January 13, 2005. The temperature was low, with gusts of chilly wind and a snowfall that blanketed the blue-tiled roofs and red bricks of the streets and alleys.
Jiang Yubai raised an umbrella and walked through the gates of Provincial No. 1 High School.
His driver called out from behind, "Little Jiang, you left your water bottle in the car!"
"It's fine, I'm not thirsty. I'll finish the exam early," Jiang Yubai replied in a calm tone. "Math is my strongest subject."
It was time to prove himself!
Jiang Yubai was filled with ambition.
The snow fell thick and fast, initially like willow catkins, then gradually like swan feathers. Holding his umbrella, Jiang Yubai pressed forward alone against the wind and snow.
As light snowflakes drifted beside his ear, he heard a familiar voice: "Jiang Yubai! Jiang Yubai! Wait for me!"
Jiang Yubai stopped but didn't turn around.
Lin Zhixia rushed over and threw herself toward him: "Jiang Yubai, how's your revision? Are you one hundred percent confident?"
Jiang Yubai slightly raised the edge of his umbrella and tilted it to the side, covering Lin Zhixia's head. He casually revealed, "I have a team of math tutors. They've been tutoring me for a week."
"That's great!" Lin Zhixia said with absolute certainty. "You'll definitely finish the entire exam paper!"
Jiang Yubai's confidence surged, and he unconsciously tightened his grip on the umbrella handle.
The day was bitterly cold, with a bleak winter wind, but fortunately, the exam room was equipped with cabinet air conditioners.
Two air conditioners worked together to maintain a constant indoor temperature of 23 degrees Celsius. The warm breeze brushed over the seated students, whose expressions ranged from solemn to anxious. A few were so nervous they could only continuously adjust their breathing.
But Lin Zhixia felt not a trace of anxiety.
She had never been afraid of exams.
For her, so-called "exams" were more like an entertaining game.
She calmly took her seat and waited for the proctor to distribute the exam papers.
Compared to Lin Zhixia's relaxed attitude, Jiang Yubai could be described as "standing ready for battle." He neatly arranged his ruler, pen, eraser, compass, and other stationery items in a row.
When he received the exam paper, he immediately began reviewing the questions.
The problems on this paper were profound, requiring broad knowledge, extensive calculations, and sophisticated problem-solving skills.
Jiang Yubai didn't dare to slack off. He thought carefully and worked diligently on his draft.
After a full seven minutes of deep contemplation, Jiang Yubai solved three multiple-choice questions on the exam paper.
Meanwhile, Lin Zhixia had already completed the entire exam, including the bonus questions. To pass the time, she provided two solutions for each major problem.
Ordinary students usually write one "Solution" when answering questions.
But when Lin Zhixia answered, she first wrote "Method 1, Solution," then "Method 2, Solution." She could have written a third method, but she was feeling a bit lazy.
She closed her pen cap and glanced around.
Apart from her, most students were racing against time, frantically working on the problems. They scribbled furiously with intense concentration.
A small number of students wore pained expressions, biting their pen caps as if suffering excruciating torment from the brutal math problems. For them, the entire exam hall felt less like the human world and more like the eighteenth level of hell—the exam paper was torture, the stationery was shackles, and the admission ticket was an inescapable chain.
Lin Zhixia watched their expressions with curiosity.
The proctor gently tapped her desk: "Student, please don't look around."
Lin Zhixia nodded in acknowledgment. Then, she stretched, lay her head on the desk, and fell asleep.The lecture hall at Provincial First High School was exceptionally well-designed, with cushioned seats filled with sponge that felt soft to sit on, and spacious desks. Lin Zhixia, feeling completely relaxed, dozed off right there.
The only sound in the classroom was the soft scratching of pen tips on paper.
Precious time was slipping away minute by minute.
Just as Jiang Yubai reached the fourth page of the exam paper, the bonus question threw him for a loop.
This bonus question described "Non-coplanar point sets and binary subset segments," requiring students to determine the smallest positive integer n based on given point set conditions, such that "the set of line segments contains n elements, all binary subset segments have a common intersection point, and the intersection of the subsets is an empty set."
Jiang Yubai calmly reread the question, a cold sweat beading on his forehead—it was too difficult. He had no idea where to start and couldn't even fully grasp the problem.
Since last week, Jiang Yubai had been assigned four math tutors and a math research team. The teachers had tailored a study method for him and summarized over a hundred types of problems.
Yet, he still fell into the trap of the bonus question.
Jiang Yubai glanced sideways at Lin Zhixia—what he saw shook him to his core. Lin Zhixia was peacefully asleep with her head on the desk. Her eyelashes fluttered slightly, her cheeks were flushed pink, and she was sleeping soundly.
Had she finished already?
She must have.
This was her true capability.
There were thirty minutes left in the exam. Jiang Yubai gave up on the bonus question. Even with more time, he had no clue how to solve it.
He raised his hand high, claiming he wanted to "submit the paper early." The proctor collected his exam.
Jiang Yubai stood up calmly, pretending he was too weak to hold a metal pencil case. The heavy case fell to the floor with a clatter, and just as he hoped, it woke Lin Zhixia.
As soon as Lin Zhixia opened her eyes, she saw Jiang Yubai.
She immediately followed suit and handed in her paper.
When the proctor approached her, he saw her exam paper covered with answers. Yet, Lin Zhixia had been sleeping almost the entire time. How had she finished? She even had two different solutions for the bonus question?
There were over two hundred test-takers in the first lecture hall.
These students came from the best elementary schools in the city, including many sixth-grade seniors from experimental primary schools.
None of the seniors dared to submit their papers early, but Jiang Yubai and Lin Zhixia both walked toward the classroom door.
Jiang Yubai asked Lin Zhixia, "Did you find the exam difficult?"
Lin Zhixia answered honestly, "It was so easy!"
So. Easy.
Those four words echoed like a terrifying spell, disrupting the quiet atmosphere of the exam hall.
The proctor, with his extensive teaching experience, quickly stepped onto the platform and shouted, "Keep quiet, everyone! No whispering! Maintain exam discipline! There are still thirty minutes left!"
Even outside the exam hall, Lin Zhixia could hear the proctor's yelling.
She grabbed her backpack and followed Jiang Yubai toward the school gate.
"Jiang Yubai, how did you do?" she asked without hesitation.
Jiang Yubai hesitated for a few seconds before saying, "I couldn't solve the last bonus question." After speaking, he held an umbrella with his left hand, tucked his right hand into his pocket, and gazed into the distant horizon.As expected, Lin Zhixia was astonished. She murmured to herself, "Is the bonus question really that difficult? Is it truly that hard?"
She was trapped in a swamp of confusion, unable to distinguish between what was simple and what was difficult. She even helped him sort out his thoughts: "You could construct a connected graph, apply connected components and permutation and combination formulas..."
"I haven't studied connected graphs," Jiang Yubai told her.
"What about the other students? They're even less likely to have studied them!" Lin Zhixia found an opening, "The exam tests ranking, not total scores. Even if you only score twenty points, as long as you rank in the top seventy, the 2005 Olympiad class will definitely accept you."
Jiang Yubai had never scored twenty points before.
In fact, if the full score was 100, Jiang Yubai had never scored below 97.
Jiang Yubai looked at Lin Zhixia with a complicated expression.
Lin Zhixia thought Jiang Yubai was worried about his results.
Without time to hesitate, Lin Zhixia made a decisive move and pulled Jiang Yubai back to the lecture hall. They waited another ten-plus minutes until all the students in the exam room had gradually turned in their papers. Lin Zhixia immediately grabbed a few people and interviewed them: "Hello classmate, may I ask what you think about the overall difficulty of this math exam?"
The interviewed student appeared to be about twelve years old. He wore black-rimmed glasses, his face looked haggard, with disheveled hair hanging over his forehead, and he seemed somewhat dazed: "Heh heh..." He let out a desolate and sorrowful laugh: "Heh heh... the math exam... was so easy!"
"Easy?" Jiang Yubai asked in astonishment.
Initially, Jiang Yubai thought he could get into the Olympiad class with his eyes closed. After hearing the description from that unknown classmate, Jiang Yubai began to doubt himself.
Lin Zhixia comforted him: "Don't be afraid, you're really amazing! Jiang Yubai!"
Then, Lin Zhixia found another female student and persistently pursued her questioning: "Hello, this classmate, sorry to bother you, but what do you think about this math exam..."
Before Lin Zhixia could finish, the girl threw down her backpack, tilted her head back and burst into loud sobs. This girl had come to take the exam with her elementary school classmate, and both young girls had performed poorly, actually ending up hugging each other and crying together in the corridor.
Everywhere was permeated with an atmosphere of sorrow, worry, and the bitter frustration of unfulfilled ambitions.
Lin Zhixia was shocked by them. This was her first time getting close contact with a group of ordinary students who had failed an exam.
She calculated the admission probability: 287 people took the exam, with only 70 students ultimately being admitted, giving an admission rate of merely 0.2439. And her random interviews with examinees were equivalent to random sampling, with the sample excluding Jiang Yubai and Lin Zhixia herself. Therefore, the probability of her sampling two students destined to be eliminated was as high as 0.58.
She stopped the interviews and walked toward the staircase.
A young boy's voice came from behind: "Are you the one who slept for over an hour, turned in your paper early, and said the exam was easy?"
Lin Zhixia turned her head and saw a boy about twelve years old. The boy had a crew cut, handsome features, a high nose bridge, and was wearing a black long coat, with dark blue fountain pen ink stains on his right index finger and thumb.
He stepped down the stairs one step at a time: "I'm the first prize winner of the provincial 2004 Hua Luogeng Elementary School Mathematics Competition. I've competed in Beijing. What about you?"Someone nearby grabbed him, calling out: "Duan Qiyan, First War God, don't argue with a girl."
Another classmate chimed in: "Duan Qiyan attends the Affiliated Elementary School of Normal University. He ranks first in the entire school every year. His nickname at school is 'First War God'—we all know that."
Duan Qiyan yanked his arm back, glaring at Lin Zhixia: "You and that boy turned in your papers half an hour early, disrupting many people's plans. You slept for at least an hour during the exam. Both of you are clearly slackers. Slackers should stay at home and not cause trouble in the Olympiad class exam hall."
"You're Duan Qiyan?" Lin Zhixia lifted her chin, her demeanor unwavering. "I'm Lin Zhixia—Lin as in 'a tree that stands out in the forest,' Zhi as in 'self-awareness,' Xia as in 'summer insects discussing ice.'"
So arrogant!
Lin Zhixia was so arrogant!
Jiang Yubai had known Lin Zhixia for nearly half a year, but this was the first time he had seen her this bold.
Clearly, Lin Zhixia was furious. She absolutely despised anyone calling Jiang Yubai a slacker. Those people had no idea how hardworking, diligent, and self-disciplined Jiang Yubai was!
Lin Zhixia's cheeks flushed red, like a kitten with its fur puffed up.
Duan Qiyan wasn't intimidated at all. Leaning against the stair railing, he sneered, "Lin Zhixia, what gives you the right to act so cocky? Have you ever participated in a competition? Can you even distinguish between rational and irrational numbers? Slackers should talk less."
Jiang Yubai immediately raised his hand, stopping the furious Lin Zhixia, and strategically retreated: "Lin Zhixia and I haven't participated in any competitions. We're fourth-grade students from Class One at Experimental Elementary School."
"They're only in fourth grade?"
"Fourth graders taking the provincial No. 1 Middle School's Olympiad class selection exam?"
"Just here for a visit?"
Noisy discussions erupted around them. Jiang Yubai began setting his trap: "My surname is Jiang, and my name is Jiang Yubai. The sixth graders at Experimental Elementary should know us. Duan Qiyan, let's make a bet: if Lin Zhixia's final ranking is higher than yours, you call me 'Teacher Jiang.' If Lin Zhixia's ranking is lower than yours, I'll call you 'Teacher Duan.'"
Duan Qiyan frowned tightly: "Why should I agree?"
Jiang Yubai retorted, "Are you afraid to bet with me? A sixth grader scared of being surpassed by a fourth grader?"
Jiang Yubai's provocation was perfectly timed.
The sixth graders from Experimental Elementary had already recognized Lin Zhixia and wore expressions of alarm. Yet Duan Qiyan still accepted the challenge: "Fine, Jiang Yubai, you're bound to lose. I solved the bonus question—did you two manage to solve it?"
Although Jiang Yubai hadn't even understood the bonus question, he looked at Duan Qiyan with pity and demanded, "If you lose, on the first day of seventh grade, you must stand on the platform and publicly call me 'teacher.' The same applies to me if I lose."
A few minutes earlier, Lin Zhixia's line—"Lin as in 'a tree that stands out in the forest,' Zhi as in 'self-awareness,' Xia as in 'summer insects discussing ice'"—had left a deep impression on Duan Qiyan.
She had conveyed a subtext: I am the exceptional one, you lack self-awareness, and I won't waste words arguing with someone who can't understand.
Lin Zhixia's insults contained no profanity, making it an infuriating way to argue.
Moreover, Lin Zhixia had been in the wrong from the start.
During a long-distance race, athletes shouldn't false start or sprint desperately in the first lap—it was an unwritten rule.As for Lin Zhixia? She slept soundly for over an hour, then turned in her paper early along with her classmates. This kind of undisciplined slacker not only violated exam rules but also trampled upon the spirit of academic competitions.
Duan Qiyan grew angrier the more he thought about it. He shrugged his shoulders: "Jiang Yubai, if you want to play big, I'm happy to join you."
Jiang Yubai nodded: "See you when school starts in September."
Duan Qiyan pressed aggressively: "I look forward to seeing you bow to me on the podium and call me Teacher Duan."
"Do we need to bow too?" Lin Zhixia interjected.
"Dare you?" Duan Qiyan stared at Jiang Yubai.
"I dare," Jiang Yubai replied, "Of course I dare. You're no match for Lin Zhixia."
Jiang Yubai's firm belief in Lin Zhixia made her feel particularly happy.
The dark clouds in the sky dispersed, snowflakes dancing in small flurries as faint sunlight illuminated the entire teaching building.
"Let's go, time to head home," Lin Zhixia suggested. "My Dad should be almost at the school gate by now, and your driver is waiting for you too."
Jiang Yubai remained silent. He reopened his umbrella and walked ahead. His and Lin Zhixia's retreating figures gradually merged into the hazy snowscape.
The preliminary exam results for the 2005 Olympiad class were released in March.
Lin Zhixia unquestionably took first place.
In that exam, she scored full marks - with the additional 10 points from bonus questions, totaling 110 points. Jiang Yubai scored slightly lower at 84 points, still comfortably qualifying for the next round.
Lin Zhixia joyfully announced the good news at home.
It was dinner time when Lin Zeqiu heard her news. His throat immediately went dry, and he momentarily lost his senses.
110 points?
She scored 110 points?
Lin Zeqiu had never heard of any student scoring 110 points on the Olympiad class math exam.
It felt as if someone had sucked out his soul, leaving behind an empty shell. His mind went completely blank - he didn't even hear his younger sister calling him several times.
His deliberately cold and dismissive attitude ignited Lin Zhixia's anger.
Lin Zhixia demanded: "Brother, why are you ignoring me? If you keep ignoring me, I'll get angry!"
Her brother scooped two mouthfuls of rice and said coldly: "I'm full."
Mom questioned him: "Qiuqiu, you normally eat two bowls of rice. Why only one bowl tonight?"
Her brother didn't respond. He stood up, walked toward his bedroom, and slammed the door shut with a "bang."
Behind his door hung a wall calendar. Flipping through several pages, he realized only three months remained of his peaceful middle school life. And his respected status in class also had just three months left.
This was a cruel world. He was about to face the storm that fate had brought.
For several nights afterward, Lin Zeqiu had nightmares.
He kept dreaming of Lin Zhixia holding a megaphone, shouting at the entrance of Provincial First High School: Attention all students! Attention all teachers! Lin Zeqiu is my brother! I often tutor him! He can stay in the advanced class and rank in the top ten of our grade precisely because I taught him well! I treat my brother as my student!
Over the following half month, Lin Zhixia would occasionally sneeze for no apparent reason. She suspected someone was constantly talking about her, unaware of her brother's inner turmoil.As the weather gradually warmed and sunlight grew increasingly brilliant, the roadside trees sprouted new buds, making the bustling city appear even more vibrant with the essence of spring.
Lin Zhixia happily participated in the Olympiad class's second-round examination and once again stood out from the crowd. During the interview in May, she astonished everyone with her remarks, earning applause from all three judges.
At that time, the teacher discussed a mathematical problem involving mixed probability distributions with her. Noticing that the variables in one scenario were mutually independent, Lin Zhixia preserved three disjoint groups, introduced the Chernoff bound to further narrow the probability range, and solved the final algebraic expression on the blackboard.
Among over 140 candidates, no student's thinking was more agile or sharper than hers.
The teachers marveled, "What a promising talent!"
Lin Zhixia smiled and replied, "Thank you, teachers."
The order of this round of interviews was arranged according to the pinyin order of the students' surnames. Jiang Yubai's interview had already concluded. As Lin Zhixia left the classroom, she secretly glanced at the scoring sheet in the teacher's hand and saw that Jiang Yubai had received an "A," clearly placing him in the upper tier of interviewees.
She finally felt relieved.
Indeed, Jiang Yubai was quite an outstanding boy!
When the final results were posted, Lin Zhixia ranked first with a total score of 117.8, surpassing the second-place candidate by over thirty points.
Jiang Yubai ranked sixteenth and was successfully selected for the Olympiad class. He glanced at his score—it was rather mediocre. Nevertheless, he received unanimous praise from his Dad, Mom, and uncle. His uncle praised him for three consecutive days, calling Jiang Yubai an exceptional talent among his peers, someone who had skipped two grades at a young age yet remained humble and composed, with a promising future ahead—truly a nephew worthy of his uncle's careful nurturing.
As for Jiang Yubai and Lin Zhixia's archrival—classmate Duan Qiyan—he ranked third overall.
Lin Zhixia had scored over fifty points higher than Duan Qiyan. Looking at his results, she sighed softly. What could be done? The die was cast, and spilt water could not be gathered back.
She would, with a compassionate heart, bury Duan Qiyan's glorious reputation.
She remembered that Duan Qiyan was a sixth-grade student at the Affiliated Elementary School of the Normal University. Throughout his six years there, he had often ranked first, earning him the nickname "First War God."
"First War God of the Affiliated Elementary School of the Normal University"—what a silly-sounding glorious reputation.
Meanwhile, Jiang Yubai had almost forgotten about Duan Qiyan.
Jiang Yubai's daily life was very fulfilling. Under the guidance of his Dad, Mom, and numerous tutors, he grew up healthy and strong. Especially since the beginning of spring, his height had increased rapidly. By June, his pants and shoes had been replaced with new ones, and his Mom said with relief, "At this rate of growth, you'll be as tall as your Dad when you grow up."
Being as tall as his Dad—this was one of Jiang Yubai's wishes.
His Dad teased him, "Jiang Yubai is more capable than I was. When I was ten, I never thought about skipping grades."
His Mom chuckled, "You're not doing badly now either. Like father, like son."
His Dad and Mom had been sitting on the sofa. Suddenly, his Dad leaned over and whispered something into his Mom's ear. He also raised a hand to adjust the diamond necklace around his wife's neck. His wife blushed slightly and said softly, "Jiang Yubai is still here."
Jiang Yubai didn't quite understand.
What difference did it make whether he was here or not?
His Dad said gently, "Go review your lessons."
"I just came out of the study," Jiang Yubai declared."Very good," Dad praised him. "You've just reviewed your lessons, and now you're going to the training ground to exercise. A sound mind in a sound body is what makes a true man."
Jiang Yubai found his father's words very reasonable. So he changed into his sportswear and went alone to the family training ground.
It was a tranquil and peaceful Sunday afternoon. The sun shone brightly under a clear sky, and a gentle breeze carried the fragrance of early summer flowers. Jiang Yubai had run half a lap around the martial arts training ground when he suddenly remembered what Ding Yan had once said... he had grown tired of taekwondo and was planning to take up tennis instead. Ding Yan had even signed up for the "Children's Tennis Crash Course" this summer vacation.
Jiang Yubai was about to enter middle school. He wouldn't be graduating together with friends like Ding Yan and Dong Sunqi.
He decided to prepare small gifts for those classmates.
On Monday morning, Jiang Yubai entered the fourth grade (1) classroom of the Experimental Primary School, carrying his backpack and a handbag.
Not long ago, the final exams of fourth grade had concluded, and today was the day students would receive their results. The homeroom teacher hadn't arrived yet, and the classroom buzzed with noisy chatter.
Jiang Yubai walked over to Ding Yan's seat, pulled a tennis ball and racket from his handbag, and placed them on Ding Yan's desk. Ding Yan's mouth fell open in surprise, but before he could utter a word, Jiang Yubai had already moved away.
Jiang Yubai then approached Dong Sunqi's seat. He handed him a copy of "Business Records and Supply Chain Management," saying, "You often lend things to classmates. Supply chain management suits you best."
Finally, Jiang Yubai returned to his own seat and gave Lin Zhixia a "Genuine DVD of Jiang Shaoqi's Violin Solo." He said somewhat uncertainly, "You seem to like music."
"Yes!" Lin Zhixia admitted. "Ever since you taught me how to read sheet music last time, I've particularly loved pure instrumental music."
Jiang Yubai thought to himself that he had never actually taught Lin Zhixia.
Clutching the DVD, Lin Zhixia asked him somewhat shyly, "I... I thought you were giving farewell gifts to your friends. Why did you give me a DVD too? We'll be in the same middle school class, just like in the 'Exploring the Universe' comic—we won't be separated."
Lin Zhixia often declared, "Jiang Yubai is my good friend." Since Jiang Yubai had brought gifts for Ding Yan and Dong Sunqi, he felt awkward leaving Lin Zhixia out. He covered up by saying, "I just grabbed one of my uncle's albums on my way out this morning."
"Your uncle is a concertmaster?" Lin Zhixia lowered her head to read the introduction.
Almost involuntarily, Jiang Yubai said, "I can play the piano."
"I know," Lin Zhixia looked up at him. "You play the piano very well..."
Before she could finish her sentence, class monitor Dong Sunqi suddenly stood up and announced to the whole class, "Classmates, fourth grade class one!"
As he spoke, Dong Sunqi walked up to the teacher's platform: "Everyone must have heard that Lin Zhixia and Jiang Yubai have been admitted to the Olympiad class at Provincial No. 1 Middle School. They'll be starting middle school next semester. Today, while our whole class is here, I, Dong Sunqi, as class monitor, want to lead everyone in applauding Lin Zhixia and Jiang Yubai!"
The classroom erupted in prolonged applause.
Dong Sunqi raised both hands, palms facing backward as if gathering the sound: "Alright! Everyone quiet down! Do your monitor a favor!"
The class immediately fell silent.Dong Sunqi spoke eloquently: "Lin Zhixia has been in our Class 1 for four years, always ranking first in the grade, winning so much honor for our class! She's perfect for the provincial No. 1 High School's Olympiad class! Jiang Yubai has been in our class for a year, and he's also my good brother! I'll remember his 'Exploring the Universe' series for life! Today, as class monitor, I, Dong Sunqi, will take the lead in cheering for Lin Zhixia and Jiang Yubai!"
Below the podium, cheers continued unabated.
Tang Yueqin, the deputy class monitor, suddenly stood up to voice her opinion: "Jiang Yubai's 'Exploring the Universe' doesn't have an ending."
"It does have an ending!" Lin Zhixia immediately raised her hand. "It has an ending!"
Dong Sunqi slammed the lectern: "What ending? Tell us quickly!"
The whole class focused their attention, listening with rapt attention.
Lin Zhixia summarized: "We all embarked on different paths. We continue to explore the unknown Universe. No matter what the future holds, the students of Class 1, Grade 4 will forever remain young, forever strong-willed."
"A happy ending," Dong Sunqi unilaterally declared. "We have companions, and things we want to protect."
He spread his arms wide, immersed in the comic's storyline: "Long live Orion!"
Half the class echoed his sentiment.
Jiang Yubai stood up and shouted: "Long live Earth!"
The other half of the class immediately responded.
Out of the corner of her eye, Lin Zhixia noticed someone outside the window. She turned her head and saw Teacher Wu standing outside. Teacher Wu had arrived early, but hadn't entered. She waited until Dong Sunqi finished all his nonsense before gently knocking on the main door of Class 1, Grade 4.
Only then did Lin Zhixia recognize her gentleness.
This kind of gentleness wasn't common, and Lin Zhixia became somewhat distracted.
Teacher Wu came quickly and left quickly. She assigned holiday homework, reminded students to stay safe during summer vacation, and finally, she briefly praised Lin Zhixia and Jiang Yubai before dismissing the class for summer break.
The fourth grade summer vacation officially began.
Students gradually left the classroom.
The sunlight in the corridor shone brightly, warming everyone. The boys enthusiastically discussed Cosmic War, when class monitor Dong Sunqi suddenly blurted out: "Hey, when school starts next semester, we won't see Lin Zhixia and Jiang the tycoon anymore."
Dong Sunqi's deskmate Wei Rongjie shook his head and sighed: "The two people in this class who read more than me are both leaving. There'll be no place for scholars in this class anymore."
Deputy class monitor Tang Yueqin's sadness was more apparent: "I'll miss Lin Zhixia. I just realized how adorable she is."
Gan Shuli said dazedly: "Me too."
Ding Yan, holding a tennis racket, seemed shrouded in dark clouds: "Damn, I'm about to cry." He turned to look at Jiang Yubai and shouted: "Jiang Yubai! We're still friends! I'll come find you to play someday!"
Jiang Yubai waved at him.
In the stairwell on the fourth floor of the Experimental Primary School, Jiang Yubai and Lin Zhixia's shadows stretched long in the sunlight. They stepped over the stairs one after another, henceforth parting ways with many elementary school classmates.
The students simultaneously recalled Lin Zhixia's words from earlier.
She said: We all embarked on different paths. We continue to explore the unknown Universe. No matter what the future holds, the students of Class 1, Grade 4 will forever remain young, forever strong-willed.
This was the ending of 'Exploring the Universe,' and it was the ending they all unanimously accepted.
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