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.