Lin Zhixia strolled along the street and quickly found a shopping mall.
She held Jiang Yubai’s hand as they walked through the main entrance, with daylight pouring down from above. She looked up at the roof, where interlaced metal strips formed a tight net supporting the arched glass ceiling.
Not far from the entrance was an accessory store called “Pandora.” Lin Zhixia liked a pair of star-shaped earrings in the shop. She wanted to buy them, but she had never had her ears pierced.
Lin Zhixia glanced at Jiang Yubai. His actions surprised her. He was selecting bracelets. He took out a silver chain embedded with stars from the glass cabinet and placed it on Lin Zhixia’s left wrist.
With her snow-white skin and slender fingers, the silver chain suited Lin Zhixia perfectly. Jiang Yubai asked if she liked it, and when she said she did, he immediately went to pay. Lin Zhixia quickly stopped him: “You don’t need to buy things for me.”
He took out a bank card: “The bracelet is only 70 pounds, not expensive.”
70 British pounds, equivalent to seven hundred yuan RMB.
In Lin Zhixia’s mind, seven hundred yuan was a lot of money.
So, she explained: “For me, 70 pounds for a bracelet is a bit expensive.”
Lin Zhixia spoke very sincerely and openly. She didn’t want Jiang Yubai to disrupt her spending habits. She just wanted to shop casually and carefree, without having Jiang Yubai buy her whatever she liked. She also felt that Jiang Yubai was particularly understanding, and that if she discussed it with him, he would respect her wishes.
The shop assistant waited patiently nearby, but Jiang Yubai put his bank card back in his pocket. He apologized to the assistant and left the store with Lin Zhixia.
Outside the store, Jiang Yubai happened to meet some of his classmates.
Jiang Yubai had a wide circle of friends. He knew people from different majors and different colleges. The few classmates approaching him were undergraduate students from the Computer Science department. After exchanging greetings, someone asked if Lin Zhixia was his friend.
Jiang Yubai formally introduced: “She is my girlfriend.”
As soon as the word “girlfriend” left his mouth, Jiang Yubai felt something subtle. He held Lin Zhixia’s wrist lightly, not daring to apply pressure. He remembered when they played together as children, occasionally grabbing each other’s backpack straps… Those happy and fun childhood memories made him smile faintly, adding, “She is also my best friend.”
After hearing his words, Jiang Yubai’s classmates weren’t surprised—university students dating was perfectly normal. They chatted with Lin Zhixia, asking what she was studying. She didn’t hide anything and directly said: “I’ve completed my undergraduate degree and am now a first-year doctoral student in the same college as Jiang Yubai.”
She also added, “Jiang Yubai and I are the same age.”
The student standing across from her exclaimed, “Wow.”
Another classmate stammered slightly: “We’re… going shopping now, let’s chat again when we have time.”
Lin Zhixia smiled at them warmly.
After they had walked away, Lin Zhixia quietly asked Jiang Yubai: “Are your teaching assistants doctoral students? I heard that you undergraduates all have supervisors. In your context, the word ‘supervisor’ can be translated as mentor, but I think the job content is like a teaching assistant, giving weekly classes to your undergraduate groups, helping answer your questions…”
She paused for a moment and mused: “Perhaps I could be a teaching assistant for undergraduate students in computer science, mathematics, physics, or chemistry.”
Fortunately, she didn’t mention economics.
Jiang Yubai felt like he had dodged a bullet.
Lin Zhixia’s published papers involved marine physics, high-performance computing, and quantum physics, which had little to do with economics. Jiang Yubai encouraged her without reservation: “When you meet the research group students tomorrow, you can ask them—they’re all graduate students. Previously, a classmate mentioned to me that if you want to be an undergraduate supervisor, you first write an application, attach your resume, get selected by the department, then attend training… something like that process.”
“Alright,” Lin Zhixia replied with enthusiasm.
*
Lin Zhixia and Jiang Yubai spent most of the day shopping and bought many necessities.
Around five or six in the afternoon, most shops closed, and Lin Zhixia wanted to go home too. As usual, Jiang Yubai escorted her back to the dormitory and sat in her room for a while. She entertained him enthusiastically, personally making him a cup of milk tea. The two sat on the edge of the bed, each holding a cup. The milky flavor mixed with the aroma of black tea drifted around them like smoke and mist. Such a simple, brief time together made Lin Zhixia feel completely satisfied.
She lowered her head and said, “I like you so much.”
He responded: “That’s exactly what I want to say to you.”
Her eyes brightened: “I know.”
He laughed softly.
Before leaving, Jiang Yubai and she arranged their next meeting time. The day after tomorrow in the afternoon, Jiang Yubai had no classes, and if Lin Zhixia wasn’t going to the laboratory, they could study together in the university library.
Lin Zhixia was full of interest in his life. She had seen various photos of him at school and wanted to personally participate in his daily activities. She readily agreed and even walked him to the entrance of the dormitory building.
*
The next morning, Lin Zhixia went straight to her supervisor’s office.
Her supervisor chatted with her for half an hour, helped her determine her research topic, took her to today’s group meeting, and introduced her to other students and postdoctoral researchers in the group.
Besides Lin Zhixia, there was another Chinese student in their group who had also just started his first year of doctoral studies. This student’s name was Wen Qi.
Wen Qi had completed his undergraduate degree at Imperial College London and chose Cambridge for both his master’s and doctoral studies. He had a handsome appearance, a refined demeanor, and seemed to be a very intelligent person.
After the morning group meeting, a second-year doctoral student took Lin Zhixia and Wen Qi on a tour of the laboratory to familiarize them with the experimental equipment. The senior was of Indian nationality with darker skin and spoke with a slight accent, but it didn’t affect communication at all.
Lin Zhixia took the opportunity to chat with her in English: “May I ask a question? I’d like to be a teaching assistant for undergraduates. Is the selection process strict? I don’t have relevant experience and wonder if that would affect my chances.”
The senior told Lin Zhixia that being an undergraduate teaching assistant would consume a lot of her time. Strictly speaking, Lin Zhixia hadn’t yet formally become a doctoral student. She must complete her project report within a year and pass the defense to gain recognition. As an undergraduate teaching assistant, she would need to pay attention to the undergraduates’ academic level and development direction. If she didn’t do well, she would receive complaints—it would be nothing but trouble.
After hearing this lengthy explanation, Lin Zhixia was slightly stunned.
Shortly after the Indian senior left, Wen Qi chuckled. He said to Lin Zhixia, “Aishwarya has been complained about by undergraduates.”
Aishwarya was the Indian senior’s name.
Lin Zhixia asked him: “How do you know Aishwarya complained about?”
“The person who complained about her is in the same college as me,” he answered.
“Why did they complain about her?”
“Poor preparation before class.”
Lin Zhixia didn’t express any opinion.
Wen Qi asked further: “How old were you when you started your undergraduate degree? Have you had your IQ tested?”
Lin Zhixia was vague: “I started my undergraduate degree at fifteen, and I had my IQ tested as a child, but I don’t know what it would be now.”
Wen Qi’s reaction was neither cold nor warm, showing not the slightest surprise, as if he were accustomed to hearing stories about geniuses. His conversation with Lin Zhixia ended there. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his jacket pocket and went downstairs to smoke.
For the rest of the day, Lin Zhixia went alone to the college building to attend the new student Q&A session. Under the guidance of the college staff, she found her office. On the office door was her name, “Lin Zhixia” in pinyin, with the given name first and the surname last. Inside was a desk and chair, a computer, a bookshelf, and a huge white writing board.
To the side of the desk was a floor-to-ceiling window through which she could see the azure sky and verdant grass. She suddenly felt that she didn’t need to go to the library to study at all.
She could do theoretical calculations right here in her office.
Lin Zhixia took a selfie here and sent it to Jiang Yubai via QQ message, inviting him to admire her workspace. She asked: “Isn’t my office super nice?”
Jiang Yubai was in his “Econometrics” class. After half an hour, he finally replied: “The person in the photo is super nice-looking.”