After Ge Donglin finished speaking, Xue Jiao’s expression became somewhat strange.

She wanted to say something but didn’t know how to begin.

Beside her, Zeng Bin nodded in agreement, “Yes, I haven’t heard about any projects being organized by the renowned experts in the Physics Department recently. There’s no need to participate in other projects with lower value!”

Xue Jiao took a deep breath. Zeng Bin and Ge Donglin were both well-intentioned towards her, but for some reason, these words made her unhappy.

“Seniors, it’s not necessary. I’m very interested in that physics project. Thank you for your consideration.”

Xue Jiao paused after speaking, then continued, “If it’s about the application of Fermat’s Theorem, it’s actually not a big issue and doesn’t necessarily require my participation. The proof process is fully explained in my paper. Although I don’t know in which direction seniors want to research its application, I think other students could also do it.”

As she finished speaking, Zeng Bin’s brows furrowed slightly, “Has your project been officially approved by the school?”

Xue Jiao nodded, “It’s already been approved by the school. I have matters to attend to, so goodbye, seniors.”

Having said all she needed to say, she quickly left.

Xue Jiao didn’t understand why they insisted on inviting her for Fermat-related work.

But she only thought about it briefly before immediately forgetting it, quickening her pace towards the school gate. Lin Zhihua… had he been waiting long?

Meanwhile, Zeng Bin and Ge Donglin, who remained behind, were somewhat displeased. Zeng Bin couldn’t help saying, “Let’s see exactly what project she’s joined, insisting on offering herself to the Physics Department!”

As they spoke, they began taking out their phones to log in and check the project approval status.

“Chu Sheng? Who’s that?”

“I think he’s a freshman, reportedly quite capable,” Ge Donglin thought for a moment and explained.

Zeng Bin frowned slightly, “What kind of project are two freshmen tinkering with? Gu Xuejiao will regret rejecting us for this!”

He spoke while casually clicking to continue viewing.

“Zheng Jiakun!” Zeng Bin’s frown deepened.

Zheng Jiakun was only one year below them, with formidable skills and quite famous even in the Mathematics Department.

“How is Zheng Jiakun also participating?”

Zeng Bin’s frown deepened even further, not answering Ge Donglin’s question.

After a moment, he raised his voice, “Yang Zhan?! Zhang Han?!”

“Who?” Ge Donglin was startled.

“Is Yang Zhan the one from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences?! Is Zhang Han the one from Peking University?!” Zeng Bin’s voice was horrified.

But it was just for an instant before he immediately turned and said, “No wonder she’s unwilling to join us. With this lineup, how could they not produce something significant!”

Zeng Bin wore an expression of sudden realization.

“Then it seems she can’t possibly join our project…”

Zeng Bin’s eyes lit up, and he suddenly said, “Since they have such a lineup, they’ll produce remarkable results. Why don’t we try to join their project instead?”

——

Xue Jiao walked hurriedly to the school gate. At that moment, a familiar figure stood waiting, a man with a smile on his face watching her.

Her eyes brightened, and she quickly ran over.

When she reached Lin Zhihua, they exchanged smiles. He extended his hand, and Xue Jiao placed hers in it, their fingers intertwining tightly.

Both were usually busy, so their opportunities to meet weren’t particularly frequent, which made their longing for each other especially intense.

They both understood each other’s busyness but would miss each other in those rare moments of leisure.

Lin Zhihua’s hand was both larger and warmer compared to Xue Jiao’s, tightly enveloping her small hand. It felt as if their hearts, like their hands, were pressed together.

There was some silence between them as they walked a few steps. Suddenly, Xue Jiao said, “I missed you a bit.”

Lin Zhihua’s foot paused, but only for a moment before continuing forward.

Once they reached the parking area where there were fewer people, Lin Zhihua reached out and embraced Xue Jiao, holding her tightly in his arms.

He took a deep breath and then said, “I want to marry you soon, so I can see you every night.”

They currently don’t spend much time together each week. They would video call at night, but for Lin Zhihua, it still wasn’t enough, seemed like drinking poison to quench their thirst.

If they were married, they would at least spend eight hours together every day.

Being embraced in broad daylight, Xue Jiao still felt somewhat embarrassed. Combined with Lin Zhihua’s words, she gently pushed him away, giving him a sidelong glance, “What are you thinking!”

Lin Zhihua reached out and lightly flicked her forehead, “Hurry up and grow two more years.”

Xue Jiao’s face reddened as she glared at him.

Lin Zhihua smiled, opened the car door, and after Xue Jiao sat down, he entered from the other side into the driver’s seat and started the car.

On the way to Wu Liu Lane, they chatted casually. Xue Jiao talked about the project without direction, the impressive Zhang Han, and what had just happened.

“I always feel they don’t need me. I don’t know why they’re so eager for me to participate in their project,” Xue Jiao tilted her head, looking at Lin Zhihua’s perfect profile.

Lin Zhihua just smiled and shook his head, “Silly girl, their reason for wanting you to join the project is quite simple. They want to work on something related to Fermat’s Theorem. You have the capability, but you’re still just a freshman, so they don’t value you that much. But even knowing you’ll have more courses in your sophomore year, they still invite you, simply because they want to borrow your reputation.”

“Huh?” Xue Jiao was startled, somewhat surprised.

“You’ve connected with Professor Tan Zhongying, and among your peers, you’ve interacted with Zhang Han, Yang Zhan, Zheng Jiakun, and Chu Sheng. They are all single-mindedly focused on research and science, but not everyone in academia is like that. Coincidentally, haven’t you just encountered Zeng Bin and Ge Donglin? Jiaojiao, we shouldn’t view the world with a negative perspective, but we must also recognize that your exposure to academia isn’t all harmonious and perfect,” Lin Zhihua said softly.

Xue Jiao was somewhat stunned. Indeed, she had encountered many impressive and dedicated academic figures, which almost led her to believe everyone was like that.

She had just told Ge Donglin and Zeng Bin not to overgeneralize, yet she had done the same…

Seeing her lost in thought, Lin Zhihua smiled and said, “People like them aren’t just these two; there are many more, perhaps even more than those who bury themselves in academia. How about it, can’t accept it?”

Xue Jiao was silent for a while, then nodded and shook her head.

“What does that mean?” Lin Zhihua curiously glanced at her with his peripheral vision.

Xue Jiao suddenly looked up, her expression serious, her voice earnest, “I do find it somewhat hard to accept, but I know about this situation. Professor Tan mentioned before that society’s pace is too fast nowadays, and people’s utilitarian mindset is heavy, so those dedicated to academia are few. But I can accept it. After all, those willing to single-mindedly focus on academic research might not be many, but they’re not few either. I just need to do my best and work hard together with like-minded friends. The efforts of our group will always be worthwhile.”

Lin Zhihua smiled, his eyes full of love, “Yes, your thinking is quite right.”

He was a businessman, striving relentlessly, never rising early without profit, calculating every move, and being ruthless when necessary.

But Jiaojiao wasn’t like that, and she didn’t want to be like that.

Lin Zhihua would point out the calculations placed before her, but he wouldn’t interfere with her decisions.

Because this was who Xue Jiao was, not another Lin Zhihua.

——

The two had a meal at Wu Liu Lane, which counted as their date.

After the meal, Lin Zhihua looked somewhat disappointed, “You, a student, are even busier than I am. Our date time is just enough for a meal, and then you have to go back again.”

Xue Jiao raised her hand, soothingly touching his face, “Be good, I have a group meeting tomorrow, so I must hurry back to study tonight.”

Feeling the warmth on his face, Lin Zhihua resigned, “Alright, I’ll send you back.”

He held Xue Jiao’s hand as they walked towards the parking area.

The time they spent together always seemed particularly brief, but due to their busyness, they had to part.

The car stopped outside Xue Jiao’s neighborhood. Lin Zhihua got out of the car with Xue Jiao, still looking disappointed.

“You’re just going to leave like this?” Lin Zhihua slightly bent down, lowering his head.

Xue Jiao was startled, then her cheeks reddened slightly as she stood on her tiptoes to lightly kiss his forehead.

This man… really.

Sometimes he was so smart and handsome, and other times he was like a child with a disappointed face.

Lin Zhihua looked at her, his gaze slightly hazy—

“I think… we can practice a bit more…”

He lowered his head, capturing Jiaojiao’s lips, then tentatively trying to part them.

His movements were awkward.

Xue Jiao froze, staring at him foolishly, until they separated with flushed faces and she came back to her senses.

Lin Zhihua chuckled lightly, “You should go back now. We’ll continue practicing next time.”

Next time?

Xue Jiao’s face turned bright red. She glared at him before quickly running away.

Lin Zhihua turned around with a light laugh, his gaze meeting Cheng Mingze’s dark face.

Cheng Mingze had seen everything…

Lin Zhihua smiled, showing his teeth, and winked, “Brother, see you next time.”

He got in the car, drove away, and in the blink of an eye, the car was out of sight.

Brother?

Cheng Mingze: “…”

Damn! Who wants to be your brother?!

That beast who took liberties with my sister!

——

At eight o’clock on Saturday morning, Xue Jiao arrived at the laboratory on time. Chu Sheng and Zheng Jiakun, both living on campus, had already arrived. They waited for about ten minutes before Yang Zhan and Zhang Han also arrived.

This was Xue Jiao’s second time seeing Yang Zhan, the first being at the mathematics competition during her second year of high school.

“Hello, Senior Zhang Han, hello, Senior Yang Zhan!”

Zhang Han still nodded expressionlessly, while Yang Zhan beside her smiled and extended his hand, “I’ve met you before, Gu Xuejiao.”

Xue Jiao smiled and extended her hand, “I’ve long admired you, Senior Yang Zhan.”

“You’re quite capable, of intercepting my plan, hahaha.” Yang Zhan said with a smile, his expression joking.

So Xue Jiao also joked, “The early bird catches the worm.”

“Hahaha, little Junior has some wit,” Yang Zhan chuckled.

Yang Zhan’s personality was quite different from Zhang Han’s, Zheng Jiakun’s, and others. He wore glasses and had a somewhat extroverted personality, occasionally making jokes.

But soon, when they began discussing, Yang Zhan immediately became serious and focused.

Even when refuting Zhang Han, he was quite blunt.

Whether it was Zhang Han or Yang Zhan, or Zheng Jiakun and Chu Sheng, they were all quite proficient in physics. The discussion among them was lively.

Compared to them, Xue Jiao was an “outsider,” so she didn’t speak the entire time, only occasionally taking notes.

The meeting continued until noon without deciding on the next step.

“Earth’s magnetic field can’t support actual objects; Earth’s gravity is too strong. If we electrify it, it would be no different from the current magnetic levitation.”

“I mean, let’s try electrifying it to see how much the magnetic disc needs to resist gravity and air resistance.”

“Then we don’t need to electrify it. Once the magnetic disc is made, I can calculate it for you directly!”

…

The group argued heatedly. It was already past noon, and still, there was no conclusion.

As they argued, they felt none of the suggestions were good enough, but there were no better ideas either.

At this moment, Xue Jiao put down her pen and said softly, “Why not try superimposing the magnetic fields?”

Her voice was very soft, but almost the moment she finished speaking, there was no other sound at the table.