Super God-Level Top Student

"Eh? You guys figured it out?"

"Mmm… because the ringtone for your dad's calls is different from everyone else's."

"Ah! You noticed that? Hmph… Actually, your ringtone is also different, but you never call."

"We're so close, there's no need to call, right?"

"Alright, you've got a point! So, when summer vacation comes and if I go back home, we'll be far apart, you'll definitely call me then, won't you?"

"Mmm… sure." Qiao Ze nodded.

Making a phone call wasn't a big deal.

"Yay!" Su Mucheng cheerfully put out two fingers, making a cute gesture.

Then, as she lowered her hand, she casually and shamelessly hooked her arm through Qiao Ze's.

Qiao Ze instinctively tried to pull away, but the girl held on tightly, and he couldn't break free…

Well, after all, Lu Xiuxiu used to hook arms with him like this all the time.

Forget it, just let her be, Qiao Ze thought to himself.

But are girls really this strong?

Seeing that Qiao Ze had relaxed, Su Mucheng secretly flashed a smile, then slowly walked along, savoring the rare tranquility.

The school had many trees, and the sound of cicadas in early summer had already started to rise, with the frogs by the water also joining in with their croaking, which usually Mucheng would find noisy, but today everything seemed just right...

Right, and not to forget to thank the school for being stingy with the electricity bill, specially using dim yellow lights to create a romantic ambiance.

"Qiao Ze, my dad said he's staying in Xilin for another two days, and knowing that you're my best sick buddy, he'd like to have dinner with you tomorrow, is that okay?"

Feeling that everything was perfect, Su Mucheng finally voiced the reason she'd called Qiao Ze out.

"Mmm, sure." Qiao Ze replied succinctly.

It was just a dinner, he didn't overthink it.

Qiao Ze's straightforwardness took Su Mucheng by surprise.

She had thought Qiao Ze would have reservations and wouldn't want to go...

On the way back to school, she had thought up a bunch of reasons, taxing her brain cells for nothing.

"Eh? Why did you agree so readily? You know I mean having dinner with my dad, right?"

"Hm? Is there something I should be especially concerned about when having dinner with your dad?"

"No?"

"Then that settles it, so why wouldn't I agree to have dinner? After all, I have to eat anyway." Qiao Ze gave Su Mucheng a somewhat puzzled look, his logic simple and straightforward.

The girl blinked, and then nodded vigorously with a beaming smile, "That makes sense! It's just a dinner after all! Maybe we'll be having dinner together often in the future. Qiao, I really admire how you can think through anything logically, and still be so clear about it."

Qiao Ze pursed his lips, looked at the girl beside him, thought for a moment, and then said, "Now that the important matter is out of the way, I should take you back first."

"Oh!" Su Mucheng pouted, but then after a moment, she suddenly shook her head and said earnestly, "No, that's not right, there's still the most important thing I haven't said, I need to think about how to phrase it, and since it's still early, just past nine, let's walk around the lake one more time."

"Oh, okay!" Qiao Ze nodded.

It doesn't matter, after all, walking is not only physically beneficial, but even if someone chatters beside him, he can still contemplate his problems.

And so, half an hour later, Su Mucheng finally asked the most important question. "I've thought about it, Qiao, and the most important thing is, should we have lunch together tomorrow, or dinner?"

Qiao Ze glanced at the girl beside him and did not ask why it took so long to ask such a question; instead, he answered seriously, "It's up to you to arrange."

"Okay, then let's have lunch. Shall we meet at eight o'clock tomorrow morning?"

"Okay."

…

At the same time, Li Jiangao received a call from Zhang Chunlei.

As soon as the call was connected, the person on the other end got straight to the point. "Hey, Li, your kid has already caught the attention of Yanbei University."

"Oh, it was bound to happen sooner or later," replied Li Jiangao indifferently.

"Huh? Aren't you worried at all? Aren't you afraid they might play tricks and snatch your prized pupil away?" The tone on the other end was very skeptical.

Li Jiangao cracked a silent smile and then responded frankly. "Ah... Professor Zhang, to be honest with you, it's a shame that Qiao Ze is under my guidance. Really, I feel sorry for him every day. You don't realize just how gifted the kid is."

"I was thinking last night, if he could have a good mentor, he wouldn't even need guidance in his scholarship, just someone sincerely willing to support and protect him. In three years, at most, Qiao Ze could have the whole world trembling at his feet! But with me, a professor of limited ability, it might delay him by at least five years!"

"So, if there's really someone at Yanbei University willing to lend him a hand, I would be more than grateful. As long as Qiao Ze is willing to go, I would personally deliver him to the Capital. After all, I too am curious to see how far Qiao Ze can go once he's grown.

As for me, I'm already an associate professor anyway, so if the kid is grateful and willing to give me a hand with questions in the future, that will be enough for me."

Li Jiangao's words left the person on the other end silent for more than ten seconds.

Just as he was feeling puzzled, a long sigh finally came from the other end. "Ah, no wonder that kid insists on following you. It seems he's truly smart, able to discern who has his best interests at heart! But Jian Gao, if you put it that way, I think you are the most suitable guide for him."

"Oh? What do you mean?"

"You know how our circle is. Small achievements are fine and not worth the trouble. But if Qiao Ze were to make some earth-shattering major breakthrough while still unfledged, who in the Capital could staunchly defend him? Stuff that could make you go down in history, even I might get jealous, let alone others!"

Zhang Chunlei dropped this none-too-subtle hint.

The statement stunned Li Jian Gao.

He thought of the words Qiao Ze had said to him.

"... The problem I want to solve is the mass gap hypothesis. It won't be long before I can prove that in a compact single gauge group, there's a mass gap solution to the quantum Yang-Mills equations in a four-dimensional Euclidean space."

He had thought the kid was being a bit too fanciful before.

But now, it seemed…

At that moment, Zhang Chunlei's voice drifted over again. "Moreover, you might not even be aware yet? He's even proficient in non-commutative geometry, proficient enough to annotate doctoral theses. The kid doesn't like to show off, does he?"

Li Jian Gao was taken aback again.

He really didn't know Qiao Ze had kept such a low profile…

No, it wasn't that the kid had kept a low profile, it was he who hadn't asked.

He vaguely remembered the kid mentioning self-studying some geometry-related courses, but at the time, nobody took it seriously…

Wait, thinking of this, Li Jian Gao's expression became even more peculiar.

Because at that time, Qiao Ze had said he self-studied many subjects online by watching videos.

This…

"In any case, I just wanted to remind you, calling me about Qiao Ze was Zhang Hongcai from Yanbei International Mathematics Research Institute. My advice is, let Qiao Ze stay by your side; you don't expect anything from him, and that's the best protection for him!"

"Oh, is that so?"