Mother Lin's wailing abruptly ceased, and even her clapping hands froze mid-air.
Father Lin, who had been on the receiving end of her pats, wasn't faring much better. His hand, which had been clutching his chest, stiffened, and his deliberately exaggerated panting also stopped.
"Dr. Su, please examine the boss's father to see if it affects today's departure," Chen Yan's icy voice rang out, prompting Dr. Su to step forward immediately.
Father Lin stiffly allowed himself to be supported as his blood pressure and blood sugar were checked.
After being poked and prodded for a good half hour, Dr. Su finally stood up.
He packed up his tools and said earnestly, "Secretary Chen, the gentleman's condition permits normal travel. No medication is required."
Well, the message was clear—he was faking it.
Chen Yan, seemingly unsurprised, remained expressionless. "In that case, both of you, it's time to leave."
"Now?!" Mother Lin jumped up, her face a picture of shock.
Father Lin's expression was no less dramatic, and he dropped the pretense of illness entirely. "Call Lin Zhihua over! Let him come and talk to us himself!"
"The boss is very busy. Would you prefer to pack your belongings yourselves, or shall I have someone assist you?"
Father Lin: "..."
Mother Lin: "..."
Chen Yan remained unmoved, impervious to threats or bribes. The Lin parents exhausted every trick in the book, but none of it worked.
In the end, the tearful couple was escorted onto the plane.
——
"Boss, it's done," Chen Yan said, bowing slightly as he stood respectfully beside Lin Zhihua.
His demeanor was a stark contrast to the one he'd displayed earlier with the Lin parents—now, he was the picture of deference.
After a moment, Lin Zhihua nodded. "Good. You did well."
Chen Yan shifted slightly.
Lin Zhihua raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
"I didn’t inform the gentleman and madam that you only intend for them to reflect for half a year..." Chen Yan confessed honestly.
A faint smile tugged at Lin Zhihua's lips as he set down his pen. "No matter. If they haven’t learned anything in six months, they can stay longer."
Chen Yan's expression relaxed slightly. Working under such a superior was truly his good fortune.
In this world, there were many capable individuals, but not every one of them could meet a mentor like Lin Zhihua. Chen Yan counted himself incredibly lucky.
"Has Master Lin’s situation been arranged?" Lin Zhihua asked next.
"Yes. All his means of contact have been cut off, and a psychological counselor has moved into the old residence to monitor his condition periodically. He won’t have the chance to communicate with anyone else."
Lin Zhihua nodded. "After the New Year, Lin Corporation will officially begin operations in the capital. We have a tough battle ahead—we can’t afford to leave any openings."
"Understood!" Chen Yan paused briefly before adding, "If Master Lin’s condition worsens..."
"It’s fine. He won’t dare die. As long as he’s alive, let him do as he pleases."
"Understood!"
"Chen Yan, the new year will be demanding. Your year-end bonus will be doubled."
The moment Lin Zhihua spoke, though Chen Yan’s face remained impassive, his eyes sparkled with delight.
Inside, his inner self was rubbing its hands together in excitement, barely resisting the urge to laugh triumphantly.
The boss’s bonuses were already the gold standard in the industry—and now doubled!
Chen Yan’s steps were light as he left Lin Zhihua’s apartment, but the moment he spotted the person at the entrance, his brow furrowed slightly.
"What are you doing here?"Lin Zhihua's assistant, Tan Qi, was bundled up like a dumpling, with only his face exposed. Compared to Chen Yan, who was dressed in a sleek suit, Tan Qi seemed like he belonged to another world.
The other man was clearly excited to see him. "Secretary Chen, you're finally out!"
Chen Yan frowned as he approached. "Aren't you on vacation? What are you doing here?"
Tan Qi shuffled closer, his puffy down jacket brushing against Chen Yan. He looked silly and clueless yet convinced of his own cleverness. "Well, the boss had someone deliver documents yesterday, right? He’s alone in this apartment, so I thought I’d come see if he needed any help!"
"No need," Chen Yan said coldly. "Lin Corp is very busy this year. Your vacation ends on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year—you still have two days left."
Tan Qi: "..."
Only two full days of vacation left—the third and fourth days of the New Year! Secretary Chen, did you really have to say that out loud?!
Chen Yan’s lips curled slightly. "Since you’re here, you can drive for me."
Tan Qi: "..." Why???
As if sensing his reluctance, Chen Yan glanced at him. "Because the boss said you’re here to run errands for me."
Tan Qi: "...Fine."
After a pause, he couldn’t help but ask curiously, "What did the boss want with you?"
"Double bonus."
"What?!" Tan Qi was first shocked, then overjoyed. "Really?!"
He rubbed his hands together excitedly, perfectly mirroring Chen Yan’s earlier internal reaction.
"Mine," Chen Yan replied flatly before walking ahead.
Tan Qi hurried after him. "What do you mean, yours?!"
Two words drifted back: "The bonus."
Bonus?
Yours?
A moment later, Tan Qi snapped out of it and chased after him—
"Hey! Secretary Chen! Wait for me! Why didn’t the boss raise my salary too?"
——
After the New Year, only the tail end of winter remained.
Winter was a season of both festivity and desolation. Barely a few days after ringing in the New Year, the senior year of high school had already resumed classes.
Then, on the fourteenth day of the first lunar month, the first and second years also started school.
No. 7 High School returned to its usual bustle. After the New Year, the students seemed both changed and unchanged.
Many students were baffled and annoyed—why did winter break always end before the Lantern Festival?
Especially when it was often the fourteenth day, leaving students frustrated and helpless.
Yi Tianyu had been waiting in the classroom for a long time. As a former "slacker" who had once dreaded school, his early arrival was unusual.
He sat in his seat from last semester for what felt like ages. It wasn’t until nine o’clock that other students began arriving, led by their families to register.
"Yu-ge, you’re here?" someone greeted him.
"Yeah," Yi Tianyu replied absentmindedly, propping his chin on his hand as he stared longingly at the back door.
After what felt like forever—long enough for Yi Tianyu to grow anxious—a familiar figure appeared, walking behind a couple.
Yi Tianyu’s eyes lit up. He quickly lowered his hand, fixing his gaze forward while keeping the back door in his peripheral vision.
But the couple didn’t leave. Instead, they lingered at the door, talking to the familiar figure.
After what seemed like an eternity, Yi Tianyu muttered impatiently, "Are they ever going to stop..."
At the door—
Cheng Shuo, now a newly minted father, was sending his daughter to school with unusual enthusiasm. "Jiao Jiao, if anything bothers you, tell us right away. Don’t keep it to yourself. If any teachers or classmates give you trouble, let us know."
"Okay," Xue Jiao replied obediently.She was wearing a light blue cotton coat today, with a casually tied bun that looked effortlessly lazy and incredibly beautiful.
Cheng Shuo couldn't help but voice his concern, "If... if any brat dares to bully you, remember to tell us!"
Xue Jiao seemed lost in thought, her gaze slightly vacant. After a moment, she nodded firmly.
Cheng Shuo chuckled, and Li Sitong reached out to ruffle her little head. "We’re going to your teacher’s office now, so we won’t come back later. Study hard, okay? You’re about to enter your senior year—keep it up!"
"Okay!" She nodded vigorously again.
"Go on in," Cheng Shuo said with a smile.
Xue Jiao pulled her tiny hand out of her sleeve, gave a small wave, then quickly tucked it back in before walking into the classroom with her backpack.
Cheng Shuo and Li Sitong turned to head to Yin Fang’s office, while Xue Jiao made her way to her familiar seat from last semester.
"Hey! You’re here!" Yi Tianyu pretended to be nonchalant, only speaking up when Xue Jiao was close.
Xue Jiao smiled. Her usual expression was often serious, her delicate features giving off an ethereal air—what some of her admirers called "radiant like an immortal."
But now, with her teeth showing in a grin, it was like ice melting and flowers blooming all at once.
Yi Tianyu’s heart pounded wildly. All the words he’d saved up over the break suddenly escaped him, leaving him staring dumbly at Xue Jiao.
He watched as she exposed her small hands, blew on them for warmth, then opened her backpack.
Test papers, notebooks, pens... she took them out one by one, unhurried, before placing her bag in the cabinet behind her.
Sitting back down, she picked up a pen and immediately started scribbling away at problems.
Yi Tianyu, who had been planning to start a conversation by sharing about his break: "..."
——
In the second-year advanced class office, discussions were lively.
"Oh dear, oh dear, I always said this Gu Xue Jiao was something special! Teacher Yin, you originally didn’t even want her to join the competition—look at her now, she’s made it to the finals!" The math teacher beamed.
Yin Fang was also grinning, a hint of awe in her voice. "Thank goodness I only tried to advise her and didn’t actually stop her. This Gu Xue Jiao really is extraordinary!"
She was bursting with pride now—Gu Xue Jiao was her student! The days of being overshadowed by the homeroom teacher of Class 2 were long gone.
This was a math competition!
Seventh High didn’t have many students advance past the first round. Among the second-years, only three made it—but what about the other two?
Sure, the other two scored perfect marks, but one had been groomed for competitions from the start, and the other was so lopsided in his subjects that his Chinese and English teachers wept in frustration.
Only Gu Xue Jiao!
Ranked first in her grade! Balanced in all subjects, yet still capable of winning first prize in a math competition!
Just one more round, and her class might even secure a spot for direct admission to a top-tier university this year!
Yin Fang grinned again, thoroughly pleased.
The homeroom teacher of Class 2 sat silently, his expression stiff. Chu Sheng had been unlucky with his seating during the exam, turning in his paper early and failing to score well.
On top of that, Gu Xue Jiao had snatched the top rank from him last semester. Naturally, he wasn’t in the best mood.
Watching Yin Fang’s triumphant face, Li Ping remained expressionless.
Just then, a couple knocked on the office door.
Yin Fang looked up and immediately stood, smiling. "Ah, Gu Xue Jiao’s parents are here! Please, come in!"
Cheng Shuo and Li Sitong entered, and Yin Fang pulled out chairs for them. They sat down.
"Thank you, Teacher Yin. Please, have a seat too."Yin Fang smiled with her eyes narrowed as she took her seat and asked, "Is there something you'd like to discuss, Mrs. Gu Xue Jiao? Is it about Xue Jiao's life or studies? Or perhaps some difficulties she's facing?"
Her attitude was so amiable that Li Sitong, who had attended countless parent-teacher meetings for Xue Jiao since childhood, found this to be the first time a teacher had been so pleasant!
Recalling the teacher's attitude at the beginning of the previous semester, Li Sitong couldn't help but sigh...
"No, no," Cheng Shuo quickly waved his hands, then coughed lightly. "Well, I'll get straight to the point. I hope the teacher can pay attention when assigning seats this year. Jiao Jiao is at a crucial stage right now and must not be distracted. Maybe... could she be paired with a female deskmate?"
"A female deskmate..." Yin Fang hesitated slightly. "The gender ratio in our class is quite skewed, with significantly more girls. Ideally, I'd prefer girls to sit with girls, but the headmaster mentioned that we homeroom teachers shouldn't be too rigid and should try to mix genders..."
Cheng Shuo didn't press further and said with a smile, "Alright then, I won't make it difficult for you. It's just that Jiao Jiao would benefit from changing deskmates more often."
They were both seasoned foxes—no need to spell things out.
Yin Fang instantly understood: Xue Jiao's parents didn't want her sitting with Yi Tianyu.
In truth, she had already considered this. If not for Yi Tianyu's skyrocketing grades, she would have made the change earlier.
She had held off, thinking Yi Tianyu might be another hidden gem.
Thus, she hadn't planned to separate them these past few days. But since the parents had requested it...
"No problem!" Yin Fang readily agreed. "I'll follow last semester's seating arrangement. Xue Jiao is first, and Yi Tianyu is last—they won't be sitting together."
"Thank you, Teacher Yin." Cheng Shuo stood up with a smile and extended his hand for a handshake.
"Don't mention it, don't mention it," Yin Fang replied hurriedly.
"We won't disturb you any further. Goodbye."
Cheng Shuo and Li Sitong bid farewell to Yin Fang, who saw them off with a beaming smile as they left the office.
After they were gone, Yin Fang sat back down, pondering how to rearrange the seats.
Just then, a wealthy-looking, rotund man appeared at the door—it was Yi Dafa.
Behind him trailed their school principal. Yi Dafa grinned obsequiously. "Teacher Yin, I'm here to discuss my child's seating arrangement..."
Yin Fang: "..."
——
After finishing her tasks and bringing the newly distributed textbooks back to the classroom, Yin Fang walked in with her lesson plan tucked under her arm.
"Quiet!"
Instantly, the lively classroom fell silent, not a sound to be heard.
The "Nun" had established such authority last semester that the class still feared her deeply.
She nodded, adjusted her glasses, and swept a stern gaze across the students.
"A new semester begins. Eight familiar faces have left our class, and eight newcomers have joined. Let's have the new students introduce themselves."
Originally, only seven students needed to be added to Class One, but for some reason, Cheng Mingjiao had transferred out, requiring one more replacement—bringing the total to eight.
After Yin Fang spoke, she called a name, and the student promptly stood up to introduce themselves.
These were all students who had fought their way up from parallel classes—no weaklings. The resources in the experimental class were vastly different from those in regular classes.
Yin Fang wasn't particularly invested in the introductions. Over her many years of teaching, she had noticed a peculiar pattern.Many students who were top performers in regular classes start to decline after entering the experimental class. Once the big fish in a small pond, they become the smallest fish in a big pond, no longer receiving the teachers' undivided attention, and their grades begin to slip.
Even if they don't decline, it's still difficult for them to make progress.
Only one or two out of ten truly manage to break through.
After the eight students introduced themselves one by one, Yin Fang nodded, scanned the group, and continued, "Next, we'll arrange the seating. Everyone, please stand at the back of the classroom."
Immediately, the students stood up one after another and moved to the back.
The moment Yi Tianyu heard about the seat change, his heart skipped a beat. Unaware of the earlier incident in the office, he grew extremely anxious.
He squeezed closer to Xue Jiao and nudged her, whispering urgently, "Hey hey! Bookworm!"
"Hmm?" Xue Jiao looked up, puzzled, her mind still occupied with the problem she had been working on.
She had already finished all the problems Lin Zhihua had collected for her, so now they would discuss and create new problems together in the evenings.
These weren't rigorously structured problems—many might not even have solutions—but they were novel in approach and comprehensive in testing knowledge.
Lin Zhihua was exceptionally skilled at crafting problems. He had once created one that took Xue Jiao two full days to solve.
Last night, he promised her that if she could solve today's problem, he would give her another one.
As a result, from the moment she sat down, Xue Jiao had been calculating, hoping to finish before the evening.
Yi Tianyu was frantic. "We're changing seats!"
"Oh..." Xue Jiao was still dazed.
Yi Tianyu slapped his thigh. "Never mind, never mind. Where are you planning to sit? You're first!"
Xue Jiao froze, briefly pulling her mind away from the problem. After a moment's thought, she said, "Same as before."
Why change a seat she was used to?
The fourth row by the podium—right in front of the teacher and blackboard, without having to deal with chalk dust—why change that?
Yi Tianyu's face flushed.
The bookworm... must want to sit with him too.
That had to be it!
His heart leaped with joy, but then anxiety set in.
Xue Jiao was first in line, while he was last. Unless no one ahead of him chose the seat next to hers...
How the hell was that possible?
Despair washed over Yi Tianyu's face.
"First, Gu Xue Jiao."
As soon as Yin Fang called her name, Xue Jiao went straight to her original seat and buried herself in calculations.
"Second, Shang Zhiyuan."
Shang Zhiyuan chose a seat in the middle of the classroom. He was the least willing to sit next to Xue Jiao.
Though being first or second in the experimental class both sounded impressive, nowadays, most people only cared about the top spot—being first just sounded better.
Xue Jiao had dethroned him from first place, turning him into the perpetual runner-up. Shang Zhiyuan didn’t particularly want to be near her.
Next, a string of students passed over Xue Jiao.
It wasn’t that they didn’t want to sit with her—everyone had their reasons. Xue Jiao was the top student in the class and had helped Yi Tianyu improve significantly.
But she was also strikingly beautiful. Because she commuted and was always so focused, she hardly interacted with the other girls in class.
As a result, none of the girls dared to choose her, seeing her as an untouchable goddess.
The boys didn’t dare either—anyone who picked her today would get beaten up tonight.
It wasn’t until around the thirtieth pick that a boy who had just joined the class walked straight toward Xue Jiao.In the parallel class, he was originally one of the most favored students among many teachers—a typical big fish in a small pond. Coupled with his good looks, he was quite popular.
This well-known goddess of the grade still didn’t have a deskmate, so he walked straight toward her.
“Ahem! Ahem!!” Behind him, Yi Tianyu coughed frantically.
Before the guy could sit down, his gaze shifted and met a pair of eyes filled with intimidation, threats, and even murderous intent—sharp glares shooting like daggers.
In the blink of an eye, the guy ended up sitting behind Xue Jiao.
One by one, students passed by. Whenever someone tried to sit next to Xue Jiao, Yi Tianyu used the same threatening method to scare them off.
Until it was his turn—
Almost without hesitation, he rushed straight to his original seat.
Only after sitting down did he let out a deep sigh of relief. Thank goodness.
He shot a glare at Xue Jiao, who was buried in her thoughts beside him—
Bookworm! So many people just walked past you—couldn’t you at least shake your head to refuse them?!
On the podium, Yin Fang sighed.
She hadn’t helped any of the parents, and this was the result. Well, it wasn’t her fault then…
——
Nighttime.
Xue Jiao lay in bed, submitted her “homework,” and happily received new problems from Lin Zhihua.
[Thank you!!!]
The reply came quickly—
[You’re welcome.]
A moment later, another message arrived—
[Did you change seats today?]
Xue Jiao paused, then replied—
[Yeah, we did.]
On the other side of the phone, Lin Zhihua’s lips curled slightly as he typed—
[Did your deskmate change?]
Xue Jiao replied, confused—
[No, it’s still Yi Tianyu.]
Lin Zhihua: “…”
The smile instantly froze on his face. He stared straight at the words “Yi Tianyu,” as if his gaze alone could make them disappear.
After a long while, he finally replied—
[Still him? You didn’t change seats?]
Xue Jiao quickly responded—
[We did. Seats were chosen based on grades.]
Lin Zhihua’s expression darkened further. So… even after reseating, you two are still deskmates?
After another pause, he replied—
[It’s time. You should sleep now.]
[Oh! Right! You too, good night!!]
With that, Xue Jiao put down her phone and drifted into dreams.
——
The second semester of the second year of high school was extremely busy, with a packed schedule. All remaining high school courses had to be completed this semester—the third year was solely for revision.
Xue Jiao had to attend classes, complete homework, preview and review materials, while also squeezing in time to prepare for competitions. She wished she could split herself in two.
By the end of March, no matter how busy she was, she managed to spare a few days for a trip to Beijing.
The third round of the math competition was about to begin.
The duration wasn’t long. A school teacher led the team, and the trip lasted three days—one day for acclimation, one day for the exam, and one day for the awards ceremony.
It wasn’t until they arrived in Beijing that they learned about the format of the third round.
Frankly, when they saw the exam format, not just the students—even the accompanying teacher was stunned.
Everyone knew the math competition finals were known for their unconventional approaches, but this level of novelty was rare even by their standards.
Ten renowned math professors from top institutions like Tsinghua, Peking University, Renmin University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences were invited as observers. There were also 300 audience seats set up at the venue.
The assessment would be conducted on-site, with no prior information about the question types—they would only find out upon arrival."Ten professors?! Three hundred audience members?!" The team leader stood up in shock. "They even invited ten professors? Although nowadays competitions aren't just about test scores anymore and also evaluate comprehensive abilities, but what's with the three hundred audience members?!"
The team leader paced anxiously in circles.
Xue Jiao sat beside Cheng Mingze, both wearing identical frowns.
"Buzz—" A phone vibrated.
Xue Jiao took it out and froze slightly for a moment.
[Lin Zhihua: The competition format has been announced. You should already know about it. Don’t be nervous. The notice issued before the New Year mentioned a comprehensive assessment for selecting university talents, pointing out that some students produced by the current exam-oriented education system lack well-rounded abilities, hence the need for improvement. The mathematics group is likely responding to this call to select more outstanding individuals.]
[Lin Zhihua: The 300 spectators won’t interfere with you—they’re just there to add psychological pressure. Don’t be afraid; this helps with screening. Don’t worry about answering on the spot either. The assessment tests adaptability and comprehensive skills, but ultimately, it’s still mathematics. There’s no way they’d test English in a math competition. As long as you answer what you know, there won’t be any problems.]
It had to be said—Lin Zhihua’s words instantly calmed Xue Jiao’s flustered heart.
That’s right. No matter what, a math competition is still about math. What was there to fear?
Just treat the audience as cabbages!
Xue Jiao finally relaxed.
On the other end of the phone, however, Lin Zhihua frowned slightly.
No one understood Xue Jiao’s diligence better than he did. This girl’s efforts far surpassed what most could endure.
Lin Zhihua reached out and pressed the bell.
Soon, Tan Qi hurried in.
"Boss, what do you need?"
"Find a way to get me a ticket for the math competition’s spectator seats."
Author’s note:
Yi Tianyu: Hahaha! I’m still the same desk mate! You’re still the same online friend!
Lin Zhihua: …………………
OpenNovel