He held the box of mints, watching Yu Jiuyuan turn and leave. He suddenly noticed that she was wearing brown ankle boots today, with a small section of her fair ankle peeking out from the top of the boots. Compared to her usual meticulous image, there was a touch of subtle softness to her appearance.

Lin Yanran: Favorability rating 50, emotional fluctuations (negative 0/neutral 8/positive 22)

When the bell rang to signal the end of the last exam, the entire teaching building erupted in cheers.

Students flooded the corridors, discussing exam questions and the upcoming winter break, creating a cacophony that nearly lifted the roof off.

As Yu Jiuyuan was packing her schoolbag, Xie Zhecheng suddenly walked over.

His face was expressionless, and his eyes behind his gold-rimmed glasses remained aloof. He simply handed over a notebook: "This is a collection of my calculus mistakes. It might be useful to you."

The notebook cover was dark gray, with clean edges and no wear. The handwriting inside, like the man himself, was neat and almost rigid.

When Yu Jiuyuan took it, her fingertips accidentally touched his. He quickly withdrew his hand as if he had been burned, but his ears turned a very faint red.

"Thank you." Yu Jiuyuan opened her notebook, and on the first page was a line of small print: "The essence of problem-solving is a logical loop, not the answer itself."

She looked up at Xie Zhecheng, her eyes filled with just the right amount of a smile, "Actually, you did answer the bonus question at the end, didn't you?"

Xie Zhecheng's eyelashes trembled. He neither admitted nor denied it, but when he turned around, his steps seemed to be a little faster than usual.

Hsieh Che-cheng: Favorability rating 78, Emotional fluctuations (Negative 0/Neutral 5/Positive 106)

The setting sun cast long shadows on the teaching building. Yu Jiuyuan stood on the steps, watching Yuan Xu run towards the biology lab with her books in her arms. Rong Shenghan was called away for a talk by several teachers. Lin Yanran and the student council members walked towards the office together. Xie Zhecheng, carrying his backpack, headed towards the school gate, where his driver should already be waiting.

Four people, four paths, yet they all intertwined in her vision, forming a web. The numbers on the system panel were like dancing musical notes, composing a melody that only she could understand.

A cold wind blew in, carrying snowflakes. Yu Jiuyuan pulled her scarf tighter and buried half her face in the soft cashmere.

The distant cedar trees were covered in snow, like meticulously sculpted works of art.

She recalled Yuan Xu saying that the crystalline structure of snow is the most perfect symmetry in nature, but under a microscope, the texture of each snowflake is unique.

Just like these people she "conquered," they all seem to be under her control, yet each of them harbors hidden edges that no one knows about.

Winter break is coming.

Yu Jiuyuan raised her hand and caught a falling snowflake, feeling its instant chill melt in her palm. She knew that the real game often only begins when you leave the chessboard.