Victory Node
The results of the preliminary round of the math competition were announced a week later.
At noon, the bulletin board was crowded with people, their whispers blending into a cacophony of noise. Yunxi and Shixu stood on the periphery of the crowd, not rushing forward. Shixu was rapidly scanning the environment, assessing potential risks. The bulletin board was a hub of information exchange and a high-risk area for conflict; he had to ensure its "safety."
"Nervous?" Shi Xu looked down at her. After a few days of adjustment, he had recovered considerably. Although a lingering melancholy still lingered between his brows, his eyes had regained their usual focus and gentleness when facing her. Her very presence was his most effective tranquilizer and system repair program.
Yunxi nodded honestly, "A little." She wasn't sure how well she had done on the questions, especially the later ones.
Shi Xu gently squeezed her hand, then quickly released it: "You're fine." This wasn't just comforting words; it was an objective conclusion drawn from analyzing her test-taking data. He had reviewed all her practice sessions and knew her skill level.
Just then, a small commotion arose at the front of the crowd.
“It’s coming out!”
"Look at the rankings!"
Lu Fanxing struggled through the crowd, her face flushed with excitement, and rushed to Yunxi, grabbing her arm excitedly: "Yunxi! You made it! You made it to the semi-finals!"
Yunxi's heart skipped a beat, and she could hardly believe it: "Really?"
“It’s absolutely true! Look!” Lu Fanxing pointed to the newly posted red list, “Your name is there! Although it’s ranked a little lower, being in is being in! That’s fantastic!”
Yunxi looked in the direction she pointed and, sure enough, saw her name at the back of the densely packed list. A surge of immense joy instantly welled up inside her, making her cheeks flush and her eyes sparkle. This was a brand new milestone; in her past cycles, her probability of entering the semi-finals was not 100%.
She instinctively turned to look at Shi Xu, wanting to share this joy with him.
Shi Xu was looking at her, a faint but genuine smile playing on his lips, his eyes filled with undisguised approval and pride. He nodded slightly and mouthed to her, "Great job." This joy was twofold for him: for her personal achievement, and for this positive "variable" that had deviated from some of the scripts of failure.
Yunxi's face turned even redder, her heart pounding like a happy little bird.
"Shi Xu is definitely number one, no need to even look," Lu Fanxing said with a grin, her gaze shifting to the very top of the red list. "Wow! Shi Xu! Zhou Yu! Xu Yi! The three of you have taken the top three spots! That's amazing!"
The surrounding crowd erupted in even louder discussions, their eyes turning to Shi Xu, who was standing on the periphery, filled with admiration and envy.
Shi Xu seemed quite used to this, his face expressionless, but his gaze remained fixed on Yun Xi, as if her joy was more important than his own ranking. Rankings were fixed data, irrelevant. Her emotional response was the core indicator he needed to monitor in real time and provide positive reinforcement for.
However, amidst this commotion, a discordant voice broke in, not loud, but clear enough.
"Hmph, what good luck. If it weren't for someone's 'careful guidance,' I probably wouldn't even have been able to get past the threshold."
It was Si Yi. She stood under the shade of a tree not far away, her face pale. She herself had made it to the semi-finals, but ranked in the teens, far below her expectations. Seeing Yunxi also squeeze into the semi-finals list, and Shixu protecting her so much, the jealousy and resentment in her heart almost overflowed. An interference source appeared. Shixu's defense system activated instantly, prioritizing it over sharing joy.
Her words were pointed, and the surroundings fell silent for a moment as many people's gazes lingered between the passage of time and the gaps in the clouds.
Yunxi was about to speak when Shixu stepped forward, completely shielding her behind him. He looked calmly at Siyi, his tone indifferent yet carrying an invisible pressure: he had adopted the standard response strategy—physical isolation to protect the target, and guidance of public opinion.
"Her grades were earned through her own hard work. To question her is to question the fairness of all the judges." This escalates a personal controversy into a challenge to authority, effectively utilizing the rules to fight back.
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the whispering people around him. His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears: "As for tutoring, what's wrong with classmates helping each other? Does Si Yi never discuss problems with others?" He used a logical counter-argument, placing the other party in an unjust position while rationalizing and generalizing his own behavior.
The initially skeptical gazes around him gradually shifted to scrutiny of Si Yi. Yes, Shi Xu's excellent results were a fact, and it was his prerogative to help whomever he wanted. Yun Xi's ability to advance to the semi-finals, with his name prominently displayed on the list, spoke volumes about his talent. Public opinion had been successfully reversed.
Xu Yi squeezed in, casually put his arm around Shi Xu's shoulder, and sneered in Si Yi's direction: "That's right, some people can't stand seeing others do well when they don't do well on exams. They're so sour and annoying!"
Zhou Yu stood a little distance away, pushed up his glasses, and didn't say anything, but his eyes revealed a hint of disapproval of Si Yi's actions.
Under the invisible combined pressure from the group, Si Yi could no longer stay. She glared fiercely at Yun Xi, stomped her foot, and turned to leave.
This little incident didn't dampen Yunxi's good mood. On the contrary, seeing Shixu, Xu Yi, and even Zhou Yu subtly standing by her side, a warm feeling welled up inside her. She felt support, while he was assessing the effectiveness of the "defense matrix."
She looked up, gave Shi Xu a bright smile, and took his hand: "Come on, Teacher Shi, to celebrate my advancement to the semi-finals... shouldn't you do something?" She took the initiative to initiate the celebration, which was a positive signal of emotional interaction.
Looking into her mischievous and lively eyes, Shi Xu's smile deepened. He gripped her hand tighter and said, "What do you want to eat? It's on me." He accepted the instruction and prepared to carry it out. This simple interaction was, to him, a sign that the system was functioning normally.
"I want to eat at that new shaved ice shop that just opened behind the school!"
"good."
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, dappling their clasped hands and the playful figures of Xu Yi and Lu Fanxing walking side-by-side ahead. Even Zhou Yu, usually a loner, followed at a respectable distance. A temporary, small-scale "safe alliance" seemed to have been formed invisibly at this moment. This was a rare display of positive social interaction in his past reincarnations.
On the canvas of youth, there may be shadows of jealousy, misunderstanding, and competition, but more often, there is the sweat of shared effort, the warmth of mutual support, and the purest light shining in eyes when sharing joy. Beneath this purity lies the ever-updating, complex strategic assessment interface in Shi Xu's mind, marking this moment of "victory" and "harmony" as a "high-value node" in the fiftieth round, worthy of recording but still requiring vigilance.
Reaching the semi-finals is just a new beginning. Greater challenges lie ahead, but for now, they savor this hard-won victory and the sufficiency and joy of walking side-by-side. For Shi Xu, this "joy" is a fleeting but precious trophy, a product of meticulous calculation and emotional instinct; he needs to cherish it and use it as energy to face the known, even fiercer storms ahead.
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