The league matches were scheduled for mid-October Sundays.
Unlike the preliminaries, the league was divided into first and second rounds.
The first round began at eight in the morning. To ensure they wouldn't miss their daughter's match, Ji Mochen and his wife arrived nearby a day early.
The house was the same one Ji Moting and Ji Moyi had stayed in when they competed. Later, their children stayed there for competitions too.
Originally, Ji Mochen and his wife wanted to buy their own place, but considering the house had been occupied by two gold medalists and three top ten national players, they decided against it out of respect for the mysterious Feng Shui of the place.
In deference to Eastern mysticism, they abandoned the idea. If not for Ji Ruochu's objection, Ji Mochen even considered having his elder and third brothers give their daughter some last-minute pointers before the exam.
It wasn't that he thought they could still influence the outcome; it was more about seeking good luck.
But Ji Ruochu's way of stopping her father's superstition wasn't out of disrespect for mystical forces, it was just that the league was happening now.
If she made it to the national training team later on, it wouldn't hurt to have their two academic stars at home provide some extra help.
On the night before the exam, Ji Ruochu fell asleep as usual by ten o'clock.
But Ji Mochen and his wife were different. They knew they were unreliable, so they hardly slept a wink, fearing they might oversleep and make their daughter late for the exam.
Of course, this worry was entirely unnecessary because the next morning, Ji Ruochu's timely internal clock had her wide awake a split second before the alarm went off.
As she finished getting ready and pushed open the door —
"Mom, Dad, what's with your..."
Seeing her parents sitting at the dining table, Ji Ruochu was momentarily stunned.
Her father, Ji Mochen, was dressed in a dark suit, his tie neatly knotted.
And then there was Ling Chujin, in a white ankle-length dress, her hair elegantly coiled up.
The way her parents were dressed indicated just how seriously they were taking Ji Ruochu's competition. For those who didn't know, it might seem like they were off to some formal event.
With this thought in mind, Ji Ruochu voiced her question, only to receive unanimous head shakes from her parents.
"What event could possibly be important enough for us to attend on the day of your competition?" Ling Chujin took out a small mirror and checked her makeup.
Hmm, very good, she had concealed yesterday's dark circles well.
"Exactly, forget about events, even if it were your grandfather's ninetieth birthday celebration, it would have to be postponed," Ji Mochen added solemnly.
Ji Ruochu:...
"What's wrong, sweetie? Do you think Mom and I dressing like this will embarrass you?" The couple grew anxious.
"I'm sorry, Ruochu. Mom and Dad have never attended a competition before, so we don't know what parents should wear when they send their children off to compete. You go ahead and eat; your father and I will go change—"
"No need." Ji Ruochu chuckled at the uneasy expression on her parents' faces and softened her gaze. "You both look very nice, very formal."
Upon hearing this, the couple immediately breathed a sigh of relief, then hurriedly invited their daughter to sit down for breakfast.
At seven twenty, the family of three left the house. Ji Ruochu had initially been dressed in regular sports attire, but upon seeing her parents so dressed up, she went back inside and changed into a knee-length beige skirt.
Even without makeup, her originally very outstanding features made her appear even more naturally cold.
On the way, the couple seemed more nervous than Ji Ruochu, who was participating in the competition. They stood up straight.
"Daughter, don't be nervous, it's just an exam, write however you want to write, don't have any psychological burden, it's just an exam..."
Listening to her father's third round of words, Ji Ruochu smiled again and reached out to pat the hands of the nervous couple.
Her voice was light, but very calm: "Mom, Dad, don't be nervous, it's just a competition, trust me."
The couple were taken aback, and then looked at their daughter seriously, realizing that she not only showed no signs of nervousness, but also had a hint of confidence in her eyes.
"The math competition questions, I have been practicing for three years, starting from sixth grade until now, I am familiar with the past years' questions and solution methods, are you so nervous because... you think my efforts over the past three years are not enough?"
"How could it be!" the couple said in unison, "Dad/Mom naturally believe in you!"
"Then that's fine, right?" the girl tilted her head, playfully blinked, "I'll go to the nearby mall later, wait for my good news."
...
When Ji Ruochu entered the school gate with the exam essentials, the couple were no longer as nervous as before, but still stood straight at the school gate.
Not only them, but also several familiar faces of the parents from the original Class 1.
"Ruochu!" Jiang Zhi, who had arrived first, happily waved at her.
"Why are you so slow!" Qi Yibin complained while handing out mineral water to two friends.
"Zhi Yuan is at another campus, he will come to find us after the exam, let's go around nearby in the afternoon..." Jiang Zhi said while solving a Rubik's cube.
"I'm not going, playing with toys is a waste of time." Qi Yibin pouted.
"...Oh right, almost forgot about you." The boy paused while solving the Rubik's cube, then sighed in relief, "It's your own choice not to go, don't blame us for isolating you later."
"!!" Qi Yibin was so angry that his hair stood up, "Give me back my water!"
Ji Ruochu:...
To be honest, you guys seem a bit brainless and unhappy.
"Why are you laughing?"
"I'm laughing..." in the morning light, the girl's eyes were full of laughter, "It's finally time to see the results of my hard work!"
After so many years of effort and struggle, it was finally time to see the results.
Just don't know how far she can go this time.
The competition? Winter camp? National team? Or... IMO?
Looking at the banner at the competition venue, Ji Ruochu smiled silently.
Let's see the real deal, the Olympic competition!
[Volume 2: Ji Ruochu's Struggle Period - Complete]
