Xue Jiao froze, her entire body tingling as if electrified, her mind blank from shock.
"Jiao Jiao, Happy New Year." Lin Zhihua's familiar voice sounded above her head.
Thump thump thump!
Her world narrowed to only this man's breathing before her and the sound of her own heartbeat—both quiet yet deafening.
Thump thump thump!
Each beat clear and distinct.
After a moment, she took a deep breath to steady herself.
It was then that Xue Jiao noticed the man was standing on the narrow ledge outside her small balcony, one hand resting on the railing as he gazed at her with a smile.
His eyes sparkled with amusement, calm and composed, as if he weren't standing in an extremely dangerous position.
Xue Jiao's heart leaped, and she instinctively reached out to grab him. "What are you doing here?! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"
Her tone was fierce, like a kitten baring its teeth to pretend to be a tiger—adorably threatening.
Lin Zhihua found it amusing, warmth blooming in his chest. He raised his hand and gently tapped her head before vaulting over the railing.
"Don't worry, it's perfectly safe."
Xue Jiao continued to glare, scolding, "Don't ever do something like this again."
"Alright, I'll listen to you. Next time, I'll use the front door."
Xue Jiao: "..."
After a pause, she asked, "How did you even get up here?"
Though the villa's floors weren't particularly high, the outer railings weren't easy to climb over, and the building's security was comprehensive. How had Lin Zhihua managed to scale up here without alerting anyone?
At this question, Lin Zhihua suddenly laughed. "Silly girl, I came from next door."
He pointed to the adjacent balcony.
Xue Jiao froze.
That was Cheng Mingze's room...
So... had her family already been won over by him?
The moment this thought surfaced, Xue Jiao felt a little awkward.
"I've known you for two years and spent two New Years with you. This is the third, and I hope to spend it with you too—along with the fourth, fifth, and every one after that for the rest of my life."
Lin Zhihua looked at her, his voice earnest.
Since confessing his feelings, he had changed—becoming more direct and assertive.
But...
Xue Jiao's face burned crimson.
His words, combined with the earlier kiss, made her cheeks feel as if they were on fire.
In the next room over, Li Sitong held back Cheng Shuo and Cheng Mingze, preventing them from storming out.
Cheng Shuo fumed, "I'm going to kill him!"
Cheng Mingze added, "Throw him out!"
Cheng Shuo roared, "How dare he take advantage of my daughter!"
Cheng Mingze chimed in, "Shameless scoundrel!"
Li Sitong sighed. "She's grown up. It was bound to happen sooner or later."
Cheng Shuo: "But not like this! He actually kissed her!!"
Cheng Mingze: "Outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!"
Li Sitong tugged at them helplessly. "But didn't you two let him in this morning?"
Cheng Shuo: "..."
Cheng Mingze: "..."
They glared but had no retort.
Xue Jiao had been in low spirits last night—no, actually, she'd been down for a while now. They'd all noticed and worried in secret.
The reason wasn't hard to guess, but when it came to matters of the heart, they weren't sure how to help.
So when they'd spotted Lin Zhihua this morning and heard him say he wanted to give Jiao Jiao a surprise...The two let him in.
If only they had known!
If only they had known earlier!
Cheng Shuo thought... he probably would have still let Lin Zhihua in.
Today was the first day of the Lunar New Year, the beginning of a new year. If it could make Jiao Jiao happy, even if it was this annoying guy, Cheng Shuo and Cheng Mingze had no choice but to endure it.
At some point, their idol... had turned into the "annoying guy" in their mouths.
Outside, Xue Jiao blushed as she looked at Lin Zhihua. He lowered his head, and just one glance at the little girl made his heart melt.
He couldn’t help but lean in...
"Ahem, ahem!" A rough voice interrupted from the side.
Xue Jiao shivered and quickly took a step back, looking over.
Lin Zhihua was a little disappointed, but his mood was still excellent overall. He also turned to look.
Cheng Shuo stood there with a dark expression, saying gloomily, "Jiao Jiao, it's time to eat."
"Oh, oh, okay!" Xue Jiao's face flushed red as she turned and hurried inside, her steps flustered.
Lin Zhihua followed.
This was his first time entering Xue Jiao’s bedroom. Clearly, Cheng Shuo and the others had put a lot of effort into decorating it.
Every detail showed care, but it also seemed a little... childish.
Lin Zhihua couldn’t help but look around, his gaze lingering on the pink bedding. For some reason, he chuckled softly.
Xue Jiao followed his line of sight, and for no apparent reason, her face burned even redder.
She quickly reached out and tugged at him. "Come on, let’s go! Stop looking!"
Under his gaze, she felt inexplicably embarrassed.
The two went downstairs, where Li Sitong happened to be coming out of the kitchen. "Jiao Jiao, hurry up and wash up. Lin Zhihua, will you be staying for lunch?"
"Sure."
"No!"
Lin Zhihua and Cheng Shuo spoke almost simultaneously. Unsurprisingly, the "no" came from Cheng Shuo, while Lin Zhihua was the one who agreed.
Li Sitong rarely glared at Cheng Shuo before smiling and saying, "Lin Zhihua, you’re staying for lunch. Try Auntie’s cooking."
"Alright," Lin Zhihua replied with a smile, not standing on ceremony.
Li Sitong happily disappeared back into the kitchen. Lin Zhihua glanced at Cheng Shuo, who was glaring at him, and Xue Jiao, who had gone to wash up...
He stood up with a smile and walked into the kitchen.
"Auntie, let me help you."
"No need, no need! You should rest!"
"My cooking isn’t bad, and Jiao Jiao likes it. Let me help."
"Oh my, you can cook too? That’s wonderful!"
"I can. I’ll make meals for Jiao Jiao in the future."
"Oh, that’s great! Really great!"
"Auntie, just call me Zhihua. You’re an elder."
"Alright! Zhihua!"
...
Cheng Shuo stood at the doorway with a cup in hand, watching the cheerful interaction between Li Sitong and Lin Zhihua in the kitchen.
All he could do was glare resentfully at Lin Zhihua’s back.
Though he had offered to help Li Sitong cook, her skills were nowhere near Lin Zhihua’s level. As a result, he ended up doing most of the cooking.
Li Sitong became the helper instead, bustling around Lin Zhihua.
After Xue Jiao finished washing up, Cheng Shuo pulled her onto the sofa and subtly hinted that she shouldn’t let "the bad guy" succeed...
Xue Jiao: "..."
By the time the food was served, Li Sitong was practically calling Lin Zhihua "son-in-law" outright!
"Time to eat!" Li Sitong called out.
Xue Jiao stood up from the sofa and walked over. Lin Zhihua had just finished washing his hands, his sleeves rolled up. His hands were exquisitely delicate, hardly looking like they had just been cooking.
"Zhihua is truly amazing! Just the smell alone is heavenly!" Li Sitong praised, her eyes crinkling with delight.Xue Jiao nodded in agreement, just as she was about to praise him...
When she looked up, she met Lin Zhihua's intense gaze.
Xue Jiao immediately averted her eyes, her heart racing, not daring to look again.
"Hmph, don't let it be all show and no substance!" Cheng Shuo snorted coldly.
He emphasized the last four words heavily, though it was unclear whether he was referring to the dishes or the person.
Li Sitong shot Cheng Shuo a glare, but Lin Zhihua merely smiled: "Uncle, you'll know once you try it."
Xue Jiao had tasted Lin Zhihua's cooking before, but this was Cheng Shuo's first time. The astonishment he felt was beyond words.
He had intended to start criticizing right away, but the piece of fish in his mouth made him want to swallow it immediately.
Li Sitong looked at the man sitting beside Xue Jiao and found him pleasing to the eye no matter how she looked at him.
Right now, she just wanted the two of them to get married on the spot!
To make Lin Zhihua her rightful son-in-law!
"Old Cheng, how is it?" Li Sitong raised an eyebrow, looking at Cheng Shuo.
Cheng Shuo stiffened, then slowly swallowed the delicious bite before saying, "Passable."
Cheng Mingze added, "Just average."
Li Sitong: "..."
Despite their claims of it being average, not a single bite of the four dishes remained—everything was completely finished.
After the meal, everyone slumped on the sofa, stuffed.
Even though Lin Zhihua was reluctant to leave, he knew he had to keep things in moderation—there would be plenty of time in the future.
So, he stood up to take his leave.
"Jiao Jiao, see Zhihua out," Li Sitong said with a smile, not pressing him to stay.
Xue Jiao blushed and stammered as she stood up, "I... I'll walk you out..."
Lin Zhihua smiled and followed her.
Behind them, Cheng Shuo and Li Sitong whispered—
"Old Cheng, what are you doing? Why the sour face?"
"What?! Can't I have a sour face?!"
"What will Lin Zhihua think?"
"I don't care what he thinks!"
"You—"
Embarrassed, Xue Jiao tugged Lin Zhihua to hurry outside.
"Um... Happy New Year... You should head back now..."
She stood at the front door, head lowered, murmuring the words.
Lin Zhihua gazed at her with amusement until she fidgeted uncomfortably. Then he leaned in, his breath brushing her ear.
Sure enough, Xue Jiao's face and ears turned crimson in an instant, her head bowing even lower.
His lips curled into a delighted grin.
His warm breath lingered near her ear, his voice soft yet brimming with affection—
"Little one, what should I do? I thought I already liked you enough, but every day, it feels like I can like you even more. This love... seems to have no bounds..."
"Boom—" Xue Jiao's already flushed face burned even hotter, as if exploding.
H-h-how could he say such sweet words so effortlessly?!
Her heart pounded wildly, leaving her speechless.
"I like you so much. Could you like me a little too, hmm?"
As he uttered the last three words, Lin Zhihua was so close that his lips almost brushed her ear.
His voice was husky and ambiguous, carrying an indescribable... temptation.
Xue Jiao parted her lips slightly, trembling.
Lin Zhihua's smile deepened. "I don’t need an answer now. I’ll wait for you—no matter how long."
With that, he turned and strode away.
Xue Jiao stared blankly at his retreating figure until he disappeared completely. Then, stiffly, she crouched down, clutching her chest—
It's over.
She...
had fallen.Lin Zhihua was right—Xue Jiao's nature was that of a turtle. Even after realizing she had truly fallen for him, she still shrank back, too timid to confess.
Fortunately, after the New Year, Professor Tan returned the revised thesis to Xue Jiao and hoped to finalize it by the start of the semester.
Xue Jiao’s life suddenly became hectic. Rushing against time, she managed to complete everything the night before school began.
This was thanks to both Professor Tan and Lin Zhihua.
When it came to crediting the authors, Xue Jiao included both names, but at Lin Zhihua’s request, his name was later removed.
"Why can’t you be credited?"
The man on the video call chuckled softly. "Silly girl, it would only cause more trouble if I were credited. I’m a businessman, not an academic. Just trust me on this."
"But…" Xue Jiao felt a pang of sadness. "But you helped me so much. Without you, I would’ve spent so much more time."
Lin Zhihua had indeed assisted her greatly, especially with translating specialized terms and phrasing.
"I’m happy to be the man behind you," the voice on the phone said gently, his eyes brimming with warmth as he gazed at her.
Xue Jiao’s face flushed crimson again.
"Gotta go, bye!!" She hastily ended the call.
On the other end, Lin Zhihua raised an eyebrow, amused. "When will Jiao Jiao ever stop running away the moment she gets shy? Truly a… little turtle."
As for the matter of authorship, Lin Zhihua would never agree to it.
Xue Jiao couldn’t understand the inexplicable malice some people in this world harbored. She was young and on the verge of recognition, having achieved everything through her own hard work.
But if Lin Zhihua’s name—Lin Zhihua, the CEO of Lin Corporation—were added to it…
Once capital was involved, there would inevitably be sour remarks and baseless speculation.
He truly didn’t care about the credit, nor did he want to bring her any unnecessary unpleasantness.
Lin Zhihua had always encouraged Xue Jiao to soar and chase her dreams. But while walking beside her, he couldn’t help shielding her from the storms that came from all directions, giving her a clear blue sky.
——
Late February marked the start of the new semester at Tsinghua University.
The weather was pleasant that day—even with lingering snow by the roadside, the sky was bright and clear.
Xue Jiao pushed open the door to her dorm at noon, only to be immediately embraced before she could even see inside.
"Genius!! I missed you so much!" Mai Jiajia first planted a loud kiss on her cheek, then hugged her tightly.
Xue Jiao couldn’t suppress her smile. "I missed you too."
Among the four of them, only Xue Jiao and Mai Jiajia were from the south. Now that Xue Jiao had moved to Beijing, Mai Jiajia had been the farthest away during the break.
"What’s with the hugging at the door? Aren’t you embarrassed?" Ding Qi couldn’t resist her usual sarcasm.
Mai Jiajia smirked. "Then go find someone to hug too. If you don’t have a man to hold, at least find a woman."
"You—you—!" Ding Qi clutched her chest, feeling provoked again.
Xue Jiao shook her head with a laugh and stepped inside. But when her gaze landed on Shu Lan, she froze.
"Shu Lan? How did you get so thin?"
Xue Jiao was stunned. Compared to when they had parted before the holidays, Shu Lan had lost a shocking amount of weight. Even in a down jacket, she looked frail.
Meeting Xue Jiao’s shocked expression, Shu Lan forced a weak smile. "I’m fine…"
"You call this fine?" Xue Jiao couldn’t help raising her voice.Mai Jiajia sighed softly and said, "It must be about Yu Cheng. We've been asking her for so long, but she wouldn't say a word."
"She just doesn't consider us friends!" Ding Qi couldn't help but sneer.
In truth, Shu Lan was the closest to her, and she cared about Shu Lan the most.
Shu Lan hurriedly shook her head. After a moment, she whispered, "I was afraid you'd be angry..."
Xue Jiao walked over and sat down beside her. "Shu Lan, it's okay. These two have quick tempers, but I'll keep them in check. You can tell us. Don't bottle it up alone."
She had really lost a lot of weight, and Xue Jiao's heart ached just looking at her.
Shu Lan raised her head to meet Xue Jiao's steady gaze, then looked at the two concerned friends before her. Her eyes reddened, and something warm rolled down her cheeks.
"Yu Cheng is going abroad..."
"What?" Ding Qi's voice rose sharply.
Mai Jiajia also frowned. "What's going on?"
"Before... Yu Cheng's mother came to see me. She told me that even if Yu Cheng offended the girl they had in mind for him because of me, she would never agree to us being together. They're sending Yu Cheng abroad to cut off any hope, to make me stop being shameless..."
"Damn it! What kind of people are they?!" Ding Qi couldn't hold back her curses.
Mai Jiajia gritted her teeth, so angry she wanted to hit someone.
Xue Jiao frowned deeply, calming the two agitated girls before turning back to Shu Lan. "What did Yu Cheng say about this?"
"I can't reach him. His parents must have taken his phone." Shu Lan shook her head.
The girls exchanged glances, all looking troubled.
"How can Yu Cheng have parents like that?"
Shu Lan's tears wouldn't stop. She liked Yu Cheng so much, and he liked her too, but they weren't even allowed to be together...
Faced with such a situation, even Xue Jiao and the others didn't know how to comfort her. There was nothing they could do about parents sending their son abroad.
That night, Xue Jiao couldn't help but ask Lin Zhihua—
"Do such people really exist? He's their own son!"
Lin Zhihua looked at her and shook his head. "Different people have different ways of thinking. You might think they don't care about their son's feelings, but in their eyes, they're doing what's best for him."
"How could that be?" Xue Jiao fumed. "Is Yu Cheng happy? Their son is miserable. How is that doing what's best for him?"
Lin Zhihua scoffed. "But some people think exactly like that—forcing their own views onto others. They believe it's just temporary, that in a year or two, or once their son 'comes around,' everything will be fine. But that's not how it works. They just don't understand."
Hadn't he experienced the same with his own family, who tried to impose their will on him?
Xue Jiao seemed to realize something too and sighed helplessly.
"Jiao Jiao, there's no use in you worrying about this. Shu Lan's anxiety won't help either. Only Yu Cheng himself can stand firm and oppose his parents," Lin Zhihua advised.
Xue Jiao nodded. "I hope they find a solution soon."
Lin Zhihua smiled, not wanting Xue Jiao to dwell on the sadness, and changed the subject. "Did you submit your paper?"
Xue Jiao nodded. "Yes, I sent it to Teacher Tan today—Annals of Mathematics. I don't know if it'll be accepted. It's the Annals of Mathematics! Teacher said if it gets rejected, we'll try another journal..."“Impossible. I’ve read your paper. Even if there are still many immature aspects, your calculations on Fermat’s Last Theorem alone are publishable,” Lin Zhihua said with a smile.
Xue Jiao scratched her head sheepishly. Teacher Tan had said the same thing, but she still felt uneasy.
“Gotta go, gotta go, time to sleep!”
Flustered, she hurriedly hung up.
Lin Zhihua could only chuckle helplessly before closing his eyes, her voice and smile filling his mind.
Just loving someone was enough to bring such contentment. The mere thought of her made life feel vibrant and utterly blissful.
That affection, that ambiguity, that closeness… When they were together, even the air seemed different, and his once-cold heart warmed.
How wonderful would it be if the one he loved cherished him just as deeply?
——
Half a month had passed since the start of the semester. On this day, the professors gathered for a meeting, their expressions peculiar.
“Gao Yuan’s paper has been published in the Annals of Mathematics . This is an honor for our entire mathematics department. Why can’t we publicize it widely?” Professor Liu huffed indignantly.
The dean glanced at him and nodded. “Actually, we could. Our undergraduates’ achievements in mathematics haven’t been particularly outstanding.”
“It’s just the domestic Annals of Mathematics , not the Annals of Mathematics (international). Let’s not overdo the publicity and become a laughingstock for other universities,” another professor frowned slightly, flipping through documents.
Professor Liu immediately retorted, “The international Annals of Mathematics ? How many of those have we published? Old Deng, you haven’t even published one yourself. Don’t hold undergraduates to that standard. I think Gao Yuan’s achievement is remarkable for an undergraduate. Last year, the computer science department shone brightly because of Cheng Mingze. Our mathematics department isn’t inferior to theirs!”
“Stop comparing within our university. Mathematics isn’t our strongest field—compare us to Peking University or the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Look at their publication records, then look at ours,” the department head said with a frown.
Professor Ke nodded. “I agree. Last year, Peking University’s mathematics department broke records again. Yang Zhan from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences alone published four papers, all innovative and uniquely angled. Rumor has it he’s collaborating with those two award-winning math students from Peking University last year, along with students from Fudan and a few from our university, to research something. It’s still under wraps!”
His tone was grave, his expression serious, brows slightly furrowed.
Professor Liu grew agitated. “Why didn’t they recruit students from our school?”
“Who would they recruit? Yang Zhan only sought math-related talents from other schools. Apparently, none from our university met his standards.” Professor Ke was equally displeased.
But there was no helping it—they simply weren’t as strong as others.
The dean had been silent until now, then suddenly remarked, “Speaking of undergraduates… I recall Teacher Tan took in a student named Zheng Jiakun. How’s he doing? Any achievements?”
Professor Tan took a sip of water and replied calmly, “Zheng Jiakun isn’t ready to publish yet. He wants to gain more project experience first.”
Professor Liu, who had always disliked Professor Tan, snapped, “Teacher Tan, don’t hold him back. Projects aren’t short on manpower—give him more time to write his own papers. Look at Gao Yuan. When he first joined, he wasn’t as remarkable as Zheng Jiakun was two years ago, but now his achievements are quite impressive!”Professor Tan remained calm. "What's the hurry?"
Professor Liu couldn't stand his unhurried, infuriating attitude and continued provocatively: "I'm not in a hurry, but our university is. Look at how other institutions view our mathematics department, especially those old fellows at Peking University. During the last conference..."
As if recalling something, he sighed, his mustache trembling slightly.
Professor Ke's eyes also dimmed slightly. Although the university's student quality had improved somewhat in recent years, it was still far behind Peking University...
Professor Tan set down his cup and said calmly yet proudly: "Our university has more promising young talents in mathematics than just Zheng Jiakun and Gao Yuan!"
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