Shu Lan's heart gave a violent thud.
She had forgotten that Xue Jiao and Lin Yinyin had met before!
And they had even formed a grudge against each other!
At this moment, Shu Lan was filled with deep regret.
If she had remembered the past incident between Xue Jiao and Lin Yinyin earlier, she would have taken them away immediately!
Lin Yinyin was petty and held grudges. If she recognized Jiao Jiao... she would definitely make things difficult for her!
Shu Lan remained silent, glancing at Lin Yinyin out of the corner of her eye, hoping she had already forgotten Xue Jiao.
It wasn’t just Shu Lan who thought of the consequences of Lin Yinyin recognizing Xue Jiao—Yu Cheng and Wen Fangfang also had strong impressions of that face.
One was a girl who had made Lin Yinyin suffer a setback, and the other had a face so striking it was hard to forget. Yu Cheng remembered her.
But since she was with Shu Lan, he pretended not to recognize her and stayed quiet.
Wen Fangfang’s expression changed. Though she resented Lin Yinyin, she still had to curry favor with her. She would never forget the girl who had dared to openly defy Lin Yinyin while being better than her in every way.
Noticing Lin Yinyin’s strange expression, Wen Fangfang spoke up, “Oh? It’s you! We’ve met before!”
Xue Jiao looked at her. She guessed Wen Fangfang was referring to that day at the Great Wall last year.
It had been a while, and she only remembered Lin Yinyin’s face—the others had faded from memory.
So, Xue Jiao didn’t respond and simply walked over to Mai Jiajia’s side.
Wen Fangfang’s arm, linked with Shu Lan’s, was tugged slightly—Shu Lan was trying to stop her from continuing.
But Wen Fangfang pretended not to notice and casually added, “We really have met! Last year at the Great Wall, you and Yinyin even had a little disagreement!”
The moment these words landed, Lin Yinyin’s face twisted.
She glared at Wen Fangfang with a murderous look.
Wen Fangfang froze.
Was this… misplaced anger?
Shouldn’t she be glaring at the other girl?!
Lin Yinyin was so furious her liver ached. If this girl really had any connection with her third uncle, she wouldn’t dare offend her even if it killed her!
She desperately wished Xue Jiao wouldn’t remember the Great Wall incident. This Wen Fangfang was truly stirring up trouble.
She shot another fierce glare at Wen Fangfang—
I won’t let you off!
Then she turned to Xue Jiao, forcing a stiff, slow smile. “Hello, I’m Lin Yinyin. I’m sorry about what happened at the Great Wall. I’ve been wanting to apologize but couldn’t find you.”
Lin Yinyin smiled—a creepy, unnatural smile—but she kept trying.
Shu Lan: “…”
Yu Cheng: “…”
Wen Fangfang: “???”
Had Lin Yinyin been replaced by an imposter?!
Xue Jiao was also taken aback. Based on their past encounter alone, not to mention Shu Lan’s descriptions, she knew this girl had a terrible temper. This…
Unsure what was happening, she simply nodded politely and turned to Mai Jiajia. “What’s going on?”
Mai Jiajia shrugged. “Lin Yinyin threatened Shu Lan’s boyfriend into singing. That’s all.”
“Threatened?” Xue Jiao was still confused.
Wen Fangfang studied her, her heart skipping a beat.
If this girl could make Lin Yinyin bow her head… did she have a powerful background?
She tugged Shu Lan’s sleeve and asked with a smile, “Lanlan, is this beauty also your roommate?”
Shu Lan nodded.
“Hello, I’m Wen Fangfang, Shu Lan’s best friend.” Wen Fangfang smiled, her eyes curving.
She wasn’t particularly beautiful, just somewhat delicate, but her smile made her look innocent.Xue Jiao nodded slightly. "Hello, Gu Xue Jiao."
That served as her self-introduction, and she didn’t say anything more.
The relationships here were too complicated, so she stayed quiet, obediently standing beside Mai Jiajia.
Though she remained silent, her presence alone made the atmosphere strangely tense.
Lin Yinyin forced a smile. "I... was just joking. Yu Cheng, you and Shu Lan enjoy your date. We’ll go have fun now."
Wen Fangfang froze.
But Yu Cheng grinned, delighted. "Thanks! Have a good time!"
He tightened his grip on Shu Lan’s hand, turning to look at her with a happy expression.
Mai Jiajia suddenly spoke up. "Shu Lan’s boyfriend, you two should go ahead. Shu Lan has to head back to school soon—we’ve got other plans."
Shu Lan blinked in surprise but didn’t object.
Yu Cheng’s face fell, his voice dropping. "Alright then. But I don’t feel like going out anymore. Let me walk you back."
"Yu Cheng, are you really not going?" Wen Fangfang’s voice carried a hint of urgency.
Ding Qi snorted coldly. "Weren’t you worried Yu Cheng would betray Shu Lan and insisted on keeping an eye on him? Now that he’s not going out, why aren’t you happy?"
Her words were sharp with sarcasm, making Wen Fangfang pale. "N-no, that’s not it..."
Lin Yinyin took a deep breath. "Then we’ll be leaving."
With that, she led the group away, throwing Xue Jiao what she must have thought was a "friendly" smile before departing.
Xue Jiao: "..."
She rubbed her arms—that smile had given her goosebumps.
Yu Cheng walked the four of them to the gate, with Wen Fangfang trailing the whole time, clinging to Shu Lan and murmuring about how much she’d miss her.
She even said, "Shu Lan, you should spend more time with Yu Cheng. He... seems really upset."
At that, Yu Cheng shot her a grateful look.
Ding Qi tightened her grip and practically dragged Shu Lan through the school gates, with Xue Jiao and Mai Jiajia quickly following.
"What exactly happened?" Xue Jiao asked in confusion once they were back in the dorm.
She had only taken a call from Cheng Shuo—how had things ended up like that?
With so many people around earlier, she hadn’t pressed for details.
Mai Jiajia sighed, twirling a pen between her fingers as she recounted the earlier conversation word for word.
After hearing it, Xue Jiao was stunned.
"This... this..." Her eyes widened slightly in disbelief.
"Shu Lan, what kind of grudge do you have with Lin Yinyin?"
Shu Lan sighed, equally bewildered. "Honestly, I don’t know. Back in our third year of high school, one day out of nowhere, Lin Yinyin stormed over, called me a white lotus, said I was shameless, and swore she’d never let me off."
"You never asked her why?" Ding Qi frowned.
Shu Lan shook her head. "I did, but she just said—‘You know what you did!’"
"Either Lin Yinyin’s lost her mind, or she’s got some huge misunderstanding about you. But either way, that girl is trouble. And that ‘friend’ of yours? She’s got ulterior motives toward your boyfriend—you’d better watch out. Also, Shu Lan..." Mai Jiajia paused, her voice tinged with concern.
"Hmm?" Shu Lan turned to her.
Her brows were knitted together, as if wrestling with something she couldn’t put into words.
Mai Jiajia hesitated before finally saying, "I think... Yu Cheng’s parents keep him on a tight leash, and he might not have the courage to stand up to them. You’re too soft-spoken too. The two of you might..."Mai Jiajia made a very good point. Xue Jiao nodded, then turned to Shu Lan, waiting for her response.
"I know," Shu Lan said softly, her head lowered. "That's why I didn't dare to be with him before. I avoided him, I was cold to him… but I like him, and I can’t help but soften toward him..."
"But can you accept it if, years from now—or even sooner—Yu Cheng’s parents start pressuring him to marry someone else? What will you do then? The deeper your feelings grow, the more it will hurt you."
Shu Lan kept her head down, something dripping from her face.
Xue Jiao sighed, walked over, and crouched in front of her.
"Being together isn’t a necessary condition. Being together can be a sufficient condition for love—if you’re together, you must like each other. But just because you like each other doesn’t mean you can stay together forever. Love is between the two of you, but staying together forever involves everything else around you—your surroundings, your lives, and all the other factors. You have to think clearly about this. Do you have the courage and determination to accept something like today happening again, or even worse?"
Shu Lan’s tears fell one by one. After a long silence, she finally opened her mouth—
"But… I love him so much..."
So much that even knowing the road ahead is rough, she still wants to walk it.
Xue Jiao froze.
She didn’t quite understand Shu Lan. With her and Yi Tianyu, the moment she felt he had become an unbearable pressure, she immediately retreated into her shell.
Shu Lan knew full well that the outside world was far from what she wanted, yet because of love, she was still willing to step out…
Xue Jiao didn’t understand. She looked at Shu Lan in confusion.
After crying for a while, Shu Lan fell silent, and Xue Jiao and the others didn’t try to persuade her anymore.
They all knew she had already made her decision.
But Xue Jiao was still puzzled.
Could love really give someone that kind of courage?
Love?
How strange.
After comforting Shu Lan, Xue Jiao and the others went back to their own business. Meanwhile, Lin Yinyin and her group didn’t go singing either.
Lin Yinyin had something on her mind and went home early.
"Oh? You’re back so early today?" Lin Sheng, Lin Yinyin’s father, said unhappily.
Xu Jiaohong nudged him. "It’s rare for our daughter to come home early. Can’t you two talk properly?"
"Hmph—" Lin Sheng snorted.
Lin Yinyin seemed lost in thought and didn’t respond. She just slumped onto the sofa, motionless, her mind clearly elsewhere.
"If you have time, you should focus on learning how to manage the company. Stop wasting your days going out and having fun. Our company isn’t as strong as outsiders think. People flatter you outside because they assume we have a good relationship with the Lin family, but you know the reality better than anyone. Work hard and achieve something!" Lin Sheng lectured sternly.
Lin Yinyin remained unmoved, leaning back on the sofa, her thoughts still a mystery.
Lin Sheng grew furious. "Lin Yinyin! I’m talking to you!"
"Don’t get angry, Lao Lin," Xu Jiaohong quickly soothed, patting his chest while shooting Lin Yinyin a glare. "Yinyin! Why aren’t you apologizing to your father?"
After a long pause, Lin Yinyin finally spoke—
"I ran into Third Uncle’s woman today."
"What?" Lin Sheng and Xu Jiaohong immediately turned to look at her. Even Lin Sheng’s angry expression froze, shifting into disbelief.Lin Yinyin explained, "It's the woman I saw Uncle having dinner with in Wuliu Alley last year. I ran into her again today."
"How do you know she's your uncle's woman?" Xu Hongjiao asked her.
"Uncle... isn't he supposed to avoid women? And he looked really close with that woman before..."
Lin Sheng suddenly glared at her. "It's been a whole year. If there was really something wrong with your uncle, how could nothing have happened in all this time? Lin Yinyin, stop letting your imagination run wild all day. Focus on your studies. If our company collapses someday, you'll need the ability to support yourself!"
"But I'm telling the truth—"
"Enough! Go study hard, and no going out to play tomorrow!" Lin Sheng snapped.
Lin Yinyin returned to her room, looking aggrieved.
She would definitely find proof!
Fermat's Last Theorem could be verified using the hypothetical method—Xue Jiao had mentioned it before. But in reality, the hypothetical method was commonly used in existing proofs of Fermat's Last Theorem, and it wasn't the only approach introduced.
It was incredibly difficult to both avoid following predecessors' paths and still manage to verify it.
Xue Jiao had her laptop placed on the right side of her desk, with a thick stack of books on the left.
Holding a pen, she scribbled continuously on the blank paper in front of her.
The computer displayed a spreadsheet, which she glanced at from time to time, occasionally flipping through the books as well.
She lowered her head and kept writing.
No!
This wasn't right either!
What about this?
Still not right!
Another try?
No! No! No!
Xue Jiao exhaled heavily, set the pen down, and rubbed her temples with a headache.
She was stuck in a deadlock—one point kept tripping her up, and she just couldn't figure it out.
Beside her, Mai Jiajia scooted over and popped a lollipop into her mouth.
Xue Jiao opened her lips and mumbled, "Strawberry flavor?"
Mai Jiajia nodded, also sucking on a lollipop, and grinned. "Strawberry is sweet—good for lifting your mood. I was starting to worry you'd pull all your hair out. So jealous you have enough hair to spare."
"Huh?" Xue Jiao blinked in confusion.
Mai Jiajia said, "Take a break, my goddess. High-intensity brain activity leads to baldness. If you don’t want to go bald, balance work and rest."
Baldness?
Xue Jiao instinctively touched her hair and shuddered.
"Okay..."
She stood up and began packing her things.
Since it was Friday, she might as well tag along with Lin Zhihua for a meal—time to replenish.
Her hair... better take precautions early.
Xue Jiao packed her belongings, slung her backpack over her shoulder, and headed toward the school gate. But inevitably, her thoughts drifted back to her progress.
How exactly could she connect the dots?
She was stuck in the middle—how could she convert rational numbers into integers?
Xue Jiao walked forward with her head down, her gaze growing vacant.
"Thud—" She bumped into someone.
"Sorry, sorry!" She looked up and froze.
Then, she broke into a smile. "Lin Zhihua!"
But Lin Zhihua's expression was far from pleased. This was the first time he had ever looked at Xue Jiao with such stern, piercing eyes.
Xue Jiao shifted uncomfortably.
Lin Zhihua took a deep breath, his voice laced with a hint of anger. "Xue Jiao! What were you thinking just now? Walking while distracted—do you have no regard for your safety? This time, you bumped into me. What if it had been a car?!"
It was the first time Xue Jiao had seen him this furious, and she could only stare at him, stunned."No matter what you're thinking about, you must never lose focus while walking. There are so many car accidents these days—people get hit even when paying full attention, yet you're not even looking at the road!" Lin Zhihua's face remained stern.
Xue Jiao lowered her head, feeling inexplicably ashamed for some reason.
"I... I'll be more careful in the future..."
Lin Zhihua glared at her: "What do you mean 'more careful'?! You must be careful!"
"Okay, okay!" Xue Jiao clasped her hands together, looking remorseful.
Lin Zhihua finally relaxed. He couldn't even imagine how he would go on living if something happened to Xue Jiao.
Looking at Xue Jiao standing before him with clasped hands and a repentant expression, Lin Zhihua's stern face gradually softened into helplessness.
He reached out and lightly tapped her head: "You..."
Ever since meeting Xue Jiao, he had truly become like a "worrying old father," constantly fretting over this and that.
Xue Jiao rubbed her head and smiled: "So... what are we having for dinner tonight? I need to eat more to nourish myself—my hair is almost falling out."
Her attempt to change the subject was... rather clumsy.
Lin Zhihua shook his head helplessly, glancing at her thick hair. "Let's go, we'll nourish your hair."
As they walked toward where he'd parked, Xue Jiao asked Lin Zhihua about dinner.
Lin Zhihua gave a mysterious smile: "Tonight's menu is a secret, but I can tell you what we're having next week."
"Oh?" Xue Jiao's eyes lit up.
"How about some fleeceflower root herbal soup?"
Fleeceflower root? That's good for hair!
"Yes, yes!" she agreed happily, then suddenly realized something. "Why do you always pick what I want to eat? I'm just tagging along for meals."
Lin Zhihua's lips curved upward: "You just reminded me to start taking care of my hair. I may be smart, but I don't want to be bald."
"Hahahaha—" Xue Jiao burst into laughter, her eyes crinkling with mirth.
Lin Zhihua chuckled along: "Actually, fleeceflower root mainly helps darken hair. For promoting hair growth..."
Xue Jiao turned to look at him.
"Black sesame, walnuts, and black beans are more effective. But I think some fleeceflower root will be enough for you. Rather than hair loss, you should be more concerned about gray hairs."
"Huh?" Xue Jiao froze.
Lin Zhihua reached out quickly. Before Xue Jiao could feel any pain, something had been plucked.
"Look, you have a gray hair." He held it in front of her.
Xue Jiao: "..."
She stared dumbfounded at the single gray hair, her expression gradually stiffening.
Gray...
Her hair was turning gray...
Xue Jiao's expression became utterly horrified, as if she'd received a terrible fright.
Seeing her reaction, Lin Zhihua immediately laughed: "Silly girl, I'm just teasing you. It's just one strand—an isolated incident with no connection to inevitability. This single strand is accidental and doesn't affect the inevitable whole."
Xue Jiao's expression grew even more rigid.
She grabbed Lin Zhihua's hand: "What did you just say?! Say it again!"
Her intense reaction surprised Lin Zhihua, but he repeated: "It's just one strand—an isolated incident with no connection to inevitability. This single strand is accidental and doesn't affect the inevitable whole."
"Ahhhhh—" Xue Jiao jumped onto Lin Zhihua, wrapping her arms around him: "I remember now!! I know how to derive it! Ahhhhh!"
Her shrieks drew stares from passersby, while Lin Zhihua stood frozen, his face flushing red.Xue Jiao quickly jumped down: "I won't be having dinner with you today!! I'm going back to school to continue my calculations! I've had an idea!!!"
Her voice was filled with such joy that she immediately turned to run back toward the campus.
Lin Zhihua instinctively reached out to stop her: "Have dinner first, then continue..."
"But I..."
"It'll be quick. You must eat."
Xue Jiao looked defeated, suppressing her excitement. She knew Lin Zhihua was only looking out for her.
So she could only say: "Alright..."
They got into the car, and Lin Zhihua took out his phone, swiftly sending a message—
[Chen Yan, someone is taking photos of me and Jiao Jiao. Investigate immediately!]
After sending it, he drove while listening with a smile to Xue Jiao excitedly explaining where she had reached in her derivation. She had just had a breakthrough on the most difficult part—soon, she would be able to fulfill her promise and prove Fermat's Last Theorem!
Xue Jiao was beaming, completely immersed in her joy and excitement.
Lin Zhihua watched her, his gaze tender.
Her happiness was his happiness.
Just like last time, Chen Yan acted quickly. By the time Lin Zhihua and Xue Jiao finished dinner and stepped out, he had already received the report—the one who had taken the photos was Lin Yinyin.
Lin Yinyin?
He knew of this girl, but he rarely interacted with the younger generation and wasn't familiar with her.
Lin Zhihua guessed why she had taken the photos but didn't care. He simply sent another message—
[Give her a warning, then drop it.]
Putting his phone away, Lin Zhihua didn't forget to remind Xue Jiao before she left: "I know you'll be very busy lately, but no matter how busy you are, you must eat. Understood?"
"Understood, understood!" Xue Jiao was already eager to verify her ideas.
She excitedly bid Lin Zhihua farewell and returned to continue her derivations.
Even though the solution felt tantalizingly close, she worked tirelessly from October until nearly January.
Especially after December, Xue Jiao stopped attending Teacher Tan's sessions altogether. As she inched closer to the result, she couldn't spare any attention for anything else.
Her social media notifications were all marked "999"—she hadn't opened any of them.
Mai Jiajia and the others had long started their exam preparations, but Xue Jiao hadn't even begun, wholly absorbed in Fermat's Last Theorem.
"Let's wrap things up after everyone finishes their exams. Then we can hurry and go home early for the New Year. But it might be hard to get undergraduates to help during winter break, so we may have to put in extra effort," Professor Tan told his students.
"Got it," they all replied.
Teacher Tan was doing his best to let everyone go home early, and they understood.
At that moment, Xu Jing suddenly spoke up: "Teacher Tan, I haven't been able to reach Gu Xue Jiao for two months now! She hasn't even come to help!"
Her voice was laced with anger and accusation.
Professor Tan frowned slightly, and the others in the office paused their meeting.
"Little Junior must be really busy..."
"I know she's busy with exams now, but two months ago she shouldn't have been, right? Zheng Jiakun wasn't like this last year! Even Chu Sheng and the others next door—who can't spare some time? And if she's busy, she could just say so, but I haven't even been able to reach her for this long—what's going on?" Xu Jing was still fuming.
She was truly angry. Over the past two months, she had sent Xue Jiao three messages on WeChat. Only the first one got a reply—"Senior, I'm extremely busy lately, sorry."
After that, not a single response!
Disrespectful!
Not just disrespectful!
But also a betrayal of the office!Professor Tan sighed slightly and looked at Xu Jing: "Gu Xue Jiao had asked for leave before. She said she might be very busy this semester with something important to do and might not be able to help us for the time being."
Xu Jing had always been polite in front of Teacher Tan, but her anger towards Xue Jiao had reached its peak, and she spoke bluntly—
"If that's the case, then she shouldn't hog the seat!"
Xu Jing took a deep breath and softened her tone. "I don't think anything she's doing could be more important than the project. If she's been busy playing around these past few months, I suggest you have a serious talk with her, Teacher Tan."
Professor Tan was also puzzled, unsure what Xue Jiao had been up to.
But he still liked this student very much and was willing to give her a chance to explain.
After some thought, he took out his phone in front of everyone and called Xue Jiao, but she didn't answer.
It was Sunday—Xue Jiao and the others didn't have classes today.
Professor Tan frowned and called again.
This time, the phone rang several times before being answered. The senior students and Xu Jing below all pricked up their ears to listen.
Before Professor Tan could speak, Xue Jiao's excited scream came through the phone—
"I proved it!!!!!"
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