Summit of Our Youth

Before them stood a mental hospital!

Xue Jiao froze, staring blankly upward for a moment before turning to Lin Zhihua with a shocked voice.

"Yu Cheng... is here?"

Lin Zhihua nodded softly. "Yes, Yu Cheng... has gone mad."

This was something even he found surprising. After the incident with Shu Lan, knowing Xue Jiao would seek out Yu Cheng, he had paid extra attention.

But Yu Cheng had truly gone insane—genuinely mad, with very little chance of recovery.

"How... could this be?" Xue Jiao stood rigid, stunned.

"Shall I take you inside to see?" Lin Zhihua glanced at them.

Mai Jiajia and Ding Qi were also frightened, instinctively looking to Xue Jiao.

Xue Jiao gazed ahead before murmuring softly, "Let's go see. Let's see what happened to the person Shu Lan gave her life for. Let's see if Yu Cheng's parents have realized their mistakes."

They resented Yu Cheng, finding him detestable, but in truth, he hadn't truly wronged Shu Lan in essence.

His flaw was his weak character. Pressured by his parents, he could only resort to the worst possible decision—suicide—as a way to retaliate against them.

Lin Zhihua led the way, guiding the three of them into the hospital.

"Yu Cheng was admitted the same night Shu Lan fell. His mental state was already fragile, and after the shock, he fainted. When he woke up that night, he was already insane..."

Xue Jiao walked beside Lin Zhihua, lost in thought.

Yu Cheng and Shu Lan were only the same age as Xue Jiao—barely adults, still prone to impulsive emotions. Though not the type to sacrifice everything for love, they were still reckless enough to forget everything else in its name.

Shu Lan had loved Yu Cheng deeply, and Yu Cheng had loved her too—not just romantically, but also as an act of defiance against his parents.

But in the end... he failed.

So he impulsively decided to leave this world. At that time, Yu Cheng's mental state was already unstable, and under his parents' pressure, he acted without considering the consequences, wanting only to end his life.

Seeing Shu Lan one last time before dying was likely his final wish. He had planned to use his death as a final rebellion against his parents' oppressive mistakes.

Yet tragically, he ended up harming Shu Lan instead.

The moment Shu Lan fell, Yu Cheng's pain must have surpassed even theirs, compounded by overwhelming regret.

He had wanted to jump after her, but his parents held him back.

Tormented, agonized, and unable to follow Shu Lan immediately, his already fragile mind shattered completely.

Xue Jiao sighed. The anger she had carried with her now had no clear target, leaving her to follow Lin Zhihua upstairs in silence.

The elevator doors opened. Lin Zhihua said quietly, "Yu Cheng is just—"

Before he could finish, a boy in a hospital gown came into view, being forcibly restrained by medical staff.

He struggled violently, laughing and crying hysterically, "Shu Lan! Where's my Shu Lan? Shu Lan! Lanlan—"

Nearby, a once elegantly dressed woman, her makeup now ruined, clung to a haggard man who looked decades older, wailing—

"My son... Yu Cheng, look at me! Look at your mother!"

The boy in the hospital gown seemed not to hear, gripping the nurse desperately. "Shu Lan! My Shu Lan!"After a moment, when the boy saw the other person's face, he pushed her away with a look of disappointment, scanning around blankly while shouting loudly—

"Shu Lan? Shu Lan, where are you? Shu Lan!"

His gaze landed on Xue Jiao and the others by the elevator, and he suddenly struggled violently: "Shu Lan! Shu Lan came to see me!"

The medical staff held him tightly, preventing him from running off. The doctor soothed him, "Shu Lan is in the ward. I'll take you there, I'll take you. Be good now."

"No—" The boy struggled desperately. "Shu Lan is over there! Shu Lan—"

Seeing the staff firmly restraining him, he lowered his head, biting and scratching wildly.

"Sedative! Quick, the sedative!" the doctor shouted.

Nearby, the woman knelt on the ground, wailing: "My son—"

The man also looked utterly defeated, collapsing weakly. "If only we had known... if only we had..."

If only they had agreed to let him be with Shu Lan!

But this world had no "ifs," nor did it have "if only we had known."

Yu Cheng was forcibly sedated and taken back to his ward. Yu Zhengguo and Su Qing stumbled after him, never once noticing Xue Jiao and the others by the elevator.

Their world now revolved solely around their mentally broken son, leaving no room to notice anything else.

"He..." Ding Qi opened her mouth, then paused, unsure of what to say.

Mai Jiajia was also stunned, her expression dazed. "Yu Cheng ended up like this?"

Xue Jiao leaned lightly against Lin Zhihua, who wrapped an arm around her and gave her a gentle pat.

She felt somewhat lost. Back when she didn’t know Yu Cheng’s condition, she had wished he had died then and there, so that her Shu Lan wouldn’t have had to die in his place.

But now, seeing Yu Cheng in this state of madness, she felt an indescribable sorrow.

The boy Shu Lan had traded her life for was now living in torment, suffering in this world.

In the end, no one was happy.

Xue Jiao closed her eyes slightly, gathering all her emotions and tucking them away.

Lin Zhihua patted her shoulder, then turned his head and said softly, "If Yu Cheng had died, his parents would have been devastated—filled with despair and pain. That grief might have become a permanent scar on their hearts. But over time, ten or twenty years later, it would have eventually faded."

"But with Yu Cheng alive, suffering and tormented like this, he serves as a constant reminder to his parents of the mistakes they made. The reason their child is like this now is because of their own choices. As long as Yu Cheng remains this way, they will never forget."

After Lin Zhihua finished speaking, Ding Qi gritted her teeth. "Serves them right!"

Xue Jiao exhaled heavily, then said quietly, "Let’s go. There’s nothing more to see here."

Mai Jiajia and the others nodded. Lin Zhihua drove the three of them away.

"Jiajia, Qiqi, what are your plans now? When are you heading back to school?" Xue Jiao asked the two from the backseat.

"Tomorrow, probably. We still have to keep studying. I need to take the TOEFL and aim for a spot in a graduate program abroad by junior year," Ding Qi said softly, her gaze drifting out the window.

Mai Jiajia added, "Same here. I’ll focus on studying, and after graduation, I’ll return to my hometown to start a school."

Xue Jiao looked at them, a faint smile gradually forming on her face.

The once-proud Ding Qi, who used to lift her chin haughtily, and the playful, lollipop-loving Mai Jiajia—both now looked weary and melancholy.But they hadn't forgotten their past hopes and dreams, nor had they been completely devastated by what happened with Shu Lan.

Xue Jiao grasped both their hands and nodded firmly. "Let's all keep working hard."

"Okay."

Mai Jiajia and Ding Qi managed small smiles in return.

Life went on. Unhappy matters should be forgotten when possible, while those worth remembering would remain forever in their hearts.

On the long yet fleeting train of life, Shu Lan had disembarked, but they still had to keep moving forward—toward their dreams.

The three exhaled simultaneously, making an effort not to mention Shu Lan again.

The car continued toward its destination.

As they neared Ding Qi's home, Mai Jiajia suddenly raised an eyebrow at the man driving. "Jiao Jiao...aren't you going to properly introduce us? Is this our brother-in-law?"

Ding Qi's heart skipped a beat as she tugged at Mai Jiajia's sleeve, her expression stiffening.

Lin Zhihua also tensed, realizing that since confirming his relationship with Xue Jiao, his seniority had been repeatedly downgraded.

First, nineteen-year-old Cheng Mingze called him "brother-in-law," and now Xue Jiao's eighteen-year-old roommate was doing the same.

Lin Zhihua: "..."

Xue Jiao couldn't help but chuckle softly, watching him without offering any help.

Lin Zhihua's scalp prickled, but he could only shoot Xue Jiao an indulgent glance through the rearview mirror before conceding helplessly, "Fine, you can call me brother-in-law if you want."

Mai Jiajia gave Ding Qi a strange look as the latter kept pulling at her, then leaned forward curiously. "You're really good-looking. Are you a celebrity?"

"No, I'm in business." Lin Zhihua's smile was stiff.

For a moment, Ding Qi wished she could faint on the spot. The CEO of the Lin Corporation was known for two notorious habits.

One was his refusal to interact with women, and the other...his intense dislike of being called good-looking!

When she'd heard about it at last year's annual meeting, she'd been baffled, thinking he was just eccentric.

But now...this eccentric man was her roommate's boyfriend.

Ding Qi tugged at Mai Jiajia again, forcing a stiff smile. "Jiajia, why don't you stay with me tonight? I'm feeling a bit scared."

"Sure." Mai Jiajia agreed easily.

Just as Ding Qi started to relax, Mai Jiajia turned back to Lin Zhihua. "Brother-in-law, what kind of work do you do? You don't look like a student."

"I'm in business," Lin Zhihua repeated.

Mai Jiajia nodded in sudden understanding. "Oh...alright."

Ding Qi kept pulling at her. "What's wrong?" Mai Jiajia asked, turning.

Ding Qi: "......Nothing. I just think this is Jiao Jiao's private matter. Maybe we shouldn't pry too much."

"No way. You two are my only close friends now. When it comes to something as important as choosing a boyfriend, I have to vet him properly." She looked at Xue Jiao. "Jiao Jiao, do you mind if I evaluate your boyfriend?"

Xue Jiao raised her hand, clearly amused. "No objections here."

Lin Zhihua's smile grew even more resigned as he shook his head, keeping his eyes on the road.

"Brother-in-law, how long did you pursue Jiao Jiao?"

"Two years."

Mai Jiajia rubbed her chin. "Two years of persistence isn't bad. Does your family support your relationship with Jiao Jiao?"

After what happened with Shu Lan, she understood all too well—sometimes relationships weren't just about two people.

"They fully support it. They'd have us married tomorrow if they could." Lin Zhihua's gaze in the rearview mirror held a meaningful look as it landed on Xue Jiao.Xue Jiao's face flushed slightly as she averted her gaze from him.

"Then... are your family members easy to get along with?" Mai Jiajia pressed on, still not entirely reassured.

Lin Zhihua raised an eyebrow. "It doesn't matter whether they are or not. I won't let them interfere too much. After marriage, it'll just be our own lives—no one else's business."

After marriage...

Xue Jiao shot Lin Zhihua a glare. What wishful thinking! They'd only just gotten together, and he was already talking about marriage!

She planned to... observe him for at least a few more years before considering that!

Mai Jiajia was also taken aback but soon gave a thumbs-up. "How domineering! But I hope you can live up to your words."

"I don't lie," Lin Zhihua said, as if speaking to both Mai Jiajia and Xue Jiao. "Since she's with me now, I won't let her be troubled by other matters or people because of me. No one can interfere with me except Jiao Jiao."

Mai Jiajia paused, then finally relaxed. If he dared to say such things, he must have some capability.

Though Jiao Jiao might seem a bit slow, she wasn’t foolish. She wouldn’t act purely on emotion—that much Mai Jiajia was confident about.

When the car reached their destination, Mai Jiajia raised an eyebrow. "So, brother-in-law, don’t you think, as our youngest’s boyfriend, you should formally treat us to a meal?"

"No need—" Before Lin Zhihua could respond, Ding Qi interjected in a panicked voice.

Her tone was urgent and fearful, as if terrified Lin Zhihua might agree.

"Huh?" Mai Jiajia turned to her in confusion.

Ding Qi forced an awkward smile and stammered, "Um... at least not today. My mom just texted that dinner’s ready. We should hurry back."

Mai Jiajia blinked. "Oh, okay. Let’s go then—we shouldn’t keep Auntie waiting. We’ll talk about the treat another time."

"Goodbye," Lin Zhihua said with a smile.

Mai Jiajia thought for a moment, then added threateningly, "You’d better not let Jiao Jiao down, or we won’t let you off easy!"

"I won’t," Lin Zhihua replied firmly.

"Bye." Ding Qi’s face paled as she quickly bid farewell, then pulled Mai Jiajia out of the car.

Even after getting out, she didn’t stop, dragging Mai Jiajia a good distance away. Only after glancing back to confirm Lin Zhihua had left did she finally exhale in relief.

Mai Jiajia frowned. "Why are you acting so weird today?"

Ding Qi looked up at her clueless friend. "Big sis, do you even know who that guy is?"

"Huh?" Mai Jiajia froze. "Is he famous?"

Ding Qi huffed. "Aren’t you the so-called 'know-it-all'? And you don’t recognize him?"

"Famous? A celebrity?" Mai Jiajia furrowed her brows.

Ding Qi was so exasperated she nearly laughed. "Have you heard of the Lin Group?"

"Yeah..." Mai Jiajia said hesitantly.

Because of Lin Yinyin, they’d researched the Lin Group before. Though Mai Jiajia wasn’t local, her memory was sharp—she still recalled the details she’d read.

"You just grilled him with all those questions, but you didn’t even ask his name?" Ding Qi bristled.

"Oh, right. What’s his connection to the Lin Group?"

Ding Qi smiled. "His name is Lin Zhihua."

"Lin Zhihua..." Mai Jiajia repeated blankly, then her eyes widened in shock.

Her voice trembled. "H-h-h-he’s the boss of the Lin Group?!"

"Yes! I kept nudging you earlier—did you even notice?" Ding Qi stomped her foot in frustration.Mai Jiajia frowned slightly and said seriously, "No matter what his status is, he's currently Jiao Jiao's boyfriend. There are some questions I can't avoid asking just because of his identity. The key points are whether he can treat Jiao Jiao well and whether he'll let her get hurt."

Ding Qi was taken aback but then realized she had a point.

However, considering Lin Zhihua's status, the fact that he treated Jiao Jiao this way naturally meant his feelings ran deep. As for other concerns, only time would tell.

Mai Jiajia, who had just been full of righteous indignation, suddenly deflated. "Um... I was pretty harsh just now... even threatened him. He wouldn't... retaliate against me, would he?"

Ding Qi: "..."

She glared at her. "Now you're scared? Where was this fear earlier?"

Mai Jiajia's expression remained crestfallen. Ding Qi reassured her, "Don't worry, would Jiao Jiao let her boyfriend retaliate against you?"

Mai Jiajia's face immediately brightened. "Oh, right! Let's go, let's hurry back to eat the meal Auntie prepared."

"It's not ready yet. My mom hasn't even started cooking."

"But you just said..."

"Should I call Jiao Jiao back now so you can have dinner with them?"

Mai Jiajia: "...Never mind, let's wait a bit longer. I'm still a little scared."

Ding Qi: "..."

"This Jiao Jiao really stays silent until she makes a grand move!"

Xue Jiao, who never wanted to date, ended up with... Lin Zhihua of all people.

——

While Mai Jiajia and Ding Qi were sighing over this, Lin Zhihua and Xue Jiao weren't going out to eat either.

"Not even Wuliu Alley for dinner?" Lin Zhihua tempted as he drove toward the Cheng residence.

Xue Jiao shook her head, smiling firmly. "I'm going back to school tomorrow. Tonight, I want to have a good meal with my parents and brother so they can focus on their work without worrying about me."

"Alright..." Lin Zhihua pouted.

Soon, they arrived at the Cheng residence. Lin Zhihua opened the car door for Xue Jiao, who held his hand as she stepped out.

"You'll be at school tomorrow and won't have time for me..." Lin Zhihua said, sounding quite aggrieved.

This usually cold-faced man suddenly wearing a pitiful expression was quite impactful. Xue Jiao's heart skipped a beat.

"Can't be helped. Let's have dinner together on Friday night. Oh, I just remembered something!" Xue Jiao beckoned him closer, looking like she had something to say.

Lin Zhihua, puzzled, bent down and lowered his head.

Xue Jiao stood slightly on her tiptoes and lightly pressed her lips to his forehead.

It was quick and gentle. The moment she finished, she turned to run away.

Lin Zhihua, eyes wide, stared blankly ahead before instinctively reaching out to pull her back, wrapping his arms around her and lowering his head.

"Mmm—"

Xue Jiao's eyes widened in shock as she stared at his face, now so close.

The two inexperienced people merely pressed their lips together. After a long moment, Lin Zhihua finally released her.

His eyes were smiling, filled with deep affection. "Um... I'll... learn more for next time..."

"Boom—"

Xue Jiao's face burned crimson. Learn more?!

She shoved Lin Zhihua away and immediately fled.

Lin Zhihua turned to watch her retreating figure, then raised a hand to touch his lips, a clear smile on his face, his eyes crinkling.

A long while later, only when Xue Jiao was completely out of sight did Lin Zhihua get back into the car.

After a moment's thought, he made a call—

"Chen Yan, do I have any arrangements on Friday afternoon?"

Chen Yan on the other end paused before replying dutifully, "You're scheduled to inspect the branch office...""Postpone or move it forward."

"Oh, okay."

The other end of the phone fell silent. Chen Yan pulled the phone away and glanced at it—still connected?

After a moment’s thought, he hesitantly asked, "Boss, do you have any plans that afternoon?"

Immediately, the low pressure on the line seemed to lift, replaced by Lin Zhihua’s slightly amused voice: "Mm, I have a date with Jiao Jiao."

With that, Lin Zhihua hung up, thoroughly satisfied.

On the other end, Chen Yan stared at the phone, dumbfounded.

After a long while, it finally hit him…

A date?

They’re together now?

So… the boss was bragging to him about being in a relationship?

Chen Yan: "…"

He had a certain phrase in mind but wasn’t sure if he should say it out loud!

——

The next day, Xue Jiao shouldered her backpack and stepped back onto campus.

Her morning was packed with classes, leaving her no time to find Chu Sheng. After lunch, she buried herself in textbooks at the library.

While projects and extracurricular learning were undoubtedly important in university, textbooks were the foundation of everything—something that could never be neglected.

Xue Jiao spent the entire noon carefully reviewing the course slides she had missed over the past week.

It wasn’t until after her first afternoon class that she finally had time to head to Chu Sheng’s lab.

The lab Chu Sheng was using had been specially allocated to him by the physics department—a small space his advisor, Professor Jin, had gone out of his way to secure for him.

With the involvement of the currently high-profile Gu Xue Jiao, Zheng Jiakun, Yang Zhan from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Zhang Han from Peking University, getting the project approved had been relatively easy. However, since they hadn’t produced any results yet, their funding was limited.

Fortunately, they didn’t need much funding at this stage.

When Xue Jiao arrived at the lab, Chu Sheng happened to be there.

Spotting her, his eyes lit up, and he immediately pulled her outside.

Xue Jiao blinked in surprise. "Huh? What’s up?"

Chu Sheng exhaled in relief. "You’re finally here to help!"

"What’s the current arrangement? What’s the situation?" Xue Jiao asked. She only knew that Chu Sheng had created a small group chat with nine people in total.

Chu Sheng smiled. "Right now, the project has six core members: Senior Yang Zhan, Senior Zhang Han and her assistant, Senior Zheng Jiakun, and the two of us. The other three in the group were added by Professor Jin to help out—they’re not official project members."

"Got it."

Chu Sheng continued, "We’ve already held a general meeting. Since it’s inconvenient for them to come every day, they usually work at their own schools and bring a week’s worth of results when they come on weekends. Senior Zhang Han is here today helping me with the magnetic field model, and Senior Zheng Jiakun is inside assisting too."

Xue Jiao nodded. "Should we go in and help, then?"

Chu Sheng suddenly looked awkward, scratching his head. "Well… Senior Zhang Han is… kind of… um…"

"What’s wrong?" Xue Jiao asked, puzzled.

"Senior Zhang Han is pretty stubborn, and she really dislikes people who aren’t dedicated. Since you haven’t been around lately, she might… not be very friendly. Just bear with it…" Chu Sheng sounded apologetic. He knew Xue Jiao must have had her reasons, but Senior Zhang Han wouldn’t care about explanations.

Xue Jiao was taken aback but then blinked and smiled. "Alright, no problem."

Among the researchers she had met, who didn’t have their quirks?

Though her recent absence had been due to her emotional state, it was still her responsibility. Taking a whole week off to adjust her mindset—it was only natural for others to be upset.Xue Jiao followed behind Chu Sheng as they entered, finally meeting the legendary senior Zhang Han.

This rising star in the physics field was currently a first-year graduate student, having already won multiple awards, including the Chinese Physical Society Prize, and participated in countless projects—even having her own assistant.

When Xue Jiao walked in, she was bending over to set up a stand, her expression serious, her hair tied in a ponytail.

Senior Zhang Han was very beautiful—the kind of striking beauty that stood out—but this senior... didn’t seem to like smiling much.

Xue Jiao didn’t disturb her and instead quietly stood beside her, observing how she worked.

Chu Sheng had already buried himself in books. The more he engaged with the project, the more he felt his knowledge was insufficient, wishing he could cram everything into his brain.

"You're here?" Zheng Jiakun was also inside assembling a stand. He smiled when he saw Xue Jiao.

"Hello, senior," she greeted, then turned to Zhang Han. "Hello, senior sister."

"Mhm." Zhang Han gave a brief acknowledgment before saying nothing else.

Xue Jiao watched attentively from the side, occasionally glancing at the materials nearby.

Chu Sheng was right—Zhang Han clearly wasn’t happy about Xue Jiao’s presence, but she didn’t say anything, just kept her head down and worked, completely ignoring her.

Xue Jiao raised an eyebrow. Ignored?

Well, it wasn’t the first time she’d been overlooked. She rubbed her nose and stood naturally beside them, observing.

Sometimes she looked at the materials nearby, sometimes her lips moved slightly. Zheng Jiakun glanced up at Zhang Han, then at Xue Jiao’s moving lips, his own mouth quirking in amusement.

The entire afternoon passed without Zhang Han acknowledging Xue Jiao.

Around six o’clock, Zhang Han’s assistant reminded her, "Senior sister, it’s time to eat."

"Mhm, in a minute," Zhang Han replied tersely.

She picked up a few magnets, frowned, then reached behind her back, feeling around but finding nothing.

Just as she was about to turn around, Xue Jiao crouched beside her and handed her a pen.

Zhang Han froze, her brow furrowing slightly as she took it. She marked a small magnet, then picked up a medium-sized one, pausing with the pen.

She reached out, casually grabbing a piece of paper she had tossed on the ground and even stepped on, flipping it over to start calculating.

Xue Jiao handed her a ruler. "5.67 and 9.33."

Zhang Han was stunned. She turned her head and looked directly at Xue Jiao.