In mid-to-late August 2009, Lin Zhixia spent two weeks at the military training base in Huairou, Beijing.
The student dormitories at the military training base were all bunk beds. Lin Zhixia slept on the lower bunk and developed a deep camaraderie with the student on the upper bunk.
That student was named Feng Yuan, and Lin Zhixia really liked her name. Because "Feng Yuan" homophonically resembled "encountering fate" and "meeting opportunities," Lin Zhixia thought it was a cleverly chosen name.
Feng Yuan was seventeen this year, hailing from a southern city. She was the top science student in her province's college entrance examination that year, as well as a double first-prize winner in provincial mathematics and physics competitions.
Both of Feng Yuan's parents were university professors. Having grown up in a family environment filled with mathematical atmosphere, she possessed an innate talent for mathematics. Lin Zhixia and she hit it off immediately, often discussing number theory and dynamical systems together. Feng Yuan praised Lin Zhixia profusely: "You've read so many books, you're so clever and sharp."
Lin Zhixia repeated: "Clever and sharp?"
"Hometown dialect," Feng Yuan explained, "praising someone as smart."
Lin Zhixia laughed heartily.
During the military training period, Lin Zhixia gained recognition from many university classmates. The girls in her dorm unanimously agreed that Lin Zhixia's intelligence was extraordinary - she could remember everything and was thoroughly familiar with various theories.
At just fourteen years old, like numerous other students, she woke up at six every morning to fold blankets, stand at military attention, practice marching, and participate in training exercises.
Under the scorching sun on the training ground with yellow sand swirling everywhere, her camouflage uniform would be soaked with sweat and then baked dry by the sun. Lin Zhixia persevered diligently, never complaining loudly even when she felt exhausted. Only when lying in bed late at night, holding her Little Penguin plush toy, did she feel particularly homesick for Dad, Mom, Brother, and Jiang Yubai.
After the military training ended, Lin Zhixia felt reborn.
When she stepped through the door of the undergraduate dormitory, she was deeply moved.
Although Peking University's accommodation conditions couldn't compare with neighboring Tsinghua University, and although the undergraduate dorms still had bunk beds - what did it matter? University was a place of freedom, a place of teaching and nurturing, and Lin Zhixia should pursue a spiritual realm.
Yes!
Spiritual realm!
Lin Zhixia happily embraced undergraduate life.
Lin Zhixia lived in Room 401. Her roommates were all very friendly, with Feng Yuan still sleeping on the upper bunk above her. The nearby dorm rooms were full of hidden talents, widely distributed among the top 200 students from various provinces' college entrance exams, gold and silver medal winners of various competitions, and additionally, alumni from Lin Zhixia's Provincial No. 1 High School.
The Provincial No. 1 High School alumni had created a QQ group, and Senior Luo Ying was also in this group.
Luo Ying was a second-year student in the university's School of Mathematics. She and Lin Zhixia shared a deep friendship. Back in the day, they had roomed together in the national training team, and later teamed up to participate in the 2007 Romanian Master of Mathematics competition abroad. Luo Ying had always taken good care of Lin Zhixia.
On the day Lin Zhixia returned from the military training base, Luo Ying specifically made time to help her organize her things, familiarize her with the campus, and take her to eat at the school cafeteria.
After a full year apart, Senior Luo Ying remained just as before. She had a slender figure, snow-white skin, and carried a faint fragrance when she walked. Whenever she took Lin Zhixia's wrist, Lin Zhixia would be reminded of her brother. She could feel the care from her senior, filled with the kind of concern that older siblings have for their younger sister.Lin Zhixia wanted to share everything she had seen and heard with Jiang Yubai.
Jiang Yubai seemed to read her mind. On the day she officially moved into dormitory 401, he called and invited her out for dinner. She agreed without hesitation, even putting on her favorite dress.
It was an evening in late summer and early autumn, with a slight chill already in the air. Jiang Yubai stood outside the university gate, patiently waiting for Lin Zhixia to appear.
As the sunset deepened, the evening glow soaked the sky, weaving intricate patterns of color like brocade.
The golden-tinged clouds served as a backdrop between heaven and earth. Jiang Yubai gazed into the distance and saw Lin Zhixia running toward him. She wore a dress with a light coat over it, carried a backpack, and her hair was slightly tousled by the evening breeze.
Her eyes were remarkably bright, especially when she saw him. Without hiding her delight, she began circling around him: "Jiang Yubai, I'm a college student now, a mathematics major at the university..."
Jiang Yubai added matter-of-factly: "A college student who has already published two papers."
Lin Zhixia stopped and stood before him: "Did you just finish school?"
Indeed, Jiang Yubai had just gotten out of school.
Lin Zhixia was already an undergraduate student, while Jiang Yubai was still laboriously studying high school curriculum. However, Jiang Yubai believed that if he worked hard enough, perhaps... he could complete his undergraduate studies before Lin Zhixia earned her PhD.
He led Lin Zhixia toward the parking area. Standing beside a car, he personally opened the door for her.
Lin Zhixia hesitated slightly: "Where are we going?"
"My home in Beijing," Jiang Yubai said.
Lin Zhixia carried a small leather bag containing only her phone, keys, cash, and campus card. She pulled out a hundred-yuan bill and suggested: "I'd like to treat you to a meal at a nearby restaurant."
Jiang Yubai still remembered the day Lin Zhixia visited his private collection at home - she had left early, and he hadn't had time to celebrate with her.
Now that Lin Zhixia had been admitted to the nation's top university through early admission, Jiang Yubai felt that as her best friend, he should take the initiative to treat her to a lavish meal.
Resting one hand on the car door, Jiang Yubai listed the dishes: "Tonight we have Peking roast duck, pearl shrimp balls, crab-stuffed orange..." Before he could finish, Lin Zhixia had already slipped into his car.
He sat with her in the back seat.
The driver quietly navigated the vehicle as it sped along the highway. Skyscrapers flashed by, and streetlights formed a continuous golden line, each lamp emitting fleeting streams of light.
To Lin Zhixia, this city was completely unfamiliar - only Jiang Yubai was someone she knew well, her good friend of five years. Relaxed, she casually asked: "I've never tried Peking roast duck before. How is it different from the roast duck back in my hometown?"
Jiang Yubai simply said: "You'll experience it for yourself soon."
Lin Zhixia then asked: "Jiang Yubai, now that you've started eleventh grade, what's different compared to last semester?"
Jiang Yubai unzipped his backpack. He took out a notebook with a "September Tutoring Schedule" pasted inside, along with an IELTS test notification. Jiang Yubai told Lin Zhixia: "I've registered for next month's IELTS exam."Lin Zhixia picked up the paper, read it over and over, then said, "For the IELTS exam, 9 is the highest score. I hope you can get a 9."
"Mm," Jiang Yubai replied with a hint of confidence.
Lin Zhixia stared at him for a long moment before suddenly asking, "Do you remember my phone number?"
After Lin Zhixia entered university, she got her own phone and number. She had sent the number to Jiang Yubai via QQ, and that very night, he had memorized the string of digits.
At this moment, she emphasized, "My phone number contains your birthday. I specifically chose it. Among the numbers offered by China Unicom, China Mobile, and China Telecom, I picked the one closest to your birthday."
Jiang Yubai had been leaning back calmly in his chair. After Lin Zhixia said those words, his heartstrings tightened unconsciously. He straightened his fingers, sat up straight, and asked her quietly, "Why did you choose it that way?"
Lin Zhixia said, "Whenever I spend time with you, I'm always very happy. I firmly believe that a good mood brings good luck. Using your birthday as my phone number is because I hope I'll always have good luck."
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