Year 4 .

Half a semester had pa.s.sed with me carefreely gaming my time away in the dorm .

I started the fourth year with 77 credits, thanks to the volunteering program .

Only 75 credits were needed to graduate so I was safe . It felt good not having to worry about retaining .

Plus, I already had to fret over my final thesis . Then again, with the Internet, it wasn't a big cause for concern .

There were three days left to the first draft submission .

As I was searching for content on the web, a pop up on the bottom right-hand corner caught my attention:  12-year-old genius with extraordinary proficiency in mathematics!

I clicked it and saw that it was Xiaoyu in the program 'The Strongest Brains' .

I put my thesis aside and started binge watching .

Her performance on the show was basically perfect and each display left the audience, including me, in awe .

Two weeks later, Xiaoyu became the strongest player of the program .

Half a year later, she represented China in international compet.i.tions .

I thought about how easy it was going to be for her to defeat her compet.i.tors .

It seemed that what I had done half a year ago was good after all, as evident from that prideful smile on her face .

Fast forward half a year .

I graduated and started working in a company as a lowly employee .

Life was rather comfortable and I did not mind the slight overtimes .

One night at 7 PM, when I was still rus.h.i.+ng two reports, my phone rang .

It was a foreign number .

"Luqiao?"

I recognized the president's voice immediately even though he sounded older and frailer .

"Yes . Are you the president?" I asked .

"Sorry to disturb you now, but I don't have long to live . "

"What do you mean?" I asked in doubt .

"Late stage cancer . Few months left . I called you because I'm worried about Xiaoyu . "

"Isn't she doing great? I saw her on television . She's going to represent China in a compet.i.tion soon, isn't she?"

"It's not her achievements that I'm worried about, but her original aspiration . Do you remember her goal?"

"To solve the seven questions? To unravel the secret behind numbers?" I answered .

"It seems like she's distracted right now, and also somewhat rebellious . I hope you'll bring her back on track . "

"What do you want me to do? Isn't she doing great now?"

"Her talent's been exploited by an entertainment program . Is that really a good thing? Haven't you noticed that she's been displaying the same few skills that she'd learned previously? She's not progressing at all . I don't know if she's still improving her math . I hope you can make a trip to Beijing to check on her . Come back if I've been worrying for nothing . Otherwise, please bring her back on track . "

"Alright, she's in Beijing now?" 

"She's only 13 and I can't hold on much longer . If possible, please help me look after her, at least until she turns 18 . "

"But I have my own things to do . . . " 

"I've been saving money for the past decade, and I can give all of them to you . That's about 3,000,000 . I'll get you a ticket to Beijing and send you the address of the broadcasting station . She'll still be recording for The Strongest Brains so go ask about her situation and judge for yourself . "

"I'll try my best to guide her if she's on the wrong track, but at the end of the day, I can't really change the way she thinks even if she's still a child . "

The line disconnected and I received a message shortly after .

It was information about the plane ticket .  

A message containing an address came in seconds later .

I hadn't expected them to use the personal details I had provided before starting work at the inst.i.tution .

Without a choice, I called my boss and requested a five-day leave .

I headed for Beijing the next day .

Things went smoothly and I arrived at the broadcasting station safely .

There were many posters of Xiaoyu hanging outside the building on both sides .

"Undefeatable War G.o.d . "

"Victor in all 24 episodes, Xiaoyu the Devil King!"

These posters could be seen everywhere, which made me realize how popular and well-liked Xiaoyu had become .

I was about to enter the main hall but I was stopped by the security guards .

"Work pa.s.s?"

"I'm Xiaoyu's friend . Please let me in . "

"Friend? They're all her friends," he sneered, pointing at a bunch of people in tents not far away from the building .

"They're crazy fans, wow, but I really am her friend," I tried explaining .

"No pa.s.s, no talk," he said firmly .

I felt annoyed by the fact that the president had prepared so much for this trip yet neglected to give me Xiaoyu's contact number .

I walked to a side and gave him a call .

The line connected a long while later, but the person on the other end was a nurse .

"Hi, how may I help you?" she asked .

I could somewhat remember that voice but I wasn't able to point out who it was exactly .

"Where's the president?"

"He's in critical condition so he was taken to the hospital yesterday . We found him too late, however, and he's unconscious in the emergency ward right now," she relayed .

"Why is his phone with you?"

"He was sent away in a rush and his phone dropped out of his pocket so we placed it in the nurses' resting room and I happened to be around when you called . "

My first thought was the 3,000,000 that he promised .

"Did he mention anything about me?" I asked .

"Sorry, you are?"

Oh, right .

"Luqiao," I supplied .

"I heard him talking about a letter he left for Xiaoyu . It's on the table . As for you, nope . "

I hung up, more or less convinced that the president wasn't going to make it .

Who was going to take care of Xiaoyu?

I remembered seeing a rich man visit before I left the inst.i.tution that year .

Could he be the one that had been supporting Xiaoyu?

There was nothing I could do except to wait for her to appear .

Time pa.s.sed and a chance finally came .

A luxurious black car drove over, alerting everyone around .

The fans rushed out of their tents, quickly sandwiching me and obstructing traffic .

They were all calling her name and I stood out like a sore thumb .

Rows of guards emerged to form a barrier between the car and the crowd .

Xiaoyu exited the main hall and the whole place erupted in cheers .

I waved vigorously . "Xiaoyu, it's me, Luqiao!"

She saw me, to my surprise .

She stopped and pointed at me, and the guards instantly paved a way for me .

"What are you doing here?" she asked, smiling .

"I'm here to see you," I answered simply .

She pointed at the car and grinned . "Get in, I'll bring you to have some good food . "

"Sure," I agreed, somewhat at a loss .

She grabbed onto my arm and pulled me over to the car .

A reporter dashed over and pointed his camera at us .

He panted a little before asking, "May I know who this is, Miss Xiaoyu?"

I stood awkwardly as she answered, "You've seen how I won every time in the compet.i.tion, right? He's the only person I've ever lost to . His name is Luqiao . "

The crowd went wild .

Year 4 . Half a semester had pa.s.sed with me carefreely gaming my time away in the dorm . I started the fourth year with 77 credits, thanks to the volunteering program . Only 75 credits were needed to graduate so I was safe . It felt good not having to worry about retaining . Plus, I already had to fret over my final thesis . Then again, with the Internet, it wasn 39 t a big cause for concern . There were three days left to the first draft submission . As I was searching for content on the web, a pop up on the bottom right hand corner caught my attention 12 year old genius with extraordinary proficiency in mathematics I clicked it and saw that it was Xiaoyu in the program 39 The Strongest Brains 39 . I put my thesis aside and started binge watching . Her performance on the show was basically perfect and each display left the audience, including me, in awe . Two weeks later, Xiaoyu became the strongest player of the program . Half a year later, she represented China in international compet.i.tions . I thought about how easy it was going to be for her to defeat her compet.i.tors . It seemed that what I had done half a year ago was good after all, as evident from that prideful smile on her face . Fast forward half a year . I graduated and started working in a company as a lowly employee . Life was rather comfortable and I did not mind the slight overtimes . One night at 7 PM, when I was still rus.h.i.+ng two reports, my phone rang . It was a foreign number . Luqiao I recognized the president 39 s voice immediately even though he sounded older and frailer . Yes . Are you the president I asked . Sorry to disturb you now, but I don 39 t have long to live . What do you mean I asked in doubt . Late stage cancer . Few months left . I called you because I 39 m worried about Xiaoyu . Isn 39 t she doing great I saw her on television . She 39 s going to represent China in a compet.i.tion soon, isn 39 t she It 39 s not her achievements that I 39 m worried about, but her original aspiration . Do you remember her goal To solve the seven questions To unravel the secret behind numbers I answered . It seems like she 39 s distracted right now, and also somewhat rebellious . I hope you 39 ll bring her back on track . What do you want me to do Isn 39 t she doing great now Her talent 39 s been exploited by an entertainment program . Is that really a good thing Haven 39 t you noticed that she 39 s been displaying the same few skills that she 39 d learned previously She 39 s not progressing at all . I don 39 t know if she 39 s still improving her math . I hope you can make a trip to Beijing to check on her . Come back if I 39 ve been worrying for nothing . Otherwise, please bring her back on track . Alright, she 39 s in Beijing now She 39 s only 13 and I can 39 t hold on much longer . If possible, please help me look after her, at least until she turns 18 . But I have my own things to do . . . I 39 ve been saving money for the past decade, and I can give all of them to you . That 39 s about 3,000,000 . I 39 ll get you a ticket to Beijing and send you the address of the broadcasting station . She 39 ll still be recording for The Strongest Brains so go ask about her situation and judge for yourself . I 39 ll try my best to guide her if she 39 s on the wrong track, but at the end of the day, I can 39 t really change the way she thinks even if she 39 s still a child . The line disconnected and I received a message shortly after . It was information about the plane ticket . A message containing an address came in seconds later . I hadn 39 t expected them to use the personal details I had provided before starting work at the inst.i.tution . Without a choice, I called my boss and requested a five day leave . I headed for Beijing the next day . . . . Things went smoothly and I arrived at the broadcasting station safely . There were many posters of Xiaoyu hanging outside the building on both sides . Undefeatable War G.o.d . Victor in all 24 episodes, Xiaoyu the Devil King These posters could be seen everywhere, which made me realize how popular and well liked Xiaoyu had become . I was about to enter the main hall but I was stopped by the security guards . Work pa.s.s I 39 m Xiaoyu 39 s friend . Please let me in . Friend They 39 re all her friends, he sneered, pointing at a bunch of people in tents not far away from the building . They 39 re crazy fans, wow, but I really am her friend, I tried explaining . No pa.s.s, no talk, he said firmly . I felt annoyed by the fact that the president had prepared so much for this trip yet neglected to give me Xiaoyu 39 s contact number . I walked to a side and gave him a call . The line connected a long while later, but the person on the other end was a nurse . Hi, how may I help you she asked . I could somewhat remember that voice but I wasn 39 t able to point out who it was exactly . Where 39 s the president He 39 s in critical condition so he was taken to the hospital yesterday . We found him too late, however, and he 39 s unconscious in the emergency ward right now, she relayed . Why is his phone with you He was sent away in a rush and his phone dropped out of his pocket so we placed it in the nurses 39 resting room and I happened to be around when you called . My first thought was the 3,000,000 that he promised . Did he mention anything about me I asked . Sorry, you are Oh, right . Luqiao, I supplied . I heard him talking about a letter he left for Xiaoyu . It 39 s on the table . As for you, nope . I hung up, more or less convinced that the president wasn 39 t going to make it . Who was going to take care of Xiaoyu I remembered seeing a rich man visit before I left the inst.i.tution that year . Could he be the one that had been supporting Xiaoyu There was nothing I could do except to wait for her to appear . Time pa.s.sed and a chance finally came . A luxurious black car drove over, alerting everyone around . The fans rushed out of their tents, quickly sandwiching me and obstructing traffic . They were all calling her name and I stood out like a sore thumb . Rows of guards emerged to form a barrier between the car and the crowd . Xiaoyu exited the main hall and the whole place erupted in cheers . I waved vigorously . Xiaoyu, it 39 s me, Luqiao She saw me, to my surprise . She stopped and pointed at me, and the guards instantly paved a way for me . What are you doing here she asked, smiling . I 39 m here to see you, I answered simply . She pointed at the car and grinned . Get in, I 39 ll bring you to have some good food . Sure, I agreed, somewhat at a loss . She grabbed onto my arm and pulled me over to the car . A reporter dashed over and pointed his camera at us . He panted a little before asking, May I know who this is, Miss Xiaoyu I stood awkwardly as she answered, You 39 ve seen how I won every time in the compet.i.tion, right He 39 s the only person I 39 ve ever lost to . His name is Luqiao . The crowd went wild .