Summit of Our Youth

As the words fell, the entire laboratory fell into a brief silence so quiet that even the sound of breathing could be heard.

Even Xue Jiao was momentarily stunned, her eyes turning blank.

What? The Chern Mathematics Award? No joke?

Professor Tan continued with a smile, "I just received the news not long ago and haven’t had the chance to announce it yet. The other recipient is a professor from Peking University’s Mathematics Department. This year’s mathematics award has brought forth two golden flowers—what a delightful surprise."

"R-really?" Xue Jiao stammered.

Professor Tan nodded, his lips curling upward as he tried to suppress his joy.

"Yes!"

Xue Jiao still found it hard to believe. She knew about the Chern Mathematics Award—though it was a youth award, it was extremely rare for a student to receive it during their academic years.

As if sensing her doubt, Professor Tan explained—

"Gu Xue Jiao, being able to prove Fermat’s Last Theorem through an alternative method is a feat worthy of being recorded in the annals of mathematical history. You may not yet be the most accomplished, but this proof alone makes you deserving of this award. However, the pursuit of mathematics is boundless. Though you’ve received this honor, your research must not stop here. With this recognition comes the responsibility to live up to it."

Xue Jiao was momentarily dazed but then nodded firmly. "Yes! I’ll work even harder!"

Professor Tan smiled warmly.

Beside them, Professor Jin’s face turned pale, then dark, then pale again.

As the first student from Tsinghua to receive this award, he should have been happy—after all, it was also an honor for the university.

However…

Why hadn’t Tan Zhongying mentioned this earlier?! Why wait until after he’d finished boasting before casually dropping the bombshell?!

Wasn’t this just rubbing it in his face?!

Wasn’t this just a deliberate slap in the face?!

That bastard!

Professor Jin gritted his teeth, suppressing the urge to strangle Tan Zhongying on the spot.

"Professor Jin, you see, Gu Xue Jiao is clearly suited to continue in mathematics. You might as well stop wasting your efforts," Professor Tan said with a smile, looking at Professor Jin.

Professor Jin ground out through clenched teeth, "Tan Zhongying!"

"Hmm? Did you have something else to say, Professor Jin?" Professor Tan turned to him.

"Nothing! Goodbye!" With that, he turned and strode away.

Professor Jin had known about Fermat’s Last Theorem during his student days but hadn’t paid much attention to it. After graduation, he pursued physics, aware of the theorem’s significance but never imagining it could be prestigious enough to directly earn a major mathematics award.

Had he known Gu Xue Jiao would win this award, he would never have tried to lure her into switching to physics!

She was a prodigy in mathematics! If she were derailed because of him…

He’d want to strangle himself!

How could he possibly persuade her to join physics now?!

Professor Jin left, seething with resentment toward Professor Tan, leaving only Professor Tan and Xue Jiao in the office.

Professor Tan smiled at Xue Jiao. "Gu Xue Jiao, come to my office at noon. We’ll discuss the award ceremony."

"O-okay…" Xue Jiao nodded hastily, still feeling lightheaded.

Professor Tan nodded, then walked out with brisk steps, his demeanor so lively that one wouldn’t guess his age.

Xue Jiao was his student—the higher her achievements, the happier he was.

Admittedly, there was an element of luck in winning such a prestigious award this year, but Xue Jiao’s diligence and talent were undeniable factors!

Humming a tune, Professor Tan left in high spirits.Xue Jiao's emotions were complex. On one hand, she was naturally excited, but on the other, she felt vaguely flustered, as if she didn't deserve this honor.

This wavering mood made her restless, but it was an emotion she had to overcome.

Just then, Chu Sheng walked over and gave Xue Jiao a hearty pat on the shoulder. "Well done! Ahhhh, that’s Chern Shiing-Shen! Gu Xue Jiao, how are you so amazing?!"

Zheng Jiakun also smiled, giving her two thumbs up before saying cheerfully, "Gu Xue Jiao, you're incredible. I’ll have to work harder to catch up to you!"

Xue Jiao smiled sheepishly and said softly, "Let's get started."

Zheng Jiakun raised an eyebrow. "After such a huge surprise, you still have time to focus on physics?"

"Well, we still have to work." She paused. "I can't just stop everything because I won an award."

Xue Jiao grinned, revealing two neat rows of white teeth, her eyes sparkling.

Zheng Jiakun couldn’t help but smile back, silently giving his junior sister a mental thumbs-up.

When you're young and full of vigor, you rarely think far ahead. The glory may shine bright now, but momentary honors can't last a lifetime. Life is like sailing against the current—if you don’t move forward, you’ll fall behind.

She had this quality—even with glory upon her, she still remembered her responsibilities, treasuring every moment.

It was a rare trait, and a necessary condition for reaching the summit of life’s mountain.

Zheng Jiakun stepped closer, joining their conversation—

"Where’s the magnetometer again?"

"In the cabinet below your right hand, take a look."

"Oh, got it, I see it now."

"By the way, Senior Zhang Han mentioned yesterday..."

...

And so, work in the lab resumed.

——

The impact of winning the award was mostly that Xue Jiao got more second glances, and her name was broadcasted several more times.

The other change was the increase in media interviews. Xue Jiao generally avoided interviews, only agreeing to one arranged by Teacher Tan for the school, followed by posing for photos with her certificate at the school gate.

Perhaps because finals were approaching, or maybe because the project was still a mess, Xue Jiao rushed through her days without letting "fame" affect her much.

"Yesterday, the math department seniors approached me again, insisting on joining..." Chu Sheng sighed while sketching.

Xue Jiao frowned slightly. "Ge Donglin and Zeng Bin?"

"Yeah, them. This time, they were even more persistent than before."

Zheng Jiakun shook his head. "No need. Our team is full now. Physics is fine, and for math, Jiakun and I are enough. The others aren’t suitable."

His rejection wasn’t personal—they just didn’t fit the project.

Chu Sheng nodded in agreement. He had been pestered endlessly by those two, but since it involved the math department, he wanted to hear Zheng Jiakun and Xue Jiao’s opinions first.

Seeing that neither wanted them to join, he sighed in relief. "Alright, I’ll just turn them down next time."

Nearby, Gu Xue Jiao called out, "Chu Sheng, Senior, come take a look at this!"

"Coming!" The two quickly walked over to her.

——

Xue Jiao was busy—swamped with finals review and the project, wishing she could split time in two.

Cheng Mingze was in a similar situation, and Cheng Shuo had to work every day.

As a housewife, Li Sitong suddenly found herself with free time and began making plans with the new ladies she had met."Sitong! Hurry up, hurry up! Sister Xu is taking us to a big event today!"

Li Sitong was fixing her hair while asking in confusion, "Sister Lu, weren't we just going for beauty treatments? How did Sister Xu get involved?"

Lu Ling grabbed her arm, speaking rapidly, "Originally, it was just going to be us for beauty treatments, but Sister Xu said in the group chat that they're about to have afternoon tea with the upper-class ladies and are willing to bring us along!"

Lu Ling's voice was filled with excitement, as if this were some great opportunity.

Li Sitong felt a bit embarrassed. Back in City C, she had been doing quite well, but since coming to the capital, everything had changed dramatically.

At best, she could be considered middle-class now—she had never interacted with the upper-class social circles.

"Isn't this a bit inappropriate...?"

"How is it inappropriate?" Lu Ling widened her eyes. "You're just lucky your Cheng Shuo dotes on you. Wives like us have to support our husbands by networking and making connections. You need to build relationships to weave that web!"

Li Sitong's mindset shifted instantly. Raised as a refined lady, she knew little about business matters, but she truly wanted to be able to help Cheng Shuo!

So she quickened her pace and got into Lu Ling's car. "Who else is going?"

Lu Ling shook her head. "Not sure who else will be there, but the district chief's wife, Mrs. Luo—wife of Huaming's boss—and the wife of Yixia's boss will be there. Haven't heard about the others yet, but apparently, it's quite a crowd. They're having afternoon tea at Sister Qin's private club."

"Ah? That kind of occasion? Is it really okay for us to go?" Li Sitong was afraid of forcing her way into such gatherings and earning the disdain of the other wives.

Lu Ling covered her mouth and chuckled. "Sitong, think about it—if we weren't welcome, would Sister Xu have agreed to bring us?"

Li Sitong paused. That made sense. Sister Xu was a smooth operator, excellent at socializing. She never made enemies, but she also wouldn't bother with people who offered no value.

Cheng Shuo had once told her that the world worked this way—when you were strong, people treated you with warmth and sincerity, but when you were weak, you'd experience indifference and the harsh realities of life.

Because of this, Cheng Shuo had said that if Li Sitong didn’t want to socialize with those wives, it was fine. He wasn’t chasing anything, and even if he were, he could achieve it on his own.

But the more he said that, the more Li Sitong wanted to be someone who could help Cheng Shuo, not hold him back.

"Alright..."

Lu Ling leaned closer and lowered her voice. "To be honest, Sister Xu loves to show off and is pretty snobbish..."

"Really? I don’t know her well, but she seems okay." Li Sitong played dumb, though she had noticed Sister Xu’s snobbery too.

But Li Sitong wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed and didn’t dare to gossip.

Cheng Shuo had warned her: if you don’t want others to know, don’t do it. When gossiping, it’s easy to lose control of your words in the heat of the moment.

Such carelessness could plant the seeds of trouble. Keeping your mouth shut saved you from a lot of headaches.

"You’re just too naive. Your husband spoils you too much. Look at Sister Xu—she’s just a housewife from a modest background, but with her social skills, she’s managed to stay as CEO Jiao’s wife all these years. You think she doesn’t have tricks up her sleeve? Especially since CEO Jiao is such a playboy."

Lu Ling pursed her lips as she spoke. Li Sitong kept her expression neutral, but inside, she felt an indescribable discomfort.

Just a housewife from a modest background? Does this mean her family background isn't good enough?

She forced a smile: "Sister Xu is quite clever."

"Clever? That's just being opportunistic! President Jiao's actual capabilities aren't much better than our family's situation, yet look at her—not only does she thrive in our circle, she can even get a word in with the upper echelons!" Lu Ling's tone shifted, "But being too opportunistic isn't good either. Look at the Yu family's current situation—truly lamentable."

"The Yu family... they had it coming..." Li Sitong couldn't help but mutter.

She thought of Xue Jiao, that young, well-behaved girl with such gentle and serene smiles.

Li Sitong had always liked girls like that—hardworking and diligent, getting into Tsinghua University on her own merits. What a pity it ended like...

The Yu family might not bear full responsibility, but they certainly played their part in creating this mess!

"Hasn't the Yu family always been like this? Now their son has gone mad, desperately licking boots to make money—what's the point? I heard their son's condition is quite severe. They're planning to sell the company and take him abroad, away from this place of sorrow." Lu Ling shook her head with a sigh.

Li Sitong sighed too: "Children should like what they like and love who they love. I used to be strict with my child too, but now I think it's better to let them follow their heart—things might turn out better that way."

Wasn't that exactly how things were between her and Jiao Jiao? They used to argue constantly, with her trying to meddle in everything Jiao Jiao did. Only later did she realize it was better to speak calmly and let Jiao Jiao make her own decisions.

Thankfully, both she and Jiao Jiao came to their senses early, avoiding any irreparable consequences.

"Families like ours are still fine, but look at those upper-class circles—how many young heirs actually marry Cinderellas? Even if our daughters want to marry into better families, it's not that easy." Lu Ling waved her hand dismissively.

Li Sitong fell silent, thinking of Jiao Jiao and Lin Zhihua.

Could that man truly protect Jiao Jiao and keep gossip at bay?

"Oh!" Lu Ling suddenly seemed to remember something and asked casually, "I heard Lin Zhihua attended your daughter's college celebration banquet last year?"

Li Sitong nodded: "Yes."

"You're holding out on me! How do you know Lin Zhihua? He never attends these things normally, yet he showed up right after you moved to Beijing?" Lu Ling's question was actually on behalf of her husband. Though it had been a while and they hadn't seen any collaboration, it didn't hurt to gather more information cautiously.

Li Sitong touched her temple lightly and said softly, "We're all from C City..."

"Oh!" Lu Ling's face lit up with realization. "Lin Corporation progressed so quickly, and Lin Zhihua moves fast too. I almost thought Lin Corporation was a native Beijing company! They only moved here a few years ago..."

Li Sitong smiled but said nothing more.

As they chatted, they gradually arrived at the club entrance.

Lu Ling called Sister Xu, and soon another middle-aged woman emerged, frowning.

Lu Ling immediately changed her demeanor, cheerfully stepping forward to take the woman's hand: "Sister Xiang! Long time no see!"

This so-called Sister Xiang glanced at Lu Ling and the trailing Li Sitong, offering only a perfunctory smile: "If you're coming, hurry up! The district head's wife and Sister Rong are already here!"

"Sorry about that, traffic was bad!" Lu Ling said, following Sister Xiang inside.

Li Sitong paused at the entrance for a moment before steeling herself and following them in.Inside, the atmosphere was lively. Li Sitong had originally planned to sit anywhere casually, but as soon as she entered, someone called out to her.

"Little sister—"

Li Sitong froze, looking up to meet a face that was both familiar and unfamiliar.

"Come, come, sit next to me!" The woman reached out, and Li Sitong reluctantly stepped forward.

"You are…" she tentatively asked.

"We met at the supermarket, don’t you remember?" The woman blinked. It took Li Sitong a while to recall the woman she had encountered at the supermarket—the one who wanted to buy groceries but didn’t know how to do anything.

Seeing a familiar face, Li Sitong couldn’t help but smile. "Oh, it’s you, big sister!"

Lu Ling, who had been trying hard to strike up a conversation, exclaimed in surprise, "Sitong, you know Rong Jie, the mother of the Lin family’s boss?!"

"Huh? The Lin family?" Li Sitong was taken aback.

Beside her, Mother Lin smiled warmly. "Little sister, I’m Zhihua’s mother!"

Lin Zhihua’s mother!

Li Sitong was utterly stunned, her eyes widening as she momentarily lost the ability to speak.

Sister Xu chimed in with a smile, "So Rong Jie actually knows Sitong?"

Mother Lin beamed and dropped a bombshell that left everyone speechless—

"Of course we know each other. We’re future in-laws, after all."

"What?!" Lu Ling, being the least composed, couldn’t help but raise her voice.

Mother Lin took Li Sitong’s hand and laughed. "Yes, Zhihua and Jiao Jiao are dating now. Zhihua used to have such high standards—he never showed interest in anyone. But now that he’s met your Jiao Jiao, he’s finally fallen in love. It’s such a relief for me!"

The others gaped at the two of them. Lin Zhihua… wasn’t he supposed to be unable to interact with women?

"Jiao Jiao is still young, though. Once she turns twenty next year, we’ll have them get married. His father and I aren’t getting any younger, so we’d love to have a grandchild to dote on as soon as possible! Having a little one around would make my golden years so much happier, hahaha!" Mother Lin laughed heartily.

The others’ expressions gradually turned puzzled. A child? Could it be that Lin Zhihua… no longer had any issues?

For a brief moment, Li Sitong’s face darkened. She took a deep breath, forcing her tone to remain calm. "They’ve only just started dating, and Jiao Jiao is still in school. There’s no rush—at least wait until she graduates from university. Marriage isn’t something we can decide for them."

Mother Lin patted Li Sitong’s hand with a worried expression. "I understand that, but Zhihua isn’t young anymore. His refusal to date in the past led to some unpleasant rumors. Marrying early and having a child would silence the gossip. Besides, it would also spare Jiao Jiao from unnecessary hardships."

Li Sitong couldn’t help but pull her hand back, forcing a smile. "Neither her father nor I can make decisions for her. This is something she has to decide for herself. And those rumors are all false—they’ll die down on their own eventually. There’s no need to rush to prove anything."

She was seething inside. What kind of nonsense was this?

Just to clear Lin Zhihua’s name, Jiao Jiao had to marry him at twenty?

Li Sitong’s attitude caused Mother Lin’s expression to sour slightly.

Sister Xu quickly stepped in to smooth things over. "Those rumors outside aren’t worth taking seriously. Zhihua will get married sooner or later—there’s no need to worry about them."

"Yes, yes, no need to worry."

"Who would even believe such rumors?"

"Exactly."

…

Mother Lin sneered inwardly. Weren’t you all the ones spreading those vicious rumors in the first place?

Today, she was determined to reclaim her dignity!"Our Zhihua is perfect in every way, just a bit aloof. Now that he's finally taken a liking to a girl, and what a coincidence—I really like Sitong's Jiao Jiao too! Getting married early would be great. Jiao Jiao still has three years until graduation, and by then, Zhihua will already be 31!" Mother Lin said to Li Sitong with a worried expression.

Li Sitong forced a slight smile. "Jiao Jiao is still too young. There's no hurry for marriage, and Zhihua isn't that old either. Young people these days marry late."

"I really like Jiao Jiao, but young people nowadays are so unpredictable. Jiao Jiao still has three years until graduation. She's at school every day, and Zhihua is busy with work. What if he ends up liking another girl I don’t approve of? That would be awful! I adore Jiao Jiao so much—it’d be best to settle things early so I can rest easy. Jiao Jiao will turn 20 next August. We should throw a grand celebration then!" Mother Lin laughed again, twisting the bracelet on her wrist.

Li Sitong took a deep breath. "I don’t make decisions for the kids, and getting married next year is truly too soon."

Mother Lin’s expression cooled slightly. After a moment, she stood up and smiled. "Sitong, I just remembered—I have a gift for you, but I left it in the car. Let’s go get it together."

Li Sitong stood up and agreed. "Alright."

She didn’t want to stay inside either.

The two walked out, and almost as soon as they stepped beyond the door, Mother Lin turned to Li Sitong with a stern look. "Sitong, I really like you. His father and I have no prejudices about status. If Zhihua likes Jiao Jiao, we support it. But don’t you know what people are saying about Zhihua these days? Only by settling the engagement can we clear his name! Your outright refusal just now will make others think there really is something wrong with Zhihua. Otherwise, why would you dodge the topic?"

Li Sitong inhaled deeply. "This isn’t about whether there’s anything wrong with Zhihua. How can we decide their marriage for them without consulting Jiao Jiao and Zhihua first? Besides, Jiao Jiao is only a freshman this year! By next August, she won’t even be a junior yet!"

"Are you implying that Zhihua has no choice but to marry your Jiao Jiao? You can’t just think from Jiao Jiao’s perspective—you have to consider Zhihua’s position too!" Mother Lin’s face turned completely cold.

Li Sitong refused to back down. "Lin Zhihua has never mentioned wanting to marry Jiao Jiao next year."

"Zhihua has no physical issues. He doesn’t have to settle for your Gu Xue Jiao." Mother Lin narrowed her eyes.

"Then talk to Lin Zhihua about it."

With that, Li Sitong turned and walked away.

She was furious but knew she had offended Mother Lin today.

Li Sitong took a taxi to Cheng Shuo’s company, heading straight for his office, where she told him everything.

"I’ve offended Mother Lin... but I really don’t want Jiao Jiao to marry so young..."

A vein pulsed on Cheng Shuo’s forehead. He suddenly stood up and swept everything off his desk—

"You did nothing wrong! What does she mean by this? To prove Lin Zhihua has no issues, she wants Jiao Jiao to marry him as some kind of public display? How does that prove anything? Next, will she demand Jiao Jiao bear his child to ‘prove’ it further?!"

Li Sitong froze. Earlier, she had only been angry about the idea of marriage next year and hadn’t thought it through.

If they married next year, would they also be pressured into having a child soon after?

"I’ve said before—Jiao Jiao is still too young. We shouldn’t publicize her relationship with him yet. This Mother Lin is truly going too far!"

Cheng Shuo looked at Li Sitong—

"Sitong, message Jiao Jiao. Tell her she’s not allowed to ride home with Lin Zhihua tonight. I’ll pick her up myself!"