Chapter 91

The camera captured the handsome passerby for less than a second before swiftly turning to another group.

Even so, some viewers managed to seize a fleeting glimpse of the two young men, and comments admiring their looks immediately floated across the top of the screen.

Netizens had no idea who these two striking figures were, their appearances gone in a flash. But for the girls of Class 1, who saw Jiang Zhihuo every day, only a glimpse of that familiar side profile was enough to recognize him at once.

“Yes.” Jiang Zhihuo nodded, replying, “Yan-ge and I just happened to be in the library studying when the crew came to film.”

The broadcast aired right around when Yun Xiaoxu had guessed it would. In the meantime, Jiang Zhihuo had been steadily raising his grades, careful not to make the jump too dramatic, keeping everything within a believable range. Not only did this keep his image intact, but it also played up his transformation. Who would have thought Jiang Zhihuo, infamous for skipping class, was spotted in the library, diligently studying during the New Year’s holiday? It was enough to move anyone to tears!

“And then?” The girls exclaimed eagerly.

Jiang Zhihuo spoke honestly. “They had bad luck and got a math problem. They couldn’t solve it, so Yan-ge and I ended up teaching them.”

“You two?” The girls looked at him with skepticism.

Their doubtful gazes made Jiang Zhihuo chuckle. He could already imagine what they were thinking. “Why can’t I teach math?” He retorted. “I’m working hard, you know! Otherwise, would I go to the library to study? Even the show’s crew can vouch for how diligent I am!”

When morning reading ended, everyone made their way to the exam rooms. For an ordinary examination, Jiang Zhihuo wouldn’t have felt the slightest bit nervous. However, as soon as the bell rang and he caught sight of Yan Mu, unease flooded his chest like a rushing spring.

The results of the national competition would be released around 1:30 that afternoon!

At lunch, neither Jiang Zhihuo nor Yan Mu breathed a word about it. Before results dropped, everyone believed in a sort of superstition: don’t get your hopes up, keep your mind steady. The more you let yourself get worked up, the likelier you are to crash and burn.

Jiang Zhihuo managed to appear perfectly unruffled through the entire meal. Yet when it came time for the midday break, he lay slumped at his desk for ages, unable to fall asleep no matter how hard he tried.

There was no staying calm. He was dying from anxiety!

Of course, he wanted Yan Mu to win first place!

Damn it…

No matter how high the stakes, as long as it was about himself, Jiang Zhihuo never felt nervous. Even sneaking into that clubhouse on his own hadn’t rattled him in the slightest.

But the moment Yan Mu was involved, his usual ironclad self-control shattered completely.

Sleep was out of the question. Restless, Jiang Zhihuo pulled out his phone, hiding it with one hand beneath the desk as he kept refreshing the official website.

No matter how many times he refreshed, there wasn’t the slightest bit of news. The results page remained a blank, empty sheet.

A little after 1:30, the official website started to freeze, the signal icon spinning endlessly in the upper left corner.

It spun and spun, refusing to budge. Jiang Zhihuo’s patience wore thin. He let out a heavy sigh and lifted his head. Only then did he realize that, lost in refreshing the site, he hadn’t noticed a crowd had quietly gathered around him.

Jiang Zhihuo snapped, “What are you all doing here?!”

“God Yan’s results are about to be out, so we came to remind you,” Chang Luo said. “But you looked like you were sleeping so soundly, we couldn’t decide if we should wake you.”

“I wasn’t sleeping at all!” Jiang Zhihuo slammed his phone onto the desk, the signal icon still spinning on the screen. “I’ve been refreshing the website all day. I’m a wreck over here, alright?!”

Chang Luo said, “You’re never nervous, Huo-ge.”

Jiang Zhihuo shot back, “Why would I get nervous over myself? I’m nervous for my alpha, got it?”

Chang Luo, thoroughly blinded by that public display of affection: “……”

Chang Luo was about to say something, but a boy nearby interrupted, “Wait, wait, look! It’s loading!!”

The official website, silent for ages, finally started to load the results table ever-so-slowly.

All the boys crowded closer, heads bumping together, eyes glued to the agonizingly slow table as it appeared line by line—

National Mathematics Competition Rankings…

First Place…

Suddenly, a shout of astonishment rang out from outside the window, from Class 4, followed by a wave of screams and the sound of desks being pounded.

The table kept loading, and beneath the huge words ‘First Place,’ bit by agonizing bit…

Lincheng No.1 High School, Yan Mu.

“Ah!!” Jiang Zhihuo couldn’t hold back. He slammed his palm hard on the desk. Nobody was happier than he was that Yan Mu had won first place.

The boys around him were freaking out, too.

“Damn!! First in the whole country?!”

“This move is godlike! Way too strong!”

“He’s definitely going to get an automatic admission, right? Number one in the whole country, straight into B University’s math department?”

“Of course he is, with results like that! Damn… First place in the entire country. Everyone who even makes it to nationals is already a monster, so how does anyone manage to come out on top…”

Chang Luo had always been the gentle, unhurried type. While everyone else clamored in excitement, he didn’t say a word. It was only after a long pause that he finally spoke, slow and soft, “If God Yan ends up going to B University, Huo-ge, what will you do?”

The question struck right at the heart, and the noisy boys around them gradually fell quiet.

Though Huo-ge‘s grades had been climbing fast lately, all the top students knew this feeling. Once you reached a certain level, no matter how hard you worked, improvement came at a crawl—a turtle’s pace. Even when they set targets for themselves, they barely dared to hope for a one or two-point increase.

With a little over three months left until the college entrance exam, given Huo-ge‘s grades… even if he makes it all the way to the capital, it’s unlikely he’ll get into one of the top universities there.

The shouts coming from Class 4 still hadn’t quieted down.

Jiang Zhihuo didn’t feel like debating this with the guys. He waved them off and shot to his feet, ready to bolt out the door. “Don’t worry about it, I’m sure I’ll end up at the same school as Yan-ge. Let’s talk later!”

Just as Jiang Zhihuo rushed to the doorway of Class 4, Yan Mu happened to step out. The moment he saw him, Jiang Zhihuo darted over, his excitement practically overflowing for all to hear. “Yan-ge, you were incredible—ahhh!!!”

Yan Mu was nearly sent stumbling back two steps. He caught his balance by slipping an arm around Jiang Zhihuo’s waist, steadying both of them. “You’re even more worked up than I am.”

“Of course I am!” Jiang Zhihuo made no effort to hide his feelings. “I’ve been nervous ever since the exam ended. I didn’t dare say it to your face!”

Yan Mu reached out to ruffle Jiang Zhihuo’s hair with a pleasing smile curving at the corner of his lips.

The CP girls from Class 4 took in every moment of their exchange out in the corridor. At first, they grinned with that unmistakable auntie-like fondness¹[T/N: “姨母笑” (yímǔ xiào) is a popular internet slang term in China. It refers to a knowing, doting smile older women (like aunties) give when they see something sweet, especially romantic interactions. It’s often used humorously to describe fangirls’ reactions.], then someone let out a sigh. “Ah, I wonder if Huo-ge can even keep up with God Yan…”

“Their grades are pretty far apart, after all.”

“Hasn’t Huo-ge been making a lot of progress lately?”

“But still, God Yan’s definitely going to pick the capital. With over five hundred points, it’s going to be tough for Huo-ge to get in…”

“The CP I ship… are they facing a long-distance crisis now…”

As soon as the results for the national competition came out, the No.1 High School forum went wild.

It was the highest score in the entire country!!

Lincheng No. 1 High doesn’t even specialize in competitions, and yet they managed to take first place in the whole country!!

Yan Mu didn’t even sit for the afternoon exam. As soon as the competition team teacher heard the news, he whisked Yan Mu away for a meeting. There wasn’t even a need to ask what that was about.

That’s practically one foot in the door at B University for taking first place in the national competition!

By the time the exam was over, Yan Mu’s meeting was still going.

Jiang Zhihuo ended up having dinner with Zong Bei.

“Huo-ge.” The very first thing Zong Bei asked about was the national competition results. “God Yan really took first place!”

Jiang Zhihuo lifted his chin with pride. “Pretty awesome, right?”

“It is.” The rush of excitement from earlier had faded. As Jiang Zhihuo’s long-time friend, even if he had a reputation as the school bully, Zong Bei was more worried about him now. “With God Yan being this amazing, what about you, Huo-ge? What’s your plan?”

At that moment, Jiang Zhihuo was busy texting. Yan Mu had messaged that he still needed a bit more time and couldn’t leave yet. Jiang Zhihuo asked what he wanted to eat and promised to bring something up when he could.

“Mhm? What do you mean?” Jiang Zhihuo only looked up after sending his message.

“God Yan’s obviously going to aim for B University. But Huo, with your scores… getting into a school in the capital might be tough, right?”

What Zong Bei said was pretty fair. The capital always set higher score requirements for students from Lincheng. With Jiang Zhihuo’s current grades, he could get into a decent first-tier university in other provinces, but in the capital, he’d only qualify for a second-tier school.

“Don’t worry about me. Getting into B University isn’t that hard,” Jiang Zhihuo said. “Didn’t I already say I’m going for provincial top scorer?”

Zong Bei: “…Come on, Huo-ge, be serious. I am worried about you.”

Jiang Zhihuo: “I am serious. I’m indeed aiming for provincial top scorer.”

Zong Bei watched Jiang Zhihuo finish his entire meal, his face filled with disappointment, simply hating iron for not becoming steel. Partway through, Yan Mu called; his meeting was finally over. Jiang Zhihuo hurriedly wolfed down the last of his food, packed up a meal set, and ran toward the school building without so much as a pause.

Zong Bei looked at Jiang Zhihuo’s hurried figure rushing out and shook his head. “…Sigh.”

There was no required self-study at No. 1 High School on Saturday, but the top students all chose to stay behind of their own accord. After all, studying at school was much more efficient than at home.

Yan Mu hadn’t taken the exam that afternoon, so he was making it up in the evening, with Jiang Zhihuo seated across from him.

There were only the two of them in the competition classroom, so there was no need to keep their voices down.

“Xiao Zhou,” Yan Mu asked, “Where do you want to go in the future?”

Yan Mu had asked this question before, and back then, Jiang Zhihuo’s answer had been ‘the capital.’

“Anywhere is fine,” Jiang Zhihuo replied. “The teachers must have talked to you this afternoon about applying to universities. Don’t worry about me, just aim for the one you like. Wherever you go, I’ll go.”

He glanced up at Yan Mu’s test paper; only the last two main questions remained, then smiled and said, “Yan-ge, hurry up and finish. Let’s head back early. I’ll treat you to a late-night snack. You ranked first in the country; we have to celebrate properly.”

*

20:00, Senior Year Class 1.

The classroom was utterly silent, with everyone bent over their practice papers. The second-to-last seat by the window was empty. Jiang Zhihuo was absent.

The sound of pen tips gliding across exam papers was clear in the quiet room.

The next moment, a crisp ding sounded. Someone’s phone had rung.

The girls in the front row all stopped writing at the same moment and looked up at the class monitor. Sensing their gazes, the monitor gave a subtle nod.

The class monitor walked up to the podium and suggested, “Pick U 101 has Huo-ge and God Yan on tonight, how about we watch while we do our work?”

“Huo-ge and God Yan? Why? They went to a talent show, too? When did that happen?!”

“No, that’s not it,” a girl explained. “The filming crew went to shoot in the library, and they happened to be inside studying, and ended up on camera. Some of the contestants couldn’t find the clue, so those two helped them figure it out!”

“Damn! We’ve got to see this. Hurry up, turn it on!”

The class monitor flashed an ‘OK’ gesture, expertly switched on the multimedia system, and clicked into the Pick U 101 episode. The students by the window pulled the curtains shut without a second thought.

The episode opened with a rapid series of shots. Drones swoop through the sky, capturing wide views of Lincheng from above. The camera then shifted to the trainees, now split into their respective teams.

The trainees poured off the bus all at once, taking exaggerated, deep breaths, their faces alight with bliss. “The air outside is so fresh!”

The screen froze, and bold characters flashed across: Pick U 101 Outdoor Team-Building Day.

The opening part cycled through the trainees choosing locations, boarding the bus, and chatting during the ride. Nothing especially appealing for the boys who didn’t usually follow talent shows, but no one suggested skipping ahead, so the episode just kept playing.

*

It didn’t take Yan Mu long to finish the last two questions. As he finished packing up to leave, a message popped up. The competition teacher wanted him to come by the office for another discussion.

“I’ll go over first. You head back to class and wait for me. I’ll come find you when I’m done,” Yan Mu said.

“Alright.” Jiang Zhihuo slung his bag over his shoulder and headed for Class 1. Even from a distance, he could see the curtains tightly drawn. When he pushed open the back door and walked in, he burst out laughing. “Well, I was wondering why the curtains were all closed, turns out you’re watching Pick U?!”

The class monitor, sitting on the podium, said, “Isn’t it because we heard you and God Yan are in this episode?!”

Right as he finished speaking, the show arrived at the provincial library part. Yun Xiaoxu and the group got off the bus, formed teams, and each sent a representative up to draw lots. The first few groups pulled clue cards labeled ‘Science,’ ‘History,’ and ‘Literature,’ all with a literary feel, until it was Yun Xiaoxu’s turn to reach into the lottery box.

“I’m serious, guys. This hand of mine just did a ritual, added a buff, I’m loaded with lucky energy!!”

He pulled out the card without even looking at it and thrust it right at the camera, grinning smugly. “How about that? Lucky, right?”

Then he glanced down at the card with an air of indifference, only for his expression to freeze instantly.

On the card, a big word read ‘Mathematics,’ and the clue beneath was a jumble of symbols and ellipses.

Yun Xiaoxu: “……”

At that moment, the show switched to a different scene and left the library behind. Most people lost interest. The boy sitting in front of Jiang Zhihuo turned around, saw him working on his practice test, hesitated for a bit, then finally asked, “Huo-ge, what are you and God Yan planning to do after this?”

“?”

Jiang Zhihuo looked up from his test. “What do you mean?”

“It’s just…” The boy suddenly couldn’t figure out how to go on.

Huo-ge is already working so hard!

No skipping class, no slacking off, diligently finishing every practice paper, and even going to study at the library during New Year’s break!

He climbed his score up from 300 to over 500, all within one semester!

People might not see everything else, but those numbers don’t lie. There’s no way you achieve that without giving everything you’ve got!!

Ever since being with God Yan, everyone in Class 1 has seen Jiang Zhihuo’s progress.

—That was the difference the God of Learning had made in him!

“Sigh…” The boy let out a breath. “At this point, God Yan can get into any top university. He’s already got one foot in B University. What about you, Huo-ge? What will you do…”

His voice wasn’t loud, but the question clearly caught everyone’s interest. Soon, more classmates chimed in on the conversation.

“Huo-ge, don’t worry. If there’s anything you don’t get, come ask us! We’ll make sure you understand it!”

“There’s no way we’re letting you and God Yan end up in a long-distance relationship!”

“Hey, you’ve already scored over 500 out of 750! That means there’s still tons of room to improve!!”

“Come to us for anything study-related. We’ll help you improve with the full power of Class 1!!”

Jiang Zhihuo: “!”

The top students really meant it, each word more heartfelt than the last. Jiang Zhihuo couldn’t help sitting up a little straighter.

“Alright! Thank goodness I have you all!!”

With Zong Bei, he could joke around about going for the provincial top scorer; they were the kind of friends who’d been through all the suffering of makeup lessons together, way too close for formalities.

But the top students were different. Every bit of their offer was genuine. During this crucial final sprint before the college entrance exam, they were still going out of their way to help him with his studies, a true testament to the power of friendship and the bond between classmates!

Jiang Zhihuo was no longer the school bully who hated studying and ran the moment anyone mentioned makeup lessons!!

With tears welling up, playing the part perfectly, he choked out, “With you all by my side, there’s no way I’ll have trouble with the college entrance exam! Thank you, everyone!!!”

Then, the show cut back to the provincial library.

Yun Xiaoxu and his two teammates were huddled together in misery.

“What do we do now?”

“I don’t get any of this.”

“What does the chord length of the base even mean?”

The three academic slackers stared at each other wide-eyed, not knowing what to do.

When the three were losing hope, two exceptionally handsome guys stepped out from the library. One of them, looking a bit cocky, leaned casually against the hallway wall, paper and pen in hand, as if out to talk through some problems.

“It’s Huo-ge and God Yan!” The top students had been waiting for ages to catch a glimpse of Jiang Zhihuo and Yan Mu. Now, everyone’s attention turned to the screen.

As soon as Jiang Zhihuo caught sight of the footage, his heart dropped. 

!!!!!!

What the—?!

They were being filmed right at that moment already?!

The recording equipment picked up everything loud and clear; every word of the handsome guys’ conversation was captured.

Jiang Zhihuo: “Honestly, the 2019 National Math Competition had some brilliant questions that were very inspiring. Two problems were a bit difficult. I had to sit down and work them out.”

Yan Mu: “Mhm, they were tough.”

Jiang Zhihuo picked up his pen and scribbled a few strokes on the draft paper, then said to Yan Mu, “I think this should be tackled in three steps. The monotonic decreasing sequence Bn and n-squared need to be combined with this string of square roots to form a functional equation, then analyze it by intervals.”

Yan Mu: “The condition for An is contradictory. The three sequences don’t hold.”

Jiang Zhihuo added, “Then what if we consider the intercept equation, substitute in the k value and take the square root, and remove Kn and Kn+1 from the result?”

Yan Mu nodded in agreement. “Give it a try.”

Yun Xiaoxu and his two teammates stared in awe, completely dumbfounded. “Wow… what are they talking about? They sound so smart.”

A teammate quickly pulled out his phone to search on Baidu, and said, “The National High School Mathematics Competition. Only the top scorer in each province can participate. Everyone who qualifies is a monster. I heard the problems are very difficult. It’s a three-hour exam with only five problems. What did he just say? A bit difficult?! This… I don’t think I could react to that in a whole lifetime…”

Jiang Zhihuo: “……”

The whole class: “…………”

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  [T/N: “姨母笑” (yímǔ xiào) is a popular internet slang term in China. It refers to a knowing, doting smile older women (like aunties) give when they see something sweet, especially romantic interactions. It’s often used humorously to describe fangirls’ reactions.]