Chapter 63: Is This Freshman Year?

Both are very humble.

Xu Zhengyang couldn’t take it anymore, sneering, “Enough already. If you’re going to compete, wait till after military training. Besides, we’re just freshmen—what depth could you possibly have written?”

“Exactly,” Zhai Ziqiang nodded, sighing slightly. “Back when I could solve competition problems, I thought I was amazing. But after reading the materials posted by seniors, I realized I’d only learned the barest surface.”

Xu Zhengyang leaned lazily back in his chair, expression one of weary world-weariness.

“Normal. Math competitions are like orienteering, but advanced math is a marathon. Orienteering just requires running toward one goal—you can take countless paths, but you never leave the designated area.”

“A marathon is a long, continuous route. Every step reveals new scenery. Until you reach the finish line, you haven’t finished—whether you’ve run 20% or 80% makes no difference.”

Xu Qingzhou and the other two froze, all staring at Xu Zhengyang.

Gu Zhizhong nodded, turning to browse Xu Qingzhou’s paper: “I’ll keep the paper for now. I skimmed it—translation’s fine overall, but some terminology needs adjusting. Come back in a few days. Never mind.”

Read! {

“If you don’t eat it, I’m putting it away.”

In his view, translating the paper in three or four days—while also doing military training—meant Xu Qingzhou had surely pulled many all-nighters.

Xu Zhengyang sighed.

Monday, around four in the afternoon, a heavy rain arrived. The instructor announced a break in the group chat. Xu Qingzhou didn’t join Xu Zhengyang and the others for dinner; instead, he went straight to the Math Department, planning to check if Professor Gu Zhizhong was in.

“I’d find it strange if a freshman like this didn’t crush us.”

“Hehe, you heard wrong. Nothing.”

Staring at Xu Zhengyang, Xu Qingzhou gave a strange look. “Lao Xu, since when did you get so cultured?”

“What are you muttering about?”

Non-utilitarian, not rushing for results, able to sit patiently on a cold bench.

On the weekend, Xu Qingzhou finished translating the paper and carefully reviewed it again, planning to wait until he had free time before showing it to Professor Gu Zhizhong.

“Professor, here’s my paper.” Xu Qingzhou handed Gu Zhizhong a USB drive.

Gu Zhizhong was slightly surprised, taking the USB drive. “Done this fast?”

Gu Zhizhong nodded, sipped tea, and looked at his student. “So, Xiao Meng, you need some urgency. Work hard. If you get crushed by your own freshman, that’s truly embarrassing.”

Plagiarism check completed.

He handed Xu Qingzhou a slip of paper. “Leave your number—I’ll call when I’ve fixed it.”

“Freshman? Classes haven’t even started, and you’re already submitting to SCI!”

Gu Zhizhong paused, staring at the plagiarism report on screen, expression complex. He asked Xu Qingzhou: “Have you decided which journal to submit to?”

Most despairing of all: no matter how hard you push, you still can’t catch up to others.

When Xu Qingzhou arrived, the door was open. He glanced inside—two young men were hunched over desks nearby, writing. Professor Gu Zhizhong was also busy at his own desk.

Xu Qingzhou left the office, planning to head to the cafeteria for a meal.

Xu Qingzhou opened the fruit and divided it among Xu Zhengyang and the others. “Eat some fruit.”

Seeing no one ask about how many houses he owned, Xu Zhengyang sadly missed a perfect chance to show off.

“Lao Xu, these are from Song the campus beauty—really gonna share them with us?” Xu Zhengyang exaggerated his expression.

“Got it, thanks, Professor.”

!.

Outside the library, students under colorful umbrellas hurried swiftly.

“Yes, undergraduate—and most importantly, he’s a freshman,” Gu Zhizhong also sighed. Math Department, Professor’s Office.

Actually, Gu Zhizhong had already prepared to comfort Xu Qingzhou if the similarity rate was high. He held high hopes for Xu Qingzhou; though their contact was limited, he still sensed in him a steadiness unlike other young people—a quality essential for scholarly work.

Xu Qingzhou took a deep breath, as if seeing his former self. Many teachers had said university would be easy. In truth, especially at a school like Jingda, the competition was fiercer than high school.

Gu Zhizhong smiled and shook his head, taking the phone number. “You’ve been busy lately. Go rest well. Young people should pay more attention to their health.”

The boy’s face was stunned—he felt crushed. Are freshmen this impressive now?!

“Alright, thank you, Professor Gu.” Xu Qingzhou nodded and left his phone number.

Xu Qingzhou sighed deeply. “You don’t understand. I just see her as a little sister.”

Next door, the boy looked up at Xu Qingzhou’s words, his expression one of admiration. Top journal.

Noticing Xu Qingzhou standing at the door, Gu Zhizhong gestured with his eyes for him to come in.

Xu Qingzhou was too young, and among graduate students, no one knew him.

His first step was to copy the content onto a plagiarism-check website. He’d skimmed the paper before, but didn’t have the original file.

English version, similarity rate: 0.82%.

“Shocked, aren’t you?” Xu Zhengyang’s aura of mastery vanished instantly; he grinned. “I searched online for ages to find this line. If you guys are stunned, imagine how those little girls would look at me with worshipful eyes!”

Xu Qingzhou nodded. “Yes, I had free time these past two days, so I worked overtime to finish it.”

Rain still fell, a light drizzle descending from the sky, gently soaking the campus asphalt. Wind blew, carrying faint floral scents and the clean aroma of mud and algae through the rain.

“Pfft, player!”

“Mathematical Invention,” Xu Qingzhou said. That journal published many papers related to physics.

One student buried in study looked up, curious, watching Xu Qingzhou enter.

Watermelon and mangoes were both boxed. The weather’s hot—they won’t last long.

“Get lost.”

Kong Xianbo and Zhai Ziqiang also pulled over chairs, eating fruit while watching Xu Qingzhou, waiting to hear what he’d say.

Qualified. Qualified beyond doubt.

“Anyway, I won’t stay in pure mathematics. After graduation, I’ll pick either financial math or statistics, then go home to inherit the family business—collect rent and live easy.”

Gu Zhizhong plugged in the USB drive and opened the files: one Chinese version, one English version.

“Eat, eat, eat.” Xu Zhengyang grinned, poking a piece of watermelon. “Lao Xu, with a beautiful, caring girl like this, you really aren’t tempted?”

At this, Xu Qingzhou and the others wanted to punch someone—they quickly ignored the remark.

Xu Qingzhou rolled his eyes and stopped paying attention to the guy.

After Xu Qingzhou left, the boy looked up, curious. “Professor, is that one of your undergraduates?”

Chinese version, similarity rate: 1.01%.

About ten minutes later, he neared Jingda’s Second Gymnasium, the Spoon Garden Chinese Restaurant.

Lunch hour—crowded.

Xu Qingzhou carried a plate of braised chicken with rice. After searching for a long time, he spotted a couple who had finished eating but were still cuddling at their table. He walked over and sat down beside them with his tray.

The couple, embarrassed, couldn’t continue being affectionate. They shot Xu Qingzhou a glare and left.

(End of Chapter)