Genius Girlfriend

Today was the first day of school, and most students in Class 17 of Grade 7 were relatively reserved.

However, Shen Fuxuan disregarded the camaraderie among classmates and tore off Duan Qiyan's fig leaf, plunging Duan Qiyan into an awkward predicament.

If Duan Qiyan refused to fulfill the bet, he would be reduced to an untrustworthy liar. Embarrassed and frustrated, he pressed his lips tightly together. Forced by circumstances, he lowered his noble head and mumbled indistinctly, "Teacher Jiang..."

"Duan Qiyan, not to criticize you, but isn't your voice a bit too soft?" Shen Fuxuan tirelessly stirred trouble. "You're the First War God of the Normal University Affiliated Elementary School—can't you speak a little louder?"

Despite enduring utter humiliation, Duan Qiyan maintained a resolute expression. He straightened his back and shouted three times: "Teacher Jiang! Teacher Jiang! Teacher Jiang!"

Before the surrounding classmates could react, Duan Qiyan dashed out of the classroom. He ran too hastily, fled too quickly, stumbled at the doorway, and nearly fell.

Why did Duan Qiyan react so intensely?

When he first heard the bet, he had clearly seemed quite pleased.

Lin Zhixia tilted her head. She turned around and chanted along, "Teacher Jiang, Teacher Jiang, Teacher Jiang!"

To her, this form of address was both amusing and respectful. Imitating Duan Qiyan's tone and intonation, she felt not the slightest bit of shame—instead, she stared at Jiang Yubai with keen interest.

Jiang Yubai, however, slowly turned aside, deliberately avoiding her prolonged gaze. He felt that Lin Zhixia sometimes confused the concepts of victory and defeat. She hadn't lost to him, so why call him Teacher Jiang? And she even said it with such delight.

A classmate nearby noticed something amiss and suddenly pointed it out bluntly: "Jiang Yubai, Lin Zhixia, you two seem really close."

This classmate, who saw through the truth at a glance, was named Han Peng. Han Peng had regular features, slightly dark skin, and a neat crew cut. He had graduated from the city's Victory Elementary School and was Shen Fuxuan's elementary school classmate.

Shen Fuxuan slung an arm over Han Peng's shoulder and said with a laugh, "Jiang Yubai, Lin Zhixia, you two are the only grade-skippers in our class. You both just turned ten this year, right?"

Jiang Yubai stood up from his seat. Though two years younger than Han Peng, he was already taller.

Losing in height to a grade-skipper actually made Han Peng feel relieved. Because Jiang Yubai was taller than him, in his mind, Jiang Yubai was his peer—he didn't need to treat Jiang Yubai like a fifth-grade elementary school kid.

He threw an arm around Jiang Yubai's shoulder and said, "Come on, Jiang Yubai, let's the three of us go out and have some fun?"

For no particular reason and without any buildup, Jiang Yubai, Han Peng, and Shen Fuxuan suddenly got along harmoniously. They went together to admire the campus scenery, sprinting toward the playground on the first floor—just as Lin Zhixia had predicted, Jiang Yubai went to hang on the horizontal bar again.

The playground had a sandpit, a running track, horizontal and parallel bars area, and a spacious soccer field. Shen Fuxuan and Han Peng chased and roughhoused on the track, thoroughly enjoying themselves. Later, Jiang Yubai also gave up the horizontal bar. He stretched his long legs and ran at full speed, like a swift wind that comes and goes without a trace.

Shen Fuxuan, running ahead of Jiang Yubai, turned back and roared at him, "Jiang Yubai! Have you ever tried a thousand-meter run? The high school entrance exam physical test includes a thousand-meter run!"Jiang Yubai's physical fitness was clearly superior to Shen Fuxuan's. After running for just two minutes on the playground, Shen Fuxuan was panting heavily with sweat beading on his forehead. Meanwhile, Jiang Yubai stopped to catch his breath and quickly recovered.

The sky was azure, swept by a cool breeze.

Lin Zhixia stood at the end of the fourth-floor corridor of the teaching building. Leaning on the railing with both hands, she gazed into the distance, taking in the entire playground. A circle of lush poplar trees grew around the playground's perimeter, and the early autumn sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting uneven golden spots on the ground.

She recalled the magnolia trees and crabapple blossoms of her former experimental elementary school.

Someone called from behind: "Lin Zhixia."

Lin Zhixia turned her head: "Hmm?"

She saw a girl—her classmate named Wan Chunlei.

Wan Chunlei had ranked eighth in the entrance exam, just slightly higher than Jiang Yubai. She had originally wanted to be Lin Zhixia's deskmate too, but given Jiang Yubai's close relationship with Lin Zhixia, Wan Chunlei had to abandon the idea.

Now, Wan Chunlei proactively approached Lin Zhixia and extended an invitation: "Lin Zhixia, do you play Go?"

Lin Zhixia blinked innocently: "Go?"

Wan Chunlei affectionately took Lin Zhixia's hand: "Yes! Lin Zhixia, everyone says you're exceptionally smart! Do you know how to play Go? I just discovered there's a Go board and pieces in the small box on our classroom bookshelf. How about playing a game with me? I was the elementary school division third-place winner in our city's fourth Primary and Secondary School Go Tournament."

Lin Zhixia let Wan Chunlei lead her back to the classroom.

Her fingers were pale and soft, her wrists slender. Holding her hand, Wan Chunlei felt a faint twinge of guilt.

After all, Lin Zhixia was three years younger than Wan Chunlei. So young, so pretty, with such innocent eyes—clearly still a little girl who hadn't fully developed mentally. She must have had incredible luck to rank first in the Olympiad class for three consecutive exams.

And here was Wan Chunlei, about to test Lin Zhixia's computational ability and mental agility through a game of Go.

While Wan Chunlei was still hesitating, Lin Zhixia urged instead: "Hurry! Let's go get the board quickly!"

"Too late now," Wan Chunlei pointed at the classroom's digital clock. "Class is about to start."

Lin Zhixia clapped her hands: "Wan Chunlei, let's play during next break! The next break is twenty-five minutes long—definitely enough for one game!"

"Alright," Wan Chunlei agreed casually.

As they were talking, Duan Qiyan happened to pass by.

Duan Qiyan had returned to his usual self. He bounded across the platform in quick steps, his athletic pants rustling with the movement. When he overheard Wan Chunlei and Lin Zhixia's conversation, his right eyelid suddenly twitched. He immediately looked at Wan Chunlei.

Wan Chunlei had also graduated from the affiliated elementary school. She and Duan Qiyan were alumni from the same graduating class.

Although Duan Qiyan had stepped through the gates of Provincial First High School, his spiritual allegiance remained with his elementary school—where his title "First War God" was known to all. Whenever Wan Chunlei encountered him, she showed him due respect. She also strictly observed competition etiquette. In Duan Qiyan's view, Wan Chunlei was a proper person.As Lin Zhixia walked back to her seat, Duan Qiyan grabbed Wan Chunlei and warned her: "Hey, you can't play with Lin Zhixia, can't play Go with her."

Duan Qiyan meant well.

Unfortunately, Wan Chunlei didn't appreciate his concern: "Duan Qiyan, are you the homeroom teacher? Why are you meddling so much? I insist on playing with her."

Duan Qiyan crossed his arms, looking down at her condescendingly: "Hey! Don't you get it? If you lose while playing with Lin Zhixia, you'll embarrass our Normal University Affiliated Elementary School."

Shen Fuxuan's seat was nearby. He suddenly chimed in: "Duan Qiyan, I must remind you, no matter how much others embarrass themselves, it won't compare to you shouting 'Teacher Jiang' three times in a row."

Shen Fuxuan's brief comment struck Duan Qiyan's sore spot deeply. Duan Qiyan turned to run out of the classroom again, but the class bell suddenly rang. Homeroom teacher Zhang entered the classroom of Class 17, Grade 7, carrying a stack of test papers.

Teacher Zhang stood on the podium, remaining silent for several seconds. Only then did Lin Zhixia realize what was happening and clearly called out: "Class, stand up!"

All thirty-six students in the class stood up uniformly, bowing as they recited: "Good morning, Teacher Zhang!"

Teacher Zhang bowed in return: "Good morning, students!"

He distributed the test papers to the class, cleaned the chalkboard eraser, picked up a piece of chalk, and announced clearly: "Everyone pay attention, I'm now going to review your first written exam. This test has seven multiple-choice questions, four fill-in-the-blank questions, two major problems, and one bonus question. I'm not joking - even the most outstanding students from the ninth grade Olympiad class should be able to complete this in twenty minutes at most."

A chorus of "Ooh—wow" rose from below the podium.

Teacher Zhang smiled and said: "Let me tell you, you must never think you're stupid. Often, it's not that the questions are difficult, nor that your brain isn't good enough—it's just that you haven't learned it before, haven't encountered similar question types, haven't mastered that knowledge point. You glance at a question and immediately think it's too hard, that you can't do it, and become completely discouraged. This really won't do—it's not the style of our Olympiad class. Students in our Olympiad class must believe they're smart, excellent, and much better than Class 18 next door!"

Mentioning Class 18 reminded Teacher Zhang of another important matter.

He immediately made an announcement: "I almost forgot—next period is the introductory class for the Olympiad program. Both our class and Class 18 need to go to the third lecture hall. Our grade's head teacher will introduce everyone to the Olympiad class setup, competition types, and coaches' training methods. After the head teacher's class, Classes 17 and 18 will have an impromptu little competition—it's a Math Warm-up Quiz where you'll see which class has more solid fundamentals and quicker reactions."

The students perked up immediately upon hearing the word "competition."

Teacher Zhang added some conventional encouragement: "Don't feel pressured—what matters is participation, friendship first, competition second."

During the first class this morning, Teacher Zhang had stated that Classes 17 and 18 were sister classes.

But he had then added: even sisters have their closer and more distant relationships.

Before the competition had even begun, the entire Class 17 was already stirring with anticipation. After this class, the desire to compete surged like a powerful undercurrent that suddenly broke through the water's surface, reaching its peak intensity.Jiang Yubai, however, remained perfectly composed. He put away his 84-point math test, unscrewed his water bottle, and poured half a cup of clear tea. The refreshing aroma of West Lake Longjing filled the air as tea leaves drifted and settled in the cup. Raising it firmly, he declared, "Class 18 is bound to lose."

Lin Zhixia tilted her head to look at him. "Are you so sure?"

Jiang Yubai quietly savored his tea and said lightly, "They know nothing of true wisdom."

"Hahaha," Lin Zhixia laughed happily. "Jiang Yubai, who are you talking about?"

Jiang Yubai remained silent.

Lin Zhixia tugged at his sleeve. "Wan Chunlei challenged me to a game! Do you want to watch? She wants to play Go with me. She was the third-place winner in the elementary school division of the city's Fourth Primary and Secondary School Go Competition. So impressive!"

Jiang Yubai clearly remembered one day when Lin Zhixia had praised him with utmost sincerity, calling him incredibly capable. Perhaps because that memory was so deeply etched in his mind, hearing her enthusiastically praise another classmate now made him feel slightly unsettled.

He asked, "Have you played Go before?"

Lin Zhixia looked somewhat puzzled. "I've never played against anyone."

Contemplating her words, Jiang Yubai guessed, "You've read books about it?"

"Mm-hmm," Lin Zhixia nodded vigorously.

That was enough.

Jiang Yubai felt confident of victory.

Holding his water cup, he stood up and said, "Let's go find Classmate Wan Chunlei."

He didn't voice the thought: Let Wan Chunlei taste defeat.

At a window-side seat in the fourth group, Wan Chunlei had already set up the Go board. She rested both hands on the table, palms facing up. Her demeanor was gentle, serene, and exuded the aura of a master.

Han Peng couldn't help but remark, "Wan Chunlei, looking at you reminds me of Elder Wuyazi's Profound Chess Formation from 'Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils.'"

Wan Chunlei, holding a stone, lightly tapped the board. "My dad is an amateur 5-dan Go player. He's told me about historical profound chess formations."

Han Peng and a group of classmates who loved watching excitement had already found their spots. They gathered in a cluster, some standing, some sitting, eagerly awaiting Lin Zhixia and Jiang Yubai.

As soon as Han Peng saw Lin Zhixia approaching, he grinned. "Class President?"

Lin Zhixia thought of Dong Sunqi from Class 4-1. She decided to emulate him and be a respected class president. So she replied, "Please call me Class President Lin!"

Han Peng was easygoing. Sitting up slightly straighter, he responded, "Class President Lin."

Class President Lin took a seat opposite Wan Chunlei.

"Shall we begin?" Wan Chunlei asked for her opinion.

Lin Zhixia was straightforward. "Sure!"

Wan Chunlei immediately made the opening move and casually asked, "Have you... studied Go before?"

"I've read books about it, but I've never played against anyone," Lin Zhixia said, placing one of her stones.

Wan Chunlei didn't respond. She was already deep in thought.

While calculating Wan Chunlei's formation, Lin Zhixia murmured to herself, "I'm reminded of the black and white Mary experiment. It's a thought experiment in philosophy of mind. Suppose Mary is locked in a room from birth and can only learn about physics through a black-and-white television. Even if she masters all theories of physical optics, the moment she steps out of that room and sees a purely red tomato, she'll gain entirely new knowledge."

By the time she finished speaking, Wan Chunlei and Lin Zhixia had already exchanged several moves.Before every move, Wan Chunlei needed to deliberate repeatedly, while Lin Zhixia made moves every two seconds, launching fierce attacks against her.

They say chess style reflects character, and chess ethics reveal personality. If this saying holds true, then beneath Lin Zhixia's innocent and harmless cute appearance hides such a brutal and rampant heart! Wan Chunlei secretly thought.

The surrounding classmates who didn't understand chess didn't notice the tense atmosphere at all.

Wan Chunlei's expression grew increasingly grave. She tried to disrupt Lin Zhixia's train of thought by asking proactively, "Why did you tell me about the Black and White Mary experiment?"

"Ah, I wanted to thank you," Lin Zhixia said sincerely. "You were willing to play chess with me, giving me a brand new experience."

Wan Chunlei didn't understand Lin Zhixia's words. Her mind gradually became disordered. She stared intently at the chessboard, yet the situation only worsened.

With no way out, Wan Chunlei struggled through the final few moves. Lin Zhixia swept through her base in one move and said cheerfully, "Do you surrender?"

The fourth group's seats were near the window with excellent lighting.

When Wan Chunlei looked up, she saw light reflected in Lin Zhixia's eyes as she repeated, "Do you surrender?"

I don't surrender.

These three words stuck in Wan Chunlei's throat, impossible to voice. Holding the chess basket in her left hand, she accidentally caught sight of Duan Qiyan, and suddenly had a flash of inspiration!

She put down the chess basket and, just like Duan Qiyan in the previous class, ran wildly out of Classroom 17 of Grade 7. As long as she ran fast enough, she wouldn't have to face the awkward situation near her seat.

Jiang Yubai watched her retreating figure and sighed slightly, "Another Duan Qiyan. How many more warriors does your Normal University Affiliated Elementary School have?"

Duan Qiyan felt targeted by Jiang Yubai. He struggled for a long time but couldn't come up with a retort, so he could only pin his hopes on today's Math Competition.

Their Normal University Affiliated Elementary School had strong mathematical foundations.

If they could earn honors in the competition, all previous humiliations would be washed clean.

Before the introductory class began, the students of Classroom 17, Grade 7, led by Lin Zhixia, headed toward the third lecture hall in the middle school section.

The third lecture hall had a very special location—it was at the connection point between the Grade 7 and Grade 8 teaching buildings.

Lin Zhixia and Jiang Yubai walked in the front row of the class formation. While Jiang Yubai was discussing the structure of connected graphs, Lin Zhixia's voice gradually faded. She slightly raised her head, watching a group of people approaching from ahead.

They were several seniors from the Grade 8 and Grade 9 advanced classes.

Leading them was none other than Lin Zeqiu.

Lin Zeqiu had excellent physical stature. Among that group of middle school boys, Lin Zeqiu stood out the most. The others created a feeling of stars surrounding the moon around him.

Yet when Lin Zeqiu was at home, he was often covered in dust while cleaning, washing dishes, and mopping floors—truly incomparable to his high spirits at school.

Lin Zhixia paused in her steps. Claiming she had something to do, she asked her classmates to go to the classroom first.

After the Classroom 17 students had successively entered the third lecture hall, Lin Zhixia ran toward Lin Zeqiu. Today, Lin Zhixia had only used a dark blue satin ribbon to tie her hair. She ran so fast that the ribbon fluttered in the wind.

Lin Zeqiu stood still in his place. When she was almost close to him, he asked, "Are you a student from the Grade 7 Olympiad class? You look somewhat familiar."

Lin Zhixia was stunned.

Lin Zeqiu tilted his head and said to his classmates, "Let's go."Before he could take a step, Lin Zhixia brushed past him as if he were invisible. She first greeted a bespectacled boy: "Hello, senior! I saw you on the bus this morning. Are you heading to the printing room to collect materials?"

The provincial No. 1 High School's middle school division had prepared a batch of brand-new mental health textbooks. Upon hearing the broadcast, class cadres from the eighth and ninth grades naturally went to the printing room to collect the materials.

The senior promptly replied, "Yes, yes! You still remember me?"

"Of course!" Lin Zhixia responded enthusiastically.

Then, Lin Zhixia turned to another senior: "Nie Tianqing?" She accurately called out his name.

Nie Tianqing's expression was a sight to behold. He smiled, lowered his head, looked puzzled, and even sighed: "You remember me?"

"I do remember," Lin Zhixia recounted in detail. "Last September, we played Bubble Ball Battle together at the children's playground. You're Dong Sunqi's neighbor, and he brought you along that day. How has Dong Sunqi been lately?"

As soon as Lin Zhixia finished speaking, Jiang Yubai walked up behind her. In Jiang Yubai's view, there was really no need to catch up with Nie Tianqing. They had no connection or friendship with him whatsoever.

So, Jiang Yubai tugged at Lin Zhixia's sleeve: "The introduction class is about to start."

Lin Zeqiu's gaze was like a thrown dagger, sharply fixed on Jiang Yubai's hand.