For two whole days, Lin Zhixia didn’t come to school.
Jiang Yubai’s campus life felt like a faded oil painting.
Lin Zhixia’s seat was empty. Her laughter, her games during breaks, her Human Observation Diary —all had vanished without a trace.
Lin Zhixia was at home recovering from illness, with no news at all. Jiang Yubai began to worry if something serious had happened to her. On the night she had a fever, he had called her home, but no one answered.
Jiang Yubai’s parents and uncle never answered calls from strangers. He suspected Lin Zhixia’s family might have the same rule.
So, after school that afternoon, Jiang Yubai decided to visit Ancheng Residential Complex in person.
At five in the evening, the sky darkened as the setting sun fractured the twilight, dissolving everything into dusk.
The main gate of Ancheng Residential Complex stood open, bustling with people coming and going.
The cold winter wind whistled, making people tighten their coats and scarves. The streets were dim and chilly, with two streetlights inexplicably broken.
Jiang Yubai shoved his hands into his pockets, blending into a group of students returning home, and followed them into the complex. He easily found the Lin family’s supermarket—but to his surprise, it was still open today.
Through a plastic curtain, Jiang Yubai spotted Lin Zhixia.
She was wearing a sweater and sweatpants, with pink bunny slippers on her feet. Leaning on the checkout counter, she looked up at her mom and asked, “Where’s Brother?”
Mom replied, “Your brother isn’t back from school yet. At the start of next month, his school’s Olympiad class will select new students. He wants to get in, so he stays an extra half-hour every day to ask his teacher questions.”
Lin Zeqiu was in the advanced class for first-year students at Provincial No. 1 High School.
Provincial No. 1 High School was the best in the province. It included both junior and senior high divisions, gathering almost all the top students in the city and boasting the strongest faculty.
The junior high division had four types of classes: Olympiad, advanced, regular, and international.
Lin Zeqiu had always wanted to join the Olympiad class.
But he had never passed the entrance exam.
“Brother wants to join the Olympiad class? Why didn’t he tell me?” Lin Zhixia asked, puzzled. “I could tutor him for the math competition.”
Mom smiled. “You can ask him when he gets back.”
Lin Zhixia nodded, then added, “Mom, I want to visit the university district this weekend. Can I go? Professor Shen Zhaohua agreed to let me tour their Physical Oceanography Laboratory.”
Before Mom could answer, Lin Zhixia’s gaze suddenly landed on Jiang Yubai.
After a brief moment of eye contact, Jiang Yubai bravely stepped into the supermarket.
Lin Zhixia asked, “What are you doing here?”
Jiang Yubai had already prepared a legitimate reason for his visit. He immediately unzipped his backpack and pulled out a stack of worksheets and homework. “Lin Zhixia, you missed two days of class. Here’s the homework the teacher assigned.”
Lin Zhixia’s mom suddenly spoke up. “Is this your classmate, Xia Xia?”
Lin Zhixia nodded proudly. “Yes! He’s my deskmate!”
Just then, Lin Zhixia’s dad emerged from the storeroom.
Both parents were now sizing up Jiang Yubai.Jiang Yubai stood ramrod straight. Today was his first formal meeting with Lin Zhixia's parents. He was determined to make a good impression. His self-introduction was quite detailed: "I'm Jiang Yubai. This September, I transferred to Experimental Primary School. My hobbies are reading, swimming, playing tennis, and solving math problems. I've been Lin Zhixia's deskmate this semester."
Lin Zhixia cheerfully chimed in, "That's right! Jiang Yubai and I have been deskmates for four months now!"
"Four months!" Dad exclaimed in amazement.
Before Jiang Yubai came along, forget four months—there wasn't a single child who could last four weeks as Lin Zhixia's deskmate.
Lin Zhixia's father had even received calls from other parents. One parent bluntly advised him that as Lin Zhixia's father, he needed to discipline his daughter properly and stop her from saying all sorts of nonsense in class that was affecting their children.
This had left Lin Zhixia's father indignant.
Clearly, it was that child who wasn't smart enough to keep up with Xia Xia's train of thought—how could that possibly be Xia Xia's fault?
Today was also the first time Lin Zhixia's father had heard a nine-year-old boy declare "solving math problems" as a hobby during a self-introduction. He couldn't help but feel moved. Indeed, such exceptionally bright children would have common ground with Lin Zhixia.
Dad asked gently, "Young Jiang Yubai, did you come today specifically to deliver homework to Lin Zhixia?"
Lin Zhixia hadn't been to school for two days, and the homeroom teacher hadn't mentioned her during class meetings.
With her home phone unreachable, Jiang Yubai had come up with the idea of a "house visit."
The so-called "homework" was just an excuse.
What Jiang Yubai was really concerned about was his competitor's well-being.
Now that he saw Lin Zhixia was fine, he felt much more at ease. Seizing the opportunity, he said, "Yes, I came to deliver homework. Now that it's done, I'll be going. See you tomorrow, Lin Zhixia."
Boxes of drinks were stacked at the supermarket entrance, shelves lined with various goods, and the floor was tiled with pale yellow squares. The tiles in the corners had already cracked, revealing several crooked gaps. The remaining fragments formed irregular patterns that looked extremely fragile.
Jiang Yubai paid extra attention to these details. He stepped lightly on the tiles, careful not to crack another one.
He absolutely would not be impolite in front of Lin Zhixia and her family.
Suddenly, Lin Zhixia called out, "Jiang Yubai?"
Her mother added, "Xia Xia, take something to see him off. On such a cold day, he came all the way from school just to bring you homework. You should thank him."
"I don't know what he likes to eat," Lin Zhixia said, troubled.
She asked directly, "Jiang Yubai, what do you like to eat?"
Jiang Yubai had his back to Lin Zhixia. He had just reached out a hand, about to touch the plastic curtain at the supermarket entrance, when two customers arrived—a middle-aged couple returning late from work.
Recently, Lin Zhixia's family's supermarket had also started selling fruits like apples, bananas, oranges, and pomelos. The customers stood in front of the shelves picking through the goods as Jiang Yubai maneuvered around them and returned to Lin Zhixia's side.
Facing her parents, he politely declined, "Thank you, Uncle and Auntie, but there's no need to give me anything."Generally, when rejecting someone, you need to find an appropriate reason so as not to embarrass the other person while maintaining your own dignity.
Soon, Jiang Yubai came up with a good excuse: "Lin Zhixia often inspires me to study physics at school. Today, I'm bringing her homework as a way to return the favor."
Lin Zhixia happily replied: "In that case, let's discuss the overview of 'Heterotic String Theory' tomorrow morning! We can start from the clockwise superspace vibrating strings of nine-dimensional Grassmann numbers and move on to the counterclockwise twenty-five-dimensional space vibrating strings. Do you still remember the definitions of bosons and fermions? Particles in quantum mechanics are divided into bosons and fermions. According to mathematical derivation, fermion vibrations in ten-dimensional space loop in one way, while boson vibrations in twenty-six-dimensional space loop in another. The oriented closed strings formed by the hybridization of fermionic strings and bosonic strings from two different higher-dimensional spaces can describe gauge interactions—this is a simple description of heterotic string theory[1]. Tomorrow morning, I'll explain it to you in more detail and vividly, along with your favorite mathematical derivations."
Jiang Yubai was startled and immediately took three steps back: "I'm heading home first. See you tomorrow."
With that, he resolutely turned and left, as if even nine oxen couldn't pull him back.
Lin Zhixia followed behind him: "Jiang Yubai, let me walk you to the neighborhood entrance."
But Jiang Yubai said: "Don't get your bunny slippers dirty."
Lin Zhixia was wearing a pair of pink bunny slippers. The city streets inevitably had dust and dirt.
Moreover, it was winter, the night was pitch black, the moon was barely visible, and the streetlights in the neighborhood were broken... As Jiang Yubai descended the steps, Lin Zhixia quickly called out: "Wait for me! I'll go home and change into sneakers! There's something I need to tell you!"
What was it?
Burdened by his own curiosity, Jiang Yubai obediently stood at the foot of the steps and waited for about two minutes before Lin Zhixia came rushing toward him.
She said with a smile: "Sorry to keep you waiting. I'm here."
He asked: "What did you want to tell me?"
"It's like this!" Lin Zhixia told him, "Do you remember Professor Shen Zhaohua? In mid-October, we met her and her four doctoral students at the ocean aquarium."
Actually, Jiang Yubai had always suspected that Lin Zhixia would skip grades sooner or later.
He had never met a girl like Lin Zhixia. When he used the computer at home to browse the internet, he couldn't help searching for "childhood education of geniuses." He found that most highly intelligent geniuses skipped grades and broke conventions.
Jiang Yubai silently pondered this, while Lin Zhixia continued on her own: "At noon today, I called one of Professor Shen's students—that older sister named Zhu Chan. Zhu Chan told me that on Sunday morning, I can visit their laboratory! You know, Jiang Yubai, I'm so happy!"
Jiang Yubai nodded nervously: "Did Professor Shen invite you to attend university?"
"Not at all," Lin Zhixia stopped walking, "I'm only nine years old. I don't want to go to university."
Jiang Yubai reluctantly spoke his mind: "You could attend university."
Lin Zhixia shook her head like a rattle-drum: "I'm very free and happy as I am now."Then, she asked, "Jiang Yubai, are you free this Sunday? Professor Shen asked me to meet her at the university town at nine in the morning. If you're free, we can visit the physical oceanography simulation laboratory together! It's one of the top labs in the country!"
Professor Shen worked at the best university in the province, which ranked among the top five nationwide. Jiang Yubai's math tutor was also an alumnus of this university.
Originally, Jiang Yubai had planned to attend a math lesson and a piano lesson this Sunday. In the afternoon, his mom would host a winter party at home, inviting friends from both this province and neighboring ones.
Jiang Yubai decided to cancel all his lessons. As for the rather meaningless winter party, he didn’t care whether he attended or not.
Lin Zhixia had extended a sincere invitation to him. If he missed this chance—the opportunity to visit the university lab with Lin Zhixia...
He would be left far behind by his competitors.
That was certainly not a scenario he wanted to see.
He could even envision a specific scene. For instance, Lin Zhixia might add in her Human Observation Diary : "My deskmate Jiang Yubai gave up Professor Shen Zhaohua's physical oceanography lab for a dull party. This is the cognitive limitation of ordinary humans."
Lost in his own imagination, Jiang Yubai sneered inwardly. Hah, he would definitely break through the cognitive limitations of ordinary humans and make the most correct, most rational choice.
After deep contemplation, Jiang Yubai finally spoke, "I'm free on Sunday."
Just five short words, concise and powerful, containing layers of his scheming.
Lin Zhixia responded cheerfully, "Great! Oh, Professor Shen said it’s best to bring a guardian since we’re both still too young."
"No problem," Jiang Yubai promised without hesitation.
At that moment, they passed under a streetlight.
The warm orange glow couldn’t illuminate the long, harsh winter night.
Lin Zhixia sneezed. Jiang Yubai remembered she had a high fever the day before yesterday and had just recovered today. If she caught another cold, it would surely be very unpleasant.
He said to her, "You should hurry home. My driver is waiting for me."
Outside the main gate of Ancheng Residential Area, a striking Aston Martin was parked. The driver waved at Jiang Yubai and jogged over.
The driver was burly and swift. When he reached Jiang Yubai and offered to carry his backpack, Jiang Yubai declined. The driver then said, "Let’s go, Little Jiang."
Lin Zhixia chuckled, "Jiang Yubai, see you tomorrow?"
The night wind was bleak, the lights sparse. Jiang Yubai strode forward without looking back, convinced his silhouette was dashing. "See you tomorrow."
In reality, because Jiang Yubai had just wrestled with the driver over his backpack, his hood was now tightly caught under it. The backpack hung below the nape of his neck, and he was completely unaware. From Lin Zhixia’s perspective, Jiang Yubai looked like he was carrying a turtle shell.
Though he usually stood and sat with perfect posture, walking with a straight back and steady steps, his current appearance was utterly comical. Lin Zhixia couldn’t help but giggle secretly—after all, he couldn’t see or hear her.
He really was a very interesting person.
Lin Zhixia watched from afar as Jiang Yubai got into the car.She watched the headlights glow and the wheels roll as the black Aston Martin merged into the night, speeding forward and racing toward a distant horizon beyond her sight.
Why had Jiang Yubai come to deliver the homework?
Lin Zhixia began to ponder Jiang Yubai’s intentions.
Jiang Yubai should have known that Lin Zhixia wrote extremely fast. It would only take her ten minutes to catch up on her assignments. Within ten minutes, she could definitely finish two days' worth of homework.
If it wasn’t about delivering the homework…
Then was it because he cared about her?
Exactly!
Lin Zhixia regarded Jiang Yubai as a good friend, and indeed, Jiang Yubai also saw Lin Zhixia as a companion.
In the Exploring the Universe comic series, Lin Zhixia and Jiang Yubai would never part. No matter what strange events erupted in Orion, no matter where the Earth Legion chose to settle in the galaxy, Lin Zhixia and Jiang Yubai would always be companions supporting each other.
Thinking of this, Lin Zhixia’s steps home became much lighter.
The first installment of the Exploring the Universe comic series had already concluded. Lin Zhixia decided that tomorrow morning, she would create the second installment of the Exploring the Universe comic series, allowing Jiang Yubai to understand her sincere feelings.
Lin Zhixia was a girl with strong initiative.
Early the next morning, she dug out her treasured notebook—a prize she had won in the school’s "Elementary School Student General Knowledge Competition" last winter.
The notebook was thick, with smooth, flat pages that didn’t let ink bleed through.
Most importantly, every page was free of grids!
Perfect for drawing!
Hugging the notebook joyfully, Lin Zhixia happily rushed to school for class.
Around 7:20 a.m., Lin Zhixia entered the classroom of Class 1, Grade 4. Jiang Yubai hadn’t arrived yet.
The day’s duty students were cleaning the classroom, and the labor committee member, Han Dawei, was bustling back and forth, sweating profusely. When he saw Lin Zhixia, he asked her, "Lin Zhixia, you haven’t been to class for a few days, right?"
Lin Zhixia replied, "Only two days."
Han Dawei pointed to her seat. "Don’t forget to tidy your desk drawer. Teacher Wu said the head teacher will be spot-checking Grade 4 classrooms these days to evaluate the hygiene standards of all classes. The Little Red Hygiene Flag is currently in our class. If it gets taken by another class, Teacher Wu will be furious."
The "Little Red Hygiene Flag" was a supreme honor.
At the end of each month, the head teacher, accompanied by the head and deputy student leaders, would conduct surprise inspections of each class’s hygiene conditions. Following the principles of fairness, justice, and transparency, they would score the classes. The class with the highest score would receive the only "Little Red Hygiene Flag" in the entire grade.
Teacher Wu, the homeroom teacher of Class 1, Grade 4, employed strict measures and effective management, consistently dominating the "Little Red Hygiene Flag."
It was said that the windows in Class 1, Grade 4, could reflect light, the floors were spotless, and the blackboard was cleaner than the hair of other classes’ labor committee members.
Teacher Wu explicitly required all students to maintain desk cleanliness, preferably wiping their desks daily.
Even though Lin Zhixia hadn’t been to school for two days, her desk was still tidy.
She knew that Jiang Yubai had also been tidying her desk these past two days.
She set down her backpack, opened her pencil case, and wrote on the notebook’s cover: Exploring the Universe Comic Series, Part 2.After finishing her writing, Lin Zhixia immediately glanced around to ensure no one had noticed her actions. Through a clean glass window, she happened to see Jiang Yubai walking across the corridor. Carrying his backpack, he entered through the main door of Class 1, Grade 4.
Jiang Yubai’s first words after sitting down were: "I have an uncle, my dad’s younger brother. On Sunday morning, he’ll take me to the university town."
"That’s great! In just two more days, we’ll get to visit the university laboratory together!" Lin Zhixia chatted with Jiang Yubai while drawing her comic.
Jiang Yubai noticed that Lin Zhixia was once again working on the plot of Exploring the Universe .
Lin Zhixia smoothed the first page of her notebook and wrote the title: Exploring the Universe Part Two Prologue: Survival Miracle in the War Era .
Right in front of Jiang Yubai, she confidently wrote: After the Orion base was destroyed by evil forces, the Earth Legion drifted through the universe searching for their next target. The immense losses from the war made all team members understand the importance of peace...
Jiang Yubai offered a new plot idea: "Lin Zhixia makes a major discovery near Orion."
Lin Zhixia nodded and recorded: A red supergiant named Betelgeuse caught the attention of Jiang Yubai and Lin Zhixia. Betelgeuse was rapidly expanding—it was about to explode!
Surprisingly, Jiang Yubai felt somewhat anxious: "Betelgeuse is about to explode, and Lin Zhixia isn’t running away?"
"No," Lin Zhixia declared. "Betelgeuse is a star in Orion. Stars undergo super explosions at the end of their evolution, producing intense electromagnetic radiation and emitting their brightest light, illuminating the entire Orion constellation. Then, it becomes a supernova! Lin Zhixia wants to witness the formation process of a supernova."
Jiang Yubai pulled his fountain pen from his backpack and wrote in the margin of Lin Zhixia’s notebook: Could intense electromagnetic radiation trigger the molecular cloud nucleus? Jiang Yubai wants to take Lin Zhixia and escape.
Lin Zhixia burst into "hahahaha" laughter.
She quietly sighed: "Jiang Yubai, when I play games with you, I feel really happy."
Jiang Yubai gripped his pen and wrote: I’m a little happy too.
As he wrote, he didn’t have time to think it through properly.
After writing those six characters, he suddenly realized... what had he written!
If this continued, he might lose his original competitive spirit. Lin Zhixia would see him as just an ordinary friend—like how she viewed Gan Shuli, Ding Yan, and Dong Sunqi.
Wouldn’t that mean he’d forever lose to Lin Zhixia?
He absolutely couldn’t allow that to happen.
While Jiang Yubai was lost in thought, Lin Zhixia added physics formulas below the diagram of the Betelgeuse star. She wrote: Substituting the density-saturated nucleon pressure formula at the zero-temperature limit into the equation of state for supernova explosions can be used to calculate gravitational collapse and shock wave propagation [2].
Then, Lin Zhixia narrated the next part of the plot: "After calculations, Jiang Yubai discovered that his spaceship needed to develop to the level of 'spatial leap'..."
Before Lin Zhixia could finish writing, Jiang Yubai pointed out a problem: "In this chapter of the comic, Jiang Yubai calculated gravity and shock waves?"
"Yep," Lin Zhixia nodded repeatedly.
Jiang Yubai took a deep breath and mercilessly criticized himself: "Wrong! How could Jiang Yubai possibly calculate that?""Of course Jiang Yubai can!" Lin Zhixia turned her head and smiled at him. "Because Jiang Yubai is amazing too! Jiang Yubai is super amazing!"
A buzzing sound erupted in Jiang Yubai's mind, as if something had suddenly exploded.
This was the first time he had ever heard Lin Zhixia say it with his own ears: Jiang Yubai is amazing too! Jiang Yubai is super amazing!
He tightened the cap of his fountain pen, then suddenly slumped over the desk, burying his entire face in the crook of his arm.
He wore a well-tailored loose coat, the sleeves covering the side of his face. Lin Zhixia couldn't see his expression, only noticing that his ears were flushed bright red.
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