Lin Zeqiu had complex feelings toward his younger sister.
Before Lin Zhixia started elementary school, she often said things at home that completely disregarded his inner feelings.
For example, Lin Zhixia once asked him: "Brother, this book describes the quantum Hall effect. As the magnetic field strength increases, how do you think the conductance of the edge Landau levels in this sample will change?"
Lin Zeqiu's response was just one word: "Get lost."
Another time, Lin Zhixia probed him: "Brother, cytoplasmic inheritance is maternal inheritance, and mitochondrial DNA all comes from the mother. Brother, we have the same Mom and Dad, so why don't you and I look alike at all? Let's read 'Analysis of Cell Genetics' together!"
Lin Zeqiu's response was just two words: "Shut up."
And then there was the incident that left the deepest impression on Lin Zeqiu—that day, Mom and Dad happened to have a rare day off and took the siblings to the park for a spring outing. At the time, the six-year-old Lin Zhixia pestered her brother, chattering incessantly: "Brother, have you studied the origin of species? Do you know there are gaps in the evolutionary history of ancient humans? Do you believe all human races originated from Africa? Do you think Darwin's 'Theory of Evolution' can explain the development history of ancient apes? Brother, almost all mammals have fur, yet sweat glands are one of the most developed organs in humans. This determines that human endurance is stronger than other mammals. Brother, do you know why that is?"
Lin Zeqiu broke down on the spot: "Stop bothering me!"
He strode away, running far off. Lin Zhixia was still chasing after him, like a demon king from hell. Even if Lin Zeqiu ran to the ends of the earth, he ultimately couldn't escape Lin Zhixia's pursuit.
He yelled at her: "Stay away from me!"
Then, he was immediately scolded by Mom and Dad. They blamed him for having a bad temper and being too harsh on his sister. His good mood from the outing vanished completely, his spirits sank to the bottom, and the spring outing became utterly joyless.
Mom and Dad were somewhat biased. Especially Mom, who treated her son and daughter completely differently. For Lin Zhixia, Mom would do many things.
For instance, Lin Zhixia particularly loved going to the provincial library. No matter how business was at the shop, Mom would always find time each week to take her to the library to borrow and find books.
Mom and Dad did their best to nurture Lin Zhixia. They made sacrifices in both time and money.
To avoid delaying the shop's opening, Mom usually went to the wholesale market to stock up at four in the morning. Dad would help with inventory checks, accounting, and bookkeeping. The household chores at home, including washing dishes, sweeping, mopping, and doing laundry, were often assigned to Lin Zeqiu.
While Lin Zhixia didn't have to do anything.
If Lin Zeqiu complained even once, Mom would tell him: Your sister is three years younger than you, can't you give in to her a little?
He could only pretend not to mind. Over time, he grew accustomed to it.
The most terrifying part was that after Lin Zeqiu turned ten, Lin Zhixia became enthusiastic about tutoring him in his studies.
While tutoring, she would ask him in confusion: "Brother, is this problem stumping you? Brother, do you really not understand?"
In Lin Zeqiu's nightmares, there would occasionally be Lin Zhixia's unrestrained and arrogant questioning.
However, tonight was a bit different. Apart from explaining the problem-solving methods, Lin Zhixia didn't say anything else to Lin Zeqiu.She sat quietly in the chair, calmly watching Lin Zeqiu write with his pen. Her cheeks were rosy against fair skin, and her eyes held the glow of morning stars. She was a kind-hearted, beautiful little angel.
The additional problem on the math test had been perfectly solved by Lin Zeqiu.
Tomorrow morning, when their homeroom teacher went over the test in class, Lin Zeqiu would likely be the only one in the entire class who could solve this problem.
Without a doubt, Lin Zeqiu had preserved the dignity of being the math class representative. He glanced sideways at his sister. Though he didn't say it out loud, he felt vaguely touched in his heart.
Lin Zhixia looked back at him.
Lin Zeqiu clenched the test paper and told his sister, "You're usually annoying. But when you're not annoying, you're actually quite capable."
Lin Zhixia nodded and frankly told him: "Brother, when you encounter problems you don't understand, don't struggle alone. If you can't figure it out, come find me. Whether it's middle school or high school problems, regular difficulty or competition level, I can usually solve them. My deskmate gave me several physics competition workbooks, and I've discovered patterns in the questions from previous years. Brother, if you want to know, I'll share all my thoughts with you! I can treat you as my student..."
"Enough," Lin Zeqiu closed the test paper, trying to maintain a gentle tone, "Get out of here, the farther the better, Lin Zhixia."
"You're being mean to me again!" Lin Zhixia said angrily, "I'm leaving right now!"
Lin Zeqiu chuckled: "Don't let the door hit you on your way out!"
Lin Zhixia ran out of his room.
He took a deep breath and worked diligently to complete his English and Chinese homework.
After organizing his backpack, tidying his desk, brushing his teeth and washing his face in the bathroom, Lin Zeqiu finally collapsed onto his bed, completely exhausted.
Please don't let me dream about Lin Zhixia—this was his only wish before falling asleep tonight.
The next morning, Lin Zeqiu went to school as usual.
As he wished, the first class was math.
As a dedicated math class representative, Lin Zeqiu had already collected all the homework from the class. Then, at the homeroom teacher's signal, Lin Zeqiu distributed the test papers to each group leader.
Every student in the class now held another student's test paper.
"Classmates," the homeroom teacher tapped the blackboard, "follow along as we correct the test papers and grade your classmates' work. Write the correct problem-solving methods in your notebooks. Don't let my explanations go to waste. When you encounter similar problems next time, you can't make the same mistakes again, understood?"
The homeroom teacher started with the first multiple-choice question.
Lin Zeqiu held a red pen, unconsciously looking forward to the additional problem.
He glanced at his watch from time to time.
He waited thirty-nine minutes.
With a forty-five minute class period, only six minutes remained until the bell.
At this point, the entire test had been reviewed, leaving only the final additional problem.
The homeroom teacher coughed and asked the class: "This problem is somewhat difficult, falling within the scope of middle school math competitions. Did any classmates in our class solve it?"
Without a second's delay, Lin Zeqiu immediately raised his hand.
The homeroom teacher's eyes lit up: "Good! Lin Zeqiu! My math class representative! Come up to the blackboard and explain it to everyone."
Lin Zeqiu stood up amidst the glorious attention of everyone.
He didn't even notice that "come up to the blackboard" was an ungrammatical expression.Even if they noticed, what could they do? The homeroom teacher was a math teacher. Students shouldn't criticize his Chinese language skills too harshly.
Lin Zeqiu walked up to the podium, picked up a piece of chalk, and outlined the problem-solving approach for everyone.
Many students in the class let out exclamations of sudden understanding - "Oh—wow!"
The homeroom teacher also praised Lin Zeqiu's method.
The teacher said: "Lin Zeqiu flexibly applied mathematical induction. When n is greater than or equal to 2, the equation Lin Zeqiu wrote is very concise and contains some clever techniques. You should learn from him."
This technique wasn't actually Lin Zeqiu's technique.
It was Lin Zhixia's technique.
At this moment, Lin Zeqiu suddenly thought of his younger sister.
A terrifying hypothesis emerged in his mind—what if his sister suddenly skipped a grade and started middle school next year? Would she completely outshine all the middle school students in their grade?
If this hypothesis became reality, Lin Zeqiu would be pointed at wherever he went in school.
Classmates might say: Look! That's Lin Zhixia's brother! Lin Zhixia must often tutor her brother with his homework!
Lin Zeqiu shuddered, cold sweat breaking out on his back.
He had to divert his attention, forcing himself to think about other matters... For example, his sister needed to pay 72 yuan for her Hepatitis B vaccine today. Was she managing to pay it smoothly? Was she still afraid of injections?
Lin Zeqiu's worries weren't unfounded.
In fact, Lin Zhixia was sitting on pins and needles at school.
After the first class ended, Tang Yueqin, the vice monitor of Class 1, Grade 4, came up to Lin Zhixia and asked: "Lin Zhixia, are you getting the Hepatitis B vaccine?"
Lin Zhixia silently took out a handkerchief. She untied the slipknot, and the complete 72 yuan in small change lay neatly on the desk.
Tang Yueqin collected the money, recorded Lin Zhixia's name, and asked again: "Lin Zhixia, you don't look too well?"
Jiang Yubai heard Tang Yueqin's words and turned to observe Lin Zhixia. He asked: "Lin Zhixia, are you feeling unwell?"
"No," Lin Zhixia replied, "I'm... perfectly fine."
She was deeply excavating her own thoughts.
Why be afraid of injections?
Everything must have a cause, and every cause must have an effect.
Lin Zhixia believed her fear of hospitals stemmed from a kind of uncontrollable uncertainty.
Whenever she went to the hospital, she always saw elderly people in wheelchairs, patients carrying mobile IV drips, and doctors with hurried expressions and fast footsteps. The hospital was a convergence point of life and death, a contrast center between health and illness, making her think of many unexplainable philosophical questions.
Liezi once said: "Whether you live ten years or a hundred years, you'll still die. Just enjoy the present life, why worry about after death?" This means—don't overthink, just live well while you're alive.
The German philosopher Heidegger also proposed a philosophical concept called "dasein."
The word "dasein" means "existence" in German. Heidegger's theory can be summarized as "being toward death," which translates to "living toward death" in Chinese.
Living toward death!According to Heidegger's theory, although every person is a living being, only those who are aware of their own existence, conscious that they will die one day, and continuously grow and expand their horizons while moving toward death can be considered truly "dasein" in the meaningful sense.
That's the principle, and Lin Zhixia was striving to grasp its profound meaning.
Once she had her epiphany, she would overcome her fears!
Conquer herself!
Become the "Übermensch" Nietzsche spoke of!
Become the "dasein" Heidegger described!
Yes, that's exactly how it should be.
After adjusting her mindset, Lin Zhixia reopened her notebook to record today's "Human Observation Diary."
She wrote: Today, I will observe myself. My research question is—Is Lin Zhixia a person with a weak will?
Every word Lin Zhixia wrote was seen by Jiang Yubai.
Jiang Yubai asked her, "Weak will? What are you afraid of?"
Lin Zhixia hesitated for a moment. She hadn't planned to tell the truth because she hadn't yet shed the idol baggage brought on by the "Exploring the Universe" comic series. But it was clear that Jiang Yubai was concerned about her. She should honestly respond to a good friend's care.
She said softly, "I'm afraid of injections."
Jiang Yubai asked in return, "Why?"
His tone was unusually caring, and Lin Zhixia couldn't help but tell him the truth: "Because injections hurt. I'm afraid of pain. Are you going to laugh at me now?"
Jiang Yubai turned to face her and said seriously, "That's okay. Everyone is afraid of something."
Lin Zhixia also turned to face him and asked, "Jiang Yubai, what are you afraid of?"
"I'm afraid of dirty things," Jiang Yubai admitted his flaw. "My room can't have visible dust. The bedsheets, duvet covers, and pillowcases must be changed daily."
Lin Zhixia nodded. "You're very particular."
Jiang Yubai shook his head. "Not particular—I'm just nitpicking."
Lin Zhixia praised him, "You're so humble."
Jiang Yubai casually replied, "Not as much as you."
Lin Zhixia tugged at his sleeve. "Do you think you're not as good as me?"
The "mutual flattery" friendly relationship they had built shattered in that instant.
Jiang Yubai sat up straight again, smoothing his sleeve, his pride seemingly stung. Yet he patiently comforted her, "Don't be afraid. Getting a vaccine won't affect your life."
"But do you know?" Lin Zhixia explained knowledgeably, "The Hepatitis B vaccine is essentially an inactivated virus. After the injection, I might get a fever."
Jiang Yubai didn't seem concerned. "You might get a fever, but it's not certain you will."
Lin Zhixia composed herself and elaborated, "The famous mathematical reasoning—Murphy's Law—tells us that if something can go wrong, it eventually will. When you choose any set for integration to calculate the measure..."
"Please speak in plain language," Jiang Yubai requested.
Lin Zhixia obliged: "What I mean is, if you fear something, it will happen."
"It won't," Jiang Yubai reassured her firmly. "Be more optimistic."
Lin Zhixia, however, said, "I've always been optimistic."
Lin Zhixia maintained her optimistic mindset and smoothly made it through several weeks.
In early December, the Experimental Primary School organized a placement test.Ordinary students typically review textbooks, study diligently, and skim through notes before exams.
Lin Zhixia shared some similarities with ordinary students—she also read extensively before exams.
But she didn’t read textbooks.
For instance, before this fourth-grade preliminary assessment, Lin Zhixia had been rapidly flipping through Unified Theory and Supersymmetry , A New Compilation of Quantum Computing , and Beyond Space-Time at the library.
Once in the exam hall, after swiftly completing her test paper, she would mentally revisit the content of those library books.
She organized her thoughts, repeatedly deriving mathematical equations, essentially setting up another exam for herself.
At this moment, the entire exam hall was unusually quiet. The proctor sat by the podium, never disturbing the students.
Lin Zhixia glanced sideways and happened to see Jiang Yubai sitting diagonally in front of her.
Jiang Yubai’s posture was exceptionally upright. He held his pen correctly and wrote with great care.
Lin Zhixia stared blankly at his back, and before she knew it, the school broadcast announced, "Teachers, please collect the papers. The exam is over."
Lin Zhixia stretched lazily.
The proctor was a young male teacher. He walked up to Lin Zhixia, collected her test paper, and skimmed over the English essay on it. Though somewhat surprised, he said nothing.
"The exam’s over!" Lin Zhixia cheerfully declared.
She hopped over to Jiang Yubai’s desk: "Jiang Yubai, how did you do on the exam?"
Lin Zhixia wanted to know what mindset Jiang Yubai had after taking a major exam. This way, her Human Observation Diary would gain new material.
Jiang Yubai looked utterly confident. He smiled faintly and claimed, "I did average."
Ding Yan, passing by, overheard this and immediately asked warily, "Really?"
Jiang Yubai unscrewed his water bottle and took a sip of Fiji water. Though he gave no hint in his words, he felt certain inside that he had aced this exam. He was bound to be the top scorer in the class.
Though Lin Zhixia was exceptionally gifted, she might not be familiar with the techniques of exam-oriented education.
Meanwhile, he, Jiang Yubai, after four months of intensive tutoring, could recite solutions to the "Hua Luogeng Gold Cup Primary School Mathematics Competition" in his sleep.
This exam’s math and English papers were particularly challenging, with tricky and unconventional questions worthy of the provincial experimental elementary school’s curriculum.
Seven minutes into the exam, Jiang Yubai had glanced back once. He noticed Lin Zhixia was spacing out.
Ten minutes before the exam ended, Jiang Yubai glanced back again. He found Lin Zhixia still spacing out. Her sitting posture hadn’t changed in the slightest.
Why was she so still?
Probably pondering physics.
That fleeting glance restored Jiang Yubai’s confidence.
Lin Zhixia was indeed smart. A genius among geniuses. But she also zoned out. She could be careless and absentminded.
At this moment, Jiang Yubai stood up from his seat. His dignity rose from the ground with him. He asked Lin Zhixia, "Do you care about grade rankings?"
Lin Zhixia replied nonchalantly, "Exam score rankings? I don’t care. I’m always first in the grade. How high my total score is depends on my mood."
Clearly, Lin Zhixia was too proud.
As the saying goes, "Pride goes before a fall"—and not without reason.According to Jiang Yubai's speculation, Lin Zhixia had been spacing out for quite some time. She likely hadn't finished the exam paper. Under normal circumstances, even if she had completed it, she should have taken the time to review all the questions.
No one is perfect, and there is always someone better. Even the strongest opponent can make mistakes.
Thus, Jiang Yubai mustered his courage and issued a challenge to Lin Zhixia: "Lin Zhixia, you used to often rank first because I hadn't transferred here yet."
As soon as he finished speaking, several nearby classmates stared at him.
Lin Zhixia gazed into his eyes: "Are you saying that this time, you performed exceptionally well and can surpass me to become the top student in our grade?"
Ding Yan tugged at Jiang Yubai's sleeve, signaling with his eyes for him not to speak recklessly and avoid bringing humiliation upon himself.
Ding Yan had witnessed Lin Zhixia's extraordinary intelligence.
He believed that no student in the entire school could be smarter than Lin Zhixia.
As Jiang Yubai's good friend, Ding Yan would never stand by and watch Jiang Yubai be humiliated in front of Lin Zhixia.
Although Jiang Yubai regarded Lin Zhixia as a rival and dreamed of hearing her praise him for being impressive, everyone knew that was an impossible scenario.
Ding Yan couldn't help but advise earnestly: "Jiang Yubai, just let it go. Try to be more open-minded."
How interesting.
What did "be more open-minded" mean?
Jiang Yubai had his own convictions.
He shook off Ding Yan's hand and pressed forward courageously and fearlessly. Facing Lin Zhixia, he said with neither humility nor arrogance: "Lin Zhixia, I can surpass you. This time, I should be the top student in our grade."
Lin Zhixia was momentarily stunned before replying: "Jiang Yubai, we've been desk mates for four months, and you still don't have a comprehensive understanding of me. How about this—let's make a bet."
As she spoke, she walked toward the classroom door.
All the students' backpacks were placed against the wall in the corridor outside the classroom.
Shoe prints marked the plastic floor. Jiang Yubai picked up his backpack but didn't sling it over his shoulder. Holding the strap in one hand, he followed Lin Zhixia and asked: "Lin Zhixia, what kind of bet do you want to make?"
Lin Zhixia stopped.
The sunlight was brilliant today, and the tiles on the teaching building gleamed brightly.
She slapped a tile and declared confidently: "Jiang Yubai, if you are the top student in our grade, I will call you Teacher Jiang. If I am the top student, you will call me Teacher Lin as a sign of respect."
Jiang Yubai took a step back.
He didn't agree immediately.
Jiang Yubai reflected on his earlier words and actions. He felt his behavior had been somewhat impolite. Even when dealing with a rival, he should show due respect and carefully evaluate the rival's proposal.
Should he accept Lin Zhixia's bet or not?
Jiang Yubai had performed exceptionally well in this exam.
He likely scored full marks in both math and English. He was also fully confident about his Chinese score.
With perfect scores in all three subjects, the worst outcome Jiang Yubai could face was tying with Lin Zhixia for first place in the grade.
He accepted Lin Zhixia's bet: "Alright."
He added: "Don't cry when you lose."
"I won't cry," Lin Zhixia said, "I'm very strong."
Jiang Yubai reminded her: "Starting next Monday, all students in the school will begin receiving Hepatitis B vaccines..." His voice gradually softened, sounding very gentle: "Don't be afraid."
Lin Zhixia hoisted her backpack and dashed out of the corridor in a flash.
*This weekend, Lin Zhixia unusually didn't go to the library.
She made the excuse that she was tired and wanted to rest. Both Mom and Dad showed surprised expressions.
But Brother saw right through her: "Are you still worried about getting vaccinated?"
Lin Zhixia hugged the Little Penguin plush toy tightly: "I'm not."
Lin Zeqiu said: "You always hug this penguin when you're scared." He tilted his head: "The penguin looks kind of silly."
He was dressed in sportswear, had changed into sneakers, picked up a basketball from the ground, and was just about to head out.
Lin Zeqiu hadn’t gone out to play for a whole month.
It was a rather pitiful situation. Last month, the family business had been particularly busy, and Lin Zeqiu had to clean every day while also keeping up with his studies. But today! He was finally free! He couldn’t wait to see his classmates and have a good, hard game of basketball with them.
Lin Zhixia unexpectedly asked him, “Can you take me with you to play basketball?”
“Lin Zhixia,” Lin Zeqiu questioned her, “do you even know how to play basketball?”
Lin Zhixia answered logically, “I don’t. That’s why I want to observe you all.”
Lin Zeqiu flatly refused, “My friends aren’t used to playing with girls. If you come to the court, none of us will feel comfortable.”
“Then can you stay home and play Cat’s cradle with me?” Lin Zhixia immediately pulled out a string.
Lin Zeqiu pushed her hand away. “Don’t block my way. I haven’t touched a basketball in ages.”
“Brother…” Lin Zhixia lowered her head. “Do you find me annoying? Before, I didn’t have a desk mate at school and didn’t dare talk to anyone. I could only go find girls to play Cat’s cradle with during breaks. When they played Chinese jump rope, I was always the one Standing like a post. Now even Brother doesn’t want to play Cat’s cradle with me.”
When Lin Zeqiu heard her mention, “I didn’t have a desk mate at school and didn’t dare talk to anyone,” his movements slowed considerably.
He stood before the security door, took a step forward, then pulled his leg back—even though his classmates were still waiting for him on the basketball court.
He looked at Lin Zhixia, who remained with her head lowered.
A pang of guilt struck Lin Zeqiu’s heart, and he said softly, “Forget it. I’ll play Cat’s cradle with you.”
“But what about your classmates?” Lin Zhixia immediately looked up.
Lin Zeqiu replied nonchalantly, “Why worry about them? It’s not the first time I’ve stood them up. They’re used to it by now.”
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