There were seventeen students in Shen Zhaohua’s research group. In recent years, they had begun recruiting part-time laboratory assistants.
Shen Zhaohua unilaterally announced that Lin Zhixia had passed her interview. She gave Lin Zhixia a campus card with “Lin Zhixia” written in the name field and “Laboratory Assistant” as the position.
She said, “Lin Zhixia, whenever you have time, just come directly to the school. Our university has several libraries with extremely rich resources, surpassing even the provincial library.”
Zhu Chan also chimed in, “Our university’s document database is updated in real-time with important papers from around the world…”
Lin Zhixia’s eyes lit up. “Can I access all those papers?”
Shen Zhaohua gazed at her for a long time, “You can read them however you want.”
Lin Zhixia was overjoyed. She clutched the university campus card tightly, as if she were grasping the throat of destiny.
Papers!
Countless papers!
Globally updated papers in real-time!
The university library was truly a paradise on earth!
The more Lin Zhixia thought about it, the more excited she became. She circled Shen Zhaohua, “Professor Shen, Professor Shen, thank you! Why are you so good to me?”
“I’ve said it before,” Shen Zhaohua bent down again to look Lin Zhixia in the eye, “you haven’t realized it yet, but the future belongs to you.”
Lin Zhixia looked into Shen Zhaohua’s eyes for a moment, and the smile in her eyes deepened. Lin Zhixia believed that Shen Zhaohua was encouraging her, encouraging her to forge ahead, conquer all fields, and climb to the highest peak of science.
Lin Zhixia certainly would not back down.
She solemnly declared, “The future belongs to each one of us.”
Shen Zhaohua sighed, “It’s hard to imagine that you’re only nine years old.”
Lin Zhixia seriously explained, “I was born on September 24, 1995. Today is January 2, 2005, so I am nine years old… ten by the traditional counting method.”
Shen Zhaohua nodded slightly. She had other things to do and couldn’t accompany Lin Zhixia for too long, so she asked Zhu Chan and Niu Siyuan to continue showing Lin Zhixia around the laboratory.
During the brief two-hour tour, Lin Zhixia frequently offered unique insights. When Zhu Chan discussed theoretical physics with her, she always had a clear cognitive approach.
Zhu Chan had previously supervised undergraduate graduation projects. From her observation, Lin Zhixia’s intuition, thinking ability, and knowledge base had already reached the top level of undergraduate students.
Lin Zhixia possessed an immense and profound knowledge reserve. But her appearance and personality were still those of a nine-year-old girl. This strong contrast and disparity secretly amazed all the laboratory staff around her.
Before parting, Zhu Chan gave Lin Zhixia a book called “Mathematical Latitude and Longitude of the 20th Century.” This book, written by a professor from East China Normal University and published in 2002, tells the story of the development and theoretical application of mathematics in the 20th century.
Lin Zhixia opened the book, scanned the table of contents, and couldn’t put it down.
“Thank you, big sister!” she thanked Zhu Chan.
Zhu Chan replied with a smile, “Perhaps, in the next century, someone will write a ‘Mathematical Latitude and Longitude of the 21st Century,’ and Lin Zhixia’s name will be in it.”
Lin Zhixia hugged the book tightly, “Will my name be printed in textbooks?”
Zhu Chan bent down to look at her. Just like Professor Shen today, Zhu Chan was also full of expectations for her, “It will. I don’t know what others think, but I believe you definitely will.”
Zhu Chan was one of Shen Zhaohua’s favorite students.
Usually, when Zhu Chan guided junior students in revising their papers, her attitude was extremely rigorous and serious. This was the first time in his life that Niu Siyuan had seen Zhu Chan’s kind and gentle side.
Niu Siyuan’s gaze was dull, his expression numb.
Initially, the thought in his mind was: Lin Zhixia couldn’t possibly be that smart.
But now, his mind was filled with: Why? Why had Professor Shen never told me “the future belongs to you”? Why had Senior Zhu Chan never given me a book? Ah, the world is so unfair.
If, in two years, Lin Zhixia skipped grades and entered university, becoming Professor Shen Zhaohua’s doctoral student…
It was very likely that Niu Siyuan would have to respectfully address a little girl with pigtails as “Senior.”
Niu Siyuan suddenly fell into a deep abyss of despair. His lips quivered slightly, his eyes half-open, half-closed—the expression of a young person who had lost faith.
The winter wind was desolate, and the campus was in a state of severe coldness.
The sky was dim, and even the sun was cold.
In the same environment, Lin Zhixia had an opposite experience.
The sunlight shone on her face as she gazed at the path ahead in the distance, suddenly feeling the warm breath of spring. Today at the university town, she had experienced unprecedented happiness.
Even as she walked out of the university gates, she remained in high spirits.
The brief laboratory tour had earned Lin Zhixia a campus card and access to a globally updated academic paper database. As she recalled what she had seen and heard over these few hours, she suddenly realized—Jiang Yubai had been unusually silent today.
She had been negligent.
Her attention had been completely focused on Shen Zhaohua and Zhu Chan, and she hadn’t paid attention to Jiang Yubai. So, did Jiang Yubai find it boring? He had been forcibly dragged by Lin Zhixia to visit the physical oceanography laboratory.
Outside the university gates, people came and went in a bustling crowd.
Amid the surging crowd, Lin Zhixia tugged at Jiang Yubai’s sleeve and asked directly, “Jiang Yubai, did you have a good time today?”
A good time?
It was fine.
Jiang Yubai’s father had bought another cruise ship two years ago. Jiang Yubai had gone to sea with his parents. He had seen the moonlight chased by thousand-mile waves, and also witnessed vast rosy clouds ascending to the heavens.
But he had never seen artificially simulated hurricanes and tides, nor did he understand “ship model towing pools.”
Today, he had expanded his horizons.
Jiang Yubai told Lin Zhixia, “I had a good time.”
Lin Zhixia nodded, “That’s good.”
Jiang Yubai’s uncle, Jiang Shaoqi, had mixed feelings.
In the experimental building of the Physical Oceanography Department, Jiang Shaoqi had listened to Lin Zhixia and Zhu Chan discuss English papers. He discovered that Lin Zhixia’s English pronunciation was quite natural. She was skilled with various phrases, and her stress and unstressed syllables were very precise.
Jiang Shaoqi even had a further guess—the smart people he knew generally spoke several foreign languages.
What about Lin Zhixia?
What level had Lin Zhixia reached?
Jiang Shaoqi had graduated from an Austrian music academy.
The Austrian music academy used German as the teaching language, and Jiang Shaoqi could speak fluent German.
So, to verify his guess, Jiang Shaoqi suddenly squatted down, looked at Lin Zhixia, and tentatively asked, “Sprichst du deutsch?”
This sentence meant: Can you speak German?
Having spoken, Jiang Shaoqi quietly waited for Lin Zhixia’s reply.
Lin Zhixia looked at him, seemingly intrigued. Her eyes were as bright as stars, reflecting gorgeous light.
She saw through Jiang Shaoqi’s thoughts and responded, “Ich lerne seit zwei jahren deutsch.”
Jiang Shaoqi held his breath and translated her words, “You’ve been learning German for two years? Two years ago, how old were you… seven? You learned from 2003 to 2005? How many foreign languages can you speak?”
Lin Zhixia didn’t answer his question. She took her father’s hand and bid them farewell, “I need to go home now, goodbye.”
Her father also said, “Xiaxia, say goodbye to your deskmate.”
It was evident that her father treasured Lin Zhixia’s deskmate, Jiang Yubai.
Jiang Yubai’s existence proved that Lin Zhixia could also get along peacefully with peers her age.
Hearing her father’s words, Lin Zhixia immediately waved to Jiang Yubai, “See you tomorrow! Jiang Yubai!”
Jiang Yubai also waved to her, “See you tomorrow! Lin Zhixia!”
Lin Zhixia turned around and walked with her father toward the bus stop.
Jiang Yubai watched her retreating figure, recalling her exchange of ideas with Shen Zhaohua… he suddenly realized that he didn’t understand her well.
It turned out that in Lin Zhixia’s eyes, all people were equal. He carefully recalled the experiences of the past few months and suddenly discovered that Lin Zhixia had indeed never shown the slightest contempt for her classmates. Most of the time, she was just puzzled by the thinking patterns of ordinary people.
On the way home, Jiang Yubai asked his uncle, “Uncle, should Lin Zhixia skip grades?”
The weekend was a peak period for transportation, with congested traffic and not-so-optimistic road conditions. Jiang Shaoqi held the steering wheel with both hands and answered casually, “My good nephew, your uncle, not only the best uncle in the world but also an educator who knows how to listen. I heard Professor Shen’s words and found them reasonable. After hearing Lin Zhixia’s words, I found them even more reasonable.”
Jiang Yubai probed further, “What’s your opinion?”
Jiang Shaoqi smiled with a curl of his lips and answered mysteriously, “Just like E major to C minor, you can’t say E major is not good, or C minor is not good. You might prefer listening to a march in G minor, but you haven’t realized it yet.”
“What?” Jiang Yubai’s fingers on the safety belt paused.
The traffic still showed no signs of clearing.
Jiang Shaoqi patiently explained, “You play the piano so well, you must understand what your uncle is saying. In my personal view, I think Lin Zhixia should skip grades. She’s an out-and-out genius. She’s still young, but so good at thinking, wouldn’t it be better for her to climb up earlier? In primary school, she can only hear brief chords and can’t reach the symphony that suits her best. Chords are not her destination; she should conduct a… Symphony No. 8 in E-flat major.”
Jiang Yubai immediately grasped the deeper meaning of Jiang Shaoqi’s words about “chords” and “symphony.”
He and Jiang Shaoqi agreed.
He said, “Uncle, your words make a lot of sense.”
Jiang Shaoqi slightly raised his chin, “Your uncle is too good at educating children. I’m just too young and don’t want to get married and have children yet. If your deskmate were my niece, I would reach a consensus with her in one day, send her to Tsinghua the next day, accompany her to receive awards the day after, and perhaps mix in a Nobel or Fields Medal the day after that?”
Jiang Yubai wasn’t listening closely to Jiang Shaoqi’s self-praise.
He tried to plan for the future from Lin Zhixia’s perspective.
He remembered that Lin Zhixia repeatedly emphasized that “she is her lifelong teacher.” If her surrounding environment changed, would her self-learning methods change?
This question seemed to involve the “id, ego, superego” that Lin Zhixia talked about all day long.
The more Jiang Yubai thought about it, the more confused he felt, until he finally blurted out, “I want to skip grades with Lin Zhixia.”
“Skip grades together?” his uncle was somewhat surprised.
It was at this moment that Jiang Yubai made up his mind, “Yes.”
In the “Exploring the Universe” comic series, Jiang Yubai and Lin Zhixia always explored the unknown regions of the universe together. And in reality, Jiang Yubai would not let Lin Zhixia be a lone hero. He would maintain pace and move forward with her.
His uncle gripped the steering wheel tightly. “Which grade do you want to skip to?”
“Provincial No. 1 Middle School, competition class in the junior high section,” Jiang Yubai stated.
His uncle’s expression changed slightly, “Jiang Yubai, calm down, you’re only nine years old, and you want to compete with the top students from the whole city? I have a friend whose son studies in the advanced class at Provincial No. 1 Middle School, and he’s suffering from headaches… and he’s already a junior high student, studying until midnight every day, how can you handle that?”
Jiang Yubai wasn’t frightened by his uncle at all. He could even find the logical flaw in his uncle’s argument, “Uncle, this August, I’ll be ten. When I compete with junior high students, I should be ten.”
“Is there a difference between nine and ten?” His uncle suddenly became emotional, “If your father knew that I took you out for one trip today and you were brainwashed by that Professor Shen, insisting on skipping grades to the competition class at Provincial No. 1 Middle School… your father might kill me.”
The crowded vehicles resembled a long dragon. His uncle gazed into the distance and muttered, “Jiang Yubai, aren’t you afraid of losing the best uncle in the world?”
Jiang Yubai remained calm, “No, I won’t. My father is very reasonable.”
But his uncle said, “Precisely because he’s reasonable, he won’t approve of you participating in competitions.”
Jiang Yubai asked in return, “Why?”
“Competition is very intense, and you’ll feel immense pressure,” his uncle answered deliberately. “Jiang Yubai, your resilience is good, but there’s no need to spend time on things you won’t use in the future. When I was your age, I had to practice the violin every day, practice day and night, and that’s what made me who I am today.”
No matter what topic Jiang Yubai brought up, his uncle could always find a way to praise himself.
Although his uncle was somewhat unreliable, he was generally accurate in predicting his father’s behavior. Jiang Yubai began to think about how to convince his father and mother.
*
Jiang Yubai’s mother was organizing a winter banquet for this evening. She had invited many relatives and friends, and those guests were successively appearing, making the spacious hall lively.
The banquet started at five in the afternoon, but Jiang Yubai and his uncle Jiang Shaoqi had not appeared.
Jiang Yubai and Jiang Shaoqi did not attend the banquet. They went to the study to search for materials and jointly researched the training plan for the competition class at Provincial No. 1 Middle School.
“It says online that students in the competition class can withdraw at any time and transfer to the regular class,” Jiang Yubai raised one hand and pointed to the computer screen.
“That’s such a big blow to a child’s self-confidence,” his uncle frowned.
Before his uncle could say much more, the door to the study was suddenly pushed open.
Jiang Yubai looked back and saw his father.
His father was nearly 1.9 meters tall, and no matter what clothes he wore, he always looked graceful. His stature was as straight as a pine tree, his steps steady, displaying the robustness of a mature man, and an imposing manner without a trace of anger.
His father didn’t ask Jiang Yubai a single question.
His father just looked at his uncle once, and his uncle immediately confessed everything, “Big brother, let me explain, I tried my best to help you take care of the child. This morning, I took Jiang Yubai to the university town and met Professor Shen Zhaohua. Shen Zhaohua told us the benefits of skipping grades, and then Jiang Yubai insisted on skipping grades. I tried to stop him but couldn’t. This child’s willpower is very strong, just like when we were children.”
“Skip grades?” his father smiled, “To which grade?”
His uncle didn’t dare to make a sound.
Jiang Yubai immediately answered, “Provincial No. 1 Middle School, competition class in the first year of junior high.”
His father squatted down and looked at his son, “Is that so?”
His father was wearing a well-tailored custom-made suit. Jiang Yubai raised one hand and placed it on his father’s shoulder—like a young king honoring a knight.
Jiang Yubai made a fist, wrinkling the fine fabric of the suit, “Dad, I’ve made a man’s decision, and it can’t be changed.”
His father laughed heartily, “A man’s decision? How old are you?”
“Almost ten,” Jiang Yubai reiterated, “I will apply for the first-year competition class at Provincial No. 1 Middle School.”
His father asked a question, “What if you can’t keep up with the pace of the competition class?”
Jiang Yubai had a strategy ready, “I never waste time. If I can’t keep up, I’ll apply to transfer to the regular class.”
His father asked again, “You’re skipping two grades at once, first going to the competition class, then transferring to the regular class, are you sure you can adapt?”
Jiang Yubai answered without hesitation, “Yes.”
His father nodded once, “Commendable courage. I’ve told you before, one makes many decisions in life, with good and bad outcomes. Regardless of how things develop in the future, you’ve made up your mind now, so don’t regret it later.”
His uncle helped emphasize, “Don’t regret it, Jiang Yubai.”
Judging from these words, it seemed they were not opposed to the idea.
Jiang Yubai hadn’t expected that, without any effort, he had successfully convinced his father. Instead, he became puzzled, “Why aren’t you stopping me from skipping grades?”
Father and son looked at each other, “I trust you, you’ve made a man’s decision. You’re almost ten, and it’s time for you to take responsibility for yourself. I’m your father, I can’t guide you in doing everything. You’re my son, you have the opportunity to be independent.”
A rush of hot blood surged in Jiang Yubai’s chest, almost burning him up. But on the surface, he remained composed, “Yes, I will maintain independence.”
Then, his father suddenly threw cold water on him, “To be honest, I don’t support you participating in competitions.”
His uncle echoed, “I don’t approve either.”
Jiang Yubai’s tone remained unruffled, “I am responsible for my choices.”
“Very good,” his father praised him, “Worthy of being our family’s child.”
“Indeed,” his uncle also said, “Such an outstanding child is rare.”
His father stood up again and led Jiang Yubai and Jiang Shaoqi out of the study. The three of them went to the banquet hall, a place filled with laughter and joy, where the lights complemented the fragrant clothing and beautiful hairstyles, with glittering jewelry everywhere.
Jiang Yubai met many adults and some children around his age. Other children came to talk to Jiang Yubai, and he always responded with a nod, using as few words as possible. He couldn’t multitask. He was still calculating for the competition class.
Moreover, he had just realized—the reason he actively skipped two grades and insisted on going to the competition class at Provincial No. 1 Middle School was because, from a long-term perspective, he believed that Lin Zhixia was more suited to the atmosphere of the competition class.
Had he been influenced by the “Exploring the Universe” comic series?
In the second part of “Exploring the Universe,” Jiang Yubai and Lin Zhixia faced dangers fearlessly and overcame difficulties. They joined hands to explore the unknown mysteries of the universe and jointly created a new chapter in space history.
As for reality? He wasn’t sure.
*
To resolve the doubts in his mind, on Monday morning after arriving at school, Jiang Yubai formally informed his deskmate, “I have registered for the selection activity of the 2005 competition class at Provincial No. 1 Middle School.”
After saying this long sentence in one breath, Jiang Yubai saw Lin Zhixia staring at him in a daze, “Why did you…”
Jiang Yubai could never reveal his true inner thoughts. He fabricated a reason on the spot, “This is my way of improving myself.”
Way of… improving himself?
Lin Zhixia was half-skeptical. But Jiang Yubai’s expression didn’t seem like he was lying to her.
Jiang Yubai lowered his head, showing no joy or anger, concealing his edge. He was fully focused on browsing a book titled “Complete Solutions for Junior High Math Competitions,” and every two minutes, he would turn a page—this was Jiang Yubai’s normal reading speed, which Lin Zhixia had calculated long ago.
It was then that Lin Zhixia realized Jiang Yubai was going to skip grades and attend the competition class at Provincial No. 1 Middle School.
During the break between classes, Jiang Yubai gave up all recreational activities. He became diligent and single-minded. When Ding Yan asked him to go to the playground to hang on the horizontal bar, he ignored it; when Dong Sunqi asked him to appreciate a new book, he was unmoved; when Liu Xingjian swayed back and forth by his seat, taunting him, he still sat motionless.
Liu Xingjian sneered while spouting nonsense, “Jiang Yubai, are you afraid of me? Are you too scared to talk to me?”
Jiang Yubai turned his body to face Lin Zhixia’s side. He held the competition problems with both hands, completely ignoring Liu Xingjian.
He was immersed in the sea of knowledge, accumulating the dew of knowledge, and no one could shake the important position that “Complete Solutions for Junior High Math Competitions” held in his heart.
Jiang Yubai’s series of abnormal behaviors deeply shocked Lin Zhixia.
In just one day, Jiang Yubai had provided enormous material for the “Human Observation Diary.” However, Lin Zhixia didn’t have time to ponder the details. After school at noon that day, Lin Zhixia rushed home in a hurry, burst through the door, quickly changed into a pair of pink bunny slippers… she didn’t even put down her backpack before racing to her bedroom.
She grabbed the landline on the table and frantically pressed a series of buttons. After a brief wait, she heard a middle-aged woman’s voice, “Hello, how can I help you…”
Lin Zhixia introduced herself, “Hello, Principal, my name is Lin Zhixia.”
The female principal immediately realized, “Ah, you’re the child recommended by Professor Shen, aren’t you?”
Lin Zhixia got straight to the point, “Yes! Can I register for the competition class of the first year of junior high for 2005?”
The principal told her, “The competition class selection starts in January each year, divided into three stages: preliminary, secondary, and interview. Professor Shen has already registered for you. If you don’t come, the spot is forfeited. If you want to come, next Thursday in the first lecture hall of the junior high section at Provincial No. 1 Middle School… take the preliminary test.”
The exam was next Thursday?
Lin Zhixia was shocked.
She had no problems.
She was just a bit worried about Jiang Yubai.
She also thought of her brother, Lin Zeqiu. Reportedly, Lin Zeqiu was also at the top of his class at school, and his classmates all respected him. But her brother had tried for a whole year and hadn’t gotten into the competition class, nor was he willing to accept her tutoring.