After Shen Fuxuan passed the civil service exam, he worked at the grassroots level for a period before being transferred back to the provincial capital. Since his return, he hadn't had much contact with Lin Zhixia and the others. Duan Qiyan invited him out for meals several times, but after repeated excuses, Duan Qiyan stopped extending invitations.
Lin Zhixia grew increasingly uneasy the more she thought about it.
She sent Shen Fuxuan a WeChat message: "Good evening, Shen."
Lin Zhixia rarely chatted privately with Shen Fuxuan, and her wording felt particularly distant. However, Shen Fuxuan replied instantly: "Good evening."
Seizing the opportunity, Lin Zhixia asked: "How has Teacher Shen been lately?"
His response mirrored his father's: "Not bad."
Lin Zhixia knew well that Shen Fuxuan wasn't easily persuaded. Having been classmates with him for four years, she had witnessed firsthand how his daily amusement involved toying with Duan Qiyan.
Shen Fuxuan thrived on chaos, his words always half-truths, and this habit remained unchanged even after he reached adulthood. Deng Shasha once remarked that after just two days of interacting with Shen Fuxuan, she nearly fell under this junior's spell—evidence that he was no simple character and quite skilled in his ways.
Lin Zhixia agreed with Deng Shasha's assessment.
She put down her phone and collapsed onto the bed.
Jiang Yubai pushed the door open and found Lin Zhixia lying motionless on the bed. He walked over, sat on the edge, skillfully wrapped an arm around her waist, and she leaned into his embrace while still clutching her phone. A while later, she received a WeChat message from He Yuanqian—a lengthy passage where He Yuanqian truthfully relayed that Shen Zhaohua had undergone surgery in mid-April this year. Shen Zhaohua's family had been optimistic about the procedure, but reality had dealt them a harsh blow.
Before the surgery, Shen Zhaohua had kept it completely private because she believed she would recover quickly and return to work.
After the surgery, Shen Zhaohua's condition deteriorated, with cancer cells metastasizing, and targeted therapy proving ineffective. She planned to disclose her condition soon, reassign advisors for her students, and occasionally spoke with her family about Lin Zhixia, even dreaming of how Lin Zhixia looked at ten years old.
She wanted to meet with Lin Zhixia next Thursday. Currently, she was staying in the special care ward of Provincial Capital People's Hospital.
Lin Zhixia's emotions were tangled and complex. She didn't yet know the extent of Shen Zhaohua's "deterioration," only hoping for a medical miracle to arrive soon.
She lay flat on the bed, using Jiang Yubai's lap as a pillow, and handed her phone to him.
After reading the WeChat messages, Jiang Yubai comforted Lin Zhixia softly: "I'll go with you to the hospital next Thursday." He checked the calendar—next Thursday happened to be April 27th.
This year's graduate student interviews were scheduled for late April.
Before April 27th, Lin Zhixia needed to interview over twenty students.
She screened their resumes and skimmed through their published papers—among this batch, Chen Shihan was undoubtedly the most outstanding. Additionally, Chen Shihan was female, had only applied to Lin Zhixia as her advisor, and since Lin Zhixia preferred recruiting female students, she decided in advance to accept Chen Shihan and added her name to the research group.On the day of the graduate student interview conference, the evaluation panel for the Quantum Computing track at the Interdisciplinary College consisted of seven faculty members. Besides Lin Zhixia, there were the vice dean, Qu Zongyi, Tan Qianche, and others. The professors sat on one side of a long table while the students stood on the other, the atmosphere thick with tension. Some students flushed red, their foreheads beaded with sweat and lips pale. Tan Qianche remarked to Lin Zhixia, "Students with such poor psychological resilience shouldn't be admitted, no matter how academically strong they are."
"My recruitment quota for this year is already full," Lin Zhixia revealed.
Tan Qianche flipped open his work log, writing as he asked, "Are your new students obedient?"
"Obedience is secondary," Lin Zhixia insisted. "Having their own ideas is what matters most."
Snapping his pen cap shut, Tan Qianche commented lightly, "The top candidates go to Tsinghua and Peking University. You're only suited to mentor high-achieving students." He rolled up his sleeve an inch, revealing a well-defined wrist with prominent bones, faintly visible veins, and evenly sculpted muscles. A newly entered female student kept staring at his hand, prompting a soft chuckle from him. When he met her gaze, she immediately blushed crimson, twisting the hem of her coat tightly in her hands.
"See," Tan Qianche murmured under his breath, "this student isn't suitable either."
Seated at the edge, Tan Qianche had Lin Zhixia as his immediate neighbor, making her the only one who could hear him. No sooner had he offered this advice than Lin Zhixia retorted coldly, "Our admission criteria differ, Teacher Tan."
Then, raising her voice, Lin Zhixia said, "Student Chen Shihan, don’t be nervous. Please introduce yourself."
Chen Shihan had just flown in from Hong Kong to the provincial capital yesterday. Her Mandarin was poor, and since landing, she had been on edge. Her boyfriend had discouraged her from pursuing graduate studies on the mainland, warning that local students would ostracize Hong Kong girls, which frightened her into telling everyone she was from Guangdong, a native Cantonese speaker.
During her self-introduction, Chen Shihan slipped up: "I’m from Guangdong."
Tan Qianche interrupted her, "Your records show your registered residence is in Hong Kong, Student Chen."
Chen Shihan hastily corrected herself, "Hong Kong."
Tan Qianche chuckled again.
Chen Shihan’s tongue seemed to tie itself in knots. Her halting speech reminded Lin Zhixia strikingly of her other student, Zhan Rui. Fortunately, the panel members were patient. The vice dean posed a few simple questions, and Chen Shihan picked up a marker, swiftly solving problems on the blackboard. Gradually, she found her footing, shedding all traces of anxiety and even bantering easily with the professors.
With an undergraduate degree in physics and a minor in computer science, Chen Shihan had participated in physics and chemistry competitions in high school and published papers during her bachelor’s studies. Such an academic background stood out prominently among the applicants.
Qu Zongyi was particularly impressed and asked her on the spot, "Student Chen Shihan, have you chosen a supervisor yet?" Before finishing, he subtly pushed his nameplate forward, which clearly read "Professor Qu Zongyi, Academic Leader of the Interdisciplinary College."
Chen Shihan gazed yearningly at Lin Zhixia, hesitating to speak—her wistful expression was unmistakable to anyone watching.
Qu Zongyi gave an awkward "hehe" laugh, finding a way to save face: "A master leads you to the door; the rest is up to you."Chen Shihan bowed to the teachers. "Thank you, teachers."
Lin Zhixia nodded at her.
Chen Shihan knew this represented Lin Zhixia's approval. Her heart felt sweeter than if she had eaten honey, and she returned a smile to Lin Zhixia.
After Chen Shihan left the room, Qu Zongyi unscrewed his glass bottle and took a sip of tea steeped with boat-fruited sterculia seeds, complimenting, "The students in Teacher Lin's group are all outstanding."
Lin Zhixia returned the courtesy: "They can't compare to Teacher Qu's students."
While recording interview scores and drafting her "Graduate Student Training Plan," she heard Qu Zongyi say, "Ah, you're Professor Shen's granddaughter, right, Teacher Lin? I heard about Professor Shen's situation this morning."
Lin Zhixia's movements paused.
Many teachers at the university believed Lin Zhixia was Shen Zhaohua's biological granddaughter because she had received Shen Zhaohua's care since childhood. She didn't correct Qu Zongyi, only saying, "Professor Shen will recover."
Qu Zongyi didn't respond, so Lin Zhixia repeated, "She will definitely get better."
As a chemistry researcher with some exposure to medicine and biology, Qu Zongyi believed Shen Zhaohua's condition wasn't optimistic—this wasn't alarmist, as medical school professors shared his view.
He pushed up his glasses and told a white lie: "Professor Shen has a strong constitution; she'll pull through." He comforted, "Don't worry too much, Teacher Lin."
After several seconds, Lin Zhixia replied, "Thank you."
This year's graduate student admissions work continued intensively yet systematically.
Lin Zhixia's three new students, including Chen Shihan, were all impressive individuals with rich resumes. According to reliable sources, Chen Shihan not only excelled academically but also spoke English fluently, having achieved an IELTS score of 8.0—a typical "child from someone else's family."
When Xu Lingbo heard this, he felt deeply troubled.
Anxiety filled his heart.
He was about to enter his third year of graduate studies without any published papers. The junior students in their research group were becoming increasingly capable—even Zhan Rui had submitted a conference paper—while he remained empty-handed.
Heaven knew that for the past six months, he had been studying diligently, never slacking off. But for him, writing papers was like winning the lottery: effort alone wasn't enough—luck was also required.
On another bright morning, Xu Lingbo woke up early and hurried to the Laboratory, bringing breakfast for his senior sister Fang Yiwen. It was 7:30 AM, and only the two of them were in the Laboratory.
He handed the breakfast to Fang Yiwen, who was reading Zhan Rui's paper. Her fluffy, messy hair showed its usual casual unrestraint. With her left leg propped on another chair and yellow mud stuck to her shoe soles, she displayed no elegant posture yet radiated boundless confidence and natural grace.
Xu Lingbo felt a sudden impulse and stammered like Zhan Rui: "Se—senior sister, I—I—I..."Senior Sister interrupted him: "I know what you want to say.""
Xu Lingbo took a sharp breath. Senior sister asked, "Do you want to hear my white lie or the truth?""
Xu Lingbo chose "the white lie."
Fang Yiwen whispered, "You need to focus your mind on studying.""Our personalities complement each other," Xu Lingbo suddenly mustered his courage to blurt out. "Give me a chance to bridge the gap between us, Senior Sister."
Fang Yiwen shook her head slightly and said calmly, "The gap between you and me is deeper than the Mariana Trench, greater than the energy released by nuclear fusion. Let me put it this way: if I am the first-magnitude star in Orion of the Milky Way, you are just a minor moon of Jupiter. If I am highly oxidizing perchloric acid, you are a bowl of pH-neutral water. I am DNA constantly being replicated, you are ATP destined for hydrolysis. Our capabilities don't even exist within the same evaluation framework."
She raised her head: "To be perfectly honest, do you understand?"
Xu Lingbo felt as if ten thousand arrows had pierced his heart. Stumbling out of the laboratory, he bumped into Teacher Tan Qianche from the Physics Department. Seeing his distraught state, Teacher Tan steadied him and asked, "Is your Teacher Lin in the laboratory?"
"No," Xu Lingbo murmured to himself. "Teacher Lin has gone to the hospital."
"Is she sick?"
"Not her. Her grandmother Professor Shen Zhaohua has been hospitalized."
Tan Qianche fell into thoughtful silence.
After barely collecting himself, Xu Lingbo asked on behalf of Lin Zhixia: "Teacher Tan, what did you need Teacher Lin for?"
Tan Qianche replied: "Your Teacher Lin is the deputy leader of the Four-University Joint Research Group and is highly likely to be selected as this year's Global Forbes 30 Under 30 outstanding talent. The professors in the Four-University Research Group all want to recommend Teacher Lin to the International Academic Union to help her win the 'Most Outstanding Scientist Under 30' award."
Xu Lingbo had heard of this award - it came with substantial prize money, far-reaching influence, and rigorous evaluation criteria, often called the "Little Nobel." The review committee included top scientists from China, Japan, Europe, and America, with the annual award ceremony held in capital cities of major nations.
For what felt like the ten-thousandth time in his life, Xu Lingbo sighed: "Teacher Lin is truly exceptional. I'm just dragging down her research group..."
Tan Qianche comforted him with one sentence: "Don't compare yourself with geniuses, don't torture yourself. The more one knows, the more one realizes how little one knows[1]."
Xu Lingbo acknowledged the wisdom.
The sun shone brightly today, the weather was clear with cloudless skies - seemingly a good omen.
Lin Zhixia carried a fruit basket in her left hand while holding Jiang Yubai's hand with her right, entering the inpatient department of Provincial City People's Hospital together.
Shen Zhaohua's hospital room was on the seventh floor.
The corridor was clean and tidy, sunlight streamed brilliantly through the windows, and family members accompanied patients on walks, creating an atmosphere of tranquil harmony.
Lin Zhixia stood before a slightly ajar door to a hospital room, not daring to push it open.
For a moment, she seemed transported back to her childhood, when she was just nine years old. During an autumn outing, she had met Shen Zhaohua at an aquarium, where Shen Zhaohua had offered her business card to Lin Zhixia, who had hesitated to accept it. Now, years later, she found herself hesitating again until Jiang Yubai placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her the courage to pull the door open a crack.
She heard Shen Zhaohua's voice: "Come in."
Shen Fuxuan was also in the room. He said with a smile: "Teacher Shen woke up at five and has been waiting for you all morning."
"Not waiting," Shen Zhaohua paused mid-sentence, then asked, "Is that Lin Zhixia?"
Lin Zhixia walked slowly into the hospital room.
She finally saw Shen Zhaohua again.Shen Zhaohua was in fairly good condition. She wasn't lying weakly in bed as Lin Zhixia had imagined. On the contrary, she appeared quite spirited, though she had lost significant weight and her complexion showed a faint yellowish tint. She sat on the bed, leaning against pillows, with her left hand connected to an IV drip.
Lin Zhixia spoke first: "Hello, Teacher Shen."
Jiang Yubai was even more polite. He introduced himself as Lin Zhixia's family member.
Shen Zhaohua remembered Jiang Yubai quite well - when Lin Zhixia was young, she often visited the university's Laboratory and library, with Jiang Yubai frequently accompanying her. The two children were practically inseparable on campus, like shadows following each other.
Shen Zhaohua spoke to Jiang Yubai quite kindly: "Please, both of you have a seat."
Lin Zhixia properly sat in an empty spot by the bed. She kept her legs together, holding the fruit basket, her gaze fixed intently on Shen Zhaohua, which made Shen Zhaohua smile.
Speaking to Lin Zhixia like she was her elder, Shen Zhaohua made conversation: "It's late April now - the graduate student entrance interviews must be over."
"They're finished," Lin Zhixia said. "This year I admitted three students."
Shen Zhaohua said contentedly: "That's good."
Lin Zhixia pulled her chair closer, moving nearer to Shen Zhaohua: "How have you been feeling recently?"
Shen Zhaohua had long suffered from presbyopia. Recently, her vision problems had worsened - she couldn't see clearly whether things were near or far, only making out blurry outlines. She slightly opened her eyes, facing Lin Zhixia as she said: "Not bad."
Shen Fuxuan stood silently nearby peeling an apple.
Jiang Yubai stood beside Shen Fuxuan. Being relatively close friends, Jiang Yubai spoke quietly with Shen Fuxuan. Shen Zhaohua couldn't quite hear what they were saying, her ears filled with a buzzing noise. She half-closed her eyes, leaning against the headboard, her hands resting on the blanket, knuckles protruding prominently, the backs of her hands covered with age spots.
The hospital room suddenly fell quiet.
"Lin Zhixia." Shen Zhaohua only spoke her name.
Lin Zhixia quickly responded: "I'm here."
Shen Zhaohua instructed: "Open the box on the cabinet..."
Before she finished speaking, Shen Fuxuan came over to help. His complexion had darkened somewhat, probably from being in the countryside, and he had matured considerably, no longer smiling before speaking like he used to, nor filling his words and actions with playful teasing.
He took a wooden box from the cabinet and personally handed it to Lin Zhixia, explaining: "It contains many penguins."
"Penguins?" Lin Zhixia opened the lid.
Inside was a row of carved wooden Little Penguin dolls.
Shen Fuxuan detailed their origin: "Last year, Grandma went on an Antarctic expedition and happened to meet an Antarctic penguin research scientist. Grandma bought a batch of teaching materials from him..." He stepped back, putting more distance between them: "A complete collection of penguin species from around the world."
How did Shen Zhaohua know Lin Zhixia liked penguins?
When Lin Zhixia was ten, she often visited Shen Zhaohua's Laboratory. Every time she came to the Laboratory, her backpack would be bulging - containing her Little Penguin plush toy. Having seen this several times, Shen Zhaohua had remembered.
Holding the box, Lin Zhixia seemed to suddenly return to her student days, only able to say one sentence: "Thank you, Teacher Shen."Shen Zhaohua leaned against the bed, looked at Lin Zhixia, then turned to Shen Fuxuan and said, "You've been here all morning. It's Thursday—work is important. You should head back now."
"Shall I really go?" Shen Fuxuan picked up his jacket.
Shen Zhaohua waved him off.
The caregiver slightly drew open the curtains, allowing bright light to stream in and fall upon Jiang Yubai. Jiang Yubai handed the fruit basket Lin Zhixia had brought to the caregiver before responding, "Teacher Shen, please rest well. Lin Zhixia and I will visit again in a couple of days."
Shen Zhaohua picked up a pair of framed glasses from the bedside and placed them on the bridge of her nose. Her movements were slow, and she refused any assistance. The liquid in the IV drip fell drop by drop. When she accidentally brushed against Lin Zhixia, Lin Zhixia felt her hand was as cold as the medicine.
Peering through her lenses, Shen Zhaohua studied Lin Zhixia carefully. Her vision remained blurry, and she couldn't help coughing before adding, "Today's visit will be the last. There's no need to come again in a couple of days. You all have... your own careers and lives... I'm almost eighty, an old relic now..."
Lin Zhixia caught the implication in her words, and Shen Fuxuan's expression darkened. Yet he managed a smile. Draping his jacket over his shoulders, he sat on a stool and said in a convincing tone, "It hasn't come to that. Let's observe for a few more days. Targeted drugs are effective against cancer. My mom mentioned you were nearly elected as an academician last year. Once you recover, you'll receive the medal and can even return to teach at the university..."
"Teacher Gu Likai is also in the running for academician," Lin Zhixia interjected suddenly. "I organized a Four-University Joint Research Group, and Teacher Gu is the head. When he visited our university last week, we talked about you too, Teacher Shen."
Gripping the bedside rail, Shen Zhaohua teased, "When he becomes an academician, burn some incense for me."
"What?" Lin Zhixia was taken aback.
Thinking she hadn't understood, Shen Zhaohua repeated, "Burn a stick of incense."
Silence fell over the room.
Shen Zhaohua closed her eyes to rest and continued, "Your senior Zhu Chan has long been capable of independent research. So have you—with grants and achievements... Colleagues at the university thought you were my granddaughter... I found it amusing a few times..."
Her words were fragmented, like an elderly person murmuring in their sleep.
Tears welled up in Lin Zhixia's eyes. She hadn't cried in years, but whenever she remembered how kind Shen Zhaohua had been to her, she couldn't control her emotions.
Shen Zhaohua had opened up university library resources and laboratory equipment to Lin Zhixia, connected her with Gu Likai as her undergraduate advisor, and after Lin Zhixia returned with her Ph.D., helped her build networks and stabilize her position at the university. No wonder the vice-principal mistakenly thought Lin Zhixia was Shen Zhaohua's granddaughter.
Tears suddenly streamed down, dripping onto the back of Lin Zhixia's hand. Afraid Shen Zhaohua would notice, she said in a steady voice, "Alright, I understand, Teacher Shen. Please rest well. Jiang Yubai, Shen Fuxuan, and I will take our leave now. When we have time, we'll visit again. I can bring Senior Zhu Chan along..."
But Shen Zhaohua comforted her gently, like a grandmother, "Don't cry, Xia Xia."
Her consolation only made Lin Zhixia cry harder. Tears fell like broken pearls, dampening her skirt. She stood up from her seat, trying to maintain composure, "I'm sorry, Teacher Shen, I...""You're such a soft-hearted child," Shen Zhaohua remarked.
Jiang Yubai handed a tissue to Lin Zhixia, while Shen Fuxuan added self-mockingly, "Grandma, don't scold her—I'm about to cry myself."
Shen Zhaohua chuckled. Her weariness seemed to fade slightly, and her condition appeared much better than in the morning. She shifted the quilt up an inch, rested her neck against the soft pillow, tilted her head back slightly, and continued, "If I really pass away, don't shed tears... Remembering me is the same as me not leaving, right?"
Her tone was as if she were explaining a problem to her students.
Jiang Yubai and Shen Fuxuan both remained silent, while Shen Zhaohua turned her gaze to Lin Zhixia once more. She knew Lin Zhixia's memory was unparalleled, and indeed, Lin Zhixia proved exceptionally sharp-witted, quickly grasping the meaning in her eyes and replying, "Yes."
Shen Zhaohua recited a line of poetry with composure: "Life in the mortal realm will eventually disperse; what does it matter to return to the underworld in death?"
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