Genius Girlfriend

Time ticked by, Old Cai's fingers hovering over the computer keyboard.

Old Cai was a meticulous person. When writing programs, he pursued perfection. He tilted his head to discuss with Xiao Liang how to improve the program's efficiency. Lin Zhixia couldn't find an opportunity to interject, so she could only sit in her seat, quietly listening to Old Cai and Xiao Liang's heated discussion.

Old Cai felt he had excluded Lin Zhixia from the team. He felt somewhat guilty. He cracked a joke to lighten the mood and asked Lin Zhixia to help check his code.

Lin Zhixia glanced over it and confirmed there were no issues with Old Cai's program.

Earlier, Lin Zhixia had pointed out that Old Cai's "binary string shouldn't be left-shifted by two bits." However, it now appeared Old Cai's approach was correct. Lin Zhixia apologized to him: "I'm sorry, I was wrong earlier. I didn't expect you to write it this way. Your problem-solving method is completely different from mine."

Old Cai adjusted his chair position. While submitting the code, he said to Lin Zhixia: "Quick, let's move on to the sixth problem. The sixth problem is algebraic geometry..."

Before Old Cai could finish his sentence, Xiao Liang tapped the table lightly: "The fifth problem is wrong."

Old Cai and Lin Zhixia looked up simultaneously, their eyes fixed on the computer screen.

IHSPC was a brutal and strict competition where each team's score was updated in real-time and publicly transparent. When contestants uploaded code for a particular problem, the backend program would immediately determine the score.

Right or wrong, scoring or deduction—all hinged on a single thought and happened in an instant.

Old Cai felt tremendous pressure. Holding his breath, his voice hoarse: "Did we get the fifth problem wrong?"

The fifth problem revealed a major error, resulting in a 7-point deduction. Provincial No.1 High School's overall ranking plummeted from sixth place to seventeenth place in the competition.

So far, the Russian and Korean teams were far ahead, with several Chinese teams following closely behind. Provincial No.1 High School held no advantage. Lin Zhixia's nerves were stretched taut as she hurriedly checked the backend feedback. She said: "You used a binary string to represent the set in the fifth problem, with a left shift by two bits representing multiplication by 4, but you missed one scenario... It's also my fault—I didn't carefully read every line of your code."

Old Cai frowned tightly, his face clouded with gloom. He gripped the mouse and refreshed the page—the competition ranking updated again, with Provincial No.1 High School falling to nineteenth place.

Lin Zhixia had always been first in her grade in every exam—she had never seen a "nineteenth place" result before. She was somewhat stunned. Old Cai was still modifying the fifth problem. Xiao Liang comforted: "Old Cai, don't rush, there's still a chance."

Old Cai submitted the fifth problem a second time, only to be judged as "error" again.

This "error" meant "mistake." Provincial No.1 High School was deducted another 4 points, their overall ranking continuously sliding downward.

"This is really deadly," Old Cai lamented.

Lin Zhixia pushed Old Cai's hand aside and directly seized the keyboard. Building on Old Cai's program, she added a new variable. She clicked the left mouse button and pressed the green confirmation button. However, she failed to turn the tide. "Error" appeared repeatedly, and "Provincial No.1 High School"'s ranking sank to forty-third place.

Xiao Liang criticized bluntly: "Lin Zhixia, you submitted too quickly. We didn't get a clear look at your approach."It was only then that Lin Zhixia took out the test questions and reread the stem of the fifth problem. She told her teammates, "I understand now. We all remembered this question wrong. Two weeks ago, when the teacher was training us, they gave us a problem that was eighty percent similar to this fifth one, but the constraints were completely different..."

Before Lin Zhixia could finish, Xiao Liang and Lao Cai were already working together to make revisions.

They were both unconsciously spurred by a gambler's mentality.

The more miserably the fifth problem had made them lose, the more determined they were to keep trying until they got it right.

Lin Zhixia pointed at the screen and suggested, "Let's delete this function. It's redundant code."

So-called "redundant code" referred to code that was unnecessary.

Xiao Liang's fingers flew across the keyboard, but he paid no attention to Lin Zhixia. After whispering with Lao Cai for a moment and seriously exchanging opinions, they submitted their answer for the fifth problem again—this time, they finally succeeded.

The vast competition venue was filled with conversations in various languages.

The Russian team across from them was chatting and laughing merrily; they currently ranked first in the entire competition. The Estonian team next to them looked solemn, with all three teammates drawing diagrams while discussing the sixth problem.

Outside the spacious floor-to-ceiling windows, a damp mist drifted. Droplets clung hazily to the glass, and the sky grew increasingly dim and gray. Rows of distant buildings stood against the dark-toned backdrop, resembling a deeply evocative oil painting.

Lin Zhixia's mind wandered.

Lin Zhixia had only gotten her first computer this year, whereas Lao Cai and Xiao Liang had been learning programming since childhood. Xiao Liang's Dad and Mom were both programmers at a computer company in the provincial capital—you could say he came from a "programmer family." Perhaps Lin Zhixia should adjust her mindset and focus on doing her best in a supporting role.

After some deep thought, Lin Zhixia nodded. She pulled her chair closer to Lao Cai.

Lao Cai opened the main page of the competition. He saw that Provincial No. 1 High School was ranked forty-ninth, and the teams behind them showed strong upward momentum. At this rate, forget about a gold medal—they wouldn't even have hope for a bronze.

Puzzled, Lin Zhixia asked, "Why are we falling further behind?"

Lao Cai replied, "Russia and the U.S. each sent over twenty teams. Look at these American high schools—they're all at the top. Even the British schools have overtaken us..."

Lin Zhixia quickly said, "I know how to solve the fourth problem. As long as we get the fourth one right, Provincial No. 1 High School's score will rise!"

"How do we solve the fourth problem?" Lao Cai asked her in return, "Using the same method as before?"

Lin Zhixia was very certain: "Yes."

Lao Cai pushed his glasses higher on his nose. He still believed Lin Zhixia's approach was flawed, just like when he had gotten the fifth problem wrong. He felt that Lin Zhixia's perception of the fourth problem was mistaken. He suggested that Lin Zhixia first create a set of data on scratch paper, then substitute that data into her program to verify whether her method would work.

"I've already verified it in my head," Lin Zhixia said honestly.

But Lao Cai insisted, "Write it down. Use several pages. I need to question you step by step. When you submitted the fifth problem earlier, you didn't let Xiao Liang and me check it. You made a mistake, and the team lost four points."Lin Zhixia reached out and placed her hands on the keyboard. At first, I thought the fifth question was a type of question we had encountered before... You made the same mistake I did. This illustrates the principle of 'three men make a tiger'—when three people confirm the same thing, whether it's true or false, their first instinct is to follow the crowd."

Old Cai rested his right hand on the keyboard. He had been contemplating the sixth question, but Lin Zhixia's words inexplicably irritated him. He took off his glasses, set them on the table, raised his palms, and rubbed his face vigorously.

Lin Zhixia's well-reasoned arguments left Old Cai feeling flustered and disturbed.

On the IHSPC competition floor, the most taboo thing was teammates blaming each other—after over two years of training, both Old Cai and Xiao Liang were well aware of this rule. However, Lin Zhixia seemed either unaware or simply believed speaking the truth wasn't a big deal.

Old Cai pressed his forehead. "Lin Zhixia, how old are you this year?"

Lin Zhixia shifted back an inch. "I'm twelve this year... thirteen by traditional counting, and I'll be fourteen soon."

Old Cai pointed at himself, then at Xiao Liang. "We're several years older than you."

"Our souls are all equal," Lin Zhixia murmured. "Whether I'm twelve or ninety-two, I'll treat you with the same attitude."

Xiao Liang made a disapproving sound. "You're twelve this year, not ninety-two..."

Lin Zhixia remembered her main task. "Time is tight. May I use the computer to write the fourth question first?"

Old Cai finally lost his temper. "Can't you write down the steps? Wrong answers lead to point deductions. You're human, not a god. When you make mistakes, your teammates have to clean up the mess. Shouldn't you understand this at twelve?"

After a two-second pause, Lin Zhixia countered sharply, "Could you please not attack my age? I do make mistakes—everyone does. As long as we correct them, that experience becomes meaningful."

Old Cai snapped, "Stop feeding me inspirational nonsense."

Lin Zhixia patiently explained, "I can write down the steps for the fourth question, but it involves recursive exponential functions. I need to use number theory methods and apply Fermat's Euler theorem. Since no one's using the keyboard right now, I suggested writing the program first. Then I could use the code to explain it clearly to you. This would be clearer for you than my handwritten notes. I could also write the program code on paper first and transcribe it into the compiler... but then you might not be able to check every step, because code is inherently concise and jumpy—you can't debug it just by looking."

"Debug" was programming terminology meaning "to resolve program faults."

Old Cai didn't respond. His gaze remained fixed on the display screen.

Provincial No. 1 High School's ranking continued to drop. An African national team had now surpassed them, climbing to the position just above Provincial No. 1 High School.

An African team?

In Old Cai's impression, Africa was an underdeveloped region. He'd once watched a documentary about an African city—where the outskirts blended into African savannah, with lions, antelopes, and zebras happily roaming the suburban areas. The image had profoundly shocked him.

And now... he had actually been surpassed by an African team.Cai wasn't even sure whether the African team members were safe in their daily lives—whether they might be chased by lions, teased by leopards, or threatened by elephants.

Yet here he was, training comfortably at Provincial No. 1 High School with excellent food and careful attention from the cafeteria chefs, yet somehow inferior to a team from Africa.

A stifling anger swelled in Cai's chest, stuck in his lungs. He said slowly, "You won a gold medal at the Romanian Master competition, yet you still came to participate in the informatics contest. The teachers forced you into our group, pushing out our original teammate. That person and I have been close friends for five years through middle school. The teachers kept saying you're smart, capable, talented. Fine, I agreed to let you join the team. But you still cost us four points—is this your so-called capability?"

Lin Zhixia moved her chair backward, creating some distance. She didn't want to hear any more from Cai.

Especially when he mentioned his five-year friendship with the replaced teammate—it suddenly reminded Lin Zhixia of Jiang Yubai. If someone were to push Jiang Yubai out of his position, she would be extremely angry too.

However, the informatics coach hadn't told Lin Zhixia that Cai, Liang, and that person were good friends and long-time training partners.

The coach only said: Cai, Liang, and Lin Zhixia—you three are the most suitable team composition. Lin Zhixia, your temperament and mindset are excellent, and you've won an international mathematics gold medal. With you teaming up with Cai and Liang, you're sure to bring back an IHSPC trophy!

Lin Zhixia felt deeply disheartened.

Cai continued accusing her: "For the fifth problem, when the first submission failed, you said I missed one case and led me down the wrong path—costing us seven points. After all these setbacks, even the African team could overtake us..."

"I've already admitted I was wrong," Lin Zhixia said, consciously lowering her voice as the invigilator approached. "This was an accident. We should share the risks and consequences because we're a team."

IHSPC rules allowed competitors to discuss quietly but not to make loud noises.

Cai's voice had been slightly too loud, disturbing the New Zealand contestant sitting behind him.

The New Zealand contestant reported this to the invigilator, who verbally warned the Provincial No. 1 High School team: "Excuse me, could you please lower your voice?"

Lin Zhixia hurriedly apologized: "Sorry, teacher and I..."

Before she could finish, the teacher stopped her: "That is all right."

With that, the teacher left.

Liang, who had shrunk into the corner, hadn't clearly heard the English exchange with the invigilator. He asked Lin Zhixia, "What happened?"

Lin Zhixia explained, "The teacher asked us to lower our voices. I apologized, and the teacher said it was fine."

With unexpected situations arising one after another, both Lin Zhixia and her teammates were somewhat distracted. Lin Zhixia still wanted to work on the fourth problem, but Liang mediated: "Forget it, let's focus on the sixth and seventh problems first."

Cai was already coding the sixth problem on his computer. He compiled it repeatedly while Liang and Lin Zhixia helped establish input-output data standards for him.Time on the competition floor slipped away swiftly. Provincial No.1 High School's ranking rose three times and fell four times. Old Cai's back was damp with a thin layer of sweat. Although he had answered the sixth question correctly, his method was time-consuming, resulting in a low final score. He tried switching approaches, but the sixth question returned an "error." Not only did he fail to gain points, but he also incurred a slight penalty.

He quickly steadied his emotions and assigned the remaining questions to his teammates.

Lin Zhixia propped her chin on one hand and began reading the tenth question—the finale of this competition, involving complex integral geometry. Integral geometry was originally one of Lin Zhixia's strongest areas, but by the time she translated her mathematical reasoning into programming language, the Russian team had already solved the tenth question.

That Russian team happened to be seated directly across from Lin Zhixia.

The three Russian boys wore broad smiles, silently celebrating their victory. They led the second-place Zhejiang team by over ten points, seemingly destined to claim the gold medal in this competition.

The Zhejiang team was locked in a fierce battle with a South Korean team. Whenever the South Korean team pulled ahead by a few points, Zhejiang would fiercely catch up. As the competition progressed, Zhejiang even closed in on the Russian team, trailing by only three points.

Lin Zhixia watched the computer screen, quietly cheering for her compatriots: "Go Zhejiang, go Zhejiang, quickly overtake Russia."

Old Cai's mom was from Zhejiang. He somewhat regretted not being on the Zhejiang team himself.

Old Cai futilely refreshed the page; Zhejiang's scores kept fluctuating. He simply closed the page altogether. He continued discussing problems with his teammates, but new disagreements arose. This time, Old Cai and Lin Zhixia shared the same view, while Xiao Liang held a different opinion. Xiao Liang added, "If A-Zhou were here, he'd be on my side."

This "A-Zhou" was the teammate who had unfortunately been eliminated during selection.

The team atmosphere grew even more subdued.

By the competition's end, Provincial No.1 High School had correctly solved six problems with numerous errors. Their final ranking was twenty-fourth, earning them a participation award.

Initially, Lin Zhixia didn't feel particularly upset. She had foreseen this outcome almost from the moment conflicts erupted.

However, on the return journey, Old Cai and Xiao Liang took full responsibility before their coach. They claimed the major mistakes in the competition were due to their poor performance on site. Neither mentioned Lin Zhixia's error on the fifth question.

When Lin Zhixia asked Old Cai privately, he explained that first, he and Xiao Liang had indeed failed to maintain their composure, and second, he was accustomed to covering for A-Zhou when they were teammates.

When they returned to Provincial No.1 High School, both computer science coaches appeared deeply distressed. It turned out this IHSPC final ranking was the school's worst result in years.

Last year, Provincial No.1 High School had won the bronze medal.

This time, they had only received an insignificant participation award.Lin Zhixia was slow to react. Somewhat bewildered, she left the high school section and walked back to her classroom in Class 17 of the ninth grade. Her crushing defeat at the competition in Moscow, Russia, had long since reached the ninth grade. When her classmates saw her enter, no one made a sound—none of them knew how to comfort her.

Lin Zhixia quietly returned to her seat.

Jiang Yubai turned his head to look at her. "Lin Zhixia?"

Lin Zhixia's voice was barely audible. She murmured to herself, "Don't call me anymore. Let me think alone about where exactly the problem lies. Was my attitude toward the competition not serious enough? But I tried my best. I didn't dare argue—raising my voice too much could get me disqualified and affect our school's future participants... I don't know what to do either. They didn't believe the methods I suggested, and I didn't believe theirs either. In the end, I became passive and disheartened... Everyone was easy to get along with during training, but when the competition started, my mindset changed too..."

"Lin Zhixia," Jiang Yubai interrupted her, "Everyone is influenced by their environment. Don't blame yourself."

Lin Zhixia's eyes welled up with tears. "Our school won a bronze medal last year."

"Our school didn't allow female students to enroll a hundred years ago," Jiang Yubai suddenly brought up this point. He said, "Tradition isn't law—it can't remain unchanged forever. Lin Zhixia, you are an outstanding student."

As soon as Jiang Yubai finished speaking, the nearby window was tapped.

Lin Zhixia's seat was by the window—she always preferred sitting near the window. She lifted her head and looked outside.

Jin Baihui stood outside Class 17's classroom, holding a notebook. Her gaze pierced through the glass, directly meeting Lin Zhixia's eyes. "You ranked 24th? That's the worst result I've ever heard. You clearly didn't put in any effort at all."