At 7 a.m. on July 30, 2013, Lin Zhixia posted a status update on her WeChat Moments: "I'm moving today!"
Within less than an hour, over forty people had liked her post, and numerous classmates left comments.
Duan Qiyan asked with full of suspicion, "Did the administrators kick you out of the student dorm?"
Tang Tingting directly tagged him and scolded, "Shut your mouth. If you don't know how to talk, then don't."
Duan Qiyan was clearly not convinced. He and Tang Tingting started arguing right there in the comments section of the post. Shen Fuxuan commented, "Lin Zhixia, just block both of them."
Lin Zhixia replied with, "Hahahahahaha."
A little later, Lin Zeqiu sent Lin Zhixia a WeChat message: "Why are you suddenly moving?"
Only then did Lin Zhixia realize—she hadn't blocked Lin Zeqiu from her WeChat Moments!
Although Lin Zeqiu had recently become more virtuous and gentle, Lin Zhixia still remembered how terrifying he could be when he was angry, and how he would nag incessantly.
Lin Zhixia panicked for a few brief seconds before regaining her usual composure. She cleverly and tactfully explained, "University dorms in the UK are changed every year."
Lin Zeqiu was half-convinced, half-doubting: "You're not lying to me, are you?"
Perhaps due to the psychic connection between siblings, Lin Zeqiu intuitively felt he had caught onto something. He sternly criticized his sister: "Lin Zhixia, I'm warning you, if I find out you're lying to the family..."
Lin Zhixia replied with a kitten pawing emoji and added, "Look it up online and see if what I'm saying is true."
Lin Zeqiu hesitated for a moment, then sent her a picture of a country dog giving a sidelong glance—Lin Zeqiu had a whole country dog emoji pack. Lin Zhixia immediately engaged him in an emoji battle. After a few rounds, Lin Zeqiu forgot his original intention and gradually came to believe Lin Zhixia's explanation.
Lin Zhixia's WeChat notifications kept chiming incessantly—she received many messages from her high school and undergraduate classmates. However, the most surprising one was a brief message from Wen Qi: "Are you okay?"
Wen Qi had actually initiated a conversation with her.
It was simply unbelievable!
Lin Zhixia replied instantly: "I'm fine, I've found a new place to live. How about you, did you get assigned a school dorm?"
Wen Qi said, "Yes."
After that, Wen Qi seemed to vanish from the face of the earth—he didn't type another word.
In his first year of doctoral studies, Wen Qi had published three papers, two of which were co-authored with Lin Zhixia. Their collaboration had been very smooth—they worked well together, and neither cared about taking credit. Wen Qi believed that a classmate like Lin Zhixia was hard to come by. His inquiry about her well-being was the limit of his social wisdom.
Soon after, Wen Qi received another WeChat message from Lin Zhixia: "You should try to communicate more with your classmates. Everyone really wants to talk to you."
Wen Qi was so startled he threw his phone away.
Just then, Lin Zhixia's phone rang with a notification. The screen displayed the words "Jiang Jiang Jiang Jiang Yubai."
Jiang Yubai had already arrived at the foot of Lin Zhixia's dormitory building. He intended to show off in front of her. He hadn't contacted any moving company employees. He was helping her carry her luggage all by himself. He had even deliberately worn a short-sleeved shirt to make it easier for him to handle the heavy and tiring work.Lin Zhixia was quite frugal. All her worldly possessions amounted to just two suitcases and a large cloth bundle—she had wrapped various odds and ends together using a bedsheet.
Thus, Jiang Yubai lifted a heavy suitcase in each hand while shouldering an enormous cloth bundle, looking as austere as a migrant worker returning home for a visit. Lin Zhixia wanted to help him carry the luggage, but he firmly refused. "These things aren't that heavy," he said.
Lin Zhixia eyed him skeptically. "The muscles in your arms are all tensed up."
Jiang Yubai replied offhandedly, "If you touch my arm, my muscles will tense up too."
Lin Zhixia thought to herself: Once they got home, she would test that out.
That morning, Lin Zhixia officially moved into Jiang Yubai's home.
Her new bedroom was spacious, fully furnished with all necessities, and connected to a study. The entire room was exceptionally tidy and comfortable, with bedding of the highest quality. The velvet quilt was fluffy and soft—after sitting on the bed for just a minute, Lin Zhixia felt like lying down for a nap.
Jiang Yubai placed her luggage in the center of the room. "My bedroom is across from yours. If you need anything, come find me."
"Are you home every day?" Lin Zhixia looked up at him.
He smiled. "Where else would I be if not at home?"
Lin Zhixia pressed further, "Can I come to you for anything?"
Jiang Yubai countered, "Are you playing a landlord-tenant roleplay game with me?"
A faint blush warmed Lin Zhixia's cheeks, pink tingeing her fair skin. Suddenly feeling a bit embarrassed, she ultimately admitted, "Yes, I wanted to play along a little. Because I'm in a good mood... What about you? Are you happy today?"
Jiang Yubai closed her bedroom door and locked it.
Hearing the click, Lin Zhixia watched him warily. He undid the first button of his collar and sat beside her. Lin Zhixia scooted back about half a meter and asked again, "What are you doing?"
Jiang Yubai maintained a businesslike demeanor. "We'll review the rental contract later. After confirming everything, you can sign it."
Lin Zhixia quietly rested her fingers on his hand. He showed no trace of aggression. She gently scratched the back of his hand, tracing several circles before saying, "Alright, alright. I'll go take a shower and unpack first. Let's have lunch together at noon. We can discuss the contract details over the meal."
Jiang Yubai, still adhering to his "landlord" persona, politely asked, "Can we eat together every day?"
Without hesitation, Lin Zhixia agreed.
Jiang Yubai took her left hand, bowed his head, and kissed the back of it—as if it were an established ritual between them. Whenever Jiang Yubai did this, Lin Zhixia's heartbeat quickened. She deliberately averted her gaze but couldn't help holding onto his fingertips.
Lin Zhixia spent the entire morning tidying her room. After folding her clothes, she pulled open the curtains. Outside, lush flowers and trees formed a dense canopy, and the sunlight beneath the azure sky seemed to shine directly into her heart.
Lunch that day was also sumptuous, and Lin Zhixia thoroughly enjoyed it.After the meal, Lin Zhixia and Jiang Yubai took a walk in the garden. They strolled along a path shaded by trees when a cool summer breeze swept toward them. Lin Zhixia suddenly stepped in front of Jiang Yubai and gently touched his arm. When he showed no reaction, she asked directly, "Didn't you say this morning that your muscles would tense up as soon as I touched you?"
Jiang Yubai sat down on a bench by the roadside. Dense vegetation surrounded the seat, the fragrance of dogwood trees drifted on the wind, and lush green leaves rustled softly.
Nearby, shadows intertwined under the serene daylight. Lin Zhixia sat close to Jiang Yubai. Leaning in, she noticed his faint yet captivating scent and asked him, "Why do you smell so good?"
Jiang Yubai glanced around, confirming once more that the spot was sufficiently secluded. He wrapped an arm around Lin Zhixia's waist and guided her to sit on his lap. Holding her quietly, he took a deep breath near her ear before saying, "You smell wonderful too."
As Jiang Yubai spoke, the tip of Lin Zhixia's ear tingled and grew numb. She turned her face, took his left hand, and played with his slender fingers while confiding, "Suddenly, I feel like we've returned to our childhood days when we were desk mates. We could tell each other everything as soon as it happened..."
Jiang Yubai lowered his head and gently kissed her cheek: "Do you have something to tell me today?"
Lin Zhixia replied eagerly, "Yes, yes!"
As the tree shadows swayed, Lin Zhixia stated frankly: "The current quantum community isn't fully developed yet. I want to develop a new quantum programming language based on Quantum Computing for researchers worldwide to use. I've had this idea since my undergraduate days. The programming languages you usually use, like Python, R, and C++, are all common ones..."
So this was what Lin Zhixia wanted to discuss with Jiang Yubai.
Jiang Yubai's mind wandered slightly.
After her lengthy explanation, Lin Zhixia still asked him: "Do you think it's feasible?"
Jiang Yubai tightened his arm around her waist and analyzed: "After you return to China, you'll need to apply for the 'Young Thousand Talents Program.' Compared to open-source code projects, papers and academic achievements are more important..."
The so-called "Young Thousand Talents Program" refers to the "Young Thousand Talents Plan."
Young researchers selected for the "Young Thousand Talents Program" gain more resources and attention.
Lin Zhixia pondered thoughtfully: "If I create a quantum programming language, I can also publish a paper. The citation count for that paper would definitely be high—at least three hundred to start."
Jiang Yubai asked further: "Do you plan to complete it alone? Do you have the time?"
Jiang Yubai's question hit the mark. After a moment's consideration, Lin Zhixia said: "Wen Qi will definitely agree to join my team. He's particularly interested in Quantum Computing—he's willing to collaborate with me no matter what I say..."
What Lin Zhixia didn't know was that Wen Qi wasn't "particularly interested in Quantum Computing"—he simply couldn't refuse Lin Zhixia. Once she started talking to him incessantly, his head would buzz, and when she made a request, he couldn't utter a single word of refusal.Lin Zhixia considered each candidate one by one: "Feng Yuan is very smart and excels in both mathematics and physics. She stayed at the university for a direct doctoral program, so she would likely agree to help. Senior Wei Ruoxing also mentioned she’s very interested in my project… Senior Luo Ying would probably agree as well. And then there’s my brother. Brother can handle the foundational underlying framework—I’ll discuss it with him. Since Brother isn’t pursuing a career in academia, no matter how high the citation count of this paper becomes, it might not necessarily benefit him."
Jiang Yubai listened from start to finish but didn’t hear his own name mentioned. He subtly hinted, "What about your closest friend…"
Lin Zhixia caught on instantly: "Are you referring to yourself?"
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