Lin Zhixia and Jiang Yubai agreed that she would visit Jiang Yubai's home on the first Saturday of March. She wanted to win the 2007 Romanian Mathematics Masters Competition and bring the gold medal back for Jiang Yubai to play with.
"I'll wait for you." Jiang Yubai replied.
Lin Zhixia suddenly had an idea: "Jiang Yubai, during the time we are apart, I will write down my daily experiences in a notebook, and when I come back..."
Before Lin Zhixia finished speaking, Jiang Yubai had already guessed what she meant: "Let's record our own experiences separately. When you come back, we'll exchange notebooks."
"Yes!" Lin Zhixia was delighted. "We exchanged notebooks, which is equivalent to exchanging each other's memories. It means we are not separated."
Jiang Yubai was impressed by Lin Zhixia's rigorous logic.
To show his support and affirmation, he took out two notebooks from his schoolbag. Lin Zhixia took one of the notebooks and wrote on the title page: Captain Lin Zhixia's interstellar treasure hunt.
Jiang Yubai wrote in another notebook: The long waiting history of Chief Jiang Yubai.
The five words "a long history of waiting" faintly reveal the sadness and loneliness of "Chief Jiang Yubai". However, "Chief Jiang Yubai" is a heroic character who stands tall and proud. He should not feel the slightest bit of loss or frustration.
Jiang Yubai was about to cross out this line of words when Lin Zhixia added a sentence next to his handwriting: The experience of guarding a spaceship.
Lin Zhixia said word by word: "Jiang Yubai and Lin Zhixia will always be good friends."
Jiang Yubai put away his notebook. He was not used to recording his daily life, but he decided to make a temporary change - he decided to briefly summarize the trivial things that happened from 8 am to 8 pm every day in chronological order.
While Lin Zhixia was training with the national team, Jiang Yubai became the acting monitor of the Grade 2 (17) class. He maintained the class order in an orderly manner and made a summary in his diary: Lin Zhixia, there are three main things today, please be informed. The first thing is that the Grade 2 (17) class has won the hygiene red flag again. The second thing is that Teacher Zhang is getting married next week. He distributed wedding candy to the whole class. You are not in school, so there is no wedding candy. I will give it to you when you return to school. The third thing...
Jiang Yubai was about to tell Lin Zhixia that he had scored full marks in math and English in the midterm exam in February, ranking first in the grade. However, he changed his mind and thought, does Lin Zhixia care about grades? In her eyes, all the students in the second grade should be the same.
Jiang Yubai put down his pen, and Duan Qiyan shouted, "Jiang Yubai, what are you busy with?"
Duan Qiyan saw the words "Lin Zhixia" on the notebook. He quickly rushed to Jiang Yubai and asked, "Jiang Yubai, what are you writing to Lin Zhixia?"
Jiang Yubai covered it up and said, "Work report."
"Work report?" Duan Qi Yan was skeptical.
"Yes," Jiang Yubai said calmly, "As the acting squad leader, I report on daily work."
When Jiang Yubai finished speaking, all the students nearby heard him. They all rushed to him and asked enthusiastically, "Lin Zhixia is in the national training team. Does she still miss the students in our class?"
Arts and Culture Committee member Tang Tingting replied, "Of course! Lin Zhixia is the monitor of our class."
Tang Tingting pulled Duan Qiyan away and sat next to Jiang Yubai - that seat should belong to Lin Zhixia. Jiang Yubai's territorial consciousness was instantly awakened. He pretended to remind Tang Tingting casually: "Your seat is in the front row."
"I know," Tang Tingting raised her voice, "Jiang Yubai, don't just write about official business. It's boring to do official business. You should write about your classmates' private affairs appropriately. Lin Zhixia will definitely like it."
"No," Jiang Yubai refused sternly, "She doesn't like to watch it."
Tang Tingting still insisted: "She loves to watch it."
Jiang Yubai said: "You don't understand her."
Tang Tingting retorted: "I am a girl, Lin Zhixia is a girl, I know her better than you."
Afterwards, Tang Tingting gave detailed instructions: "Write about it. This month, Tang Tingting's composition won a prize in the city."
The students who were watching burst into laughter. Duan Qiyan mocked directly, "Tang Tingting, don't you just want others to know that your composition won an award in the city? Lin Zhixia has won a national award, will she care about your composition award in the city?"
Last September, Duan Qiyan and Tang Tingting played a couple in the play "Transformation". There were a few people in the class who always paired Duan Qiyan and Tang Tingting together. They jokingly called Duan Qiyan a "family man" and often took the lead in making trouble in the class.
Duan Qiyan was very angry. The whole class could see the bad relationship between him and Tang Tingting.
Duan Qiyan thought to himself: Jiang Yubai and Lin Zhixia are the ones who are truly inseparable, why is no one talking about them?
Soon, Duan Qiyan made up a reason - just because of Lin Zhixia's unattainable competition results, no one treated Lin Zhixia as a human being. Lin Zhixia was in the second grade (seventeenth) class, like a god who was not affected by the world. Everyone was so busy paying homage to her that how could they dare to laugh at her?
Duan Qiyan firmly believed that the reason he was involved with Tang Tingting was because he was not strong enough. If he was strong enough, surpassing Lin Zhixia, then he could be domineering in the Grade 2 (17) class and no one would dare to mess with him.
Duan Qiyan rested one hand on the desk and moved closer to Tang Tingting. Several classmates around him laughed secretly. The subtle feelings of adolescence were sprouting around him, and he said viciously: "Jiang Yubai, tell Lin Zhixia that after she comes back, she must rectify the class atmosphere and eliminate the unhealthy atmosphere!"
Jiang Yubai closed his notebook and said, "What's wrong with the class atmosphere? Tell me directly. I'm the acting class monitor."
Jiang Yubai has great official power.
Duan Qiyan surrendered unconsciously.
As if he was appealing to an official, Duan Qiyan lowered his head, looked submissive, and bashfully said, "It's that, the crew of "Metamorphosis"..." Halfway through his words, he and Tang Tingting made eye contact.
Tang Tingting raised her eyebrows in displeasure, and Duan Qiyan's complexion suddenly changed, turning red, like the brilliant glow of an autumn evening.
In the play "Change", Tang Tingting called Duan Qiyan "husband" in a line. Last September, Duan Qiyan thought it was nothing. In February this year, he recalled that scene again and felt bad.
Maybe it was because he was fourteen years old and began to pay attention to his reputation.
After a struggle between himself and himself, Duan Qiyan said, "There's always a bunch of hooligans making trouble in the class. Can you take care of them?"
Jiang Yubai nodded slightly and replied, "Just tell me who is causing trouble again. Lin Zhixia has gone to the national team for training, I will help her build the class spirit."
Jiang Yubai stood up from his seat and explained his point of view. He hoped that everyone would pay attention to the boundaries of joking. He said that respect is mutual and the class belongs to everyone. Everyone nodded in agreement, and they agreed with Jiang Yubai's words.
Jiang Yubai was born with a talent for public speaking. He was clear and logical, his views were clear, and his tone was steady and powerful, making people want to listen to his advice. He was as reasonable and fair as Justice Bao. He calmed down the rumors in the class and cleared Duan Qiyan's name.
Duan Qiyan even felt that Lin Zhixia's way of handling the situation was not necessarily better than Jiang Yubai's.
However, Duan Qiyan still hopes that Lin Zhixia will come back soon. Although Jiang Yubai is good at managing the class, he is not Lin Zhixia after all. He cannot maintain his position as the top student in the grade and occasionally loses to Jin Baihui from Class 18.
Jin Baihui from Class 18 is really a thorn in Duan Qiyan's heart.
He sincerely hoped that Lin Zhixia's test scores would always be better than Jin Baihui's.
At this moment, Lin Zhixia is participating in the national team's training.
The training lasted two weeks, during which there were four exams. Lin Zhixia was determined to participate in the international competition. She took every exam seriously and did not dare to make any mistakes.
The management of the mathematics training team was relatively relaxed and not harsh. In class, the attendance rate of auditors was extremely high, and some members of the training team often skipped classes - they were like "dragons that can only be seen at the head but not the tail", and only showed up during assessments.
Sure enough, true masters all have their own style.
The top math contestants from all over the country gathered together. Lin Zhixia's biggest feeling was that the top students basically had their own plans and were busy with their own things, so they didn't have time to care too much about others. Especially those students who were preparing to study abroad, they also had to pay attention to foreign universities, organize application materials, and review TOEFL and SAT.
Some students in the training team have already received admission letters from Cornell, Stanford, and Princeton University.
Lin Zhixia admired them very much. But she never took the initiative to talk to others. She always stayed by Luo Ying's side.
Lin Zhixia and Luo Ying lived in the same dormitory. Luo Ying was the last one in the training team, so she worked extra hard. Every night, Luo Ying would study in the study room until 11 o'clock, then tiptoe into the dormitory, while Lin Zhixia had already fallen asleep.
Lin Zhixia likes to sleep lying on her side, holding a little penguin tightly in her arms. Whenever this happens, Luo Ying will remember that Lin Zhixia is only eleven and a half years old this year, still a little girl who has not grown up. She rushes forward in the math competition, but is still cautious in life.
The study tasks during the training were heavy, and Luo Ying felt very tired. Lin Zhixia was not in a good condition either. She had never been away from her parents for such a long time since she was born. After a week of training, Lin Zhixia missed home very much. She was a little dazed day and night, and her dreams were all about her father, mother and brother.
Even so, she persisted and ranked first in four exams.
The students who perform best in the exam will have the opportunity to participate in the second round of intensive training in March and represent the country in the 2007 International Mathematical Olympiad this summer.
The 2007 Romanian Mathematics Masters Competition will be held at the end of February this year.
The Romanian Mathematics Masters Competition includes team awards and individual awards. Each country can send four regular team members and two alternate team members. When calculating the final team score, the player with the lowest score will be eliminated, and the team's total score will be equal to the sum of the scores of the other three players [1]. This cruel competition system tests the psychological quality of the players and the cohesion of the team.
Originally, according to the teacher's idea, they were going to send a provincial team to participate. However, considering that the competition in this year's Romanian Mathematics Masters was extremely fierce, the teachers still organized a voluntary registration competition. Lin Zhixia was selected as a formal member without any surprise.
Official team member!
Lin Zhixia is going abroad to take an exam!
After returning to the provincial capital, Lin Zhixia still had a week to prepare. Accompanied by her parents and teachers, she quickly processed her documents. This was her first time going abroad, and her mother seemed very worried about her. For two consecutive nights, her mother did not sleep well, and dark circles fell under her eyes.
Lin Zhixia noticed the dark circles under her mother's eyes. She grabbed the corner of her mother's clothes and promised, "Mom, Mom, I will stay in Romania for a week and will come home immediately."
Mother hugged her and said, "Xia Xia is only eleven years old."
"This September, Xia Xia will be twelve years old." Lin Zhixia added. She raised her head and looked at her brother.
My brother looked even uglier. He grabbed an apple, took a few bites, and then asked, "Where is Romania?"
"Southern Europe." Lin Zhixia replied.
"Is it safe?" My brother frowned tightly.
Lin Zhixia nodded: "With our team leader leading us, it should be safe. My senior from the same school, Luo Ying, will go with me. She is the substitute member of our team."
"Is Luo Ying's academic performance good?" the brother asked again.
Lin Zhixia described it tactfully: "Brother, our team is not the strongest in the training camp. The most capable and experienced players are mainly focusing on the International Mathematical Olympiad in July."
My brother took a deep breath and couldn't even eat the apple.
He paced back and forth in the narrow living room, like an old cadre with a lot on his mind. He even said, "Lin Zhixia, there is a substitute in your team, why don't you just give up the game."
Lin Zhixia was stunned: "Why should I give up?"
"You are too young," the elder brother said with reason. "I am worried about you going abroad alone. Which child can go abroad at the age of eleven?"
Lin Zhixia said seriously: "This is not my problem, it's my brother's problem. My brother must overcome his inner fear."
She even called out her brother's full name: "Lin Zeqiu, I have already signed up for the competition, and I must not run away. This is not a chess competition at the gate of the community, where you can run away if you want. This is the 2007 Romanian Mathematics Masters Competition, and I am determined to win a gold medal, both individually and as a team."
Lin Zeqiu was shocked by her momentum and ignored the strawberry yogurt in her left hand and a stuffed penguin in her right hand.
After Lin Zhixia finished her big talk, she turned around and went to the bedroom to pack her things.
Every winter vacation, Lin Zhixia would stay in her hometown for a week. Her parents had bought her a suitcase. She threw her clothes into the suitcase, and her brother suddenly stood beside her: "You don't know how to fold clothes."
Her brother is already fifteen years old. Although Lin Zhixia is also working hard to grow taller, her brother is still much taller than her. She can only raise her head and stare into his eyes. She can only see that his eyes are full of complex emotions, so serious that it makes people tremble with fear.
He kept asking like Xianglin Sao: "Romania is a small country in southern Europe. Is it safe?"
"Safe." Lin Zhixia gave an affirmative answer again.
Lin Zeqiu sat on the floor and took the initiative to help her pack her luggage. He was very good at arranging clothes, folding them meticulously. His slender fingers pressed tightly against the edge of the suitcase, and he said to himself: "If you encounter an emergency abroad, remember to run to crowded places and don't get caught by bad guys. A few days ago, I saw a story in a magazine."
Lin Zhixia squatted next to her brother and asked curiously, "What story?"
"Horror story." Lin Zeqiu's voice became deeper and deeper.
He recounted in detail: "There was a man who went to Thailand for his honeymoon with his wife not long after getting married. His wife was changing clothes in the fitting room, and the husband was waiting for her outside the door. After waiting for a long time, his wife did not come out..."
"Then what?" Lin Zhixia became even more curious.
Lin Zeqiu stared at her intently: "There was no one in the fitting room, the woman disappeared, and the man couldn't find his wife no matter how hard he looked. After several years, the man went to Thailand again and happened to encounter a circus performance. There was a disabled woman in the circus, her hands and feet were chopped off, she had no tongue and ears, and she was locked in a cage like a meat pie. When the disabled woman saw the man, she cried like crazy, and the man suddenly noticed that the birthmark on the woman's body was exactly the same as his missing wife's."
Lin Zhixia's breathing froze.
Lin Zeqiu was afraid that she didn't understand, so he patiently explained to her again: "The man took his wife to Thailand. His wife was kidnapped in the fitting room and sold on the black market in Thailand. Her hands and feet were chopped off, her tongue and ears were dug out, and she was made into a human pig... Human pig, do you understand? You must have read "Records of the Grand Historian". Didn't Empress Lü of the Han Dynasty turn Concubine Qi into a human pig?"
Lin Zhixia was calm for less than a second before running out of the bedroom. She rushed to her mother like a kitten returning to its nest: "Mom, Mom, hug me."
Mom asked her, "What happened to Xia Xia?"
Lin Zhixia complained: "My brother just told me a horror story."
Lin Zeqiu watched this scene and said in his heart: She is such a clingy mom.
Lin Zeqiu knew that Lin Zhixia was very timid. During her time in Romania, she had better stay in the hotel and not go anywhere. As long as she could understand Lin Zeqiu's deep meaning, Lin Zeqiu was willing to tell her a thrilling travel story every day.
The night before Lin Zhixia left, her father, mother and brother all suffered from insomnia.
The next morning, with dark circles under his eyes, his brother went to call Lin Zhixia to get up. It was still around five in the morning. Lin Zhixia woke up for a while and said happily, "Brother, I will bring you a gift!"
The elder brother was horrified: "No, don't buy gifts."
Lin Zhixia tilted her head: "Why can't I go?"
My brother analyzed: "If you want to buy gifts, you have to go out. You might go out alone and get lost in Romania where you are unfamiliar with the place. The bad guys will put you in a sack and throw you into a van."
"Really?" Lin Zhixia expressed doubt.
Last night, Lin Zeqiu thought about this problem for the whole night. He had never been abroad, not even out of the province. The unknown country he imagined was extremely cruel and terrifying. And his young, weak, immature, and conceited sister would suffer in a foreign country, crying out to the heavens and the earth for help, but no one would answer. Whenever he thought of the grievances that Lin Zhixia might suffer, his throat and heart would involuntarily ache, which was really a torture that was difficult to describe in words.
He did so much housework to raise Lin Zhixia.
He couldn't describe his inner thoughts. He just said: "The gift is not important, just bring the person back."
"I will definitely come back." Lin Zhixia said as a matter of course. She slept soundly last night and had a beautiful dream. She dreamed that she had grown up, turned 20, and her life became better.
At around seven o'clock that morning, Lin Zhixia met up with her comrades at the airport with great anticipation.
She saw Luo Ying at first sight. She dragged her suitcase and ran towards Luo Ying, shouting, "Senior, Senior!"
The senior student reached out to her and said, "Let's go, let's check in our luggage together."
Lin Zhixia held her hand and said, "I've never been on an international flight. Have you ever been on one?"
"I've taken it quite a few times." Luo Ying replied.
Luo Ying's passport was stamped with many stamps. It turned out that she had traveled around Europe with her parents. She calmly passed through customs and security, knowing all the procedures by heart. Lin Zhixia took her as an example and chose a seat next to her on the plane.
Perhaps it was because it was Lin Zhixia's first time on a long-haul flight and she was too excited. After nightfall, she felt very sleepy and couldn't fall asleep. She lay on her back, on her side, and with her legs curled up, but it didn't work. Luo Ying simply pushed the armrest up and whispered, "Put your head on my legs."
"No! Absolutely not!" Lin Zhixia shook her head frantically.
Luo Ying sighed. There was a "櫻" in her name, and she had a light rose scent. That scent made Lin Zhixia relax her guard. Luo Ying reached out again and touched Lin Zhixia's head - Lin Zhixia immediately thought of her brother. What should she do? She had only been away from home for one day, and she already began to miss her family.
Luo Ying whispered softly, "You are so young. If you don't sleep all night, you will feel uncomfortable tomorrow."
Lin Zhixia rubbed her eyes and said, "It's okay."
Luo Ying revealed: "I promised Teacher Zhang and Teacher Sun that I would take good care of you."
"Has my homeroom teacher, Mr. Zhang, come to see you?" Lin Zhixia asked in surprise.
"I have looked for you," Luo Ying told her, "Teacher Zhang said that you were admitted by skipping a grade and are younger than the average student, so he asked me to look after you."
Lin Zhixia didn't expect so many people to care about her silently. She fell to the side and fell on the senior's legs. About two seconds later, Lin Zhixia sat up straight and said firmly: "Thank you, senior, I have already felt your kindness. If I rest my head on your legs, you will also be very uncomfortable on the plane."
Lin Zhixia turned around and looked at Luo Ying: "Teacher Zhang, please take care of me. I think that care should be mutual."
Luo Ying raised her fingers and rubbed them across her chin: "Well, when we get to the hotel, we can get a good night's sleep."
"Yeah." Lin Zhixia agreed. She had been waiting on the plane for more than ten hours and finally waited for the plane to land.
The organizers of the Romanian Masters sent someone to pick them up at the airport. On the way to the hotel, Lin Zhixia fell asleep in the car. The teammates were all praising the streetscape of Romania. The roads and buildings were full of classical European style. The church located on the street showed the characteristics of the Orthodox Church. Luo Ying couldn't help but take a few photos.
The hotel they stayed in was called "moxa hostel".
Lin Zhixia was very excited about the breakfast buffet provided by moxa hostel. Various slices of ham and bread were lined up, and glass bowls were filled with exquisite small cream cakes - each cake was decorated with a strawberry on top. Lin Zhixia had to praise the chef, strawberries and cream were a perfect combination.
Lin Zhixia ate two cakes and came back to life. Strawberries are her lifelong love and her life-saving medicine. She might have been a strawberry spirit in her previous life, so she needs to replenish more sources of life in this life.
After breakfast, Lin Zhixia returned to her room and fell asleep again. When she woke up, it was exactly 1:30 in the afternoon, and Luo Ying called her to have lunch. They met many contestants from other countries in the restaurant.
Lin Zhixia shuttled between teams from different countries, and various languages floated past her ears, stimulating her brain. She heard German, French, English, and Russian. Her teammates sat around a table and waved at her from a distance.
She ran to her teammates and asked, "How was your rest?"
One of her teammates is from an experimental middle school in a neighboring province, named Du Cunkang. Du Cunkang has studied Mathematical Olympiad since childhood and has received very professional training. He is 17 years old this year and has won gold and silver medals in the National Mathematical Olympiad. He is best at solving geometric problems and is one of the favorites to win this year.
Du Cunkang answered Lin Zhixia's question while eating: "I didn't sleep for two consecutive days, and it didn't affect my exams."
"You haven't slept for two consecutive days?" Lin Zhixia asked in surprise, "Don't you feel dizzy?"
Du Cunkang has a square face and wears a pair of black-rimmed glasses. He holds his glasses in a special way. He spreads his fingers, pinches the sides of the frame, and gently pushes them upwards before saying, "No matter how tired, sleepy, or dizzy I am, as long as I enter the examination room, I will be awake."
Du Cunkang was telling the truth. Luo Ying agreed, "Me too."
Two other regular members and one reserve member of the team also said, “Everyone feels the same way.”
Lin Zhixia found it incredible - her situation was completely different from everyone else's. If she didn't sleep well, her calculation ability would deteriorate and her brain would not be as sharp.
Sure enough, IQ is not the only criterion for evaluating ability!
Ordinary people also have many strengths!
Lin Zhixia must not underestimate the enemy.
She secretly made up her mind and ate faster than usual. Although she wanted to chat with the players from other countries, she didn't know what to talk about with them. If she talked about mathematical theory with someone, it might bring invisible competitive pressure, which was not in line with the "competitive style" mentioned by Duan Qiyan. If she talked about philosophy with someone, no one might be willing to pay attention to her. If she asked about the customs and practices of different countries, it would be obvious that she was just making small talk.
After some ideological struggle, Lin Zhixia decided to remain silent.
Silence is the safest route. Silence is the safest harbor.
She ate two mouthfuls of rice in silence when Du Cunkang suddenly called her, "That person is here. Let me show you that person..."
Lin Zhixia looked up blankly: "Who?"
Du Cunkang pointed to the front and said, "The Russian player has a long name, we simply call him Alexandrov."
Lin Zhixia repeated: "Alexandrov?"
Du Cunkang's eyes never moved away from the distance. He said, "Alexandrov is a Russian mathematical genius who has been in the newspapers. Don't you know him, Lin Zhixia?"
In the past six months, Lin Zhixia has rarely read newspapers and magazines. The team leader also did not tell them how strong the Russian players are, and Lin Zhixia had no idea about Alexander.
She stood up from her seat and looked ahead without hesitation. She saw a tall Russian boy - he had blond hair and blue eyes, and his hair was slightly longer, covering his forehead and ears, making him quite conspicuous in the Russian team.
"How strong is he?" Lin Zhixia asked.
Du Cunkang was an excellent student after all. He praised the outstanding players of the enemy camp in a bland tone: "Alexandrov published a math book in junior high school."
Lin Zhixia was not timid: "I also helped my deskmate summarize the competition methods. It was a thick book with all kinds of questions, and some questions I made up myself."
Several team members at the table were stunned. Everyone has done this type of question summary. In the national training camp, many experts took turns to accurately grasp the direction of the competition. The experiences that Lin Zhixia described were not enough to cover up Alexander's brilliant resume.
Du Cunkang tried to smooth things over by saying, "Team competition is a team competition. Three cobblers can beat one Zhuge Liang. As long as a few of us can answer six out of the seven questions, we can win first place in the team competition."
The Romanian Mathematics Masters exam was also divided into two days, with a total of six questions, each with a full score of seven points. The contestant's score on the paper was the final score.
Du Cunkang's praise for Alexandre made Lin Zhixia look forward to tomorrow's game even more.
The next morning, the organizers sent a car to pick up all the players from the hotel and take them to the competition venue.
At nine o'clock in the morning, the Romanian Mathematics Masters Competition officially opened.
The first two questions in this competition were not too difficult. The third question was a watershed that widened the gap, and Lin Zhixia needed some time to think and avoid possible misconceptions, which gave her an ominous premonition.
After the exam, the other three members of the team seemed to be in good condition. Du Cunkang was in particularly good condition. He was still chatting and laughing with everyone at the dinner table, and even deliberately went to chat with the Korean and Japanese teams. The Korean and Japanese teams responded to Du Cunkang politely, and Du Cunkang found that the Koreans spoke Japanese well.
After some inquiries, Du Cunkang learned that Korean students, in addition to English, had to choose between Chinese and Japanese as their second foreign language. Du Cunkang immediately suggested that he could teach his Korean friends Chinese.
A Korean friend's last name was Kim, so Du used a fork to dip in water and wrote the word "Kim" on the table. He had a pleasant exchange with the Korean classmate. When talking about the girl idol group Wirls that debuted in Korea in early February this year, Du was even more excited. He revealed with a little shyness that he liked the Korean movie star Jeon Ji-hyun very much, and he also wanted to find a wife of this type in the future.
However, the more lively and outgoing Du Cunkang was, the more suspicious Lin Zhixia became of him. On the first day they arrived at the hotel, Du Cunkang rejected all diplomatic activities. There was probably only one explanation for his sudden change of temperament today - in order not to worry his teammates, he pretended to be relaxed and happy.
Finally, under Lin Zhixia's piercing gaze, Du Cunkang secretly confessed to her alone: "I didn't get the third question right. I failed the test."
This is such sad news.
Du Cunkang's failure to make it means that their team has lost a powerful general.
Before Du Cunkang set out, he was ranked third in their team.
The most difficult questions in the Romanian Masters usually appear tomorrow. If Du Cunkang cannot turn the tables, then their team gold medal may not be retained.
In the warm hotel light, Du Cunkang's face turned yellow: "I have done a psychological test, my mentality..."
"You have a good mentality," Lin Zhixia lowered her head and whispered to him, "The other two people in our team have solved the third question. At present, we are not at risk of losing the gold medal. Tomorrow, you have to believe me, I will finish all the questions tomorrow. Even if Alexandrov is as smart as me, or smarter than me, I can tie with him. Don't feel pressured. We are a team, and we move forward together."
Lin Zhixia is six years younger than Du Cunkang.
Du Cunkang never thought that Lin Zhixia could give him the encouragement of an elder. He held the knife and fork tightly and cut the thin pizza. The tip of the knife made a crisp sound on the porcelain plate, and he agreed: "Okay, I'm not stressed."
"Yeah!" Lin Zhixia nodded.
At night, Lin Zhixia went to bed early. She had no distractions and fell asleep very quickly. When she woke up the next day, she adjusted to the best state and devoted herself to today's exam. Just as she expected last night, the last question of this exam was the most difficult question of this year's Romania Masters Competition.
The prototype of the question comes from a graph theory problem. Given a simple graph g containing v vertices, suppose that after adding n edges, two cycles of the same length can appear in the graph g. What is the lower bound of n?
Lin Zhixia remembered that a mathematical paper in 1998 had discussed this problem in detail. Inspired by the paper, she wrote down her own solution and further narrowed the scope of the lower bound. While writing, Lin Zhixia sighed, wondering if Du Cunkang could come up with a better solution. She hoped that they could win the team gold medal through joint efforts.
She even stole a glance at Alexandre of the Russian team.
Just as Du Cunkang said, Alexandre of the Russian team is very strong. His thoughts are smooth, and there is no anxiety or hesitation on his face. The entire Russian team has a sense of victory, but Lin Zhixia feels guilty when she sees them.
Why! The Russian team is so stable?
Can every one of them get full marks?
Lin Zhixia made up her mind that after returning home this time, she would study Russian seriously. Knowing yourself and your enemy will ensure victory in every battle.
The author has something to say:
This chapter quotes:
[1] Official website of the Romanian Mathematics Masters Competition (2020 edition)
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[Preview of the next episode: Lin Zhixia's happy day! Visiting the museum of Xiao Jiang's family! ]
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