Genius Girlfriend

Jin Baihui clutched the chalk and silently walked back to her seat.

She wore a pair of square glasses with perfectly straight lenses set in red plastic frames. Adjusting her glasses with one hand, her sharp gaze pierced through the lenses and landed on Lin Zhixia.

Across the distance separating them, they looked at each other from afar, and Jin Baihui silently mouthed the words: "After class."

After class? What does Jin Baihui want to tell me? Lin Zhixia felt perplexed.

What was even stranger was that Jin Baihui had also stopped participating in the Math Warm-up Quiz. She sat quietly and properly without raising her hand to answer anymore.

With both Jin Baihui and Lin Zhixia withdrawing from the competition, students from Classes 17 and 18 had more opportunities to shine. The top performers among them eagerly raised their hands, striving to earn honors for their classes.

However, this Math Warm-up Quiz was nearing its end.

Class 17 was one point behind Class 18, making the final question crucial. Before Teacher Zhang even began reading the question, Lin Zhixia predicted, "Classes 17 and 18 will definitely end in a tie."

"Yes," Jiang Yubai agreed.

Teacher Zhang cleared his throat and began reading: "There is a set containing only two-digit numbers. All two-digit numbers in the set are positive integers. Every element in this set can be divided by either its own units digit or tens digit. Students, please tell me, what is the sum of all elements in this set?"

After Teacher Zhang finished speaking, Duan Qiyan frantically raised his hand.

Duan Qiyan's profile appeared stern, his eyes defiant. His arm remained straight, wrist taut, pointing directly at the ceiling like a brightly raised flag.

Teacher Zhang indeed called his name: "Duan Qiyan, you may answer."

Duan Qiyan had already calculated the answer. He knew the set must include numbers like 11, 22, 33... 99, plus five special numbers: 12, 15, 24, 36, and 48. The sum of all elements in the set would be 630!

Yes! Six hundred thirty!

Fighting for the honor of the Normal University Elementary School!

Filled with confidence, Duan Qiyan loudly shouted: "Three hundred sixty!"

As soon as the word "six" left his mouth, his temples throbbed twice.

Why? Why exactly? His mind was filled with six hundred thirty, yet what he reported was three hundred sixty?

Due to extreme nervousness and fear of failure, he had committed the most basic mistake in a competition! He quickly corrected himself: "Teacher, I misspoke, it's not three hundred sixty..."

Teacher Zhang smiled comfortingly: "Making mental calculation errors is normal. Even computers have compilation errors, let alone a person? It's fine, Class 17 loses one point."

Class 17's score dropped to only 18 points.

They were destined to lose to Class 18.

Class 17's morale instantly hit rock bottom. Duan Qiyan became the eternal sinner. He stood frozen in place like a stone statue, watching helplessly as Jin Baihui raised a hand. And Teacher Zhang promptly called on Jin Baihui without hesitation.

Jin Baihui didn't stand up. Remaining seated, she unexpectedly blurted out: "The answer is one thousand."

Jin Baihui's homeroom teacher sighed: "How could it be one thousand? Jin Baihui, this problem isn't difficult. You should be able to solve it. I'll announce the correct answer: it's six hundred thirty. Think about it again after class."

The homeroom teacher personally deducted one point from Class 18.The final score ended up being 19 to 18. Class 18 scored 19 points, while Class 17 scored 18. Although Class 18 won, it was a narrow victory. Neither teacher commented on the outcome, only encouraging everyone to think diligently, practice more problems, and strive for excellence.

"Strive for excellence!" Lin Zhixia repeated enthusiastically.

Shen Fuxuan, sitting in the front row, turned to look at her. "Our class lost. Aren't you upset?"

"No," Lin Zhixia spoke her mind. "As long as the competition process makes me happy, I don't care about winning or losing. Also, don't you think Jin Baihui intentionally gave us a point just now? Jin Baihui is quite fair."

"That question was too simple. She couldn't have miscalculated," Shen Fuxuan agreed with Lin Zhixia's inference.

Han Peng chimed in, "Simple? By that logic, was Duan Qiyan also intentionally losing to Class 18? Duan Qiyan is strong—the primary school's First God of War! He couldn't have miscalculated either."

"The primary school's number one fool," Shen Fuxuan laughed mockingly.

Before school started, Shen Fuxuan never expected Duan Qiyan to provide so much amusement. The esteemed primary school's First God of War first started a trend of "running out of the classroom when feeling awkward" and then dragged the whole class down in the Math Competition... Duan Qiyan might not hold onto his third-place ranking in the next exam.

Shen Fuxuan predicted that Jiang Yubai would become the class's third rank.

Just then, Jiang Yubai asked Shen Fuxuan, "Why didn't you raise your hand to answer questions?"

Shen Fuxuan stretched lazily and said slowly, "On my mom's computer, there's a folder with the Olympiad class's opening materials. I saw the questions for this Math Competition..."

"So, do you remember the questions?" Lin Zhixia suddenly interrupted him. "Shen Fuxuan, do you never forget what you've seen? Don't you find that kind of memory troubling?"

"Not at all," Shen Fuxuan scratched his neck.

Lin Zhixia stared at him intently, as if trying to see through his soul and will. She thought she had found a kindred spirit, but Shen Fuxuan said, "How could that be? How could I possibly remember those things? I just don't like redoing the questions. It's so boring."

Lin Zhixia pondered thoughtfully.

The projector stopped working, and the class bell rang.

The students left the classroom in cheerful groups, their steps light.

Lin Zhixia followed behind Jiang Yubai as they walked out together. The sun shone just before the steps, casting alternating patches of deep and shallow light. Jin Baihui stood sideways in the shadows and shouted aggressively, "Lin Zhixia!"

Lin Zhixia froze, but it was Jiang Yubai who responded, "What is it?"

Jin Baihui got straight to the point. "I've studied university courses. I've studied Graph Theory, Linear Algebra, Complex Functions and Integral Transforms, and both volumes of Advanced Mathematics. The Blackwell Key Renewal Theorem isn't written in the Advanced Mathematics textbook. Where did you go to elementary school, Lin Zhixia?"

She lifted one leg, stepped onto the stair, and twisted her sole slightly, crushing a passing ant.

Lin Zhixia took a step back, hiding behind Jiang Yubai. "I graduated from Experimental Primary School."

"Experimental Primary School, fourth grade?" Jin Baihui pressed relentlessly. "Are you a grade-skipper?"Lin Zhixia remained silent. Jiang Yubai answered frankly, "I skipped a grade." He further revealed, "I take supplementary classes every day, from morning till night. If you're looking for a competitor, you can count on me."

The phrase "from morning till night" was clearly an exaggeration.

Jin Baihui took it seriously. She even asked, "What time do you go to bed every night?"

Jiang Yubai would go to bed at 8:30 p.m. His Dad told him that children must get plenty of rest while growing, otherwise his height might not reach his Dad's level.

One of Jiang Yubai's life goals was to have a height close to 188 meters. His Dad and uncle were both around that height, so Jiang Yubai would naturally inherit the family's fine tradition.

After thinking for a moment, he told Jin Baihui, "I go to bed when the night is deep and all is quiet."

This wasn't exactly lying.

After 8 p.m., the entire estate fell completely silent, with street lights turned off, leaving only dim ground lights and infrared alarms.

Jin Baihui didn't understand Jiang Yubai's family background. She lived in a bustling street-side neighborhood. Based on her life experience, "when the night is deep and all is quiet" roughly meant around midnight.

Jin Baihui bit her thumb: "Are you two grade-skippers tired from studying?"

"If you're tired, you should rest. Don't push yourself too hard," Lin Zhixia suggested sincerely. "Physical health is most important. We're still young and shouldn't study too hard—it's not good for our bodies. Jin Baihui, try to be happier and more relaxed, and enjoy an easier life as much as possible."

After speaking, Lin Zhixia looked at Jiang Yubai: "You shouldn't overwork yourself either."

Jiang Yubai said honestly, "I don't feel tired."

"No pain, no gain?" Jin Baihui suddenly blurted out. She was wearing long sleeves and a vest today and already felt somewhat hot. As the noon temperature rose further, fine sweat beads formed on her nose, though her gaze remained clear and sharp.

Lin Zhixia handed Jin Baihui a pack of tissues.

Jin Baihui hesitated but accepted. She pulled out a tissue to wipe her face and added, "You've heard Edison's saying, right?—'Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.' If you don't put in the effort, you won't get results. One plus one equals two—if you don't create the one, you won't have the two."

"One plus one doesn't necessarily equal two," Lin Zhixia countered. "For example, in binary, there are only 0 and 1."

Jin Baihui pressed her lips together and clarified, "The 'one' I mentioned refers to a unit."

Lin Zhixia tried to communicate with her: "Have you heard of Quantum Computing? In quantum computing, a single bit is called a qubit, and a qubit can contain a combination of 0 and 1. You can't say the qubit itself is 1 or that it's 0—it might be more like a superposition state. The expression of superposition states is also quite interesting, generally involving basis states and constant amplitudes. Each constant represents the probability of observing a particle at a corresponding position, and the sum of the squares of the probability constants must equal one. Do you enjoy studying probability-related problems?"

"I've read 'Quantum Mechanics,'" Jin Baihui declared proudly, raising her head.

"Did you understand it?" Jiang Yubai asked casually.

Jin Baihui crumpled the tissue in her hand and accurately threw it into the nearby trash bin. She pressed further, "Lin Zhixia, can you understand every book you read?""No way," Lin Zhixia said without a hint of shame. "Collecting external information can fill the gaps in our thinking. I find this process very enjoyable. Although there are some things conveyed in books that I don't quite understand either."

Jin Baihui lowered her arms, palms pressed tightly against her pants seams. Without greeting Lin Zhixia, she turned and walked back to Class 18.

Lin Zhixia gently tugged on Jiang Yubai's backpack strap. The two of them also returned to their Class 17 classroom. Their homeroom teacher, Teacher Zhang, brought in a stack of materials for everyone—these were the teaching plans for the Olympiad class.

After briefly explaining a few things, Teacher Zhang announced the end of morning classes.

Lin Zhixia packed all the documents and materials into her backpack and found her student bus IC card. With remarkable determination, she stubbornly refused to go find her brother in the eighth grade area and took the bus home alone instead.

At noon, Lin Zhixia stepped through her front door.

Her mom asked her: "Xia Xia, where's your brother? Didn't he come back with you?"

Lin Zhixia immediately complained to her mom: "Mom, mom, I don't know why, but Brother always ignores me... No, he's not my brother—he told me to call him Lin Zeqiu. Today at school, I met Lin Zeqiu's classmates, and Lin Zeqiu pretended not to know me. Lin Zeqiu told his classmates that I'm just a first-year junior high student from the Olympiad class."

Hearing this, Mom instantly became furious: "What's wrong with Lin Zeqiu? And it's only the first day of school!"

Without understanding the full context, Mom immediately decided that Lin Zeqiu was making trouble for no reason.

Lin Zeqiu arrived at the doorstep around 12:10. He had been slightly worried that Lin Zhixia might not find her way home or get kidnapped on the bus... She was clearly younger than the average junior high student and looked particularly naive and easy to deceive.

Before Lin Zeqiu could even enter the house, Mom shouted at him: "Lin Zeqiu! Come here right now!"

Lin Zhixia spoke up to stop her: "No, Mom, don't be mean to Brother. I want you to be a witness. Please sit beside me and Brother and listen to our conversation."

This was actually Jiang Yubai's idea.

Jiang Yubai had provided Lin Zhixia with a brilliant solution. He suggested that when Lin Zhixia communicated with Lin Zeqiu, they should have an elder family member present as a witness. This way, Lin Zeqiu would have to weigh his words carefully and couldn't freely display his harsh attitude.

Lin Zhixia knew that her brother was particularly well-behaved in front of Mom and never dared to talk back to her. As long as Mom supported Lin Zhixia, she wasn't afraid of her brother turning fierce!

The location for the sibling communication was Lin Zhixia's bedroom.

Lin Zhixia brought three chairs and sincerely invited her brother and mom to sit down.

Her brother's expression was extremely unpleasant. He frowned without speaking, legs slightly apart, hands resting on his knees. No matter how Mom tried to probe indirectly, he refused to explain himself even once, essentially adopting an "I'll accept whatever punishment comes" attitude.

Mom's anger hadn't subsided: "Lin Zeqiu, today was your sister's first day of middle school. Even if you couldn't help her as her brother, how could you bully her at school? She's your biological sister. Your sister is so young—instead of protecting her, you're making her draw clear boundaries with you?"

Lin Zeqiu took a deep breath. He felt depressed but couldn't find an outlet for his emotions.

"Brother!" Lin Zhixia sat down opposite him.

He finally spoke: "What do you want?"Lin Zhixia had expected her brother to say: "Get lost, don't bother me."

Unexpectedly, her brother only asked: "What do you want?"

Indeed! In front of Mom, Brother becomes gentler. Jiang Yubai's suggestion was really useful! Why hadn't Lin Zhixia thought of this before!

"I must communicate with you, Brother," Lin Zhixia sat up straight, her gaze fixed intently on Lin Zeqiu.

Lin Zeqiu leaned back firmly against his chair.

Lin Zhixia continued: "You pretend not to know me at school - this is your subjective action. You've taken this action, which must be influenced by external and internal factors..."

"Don't talk to me about psychology, I'm not interested," Lin Zeqiu coldly interrupted his sister.

But Mom said: "Lin Zeqiu, speak properly with your sister. How many times have I told you - you're the older brother. What kind of brother acts like you? What has your sister done to offend you?"

Lin Zhixia stood up and hugged Mom's arm: "The atmosphere for communication is important, Mom. Maintaining a calm mindset, let's follow psychological guidance."

Mom gently patted her daughter's back. To Lin Zhixia's surprise, Mom also stood up and said: "I need to check the warehouse. Your Dad is alone watching the shop and can't handle everything. Lunch is ready on the table. Whenever you two finish talking, don't forget to eat in the living room. Harmony in the family leads to prosperity in all things. Mom and Dad don't want to see you arguing. You're both our flesh and blood. When you fight badly, your Dad and I can't sleep at night, and we still have to go to the wholesale market early tomorrow to source goods."

As Mom was about to leave the bedroom, Lin Zhixia desperately tried to keep her: "Mom, Mom..."

Lin Zhixia called for her mother in a sweet, childish voice, but her mother suddenly seemed to develop a heart of stone. Mom insisted on leaving space for her son and daughter to face this conflict on their own.

Mom went to their family supermarket.

In the spacious bedroom, only Lin Zhixia and Lin Zeqiu remained.

Having lost her backup, Lin Zhixia said anxiously: "I didn't mean to tattle to Mom on purpose."

"What exactly do you want to say?" Lin Zeqiu stretched his legs and sat lazily in the chair.

Lin Zhixia recalled today's events. Her memory was truly too good. She clearly remembered every detail, which made her previously extinguished anger reignite, instantly blazing with fury: "Lin Zeqiu, I'm telling you very seriously! I'm extremely angry. The last time I was this angry was when I was five and you broke all my colored markers! This time is even worse - no one can comfort me!"

Lin Zeqiu looked at her as if watching a kitten scratch someone. He said expressionlessly: "You're angry? How terrifying."

Lin Zhixia's face flushed red: "Lin Zeqiu, don't go too far."

"Are you mistaken? Lin Zhixia," Lin Zeqiu reminded her, "You dragged me here to listen to your nonsense, and you think I'm the one going too far?"

Lin Zhixia forced herself to remain calm and questioned: "I just want to find the reason why you want to sever our blood relationship. Last week I read the newspaper, and there was an old man who published a statement claiming he was severing ties with his son. Because his son often gambled, drove drunk, and kept mistresses, he felt he hadn't raised his son properly..."At this point, Lin Zhixia steered the conversation toward the main topic: "I haven't gambled, drunk-driven, or done anything illegal. Lin Zeqiu, what gives you the right to cut ties with me?"

Lin Zeqiu was taken aback: "I haven't cut ties with you."

"You have!" Lin Zhixia declared firmly. "You won't let me call you Brother!"

Lin Zeqiu stood up: "Once we're outside the school gate, you can call me whatever you want."

"Why?" Lin Zhixia's curiosity erupted instantly. "Why, why, why!"

Lin Zeqiu opened the bedroom door: "Stop nagging. Aren't you tired of it? I don't have time to argue with you. I'm going to the living room to eat."

What a wasted opportunity for communication!

Anger surged in Lin Zhixia's heart, and malice crept into her thoughts: "Brother, we have a loudspeaker at home—the one Mom and Dad use for promotional events. If you don't tell me the specific reason, I'll take the loudspeaker to school and stand outside your classroom, shouting 'Brother, brother, brother, brother' loudly enough for all the students and teachers in the school to hear me."

Logically, after Lin Zhixia issued such a terrifying threat, her brother should have scolded her harshly.

But Lin Zeqiu didn't say a word.

He held onto the doorknob, his body trembling slightly.

His mind went blank, his hands went numb, and his back stiffened.

Why was he desperately avoiding the scenes from his nightmares...

Only to end up making the nightmare come true in reality?

If Lin Zhixia really did that, Lin Zeqiu's school life would be ruined.

Since the second semester of seventh grade, Lin Zeqiu had frequently received attention from female classmates. He understood it was what the "Moral Education" textbook called "adolescent awakening." Following the textbook's guidance, he carefully managed the boundaries of his interactions and strictly controlled the limits between himself and his female classmates. He was upright, ambitious, and virtuous—never letting others copy his homework.

But once Lin Zhixia became entangled in his school social network, he would fall from the clouds, transforming from a shining star in the sky to a clown on the ground.

The bedroom door was slightly ajar. Lin Zeqiu took a step out, then suddenly turned around and walked back to stand in front of Lin Zhixia: "Lin Zhixia, if you bring that loudspeaker to school, I'll publish a notice in the newspaper to sever our blood ties."

"Go ahead and publish it. I'll be waiting," Lin Zhixia actually said. "When Mom and Dad see it, you'll be kicked out of the house. You'll shiver in the cold wind, wrapped in tattered cotton padding, sleeping under a bridge."

Lin Zeqiu was so furious he genuinely considered packing up and running away from home. But the next second, Lin Zhixia's attitude suddenly softened: "Why, Brother? I'm so confused. You used to say you wouldn't feel sad because of my existence, that no matter what, I would always be your little sister... Have you forgotten what you said? But I still remember. Comparing now to the past, I feel so sad... Even this feeling of sadness, I can't forget it..."

Lin Zhixia sat on the edge of the bed, tears pattering down and falling onto her stuffed toy.

She held Little Penguin in her arms, gripping its wings so tightly her fingertips turned pale.

"I..." Lin Zeqiu felt as if a blunt knife had sliced through his heart. Invisible blood gushed from the festering wound. His legs weakened, and he slumped exhaustedly onto the floor.He said, "Lin Zhixia, this isn't your problem. I... I've taken the Olympiad class entrance exam three times without success." The words that followed, he absolutely couldn't bring himself to say.

Lin Zhixia narrowed her eyes slightly. "Is it because you can't get into the Olympiad class, so you pretend not to know me at school to save face? Is that it?" She tilted her head. "Why didn't you tell me earlier? With my tutoring, you could easily get into the Olympiad class, and you wouldn't have to worry about face at all."

Lin Zeqiu rested his forehead in one hand, all his words condensed into two: "Forget it."

Lin Zhixia crouched beside him, shaking his shoulders vigorously. "Cheer up! Brother! Cheer up!"

Lin Zeqiu gently pushed her hands away, and she immediately explained, "My best friend has always been fearless. The more challenges he faces, the braver he becomes, with broad horizons. In today's Math Competition, I noticed his Mental Calculation Level has improved by leaps and bounds—it's simply incomparable to before! He can even solve Base-58 and Base-62 Conversion Problems mentally! Our class scored a total of 19 points, and the hardest 4 points were all contributed by him alone! You should know, back in January, he still often needed to draft his calculations for exams."

"Is your best friend a boy or a girl?" Lin Zeqiu demanded.

"He's a very good boy," Lin Zhixia answered without hesitation.