Father City
The preliminary round of the math competition was scheduled for Sunday morning. The examination venue was located in the teaching building of the city's No. 1 Middle School, where the atmosphere was solemn and tense.
Yunxi and Shixu sat side by side in the designated classroom, sunlight streaming through the windows and casting bright spots of light on the desks. Shixu appeared as calm as ever, but Yunxi could sense that he was more silent than usual, his fingertips unconsciously twirling a pen, betraying his inner turmoil. He wasn't tense about the competition, but rather rigorously comparing reality with dozens of records in his memory bank regarding "competition day," wary of any variables that might deviate from the safe path.
(Yunxi's inner monologue: Is he nervous? Or is it because of yesterday's photos...?)
She quietly reached out from under the table and gently touched the back of his hand.
He paused in his pen-twirling motion and turned to look at her.
Yunxi gave him an encouraging smile and mouthed silently, "Keep it up."
His taut jawline softened slightly. He took her fingers in his hand, squeezed them gently, and then released them. It was a brief gesture, but it felt like a silent recharge, calming them both down. This touch was an effective maneuver in his pre-planned response to stabilize his own emotional anchor.
The exam bell rang, and the exam papers were handed out. The only sound in the classroom was the scratching of pens on paper.
The questions were very difficult, far exceeding the difficulty of her usual training. Yunxi focused her mind and tried her best to draw upon all her knowledge, immersing herself in the world of problem-solving. When she got stuck, she would unconsciously tap her forehead lightly with the end of her pen, a habitual gesture when she was thinking.
Sitting next to her, Shi Xu entered a different state. He solved problems extremely quickly, his eyes focused and sharp, as if everything around him had ceased to exist. That aura of complete concentration carried a cold, efficient beauty. For him, these problems were known data repeated countless times; he needed to complete them quickly to reserve enough cognitive resources to deal with anticipated "interference."
Time ticked by. Just as the exam was halfway through, the back door of the classroom was gently pushed open a crack. A tall, middle-aged man in a suit stood silently in the doorway, his gaze sweeping across the exam room like a hawk's, finally settling precisely on Shi Xu's back. —The source of interference had appeared precisely on time. All the alarm systems within Shi Xu's body instantly rose to their highest level.
The man frowned slightly, his eyes filled with complex emotions, scrutiny, and a hint of barely perceptible pressure.
As if time had eyes in the back of his head, his writing paused almost imperceptibly, his back instantly straightening. But he didn't turn around; he simply gripped the pen tighter, his knuckles turning white. He couldn't turn around. Turning around meant eye contact, which could trigger an even more uncontrollable chain reaction. He had to maintain a facade of calm, even though a tsunami was raging inside him.
The man didn't linger long; as if merely confirming something, he quietly closed the door and left. This was one of the father's usual methods of exerting pressure, a silent declaration of his control.
But this brief interruption was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake. His problem-solving speed noticeably slowed down, and he would occasionally stare blankly at the questions, his aura becoming somewhat agitated. He was calculating frantically. What did his father's early appearance this time (compared to some reincarnation records) mean? Was it simply surveillance, or... had the curtain been raised on a reckoning?
Yunxi keenly sensed his change. She didn't know what had happened, but she could sense the fluctuation in his emotions. She was somewhat worried, but couldn't bring herself to ask in this situation.
The bell finally rang, signaling the end of the exam. Yunxi let out a long sigh of relief, feeling like she had just fought a tough battle. She turned to look at Shixu; he was organizing his stationery, his profile hard and expressionless. He was switching modes, from "examinee" to "defender."
"How did you do on the exam?" she asked softly.
"Not bad." He said succinctly, putting away his pencil case. "Let's go." His attention was no longer on the exam.
The two followed the flow of people out of the teaching building. Just as they reached the entrance, the man in the suit who had appeared at the back door of the examination hall earlier was standing there, seemingly waiting for them. —The second phase of contact was unavoidable.
The man appeared to be in his forties, bearing a five- or six-point resemblance to Shi Xu, but with colder, harder features and sharper eyes, exuding the oppressive aura of someone accustomed to a superior position. His gaze fell directly on Shi Xu, his tone flat yet unquestionable: "Shi Xu, finished your exams? Come with me somewhere; I have something to discuss with you." His commanding tone brooked no refusal. In past records, this had often been the beginning of something worse.
Shi Xu's pace halted, his expression instantly darkening, emanating a chilling aura that kept everyone at arm's length. "What is it? Say it here." He was attempting to establish boundaries, despite knowing the chances of success were slim.
The man frowned, clearly displeased with his attitude. His gaze then swept over Yunxi beside Shixu, scrutinizing him: "Who is this?" The threat assessment system activated, locking onto Yunxi.
"My classmate." Shi Xu stepped to the side, subtly shielding Yunxi from view, his tone even colder. "What do you want?" He activated full defensive stance, his core command: isolate the threat source and protect the target.
Seeing the tense atmosphere between the father and son, Yunxi's heart skipped a beat. She recognized the man; he was Shixu's father. She had seen him a few times in the neighborhood, and each time he seemed so serious that she dared not approach him.
Seeing his son's wary posture, Shi's father's eyes darkened. He finally suppressed his anger, softening his tone, but still maintaining a commanding air: "It's about the competition's aftermath and your research direction for next semester. It's not convenient here; let's talk in the car." His gaze swept across the gap in the clouds again, meaningfully adding, "Don't waste your classmate's time." He applied precise pressure, using the gap in the clouds as leverage to force Shi to comply. This was a common and efficient negotiation tactic used by Shi Chongshan.
Shi Xu's jaw was clenched, silently confronting his father; the air seemed to freeze. He was rapidly conducting a risk-reward analysis. Refusing might anger his father, escalating his direct focus on Yunxi; agreeing meant temporarily placing her out of his sight in a relatively safer position, but he would have to face unknown questioning alone.
Yunxi could sense the stiffness in his body and the suppressed anger within him. She gently tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "Go ahead, it's alright, I can go back by myself." Her cooperation inadvertently helped him make the best choice in the current situation.
Shi Xu glanced back at her, and seeing the understanding and worry in her eyes, his tense expression eased for a moment. He took a deep breath, as if making some kind of compromise, and said coldly to his father, "Wait for me."
He pulled Yunxi a few steps away, lowered his head, and said in a low voice, "I'm sorry, I can't take you home. Go home by yourself, be careful on the way. When you get home... let me know." "Reporting when you get home" was the minimum monitoring measure he could set to ensure her safety at this stage.
“Yes, I know.” Yunxi nodded. “You… don’t be too anxious.”
Shi Xu gave her a deep look, his eyes filled with complex emotions, but in the end he simply nodded, turned, and followed his displeased father toward the black sedan parked not far away. Every step felt like walking toward a known yet uncertain interrogation room.
Yunxi stood there, watching the car drive away, her heart heavy. The sun was still shining brightly, but she felt as if an invisible shadow had descended upon her.
There is clearly a deep conflict between Shixu and his father. And this conflict is probably closely related to his mother's death, his heavy "past," and the enormous pressure he is facing alone, pressure that she cannot yet imagine.
For the first time, she realized with such clarity that she was facing not only the trauma in Shi Xu's heart, but also the heavy, real pressure from his family, pressure as heavy as fate itself.
The competition may just be a small outpost in this long battle. But time itself has been fighting alone for far too long in countless similar "outpost battles."
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