It was obvious that this girl from Class 18 wanted to befriend Jiang Yubai and get his phone number.

However, thinking from a logical perspective, this matter was full of suspicious points. Jiang Yubai didn’t know Lu Wei, nor had he spoken more than a few sentences with her. Why was she suddenly being nice to him?

Jiang Yubai’s father often taught him to be wary of sudden acts of kindness. Remembering his father’s earnest teachings, he immediately returned the pink letter to Lu Wei.

He politely said, “Class 17 and Class 18 are brother classes. Students from other classes are all friends. My phone number is private and I can’t disclose it, please understand.”

Lu Wei felt panicked inside, her ears turning red. She struggled for a long time but couldn’t utter a word. The letter was like a hot potato, burning her palms painfully. She simply swung her arm and threw the letter on the ground.

Jiang Yubai even reminded her: “Don’t litter.”

Lu Wei was too humiliated to bear it and fled in a hurry.

This dramatic scene happened to fall under Lin Zhixia’s gaze.

Today’s sun emitted a warm glow, and the cluster-like clouds resembled white camel humps floating in the azure desert. Lin Zhixia looked up at the sky, but her mind was on the pink letter. She fell into a kind of confusion, like a traveler lost in an endless desert.

A few minutes later, Jiang Yubai returned with a bag of drinks. He had bought mineral water, orange juice, and cola. Lin Zhixia took a bottle of mineral water and quietly slipped him a banknote.

His tone was incredulous: “You’re giving me money?”

Lin Zhixia held the water bottle with both hands: “Mmhmm.”

Shen Fuxuan sat on the other end of the bench. He turned his head to look at Lin Zhixia and Jiang Yubai, silently smiling, and stirred things up: “Lin Zhixia doesn’t want you to treat her, so just take her money.”

Then, he asked: “Jiang Yubai, what did Lu Wei from Class 18 say to you? That envelope she gave you was pink, wasn’t it?”

Jiang Yubai sat down with an unchanged expression, sitting between Shen Fuxuan and Lin Zhixia.

Jiang Yubai carefully considered before speaking: “I’m not familiar with Lu Wei from Class 18, and her giving me a letter is very unreasonable…” Jiang Yubai repeated his father’s words verbatim: “Life often has no pattern; be wary of sudden acts of kindness.”

Shen Fuxuan teased: “Don’t you have any other thoughts?”

Duan Qiyan stood diagonally in front of Shen Fuxuan, straightening his feet, stretching his tendons: “Shen Fuxuan, don’t think sideways, don’t be the class troublemaker. Recently, someone kept spreading rumors about me and Tang Tingting, almost making me faint with anger.”

Shen Fuxuan leaned forward in his seat, elbows on his knees: “You can bring up Tang Tingting when I’m chatting with others? Well done, Duan Qiyan.”

“What?” Duan Qiyan straightened up. “You want to argue?”

Shen Fuxuan crossed his legs: “Arguing is so boring, let’s make a bet.”

Since entering junior high, Duan Qiyan had made two bets in total, and he lost both times miserably, hurting him deeply. He could only silently lick his wounds in the dead of night, secretly vowing never to bet with classmates again in this lifetime.

But Shen Fuxuan goaded him: “Are you scared, Duan Qiyan?”

Duan Qiyan steeled himself: “What bet do you want to make?”

Shen Fuxuan raised his hand, pointing towards the drop tower: “If you ride the drop tower without screaming, I’ll treat you all to lunch.”

Duan Qiyan interrupted: “What happens if I scream?”

“If you lose,” Shen Fuxuan stated the rules, “you treat us to lunch.”

For a free lunch, Duan Qiyan shouldered his backpack and resolutely walked towards the drop tower. In his imagination, his body was surrounded by the golden glow of the “First War God”—yes, he recalled the glorious history of being the “First War God of the Normal University Affiliated Elementary School.”

Shen Fuxuan followed behind Duan Qiyan: “Hey, Duan Qiyan, nobody said you have to ride it, we can cancel the bet.”

Duan Qiyan was a man of his word. He bought a ticket for the drop tower, closing his eyes as he approached the seat.

The drop tower was indeed thrilling. He experienced an unforgettable, crazy feeling, and even though he was scared out of his wits, he didn’t make a sound, earning praise from even Shen Fuxuan: “You’re very brave!”

Shen Fuxuan kept his word. He took everyone to a hot pot restaurant in the amusement park, ordered two split pots, and announced: “Order whatever you want, don’t be polite with me.”

Lin Zhixia rarely ate hot pot because her mother said eating too much hot pot would cause internal heat. But her love for delicious food never ceased, so how could she resist the temptation of hot pot? Bravely, she put lamb into the spicy red pot, watching the thin slices tumble vigorously in the fragrant red oil, exclaiming: “The lamb has turned red too.”

Jiang Yubai sat beside her. He mixed his dipping sauce, and Lin Zhixia asked him: “How do you combine these ingredients?”

Duan Qiyan suddenly blurted out: “Lin Zhixia, haven’t you eaten hot pot before?”

“I have,” Lin Zhixia said firmly, “I just don’t recognize those sauces.”

Jiang Yubai hesitated for a second, took her bowl, and personally added a spoonful of peanut sauce and beef sauce for her. She immediately beamed with joy: “I want a savory flavor. Savory, sweet, and lingering.”

Jiang Yubai added a bit of sugar, oyster sauce, and sesame to her bowl, mixed it thoroughly, and poured a small portion into a dish. He tasted the dipping sauce to ensure it was perfect before returning her bowl.

“Thank you, Jiang Yubai,” Lin Zhixia said, holding the bowl, deeply moved. “You’re so nice.”

She spoke very softly, perhaps only Jiang Yubai heard.

Jiang Yubai felt he hadn’t done much, just mixed a dipping sauce for her, yet she seemed so happy. Would she cherish this bowl of sauce so much that she wouldn’t dare to eat? Just as this thought emerged, Lin Zhixia scooped a large spoonful of lamb into her bowl.

She sat up straight, waiting for the lamb to cool down with ritual solemnity. The red oil and sauce blended perfectly; she lowered her head and took small bites, the spicy peppers making her eyes water, yet she still said in a very happy tone: “Spicy hot pot is so delicious.”

Jiang Yubai placed a can of cola in front of her.

She pulled the tab open, treasuring it like gold, taking three sips in succession, and sighed lightly: “This is what life should taste like. Jiang Yubai, you should try it too.”

Jiang Yubai refused: “No, I don’t eat spicy food.”

Lin Zhixia looked at him with beautiful, watery eyes: “Why don’t you eat spicy food?”

Jiang Yubai answered in his heart: Because I don’t want to cry like you.

But how could he possibly speak his mind?

He remained silent.

Lin Zhixia stared at him for a while, as if there was something on his face. He turned his head to look elsewhere, not even allowing the corner of his eye to fall on Lin Zhixia. Yet Lin Zhixia asked him at this moment: “Jiang Yubai, what did Lu Wei from Class 18 write in the letter?”

Jiang Yubai hadn’t expected her to be interested in this question.

However, she was the class monitor of Class 17. Her concern about the confrontation between Class 17 and Class 18 was only natural. Jiang Yubai recited the contents of the letter in full, and Lin Zhixia was thoughtful: “So that’s it.”

Jiang Yubai didn’t respond, and Lin Zhixia continued on her own: “Besides me, many people want to be friends with you…” She paused, her voice becoming softer: “Jiang Yubai, no matter how many interesting people or lovely people you meet in the future… I will always be one of your best friends.”

Jiang Yubai suggested: “You can remove the words ‘one of.'”

Lin Zhixia looked into his eyes and corrected herself: “I will forever be your only best friend.”

“Yes.” Jiang Yubai expressed approval.

Lin Zhixia was very happy. But she still had some doubts. She couldn’t help saying: “Forever represents a very long time. I always tell you that we will never separate, that we will always be good friends, but that’s my wish. In most cases, connections have time limits…”

“Why are you suddenly thinking about these things?” Jiang Yubai rested his chopsticks on the edge of his bowl.

“Because a girl sent you a pink letter, asking for your phone number,” Lin Zhixia said honestly, “This was beyond my expectations.”

Jiang Yubai roughly understood Lin Zhixia’s meaning.

Lin Zhixia believed that as Jiang Yubai grew older and his horizons expanded, he would make more and more friends, and Lin Zhixia’s place in his heart would gradually diminish.

How could that be possible?

Lin Zhixia had inadvertently elevated Jiang Yubai’s expectations for friendship. There were several children of Jiang Yubai’s parents’ friends who were the same age as Jiang Yubai. However, whenever Jiang Yubai wanted to share his mathematical insights with his peers, to discuss his thoughts about the universe and individual cognition, those peers would give him incomprehensible looks.

In comparison, Lin Zhixia could always quickly grasp Jiang Yubai’s deeper meanings.

Even when Jiang Yubai deliberately made a physical phenomenon sound very complex, Lin Zhixia could trace it back to its source and find the starting point.

Jiang Yubai enjoyed reading historical biographies, and Lin Zhixia was familiar with the rise and fall of dynasties throughout ancient and modern times, both Chinese and foreign. She could always catch the references he threw out. Especially during history class, when grouped for discussions, Jiang Yubai often played historical figure role-playing games with Lin Zhixia.

They also had several notebooks for daily communication.

Jiang Yubai confirmed: “You are different from others.”

He quoted what she had once said: “You are unique… Lin Zhixia.”

Lin Zhixia’s eyes shimmered with brilliance. She extended a finger, pushing her bowl: “I am the unique Lin Zhixia, your only best friend, so, Jiang Yubai, could you help me mix another bowl of dipping sauce? Thank you.”

Jiang Yubai didn’t refuse at all. He took Lin Zhixia’s bowl, skillfully scooped a spoonful of peanut sauce, but vaguely felt he had been set up. Lin Zhixia had extracted those words from him, and now whatever she asked, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse.

He held the bowl and turned his head. The Lin Zhixia he saw was still innocent and pure.

Lin Zhixia urged: “My dipping sauce, hurry.”

Jiang Yubai prepared meticulously. Lin Zhixia liked lamb, rice cakes, cuttlefish, and seaweed rolls. Jiang Yubai fished these items from the pot, drained them slightly, placed them on a white porcelain plate, let them cool, and then handed them to Lin Zhixia.

Jiang Yubai had never served others at home. The way he cared for Lin Zhixia was exactly what he had learned from the housekeeper. He hadn’t noticed it himself, but Duan Qiyan across from him already mocked: “Hahaha, Jiang Yubai, have you forgotten your identity?”

Jiang Yubai asked in confusion: “What identity am I?”

Duan Qiyan said: “Heir to a wealthy family.”

Duan Qiyan’s mind was full of Jiang Yubai’s family’s luxury cars and chauffeurs. Whenever he watched TV at home and saw the male lead’s wealthy background, he invariably thought of Jiang Yubai.

The atmosphere at the table became subtle. Jiang Yubai spoke casually, feigning nonchalance: “It’s not that dramatic.”

Shen Fuxuan laughed: “Are you embarrassed to admit it? Jiang Yubai, your entire family is on the wealth list. Your grandfather expanded into the Southeast Asian market, your grand-uncle does business in North America and Europe…”

Lin Zhixia suddenly joined the battle, giving tit for tat: “Shen Fuxuan comes from a scholarly family, with direct relatives within two generations who are outstanding elites in the field of education. His mother is the principal of Provincial No. 1 High School, his father is the youngest professor in University Town, his maternal grandmother is…”

Before she could finish, Shen Fuxuan hurriedly interrupted: “Wait, Lin Zhixia, don’t say anymore!”

“Alright, I won’t,” Lin Zhixia nodded, “Let’s continue eating.”

The fire of battle subsided, and the classmates lowered their heads to eat.

After the meal, they roamed the amusement park together for another round.

Lin Zhixia happily rode the Ferris wheel. She clung to the window of the Ferris wheel, looking at the sky one moment and the ground the next, asking Jiang Yubai: “You told me about the London attraction ‘London Eye,’ which is also a Ferris wheel. Do you think that ‘London Eye’ is more fun or is this one more fun?”

Jiang Yubai sat across from her, replying without hesitation: “This one is more fun.”

“Why?” Lin Zhixia asked him. “Ferris wheels should all be the same.”

Jiang Yubai moved to the innermost part of the seat: “Different times and places give people different feelings.”

“You’re right! Your statement has both physical and philosophical meaning.” Lin Zhixia applauded him.

After this round on the Ferris wheel, Lin Zhixia dragged Jiang Yubai to the bumper cars. Shen Fuxuan and Duan Qiyan followed, and the sports committee member Cao Wu was already test-driving.

The bumper car arena became a battlefield for many classmates from Class Three (17). Each student had their car, crashing into each other in the spacious open area.

Duan Qiyan sat in the driver’s seat, taunting Jiang Yubai: “Come chase me, pretty boy, heir to the wealthy family?” Then, he stepped on the gas and sped away.

Jiang Yubai wasn’t affected by him at all.

But Lin Zhixia gripped the steering wheel, fiercely pursuing Duan Qiyan. Her behavior overturned most classmates’ impression of her. She took a shortcut, getting closer and closer to Duan Qiyan, who shouted: “Save me! Someone save me!”

Sports committee member Cao Wu was on good terms with Duan Qiyan. Cao Wu rushed over, trying to protect Duan Qiyan: “Class Monitor Lin! Duan Qiyan speaks without thinking, please forgive him!”

“Get out of the way!” Lin Zhixia raised her head, openly threatening him, “Otherwise I’ll crash into you too!”

Cao Wu was intimidated by Lin Zhixia’s aura, fleeing in fright. He floored the accelerator, coldly abandoning Duan Qiyan. He even said: “Duan Qiyan, I tried my best, don’t blame me for being heartless!”

“Cao Wu! You’re so heartless!” Duan Qiyan accused.

Duan Qiyan circled, trying to shake off Lin Zhixia. But he was like an ant on a Möbius strip, unable to escape Lin Zhixia’s control range. Lin Zhixia seized the opportunity and crashed directly into him, startling him into letting out an “Ahhh!”

To escape, Duan Qiyan gripped the steering wheel tightly, about to rush in another direction. Unexpectedly, Jiang Yubai suddenly followed. Duan Qiyan turned his head in surprise, asking him: “Weren’t you angry? Why are you hunting me down?”

Jiang Yubai feigned calmness: “I don’t need a reason to hunt you down.”

Duan Qiyan frowned: “Isn’t your heart too narrow? I said one thing about you, and now you want to crash into me and scare me?”

Jiang Yubai gave a cold laugh: “You just asked me to chase you, and now I’m here. You shouldn’t be afraid; you should be happy.”

Duan Qiyan felt as if he was being targeted by a villain. Jiang Yubai and Lin Zhixia’s two bumper cars worked together like the Italian Mafia, coordinated and relentless, determined to eliminate Duan Qiyan.

“Shen Fuxuan, help me quick!” Duan Qiyan shouted ahead.

Shen Fuxuan parked his car to the side, holding the steering wheel with one hand, extremely leisurely: “Why should I save you? I want to see what you look like when you have nowhere to run.”

“Shen Fuxuan, you have such a cruel heart!” Duan Qiyan cursed angrily. How could he alone resist the joint attack of Jiang Yubai and Lin Zhixia? Soon, he was cornered with no way out, and could only surrender in despair: “I lost, stop chasing me.”

“Hahahahaha.” Lin Zhixia let out a triumphant, unbridled laugh.

*

All day long, Lin Zhixia had a great time, feeling very satisfied. The laughter of her classmates intertwined, floating back and forth in the depths of her memory, making her feel extremely relaxed and happy.

On her way home in the evening, she was still thinking that today had been a wonderful day.

But when she pushed open the door, she felt dullness and oppression. She stood in the entrance without changing her shoes, and called out dryly: “Uncle, Aunt.”

Her uncle was her mother’s older brother, and also the first college student ever from her mother’s village. Her uncle worked at a law firm in the provincial capital, had a considerable income, and lived a comfortable life. Years ago, he had bought a luxury flat in the city center. He rarely visited his sister’s family and hardly cared about Lin Zhixia and Lin Zeqiu.

Yet today, her uncle and aunt had come to visit, and surprisingly brought many gifts.

Lin Zhixia suddenly recalled Jiang Yubai’s warning.

This morning, Jiang Yubai had said: Life often has no pattern; be wary of sudden acts of kindness.

Lin Zhixia wanted to clap in admiration. She put down her schoolbag, changed into a pair of fluffy bunny slippers, and walked straight to her bedroom.

Her uncle called out to her: “Lin Zhixia, your uncle and aunt made a special trip to see you and your brother.”

Her aunt smiled and spoke: “Lin Zhixia won the gold medal in the International Math Olympiad, and Lin Zeqiu ranked forty-ninth in the city in the high school entrance exam, entering the best advanced class at Provincial No. 1 High School. Both of your siblings are promising now, your parents don’t have to struggle anymore, right, Lin Zhixia?”

Her mother sat nearby without speaking. Her father was still watching the store at the supermarket. Her brother hadn’t come home from school yet.

Lin Zhixia walked back to the living room, sitting beside her mother. Her mother wore a beige sweater, hand-knitted by her grandmother. Her mother had worn it for several years—even when Lin Zhixia gave her money, she refused to buy new clothes. Her mother often said that only children needed new clothes; adults were used to wearing old ones.

The only piece of jewelry on her mother was the bracelet Lin Zhixia had brought back from Romania.

In contrast, her aunt wore gold and silver, looking bright and glamorous, much more fashionable than her mother’s attire.

Lin Zhixia considered herself not a purely a priori theorist; she didn’t place much value on money, although money could buy many delicious things, her daily food intake was limited. The reason she cared about her uncle’s circumstances was that she had heard from her grandmother that back then, her grandparents’ family could only afford to send one child to school. Her mother had excellent grades, but she voluntarily allowed her brother. Her mother even worked in a factory to save money and send it to her brother for his tuition.

Later on, Lin Zeqiu was born.

As soon as Lin Zeqiu was born, he was diagnosed with congenital heart disease and needed surgery as soon as possible. The fortunate thing amid the misfortune was that Lin Zeqiu’s heart disease was of a very mild type; as long as the surgery went well, he could recover.

That year, her parents borrowed money from everywhere to treat Lin Zeqiu.

Her uncle didn’t lend a penny.

Even when Lin Zeqiu’s life was in danger, her uncle didn’t provide a single cent of help.

Even her grandmother couldn’t bear it, repeatedly nagging about how he couldn’t even spare a coin.

If her uncle had relied entirely on himself to get into university, there would be nothing to criticize. But her uncle’s opportunity to study had been snatched from her mother’s hands, and her mother had even worked in a factory to pay for his education, yet he had never repaid the money. He should have repaid it.

Lin Zhixia recalled these past events, reluctant to speak. Her uncle was still asking her: “Lin Zhixia, you can get early admission to Peking University or Tsinghua University, right? These days, not going to university is unacceptable.”

Her uncle wore a suit, with a pen clipped to his breast pocket. His entire demeanor exuded uncommon grace, and his fingers held a cigarette. He didn’t light the cigarette, just holding it, then said: “My friend brought some dried fruits from Hainan, and I brought them for you to try. Would you like some?”

Her mother smiled and said: “Big brother, take it back.”

Her uncle raised his fingers slightly: “This is good stuff, not available in wholesale markets. You probably haven’t seen it before.”

Her aunt echoed: “That’s right, our Zhuangzhuang loves it. I just thought that Lin Zeqiu and Lin Zhixia might like some too.”

The “Zhuangzhuang” mentioned by her aunt was Lin Zhixia’s cousin, Ke Zhuangzhi.

Ke Zhuangzhi had just entered the second year of junior high school. He hadn’t been admitted to the junior high section of Provincial No. 1 High School and was currently studying at another junior high school, working hard to get into the advanced class of Provincial No. 1 High School.

Her uncle’s intention was very obvious. He didn’t hide it, directly saying: “Lin Zhixia, your aunt and I want to bring you to live with us for a while. Your academic performance is so good, participating in high school competitions while still in junior high, and winning international awards. Your cousin will have a lot to talk about with you. If you come to your uncle’s house, living in a big house, studying with your cousin, with your aunt taking care of both of you every day, you’ll both become candidates for Tsinghua and Peking Universities.”

Before Lin Zhixia could answer, her mother said: “Big brother, Xiaxia is my daughter; she will live in my house.”

Her uncle leaned back against the sofa, his left foot coming out of his shoe, stepping on a leg of the tea table: “Your family of four has 90 square meters; our family of three has 260 square meters. The environment for a child’s growth is the most important. I’ll take Xiaxia to my home, create a good environment for her…”

Lin Zhixia interrupted: “No, I don’t need it.”

She stood up from her seat, looking down at her uncle and aunt: “I have homework to submit tomorrow, so I can’t idle chat with you now. I’m going to do my homework.”

Halfway there, she turned back, taking her mother’s hand: “I must have my mother with me when I do homework, otherwise I can’t solve a single problem.”

“What do you do during exams?” her uncle asked suspiciously.

Lin Zhixia pretended to think: “During exams, I also think about my father, mother, and brother.”

Her uncle and aunt looked at each other.

Lin Zhixia’s behavior didn’t seem to match the word “smart.”

Her uncle also stood up, a Rolex Submariner “Hulk” watch on his wrist gleaming brightly. He straightened his watch and gently educated her: “Xiaxia, don’t play dumb with your uncle and aunt. We want to cultivate you, we’ve come specifically to find you, all for your good, pushing you to go further.”

Is it not for hiring a free tutor?

Lin Zhixia held back her thoughts. She firmly said: “Anyway, I won’t leave my home.”

“The conditions in your home…” her aunt frowned slightly, hesitating. She held her husband’s arm, her red lips pressed into a line, too embarrassed to continue judging Lin Zhixia’s family situation.

Lin Zhixia walked around her aunt, going back to her bedroom, closing the door with a “bang.”

Since winning the gold medal at the Romanian Master Competition, Provincial No. 1 High School had given Lin Zhixia a sum of prize money and a computer—this computer was now placed in Lin Zhixia’s bedroom.

Lin Zhixia believed that her uncle, having embarrassed himself, would leave soon. She didn’t want to spend time on her uncle and aunt at all. She turned on the computer, dialed up the internet, and checked her private emails and paper update list as per her daily routine.

Senior Zhu Chan sent her an email, briefly introducing the latest research progress in their group. Zhu Chan also mentioned that they planned to improve the cluster computing model according to the preduce framework from Google’s new paper. Lin Zhixia immediately downloaded the preduce paper, read it carefully, and wrote a reply: preduce is divided into p phase and reduce phase, and data undergoes a round of shuffle and sorting after p[1], so the form of data transmission will be a key point to note, affecting computational load and system efficiency.

Lin Zhixia suggested to Zhu Chan not to transmit unpackaged data directly, proposing that using ending and deding techniques could improve efficiency, further optimizing existing high-performance computing frameworks. She proposed methods for compression and decomposition of matrix operations.

Zhu Chan instantly replied with an email: “Come to school this weekend.”

Lin Zhixia agreed: “Sure, sure!”

Lin Zhixia was immersed in the fusion world of mathematics and computer science, completely ignoring the sound of Lin Zeqiu coming home.

Lin Zeqiu came home rather late today. Since he had been admitted to the best advanced class at Provincial No. 1 High School, he discovered that more than half of his classmates were very strong and formidable, and he could fall out of the class top ten with the slightest negligence. He had to redouble his efforts to secure his position in the class.

He entered the door absent-mindedly, just crossing paths with his uncle and aunt.

His uncle was already preparing to leave. He picked up the gifts he had brought today and walked out of the Lin family’s front door. As he passed Lin Zeqiu, Lin Zeqiu casually asked him: “What are you doing at our house?”

His uncle glanced at him, saying softly: “Helping your sister change her living environment.”

His aunt, holding his uncle’s arm, changed the subject: “Old Ke, where did you park our car? I can’t see our car anymore. The light in this corridor is broken, it’s pitch black, like a cave.”

“Isn’t it parked next to the building?” his uncle pointed it out to her. “Our Lexus, license plate ending in 886.”

Lin Zeqiu also looked in that direction.

His uncle took the opportunity to ask him: “Has your family bought a car?”

“No,” Lin Zeqiu answered.

His aunt exclaimed in surprise: “Ah? Really? How does your mother go to the wholesale market to purchase goods?”

“Rides a tricycle.” Lin Zeqiu stepped into the house. He slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked straight to his room.

Lin Zeqiu slammed the door loudly, disturbing both his uncle outside and Lin Zhixia inside.

Lin Zhixia’s typing fingers paused. She stared at the computer screen for a long time, suddenly wanting to call Jiang Yubai—no matter when, Jiang Yubai could always provide good advice for her interpersonal interactions.

She grabbed the receiver and dialed Jiang Yubai’s mobile number.

She waited for a long time, but no one answered.

What was Jiang Yubai doing?

At this moment, Jiang Yubai was sitting in the study, chatting with his mother.

Jiang Yubai was already a ninth-grade student, and after next year’s high school entrance exam, he would enter high school. His mother stood in front of him, saying: “Your father and I both hope you will attend an international high school, or the international class at Provincial No. 1 High School. Your father is a graduate of Trinity College, Cambridge University, majoring in economics. Do you have plans in this regard? You should prepare early.”