Lin’s mother’s wailing voice froze, and even her clapping motion stopped.

The Lin father she had been patting wasn’t much better, his hand clutching his chest became rigid, and the deliberately exaggerated gasping also ceased.

“Dr. Su, please examine the boss’s father to see if his condition affects today’s departure,” Chen Yan’s cold voice dropped, and Dr. Su immediately stepped forward.

Lin’s father stiffly allowed himself to be assisted, having his blood pressure measured and blood sugar tested.

After being examined for nearly half an hour, Dr. Su finally stood up.

He put away all his tools and said seriously: “Secretary Chen, the gentleman’s condition allows for normal departure. No medication is needed.”

Well, the message was clear—he was faking it.

Chen Yan seemed to have anticipated this, remaining expressionless: “In that case, you two, let’s depart now.”

“Now?!” Lin’s mother jumped up, looking shocked.

Lin’s father’s expression was equally dismayed. He stopped pretending to be ill. “Call Lin Zhihua here! Let him talk to us himself!”

“The boss is very busy. Would sir and madam like to pack your belongings yourselves, or should I have someone go upstairs to help?”

Lin’s father: “…”

Lin’s mother: “…”

Chen Yan remained unmoved by threats or inducements; all eighteen types of tactics were used but to no avail.

In the end, Lin’s parents were tearfully put on a plane.

——

“Boss, it’s been taken care of,” Chen Yan bowed his head, respectfully standing beside Lin Zhihua.

His attitude was completely different from how he had faced Lin’s parents earlier, showing the utmost respect.

After a moment, Lin Zhihua nodded: “Good, you’ve done well.”

Chen Yan moved slightly.

Lin Zhihua raised an eyebrow: “What is it?”

“I didn’t tell sir and madam that you only wanted them to reflect abroad for half a year…” Chen Yan honestly confessed.

Lin Zhihua’s lips curled up slightly as he placed his pen on the desk. “It’s fine. If they don’t reflect properly after half a year, they can just stay there longer.”

Chen Yan’s expression also relaxed a bit. Working for such a boss was truly his fortune.

In this world, there were too many talented people, but not every talented person could meet a good judge of talent. Chen Yan was extremely fortunate to have met Lin Zhihua, such a discerning person.

“Have arrangements been made for Old Master Lin?” Lin Zhihua asked again.

“Yes, all his contact methods have been cut off. A psychological counselor has also moved into the old house and will occasionally check on the old master’s condition. The old master will have no opportunity to contact anyone else.”

Lin Zhihua nodded: “After the New Year, Lin Corporation will officially operate in the capital. We have a tough battle ahead and cannot allow anyone to take advantage.”

“Yes!” Chen Yan paused, then added, “If the old master’s condition isn’t good…”

“It’s fine. He won’t want to die. As long as he doesn’t die, he can do whatever he wants.”

“Yes!”

“Chen Yan, thank you for your hard work in the new year. This year’s tasks are arduous; year-end bonuses will be doubled.”

As soon as Lin Zhihua’s words fell, although Chen Yan’s expression remained unchanged, excitement flickered in his eyes.

Inwardly, his hands rubbed together excitedly, just short of laughing out loud.

The boss’s bonuses were already the most generous in the industry, and now they would be doubled!

Chen Yan’s steps were light as he walked out of Lin Zhihua’s apartment, but he frowned slightly when he saw someone at the apartment door.

“What are you doing here?”

Lin Zhihua’s assistant Tan Qi had wrapped himself up like a dumpling, with only his face exposed. Compared to Chen Yan in his suit, Tan Qi looked like someone from another world.

Seeing Chen Yan, he was excited: “Secretary Chen, you’re finally out!”

Chen Yan approached with a frown: “Aren’t you on vacation? Why did you come here?”

Tan Qi moved closer, his puffy down jacket brushing against Chen Yan’s side. He was both silly and stupid yet thought himself clever. “Didn’t the boss already have materials sent over yesterday? The boss is alone in this apartment, so I came to see if he needs help with anything!”

“Not necessary,” Chen Yan said coldly. “Lin Corporation will be very busy this year. You start work on the fifth day of the New Year. You still have two days.”

Tan Qi: “…”

Only the third and fourth days of the New Year are left as holidays! Secretary Chen, couldn’t you have kept that to yourself?!

Chen Yan’s lips curled up slightly. “Since you’re here, help me drive.”

Tan Qi: “…” Why???

As if guessing his inner reluctance, Chen Yan looked at him: “Because the boss said you’re here to do odd jobs for me.”

Tan Qi: “…Okay.”

He paused, then asked curiously: “What did the boss call you for?”

“Doubled bonuses.”

“What?!” Tan Qi was first shocked, then delighted. “Really?!”

His hands rubbed together excitedly, perfectly copying Chen Yan’s inner gesture from earlier.

“Mine,” Chen Yan replied with just two words as he walked forward.

Tan Qi quickly followed, “What do you mean yours?!”

From ahead came two words: “The bonus.”

The bonus?

Yours?

After a moment, Tan Qi realized and chased after him—

“Hey! Secretary Chen! Wait for me! Why isn’t the boss increasing my salary too?”

——

After the New Year, only the tail end of winter remained.

Winter is both a lively and desolate season. After bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new year, just a few days later, the third-year high school students started school.

Then on the fourteenth day of the first lunar month, first and second-year high school students also began.

Seventh Middle School resumed its usual liveliness. After the New Year, everyone seemed to have changed greatly, yet also seemed not to have changed at all.

Many students were both curious and annoyed: why did school always start before the Lantern Festival during winter vacation?

Especially since it was often on the fourteenth day of the first lunar month, which truly made students both angry and helpless.

Yi Tianyu had been waiting in the classroom for a long time. As a former “poor student” who once didn’t want school to start at all, he had arrived particularly early.

He had been sitting in his position from last semester for a long time, until nine o’clock when other students finally came to register, led by their parents.

“Brother Yu, you’re here?” someone greeted him.

“Mm-hmm.” Yi Tianyu replied carelessly, propping his hand on the desk, and gazing longingly at the back door.

After a long while, when Yi Tianyu was growing anxious, a familiar figure walked in behind a couple.

Yi Tianyu’s eyes lit up, and he quickly withdrew his hand, fixing his gaze forward while keeping the back door in his peripheral vision.

However, the couple didn’t leave and stood at the back door talking with the familiar figure.

After quite a while, Yi Tianyu couldn’t help but say: “This is never-ending…”

At the door.

Cheng Shuo, who had just been upgraded to father status, was extremely excited as he sent his daughter to school: “Jiaojiao, remember to tell us if anything isn’t to your liking. Don’t keep it to yourself. If teachers or classmates bully you, you must tell us.”

“All right.” Xuejiao obediently agreed.

Today she wore a light blue cotton jacket, with a casually tied bun that made her look especially relaxed and extremely beautiful.

Cheng Shuo couldn’t help but worry: “If… if some smelly boy bullies you, remember to tell us!”

Xuejiao seemed lost in thought, her eyes slightly dazed. After a moment, she nodded vigorously.

Cheng Shuo couldn’t help but smile. Li Sitong reached out to rub her little head, then said: “We’re going to the office to find your teacher. We won’t come back afterward. Study hard on your own. You’ll be in your third year of high school soon. Keep it up!”

“Okay!” Another vigorous nod.

“Go on in,” Cheng Shuo said with a smile.

Xuejiao pulled her small hands out of her clothes, waved them lightly, and then quickly tucked them back in before walking into the classroom with her backpack.

Cheng Shuo and Li Sitong turned to go to Teacher Yin Fang’s office, while Xuejiao walked back to her familiar position from last semester.

“Hey! You’re here!” It wasn’t until Xuejiao approached that Yi Tianyu pretended to calmly say.

Xuejiao smiled. She rarely smiled in daily life; her features were delicate and exquisite. In the words of those who admired her, she was “emanating immortal aura.”

Now with her toothy smile, it was like ice and snow melting, like a hundred flowers blooming.

Yi Tianyu’s heart pounded, and all the words he had saved up over the vacation seemed stuck. He just stared stupidly at Xuejiao.

He watched as Xuejiao exposed her tiny paws, breathed on them, and then opened her backpack.

Test papers, notebooks, pens… she took them out one by one, then put her backpack in the cabinet behind.

Sitting back in her seat, she picked up her pen and began “swish-swish-swish” solving problems.

Yi Tianyu, who had been planning to start a conversation by sharing vacation stories: “…”

——

In the second-year experimental class office, discussions were heating up.

“Well, well, I said this Gu Xuejiao was exceptional. Teacher Yin, you originally didn’t even want her to participate in competitions. Look, Xuejiao is among those who made it to the finals this time!” The math teacher’s eyes crinkled with a smile.

Yin Fang also beamed, somewhat sighing: “Fortunately, I only intended to advise her at the time and didn’t stop her. This Gu Xuejiao is truly exceptional!”

She was proud now. This Gu Xuejiao was from her class, Teacher Yin’s class! The days of being suppressed by the Class 2 homeroom teacher were completely gone.

It was a math competition!

Seventh Middle School didn’t have many students who made it to the first round. Although the second year had three, what about the other two?

Although the other two both scored full marks, one was a student specifically trained for competitions, and the other was a student who was so specialized that the Chinese and English teachers wept.

Only Gu Xuejiao!

First in the grade! Balanced in all subjects, and she could still win first prize in the math competition!

Just one more round and her class might have a spot for early admission to a top university this year!

Yin Fang smugly smiled again.

The Class 2 homeroom teacher sat there without saying a word. Chu Sheng had a bad seat during the test and turned in his paper early, not achieving a good score.

Last semester’s first place had also been taken by Gu Xuejiao, so he was naturally very unhappy.

Seeing Yin Fang’s proud expression, Li Ping remained expressionless.

At this moment, a couple knocked on the office door.

Yin Fang looked up and immediately stood, smiling: “Gu Xuejiao’s parents are here! Please come in!”

Cheng Shuo and Li Sitong entered. Yin Fang pulled up chairs for them, and the two sat down.

“Thank you, Teacher Yin. Please sit down as well.”

Yin Fang’s eyes crinkled with a smile as she sat down and asked: “What brings Gu Xuejiao’s mother here? Is Gu Xuejiao facing any problems with life or studies? Or is there any difficulty?”

Her attitude was so good that Li Sitong, who had attended countless parent-teacher meetings and met teachers for Xuejiao since she was little, found this to be the first time a teacher had such a good attitude!

Thinking back to the attitude at the beginning of last semester, Li Sitong sighed…

“No, no,” Cheng Shuo hurriedly waved his hand, then coughed. “Well, let me be direct. I hope the teacher can pay attention when arranging seats this year. Jiaojiao is at a critical stage now and absolutely cannot be distracted. How about… arranging a female deskmate for her?”

“A female deskmate…” Yin Fang hesitated slightly. “In our class, the ratio of boys to girls is unbalanced, with obviously more girls. Actually, according to my thinking, girls should sit with girls, but previously the head teacher said that we homeroom teachers shouldn’t be too rigid and should try to separate boys and girls…”

Cheng Shuo didn’t press the issue and smiled: “That’s fine then. I won’t make things difficult for the teacher. It’s just that it’s better for Jiaojiao to change deskmates more often.”

All cunning foxes understand each other easily.

Yin Fang immediately understood that Gu Xuejiao’s parents meant she should not sit with Yi Tianyu.

She had already planned this. If it weren’t for seeing Yi Tianyu’s grades rocket up, she would have changed them long ago.

She had been thinking that maybe Yi Tianyu was another potential talent.

So she hadn’t thought about separating them these past two days, but since the parents requested…

“No problem!” Yin Fang readily agreed. “I’ll still arrange seats as last semester. Xuejiao is first, and Yi Tianyu is last. They can’t possibly sit together.”

“Thank you, Teacher Yin.” Cheng Shuo smiled as he stood up, extending his hand to shake Yin Fang.

“You’re welcome, you’re welcome.” Yin Fang hurriedly replied.

“Then we won’t disturb the teacher anymore. Goodbye.”

Cheng Shuo and Li Sitong bid farewell to Yin Fang and left the office with Yin Fang smiling broadly.

After seeing Cheng Shuo and Li Sitong off, Yin Fang sat back down, thinking about how to rearrange the seats.

At this moment, a fat man who looked like a nouveau riche stood at the door—it was Yi Dafa.

Behind him was their principal. Yi Dafa smiled obsequiously: “Teacher Yin, I’ve come to discuss our child’s seating arrangement…”

Yin Fang: “…”

——

After finishing everything and bringing the newly assigned books back to the classroom, Yin Fang entered with her teaching notes.

“Quiet!”

Immediately, the originally noisy classroom fell silent, without a sound.

The “Venerable Master” had long established her authority last semester, and the students in the class were still very afraid of her.

She nodded, pushed her glasses, and her stern gaze swept over everyone—

“In this new semester, our class has lost eight familiar faces and also welcomed eight new ones. Now, let’s have the new students introduce themselves.”

Originally, Class 1 only needed to add seven people, but Cheng Mingjiao had transferred for some reason, so they needed one more, making a total of eight.

After Yin Fang finished speaking, she called a name, and that person quickly stood up to introduce themselves.

These were all students who had fought their way in from parallel classes. They weren’t weak; the resources in the experimental class were quite different from those in ordinary classes.

Yin Fang wasn’t very attentive during the introductions. Over her many years of teaching, she had discovered a strange pattern.

Many people who were very strong in ordinary classes, after entering the experimental class, because they went from being the head of the chicken to the tail of the phoenix and no longer received all the teacher’s attention, began to decline in grades.

Even if they didn’t decline, it was difficult for them to advance.

Those who truly emerged were only one or two out of ten.

After all eight people had introduced themselves, Yin Fang nodded, swept her gaze over everyone, and continued: “Next, let’s arrange the seats. Everyone, please move to the back.”

Instantly, people gradually stood up and moved to the back.

From the moment Yi Tianyu heard about changing seats, his heart skipped a beat. Unaware of the earlier storm in the office, he immediately became extremely worried.

He squeezed his way toward Xuejiao, then bumped into her, anxiously whispering: “Hey, hey! Bookworm!”

“Hm?” Xuejiao looked up puzzled; her mind was still on the problems she had been working on.

She had finished all the problems Lin Zhihua had collected for her, so now they would discuss and create their problems at night.

These weren’t rigorously formulated problems; many might not even have solutions, but they were novel in type and comprehensive in testing points.

Lin Zhihua was exceptionally good at creating problems. He had previously created one that took Xuejiao two days to solve.

Last night, he had promised her that if she could finish this problem today, he would give her another one.

As a result, from the moment Xuejiao sat down, she had been calculating, hoping to complete everything before tonight.

Yi Tianyu was anxious: “We’re changing seats!”

“Oh…” Xuejiao still looked dazed.

Yi Tianyu slapped his thigh and said: “Forget it, forget it. Where are you planning to sit? You’re the first one!”

Xuejiao was startled, briefly pulling her mind out of the problem. After thinking for a moment, she said: “Just like before.”

Why change a seat she was used to?

The fourth row, in this row by the podium, she could look up and see the teacher and blackboard without having to eat chalk dust. Why change?

Yi Tianyu blushed.

The bookworm… must also want to sit with him, right?

That must be it!

Yi Tianyu’s heart leaped with joy, followed immediately by tension.

The bookworm was first, and he was last. Unless no one picked the seat next to Xuejiao!

How the hell was that possible?

Yi Tianyu’s face filled with despair.

“First, Gu Xuejiao.”

After Yin Fang finished, Xuejiao basically sat directly in her original position, then buried her head in calculations.

“Second, Shang Zhiyuan.”

Shang Zhiyuan chose a seat in the middle of the classroom. He was the least willing to sit with Xuejiao.

The first and second in the experimental class both sounded impressive, but there was no way around it; nowadays, many people only cared about first place. The first place sounded much better than the second.

Xuejiao had knocked him off first place, turning him into a perpetual second. Shang Zhiyuan didn’t want to be too close to her.

Next, many people in a row didn’t choose Xuejiao.

It wasn’t that they didn’t want to choose Xuejiao; everyone had their considerations. Xuejiao was first in the class and had helped Yi Tianyu advance quite a bit.

But she was too beautiful, and because she was a day student and too serious, she had no interaction with the girls in the class.

So, no girls dared to choose Xuejiao, always feeling that the goddess was a flower on a high peak, unapproachable.

Boys were even more afraid. If they chose Xuejiao today, they would be beaten up by a mob tonight.

It wasn’t until around the thirtieth person that a boy who had just entered Class 1 walked straight toward Xuejiao.

He had originally been the favorite student of many teachers in the parallel class, typically the head of the chicken. Plus, he looked good, so his popularity was quite high.

This grade-famous goddess still had no deskmate, so he walked straight over.

“Cough! Cough!!” From behind, Yi Tianyu coughed desperately.

The person hadn’t sat down yet and looked back, meeting a pair of intimidating, threatening eyes filled with killing intent, with eye daggers “swoosh swoosh swoosh” flying.

Before he knew it, that person sat behind Xuejiao instead.

One by one they went, and whenever someone wanted to sit next to Xuejiao, Yi Tianyu used the same method to threaten them away.

Until it was his turn—

Almost without suspense, he charged straight toward his original position.

Only after sitting down did he let out a deep breath. Thank goodness, thank goodness.

He glared at Xuejiao, who was buried in thought beside him—

Bookworm! With so many people walking to your side just now, why didn’t you know to shake your head?!

On the podium, Yin Fang sighed.

She hadn’t helped either parent, and this was the result. She couldn’t be blamed now…

——

At night.

Xuejiao lay in bed, submitted her “homework,” and happily received a new problem from Lin Zhihua.

[Thank you!!!]

The reply came quickly from the other side—

[You’re welcome.]

After a moment, another message came—

[Did you change seats today?]

Xuejiao was a bit stunned and replied—

[Yes, we did.]

On the other end of the phone, Lin Zhihua’s lips curled up slightly as he typed—

[Did your deskmate change?]

Xuejiao replied with a puzzled expression—

[No, it’s still Yi Tianyu.]

Lin Zhihua: “…”

The curve of his lips immediately cooled, staring directly at the three characters “Yi Tianyu” as if staring could make them disappear.

After a good while, he finally said—

[Still him? You didn’t change seats?]

Xuejiao quickly replied—

[We did change. We chose positions according to grades.]

Lin Zhihua’s expression grew even more unpleasant. So… after changing again, you two are still deskmates?

After another while, he replied—

[It’s time, you should go to sleep.]

[Oh, oh! Right! You too, goodnight!!]

After Xuejiao said this, she put down her phone and fell into dreamland.

——

The second semester of the second year of high school was extremely busy. The curriculum was packed tightly, and all the remaining high school courses had to be completed this semester. The third year was for review.

Xuejiao had to attend classes, complete assignments, preview, review, and also find time to prepare for the competition. She wished she could split herself in two.

All the way until the end of March, no matter how busy, she still took a few days to go to the capital.

The third round of the math competition was about to begin.

The time wasn’t long. The school had teachers leading the team, for a total of three days: the first day to arrive early and adapt, the second day for the exam, and the third day for the award ceremony.

Only when they set foot in the capital did they receive the format for the third round.

To be honest, when they saw the exam format, not just the students, but even the accompanying teachers were confused.

Everyone knew that the final round of their math competition often featured unusual approaches, but to be this unusual was rare.

Tsinghua, Peking University, Renmin University, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and other renowned institutions had invited a total of ten famous mathematics professors to observe, and there were three hundred audience seats on site.

The assessment method was on-site examination, with no information about the question types yet; they would only know when they arrived at the venue.

“Ten professors?! Three hundred audience members?!” The accompanying teacher stood up in shock. “They even invited ten professors? Although competitive examinations are no longer just about scores as in the past, and now also look at comprehensive abilities, what’s with the three hundred audience members?!”

The accompanying teacher anxiously paced back and forth.

Xuejiao sat next to Cheng Mingze, both with identical frowning expressions.

“Buzz—” Her phone vibrated.

Xuejiao took it out and was slightly startled.

[Lin Zhihua: The competition format has been announced; you should already know. Don’t be nervous. The notice distributed before the New Year was about comprehensive assessment for talent selection by higher education institutions. It mentioned that students from the current exam-oriented education sometimes lack comprehensive abilities and hope for improvements. The mathematics group must be responding to the call, selecting more outstanding talents.]

[Lin Zhihua: The three hundred audience members absolutely won’t interfere with you; they’re just there to give you psychological pressure. Don’t be afraid; this helps with screening. Don’t worry about answering questions on-site either; it’s testing your adaptability and comprehensive qualities, but at its core, it’s still mathematics. They can’t possibly test English in a math competition. As long as you answer what you know, there won’t be any problems at all.]

It must be said that Lin Zhihua’s words immediately calmed Xuejiao’s panicking heart.

That’s right, no matter what, a math competition is still about math. What was she afraid of?

Just treat the people below like cabbage!

Xuejiao finally relaxed.

On the other end of the phone, Lin Zhihua frowned slightly.

No one knew better than him how hard Xuejiao had worked. This girl’s efforts were far beyond what ordinary people could achieve.

Lin Zhihua reached out and pressed a bell.

Soon, Tan Qi strode in.

“Boss, what do you need?”

“Help me find a way to get a ticket for the math competition audience.”

Author’s Note: Yi Tianyu: Hahaha! I’m still your deskmate! You’re still my online friend!

Lin Zhihua: …………………