Halfway through steaming the buns, Chu Tingwu and the other two were ushered out. However, the staff's attitude was extremely courteous. They didn't even need to fetch their own meals; the staff insisted on bringing the food to their table and even gave a detailed introduction.
Shao Lingwu's emotional intelligence kicked in: "Probably worried you'd broadcast something unfavorable, huh? But you can actually tell if the ingredients are fresh just by looking through the bun skin? That's amazing. Feels like we're going to have a lot of good food during this winter camp!"
Chu Tingwu: "Hmm..."
"Not by looking," Zhou Qiang refuted, "Definitely by smelling."
Chu Tingwu: "Don't you guys think it's a bit strange?"
Shao Lingwu: "What's strange about it? There are some really talented people in the world. You can't just dismiss them because you can't do what they do!"
—They generally refer to such people as geniuses.
The three of them focused on eating. Zhou Qiang even went to get an ice cream. The restaurant was getting more and more crowded.
Today was the registration day, and tomorrow classes would officially begin... Since some students might struggle with daily life tasks, parents were allowed to help set up their rooms on registration day, but from tomorrow on, parents wouldn't be allowed in.
While eating, they overheard a parent across from them repeatedly advising their child: "Separate your socks from your clothes when washing," "Set an alarm in the morning," "Even on breaks, don't wander off; stay in the camp." The child nodded randomly, not showing whether they were listening or not.
The parent seemed to have given up, then suddenly fixed their gaze on Zhou Qiang.
Zhou Qiang actually had a very gentle appearance, with long flowing hair, looking like a kind older sister next door. And right now, she was eating an ice cream, so it was completely unnoticeable... that when she wasn't eating, her face was usually expressionless.
The parent grabbed Zhou Qiang's arm: "Classmate, hello."
Zhou Qiang: "?"
"Classmate, could we discuss something?" the parent said, "This is my son. Could you please take care of him? Help him wash his clothes, he doesn't know how to do it himself. And make sure he doesn't play games. I'm really worried he'll get his hands on a phone and stop studying. I'll pay you—"
Zhou Qiang: "Bank account number."
The parent: "Huh?"
Zhou Qiang: "Give me your bank account number. I'll transfer you two dollars. You can leave now."
The parent: "..."
The parent was about to get angry, but the "son" next to them actually heard this time and burst out laughing.
The staff seemed to sense something was off and came over to separate them. Chu Tingwu and the others moved their trays to a window seat, where they could still enjoy the view of the sailboat training outside.
Shao Lingwu looked around: "We laughed, sure... but how could he laugh?"
Although the parent's behavior was ridiculous, it was for his own good, and the son didn't even try to stop them.
Zhou Qiang: "Hmm?"
What's so funny about that?
However, Shao Lingwu secretly decided to stay away from this "son."
But when they returned to their dorm, they found the "son" lying on the bed playing games. Shao Lingwu was silent.
He hadn't even taken off his shoes.
Shao Lingwu: "?"
He stepped back into the corridor, grabbing Chu Tingwu, who hadn't left yet: "Can I stay with you guys?"
No.
Chu Tingwu and Zhou Qiang accompanied him to find the staff. The staff was a bit helpless: "We can't just change rooms because a student wants to. If everyone wanted to switch, it would get chaotic—"
Chu Tingwu raised her hand: "He's allergic."
The staff: "Huh?"
Shao Lingwu: "Huh? ...Huh! Right!"
So what was he allergic to again?
Chu Tingwu: "He's allergic to the smell of dirty socks. If his roommate is too unclean, he might have an allergic reaction and end up in the hospital, unable to continue the winter camp."
Shao Lingwu: "..." This, was it really that serious? He actually still wanted to attend the winter camp; he could endure it.
The staff: "Alright, fine."
After getting the new key and leaving the office, Shao Lingwu was a bit surprised: "He didn't even ask to see my medical report?"
Of course, if needed, he could get his family's hospital to provide one.
Chu Tingwu: "Because he just needed a reasonable excuse. After all, if we really got into a conflict and something happened, the staff would be in trouble."
Of course, if needed, she could also get her family's hospital to provide one.
Zhou Qiang stood between the two: "Want to check out the new dorm?"
-
The new dorm was at the other end of the corridor. The light wasn't as good as the original dorm, but the other bed was clean and tidy, with a laptop bag at the head of the bed and the luggage already stored in the wardrobe.
The new roommate wasn't there, but their toiletries were already out, and they noticed—the toothbrushes, toothpaste, and cup handles all faced the same direction.
The new roommate seemed to have a bit of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
They didn't stay long before the new roommate returned. Chu Tingwu noticed that this was the person who had been watching the sailboats on the second floor and then went to the top floor.
He had a slightly pale complexion, glanced at the three of them, and nodded as a greeting.
A bit cold, but that was fine, Shao Lingwu thought.
The roommate: "Do you know whose electric tricycle is in the parking lot?"
Shao Lingwu: "?"
The roommate: "It's stuck between a row of cars. It's just too uncomfortable. I can't stand it."
Shao Lingwu: "..."
Chu Tingwu and Zhou Qiang silently left, and Shao Lingwu grabbed them: "Wait—"
He was allergic, he was allergic to obsessive-compulsive disorder, don't leave me!
The roommate muttered: "I need to talk to the staff about this..."
Shao Lingwu: My sanity—
Chu Tingwu: "Goodbye."
-
The new roommate also surnamed Chu, named Chu Xiao, is from Ji Province.
Worried that he might "dispose" of the electric tricycle, Shao Lingwu quietly followed him when he went out.
Then they heard an announcement over the speakers, asking all students to gather in the auditorium on the third floor.
—The camp had noticed that all students had finished registering, so they decided to introduce the teachers and teaching environment before the official start of classes.
The camp's area was indeed large.
It had four floors, with a rooftop above the fourth floor. From the outside, it looked like an inverted bowl, and at the bottom of the bowl was a small botanical garden.
This session had a total of sixty-seven students, coming from all over the country. The students had diverse personalities, and in their respective hometowns, they were undoubtedly geniuses. After half a day, most of them had only met their roommates and barely remembered their names.
However, in the meeting room, there was a group that was already familiar with each other—
After listening for a while, Chu Tingwu realized they must have competed against each other in other competitions during their first year of high school. Former rivals had now become acquaintances.
Most of the students were holding tablets or phones, standing or sitting in the meeting room, not talking, maintaining a silent atmosphere.
Until Shao Lingwu and Chu Xiao entered.
Although Shao Lingwu didn't speak loudly, the room was so quiet that his voice was clearly audible. He was explaining the internal mechanics of the electric tricycle to Chu Xiao, mentioning how modern electric tricycles reduce costs, expand production, and how to advertise for effective operation.
Chu Xiao's expression looked even paler.
He silently walked to the last row, where Chu Tingwu and Zhou Qiang were sitting.
Chu Tingwu raised her phone to cover her face.
Shao Lingwu sat next to his roommate on the sofa, making a final concluding statement: "So, compared to cars that cause more pollution, I think everyone should use tricycles in such places."
—The tricycle wasn't wrong! The problem must be those cars that shouldn't be there!
Teacher Fu, who had arrived by car: "?"
He had been sitting in the last row for a while.
The third-floor meeting room was decorated in soft yellow and green tones, with two walls lined with bookshelves up to waist height, filled with fresh real flowers. The room had curved sofas and long tables placed at various angles, creating a warm and relaxing atmosphere.
He had come out from the back door after some students had arrived, as the meeting room was connected to the rest area, where he had been brewing coffee.
Upon hearing Shao Lingwu's words, he glanced at the person, successfully matching the face with the information in his mind: Oh... so it's him.
With only sixty-odd students in the entire training camp, and the number of staff surpassing that of the students, Teacher Fu naturally remembered Shao Lingwu's background—
He wasn't just good at biology.
Teacher Fu had thought he might pursue competitive mathematics, as compared to his impressive test scores, Shao Lingwu's practical skills seemed somewhat lacking. He excelled more in theoretical competitions that didn't require hands-on work.
If other competitions could be conquered through hard work, mathematics competitions were truly a realm only for geniuses. Teacher Fu felt a bit of regret, but of course, they wouldn't push away a talented student.
He also recalled Chu Xiao beside him.
Chu Xiao had actually won a national award in the information science competition during his first year of high school, joining the national team, and was set for a smooth path ahead. Yet, he had unexpectedly withdrawn, turning down offers of guaranteed admission and other schools' invitations, simply because: "Information technology isn't what I imagined."
After that, he began studying competitive biology and participated in several provincial competitions, quickly standing out once again and earning an invitation to the winter camp in Sang City.
Teacher Fu's gaze shifted, noticing Chu Tingwu and Zhou Qiang both staring out the window, occasionally leaning in to glance at their phone screens.
Teacher Fu: "?"
Right, these two...
He had a particularly strong impression of Chu Tingwu.
Compared to the others, Chu Tingwu was undoubtedly a "relationship student." Her written test scores were far from passing the first round of their evaluation, but her experimental results were somewhat impressive, barely keeping up with the pace... Then Teacher Fu saw Chu Tingwu's profile.
Teacher Fu: "I miscalculated."
This kid was probably just here for the experience.
Compared to her rich life experiences, attending a competitive winter camp might not even register as a significant event.
Zhou Qiang, on the other hand, was different.
Zhou Qiang was from Ji Province, so the Sang City base had been keeping an eye on her early on. The reason she made it into the training camp was simple:
All she had to do was consistently top the exams.
Teacher Fu remembered reviewing Zhou Qiang's papers, clean and precise, with no unnecessary steps, even her rough drafts were immaculate. He had also proctored her during a competition, watching her emotionlessly finish the test, then meticulously review every question from start to finish before submitting.
She was the epitome of the ideal student in the teachers' eyes, even possessing an exceptionally stable temperament. Teacher Fu had high hopes for her.
After mentally reviewing the backgrounds of these four seated together, Teacher Fu noticed—
Why were Shao Lingwu and Chu Xiao also looking out the window?
He turned his head: "What's that white dot by the sea?"
Chu Tingwu: "Oh, that's my released drone."
After all, there was a live broadcast requirement, so she had the system handle it for now.
-
Teacher Fu's movements as he stepped onto the podium seemed slightly fatigued, but the coffee aroma he left behind roused the other students.
He took a sip of coffee and perked up:
"Let's skip the self-introduction round, as by the end of the winter camp, there may not be as many of you left."
Everyone seemed to truly wake up now, their eyes focused and intent.
Teacher Fu surveyed the room:
"I know that all of you are true geniuses in your own small worlds, and you've certainly thought about joining the national team, competing in the Olympics..."
Shao Lingwu: "Ah?"
Chu Tingwu: "…Huh?"
Zhou Qiang propped her chin on one hand, seemingly engrossed or perhaps just spacing out.
Chu Xiao, meanwhile, stared at the line where the floor met the corner of the long table: it was crooked, the table legs were off, and it was just a few degrees out of alignment.
After enduring for a while, he began quietly pushing the table.
Teacher Fu: "Our time is limited, so the learning intensity will naturally be high. You might think you're here for intensive training, but let me tell you, we won't help students who fall behind—if you can't keep up in class, you'll have to catch up on your own after school... Over the years, many students have chosen to withdraw on their own."
He paused, hearing a slight noise.
It wasn't chatter or discussion, but the sound of Chu Xiao pushing the table, causing friction with the floor.
He looked over just as Chu Tingwu subtly leaned sideways, lifting the underside of the wooden table with one hand, and placing it back perfectly in its original position.
Chu Xiao looked down and saw the table corner perfectly aligned with the floor gap.
He: "…"
He: "!"
He looked at Chu Tingwu, his eyes bright.
Teacher Fu: "=="
Well, it seemed that even if someone couldn't keep up in class, there were others willing to help them catch up.
He left the four at the back alone, continuing to explain the winter camp's schedule via the projector: lectures, seminars, exams, practicals, experiments, dissections, papers… Besides the seemingly endless academic content, there were also activity classes for over half a month, and a day off every ten days.
Moreover, Teacher Fu's mention of "heavy academic tasks" was actually only referring to morning classes, with afternoons left for self-study.
Some were dissatisfied: "Half a day enough?"
Teacher Fu: "If you feel it's not enough, you can spend the afternoon practicing problems."
In reality, educational resources varied across provinces and schools, and some schools, due to lack of resources, required students to search for materials themselves, exchange learning resources, and later manage their own studies, obsessively practicing problems—for these students, the Sang City winter camp was an excellent place for improvement, as a vast array of past exam questions, analyses, and electronic courses could be found in the camp's information room.
If students felt it wasn't enough, they could fully utilize their free time, and the teachers wouldn't interfere.
He answered a few more questions, and while everyone had been quiet before, when it came to inquiries, most were quite active, showing they had their own plans.
Finally, Teacher Fu left with his cold coffee, meeting Coach Yang in the corridor, and the two inevitably discussed the competition.
"Any good prospects?"
"Still just the ones I reported to you... Biology has too much rote memorization, the differences aren't that big. Everyone underestimates the lab classes. Previously, we thought some students could be invited to learn experiments with the national team as early as their first year—without multiple practices, they lack confidence in the lab."
"We can't just bury our heads in studying. We need to train them to stay sensitive to cutting-edge topics. The first month will be regular classes, the second month, those who want to can attend, since…"
Since after the national exam, there would be another round of national team training, and only four would be selected for the final list, representing the country in the Olympic arena.
Teacher Fu left, and Chu Tingwu went to the window to retrieve her released drone.
Meanwhile, after being pestered by Shao Lingwu for so long, Chu Xiao finally couldn't help but ask: "Is your family... in the electric tricycle business?"
Why did he keep talking about the prospects and benefits of electric tricycles?
Shao Lingwu had to explain the situation with "Eight-One-Nine."
Chu Xiao: "…I'm not going to smash your tricycle."
Shao Lingwu: "Really not!"
Chu Xiao: "…" What kind of impression did he give his roommate?
He just wanted to avoid it.
Shao Lingwu's curls drooped: "But you're my roommate, and Eight-One-Nine is my tricycle. I hope you two get along."
Why would he get along with a tricycle?
"No need. Just seeing your messy hair has cured my obsessive-compulsive disorder." Chu Xiao couldn't help but take a step back, repeating, "I never really had OCD, just a small habit."
Shao Lingwu: So you're most disdainful of me personally!?
Chu Tingwu was about to sneak away with Zhou Qiang when Shao Lingwu grabbed her to mediate a dispute. Although she had no idea what there was to mediate... Then Chu Xiao stopped her to thank her, although she also didn't understand what there was to thank her for... In the end, it turned into the four of them heading downstairs together to get spray paint from the staff.
—Behind them, the other students watched their backs with words on the tip of their tongues.
There was an inexplicable sense of harmony among the four, making it feel awkward to approach them. It was better not to say hello.
-
Chu Tingwu: "Left, left hand... Forget it, I'll do this side."
Shao Lingwu: "Oh, oh!"
They were spray painting a tricycle—the winter camp actually had spray paint cans, which might have been used to paint trees before, as there was no strong odor.
Shao Lingwu speculated that his roommate's obsessive-compulsive tendencies might also be related to colors. After all, surrounded by black, red, and white cars, a bright blue electric tricycle stuck out like a sore thumb.
So they could just spray it black.
Zhou Qiang: "But isn't this tricycle the one you rented?"
Shao Lingwu: "Once I named it, I decided to buy it, so I bought it!"
He emphasized: "Naming is like adopting... Chu Tingwu, you have a cat, so you should understand. Once it has a name, it's no longer just another ordinary tricycle among thousands. It becomes special!"
Chu Xiao glanced down at the license plate ending with "819"—
Where was the ordinariness? Didn't it have a license plate?
Chu Tingwu took a step back: "But I wouldn't adopt a tricycle."
"Tch..." Shao Lingwu didn't believe her. "What about the drone above our heads?"
Isn't that your 'adoption'? Are you looking down on tricycles? This one might not be any cheaper than a drone!
Chu Tingwu: That's definitely you getting scammed again.
After finishing the spray paint, it was already dark. The system controlled the drone to descend and provide light for them. Chu Xiao rubbed his temples as they walked towards the training camp's main base through the parking lot. In the distance, they could see a long walkway stretching deep into the sea, with shops on both sides that were already closed for the day.
Many online celebrity shops only operate during the peak season, and during the off-season, they might not open all day. So now, the shadows of the buildings fell on the ground, and the sea waves lapped against the slope below the walkway, with only a few lights still on.
But the weather was nice here, with plenty of greenery and far from the main city, allowing them to see the stars shining brightly. The starlight reflected on the sea surface, creating ripples of fragmented light.
The night sea breeze was stronger. Zhou Qiang tucked her hair into her jacket so it wouldn't blow onto her face, but from behind, her head still looked like a puffed-up jellyfish.
Chu Tingwu stood very steadily. As the waves came in one after another, she could not only sense the frequency of the waves but also the wind pressure around her, using it to predict the weather soon. Maybe tomorrow would be a good day to go out to sea?
If she boarded a boat, would her overly sensitive senses make her seasick, or could she rely on her sharp intuition to detect large approaching creatures from the boat?
...She stared at the sea not far away, feeling a restless, swelling sensation in her heart.
"Plop"
It wasn't her heartbeat, but the sound of something falling into the water.
The sound came from the beach. The drone raised its altitude, and Chu Tingwu poked the others who were walking with their heads down, saying, "I heard a sound. Let's go check it out."
She took two steps forward and found that the three of them had followed. Of course, Chu Xiao was staring at the sand beneath his feet with a look of hesitation.
Chu Tingwu: "......?"
Shao Lingwu: "Hurry up, the wind is too strong."
His eyes were almost blown shut.
Fortunately, the drone provided light, so Chu Tingwu wasn't worried. At least the others wouldn't trip. Then, within the light circle cast by the drone, a white single-person sailboat slowly appeared.
The sea pushed it onto the beach, like a stranded whale. There was no one on the boat. The wind howled, and the drone's bright white light circled around the sailboat, while the areas not illuminated were even darker.
...It felt like the beginning of a horror movie.
Chu Xiao: "Should we call the police?"
Zhou Qiang: "I saw a lifeguard phone number on the wall earlier. Let's call the lifeguards."
Although the drone only swept past briefly, memorizing a string of random numbers was easy for her.
While the two were handling the call, Chu Tingwu could hear swimming sounds from farther away, guessing that the person who had capsized was swimming towards them and wasn't in a rush. Shao Lingwu squatted down, staring at the sailboat thoughtfully:
"I see adoption information!"
There was not only a number on the metal plate but also the name and contact information of the boat's owner.
Chu Tingwu kicked him: "That's the license plate."
I already told you, not everyone adopts vehicles!
