Lin Chaoxi found it funny that classmate Pei Zhi didn't seem to be decisive and clear-headed about all the issues.

“Although Kangshifu’s white pepper beef is delicious, I still recommend the classic braised beef noodles.”

She walked over, stood beside him, and said with a smile.

Pei Zhi nodded to her. They each picked up a box of braised beef noodles, tore open the package, went to the water room to fill it with hot water, and waited for the noodles to open.

At this late hour in the night, in the exceptionally warm hot water room, the atmosphere is very comfortable.

The two of them stayed in the water room for a while. Lin Chaoxi realized that Pei Zhi had not left either, probably waiting for her.

The light from the bathroom chandelier cast a shadow on him, and Lin Zhaoxi looked up and smiled. Because he was tired, he said a lot of things without thinking: "Let's find a place to eat together?"

"Okay." Pei Zhi paused and said, "Then follow me?"

Lin Chaoxi was a little surprised.

Holding the instant noodles, she followed Pei Zhi and walked along the corridor to the other side of the computer room. After going up a few steps, there was a slightly higher platform. It was dark all around, and Pei Zhi sat down and put the instant noodles bowl aside.

Lin Chaoxi sat next to him, half an arm's length away from him, neither too close nor too far.

At first, neither of them spoke.

In the distance is the campus shaded by street lights. There are exquisite landscapes in the brighter areas. The street lights circle around the playground like a pearl chain.

Compared with the entire campus, they seemed to be shrouded in the hazy night, like a drop of ink falling into clear water, separating an ambiguous yet transparent world.

Lin Chaoxi was wrapped in a blanket, holding a bowl of boiling instant noodles in his hands, and he felt that the night breeze was not that cool.

"How did you find this place?" Lin Chaoxi asked.

"I've wanted to come here for a long time." Pei Zhi stayed up for two nights with them, looking a little lazy, and his voice was a little low. "The school sports meet was held at that time, and I came here. When I came out, I saw two classmates in sportswear secretly eating instant noodles here."

"Just very greedy?"

"Yes, there was a relay race going on in the playground at that time, and it was very lively. I thought the atmosphere was very good, but I didn't have the chance to try it out," Pei Zhi said.

"This plot is not very romantic." Lin Zhaoxi smiled.

She could almost imagine the scene at that time: the students who had just finished the competition were so exhausted from the burning of their faces that they were crying and snotting, the cheers on the playground were deafening, and they were hiding upstairs, eating until they were sweating and having a great time.

"So now, what does it feel like to sit by yourself?" she asked.

"Let me try it first." Pei Zhi took the instant noodle bowl beside him, unplugged the fork, opened the seal, ate a few mouthfuls slowly, and finally replied: "It tastes better when I see others eat it."

"It has nothing to do with the taste. It's about the emotions." Lin Chaoxi also opened the lid of the instant noodle cup, half-raised it, and said, "Cheers."

In the distance, the night falls and the stars are scattered like broken diamonds.

Pei Zhi held up the bowl of instant noodles and actually touched it lightly against hers.

Lin Chaoxi pulled out the fork with satisfaction, opened the lid, took a big sip of noodles, and asked, "Are you talking about our sports meet?"

"Sophomore year."

"Wow, I threw the lead ball that time and came in third place."

"We have sports students in our school, and your ranking is quite good."

"Yeah, I think I'm lucky too." Lin Chaoxi took a sip of noodles and asked, "You didn't participate in anything?"

"no."

She chuckled and said, "Are you afraid of being watched during the competition? Are you playing shame game?"

“It was a busy time.”

Lin Chaoxi thought about the time period of the sophomore sports meet: "College Mathematics Competition?" She paused, "And the American Mathematics Competition seems to be around the same time?"

"yes."

"Didn't you sit here with your teammates and eat noodles during the American Games?"

Pei Zhi took two mouthfuls of noodles, making slight chewing sounds.

After Lin Chaoxi finished speaking, she held the bowl of noodles with one hand and supported her forehead with the other, so as not to let Pei Zhi see her expression. It was over, it was over. She finally got to sit with her idol, but why did she start such an awkward conversation?

Destined to be alone.

Pei Zhi's voice interrupted her messy thoughts.

"My teammates pay more attention to health care and say they must eat well and sleep well during the competition."

Lin Chaoxi was stunned for a moment, then understood. "My teammates focus on health care," meaning that they all go back to eat and sleep well, and I am alone.

She laughed: "Then why are you still advising us to find like-minded friends?"

"So you know, it really comes from experience."

Pei Zhi always answered questions and occasionally asked her some questions. They chatted casually, talking about whatever came to mind.

This feeling is so comfortable. In the dark night, there is a soothing breeze and a hot bowl of noodles. The aroma of instant noodles can be smelled with every breath.

They also talked about high school and Anning City. Lin Chaoxi was afraid of confusing the two memories, so he was a little cautious.

She could feel that Pei Zhi was trying hard to pick up her words and keep chatting with her.

But the barriers always exist.

Whether he was 12, 15, or even 22 years old, Pei Zhi was the same person to her.

But to Pei Zhi, she was completely different.

The bowl of noodles was empty. Lin Chaoxi drank the last mouthful of soup and knew that the midnight snack time was over.

The starlight is fragmented and gentle.

She held the bowl of noodles and stood up with a blanket wrapped around her. Pei Zhi had already finished his instant noodles, leaving most of the bowl of soup beside him, but he had no intention of going with her.

Lin Chaoxi turned around and looked at Pei Zhi.

He was still wearing a simple white shirt and a thin grey coat. In the moonlight, he was still sitting there, his long legs lazily draped over the steps, looking very casual.

"You should go to sleep for a while." Pei Zhi said.

"I'm not sleepy." Lin Chaoxi stood there, suddenly not wanting to leave, so he wanted to say something to delay time. "I once had a period when studying was very difficult, so I learned how to keep my brain functioning with minimal sleep."

"How do you keep it up?"

"There are no distractions in my mind. I only think about studying. I don't think about anything else except studying."

"Now?"

"I only think about the competition... I don't think about anything else except the competition."

The last few words were spoken very softly.

Pei Zhi smiled faintly.

She waved at Pei Zhi and said, "Then I'll go to work first."

Pei Zhi nodded.

——

Later, Lin Chaoxi returned to the computer room and finished the can of Red Bull.

My stomach was already filled with hot soup, so I didn't feel uncomfortable, but rather full of energy.

When it was almost daybreak, she finally completed all the procedures. A clear escape route was revealed in the form of data.

Lao Wang woke up and began to take over her work, completing the data analysis in his area of ​​expertise. Lin Zhaoxi and A Guang began to study traffic simulation software.

If this was just a random question, they could stop once the result came out.

But this is a competition, and pictures can more easily present the results intuitively, allowing the judges to grasp the key points. In this case, the role of traffic simulation software is very important.

It still took half a day, and just as Zhou Aping, the ancient man whom Lao Wang respected, said, Lin Zhaoxi and A Guang began to study the traffic simulation software, and before the end of the morning, they produced the first question results that they were very satisfied with.

At noon on the third day, some teams had submitted their papers and left the computer room.

Jie Ran began to stay in the computer room frequently. There was a printer in the lounge next door. When the computer room was extremely quiet, he could hear the sound of the printer running from time to time.

Every time a group submitted a submission and left, there would be a small sigh in the computer room.

Compared to others, their team's progress was still far behind, but they were not impatient.

Ah Guang took over the process of writing the next question, and Lin Chaoxi began to drink her third can of Red Bull of the day. While she was still in good spirits, she began to formally revise the paper.

For a modeling competition like this, where tens of thousands of papers are submitted, it is impossible for the teachers who grade the papers in the first round to read them from beginning to end, and the abstract is often a crucial part.

She began to revise the sentences word by word, choosing the words to keep the text concise and smooth.

Next, she continued to improve the main body of the paper according to the style and wording of the abstract. By 12 o'clock in the middle of the night, A Guang had completely completed the second question.

All he said was, "Do you want to go to bed?"

When a person is holding on with one breath, all the sleepiness is suppressed below the eyes, and the body is too tired to move.

Lin Zhaoxi shook his head: "Once I lie down, I may never be able to get up again."

"Oh, if you don't want to sleep, we'll go to sleep first." After saying that, A Guang and Lao Wang pushed away the keyboard and fell down.

Lin Chaoxi was a little amused.

One third of the computers in the computer room have been turned off, and the night breeze cannot blow away the smell of instant coffee and heavy cooling oil in the air.

Xie Ran got a recliner from somewhere and took a nap under a blanket.

Outside the computer room, Pei Zhi came in carrying a box of things.

His logistical work was indeed very meticulous and thorough, distributing the items in the boxes to each student who was still working.

When it was delivered to Lin Chaoxi, she realized that it was actually a double-layer sandwich. It was a little warm, probably because it was ordered at the convenience store long ago and just heated up.

Lin Chaoxi was distracted for a while, thinking about what Pei Zhi said last night. It was only after staying up all night that he realized what the children who stayed up late at night needed.

That night, she no longer had the chance to have supper with Pei Zhi.

At three o'clock in the morning, she finally completed the final promotion and evaluation part of the thesis, which meant that the entire thesis was finally completed.

But after it's done, after the paint, it's still paint.

The next job is extremely boring and requires great patience.

She woke Lao Wang and A Guang up and asked them to check the model formula and data. She continued to read their own papers from beginning to end, comparing them with the first-prize article on the official website to see if there were any redundant or unclear descriptions.

Anyway, by the end, Xie Ran didn't sleep, and Pei Zhi was still in the classroom. He occasionally walked around or had a simple conversation with someone, his voice was quiet and peaceful.

Four o'clock in the morning is when people are most sleepy and have the worst mental strength.

Finally, a classmate started crying at this time. Perhaps he realized that he didn’t have enough time to finish the entire paper, and he got angry with his teammates.

Pei Zhi took the initiative to go over and call the student out. They stayed outside for a while. When the student came back, he smelled like instant noodles.

But the student who had just cried still sat down. Lin Zhaoxi heard the slow, hesitant, but clear and pleasant sound of keyboard tapping accompanied by sobs.

This feeling is actually very good, you know that there are people around you who are working hard with you, and there are also people who don’t say anything but silently accompany you.

Some time passed, and by this time, another one-third of the team had completed their papers, submitted them and left. She had only glanced at her estimate, and the actual number of people who left might even be more than she estimated, but she still focused on the short 18-page paper in front of her.

It was past 6 in the morning and it was already very bright. You couldn't tell the time from the sky.

A Guang reviewed the revised paper again.

Lao Wang said: "Disciple, you are about to see through the screen."

This sentence probably means: It's almost done, you can submit it.

At this time, Jie Ran also came to their side.

Lin Chaoxi grabbed the mouse, corrected a spelling mistake she had just discovered, and said to Jie Ran, "Give me another hour."

7:35, this is the time they expected to submit the paper according to the project schedule, not a minute more or less.

After the paper was printed out, Xie Ran picked up the pen and finally signed his name in the column for the instructor.

Lin Chaoxi tilted his head back and yawned heavily.

"Did you know that you have to give a defense when you are awarded the national first prize?" Jie Ran said speechlessly.

The sunlight outside the window was so bright and dazzling that Xie Ran and Pei Zhi's faces were blurry in her sight.

Lin Zhaoxi nodded heavily and asked stupidly, "What's the matter?"

"So you'd better go to bed now, and don't die in the middle of the debate."

Although the angle is weird, it is definitely a compliment.

Lin Chaoxi took out her small blanket from her schoolbag and said to Lao Guang and Lao Wang, "It's up to you to submit the rest of the paper and the md5 code. I can finally sleep on the sofa downstairs..."

She lazily walked out of the classroom, only to hear Lao Wang shouting behind her: "Remember to cover your face!"

She smiled towards the morning sun.