Obviously, she must have encountered this type of unpleasant situation before, which made her so angry upon seeing Xue Jiao.

Xue Jiao stared at her in total confusion.

“Leave now!” The female student’s eyes widened. “If you don’t leave, I’ll have to call security!”

As she spoke, she had already taken out her phone, posturing as if about to make a call.

Her actions were swift and fierce, not giving Xue Jiao any chance to speak.

“What’s going on?” At this moment, a slightly elderly voice came from nearby.

Both of them were startled and turned around abruptly.

“Professor Tan, you’re back…” The senior sister spoke respectfully, completely different from her previous attitude.

Xue Jiao also concealed her excitement at seeing Professor Tan and said obediently, “Hello, Professor Tan.”

“I could hear Xu Jing’s voice from far away. What’s happening here?” Professor Tan asked. He had heard most of what happened when he was approaching.

That female student Xu Jing stepped forward, “Professor Tan, this girl isn’t from our school. She came to us…”

Professor Tan waved his hand, interrupting her.

“I invited her here. From now on, she’ll be your junior sister. She just finished her college entrance exams this year.”

Xu Jing was shocked and looked at Xue Jiao in disbelief.

Just finished her college entrance exams? Logically speaking, admission letters hadn’t even been sent out yet, and she was already here studying with Professor Tan?!

Someone with connections?

Impossible. Professor Tan was upright and would never casually accept someone based on connections.

Xu Jing was confused for a moment, staring blankly at them.

Professor Tan turned to look at Xue Jiao and smiled, “Gu Xue Jiao, this is your senior sister Xu Jing. She’s very capable, just a bit hot-tempered.”

Gu Xue Jiao!!

Xu Jing’s pupils contracted, looking at her in disbelief.

This person was Gu Xue Jiao!

After a moment, Xu Jing lowered her head, wishing she could just disappear into the ground.

Xue Jiao smiled, her tone teasing, “I can see that… Senior Sister, please take good care of me in the future!”

Xu Jing: “…”

Her head dropped even lower, wishing she could burrow into the ground.

“Xu Jing, you should be more careful in the future. At least ask questions first before acting.” Professor Tan’s words were mild, but even this casual remark made Xu Jing’s face turn bright red, her heart pounding.

But she also felt slightly relieved. Fortunately, Gu Xue Jiao was just teasing. If she had complained, it would have left a very bad impression on Professor Tan!

Their voices were neither loud nor soft. The people in Room 305 also heard Professor Tan seemingly criticizing Xu Jing. They all immediately stopped writing and pricked up their ears to listen.

“Yes…” When Xu Jing uttered these two words, even her neck was flushed red.

Professor Tan waved his hand, “Alright. Gu Xue Jiao, come with me to my office. Xu Jing, prepare a desk for her now. She’ll temporarily join you all to help with your projects.”

“Okay.” Xu Jing tensed up.

Professor Tan nodded with a smile. He had his considerations. There weren’t many female students on his team, and since Xue Jiao was a young girl, it would be better for her to follow a senior sister.

Although Xu Jing had a bit of a temper, she wasn’t a bad person. She was quite straightforward.

His team currently had only two undergraduate students, Xu Jing and Zheng Jia Kun, and occasionally he would bring in other undergraduates to help when projects got busy.

Zheng Jia Kun had important roles, so most of the time, Xu Jing was in a position to lead the undergraduates. She was strict and could manage the students well…

But there were also many drawbacks. However, he didn’t have a more suitable person at the moment, and Xu Jing was already in her senior year…

Professor Tan’s gaze fell on Xue Jiao beside him, and he imperceptibly shook his head.

This girl was still too young. To train her to manage others would take at least until sophomore or junior year, and even then… she might not be suitable for it. Ah well.

No one knew what he was thinking. He simply said, “Let’s go.”

Xue Jiao smiled at Xu Jing and quickly followed Professor Tan into his office.

Xu Jing stood rooted to the spot, her scalp still tingling.

It was someone Professor Tan had invited!

She had just embarrassed herself terribly!

After a moment, she stiffly walked into Room 305.

The people inside had heard some of what happened, but they didn’t know clearly who had arrived.

“Senior Sister, who’s coming?” asked a sophomore mathematics major who was there to help.

Xu Jing frowned, feeling awkward about losing face in front of the juniors she managed.

But she still maintained a serious expression and said, “A new person is coming to Professor Tan’s office, an undergraduate.”

All the undergraduates who were there to help immediately looked up.

Having a “new person” come was different from having someone come to help.

Those who came to help would leave after finishing their tasks. For example, if Professor Tan currently needed people skilled in calculus, he would find a few to help, and they would leave after a few days.

If they wanted to come back, they would have to wait for another opportunity.

But a new person was different, especially if they were being given a desk. This meant they could stay there permanently.

Whenever there was time or need, they could assist with every project.

One male student furrowed his brows tightly. He was a freshman, about to become a sophomore in the fall.

“Who is it? What year are they in?”

“A new person, a freshman starting in September,” Xu Jing said, and indeed, she was met with a wave of shocked faces.

She immediately felt a bit better. She shouldn’t be the only one getting shocked!

“How is that possible? Haven’t even admission letters been sent out yet for new students?”

“Right, and what would a new student know? Differential calculus or advanced algebra?”

“How could this be?”

Someone more outspoken lowered their voice and asked Xu Jing, “Senior Sister… is it someone with connections?”

Xu Jing took a deep breath and said, “This person, you may have heard of. She was even reposted on the forum a few days ago.”

“Who?”

“Gu Xue Jiao,” Xu Jing slowly uttered this name.

“…”

Damn, isn’t that the first-prize winner in mathematics last year and this year’s top scorer with 731 points?!

She’s already been brought into Professor Tan’s team?

Aren’t they afraid she’s just a bookworm who only knows how to study?!

Suddenly, the entire group fell into an existential crisis.

Xue Jiao sat across from Professor Tan. On the desk was a computer, and beside it was a bookshelf filled with mathematics-related books.

Upon entering, there was a large table by the door with a big diagram on it, some kind of structural diagram.

Xue Jiao only glanced at it casually, not daring to stare.

“Student Gu Xue Jiao, first, congratulations on your excellent performance in the college entrance exam,” Professor Tan smiled as he congratulated her.

Xue Jiao scratched her head embarrassedly, “Thank you, Professor.”

“I said it last year, I admire you a lot. If possible, I’d like to continue guiding you. Xu Jing has prepared a desk for you. Although the college entrance exam is over, I hope you won’t slacken. If you do and can’t keep up with the pace, I won’t be able to let you join the team as an undergraduate anymore. Do you understand?” Professor Tan was very serious as he said this.

Xue Jiao understood his meaning—she needed to keep up with her studies while also learning in the team. If she couldn’t manage both, she would have to leave the team and focus on her studies.

She looked at the professor, her voice firm and sincere, “I understand. I will keep up.”

Professor Tan relaxed his expression and smiled again, “Then first follow your Senior Sister Xu Jing for a few days and help them out. Your theoretical knowledge is still insufficient, so you can’t be of much help for now.”

Xue Jiao nodded in agreement, “Alright.”

Afterward, they discussed some issues about coming early.

Finally, Professor Tan said, “Go ahead. I hope choosing Tsinghua will prove to be the most correct decision you’ve made.”

Xue Jiao smiled, her eyes filled with a bright light—

“It will be.”

Her direction was already progressing toward her goal.

When Xue Jiao arrived at Room 305, everyone else had left, with only Xu Jing remaining.

She sensitively felt that Xu Jing was waiting for her.

“You’re here. Want to go eat together?” Xu Jing indeed asked.

Xue Jiao nodded and smiled, “Sure.”

Eating together was also a process of reconciliation.

Xu Jing nodded, organized her desk a bit, and then took Xue Jiao to eat.

“What about your campus card?” Xu Jing asked her on the way.

“Professor Tan said that while everyone is still at work, he’ll find someone to help me get a temporary one this afternoon. When I officially register in September, the school will issue one,” Xue Jiao explained.

Xu Jing nodded without saying anything.

Silence fell between them for quite a while. As they approached the cafeteria, Xu Jing suddenly said, “I’m sorry, I was a bit irritable today. Previously, someone came in who was just a visitor taking photos, which made Professor Zheng furious, so I…”

As an undergraduate on the team, she was still cautious, afraid of not doing well.

Today, seeing someone who wasn’t from the school come in, her first instinct was to chase them away. If Professor Tan had seen it, it would have been her failure!

Regardless of whether Gu Xue Jiao had the ability or was just a bookworm, as long as she was someone Professor Tan valued, Xu Jing didn’t want to offend her.

Therefore, she sincerely apologized and explained.

Xue Jiao shook her head, “It’s fine. I didn’t explain clearly either.”

She gave Xu Jing a way out. In fact, in that situation, Xu Jing hadn’t given her a chance to speak.

Xu Jing herself seemed to have realized this as well. The entire meal was awkward, with little conversation.

In the afternoon, Xu Jing took Xue Jiao back to Room 305. By then, many people had returned after lunch.

As they entered, people inside were talking quietly.

“The bag is already placed there. It seems she is valued by Professor Tan…”

“Indeed, but I wonder if she’s just a bookworm?”

“The top scorer in our year, look at her now, apart from memorizing books and reading books all day, what else can she do?”

“I heard this Gu Xue Jiao is quite pretty?”

“Don’t always listen to those random rumors. Some people say she’s ugly too.”

“When will they come back?”

…

“Ahem,” Xu Jing coughed at the doorway.

Immediately, the voices inside ceased.

Xu Jing frowned and brought Xue Jiao in.

Xue Jiao was dressed simply today, but attractive people look good in anything.

Her clothes were simple yet elegant, and her jeans made her legs look slender and straight.

She didn’t need powder on her face; it was already very fair. Her eyes were large, and now she was smiling at them, her eyes curved.

For a moment, the room was extremely quiet.

Xu Jing became even more serious and coughed again, “This is Gu Xue Jiao. From now on, she’ll be your junior sister.”

Her words broke the silence, and suddenly, the room became lively.

“Welcome—” someone led the applause.

Xue Jiao smiled shyly, “Thank you everyone. Hello to all my senior brothers and sisters.”

“Little junior sister, we’ve heard a lot about you, hahaha!”

“Yes, little junior sister, how did you score so high on the exam?”

“Little junior sister is a little beauty, haha!”

“Is this a little beauty? This is a super gorgeous beauty! So the rumors about the campus belle were true!”

“Zhao Ping, what kind of look is that? Little junior sister is still young, don’t look at her that way!”

“Oh, Zhao Ping is blushing!”

“Hahaha—”

“Bang—” Xu Jing slapped a ruler on the desk, her face very serious.

“Back to work, back to work. Today we must send this data to next door!”

“Oh—” the others hurriedly nodded, immediately not daring to joke any more.

Xue Jiao noticed several people imperceptibly pouting, but they said nothing and began working.

Xu Jing didn’t assign her any tasks, clearly feeling that she couldn’t do anything.

The other seniors also focused on their tasks. Although some would occasionally glance at her, no one spoke to her anymore.

Xue Jiao wasn’t in a hurry to get involved. She didn’t even know what they were doing, so there was no need to rush.

The entire afternoon, Xue Jiao went with Professor Tan to get a card, and when she returned, she continued to stay in the office.

Sometimes Xu Jing would ask her to fetch something, but she still didn’t assign her any actual tasks.

Xue Jiao observed quietly.

Room 305 had seven people including Xu Jing, all working on geometry-related drawings and calculus calculations.

Throughout the afternoon, Xue Jiao learned that these undergraduates were only responsible for a very basic part of a project—they just helped with calculations and drawing diagrams.

After Xu Jing checked the results three times and confirmed there were no errors, she sent them to Room 307, the graduate students’ office.

That door remained closed. Professor Tan went in twice, but the door didn’t open again.

When Xue Jiao had nothing to do, she would take notes in her notebook, roughly recording what each senior was doing.

At six in the evening, Xu Jing told Xue Jiao to go home.

This was what Professor Tan had instructed. If there was nothing to do, let Xue Jiao leave early and not stay late.

The school didn’t have a bed for her, and it wasn’t good for a girl to go home too late.

Summarizing this afternoon, Xue Jiao concluded—

She was just a placeholder…

“They were very nice to me, but they were all busy and didn’t have time to talk to me,” Xue Jiao said as she flipped through the calculus book she had borrowed from Cheng Ming Ze.

She had the phone on speaker, placed on one side of her desk.

On the other end of the phone, Lin Zhi Hua’s voice was soft—

“Your senior sister seems quite strict. If she’s not overly ambitious, that’s fine, but as for her specific personality, it’s only been one day, so you can’t tell yet.”

Xue Jiao nodded, “Yes, I don’t have any bad impressions of her, but I also feel that she and I might not be the same type of person.”

Lin Zhi Hua laughed, a soft laugh transmitted through the speaker.

“What are you laughing at?” Xue Jiao asked helplessly.

“Laughing at how cute you are,” Lin Zhi Hua’s voice held both amusement and seriousness. “At your stage, there’s no need to pay too much attention to these things. As long as you don’t become enemies with your seniors, that’s fine. You definitely can’t offend everyone; professors don’t like people who are disliked by the entire team.”

Xue Jiao nodded, “I understand.”

“But unless you truly share the same ideals, there’s no need to form close relationships. Ability is still the most important,” Lin Zhi Hua instructed earnestly.

Xue Jiao continued to nod, very forcefully, in complete agreement.

“Many of their calculations require calculus. I’m preparing to study it now so that I won’t be completely useless in the future. Sigh, this is what happens when your knowledge base hasn’t caught up,” she said.

She had joined the team early but hadn’t yet learned the knowledge needed. To keep up with the team, she had to work hard privately.

“Yes, you can learn in advance the knowledge that will definitely be used,” Lin Zhi Hua agreed.

“So, Mr. Lin, I need to hang up and study now,” Xue Jiao chuckled, opening her pen cap.

Lin Zhi Hua paused slightly. He was somewhat reluctant to let go of her voice.

“Ahem,” Lin Zhi Hua coughed once, “I have nothing to do tonight. Would you like me to teach you some calculus?”

“Huh… huh?!” Xue Jiao was startled.

The voice on the phone was soft, “My calculus and analytical geometry scores were all perfect. I have a method for quick mastery. Would you like it?”

Xue Jiao’s eyes lit up, and she nodded continuously, “Yes, yes, yes, yes!”

Lin Zhi Hua was always intelligent. If he said he had a quick method, it would be much faster than her reading the books herself!

However, after she spoke, the call was hung up. Xue Jiao was taken aback.

Shortly after, a video call from Lin Zhi Hua came in.

Xue Jiao smiled and answered.

On the other end, Lin Zhi Hua sat in a chair in his study. The camera was focused on him. He held a pen in his hand and smiled at Xue Jiao—

“Well then, class is about to begin. Please be serious.”

Xue Jiao immediately sat up straight, her expression serious, “Teacher Lin, please begin.”

There was a moment of silence on the other end, then Lin Zhi Hua couldn’t maintain his composure and laughed first.

“You.”

He pressed his fist against his lips and coughed once, “Alright, let’s begin.”

“All calculations, especially mathematical calculations, whether higher mathematics or elementary mathematics, ultimately come down to several different formulas combined with addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division operations…”

Xue Jiao listened attentively, occasionally writing or drawing.

The next few days continued like this. During the day, Xue Jiao went to the office where everyone was working, and she would sit in her position reading books and calculating.

If someone asked her to fetch something or help read data, Xue Jiao would go help.

When they didn’t call her, she would sit quietly at her place reading.

At night, she would video call with Lin Zhi Hua, bringing her questions and summaries.

His quick method was actually using the simplest approach to help Xue Jiao digest the knowledge, identifying the logic within it, just like when he taught her competitive mathematics years ago.

Newton, Leibniz, L’Hôpital, Taylor…

Or limits, calculus, series…

The topics in higher mathematics, compared to the mathematics she had learned before, were almost like entirely different subjects.

But the essence of things is continuous. As long as it’s mathematics, there are connections.

After several days of Lin Zhi Hua’s teaching, Xue Jiao had to admit that his educational ability was the strongest she had ever seen.

In just a few hours, he could teach her nearly half a book.

During the day, she would digest the details herself.

On this day, approaching dinner time.

Xu Jing exhaled deeply, finally revealing a smile.

“Alright, alright, thank you, everyone. We’re done here. Thank you all for your hard work.”

Xue Jiao was slightly startled and looked up.

Did this mean the project they were needed for was finished? So these six undergraduates could leave and didn’t need to come back?

“It’s not hard work at all. It’s our honor to help,” several people smiled.

Xu Jing nodded, her expression relaxed, “We’ve recorded everyone’s help, and Professor Tan knows about it. When the project bonus comes in, we’ll contact you juniors! Thank you for your hard work!”

“No problem, no problem,” the others all smiled cheerfully.

Then, Xu Jing took the data to Room 307, leaving only the other six undergraduates and Xue Jiao in the office.

Among them, two male students nudged each other and came over.

“Zhao Ping, say it!” one senior brother pushed the other.

The one being pushed stammered and hesitated.

Xue Jiao gave a polite, distant smile, “Senior brother, is there something you need?”

Zhao Ping looked at her, his face flushed red as he said, “Junior Sister Gu Gu Gu Gu Xue Jiao, would you like to go eat together?”

Xue Jiao shook her head, still very polite, “No need, senior brother. I go home for dinner in the evening.”

“Oh… okay…” Zhao Ping’s face turned even redder. He responded but didn’t say anything more.

The others laughed and teased him. Xue Jiao said nothing and lowered her head to continue reading.

During her previous high school life, Yi Tian Yu would occasionally be teased like this by others.

But at that time, she had kept a distance from her classmates, so they didn’t dare go too far.

Plus, Yi Tian Yu had a strong temper. Whoever teased him would receive a glare, and then no one would dare say anything more.

On that rainy day, Xue Jiao knew she and he weren’t suitable for each other.

She had always known it. Their thoughts, and their ideas, were very different.

Xue Jiao hadn’t contacted him since coming to Beijing, and Yi Tian Yu hadn’t contacted her either.

But at least she knew Yi Tian Yu had applied to Fudan University.

Xue Jiao shook her head, bringing her thoughts back, and continued staring at her book.

Zhao Ping and the others left. Not just Zhao Ping, but all the other undergraduates packed up and left.

After they had gone, Xue Jiao checked the time and decided to finish the comprehensive problems she was working on before leaving.

But she was curious. Hadn’t Xu Jing gone to deliver the data? Why hadn’t she come back after so long?

She lowered her head, no longer thinking about this question, and began solving problems with a “scribble, scribble, scribble.”

Lin Zhi Hua was right. Although university mathematics was much deeper than high school mathematics, it was still mathematics, still an integration of foundational knowledge.

Xue Jiao liked mathematics. From her previous life to this one, mathematics had always been her favorite subject.

Solving problems was very interesting to her.

She had just finished writing and was putting away her books.

“Tap, tap, tap—” rapid footsteps approached.

Xue Jiao looked up to see a young man and Xu Jing coming over.

“Gu Xue Jiao, where is everyone?!” Xu Jing’s voice was very anxious.

Xue Jiao immediately replied, “They’ve already left.”

“How long ago did they leave?!”

“About half an hour ago…”

Xu Jing’s brows were tightly knit, “Those guys!”

Xue Jiao glanced at the young man frowning beside them, then looked at Xu Jing, “Senior Sister, what’s wrong?”

“They made a calculation error in one place! Everything calculated today has to be redone!” Xu Jing was very angry and stamped her foot.

She was truly furious. Today, to finish quickly, she had only let them check their work, and she had only checked once, not noticing any problems.

But as soon as she took it to the other office, this person beside her found the issue.

Fortunately, he discovered it. Otherwise, if the data had been used directly for the next step, she would have made a serious mistake!

“What?” Xue Jiao was also stunned.

“I’ll call them back!” Xu Jing stamped her foot.

The young man beside her waved his hand, his voice steady, “Forget it, Senior Sister. Let’s calculate it ourselves.”

Senior Sister?

Xue Jiao looked up at the young man.

She realized who he was. This was the other undergraduate in Professor Tan’s team besides her senior sister, and he was only a freshman, becoming a sophomore in September.

He was now working with the graduate students. His name was Zheng Jia Kun.

“But can the two of us finish the calculations?” Xu Jing asked.

Zheng Jia Kun nodded, “We can today, but it will be a bit late.”

As he spoke, he was already sitting down at the large table.

Xu Jing sighed and sat down across from him.

Xue Jiao put down her backpack that she had already picked up and smiled—

“Senior Sister, let me calculate too.”

“You?” Xu Jing frowned.

After a moment, she said, “You can’t do it. The calculation volume is very large, all university-level mathematics with a lot of differential equations. You should go home now. Don’t disturb us.”

“I’ve finished learning calculus already, Senior Sister. Let me try,” Xue Jiao said.

“You really can’t do it. These calculations are very important. Don’t disturb us…”

Zheng Jia Kun interrupted Xu Jing, “You’re Gu Xue Jiao?”

“Yes,” Xue Jiao nodded with a smile.

Zheng Jia Kun also nodded and pointed to the other side of the table.

“Sit down and start calculating.”

Xu Jing’s brows were tightly furrowed, her face showing clear disapproval.

Xue Jiao nodded and quickly went over.

All university-level knowledge?

She couldn’t do it?

Whether she could or couldn’t, she had to try to find out.