The palms are warm and the finger bones are crisp.

These sensations slowly penetrate from the top of the head downward through the roots of the hair, and time seems to be stretched out all of a sudden.

Lin Chaoxi caught a glimpse of the moss green cuffs of the sweatshirt, and turned his head slowly in a daze, and saw the boy retract his hand.

The sunlight is like melted marshmallows, pulled into very soft shapes.

There is a light minty smell at the tip of my nose. I don't know if it's hand soap or laundry detergent, but it's very fresh and sweet.

Sit together with someone you have liked for a long time, receive awards together, laugh happily together, you rub his shadow and he rubs your head.

It's like a dream.

Lin Zhaoxi blinked and turned to look, her heart beating very fast.

For a few brief seconds, she didn't move at all. Finally, she rubbed her nose and seemed to wake up from a dream.

My first reaction was: It’s over, my action of rubbing Pei Ge’s head was discovered!

Then my face turned red, oh, I got rubbed on the head.

She couldn't help but wonder, what on earth does Brother Pei mean?

If this were not a university auditorium but a very quiet middle school classroom, it would probably be a scene straight out of a youth comic.

But the surroundings were filled with teachers and other students, and everyone was very excited and noisy, patting each other on the shoulders for the awards, and the situation seemed to have become a normal mutual encouragement among classmates.

Especially since he rubbed it so hard, there was no intimacy or ambiguity in it at all.

Thinking of this, Lin Chaoxi looked at Pei Zhi and straightened her messed up ponytail.

The girl's thoughts dissipated a lot.

In front of the podium, Professor Liu finally spoke up, interrupting the students' celebration: "Congratulations to all the award-winning students. I hope the organizers of Digital Union will not blame me for stepping into other people's shoes..."

The auditorium fell silent, and everyone stared at the professor in front of the screen.

"I would like to ask teachers or classmates who have won prizes in national-level or higher mathematics competitions to raise their hands," said the middle-aged man holding the microphone.

Everyone in the meeting room, both teachers and students, looked at each other first, and no one reacted for a moment.

"No matter how many awards you have won, please raise your hands. Junior high school students in the back, you already know your achievements, so you can also raise your hands." Professor Liu raised his hand to encourage everyone, "Don't be shy, as long as you have won an award, it means you are already very good."

In the huge auditorium, Chen Chu was the first to raise his hand. His posture was straight, and Professor Liu gave him an admiring look.

Lu Zhihao was an obedient child, so he followed suit and raised his hand. Soon, a large number of hands were raised.

Not only did every high school student in the national training team raise their hands, but many hands were also raised among the experts and teachers at the front.

Lin Chaoxi did not respond immediately. He subconsciously looked at Pei Zhi.

Pei Zhichong nodded at her. Without thinking much, she raised her hand and looked at Professor Feng.

Professor Liu, who was giving the keynote speech, joked: "Professor Feng, you have won a prestigious international award. It would be a shame if you didn't raise your hand, right?"

Many people in the venue were amused, and finally an old hand was raised.

"Thank you for your cooperation." Professor Liu said, but then he put away his smile and became serious. "There are many experts in mathematics education here today, and there are also many students who have achieved excellent results in mathematics competitions. But I am standing here, and I want to find some students who are not so talented, but work hard enough. I would like to invite such students to come to the stage and talk about their mental journey of learning Mathematical Olympiad."

After this statement was made, many teachers and students felt that they had been tricked, because they were asked to raise their hands because they wanted to find someone who did not raise their hands. However, Professor Liu was very good at speaking, and considering the topic he was going to explain in this report, it did not seem awkward whether they raised their hands or not.

"Hey, teacher, don't let go of me secretly. I remember everything." Professor Liu smiled, put his five fingers together, and made a gesture of invitation to them, "I would like to invite the student in the sixth row from the bottom to come up to the stage, is that okay?"

Lin Chaoxi shuddered, and many people around them turned their heads and counted “one, two, three, four, five”.

"It's our row." Lu Zhihao asked in surprise, "Who is it?"

"Who is it?"

"It's not me!"

Everyone's voices suddenly became quiet. It was still a shame to be called on stage even though I had never won a national award.

At this moment, Lin Zhaoxi suddenly remembered that Pei Zhi had just asked her to raise her hand, but she didn't remember whether Pei Zhi had raised his hand...

She turned her head and Pei Zhi stood up slowly. He simply tidied up the earphone cable on the table and patted the student on the right to signal him to move aside.

Professor Liu nodded, indicating that he had made the right choice.

So, amidst everyone's shocked gazes, Pei Zhi slowly walked onto the stage.

Pei Zhi stood on the stage in all seriousness, which Lin Chaoxi found a little funny. Professor Liu probably didn't expect that the person who took the initiative to jump in when he deliberately tried to find a mediocre student to go on stage was Pei Zhi...

Today, Pei Ge was wearing a moss green sweater, black sports pants and shoes. He looked too thin because of his rapid growth. But his straight back and calm attitude made him look bright and sunny, and he didn't look weak at all because of his thinness.

I don’t know, what will you say today?

Everyone was looking at the boy on the stage. Professor Liu examined Pei Zhi from head to toe and seemed satisfied with the boy's appearance and temperament.

The staff handed over a microphone, Pei Zhi took it, and they began to whisper to each other off the field.

Lu Zhihao was very nervous: "How did my brother Pei get up there?"

"I don't know?"

"He mustn't... mustn't..."

Lin Chaoxi really wanted to tell Comrade Lao Lu to relax, but as she looked at Pei Zhi from a distance, she became a little nervous.

Professor Liu's thesis report and his preparations had already hinted that he would invite some students with less outstanding grades to the stage. But it was still very difficult to guess his real purpose before Professor Liu asked for "raise your hands". Pei Zhi was too smart.

But why did Pei Zhi go on stage?

Lin Chaoxi recalled Pei Zhi's look when he signaled her to raise her hand, and thought quietly for a while.

Imagine if she was a student who had never won a national mathematics award, and she went on stage under the gaze of so many top students, no matter how beautiful Professor Liu's words were, she would still feel ashamed and embarrassed.

It is almost self-evident what questions Professor Liu will ask.

——How are you feeling?

——What difficulties did you encounter in the process of learning Olympiad mathematics?

——Do you still want to continue studying?

Similar questions will guide students step by step to say what they want to hear.

——It’s tiring for me to persist in studying Mathematical Olympiad.

——Talent is important.

——No matter how hard I try, I can’t achieve what others can easily achieve. In fact, Mathematical Olympiad or even mathematics is only a game for a small number of people.

Of course, the actual interview process is not so simple and straightforward. However, Professor Liu's purpose in inviting such students to the stage is very clear.

Finally, he wanted to prove one point: more than 95% of students do not need to study Olympiad mathematics, and this game should be left to a small number of gifted students.

Lin Chaoxi sat in the audience, looking at the boy on the stage who was definitely in the top 5% or even the top 5% of a million. She really wanted to hear what he would say.

——

"Thank you for coming up to the stage," Professor Liu said politely.

Pei Zhi held the microphone and nodded.

There were whispers in the auditorium, most of which were from their provincial training team.

"I hope that these students will not misunderstand that my request for you to come to the stage does not mean to belittle or look down on you. Instead, I want you to talk openly about your mental journey in learning Olympic Mathematics. I think that compared to those high-handed students, hardworking children like you can better reflect the true inner thoughts of most scholars."

Pei Zhi held the microphone, thought for a rare moment, and did not speak immediately.

"Don't be nervous, you can talk about anything you want." Professor Liu started the conversation. "Your ability to join the provincial training team shows that you are very capable. Then I would like to ask, what is the highest award you have won in your mathematics studies?"

Behind the two people on the stage was the math league score sheet that had not been switched. Among the densely packed scores, the one belonging to Pei Zhi seemed particularly eye-catching.

Lin Chaoxi was a little nervous. He didn't expect this problem to come so quickly.

She didn't want Pei Zhi to lie, but she was also afraid of the embarrassment that would arise once he opened his mouth.

"National First Prize."

Pei Zhi answered quickly without any hesitation. His peaceful voice flowed out of the microphone, passed through the speakers, and echoed throughout the auditorium.

Professor Liu was stunned, and then a little embarrassed. But he was the one who came on stage without any explanation, so he couldn't blame Pei Zhi for anything.

"This student is a bit naughty." Professor Liu could only say this, "But please forgive me, the time for this meeting is limited, I can only ask you to step down first." He looked at the audience while speaking, "Are there any other students willing to take the initiative to go up on stage?"

At this time, Pei Zhi's voice sounded again: "Why can't I express my opinion?"

The boy's speech was so calm and composed that it made people like him. Even though Professor Liu knew that Pei Zhi did it on purpose, he couldn't immediately kick him off the stage.

Finally, he could only say: "This student seems to have a lot to say. The meeting time is limited. Please keep your speech as brief as possible, one to two minutes. Also, please try to respect other students when speaking."

"Thank you."

Pei Zhi bowed and didn't pay attention to the hidden meaning in Professor Liu's words - don't be proud of your good grades.

He held the microphone and spoke in a casual and natural tone: "Before coming to this auditorium today, we didn't know why we were brought here."

The venue fell silent, and most people looked towards the organizer's position in surprise.

"After listening to Professor Liu's paper, I finally understood that the theme of today's seminar is "Should Mathematical Olympiad continue to be popularized?" Professor Liu obviously holds the opposite view, believing that because of the special nature of Mathematical Olympiad, it is a game that only belongs to a small number of students, so it should not be popularized as before."

Pei Zhi used brief sentences to very rigorously and seriously summarize the content of the previous meeting, and also pointed out the purpose of Professor Liu's report in the most straightforward language.

There is a calmness beyond his years in his speech, but also a sharpness that belongs to a teenager.

Professor Liu said that Pei Zhi would be the only one to speak, but after hearing this, he couldn't help but ask, "So what do you think, student?"

"I think that whether it is Olympic Mathematics or mathematics itself, it has never been a game for a small number of people." Pei Zhi's voice is clear and his views are clear.

Professor Liu smiled and said, "Olympic Mathematics is obviously not the same as mathematics. Mathematics education can and must be popularized, but Olympiad Mathematics is obviously not. It is prepared for students who have 'extra time'. Why do you think that facing extremely heavy schoolwork, students are forced to learn the difficult Olympiad Mathematics, and this social phenomenon is not a problem?"

Pei Zhi held the microphone and pondered for a moment.

Lin Chaoxi felt that he probably wanted to say, "Teacher, you are the one who is trying to change the concept," but he held back.

Professor Liu continued, "Perhaps because you are very smart, you have successfully walked on the road of mathematics to where you are now, and you may be 'playing' with Olympiad mathematics. But have you ever thought that most ordinary children are very troubled by Olympiad mathematics, and think it is so difficult and boring, but they still have to go down to learn it because their parents force them to learn it."

"Why do parents force their children to learn Mathematical Olympiad?" Pei Zhi asked.

Professor Liu was happy to explain this point: "This is related to the modern system of admissions. Mathematical Olympiad scores are linked to admission scores. As long as you have good Mathematical Olympiad scores, you will get extra points when you are admitted. Many schools even directly interview and admit students who have won awards for Mathematical Olympiads."

"Why does the school attach so much importance to Olympiad results?" Pei Zhi asked again.

"Schools pursue the admission rate and the admission rate of key high schools and key universities. If a child is good at Mathematical Olympiad, his math scores will definitely be good and he will be smarter. The school wants to pick these 5% of people." Professor Liu said this and felt that there was a problem. He added, "But how many genius students can there be? Most of those who study Mathematical Olympiad are ordinary children. They are forced by their parents to study non-stop in order to enter famous schools. Children and families pay a great price to achieve good grades and are exhausted physically and mentally."

"But why do parents have to send their children to better schools?" Pei Zhi asked until he got to the bottom of it, like a stubborn and silly child, but Lin Chaoxi knew that his question was very purposeful.

"Competition in modern society is fierce." Professor Liu probably also noticed the problem and gave a brief answer.

"So what do you think should be done now?"

The young man was so calm that even Professor Liu, who no longer wanted to answer the question, had to continue answering, otherwise it would seem like he was feeling guilty.

“First, the meaning of ‘Olympiad Mathematics’ itself should be made clear in public opinion. It is not suitable for most studies. Secondly, all kinds of complicated Olympiad competitions should be gradually cancelled. Finally, it is necessary to explicitly prohibit the linkage between Olympiad scores and academic advancement, and cut off the root cause.” Professor Liu finally got to his core point.

"In this case, does competition no longer exist?" Pei Zhi still asked.

"Student, you can hold your own opinions, but there is no point in arguing with me on stage."

"I really still can't understand. For ordinary parents, after taking the measures you mentioned to 'decouple Mathematical Olympiad from college entrance exams,' how can they send their children to better schools?" he asked at last.

As this question was raised, the meeting room fell silent.

The teachers knew the answer very clearly, and the students seemed to be able to touch the core of the problem.

For primary and middle school students, if their children want to go to a good school, it means that parents must have an expensive house in the school district or strong social connections. As for high schools, the quotas for key high schools have long been taken by students from key middle schools, and students from ordinary junior high schools who are admitted to key high schools are rare.

Cutting off children's shortcuts to higher education has also, to a large extent, left ordinary families with no way out.

Somehow, Lin Chaoxi thought of himself.

She was once an orphan and attended Red Star Primary School. She was finally admitted to Anning Experimental Junior High School through the Jin Cup Competition.

What if there is no such opportunity?

Zhong Lin Chaoxi will probably go to Red Star Middle School, and his future path is almost clear.

She didn't know whether Pei Zhi was thinking of her when he said this, but it was very likely that it was not just her, but also so many of his friends who had come this far.

The young man on the stage held the microphone, pulled up the sleeves of his sweater, revealing the gray sweater and plaid shirt underneath, and his smooth wrists. He slowly spoke: "The school only wanted to select 5% of the smart students, but it unexpectedly led to a math Olympiad craze in the whole society. But whether it is the social phenomenon described in your paper or your answer just now, it seems to say that there are '95%' ordinary students and families who are making great efforts for the tiny hope of 5%. They may be forced or they may take the initiative, it doesn't matter, you think this is fatigue and burden, I think this itself is very remarkable."

Pei Zhi bowed slightly. He had been asking questions almost from the beginning to the end, and only had this brief statement of his views.

If this passage was spoken by a good speaker, it would certainly be passionate, but both Pei Zhi's expression and voice quality were very calm.

Even the entire auditorium seemed particularly peaceful and tranquil because of his calmness.

No one spoke.

Pei Zhi looked at the professor beside him and finally said, "My teacher once said that in the face of real math problems, everyone is a child wearing open-crotch pants. Mathematical Olympiad may be suitable for 5% of people or 10% of people. It may be interesting or boring. But whether it is a very talented student or a student who is willing to work hard, they all deserve more opportunities. This is the greatest fairness, and also our biggest disagreement."

After he finished speaking, he handed the microphone to the staff and then left the stage.

It was as if I was walking under the blue sky and among the green grass, with a gentle breeze and mountain pines, carrying the integrity and sharpness of a young man.

This is Pei Zhi.

From small to large, the same as always.