Lin Zhixia has her own selfish motives. She really wants Jiang Yubai to stay in the Provincial No. 1 Middle School. However, she should consider him from a friend's perspective.
So, she asked: "Jiang Yubai, do you like math competitions?"
Jiang Yubai said cryptically: "I haven't been participating in the competition for a long time."
Lin Zhixia and Jiang Yubai have known each other for three years. Even though Jiang Yubai always speaks in a roundabout way, Lin Zhixia can guess his true thoughts. She nodded: "I understand, you mean that you don't like math competitions."
Jiang Yubai did not refute.
Lin Zhixia said solemnly: "Students in the first-year competition class must complete high school courses within one year and study university professional courses in advance. If you go to Beijing to study in high school earlier, you can spend time on things that you are more interested in. If you transfer to Beijing in your second year of high school, you will need some time to adapt to the new environment, and you will also have to prepare for A-level and IELTS exams. Wouldn't this be a bit rushed?"
A-level is equivalent to the UK college entrance examination, and IELTS is an English proficiency test. If Jiang Yubai wants to study for an undergraduate degree at Cambridge University, he must first obtain excellent results in A-level and IELTS, which is the undergraduate threshold of Cambridge University.
Lin Zhixia put herself in Jiang Yubai's shoes, and Jiang Yubai thought her words made sense. He should be grateful for her reminder. However, separation became inevitable, and all words seemed pale. He couldn't think of the right words for a while, so he simply said nothing.
Jiang Yubai found the Romanian Easter egg from his pencil case, and placed the egg upright on the table, resting only one finger on the top of the eggshell.
Lin Zhixia stretched out her right index finger and carefully touched the bottom of the eggshell. She said, "Jiang Yubai, I will write to you and call you."
Jiang Yubai tore off a piece of draft paper and wrote a line on it: "This is my Beijing address."
"Do you have a home in Beijing too?" Lin Zhixia asked curiously.
Jiang Yubai stopped writing: "My grandparents lived in Beijing for many years."
"Are you planning to live in your grandparents' house?" Lin Zhixia asked him.
Jiang Yubai thought for a moment before saying, "My parents both have a residence in Beijing."
I see.
Jiang Yubai has several homes and addresses in Beijing.
This is how rich people live.
Lin Zhixia remembered that when they were in Experimental Primary School, Jiang Yubai once revealed that his family had a private jet. So, if Jiang Yubai wanted to return to the provincial capital from Beijing, it would only take two or three hours.
Thinking of this, Lin Zhixia's spirits suddenly lifted. She said quite frankly: "Captain Jiang Yubai is going to pursue his target. After Captain Lin Zhixia completes his mission, he will look for Jiang Yubai and meet up with him at a new location."
Jiang Yubai handed the piece of draft paper with his Beijing address to Lin Zhixia. He and Lin Zhixia agreed to send each other a letter every week. Jiang Yubai would also return to the provincial capital during the Mid-Autumn Festival, National Day, winter vacation, Qingming Festival, and other holidays.
"What a detailed plan!" Lin Zhixia exclaimed, "Even if you go to Beijing to study in high school, we are not actually separated."
"Yeah!" Jiang Yubai admitted generously.
Lin Zhixia found the "Human Observation Diary" and wrote carefully: On January 4, 2008, Jiang Yubai and I agreed on the academic plan for high school. Jiang Yubai will go to Beijing to study in high school in September this year, and I will study in the Provincial No. 1 Middle School for another year. In September next year, Jiang Yubai and I will reunite in Beijing. I suddenly remembered the binary star system in astrophysics, where two stars have their own orbits and revolve around the same center. Jiang Yubai is like my binary star partner. We move along different orbits, but our centers are always the same.
After Lin Zhixia finished writing this paragraph, she deliberately took it to Jiang Yubai.
Jiang Yubai had seen the term "binary star system" countless times in physics competition questions, but he had never thought that Lin Zhixia could describe him in this way. He was a little happy and a little embarrassed, so he asked, "Are the other students in Class 17 also stars in the universe?"
Lin Zhixia thought thoughtfully: "They are all independent individuals."
In the first two years of junior high school, Lin Zhixia was always busy with competitions and rarely chatted with classmates. However, many classmates often came to Lin Zhixia with exercise books and asked her questions. She solved the difficult problems in no time. Most of the classmates were still unable to react and could only stand there blankly, looking up to Lin Zhixia.
Lin Zhixia's status in the class is equivalent to "a god descending to earth."
Her double star partner was destined to include only Jiang Yubai.
Jiang Yubai also told Lin Zhixia that their elementary school classmates wanted to invite Lin Zhixia to have a meal in the cafeteria of the Provincial No. 1 Middle School.
Last September, many students from Experimental Primary School were admitted to the Provincial No. 1 Middle School, such as Dong Sunqi, Ding Yan, Wei Rongjie, Tang Leqin, and even Liu Xingjian. Everyone thought that they should have a proper gathering, but because Lin Zhixia was busy with the information science competition in the first semester of the third year of junior high school, everyone did not dare to take up her precious time, so they did not mention the gathering.
Now, when Lin Zhixia heard Jiang Yubai mention his elementary school classmates, she happily agreed: "Okay, let's have lunch together in the cafeteria."
At noon that day, Dong Sunqi led several of his elementary school classmates and solemnly walked into the cafeteria of the Provincial No. 1 Middle School.
Dong Sunqi served as monitor in Experimental Primary School for six years. When he arrived at the Provincial No. 1 Middle School, he was still successful in his career and firmly took the position of monitor.
Although Dong Sunqi did not pass the entrance exam to the competition class, he became an honorable member of the gifted class. Currently, he is doing very well in the first grade class. His classmates all respectfully call him "Squad Leader Dong" and some call him "Big Brother Dong".
Dong Sunqi occasionally mentioned to others that the champion of the competition in the third grade of junior high school, Lin Zhixia, was his elementary school classmate. When the students in the first grade of junior high school heard about this, they all expressed their sincere admiration for him, praising his wide network, rich experience, and high-quality circle of friends.
Dong Sunqi made up his mind that he would treat Lin Zhixia and Jiang Yubai to dinner.
Noon is the peak time for dining in the cafeteria, and the place is bustling with people.
Dong Sunqi had foresight to take a seat. He, Wei Rongjie, Ding Yan, and Tang Leqin waited for about ten minutes before Jiang Yubai and Lin Zhixia arrived late.
Lin Zhixia ran towards them with her schoolbag on her back: "Sorry, we are late because our teacher kept the class open!"
Dong Sunqi said generously: "It's okay to be ten minutes late. Please give me some face and don't make a fuss about it."
Dong Sunqi's character really hasn't changed at all.
Dong Sunqi patted Ding Yan on the shoulder and said, "Come on, Ding Yan, let's go serve the dishes."
Ding Yan was Jiang Yubai's best male classmate when he was studying at Experimental Primary School. Ding Yan stood up and looked at Jiang Yubai: "Jiang Yubai, when are you free, let's go to the school gymnasium to play tennis together! Damn, my tennis skills have improved by leaps and bounds, and I'm still using the racket and tennis ball you gave me."
Jiang Yubai is not good at playing tennis.
He often hit the ball hard with his racket, sending it flying directly into the wide lawn and disappearing. This barbaric and rough way of hitting the ball was very inconsistent with his usual style. He declined, saying, "It's a bit inconvenient to carry a racket and a tennis ball to school."
Ding Yan asked tentatively: "Do you often go to the playground to hang on the horizontal bar after class?"
Jiang Yubai was silent for a few seconds.
Last week, Jiang Yubai and Shen Fuxuan made an appointment to hang on the horizontal bar at the playground for three or four days. However, they were not doing it for fun, but to prepare for the physical education test for the high school entrance examination. The men's physical education test included pull-ups, and Shen Fuxuan was still on the edge of passing, so Duan Qiyan often laughed at him for this.
Shen Fuxuan pretended not to care, but he was actually very nervous. In the Grade 3 (17) class, Shen Fuxuan and Jiang Yubai had a better relationship. Jiang Yubai usually wouldn't mock anyone casually. So, during the day-to-day "pull-up" activities, the friendship between Shen Fuxuan and Jiang Yubai was further strengthened.
Before Jiang Yubai could say anything, Lin Zhixia helped him explain: "Hanging on the horizontal bar is very important. Pull-ups are a must for boys in the physical education test for the high school entrance examination. You can practice pull-ups now, set a small goal, and practice 180 times a day..."
"One hundred and eighty pull-ups?" Ding Yan was shocked. "Is the third year of junior high school so hard?"
Jiang Yubai never showed his fear in front of Lin Zhixia. He said calmly, "It's not hard, you'll get used to it." He took out the thermos cup he carried with him every day from his schoolbag, poured out a cup of warm water, and continued, "My classmates and I often practice pull-ups during breaks. You can find me on the playground when you're free."
Jiang Yubai described pull-ups in a nonchalant tone. All the boys present looked at him with admiration. Even Lin Zhixia praised him highly, and praised him in public for his diligence and hard work, saying that he was the type of person she admired the most.
The warm water in the thermos seemed to become more delicious. Jiang Yubai drank some water and glanced at the cafeteria menu, and suddenly he had an ominous premonition.
The student cafeteria supports gatherings. At the end of last year, the cafeteria launched a series of "party packages". Dong Sunqi greeted the cafeteria lady in advance and bought two "party packages". He and Ding Yan brought the food back and placed it neatly on the table, presenting it to the students.
Jiang Yubai picked up the stainless steel bowl and carefully picked up a piece of fish tofu. He went to the Provincial No. 1 Middle School for two years and never had a meal in the student cafeteria. His uncle once said that Jiang Yubai had a picky taste, and his uncle also said: Everyone in his family is basically like this.
Jiang Yubai had to admit that the fish tofu tasted a bit salty and the rice was a bit hard. In comparison, the food in the teacher's cafeteria was more to his liking. He savored his lunch slowly, eating even slower than Lin Zhixia.
Lin Zhixia picked up a chicken leg for him: "Would you like to eat a chicken leg?"
He said subconsciously: "Thank you."
Lin Zhixia scooped a little red-braised soup with a spoon and poured it on the chicken leg she had given him. She introduced: "My mother's red-braised chicken leg is super delicious. If you have the opportunity to visit my house in the future, you must try my special red-braised chicken leg."
"No problem." Jiang Yubai agreed.
Lin Zhixia asked again: "Jiang Yubai, what do you like to eat the most? Just like how much I like strawberries."
Ding Yan interrupted, "Jiang Yubai is a picky eater."
Dong Sunqi uttered a two-tone "Ai" and then said, "Ding Yan, today we are all elementary school classmates gathered together, don't talk about Jiang Yubai like that."
The person involved, Jiang Yubai, picked up his bowl and insisted, "I'm not picky about food. Ding Yan, you don't know me. I really like eating chicken legs."
Lin Zhixia laughed out loud.
The dining table was filled with a happy atmosphere. Wei Rongjie suddenly asked Lin Zhixia: "You and Jiang Yubai will graduate from junior high school this year. Will you two go to high school at the Provincial No. 1 Middle School?"
Lin Zhixia told him frankly, "Jiang Yubai will go to school in Beijing, and I will study at the Provincial No. 1 Middle School for another year. Then, I will go to Beijing to study for my undergraduate degree. My tentative major for undergraduate study is the Department of Information Technology of the School of Mathematics. My undergraduate supervisor's research direction is artificial intelligence and quantum computing. I also want to study philosophy of mind. As for the plan for the doctoral stage, I haven't thought about it yet... But I know that as long as I do my best at every stage, the future will develop in a good direction."
Dong Sunqi took the lead in applauding her: "The first military advisor of the Earth Army is really amazing."
"Of course," Jiang Yubai continued in a low voice, "Lin Zhixia is the pride of the Earth Legion."