Genius Girlfriend

The morning air was cool, and a magpie with a white belly and blue wings perched on a branch, letting out cheerful chirps.

Lin Zhixia looked up at the magpie and explained, "The magpie belongs to the order Passeriformes, family Corvidae, genus Pica. Its Latin name is Pica pica ."

Jiang Yubai mimicked her pronunciation: " Pica pica ."

Lin Zhixia laughed heartily. "Welcome to Teacher Lin's Latin class."

Jiang Yubai paused mid-step. "You've studied Latin?"

"The Latin textbooks I could find were too limited," Lin Zhixia said modestly. "I only know the basics."

A few minutes earlier, after finishing breakfast, Lin Zhixia felt a bit too full. She and Jiang Yubai decided to take a leisurely stroll around the campus.

Their conversation started with Latin and moved on to Ecclesiastical Latin, used exclusively by the Catholic Church, as well as medieval scientific and theological studies. In medieval Europe, scholars had to be proficient in Latin because science, theology, and philosophy were all closely tied to the language.

Lin Zhixia remarked, "Medieval Europe had numerous duchies, principalities, and electorates... Each of these states issued its own currency, leading to a highly chaotic monetary system. I recall that in medieval Italy alone, there were at least four hundred different types of currency circulating in the market."

Lin Zhixia deliberately steered the topic toward economics. This way, she could discuss monetary issues and financial markets with Jiang Yubai. She knew that during his time studying in Beijing, Jiang Yubai had immersed himself daily in various economic theories.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Yubai asked her, "Would you like to see ancient coins from European countries?"

Lin Zhixia was astonished. "Do you have them at home?"

Jiang Yubai replied humbly, "We have a few collections."

Lin Zhixia whispered, "I read in a book that the Rothschild family... they are a world-renowned financial dynasty that has been passed down for centuries. Over two hundred years ago, European nobles loved collecting ancient coins. A merchant from the Rothschild family often presented ancient coins to a prince of a certain state. The prince was so delighted and valued him highly that he became the top figure in the court."

At this point, Lin Zhixia looked up and gazed at him intently. "Ancient coin collections are too precious. You really shouldn't show them to me."

Jiang Yubai had been about to say, "I'll give you a set," but upon hearing her words, he changed his response: "The ones in my family aren't that valuable."

Lin Zhixia grew suspicious. "Really?"

Jiang Yubai argued slyly, "Once you see them for yourself, you can make your own judgment."

Lin Zhixia cheerfully suggested, "Alright, when are you free? Could you bring those collections for me to see?"

"Sure," Jiang Yubai agreed generously.

Before they knew it, Jiang Yubai and Lin Zhixia had arrived at the entrance of the doctoral dormitory building.

Several male doctoral students from the physics department had just bought breakfast from the cafeteria. Their hair was tousled, and they wore loose pajamas under long down jackets, paired with sneakers. They walked toward the dormitory at a gradually increasing pace, exuding an air of carefree simplicity and the distinguished, captivating charm unique to doctoral students.

Lin Zhixia called out to them, "Senior Niu Siyuan?"

Niu Siyuan's breath caught in his throat.

Currently, Niu Siyuan was a doctoral student under Professor Shen Zhaohua.Niu Siyuan was passionate about academia and scientific research. This year, as a first-year Ph.D. student, he had settled on his research topic but hadn't finished his paper... Meanwhile, Lin Zhixia had published a paper last year in the Journal of Physical Oceanography—the very journal Niu Siyuan dreamed of.

Whenever Lin Zhixia appeared near Niu Siyuan, he felt a chill from head to toe.

Standing at the entrance of the boys' dormitory, Niu Siyuan tightened his down jacket as a piercing cold surged up his back.

Although he didn't turn around, he was certain that Lin Zhixia was right behind him.

The beautiful morning vanished like a bubble, and the crisp birdsongs turned into mournful dirges. Niu Siyuan's limbs stiffened, unable to take another step forward. His friends, unaware of the situation, asked him, "Isn't that Lin Zhixia from your research group? She has a seminar today—do you want to chat with her?"

Niu Siyuan had no desire to speak with Lin Zhixia.

But he decided to protect his classmates.

He told them, "Ah, yes, Lin Zhixia is part of our group. You go ahead, hurry back to the dorm, don't wait for me. I'll have a word with her."

As his classmates left one by one, Niu Siyuan stayed behind to cover their retreat. He stood in front of Lin Zhixia and asked, "Do you need something from me?"

"Nothing at all," Lin Zhixia said. "I just wanted to say hello. Why are you so nervous?"

Jiang Yubai chimed in, "You've greeted him. Let's go."

Lin Zhixia didn't understand what Niu Siyuan's behavior and demeanor implied, but Jiang Yubai saw it clearly.

Niu Siyuan's anxiety and unease reminded Jiang Yubai of himself at nine years old. Back then, Jiang Yubai had seen Lin Zhixia as a rival, competing with her over academic performance every day. Over the years, Jiang Yubai had grown a lot.

But Niu Siyuan still hadn't grasped the essence of genius. Clutching his breakfast container, Niu Siyuan asked gloomily, "Can you publish another paper in physical oceanography this year?"

"No," Lin Zhixia answered truthfully.

Niu Siyuan breathed a sigh of relief. "Have you run out of inspiration?"

Lin Zhixia followed Jiang Yubai down the steps. She inadvertently let slip, "I'm preparing a paper on data security and high-performance computing in computer science. This September, I'm going to Beijing for university."

Niu Siyuan's breakfast suddenly lost its appeal. He stood silently at the dormitory entrance for a few seconds, then reconsidered: if Lin Zhixia was leaving for university in Beijing, she wouldn't be in Professor Shen Zhaohua's research group anymore—this was great news! Absolutely fantastic!

Once Niu Siyuan realized this, he became ecstatic.

Carrying his breakfast, he went up to the second floor and shared the good news with his labmates. They were all somewhat pleased. After tidying up and washing, they headed together to the physics department's lecture hall in a peaceful and harmonious atmosphere.

The lecture hall was packed.

Lecturers, professors, and the vice dean sat in the front row. Shen Zhaohua's seat was the most prominent, with Lin Zhixia sitting right behind her. Shen Zhaohua occasionally turned around to whisper some reminders to Lin Zhixia, who listened attentively.

Jiang Yubai was seated to Lin Zhixia's right. While Lin Zhixia was talking with Shen Zhaohua, Jiang Yubai took out his digital camera, skillfully adjusted the settings, and tried recording a video.

Lin Zhixia noticed his movements. She leaned closer to him and quietly asked, "Are you going to film me?""Can I record it?" Jiang Yubai asked for her opinion.

"Of course, of course," Lin Zhixia replied cheerfully. "Could you send the video file to my email?"

Jiang Yubai said, "No problem."

He had originally planned to send her a copy anyway. This was Lin Zhixia's first academic presentation—it deserved to be saved on her computer as a keepsake.

The host announced Lin Zhixia's name and paper topic from the stage. Amidst a round of applause, Lin Zhixia walked slowly toward the podium. She didn't need any notes. Facing the audience, she fluently explained the content of her paper and her research methods.

After her presentation, several professors in the front row asked Lin Zhixia a few questions. She responded enthusiastically and chatted with them without any reservations. The atmosphere was relaxed and pleasant, though most of the undergraduate students didn't dare to speak up.

Once the thirty-minute Q&A session ended, the host returned to the stage. Lin Zhixia bowed to the audience and walked back to her seat.

Jiang Yubai pressed the mute button and replayed the video he had recorded from the beginning. Lin Zhixia held the digital camera with both hands and whispered, "Did I look like a college student up there?"

Without hesitation, Jiang Yubai commented, "More like a PhD student."

Lin Zhixia smiled sweetly. "When I grow up, I want to be a teacher too, just like Professor Shen Zhaohua."

Jiang Yubai chimed in, "Professor Lin."

In the past, when he said "Professor Lin," there had been a hint of restraint and shyness. But now, in this crowded lecture hall, he addressed her so casually and effortlessly. She couldn't quite figure out his thoughts, simply assuming he had suddenly matured.

The seminar ran from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Besides Lin Zhixia, four other scholars had presented their papers, but Lin Zhixia attracted the most attention—because of her young age. She was only thirteen and had already reached this level.

After the event ended, many students from nearby came over, drawn by her reputation.

Lin Zhixia even spotted the male college student from the morning, the one who had stood in line with her outside the pan-fried dumpling shop. He still didn't understand the experimental methods in her physical oceanography paper. Hesitating for a moment, he asked loudly, "You didn't explain your title—what exactly does 'vertical mixing' in the paper refer to?"

Lin Zhixia froze.

During her rehearsal at home, her brother had strongly advised her to explain more technical terms. But she hadn't taken his advice.

Jiang Yubai led her away, and she could only toss back a reply: "There are many models of vertical mixing processes, including bulk mixing and continuous mixing, surface boundary layers and ocean interior... Well, if you study it a bit more, you'll probably understand."

The undergraduate stood where he was and didn't follow them.

Leaving the noisy lecture hall behind, Lin Zhixia hopped and skipped along the campus path.

She asked Jiang Yubai how she had performed today. First, he praised her extensively, then added that her logic was clear, her thinking agile, and that she could engage with real scholars.

"Engage with real scholars?"

Lin Zhixia caught his underlying meaning. "Are you trying to say that quite a few listeners... didn't really understand what I was saying?"

Jiang Yubai shook his head. "Academic papers are different from popular science. Highly specialized papers aren't meant for the general public. It's normal for some people not to understand. I didn't understand either."

Lin Zhixia chimed in repeatedly, "Mm-hmm, mm-hmm."She remembered that the Russian writer Maxim Gorky once said a profound truth—true friends rejoice in your success and offer support and encouragement during your sorrows.

Gorky's definition of "true friends" perfectly matched Lin Zhixia's perception of Jiang Yubai.

The only drawback was that Jiang Yubai couldn't stay in the provincial capital for too long.

Jiang Yubai needed to prepare for the North American Economics Challenge. His teammates were all waiting for him in Beijing.

During this winter break, Lin Zhixia and Jiang Yubai spent four days together. As usual, they met at the provincial library, and Jiang Yubai even brought a set of ancient coins from his home for Lin Zhixia to examine. Sitting in the study room, Lin Zhixia put on silk gloves and used a magnifying glass to study the patterns, designs, and inscriptions on the ancient coins, feeling an indescribable, complex emotion as if transported across time.

In her imagination, centuries ago, living men and women had repeatedly touched these metal objects.

The sense of history and culture evoked by the ancient coins gave her a new perspective on parting—she and Jiang Yubai would have many more opportunities to meet again, so she didn't need to dwell on their brief separation.

Maintaining a calm mindset, Lin Zhixia peacefully spent the last winter break of her high school years.

Shortly after the start of the second semester of tenth grade, Lin Zhixia's admission notice for guaranteed enrollment arrived at Provincial No. 1 High School.

During the class meeting of Grade 10, Class 27, the homeroom teacher Teacher Deng solemnly announced, "Classmates, I have two matters to discuss with you. First, Lin Zhixia has been admitted to Peking University through guaranteed enrollment, and the approval documents have been finalized..."

Before Teacher Deng could finish, the entire class erupted in commotion.

Amid the continuous uproar, Teacher Deng slapped the lectern. Only when the students gradually calmed down did she continue, "The second matter is that the tenth grade will conduct a 'Spring Research Trip.' The entire grade will be divided into nine groups, with three classes in each group. Our Class 27 is grouped with Classes 25 and 26. The destination is Penglai Mountain in Yingzhou, a national 5A-level natural scenic area. The purpose of the trip is to cultivate your qualities of environmental protection and resource conservation... Participation is voluntary, and registration is optional."

The class sports committee member Cao Wu suddenly raised his hand: "Teacher Deng!"

Teacher Deng nodded slightly: "Do you have a question?"

Cao Wu stood up and asked, "After this research trip, do we have to write an essay?"

"Yes," Teacher Deng admitted without hesitation, "Your Chinese teacher said that regardless of whether you go or not, you must write an 800-word essay upon return."

The class let out a collective groan of protest.

Teacher Deng slapped the lectern again: "Alright, let's not waste any more time. Later, Lin Zhixia will compile the list for the research trip and report it to me once it's done."

Lin Zhixia quickly responded with an "Okay."