiercely: “Lin Zhixia!”

Lin Zhixia was startled, but it was Jiang Yubai who responded: “Do you need something?”

Jin Baihui got straight to the point: “I’ve taken university courses. I’ve studied Graph Theory, Linear Algebra, Complex Functions and Integral Transformations, Higher Mathematics Volumes I and II. Blackwell’s Key Renewal Theorem isn’t written in the Higher Mathematics books. Where did you attend elementary school, Lin Zhixia?”

She raised one leg to step on the stairs, her shoe sole twisting slightly, crushing an ant passing by.

Lin Zhixia stepped back, hiding behind Jiang Yubai: “I graduated from Experimental Elementary School.”

“Fourth grade at Experimental Elementary?” Jin Baihui persisted. “Are you a grade-skipper?”

Lin Zhixia didn’t make a sound. Jiang Yubai answered calmly: “I’m a grade-skipper.” He also revealed: “I take tutoring every day, from morning till night. If you’re looking for a competitor, you can find me.”

The phrase “from morning till night” obviously employed hyperbolic rhetoric.

Jin Baihui believed it to be true. She further asked: “What time do you go to bed every night?”

At eight-thirty in the evening, Jiang Yubai would go to bed. His father told him that children must rest well when they are growing, otherwise, their height might not reach their father’s level.

One of Jiang Yubai’s life goals was to make his height close to 188 centimeters. His father and uncle were both about this height, and Jiang Yubai would naturally inherit the family’s fine tradition.

He thought for a moment and told Jin Baihui: “I sleep when the night is deep and quiet.”

This wasn’t a lie.

After eight o’clock in the evening, the entire estate was silent, the street lights turned off, leaving only dim ground lights and infrared alarm systems.

Jin Baihui didn’t understand Jiang Yubai’s family background. She lived in a bustling market area near the street. According to her life experience, “deep and quiet night” equated to around midnight.

Jin Baihui bit her thumb: “You two grade-skippers, do you find studying tiring?”

“If you’re tired, you should rest. Don’t force yourself,” Lin Zhixia sincerely suggested. “Health is most important. We’re still young; we shouldn’t study too hard. It’s not good for our bodies. Jin Baihui, be happier, more relaxed, and try to enjoy an easier life.”

After speaking, Lin Zhixia looked at Jiang Yubai: “You shouldn’t be too tired either.”

Jiang Yubai honestly said: “I don’t feel tired.”

“How can there be rewards without effort?” Jin Baihui suddenly blurted out. She was wearing long sleeves and a vest today and already felt a bit hot. The temperature had risen considerably by noon; a layer of fine sweat appeared on the tip of her nose, but her gaze remained clear and transparent.

Lin Zhixia handed Jin Baihui a packet of tissues.

Jin Baihui hesitantly accepted it. She pulled out a tissue to wipe her face and continued: “You’ve heard Edison’s quote, right—’Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.’ If you don’t put in effort, there’s no reward. One plus one equals two; if you don’t create one, you won’t have two.”

“One plus one doesn’t necessarily equal two,” Lin Zhixia said. “For example, in binary, there are only 0 and 1.”

Jin Baihui pressed her lips together and added: “I meant one as a unit.”

Lin Zhixia tried to communicate with her: “Have you heard of quantum computing? A bit in quantum computing is called a qubit, and a qubit can contain combinations of 0 and 1. You can’t say a qubit itself is 1 or 0; it might be more like a superposition state. The expression of superposition states is also interesting, generally including basic states and amplitude constants. Each constant represents the probability of a particle being observed at the corresponding position, and the sum of the squares of the probability constants must equal one. Do you like studying probability-related problems?”

“I’ve read ‘Quantum Mechanics,'” Jin Baihui raised her head proudly.

“Did you understand it?” Jiang Yubai asked casually.

Jin Baihui crumpled the tissue in her hand and threw it accurately into the nearby trash bin. She probed further: “Lin Zhixia, can you understand every book you read?”

“Of course not,” Lin Zhixia wasn’t ashamed at all. “Collecting external information can fill the blank areas in our thinking, and I find this process very enjoyable. Although I don’t fully understand some of the things conveyed in certain books.”

Jin Baihui lowered her arms, her palms pressed tightly against the seams of her pants. Without saying goodbye to Lin Zhixia, she turned and walked back to Class 18.

Lin Zhixia gently tugged on the strap of Jiang Yubai’s backpack. The two of them also returned to Class 17’s classroom. Homeroom Teacher Zhang brought a stack of materials for everyone—the teaching plan for the competition class.

Teacher Zhang briefly explained a few things, then announced the end of the morning classes.

Lin Zhixia packed all the documents and materials into her backpack, then found her student bus IC card. She was very strong-willed, adamantly refusing to look for her brother in the second-year section, and instead took the bus home by herself.

At noon, Lin Zhixia stepped into her home.

Her mother asked her, “Xiaxia, where’s your brother? Didn’t your brother come back with you?”

Lin Zhixia immediately complained to her mother: “Mom, Mom, I don’t know why, but my brother always ignores me… No, he’s not my brother; he wants me to call him Lin Zeqiu. Today at school, I met Lin Zeqiu’s classmates, and Lin Zeqiu pretended not to know me. Lin Zeqiu told his classmates that I was a junior student from the first-year competition class.”

After hearing this, her mother became instantly furious: “What’s wrong with Lin Zeqiu? It’s only the first day of school!”

Her mother didn’t understand the cause and effect, but determined that Lin Zeqiu was causing trouble for no reason.

Lin Zeqiu arrived at the doorstep around twelve-ten. He was somewhat worried that Lin Zhixia might not find her way home, or might be kidnapped on the bus… She was younger than normal middle school students and looked very naive and easily deceived.

Before Lin Zeqiu entered the house, his mother shouted at him: “Lin Zeqiu! Come here right now!”

Lin Zhixia intervened: “No, Mom, don’t be fierce with my brother. I want you to be a witness. Sit beside my brother and me, and listen to our conversation.”

This was still Jiang Yubai’s idea.

Jiang Yubai had provided Lin Zhixia with an excellent method. Jiang Yubai suggested that when Lin Zhixia communicated with Lin Zeqiu, she should have an elder family member present as a witness. This way, Lin Zeqiu would have to choose his words carefully and couldn’t freely display his harsh tone and manner.

Lin Zhixia knew that her brother was especially well-behaved in front of their mother and never dared to talk back to her. As long as her mother supported Lin Zhixia, she wouldn’t be afraid of her brother becoming fierce!

The location for the siblings’ communication was Lin Zhixia’s bedroom.

Lin Zhixia brought three chairs and sincerely invited her brother and mother to sit down.

Her brother’s expression was extremely poor. He frowned silently, his legs slightly apart, both hands resting on his knees. No matter how their mother tried to probe indirectly, he refused to explain himself, as if saying, “Do what you will, I don’t care.”

Mother’s anger hadn’t subsided: “Lin Zeqiu, today is your sister’s first day in middle school. As her brother, it’s bad enough that you didn’t help her, but how could you bully her at school? She is your sister. Your sister is so young; instead of protecting her, you make her keep her distance from you?”

Lin Zeqiu took a deep breath. His mood was oppressed, unable to find an outlet.

“Brother!” Lin Zhixia sat opposite him.

He finally spoke: “What do you want?”

Lin Zhixia had thought her brother would say: Go away, don’t bother me.

Unexpectedly, her brother only asked: What do you want?

Indeed! In front of their mother, her brother would become gentler. Jiang Yubai’s suggestion was so useful! Why hadn’t Lin Zhixia thought of this before?

“I must communicate with you, brother.” Lin Zhixia sat up straight, her gaze fixed unwaveringly on Lin Zeqiu.

Lin Zeqiu’s back pressed firmly against the chair.

Lin Zhixia continued: “You pretending not to know me at school is your subjective action. Since you took this action, you must have been influenced by external and internal factors…”

“Don’t talk to me about psychology; I’m not interested,” Lin Zeqiu coldly interrupted his sister.

But their mother said: “Lin Zeqiu, speak properly to your sister. I’ve said it many times, you’re the brother. Which family’s brother acts like you? What has your sister done to offend you?”

Lin Zhixia stood up and hugged her mother’s arm: “The atmosphere for communication is important, Mom. Maintain a stable mindset; let’s follow psychological guidance.”

Her mother gently patted her daughter’s back. To Lin Zhixia’s surprise, her mother also stood up and said: “I need to check the warehouse. Your father is watching the store alone and can’t handle everything. Lunch is ready on the table. Don’t forget to go to the living room to eat when you two finish talking. Harmony in the family brings success in everything. Your father and I don’t want to see you two arguing. You’re both precious to us. If you two fight bitterly, your father and I won’t be able to sleep at night, and we still need to rush to the wholesale market tomorrow morning to purchase goods.”

As her mother was about to leave the bedroom, Lin Zhixia reluctantly tried to keep her: “Mom, Mom…”

Lin Zhixia called her mother in a childish voice, but her mother suddenly seemed to have a heart of stone. Her mother insisted on giving her son and daughter independent space to face this conflict on their own.

Her mother went to their family supermarket.

In the spacious bedroom, only Lin Zhixia and Lin Zeqiu remained.

Lin Zhixia, having lost her support, anxiously said: “I didn’t mean to complain to Mom.”

“What exactly do you want to say?” Lin Zeqiu stretched out his legs, sitting lazily in the chair.

Lin Zhixia recalled today’s encounter. Her memory was too good. She clearly remembered every detail, which rekindled her already extinguished anger, instantly making her furious: “Lin Zeqiu, I’m telling you very seriously! I’m extremely angry. The last time I was this angry was when I was five years old, when you ruined all my watercolor pens! This time is more serious; no one can comfort me!”

Lin Zeqiu looked at her as if watching a kitten scratching someone. With an expressionless face, he said: “You’re angry? I’m terrified.”

Lin Zhixia’s face turned red: “Lin Zeqiu, don’t go too far.”

“Are you confused? Lin Zhixia,” Lin Zeqiu reminded her, “you drag me here to listen to your nonsense, and I’m the one going too far?”

Lin Zhixia tried to stay calm and questioned: “I just want to find the reason why you want to sever our blood relationship. Last week, I read a newspaper where an old grandfather published a statement claiming to sever ties with his son. Because his son frequently gambled, drove drunk, kept mistresses, he felt he hadn’t raised his son well…”

At this point, Lin Zhixia got to her main point: “I haven’t gambled, driven drunk, or done anything illegal. Lin Zeqiu, what right do you have to sever ties with me?”

Lin Zeqiu was stunned by what he heard: “I haven’t severed ties with you.”

“You have!” Lin Zhixia said decisively. “You won’t let me call you brother!”

Lin Zeqiu stood up: “Once we’re outside the school gate, you can call me whatever you want.”

“Why?” Lin Zhixia’s curiosity exploded. “Why, why, why!”

Lin Zeqiu opened the bedroom door: “So much nonsense, aren’t you tired of it? I don’t have time for this chitchat. I’m going to the living room to eat.”

What a waste of a communication opportunity!

Lin Zhixia’s anger rose from her heart, and malice grew in her courage: “Brother, we have a megaphone at home, the one Mom and Dad use for promotions. If you don’t tell me the specific reason, I’ll bring the megaphone to school and shout ‘brother, brother, brother, brother, brother’ outside your classroom so that all the students and teachers in the school can hear my voice.”

Logically, after Lin Zhixia made such a terrifying threat, her brother would harshly criticize her.

But Lin Zeqiu didn’t say a word.

He held the doorknob, his figure trembling slightly.

His mind went blank, his hands numb, his back rigid.

Why was it that when he tried desperately to avoid the scenes from his nightmares…

He instead caused those nightmares to materialize in reality?

If Lin Zhixia did that, Lin Zeqiu’s school life would be ruined.

Since the second semester of his first year, Lin Zeqiu had frequently received friendly gestures from female classmates. He understood this was what the “Ethics and Morals” textbook called “adolescent stirrings.” Following the textbook’s guidance, he cautiously maintained the appropriate distance in relationships and strictly controlled the boundaries between classmates of the opposite sex. He was clean, progressive, morally upright, and never let others copy his homework.

But once Lin Zhixia became entangled in his school relationship network, he would fall from the clouds, from a star in the sky to a comedian on the ground.

The bedroom door opened a crack. Lin Zeqiu took a step out, then suddenly turned around and walked back to Lin Zhixia: “Lin Zhixia, if you bring a megaphone to school, I’ll place an announcement in the newspaper to sever our blood relationship.”

“Go ahead and place the announcement; I’ll be waiting,” Lin Zhixia said. “When Mom and Dad see it, you’ll be banished from home. You’ll shiver in the cold wind, wrapped in tattered cotton, sleeping in a tunnel under an overpass.”

Lin Zeqiu was furious and truly wanted to pack his belongings and leave home. But in the next second, Lin Zhixia’s attitude suddenly softened: “Why, brother? I’m so confused. You used to say you wouldn’t feel sad because of my existence, that no matter what, I would always be your sister… Have you forgotten what you said? But I still remember. Comparing now and before, I feel so sad… Even this feeling of sadness, I have no way to forget…”

Lin Zhixia sat on the edge of the bed, tears falling drop by drop onto her plush toy.

She hugged a little penguin, holding its wings, her fingernails turning slightly pale.

“I…” Lin Zeqiu felt as if a blunt knife had cut across his heart. Invisible blood surged out from the festering wound, and his legs weakened as he sat on the floor, exhausted.

He said: “Lin Zhixia, this isn’t your problem. I… I took the competition class exam three times without success.” He couldn’t utter another word, even if it killed him.

Lin Zhixia narrowed her eyes: “Because you couldn’t get into the competition class, you don’t acknowledge me at school to save face, is that the reason?” She tilted her head: “Why didn’t you tell me earlier? Under my guidance, you could easily get into the competition class, and you wouldn’t have to worry about losing face.”

Lin Zeqiu rested his forehead on one hand, and a thousand words condensed into two: “Forget it.”

Lin Zhixia crouched beside him, frantically shaking his shoulders: “Cheer up! Brother! Cheer up!”

Lin Zeqiu gently pushed away her hand, and she immediately introduced: “My best friend has always been fearless, growing stronger with each battle, with a broad vision. In today’s math quiz, I discovered his mental calculation level has improved tremendously, truly incomparable to before! He could mentally calculate base 58 and base 62 conversion problems! Our class got a total of 19 points, and the 4 most difficult points were all contributed by him alone! You should know, in January this year, he still regularly used scratch paper during exams.”

“Is your best friend male or female?” Lin Zeqiu questioned.

“He’s an exceptionally good boy,” Lin Zhixia answered without evasion.