September 1, 2005, Provincial No. 1 Middle School officially began the semester.

Late summer and early autumn still retained the residual heat of the scorching summer.

The street trees were lush with branches and leaves. Lin Zhixia passed through the shade, chattering incessantly: “Brother, brother, this semester you’re in the second year of middle school, and you still didn’t get into the competition class. Why, brother? I heard that there are very few spots in the second-year competition class, and the competition is fierce. Brother was just a little short of getting in. Do you want to accept my tutoring? I’ve looked through many competition exercise books. I can make a detailed revision plan to help my brother become the top student in the second year. By then, Provincial No. 1 Middle School will be our Lin family’s domain!”

Her brother finally turned to look at her: “I’m begging you, Lin Zhixia, can you be quiet? Your mouth hasn’t stopped.”

“Why should I keep quiet? Why can’t I talk? We’re walking on the street, not sitting in a classroom.” Lin Zhixia refuted with sound reasoning.

Her brother’s birthday was in January. In a few months, he would be fourteen years old. He was considerably taller than Lin Zhixia, making it somewhat troublesome to talk to her.

He simply bent down, looked at Lin Zhixia, and negotiated: “After you get to school, don’t tell anyone I’m your brother.”

“Why?” Lin Zhixia questioned seriously.

Lin Zeqiu acted autocratically: “Where are all these questions coming from? There’s no why. Don’t call me brother at school, just call me Lin Zeqiu.”

“Lin Zeqiu,” Lin Zhixia said angrily, “I grew up with you. My father and mother are also your father and mother. Why can’t I call you at school? Now that I’ve entered middle school, are we no longer siblings?”

Lin Zeqiu wore his backpack slung over one shoulder. He put both hands in his pants pockets, even his shadow appearing tall and straight. His attitude was cold and distant, as if talking to himself: “Lin Zhixia, you’re ten years old now, stop always clinging to me. It’s annoying.”

In fact, throughout their childhood, he had said “don’t bother me” many times.

But this time, Lin Zhixia seemed to take it seriously.

“I won’t look for you anymore,” she said.

She ran toward the bus stop. Lin Zeqiu called after her, but she completely ignored him, not even glancing back.

At seven in the morning, during the peak traffic period, the bus was packed with people. Passengers stood shoulder to shoulder, and Lin Zhixia barely managed to squeeze through the door.

Lin Zeqiu boarded behind her. She found a standing position in the carriage, and Lin Zeqiu gripped a handrail with his left hand while supporting Lin Zhixia’s shoulder with his right.

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

In the noisy, crowded carriage, personal space was compressed.

On the bus, there was even one of Lin Zeqiu’s classmates—a boy wearing glasses who carried a square clasp backpack. He called out: “Lin Zeqiu! Hey? You’re taking the bus to school today?”

Lin Zeqiu preferred cycling. But Lin Zhixia didn’t like it. To accommodate his sister, Lin Zeqiu could only accompany her on the bus to school.

He and Lin Zhixia were already at odds. For any issue involving Lin Zhixia, he chose not to answer.

The bespectacled boy went through great trouble to squeeze next to Lin Zeqiu and asked him: “Lin Zeqiu, have you finished your summer homework?”

“I finished it long ago,” Lin Zeqiu said casually. “I have to collect homework this morning. If you want to copy my homework, I’m afraid it’s too late.”

Lin Zeqiu was the mathematics class representative. He excelled academically, had an outgoing personality, and was very handsome. His only flaw was that he never allowed anyone to copy his homework.

The bespectacled boy received the expected answer. He pushed up his glasses and asked: “Lin Zeqiu, how were your results for the 2004 competition class selection last semester?”

“Not good,” Lin Zeqiu said honestly. “I didn’t get in again.”

While Lin Zeqiu was chatting with that male classmate, Lin Zhixia ducked under his arm and darted to another area. He immediately turned around and called out: “Where are you going?”

“None of your business,” Lin Zhixia replied.

Lin Zhixia wore her hair in a ponytail and was dressed in a white cotton short-sleeved shirt and light blue denim shorts. This morning, when leaving home, she had happily told her brother that she was now a middle school student. But now, she didn’t want to talk to Lin Zeqiu at all.

The bespectacled boy noticed Lin Zhixia and couldn’t help asking: “Who is she? Which class is that little girl from?”

“First year,” Lin Zeqiu was mysterious, “a junior schoolmate from the first-year competition class.”

Her brother described her as “a junior schoolmate from the first-year competition class”! This description made the fire of anger in Lin Zhixia’s heart burn more fiercely. She didn’t understand why her brother suddenly rejected her so much, even denying their blood relationship.

Since her brother had declared war on her, Lin Zhixia would not easily surrender, nor would she beg for mercy.

She immediately turned around and greeted them: “Hello, seniors. I’m a new student in this year’s first-year competition class.”

Lin Zeqiu’s facial expression changed. He raised an eyebrow, his jaw slightly tightened, and his gaze drifted outside the window.

The bus was moving steadily, with the scenery outside constantly changing. The street trees along the roadside quickly receded, and Lin Zeqiu gazed into the distance, seeing the iconic building of Provincial No. 1 Middle School.

The bus announcement began: “Dear passengers, hello, Provincial No. 1 Middle School station has arrived…”

Lin Zeqiu was momentarily stunned, turning his head to look for Lin Zhixia. But she had already run far away. She blended into a crowd of middle and high school students, following them toward the gates of Provincial No. 1 Middle School.

Lin Zeqiu didn’t chase after her.

He stood still at the bus stop. After a while, he finally stepped forward.

*

Lin Zhixia walked through the vast campus with her backpack. She had been assigned to Class 1(17), and both Jiang Yubai and Duan Qiyan were her classmates. Before the semester started, the homeroom teacher had assigned them summer homework and said that on the first day of school, he would arrange their seating, set rules, and establish a class ethos.

Lin Zhixia had a vague sense of foreboding.

She found her way to the door of Class 1(17) and peeked inside. About a dozen students had arrived; they were either whispering or quietly reading, completely lacking the liveliness and wildness of Class 4(1).

Jiang Yubai sat in the corner of the last row. The seat beside him was still empty. Afraid someone might take it, Lin Zhixia rushed into the classroom and seized the position with lightning speed.

“Good morning,” Jiang Yubai said to her.

Lin Zhixia was very happy: “Good morning! Jiang-Jiang-Jiang-Jiang Yubai!”

Jiang Yubai responded as usual: “Lin-Lin-Lin-Lin Zhixia.”

Lin Zhixia put down her backpack and took out a notebook as thick as a brick. Its cover was wrapped with a beautiful cross-shaped ribbon, with a red strawberry greeting card inserted. She held the notebook with both hands and solemnly presented it to Jiang Yubai: “For you. Happy birthday, Jiang Yubai.”

Jiang Yubai’s birthday was August 31st.

Throughout the entire summer vacation, Lin Zhixia had been recording in this notebook. She summarized the common problem types in middle school mathematics and physics competitions, personally created a table of contents and page numbers, and even supplemented it with some high school Olympic competition content. Her thinking was clear, her logic rigorous, and her problem-solving methods concise, swift, and representative.

Jiang Yubai had just turned a page when he noticed Lin Zhixia’s solid foundation, as well as… her wholehearted help for a good friend.

Next, Jiang Yubai opened the red strawberry greeting card. The inside of the card was also printed with strawberries, showing how deep Lin Zhixia’s obsession with strawberries was.

She had written on the card with a red ballpoint pen: Jiang Yubai, happy 10th birthday! Without realizing it, we’ve known each other for a year. Before you transferred to the Experimental Elementary School, I often looked for others to play with during breaks, but few people actively came to play with me. After you transferred, my break-time games and activity classes became much more colorful. The “Exploring the Universe” comic series brought me a lot of happiness, and I also understood what eternal friendship means. Jiang Yubai, I hope you are healthy and happy, and successful in your studies. May you have good luck every day, may everything you look forward to develop in the best direction, and may our friendship last forever—Lin Zhixia.

Lin Zhixia had good handwriting. She often used a very neat font, which, when placed on a birthday card, showed her sincere intentions.

“Thank you,” Jiang Yubai tucked the card into the notebook, “thank you very much, Lin Zhixia.”

Lin Zhixia said generously: “You’re welcome!”

Jiang Yubai slowly turned the pages. The dense handwriting and clear, standardized diagrams greatly impressed him. He almost completely forgot the words “competitor” and only asked: “Lin Zhixia, how long did you write this?”

“The entire summer vacation, spending some time each day. You know, creating problems is more troublesome than solving them.” Lin Zhixia clasped her hands together.

Summer vacation was more than two months long.

This notebook had accompanied her through the long summer days.

She also told Jiang Yubai: “I specifically went to the provincial library, found answers to middle school competition questions, and wrote out the complete set of examples and problem type summaries in… a simpler way. The essence of exams is a sampling survey. As long as you prepare according to the content index, no matter how the examiner tests you, you can steadily achieve high scores.”

“I’ve learned from this,” Jiang Yubai nodded.

“Mm!” Lin Zhixia also nodded.

By rights, this precious notebook was like a treasure manual from a martial arts novel. Jiang Yubai had obtained it effortlessly and should have been very excited and happy. However, in reality, a trace of regret welled up in Jiang Yubai’s heart. If he had achieved a higher score in the competition class entrance exam, perhaps Lin Zhixia wouldn’t have had to spend an entire summer vacation filling in gaps for him.

“Didn’t you go out to play during the summer vacation?” Jiang Yubai looked at her.

“No,” Lin Zhixia said truthfully. “My parents had to watch the store and wouldn’t take my brother and me out to play during summer vacation. The temperature was very high this summer vacation, and I felt a bit hot at home…”

However, Lin Zhixia had a good method for cooling down.

She would put ice packs in the refrigerator, freeze them overnight, then take them out the next day and pile them in a plastic basin. Then, she would place the basin on a small stool and have an electric fan blow fiercely at the basin. She would sit in the cool breeze, calmly reading, drawing, or playing games.

Jiang Yubai couldn’t imagine Lin Zhixia’s summer life. This summer, Jiang Yubai had gone to Changbai Mountain for a vacation with his parents. He skied, rode horses, and even learned to shoot at the resort.

He opened his backpack and took out an exquisite gift box.

“Dried blueberries, a specialty from Changbai Mountain,” he introduced.

“Are they for me?” Lin Zhixia asked him.

“Who else would I give them to?” Jiang Yubai pushed the box into her hands.

Lin Zhixia hesitated: “But I’ve already received many things from you. Jiang Yubai, I don’t think this is good.”

“This is a return gift,” Jiang Yubai sophistically argued. “You gave me a card and notebook, I give you dried blueberries—it’s normal social exchange.”

As Jiang Yubai spoke, he packed the notebook, greeting card, and ribbon all into his backpack.

Suddenly, footsteps sounded outside Class 1(17).

Homeroom Teacher Zhang arrived briskly at the door.

Teacher Zhang was about thirty years old, with a thick lesson plan tucked under his arm. He was tall and thin, wore silver-framed glasses, and quickly jumped onto the podium, saying immediately: “Hello, students. I am the homeroom teacher for Class 1(17). My name is Zhang Lixiong. I will quickly get to know every student in the class and remember their names and appearances.”

Duan Qiyan, sitting in the front row, led the applause.

Zhang Lixiong raised his hand to quiet the clapping. He continued his self-introduction: “I have taught two cohorts of competition classes, each achieving very good results. Our grade has a total of two competition classes: besides Class 17, there is also Class 18. Class 18 is our brother class, but remember, even brothers have degrees of closeness. Your regular monthly exams, unit tests, joint exams, and competition results will all be compared with Class 18. Everyone should not only pay attention to studying but also to promptly relieving emotions—don’t put too much pressure on yourself. The fact that you can sit here, in Class 17, listening to me speak, means you are one-in-a-hundred excellent students. Remember that?”

The whole class answered in unison: “Remembered!”

Lin Zhixia whispered, “Oh, Teacher Zhang is very thorough. He advises students to relieve emotions and not to have pressure.”

Jiang Yubai’s most concerning question was: “Will he arrange seating?”

Jiang Yubai’s voice was a bit loud, and students in the front row heard him, as did Teacher Zhang.

In the well-lit classroom with neatly arranged desks and chairs and a blackboard so shiny it reflected light, Teacher Zhang took a step forward. His shadow fell on the blackboard as he told the whole class: “When I first became a homeroom teacher, parents would often call me, asking me to move their children to certain positions. We have thirty-six people in our class. How can I arrange the seating most fairly? I… came up with a method.”

After speaking, Teacher Zhang pulled out a results sheet.

“This is the placement test results for our Class 1(17).” Teacher Zhang extended a finger and flicked the paper.

Lin Zhixia had already guessed what Teacher Zhang was going to do. She nervously gripped her desk with both hands and silently wished: I must be deskmates with Jiang Yubai.

Teacher Zhang continued: “All of you go outside and stand outside the classroom. I will call you one by one according to your ranking on the results sheet. When you enter the classroom, choose your seat and deskmate according to your preference! As long as you can rank at the top, you can sit wherever you want! The scores you achieved are the fairest judging standard.”

Jiang Yubai slightly frowned.

He ranked ninth in the class… his seat was somewhat uncertain.

Lin Zhixia was indignant: “Teacher Zhang just said that everyone shouldn’t have pressure, but he places so much importance on scores. How can students not have pressure?”

Ah, she’s overthinking. Jiang Yubai thought to himself that she was standing from the perspective of ordinary students, considering things like “study pressure” for them.

Following Teacher Zhang’s command, all students of Class 1(17) picked up their backpacks and walked outside the classroom.

Today, the weather was clear with a cloudless sky, but the square-shaped teaching building had cut the sky into a perfect square. Lin Zhixia leaned against the railing, looking up at the sky, when the homeroom teacher called out loudly: “First place, Lin Zhixia, quickly go in and choose a good seat.”

Lin Zhixia chose the position she had just left.

She also placed her backpack on the adjacent seat to reserve it for Jiang Yubai.

Homeroom Teacher Zhang continued to call: “Second place, Shen Fuxuan! Third place, Duan Qiyan…”

Duan Qiyan strode into the classroom. He wore a black short-sleeved shirt and carried a black backpack, walking toward Lin Zhixia without any hesitation. He lightly tapped on Lin Zhixia’s desk and said to her: “Stand up and make way, I want to sit next to you.”

Lin Zhixia hugged her backpack tightly, looking at him with full vigilance.

“I won’t,” she said directly. “I don’t want to be your deskmate.”

Duan Qiyan’s face looked very embarrassed. He spread his five fingers, long finger bones pressed against the desktop. He slightly bent his body, negotiating in a low voice: “Hey, I’ve had unpleasantness with you before, but I didn’t know you that day. If you sit with me now, we’ll be a strong team together. That classmate of yours, called Jiang Yubai, is six places below me. You still want to be his deskmate?”

“I don’t care about rankings,” Lin Zhixia replied.

Moreover, in her eyes, there was no difference between Duan Qiyan’s and Jiang Yubai’s academic performance.

The entrance examination for the competition class was divided into two written tests and one interview. The difficulty of the second written test was extremely high, reaching the level of high school Olympic mathematics competitions, strictly testing the students’ psychological quality. Most students performed terribly, and Duan Qiyan was no exception.

Lin Zhixia believed that Duan Qiyan shouldn’t mock Jiang Yubai, let alone try to be her deskmate.

She said: “By the way, Duan Qiyan, you made a bet with Jiang Yubai, do you remember? You need to call him Teacher Jiang. You can’t go back on your word.”

Duan Qiyan remembered that bet. That cruel agreement, like a brand imprinted in his mind, had troubled him throughout the summer vacation, forcing him to come and make peace with Lin Zhixia.

Duan Qiyan calculated that if he could be Lin Zhixia’s deskmate for a while and learn some experience from her, he could redeem himself. He lowered his posture further: “You’re not a slacker, Lin Zhixia. You study very hard, right? Burning the midnight oil? I understand you, Lin Zhixia, we’re the same kind of person.”

“No,” Lin Zhixia said. “You’re not.”

She stood up, walked around him, and ran to another group.

The homeroom teacher had already called out: “Ninth place, Jiang Yubai.”

Jiang Yubai entered the classroom with his backpack slung across his shoulder. He and Lin Zhixia sat together in the last row of the first large group, successfully maintaining their stable deskmate relationship. Jiang Yubai also glanced at Duan Qiyan. The two boys’ gazes met, creating a tense atmosphere.

Homeroom Teacher Zhang stood at the front of the classroom and announced: “Students, remember, after each unit test, I will read out the results list again and let you freely choose your seats. If you want a good position, if you want to pick a good deskmate, begging me is useless, begging your parents is useless. You can only rely on yourselves! This is the class ethos of our Class 17!”

Teacher Zhang’s original intention was to encourage students to strive forward and achieve higher and higher scores.

However, another idea popped into Lin Zhixia’s little head. She enthusiastically said, “Jiang Yubai, Jiang Yubai, I can try to get a ranking close to yours. For example, I could get eighth place, that way we can enter the classroom together! In the next test, I’ll make more mistakes, then we’ll be about the same.”

That long-lost sense of shame brought by a competitor deeply enveloped Jiang Yubai. Indeed, he should not have relaxed, should not have flown to Changbai Mountain for a vacation, and played for two whole months. Skiing, ice skating, horseback riding, and shooting were all very interesting, but his life needed to create more value.

A few minutes ago, Jiang Yubai, standing at the door, watching Duan Qiyan approach Lin Zhixia, suddenly understood a principle—the competition class was a place that valued ability. Class status and honor were determined by ability.

He set a small goal for himself—to surpass Duan Qiyan.

On the podium, Homeroom Teacher Zhang was still announcing the list of class officers. His method of determining class officers was also very simple: just going down the list according to scores. First place Lin Zhixia became the class monitor, second place Shen Fuxuan became the mathematics class representative… and so on, making Jiang Yubai the history class representative.

After all this commotion, the forty-five-minute class ended.

Teacher Zhang looked at the whole class with satisfaction and said: “Good, our first class meeting ends here. Next class, I’ll help everyone correct the mathematics test papers from the competition class selection. The first test paper was simple, all routine questions, but the second set was more difficult. We’ll go through it in detail… Our class textbooks haven’t arrived yet. Tomorrow morning, class monitor Lin Zhixia, take a few boys to the printing room to collect the textbooks. Don’t forget.”

Lin Zhixia immediately nodded.

Teacher Zhang grabbed his lesson plan and strode out of the classroom.

The thirty-plus students in the class were active among various groups, introducing themselves to each other. Soon, a few bold students gathered around Lin Zhixia, tentatively asking: “Are you Lin Zhixia? The one with the highest test score, first in the class?”

“That’s me,” Lin Zhixia admitted.

Another male student awkwardly asked Jiang Yubai: “You… when you came to school this morning, I saw your family’s car…”

“Aston Martin,” Lin Zhixia answered for him.

Jiang Yubai corrected her: “Today it was a Land Rover SUV.”

These two grade-skipping students, one rich and one strong, although sitting in the most remote corner, inevitably attracted the attention of the whole class.

Even Shen Fuxuan stood behind Jiang Yubai’s seat.

Shen Fuxuan ranked second in the class overall and had a fair and delicate appearance. But he was a thoroughly busybody. Fearing the world wasn’t chaotic enough, he shouted: “Duan Qiyan! Teachers’ Training Attached Elementary School, First Wargod! You lost to Lin Zhixia, you have to bow on the podium and call out Teacher Jiang! Duan Qiyan, you made a bet with Jiang Yubai at the door of the tiered classroom. You both might have forgotten, but I haven’t.”