Professor Tan had always held high expectations for the student Gu Xue Jiao.
As early as during the competition period, he had noticed this talented and exceptionally hardworking student.
And this student had never let him down—she was diligent, persistent, and had her own direction. Even when no one supported her decision to pursue physics projects, she still went ahead out of sheer passion.
Having both determination and genuine interest made it easier to persevere in the long run.
Afterward, Professor Tan summarized all the projects he had worked on over the past year, introducing each one to Xue Jiao in detail. He then outlined his upcoming plans to see if any piqued her interest.
Xue Jiao thought for a moment before replying, "Hmm... Teacher Tan, could I follow you for the next year?"
She blinked playfully. "Don’t worry, I’m a great assistant!"
Teacher Tan was momentarily stunned. After a brief silence, he responded, "No matter what, I’ll always have miscellaneous tasks to handle, not to mention teaching duties. You also have your own classes. Following me around... wouldn’t be the most efficient use of your time."
Xue Jiao’s current situation was indeed a bit tricky. If she were to take on one of Professor Tan’s projects, it was clear she wasn’t entirely willing—she had already worked on plenty of projects and now wished to focus on furthering her studies.
Following Professor Tan and learning while moving between various projects and research would be better than committing to a single project.
But the issues Professor Tan raised were valid.
Xue Jiao frowned slightly. "For now, I don’t want to dive into more projects or research. I’d rather broaden my knowledge and gain more experience..."
As if struck by a thought, Professor Tan suddenly looked up. "Wait a little longer. Take a few days to rest properly. This weekend, I’ll take you to meet my mentor and see if we can arrange something better for you."
Xue Jiao was taken aback but quickly understood that Professor Tan was doing this for her benefit. She immediately expressed her gratitude: "Thank you, Teacher..."
She didn’t regret choosing Tsinghua’s mathematics department for a second—here, she had the teacher she had always wanted to learn from: Tan Zhongying.
This teacher supported her unconditionally, no matter how unconventional her decisions seemed to others.
Her "thank you" was utterly sincere.
Professor Tan simply smiled. "As long as you young people thrive, us old folks are happy."
Xue Jiao smiled back at him, her eyes brimming with emotion—but soon, that emotion solidified into resolve.
She wouldn’t let Professor Tan’s expectations down!
"Alright, if there’s nothing else, you can go attend to your own work. I don’t need your help for now."
"Okay, goodbye, Teacher Tan." Xue Jiao stood up, cleaned the cup she had used on the table, and then turned to leave.
Professor Tan tapped his fingers on the stack of papers on his desk before slowly rising to his feet.
His student was this outstanding, this steady and driven—how could he not go have a "chat" with his old rival, Professor Liu?
As for how many cups would remain intact in Professor Liu’s office afterward... well, that wasn’t something Professor Tan needed to worry about.
——
The buzz around their groundbreaking paper hadn’t yet faded when Chu Sheng notified Xue Jiao about an upcoming interview.
This was an official interview organized by a reputable institution. Zhang Han and the rest of the team were all required to attend, with the venue set in their university’s small laboratory.
That modest lab had been the battlefield of their hard work over the past year—the very place where they had made their mark.
Since the end of last semester, they hadn’t all gathered together again.
Xue Jiao, Chu Sheng, and Zheng Jiakun attended the same university, so they naturally crossed paths once or twice a week. But Zhang Han and Yang Zhan hadn’t been seen since.It was a rare opportunity to gather all the busy individuals together.
As with previous experiments, the three from their own university arrived first, but Zhang Han and Yang Zhan, who usually came together, arrived separately this time.
Zhang Han arrived first, and it was a long while before Yang Zhan entered.
Xue Jiao gave Zhang Han and Yang Zhan a puzzled glance, sensing something was off but unable to pinpoint what it was.
Looking at Zheng Jiakun and Chu Sheng, neither seemed to react unusually.
Unable to figure out what was wrong, Xue Jiao simply put it out of her mind and waited to be interviewed.
She hadn’t been interviewed much before and wasn’t much of a talker, so she let her gaze fix on a spot as her mind drifted.
Zhang Han also didn’t speak much, zoning out like Xue Jiao. Yang Zhan, however, handled things with ease. Clearly aware that the others weren’t keen on talking, he cheerfully fielded the reporters’ questions for them.
The reporter was a middle-aged man who seemed quite amiable, asking simple questions in a polite and courteous manner.
To be honest, this reporter had interviewed countless research talents and found that these "scientists" almost always shared one trait—they were terrible at conversation.
For example—
"Zhang Han, how did Yang Zhan persuade you to join this project back then?"
Zhang Han: "He didn’t persuade me."
Reporter: "...Then why did you join this undergraduate project that no one believed in at the time?"
Zhang Han frowned: "The project was good."
Reporter: "...Right, I see."
He decided to switch to someone else: "Gu Xue Jiao, you’re from the math department?"
This girl looked soft and ethereal, like a fairy—surely she’d give him a proper answer!
Xue Jiao: "Mm."
Reporter: "What made you choose to join this project? As a sophomore, did you encounter any difficulties working on a physics project?"
Xue Jiao: "I liked the project. There were many difficulties."
The reporter’s eyes lit up—finally, something worth writing about!
"Like what?"
Xue Jiao answered earnestly: "The first difficulty was the aspect of diamagnetic levitation. At the time, we... The second was when the magnetic fields overlapped, we... The third difficulty was..."
Reporter: "..." What is she saying???
Xue Jiao spoke seriously for over ten minutes before finishing, then looked at the reporter, waiting for his next question.
After a moment of silence, the reporter swallowed and said, "...Haha, that’s... really not easy..."
Chu Sheng, sitting stiffly upright, interjected: "Science is never easy. No matter how difficult, we must overcome it. What we faced was nothing special."
Reporter: "...Right."
When the interview ended and the reporter left with a stiff smile, Chu Sheng scratched his head: "So... we never got around to the celebration dinner. Is everyone free at noon?"
Zhang Han, who had been lost in thought, replied almost instantly: "I have other plans. I won’t be going."
With that, she stood up and walked out.
Yang Zhan’s foot moved instinctively, but he stopped himself and didn’t follow, though his expression was visibly dejected.
The celebration dinner naturally didn’t happen. Xue Jiao glanced in the direction Zhang Han had left, then at Yang Zhan, utterly confused.
At noon, Xue Jiao recounted the incident to Lin Zhihua while eating.
Lin Zhihua: "..."
"Hmm? What’s wrong?" Xue Jiao asked, puzzled by his silence.
Lin Zhihua sighed helplessly and gently tapped her forehead: "It’s a miracle I managed to win you over..."
"Eh?"Lin Zhihua shook his head and explained, "Yang Zhan likes Zhang Han, and Zhang Han also likes Yang Zhan, but she's avoiding him."
"What?" Xue Jiao was shocked.
Lin Zhihua rubbed his forehead. "Jiao Jiao, ever since you started your research work, I feel like your already precarious emotional intelligence has been plummeting further..."
Xue Jiao: "..."
Lin Zhihua chuckled lightly and poured her a bowl of soup. "But maybe it's a good thing. People have limited mental energy—high emotional intelligence requires careful observation and deliberate speech. Since you're focusing your mind on studies and work, it's fine if your EQ is low. Just always remember—Xue Jiao loves Lin Zhihua."
Young people sometimes feel their memory is declining, which is true. Memory does decline somewhat in youth, though perhaps not as severely as one might think.
It's simply a matter of paying less attention, dispersing one's focus elsewhere.
Moreover, some skills grow rusty and fade when unused for too long.
This applies to memory—and emotional intelligence too...
Xue Jiao's face flushed as she glared at him.
Just as Lin Zhihua was about to say more, Xue Jiao's phone buzzed. She glanced at it and her eyes widened.
"Huh?"
She quickly stood up, grabbing her coat while explaining, "Zhihua, keep eating. I'm full. Senior Zhang Han is looking for me—I need to go see her."
"Wait, let me drive you—"
But Xue Jiao had already left his office, her voice trailing back: "No need, I'll ask Tan Qi to arrange a ride for me."
Lin Zhihua looked at her half-finished bowl of soup and shook his head helplessly.
Zhang Han was waiting at a Starbucks outside campus. By the time Xue Jiao arrived, the usually time-obsessed "workaholic" had already been sitting there in a daze for over twenty minutes—a rare moment of idle wasting time.
"Senior, sorry for the wait," Xue Jiao said as she sat down opposite her and removed her coat.
Zhang Han seemed to snap out of her daze, shaking her head. "It's fine."
After a pause, she added, "I... actually don't have anything important to discuss."
Xue Jiao: "..."
"Senior, this doesn't seem like 'nothing'," Xue Jiao replied with an amused tone.
Zhang Han hurriedly said, "Really, it's nothing. Um... you don't need to call me 'senior'. You're my only friend—just call me Zhang Han."
Xue Jiao nodded without ceremony. "Alright, Zhang Han."
Some people naturally click, their energies aligning almost instantly upon meeting.
Both of them were the type who stayed relentlessly busy, preferring to invest time in self-improvement rather than socializing.
"Let me buy you coffee, then I'll walk you back," Zhang Han said softly, forcing a smile.
Noticing her unrelaxed brow, Xue Jiao tentatively asked, "Zhang Han... are you troubled because of Yang Zhan?"
Zhang Han froze, eyes widening in disbelief. "You know?!"
Xue Jiao: "..." No, I didn't—Lin Zhihua did.
After a moment's thought, she pressed further: "Is Yang Zhan's feelings for you causing you distress?"
Zhang Han's expression instantly turned horrified—the usually icy senior was visibly shaken. "Y-you... you know about that too?!"
Xue Jiao stroked her chin with a knowing look. "Zhang Han, you like Senior Yang Zhan too, don't you..."
Zhang Han shot to her feet as if stung, stammering, "X-Xue Jiao, don't spout nonsense..."
Xue Jiao sat up straight, adopting a mysterious air. "Senior, I'm not speaking nonsense. Your expression told me everything!"
She wasn't wrong—Zhang Han's face revealed it all—Lin Zhihua was absolutely fucking right.
Zhang Han sat back down, thought for a moment, then dragged her chair closer to Xue Jiao.
She lowered her voice, "Jiao Jiao, you're so smart, and your emotional intelligence is so high..."
Zhang Han's voice was full of admiration, her face glowing with reverence.
Xue Jiao: "..."
Being looked at like this by such an impressive senior, Xue Jiao felt nothing but extreme guilt.
But... maybe this would make Senior Zhang Han feel more at ease?
So, Xue Jiao nodded. "Senior Zhang Han, why are you avoiding Senior Yang Zhan? If you have any troubles, tell me, and I’ll help you figure it out!"
Zhang Han looked a little embarrassed, but considering Xue Jiao’s high emotional intelligence and "cleverness," she thought maybe Xue Jiao could offer a solution.
"Well... Yang Zhan said he likes me, but he... he’s so much younger..."
Zhang Han was four years older than Yang Zhan. In this day and age, while age-gap relationships weren’t a big deal, some people still had reservations.
"It’s not that bad, really. The age difference isn’t a big deal..."
"He’s four years younger than me, and I’ve already decided to dedicate my life to science. Romantic relationships are just a distraction." Thinking about it, Zhang Han frowned. "See, because of all this, I haven’t been able to focus on my work lately!"
Xue Jiao was momentarily stunned. Before she could respond, Zhang Han eagerly grabbed her hands. "Xue Jiao, teach me how not to worry about this, how not to be troubled by feelings?"
Zhang Han’s gaze was earnest, clearly expecting Xue Jiao to use her "high emotional intelligence" to solve her dilemma.
Xue Jiao met her eyes seriously and, under Zhang Han’s hopeful stare, said—
"Senior Zhang Han, did you not know... my boyfriend is nine years older than me?"
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