Summer Challenge Camp (Part 4)

The graduate school interviews at University A have arrived as scheduled.

The interview for postgraduate admission is divided into individual interviews and group interviews.

Jiang Yichun gripped the hem of his trousers, took a deep breath, and felt his heart pounding.

Jiang Yichun stood alone in front of the three mentors, meeting their gazes.

She couldn't see their faces clearly; her mind was filled with a wealth of knowledge poised to be unleashed.

She touched her palm, waiting for them to ask her questions.

"Please introduce yourself first, Jiang Yichun," a teacher began.

Jiang Yichun took a deep breath: "My name is Jiang Yichun. You teachers should have seen my resume by now. I come from the School of Economics and Management at Huaxing University, and my major is economics."

After she finished speaking, she stood still and looked at the three teachers in front of her.

"Ah, yes, I saw it all. Your resume is indeed quite excellent. So, Jiang Yichun, why did you choose to apply to our University A?"

When Jiang Yichun met the teacher's gaze, all those lofty thoughts vanished from her mind.

I'm not good at saying grand things.

She blurted out, "Because I want to give it my all."

"I know about University A's achievements and accomplishments in economics, including the economic research papers it has published. I don't aspire to become an expert in any particular field, but I want to learn more, solidly master some theories, and continue my research."

"Then I'll become someone who understands this better, and that would be something I can be proud of."

"If possible, it would be even better if it could benefit society."

After saying this, Jiang Yichun let out a long breath and looked up at the three teachers.

The teachers smiled and nodded, then began to ask her some questions about economics and foreign languages.

Jiang Yichun's palms began to sweat again, and her teeth started to chatter.

She hadn't slept well for two whole months in preparation for this interview, and the library and 24-hour study rooms became her rooms.

This is an interview, an interview... I can't afford to mess up.

But she still couldn't stop her voice from trembling.

She clenched her fists and coughed lightly a few times.

"Don't be too nervous, take your time. You're doing very well."

Jiang Yichun smiled at the three teachers, but his voice trembled more and more.

She felt like she was back in the college entrance exam hall, holding that ballpoint pen with its worn-out paint.

At that time, she felt dizzy and her palms were sweating. Her mind was filled with negative thoughts such as "I'm sick" and "I'm sure I'll fail the exam."

Perhaps because of that kind of self-suggestion, the final outcome was not ideal.

But now...

She didn't want to repeat the regrets she had when she was eighteen.

"Xiaochun, good luck with your postgraduate application!"

She didn't know when, but the familiar voice rang in her mind again.

The conman traveled back to her high school days, sat beside her, and smiled at her.

"I must go to University A."

She has been fighting alone all along.

But because of the pig's trotters that day, she discovered that sometimes it's not so bad to fight alongside others.

Although he wasn't by my side, he seemed to be involved in every step of my journey.

The space in front of her spun around, as if she had returned to the study room where she and He Yinxin were.

He sat in front of me, still gazing at me with those clear almond-shaped eyes.

"Xiaochun, now imagine me as an interviewer. I will ask you some questions, and you need to give the answers."

"Relax and take it slow."

"They are just human beings like us."

A gentle smile curved his lips, and his eyes softened.

He Yinxin's words were still as human and serious as ever, but...

The three people in front of me are just humans with more experience than me.

Jiang Yichun's vision cleared, and she coughed again, her tone gradually becoming calm as she calmly and methodically delivered her interview answers.

She picked up the chalk and drew an image on the blackboard.

Jiang Yichun turned around and summarized:

"This is the 'impossible triangle' law, which we can define through the Mundell-Fleming model. I have already explained the entire derivation process."

"Therefore, the conclusion is that monetary policy independence, free capital flow, and a fixed exchange rate system cannot coexist in one country."

She gently crushed the chalk dust in her hand with her fingertips.

"Very good, very clear." The three teachers nodded in unison and smiled.

A teacher said, "Alright, thank you Jiang for coming to the interview. I hope we can meet again on the campus of University A next September. Please wait outside for the final group presentation."

Jiang Yichun thanked him and then left the classroom.

She let out a long breath and looked at her sweaty palms, raising the corners of her mouth.

She rubbed her temples and heard the girl next to her say, "Jiang, shall I go up and report in a bit?"

Jiang Yichun paused, then turned to look at her: "Uh? Wasn't I supposed to go up and report? Lin, you seem to be..."

"Yes, because all I did was compile all your results into one article and write the literature review. I feel like I didn't do enough work, so... the reporting is now being handled by me?"

"Don't worry, your contributions are all written in the PPT and recorded in the table. There is no question of you taking credit for others."

Jiang Yichun pursed her lips and pinched the bridge of her nose.

To write this short paper on a specific topic, she and another group member really put in their best efforts. She came up with the specific research plan, while the other group member was responsible for finding data, and the two of them ran empirical studies together.

The student in front of us, Lin, only did some simple written work.

Since it's a group project, everyone should participate.

And... I am indeed a bit tired.

"Okay, then I'll leave Lin to you."

"Don't worry, there's not much pressure. Just follow the PPT." Jiang Yichun smiled at her and placed the manuscript in her hands.

"This is our first draft. I hope your presentation goes well."

Lin took the manuscript, blinked, and said, "Okay, I'll try my best!"

When the group presented their results, Jiang Yichun stood beside her, listening to her slightly stuttering explanation.

It feels like telling her this was a bad idea.

Jiang Yichun pursed his lips, said nothing, and could only turn to see the reactions of the three teachers.

Their faces were expressionless; they were just writing something with their heads down.

"Hmm. It was alright, but I wasn't very fluent when I gave the report."

The oldest-looking teacher spoke up, and the two younger teachers next to him nodded in agreement.

Jiang Yichun gasped.

"By the way, your group's empirical results are quite good, and the method is quite novel. I'd like to know who proposed this method?"

"It's me."

Jiang Yichun and Lin raised their hands almost simultaneously.

Jiang Yichun quickly recalled the empirical methods he had learned.

The teacher frowned, her gaze shifting for a moment between the two of them: "Did you come up with this together?"

"Yes, we thought of it together."

While Jiang Yichun was explaining the empirical method, Lin had already spoken first.

"you……"

Before Jiang Yichun could finish speaking, Lin interrupted, "But Jiang knows more about models, so let her explain. I just provided her with an idea."

When did this person provide me with this inspiration? How come I didn't know?

It would have been better if they had just let me report from the beginning! Damn it, what a blunder!

Jiang Yichun no longer cared about her polite words; all he knew was that if he continued arguing with her, the group report would be ruined.

Jiang Yichun took a deep breath, swallowed the curses that were on the tip of his tongue, and began to explain the model and variables.

"I used a double fixed effects model, which is also the model that most economics papers choose..."

Jiang Yichun began to explain again, scratching her head.

After hearing her explanation, the gloom on the faces of the three teachers vanished.

"Alright, that's enough for now. That concludes the report. You're the last group."

"So, the University A Summer Camp has now come to an end."

"Thank you all for coming to our school to participate in this event."

Jiang Yichun's tense nerves instantly relaxed. She picked up her bag and was about to walk out of the classroom.

"Jiang, Jiang!"

“I can explain what happened today! I…”

Jiang Yichun paused, but did not turn around.

"You don't need to explain anymore. Anyway, I think... we probably won't see each other again."

"I've learned some lessons from them, and I hope you can learn something from them too."

After speaking, she strode away without arguing with the man again.

Jiang Yichun immediately returned to the hotel, checked out, and took the subway back to school with his suitcase.

She looked up at her reflection in the glass and let out a long breath.

It's finally over. I'll be leaving the company next week.

Soon I'll be able to go home, see my mom, grandma, and my dog ​​Potato, and soon I can enjoy a short summer vacation...

As fatigue set in, she drifted off to sleep, until a text message on her phone woke her up.

Scammer: [Xiaochun, is summer camp over?]

Why did he come looking for me? Didn't he say he couldn't come looking for me?

Jiang Yichun casually replied: 【Yeah, things went much smoother without you.】

She looked at the sarcastic words on the screen, shook her head, deleted them, and resent them.

Everything went smoothly: [It's over, and went very well.]

Scammer: [Okay. That's good. The month I couldn't contact you is over.]

Can I come to see you?

Everything is easy: [What do you want? To settle the score for that forced kiss you the other day?]

Scammer: [...Do you really see me as that kind of person?]

I made something delicious, would you like to try some?

Jiang Yichun's drowsiness vanished instantly. She frowned: "What are you eating?"

Scammer: [I made a cake. Because I never treated you to one on your birthday.]

I worked part-time at a bakery and casual dining place for the past month and learned a lot.

Jiang Yichun stared at the message, her eyes stinging slightly. She replied: 【Then I'll give it a try, even if it's not good. If it's not tasty, I'll continue ignoring you for another month.】

Wait for me to return to school.

Scammer: [Okay. I'll wait for you in the cafeteria. The place where we first met.]

With turbulent emotions, his face gradually reappeared before her eyes.

He Yinxin is such a fool...

Jiang Yichun quickly returned to school and saw the cake in the first canteen.

But he wasn't there; only his roommate, Jia Shugui, remained.

"Senior Jia?"

Jia Shugui snorted: "Hey, Jiang, do I look greasy today?"

“…Hmm.” Jiang Yichun didn’t really want to talk to him anymore. “What about that other guy?”

"Old He, the professor just called him away, saying that someone in his family is dying."

"Huh?" Jiang Yichun was taken aback.

Jia Shugui sighed: "Although he has severed ties with his family, he must still be sad because his elders have passed away."

"Alright, Jiang, you don't need to worry about him too much. Just accept this."

He pushed a triangular Basque cake towards him.

"Old He made it himself, he bought some ingredients. He shared some with me, and it tasted pretty good."

"He... cares about you quite a bit."

Jia Shugui rubbed his eyes: "But it still depends on you, junior. He also said that it all depends on how you think about it, and he's fine with it."

"Anything is fine with me." Jiang Yichun frowned, but still took the cake.

"I understand, thank you, Senior Jia, see you next time."

She took the cake back to her dorm and placed it on the table.

The Basque cake was baked until golden brown around the edges, but when you scooped it out, cheese oozed out from the inside.

She ate slowly, bite by bite, her eyes becoming unfocused.

A subtle sweetness slides down the tongue and into the throat, gradually revealing a hint of lemon's sour and bitter taste.

He Yinxin...

Why do you never express your feelings to me? You can only write your feelings for me in your notes.

But actually, I'm the same way.

She lowered her face, and a tear slid down her cheek, mixing into the cake.

She detected the bitter, salty taste of tears amidst the sweet and sour aroma.

"Liar, you stood me up again."