HUFF... PUFF...
Liu Limin led Migo, jogging all the way from the residential complex to the bus stop.
"Director, slow down! The Route 302 bus stop is right ahead!"
Migo said, trailing behind him.
Without even looking back, Liu Limin waved a hand at Migo as he picked up his pace.
"Alright, Migo, you should grab a cab back to school. You have classes this afternoon, don’t let this hold up your studies."
"Once Qin Yan graduates this year, it’ll be up to your generation to carry the banner for Sixth Middle School’s Ossai team. You’ve got a sharp mind, kid. I’m sure you’ll bring honor to our school one day!"
Migo stopped in his tracks. Though he was usually a bit of a wildcard, hearing the director place so much faith in him sent a thrill through his heart.
"Yes, sir, Director Liu!" Migo shouted in response. He turned and took two steps, but couldn’t resist calling out to Liu Limin’s retreating back.
"Director Liu, you have to poach that big shot! I want to be his schoolmate!"
Hearing this cringey, over-the-top comment, Liu Limin couldn’t help but shake his head with a smile.
This kid had none of the composure typical of a student in math and physics competitions.
Still, he really had high hopes for the boy. He had great intuition for physics, a real spark.
As long as he learned to focus a bit more, his future achievements would be limitless.
Shaking off his thoughts, Liu Limin arrived at the bus stop.
A few elderly men and women stood scattered around the platform waiting for the bus, along with a young woman listening to music on her headphones.
Liu Limin scanned the small crowd twice, but he couldn’t find Li Dong.
"That’s strange..."
Liu Limin muttered to himself.
’Did a bus just come and he’s already left?’
Liu Limin sighed in frustration.
It wasn’t really Liu Limin’s fault that he couldn’t find Li Dong.
Mainly because...
Right now, Li Dong’s favorite thing to do was stroll around town.
Just pure strolling.
Back when his grades weren’t so good, Li Dong would walk down the street with his backpack, his mind consumed with how to improve his scores.
He always kept his head down, staring at the paving stones on the ground, feeling like the very air around him was heavy.
Back then, how could he have had the peace of mind to just walk slowly?
He’d never even looked up to see what the second floors of the shops lining the street looked like.
Were they internet cafes? Pool halls? Or English tutoring centers with giant signs?
He had no idea.
But things were different now.
His grades went up, and his perspective opened up completely.
When he finally lifted the head he’d kept down for more than a decade, he was stunned to realize that the city he lived in held so many second-story views he had never seen before.
And so, Li Dong wandered aimlessly through the streets of Jiangcheng.
He watched the street vendors and the specks of light that formed on the asphalt as the sun filtered through the gaps in the large roadside trees.
With [Light and Shadow Insight], the edges of those light specks seemed to have faint diffraction fringes, beautiful with a sense of geometric and physical order.
He wasn’t thinking about anything, nor was he buying anything. He was just walking, purely enjoying this stress-free feeling of freedom, of being in control of his own life.
「Meanwhile.」
In the lounge of a graduate school entrance exam prep center somewhere in Jiangcheng.
"Teacher Yang, that’s the situation..."
On the other end of the line, Misha’s voice was tinged with worry and a mix of other emotions.
"Mm, I understand. You don’t need to worry about this. Just focus on your review and don’t let it affect you."
Old Yang offered a few words of comfort before hanging up.
He clutched his phone and let out a long sigh.
"The day has finally come."
Of course, Old Yang knew about Jiangcheng Second Middle School’s media blitz, how they were touting their "dominance over the competition" and twisting the narrative to steal the spotlight.
When he saw the news yesterday, Old Yang had actually gone to find the physics team leader, Zheng Hua.
In Zheng Hua’s office, Old Yang had lost his temper—a rare occurrence.
"Old Zheng, are we just going to stand by and watch Second Middle School steal the honor that belongs to our student?"
"Even if Li Dong himself doesn’t mind, or maybe hasn’t even seen the news, shouldn’t we, as his teachers and his school, stand up and speak out for him?"
At the time, Zheng Hua had been sitting in his office chair, his face a mask of frustration. His reply, however, had made Old Yang’s heart sink.
"Old Yang, you think I don’t want to speak out? Principal Wang was so angry yesterday he smashed a cup in his office!"
Zheng Hua said bitterly.
"But what’s the use of speaking out? We issue a statement now saying Second Middle School is faking it, that our Seventh Middle School’s Li Dong is the real number one... Do you think the parents and media in Jiangcheng are going to believe Seventh Middle School, with its perennially rock-bottom university acceptance rate, or the consistently top-ranked Second Middle School?"
"In this society, when the weak try to set the record straight, people often see it as just chasing clout."
"Without absolute strength and credibility, no matter how loud you shout, others will just think you’re making a scene for no reason."
Old Yang had been silent for a long time after that.
He had been teaching at Seventh Middle School for nearly ten years. He knew better than anyone what kind of reputation and standing Seventh Middle School had in Jiangcheng’s education circle.
He just shook his head, feeling a deep sense of injustice on Li Dong’s behalf.
Now, after receiving Misha’s call, Old Yang knew Jiangcheng Sixth Middle School was making its move.
In the past, Old Yang might have stayed out of it, leaving the choice entirely up to the student.
But now, things were different.
’Looks like... I’ll have to personally persuade Li Dong to go to Sixth Middle School.’
A look of determination flashed in Old Yang’s eyes.
Seventh Middle School’s weakness and lack of resources were only one reason he would advise Li Dong to leave.
The second, deeper reason was because of him—Yang Shengguo.
Old Yang was all too aware of the terrifying potential Li Dong was now displaying.
Whether it was his logical deductions in mathematics or that unreasonable intuition he had in physics.
As long as this kid got into a top university, he would surely have a smooth path through graduation, then a master’s, and a doctorate.
Eventually, he would step into the world of academic research.
And the academic circles in this country... the waters run deep.
In that world, talent is important, of course.
But sometimes, two other things are valued even more: background and academic lineage.
What school of thought do you belong to? Who was your advisor? Which faction are you part of?
These invisible labels often determine how much research funding you can get, whether your papers can be successfully published in core journals, and whether you’ll be inexplicably stonewalled when it’s time for a promotion.
Ten years ago at Beijing Normal University, he, Yang Shengguo, had been a legendary figure in his own right.
His advisor back then, while not a titan of the mathematics world, was still a pillar of the field. His former students were spread throughout all the major universities.
If Li Dong really entered that circle in the future, and people found out that his formative mentor in high school was Yang Shengguo from the old days at Capital University...
Hmph.
Old Yang sneered.
Those "old acquaintances" of his, to prevent him from making a comeback on the coattails of a brilliant student, would absolutely not hesitate to use their resources to throw a wrench in Li Dong’s academic career.
’This child belongs to the vast, starry sky. I can’t let my own selfishness and past grudges become a stumbling block as he prepares for takeoff.’
Old Yang secretly made his decision.
’Letting Sixth Middle School be Li Dong’s alma mater, letting its famous teachers be the ones to endorse his resume—that is the best way to protect him.’
Just as Old Yang was staring blankly out the window, the door to the lounge was pushed open.
Lu Yao walked in, holding a book of graduate school entrance exam practice questions. She was about to ask a question when she noticed Teacher Yang sitting in his chair, lost in a daze.
"Teacher Yang, what’s wrong? Are you not feeling well?"
Lu Yao asked with concern.
Old Yang snapped back to reality and shook his head.
"It’s nothing. I’m just a bit tired, I’ll be fine after a little rest."
He looked at Lu Yao, and something suddenly occurred to him.
"By the way, Lu Yao, I remember you went to Jiangcheng Sixth Middle School for high school, right?"
Lu Yao paused for a moment, then nodded.
"Yes, I graduated from Sixth Middle School. Why do you ask, Teacher Yang?"
Old Yang asked.
"Then do you know Liu Limin? The physics teacher from your Sixth Middle School."
"Teacher Liu? Of course I know him!" Lu Yao smiled.
"He was our physics teacher for my year. Now he’s the Director of Instruction and head of the physics department at Sixth Middle School. He looked out for me back then."
Old Yang’s eyes lit up.
"Then do you have his phone number?"
Lu Yao was a little curious. Why would a math teacher from Seventh Middle School want the phone number of the Director of Instruction from Sixth Middle School? But she didn’t ask, immediately pulling out her phone to search for it.
"I do. I used to be the physics class representative, so I’ve kept his number saved all this time. I’ll read it to you, it’s 138..."
Old Yang took out his phone and quickly saved the number.
"You go on with your reading. I’m going to step out and make a call."
「Two hours later.」
Li Dong finally ended his long and pure City Walk.
’Strolling around is great and all, but my legs are a little sore...’
As Li Dong reached his front door, he fumbled for his keys while pondering a question in his mind: should he do a few math problems to relax?
Jiang Yizhou: ...
Liu Liang: ...
Relax by doing math problems? What the hell!
But that was genuinely what Li Dong was thinking right now.
He was in desperate need of something challenging to massage his cerebral cortex.
’What kind of problems should I do?’
’Pure number theory is a bit dry. I should find some math problems that lean more toward physics applications.’
Li Dong searched through his mind...
’I’ve got it!’
’I’ll derive the Chern number calculation in topological insulator theory!’
This thing uses the Gauss-Bonnet theorem to calculate the Berry curvature integral over the Brillouin zone. Not only is it topologically beautiful, but it’s also the core mathematical tool for explaining the quantum Hall effect.
’Using geometric topology to explain the quantization of physical phenomena... just thinking about it is a total mind-gasm. It’s so therapeutic!’
Li Dong blissfully contemplated the integration path of the Berry connection as he subconsciously inserted the key into the lock.
"Mom, I’m ho—"
Li Dong called out as he pushed the door open.
However, the moment he looked up, he froze in the entryway.
’What is this situation?’
His mom was serving fruit, which was normal.
What wasn’t normal was... isn’t that Old Yang sitting on the sofa?
And sitting next to him was a man with a receding hairline.
Li Dong had just seen this person two hours ago.
The Director of Instruction from Jiangcheng Sixth Middle School, Liu Limin.
Li Dong looked at Old Yang, then at Liu Limin, then at his mom who was enthusiastically entertaining their guests.
He rubbed his eyes. The Chern numbers and Berry curvatures in his brain instantly shattered into a million pieces.
"Hold on..."
’I just went out for a little stroll. What is this crazy crossover episode?’

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