Xue Jiao spoke very seriously, her gaze fixed directly on the teachers.

Even though the audience below didn’t know her, it didn’t prevent them from feeling the respect this person conveyed—respect for her mentor.

A thousand thoughts flashed through Lin Zhihua’s mind in an instant. She felt touched that on such an important day, Xue Jiao hadn’t thanked her parents or her actual teachers, but instead was expressing gratitude toward him.

She remembered him.

He was always in her heart.

But… mentor…

Lin Zhihua felt a moment of bitterness in his heart.

The professors at the judges’ table nodded approvingly. Professor Tan from Tsinghua University nodded and smiled, saying, “I hope you remember what you said today, and I also hope to have the opportunity to hear directly from you about the results of your hypothesis method for proving Fermat’s Last Theorem.”

Xue Jiao smiled and nodded.

Cheng Mingze applauded softly, his eyes fixed intently on her.

He could no longer recall what Gu Xue Jiao used to look like. The image of that oddly dressed, wild young girl had completely disappeared. What he could picture with just a slight closing of his eyes was a girl with her head lowered, earnestly reading books and that gentle smile that momentarily added color to the world.

She was confident and hardworking, never discouraged, and never gave up. Every achievement she obtained was the result of her efforts.

“Now the judges will determine the rankings,” announced a staff member. The professors slightly turned their heads, conferring with each other.

Professor Tan nodded, then said something unknown to the others, who all nodded in agreement.

Professor Tan then picked up his pen, wrote something quickly, and handed it to the staff member.

At this point, the competition results were essentially confirmed. Both those on stage and in the audience had pretty much determined the results:

First place: Yang Zhan

Second place: Cheng Mingze

Third place: Zheng Mingxuan

Fourth place: Gu Xue Jiao

Fifth place: Bai Jiu

Several professors went on stage to present the awards. Professor Tan was the most senior among them, so logically, he should have been the one to present the award to Yang Zhan.

But on stage, Professor Tan walked to the fourth position and stood in front of Xue Jiao.

He handed a red certificate to Xue Jiao and said softly, “I admire you very much. Compared to natural talent, I prefer those who work hard—purposefully hard. There are many talented people and even more who work hard. You have one part talent and nine parts effort.”

“Thank you!” Xue Jiao’s voice carried a hint of excitement.

Being praised by a mathematical master whose work was included in textbooks was beyond what words could express.

Professor Tan was already quite elderly, and it was uncertain how much longer he could contribute to the history of mathematics. Xue Jiao had long heard of him.

Professor Tan smiled and nodded, then said earnestly:

“Gu Xue Jiao, I’ll be waiting for you at Tsinghua.”

Xue Jiao’s eyes reddened, and she gripped the certificate tightly.

Tan Qi stood beside her, and the other professors also came forward. Around ten professors took a group photo with the five of them.

“Look at the camera, one, two, three, click!”

Xue Jiao smiled with moist eyes.

She was grateful for the fortunate new life she had received, thankful to heaven for giving her another chance to realize her dreams.

And she was also grateful to Lin Zhihua, who was both a teacher and friend.

She wouldn’t waste her youth, and youth would not waste her.

Having been given a second chance at her youthful years, she would carefully inscribe her bittersweet experiences and achievements into her life story.

At this moment, Xue Jiao didn’t know what the future would hold or what she would encounter. Whether good or bad, magnificent fireworks or thorny obstacles, she was full of hope and anticipation for the future. Life was written with one’s pen.

The pen that points to mountains and rivers would only point to her landscape.

—

After the five of them finished taking photos, it was time for the second round of eliminated participants. They had all won first-class awards at the winter camp. According to the imperial examination system, they would all be considered jinshi graduates. However, Xue Jiao and her group were first-rank, while Li Lei and the others were second-rank, and those eliminated in the first round were ordinary jinshi.

After everyone had taken their photos, there was one final large group photo. With that, this year’s mathematics competition officially concluded.

Lin Zhihua quietly left the venue as soon as it ended and got into his car.

“Boss, next… shall we meet with Mr. Pang?” his assistant asked.

“Yes,” Lin Zhihua nodded. “Let Mr. Pang know in advance and arrange an afternoon tea.”

“What about dinner?”

“In the evening, with Xu—” His phone vibrated slightly, interrupting his command.

Lin Zhihua looked down and opened WeChat:

[I finished my exam!! Thank you! I’m going back tomorrow. Can I treat you to dinner today?]

“Are you having dinner with Mr. Xu tonight?” Chen Yan continued where his boss had left off. They had a collaboration with Mr. Xu and had been meeting frequently for dinner to discuss their partnership.

Silway was quite powerful, and Lin Zhihua was formidable, but it still took time to carve out a new territory.

Lin Zhihua shook his head and raised his hand toward Chen Yan in a gesture of refusal.

“Don’t schedule Mr. Xu tonight. If he calls to invite me, tell him I have something very important and we can have dinner together tomorrow.”

Chen Yan: “…Understood.”

Lin Zhihua’s fingers tapped as he replied:

[Alright, the usual place?]

Xue Jiao paused for a moment, instantly recalled that delicious meal, swallowed as her mouth watered, and nodded vigorously:

[Yes!! And I’m still treating.]

At that moment, Cheng Mingze tapped Xue Jiao on the shoulder. “Who are you messaging?”

“My mentor!” Xue Jiao put away her phone.

“The one you thanked on stage today?” Cheng Mingze frowned slightly.

For some reason, the thought that someone had appeared in Xue Jiao’s life during his absence, sharing stories he knew nothing about, made him feel uncomfortable.

Cheng Mingze shook his head, casting aside these emotions, and said, “Let’s go have lunch. The teacher said we’ll go climb the Great Wall together this afternoon. Are you coming?”

“Yes!” Xue Jiao answered definitively.

She had arranged to meet Lin Zhihua in the evening, so she could still go play in the afternoon!

Cheng Mingze looked at her with a smile and said, “Don’t wear your school uniform when we go out this afternoon.”

Xue Jiao rolled her eyes: “Of course not!”

After the New Year, Xue Jiao’s relationship with Li Sitong had improved. When Li Sitong left, she packed two new outfits for Xue Jiao.

In the afternoon, Xue Jiao wore a white down jacket with a white sweater underneath and a red scarf. Her small face looked even tinier framed by the large down jacket.

Cheng Mingze dressed much more lightly. As a young boy, a coat was sufficient for winter.

The group headed out happily, even those who hadn’t performed well in the competition joined in cheerfully.

Going out to play always made it easy to forget troubles.

—

“Shulan, why do they like climbing the Great Wall? It’s exhausting!” A girl complained to another girl beside her, looking annoyed.

Shulan put her finger to her lips and lowered her voice: “Fangfang, don’t let Lin Yinyin hear you.”

Fangfang pouted: “What’s so great about having money? She acts like the whole class is her slave! She says she wants to climb the Great Wall, and everyone just follows along!”

Despite her complaints, she still followed Shulan and the group of students who were busy taking selfies ahead.

She grumbled about Lin Yinyin but didn’t dare to show it.

“Hurry up, you guys!” A boy in front called back. He was good-looking, bright, and handsome.

He was smiling broadly, showing a row of neat teeth. His gaze fixed on Shulan from a distance.

Fangfang immediately called out: “You’re going too fast! We can’t keep up.”

The boy immediately stopped and walked back, saying, “Shulan, are you tired?”

His voice was concerned, showing indescribable care.

“Yu Cheng!” A coquettish girl suddenly shouted from the front. “Yu Cheng, come take photos for me!”

“Wait a moment!” Yu Cheng replied, then quickened his pace toward Shulan.

Seeing Yu Cheng ignoring her, Lin Yinyin stomped her foot angrily, glared at Shulan, and ran off.

“Yinyin, wait for us—”

Lin Yinyin ran faster and suddenly collided with someone coming from the opposite direction.

“Ouch!! Don’t you have eyes?!” Lin Yinyin’s voice rose in anger.

“Yinyin! What’s wrong?” The people walking ahead of Shulan quickly went to see what had happened.

“Let’s go see too!” Fangfang’s voice carried a hint of amusement as she pulled Shulan forward.

Shulan looked back at Yu Cheng, who just shook his head and followed them.

“How do you even walk?!” Lin Yinyin’s voice was furious as she glared at the person who had caused her to fall.

Xue Jiao was also bewildered. She had been walking fine when suddenly someone rushed toward her and bumped into her. Her stance was stable so she didn’t fall, but the other person was furious?

But it was that person who had bumped into her, right?

The teacher in charge and several students from Seventh Middle School were also confused.

“What happened? What happened?” Some people from the crowd came forward, concerned about Lin Yinyin.

Lin Yinyin angrily said, “She knocked me down!”

Xue Jiao: “…”

After a moment, she spoke: “I think you were the one who bumped into me.”

The weather wasn’t good today, and with the wind blowing, Xue Jiao had put up her jacket hood. Now as she spoke, she pulled the hood down.

She looked at Lin Yinyin, her expression calm but unyielding.

Lin Yinyin was about to say something when Xue Jiao revealed the face that had been hidden under the hood.

Lin Yinyin paused slightly at the sight of the pretty face before her, swallowing the words she was about to say.

After a moment, she continued angrily: “Apologize to me!”

Xue Jiao was also getting irritated. She had been walking peacefully when this disaster fell from the sky, and now she was being asked to apologize.

Her voice grew colder: “I think I’ve made myself clear. You bumped into me.”

“You—”

“Miss, you bumped into her,” Cheng Mingze’s cold voice interrupted Lin Yinyin.

“There’s even help—” Lin Yinyin looked up and froze.

It was a refined, elegant face. Lin Yinyin never paid attention in class and never bothered with literary expressions. But at this moment, a phrase came to mind—”Like jade upon the road, a gentleman second to none in the world.”

“Thump-thump-thump—” Lin Yinyin’s heart raced out of control, her eyes fixed on Cheng Mingze, unable to move away even slightly.

Shulan stepped forward, and Fangfang quickly grabbed her: “What are you doing?!”

“We can’t let that girl offend Lin Yinyin, or else…” Shulan was anxious.

“Why do you care?” Fangfang rolled her eyes and whispered enviously, “Look at that girl. She’s wearing Canada Goose, her shoes are MS, and she’s got a watch worth several hundred thousand on her wrist. Her family background can’t be that far behind…”

Shulan stared at Xue Jiao with wide eyes, unable to comprehend how someone could casually wear something worth hundreds of thousands on their body. Coming from a poor family, she couldn’t understand it.

Fangfang continued sourly: “Is this girl heaven’s favorite daughter? She’s prettier than a celebrity, and her family is rich. How can heaven be so unfair…”

Soon, she added: “Shulan, her grades must not be as good as yours!”

Shulan shook her head, not wanting to compare these things, only focusing on Lin Yinyin and Xue Jiao.

Lin Yinyin, being coldly stared at by Cheng Mingze, raised her chin slightly and asked, “What’s your name? What is she to you?”

Cheng Mingze’s frown deepened, his eyes showing slight disgust: “Apologize.”

Lin Yinyin was shocked by the disgust in his eyes. For some reason, she didn’t want this boy to dislike her.

“Fine, fine, I won’t argue with you!” She glared at Xue Jiao.

Everyone: “…”

Those who knew Lin Yinyin were immediately shocked. Lin Yinyin would let it go so easily???

Xue Jiao shook her head without saying anything. After experiencing Cheng Mingjiao, she knew that some spoiled girls couldn’t be reasoned with.

“Let’s go.”

Cheng Mingze was still frowning in annoyance, his gaze at Lin Yinyin full of contempt.

Xue Jiao tugged at his sleeve and shook her head: “Let’s go. Just treat it like being bumped by a dog.”

Cheng Mingze couldn’t help but smile, his eyes affectionate. He nodded and grabbed Xue Jiao’s wrist, leading her away.

Behind them, Lin Yinyin shouted, “Don’t you walk away! Who are you calling a dog?! Stop right there! I, Lin Yinyin, am not finished with you!”

Neither Cheng Mingze nor Xue Jiao paid any attention to her as they continued walking in another direction. The other students from Seventh Middle School naturally followed, leaving only Lin Yinyin’s classmates behind.

She stomped her foot in frustration, glaring hatefully at their backs, both angry and annoyed, yet still thinking about that elegant, refined boy.

“Yinyin, shall we continue taking photos?”

“What photos?! No more! Let’s go back!” Lin Yinyin angrily walked ahead.

Shulan shook her head behind her and tugged at Fangfang. “Fangfang, we can go back now. Let’s go.”

Fangfang’s gaze was still fixed on the distance. Hearing this, she sighed sourly: “Indeed, the girl who can make Lin Yinyin back down… also has to be beautiful, rich, and privileged…”

—

Evening.

“What are your plans for tonight? Still going with the teachers?” Sitting in the car on the way back, Cheng Mingze turned to ask Xue Jiao.

Xue Jiao suddenly felt a bit embarrassed and touched her head: “Well… I’m having dinner with my friend, and I’ll come back right after dinner!”

Cheng Mingze frowned his brow creasing, reflecting his current state of mind.

“Is this the friend who is both mentor and friend to you?”

“Yes.” Xue Jiao nodded.

“Did you have dinner with him last time too?”

“Yes.” Xue Jiao continued nodding.

Cheng Mingze fell silent, his gaze fixed in one direction, no longer moving.

After getting out of the car, Cheng Mingze picked up Xue Jiao’s backpack, intending to carry it into the hotel for her.

But Xue Jiao grabbed the bag strap, saying awkwardly: “I’m going to dinner first, so I’ll just carry my own bag…”

Cheng Mingze looked at her without moving. After a moment, he said in an obscure tone: “Come back early.”

“I will!” Xue Jiao nodded, waving goodbye. “I’ll bring you a late-night snack when I come back. The food at that restaurant is super delicious!”

“Okay…” Cheng Mingze nodded slowly, carrying his bag and following the others upstairs.

Xue Jiao turned around and took out her phone to send a message:

[Shall I go directly to the same place as last time?]

As always, the reply came instantly:

[I’m almost at your hotel entrance. Wait for me.]

Xue Jiao was surprised, then thought that he was being considerate, perhaps worried she wouldn’t find the place.

She had just walked from the parking lot to the hotel’s main entrance. The sky was gloomy.

At that moment, a familiar black car stopped, and the window rolled down to reveal a handsome, familiar face.

“You came so quickly!” Xue Jiao smiled, her face brightening.

Lin Zhihua’s lips curved upward, and he smiled slightly too: “I’m already hungry, so I came early. Get in.”

“I’m quite hungry too. Just thinking about that restaurant’s food makes me even hungrier!” Xue Jiao opened the passenger door, rubbing her stomach with a reminiscing expression.

Lin Zhihua couldn’t help smiling again, shaking his head, his expression relaxing.

Cheng Mingze walked out from the side of the hotel, watching the car as it passed by, and frowned slightly.

For some reason, he felt like he had seen this car somewhere before.

—

It was the same small alley.

Today, Lin Zhihua drove himself and stopped before entering the alley.

“It’s not convenient to park inside. We’ll have to walk in,” Lin Zhihua turned to explain to Xue Jiao.

Xue Jiao nodded and smiled: “That’s fine, that’s fine.”

She opened the car door and followed Lin Zhihua inside.

Shulan and Fangfang walked out of a restaurant with their classmates. Shulan couldn’t help saying, “The taste was really good… but it was so expensive…”

“Indeed.”

Shulan continued: “With such expensive prices, splitting the bill means each person…”

Fangfang pouted: “Split what? Isn’t Lin Yinyin rich? We’ve been following her around all day, what’s wrong with her treating us to a meal?”

“That doesn’t seem right… it’s not cheap after all…”

Fangfang thought about the price and smacked her lips: “Indeed, it’s a famous restaurant, and you need to book in advance. When will we ever have the chance to eat here again!”

“So unsophisticated.” Lin Yinyin walked up beside them, pouting. “What’s so special about this restaurant? There’s a restaurant inside the alley where even ordinary people with money can’t get in!”

“There’s such a restaurant?” Fangfang was surprised and curiously asked, showing none of her previous sour or disdainful attitude.

Lin Yinyin raised her chin slightly: “The chef inside is truly top-tier in the country. To eat there, you must have a card to enter. Even generally wealthy people can’t get a card no matter how much money they have!”

“Have you eaten there?”

“Of course!” Lin Yinyin raised her chin slightly, her gaze fixed on the door deep in the alley.

She had only eaten there once, and that was because someone was trying to curry favor with Lin Zhihua, so they invited the Lin family for a meal. Later, when people found out that Lin Zhihua had a bad relationship with the Lin family, no one tried to flatter them anymore.

Just as she was thinking this, Fangfang suddenly said: “Yinyin! Isn’t that the girl we met today?!”

Fangfang recognized her by her clothes, having imprinted the girl’s image in her mind.

Lin Yinyin was startled, then angrily stared at the silhouette.

The two figures had entered from the side road, heading straight for the innermost restaurant in the alley.

They watched as the two silhouettes entered that restaurant.

“She… she… she went in…” Fangfang stammered.

Lin Yinyin turned around angrily: “Look at the man beside her in the suit and tie. He’s not the boy from this afternoon. This kind of woman is a socialite! Or she’s being kept by someone. I’ve seen plenty of these types. They rely on their looks to hook rich men and climb the social ladder!”

“No way…” Shulan couldn’t help saying.

“Why not?! Just wait and see! I want to see which man she’s accompanying. Anyone who can enter that place must be a familiar face. I want to see who it is. Perhaps he’s even already married!” Lin Yinyin was furious.

Then, to prove her point, the group stood at the entrance at the tail end of winter, enduring the cold.

Shulan wanted to leave, but Fangfang held her back, wanting to stay and watch the drama unfold.

So the group stayed, waiting.

—

It was the same private room as last time. The familiar woman slowly walked over, smiling and asking: “Bringing your little girl for dinner again? What would you like to eat?”

“Bring whatever is ready first, like your stewed soup, then prepare two fish dishes and a few signature dishes,” Lin Zhihua said with a calm expression.

The woman gave him a side glance: “Always thinking of my good stuff. Alright, alright. The black chicken soup has been simmering over low heat for forty hours now, perfect for the young lady.”

She paused, “Don’t you dislike fish? Why are you ordering two?”

Xue Jiao was slightly surprised and couldn’t help asking: “You don’t eat fish?”

Lin Zhihua formed a fist and held it against his lips, saying seriously: “I eat it now. It’s quite delicious.”

“Pfft—”

The woman laughed meaningfully, shook her head, and walked out.

Soon, a table full of dishes was served. Xue Jiao scratched her head:

“Um… can I take some back for my brother?”

Lin Zhihua’s hand, which was ladling soup for her, paused, then he smiled and said: “Sure.”

He set aside the dishes meant for Cheng Mingze, and then the two of them began eating—or more precisely, Xue Jiao began eating while Lin Zhihua continuously helped her with dishes and soup.

After clearing the plates, Xue Jiao leaned back in her chair, holding her stomach: “That was so delicious!”

She looked completely satisfied: “If I could eat like this every day, even the immortals would envy this life!”

Lin Zhihua felt something stir in his heart, and a thought emerged.

Xue Jiao continued to show a satisfied smile, her eyes sparkling with contentment and joy.

At that moment, Lin Zhihua felt that the seed in his heart was taking root and sprouting, enveloping his entire heart.

He quickly averted his gaze, his voice somewhat rushed: “Let’s go. We can walk slowly to help digest.”

“Good!” Xue Jiao immediately agreed, as she indeed felt stuffed.

—

The two walked out the door, with Lin Zhihua carrying an insulated container that didn’t match his clothes at all. Xue Jiao walked beside him.

In the distance.

“Here they come!”

“Damn! This guy is way too handsome!”

“Sure enough, good-looking people hang out with other good-looking people.”

“They make a nice couple.”

“Maybe they’re just dating normally?”

…

Fangfang felt a bit sour and tugged at Lin Yinyin’s sleeve: “Yinyin, who is that man? Is he keeping her? Does he have a wife?”

Lin Yinyin’s face had already changed color, turning frighteningly pale, but Fangfang hadn’t noticed.

“Let’s go!”

“What did you say?” The others were startled.

“I said, let’s go quickly!” Lin Yinyin said through gritted teeth.

She didn’t know if the man beside that girl was keeping her, but she did know that the man was a demon!

A ruthless, merciless demon!

—

Xue Jiao looked up at the sky. Small snowflakes were falling.

“It’s snowing…”

Lin Zhihua nodded and pushed her to the doorway, where she wouldn’t be touched by the snow.

“Wait for me here. If you’re cold, go inside. I’ll go get our things.”

“Hey— let’s just run over together. The snow isn’t heavy,” Xue Jiao suggested.

She recalled how she had endured that ice and snow during the annual party…

She suddenly thought of Yi Tianyu and felt her stomach hurt even more.

Lin Zhihua shook his head: “Snow is also water. Don’t catch a cold. Wait for me.”

He said this and ran off quickly.

Soon, he ran back, his shoulders slightly damp. Xue Jiao was about to say something when a large red shawl was wrapped around her neck.

“Wrap it well. Don’t catch cold,” Lin Zhihua said softly, without any inappropriate gestures.

Then he stretched out his hand and opened a large black umbrella, sheltering them both so that not a single snowflake could reach them.

Lin Zhihua spoke gently, very tenderly: “Let’s go.”

Author’s Note: Lin Zhihua: Without comparison, there is no harm.

Yi Tianyu: ……