Xie Dingyuan took a cold shower, yet emerged still enveloped in warmth.
Because he was restless.
He glanced at the bed, then suddenly grabbed the bedsheets and crumpled them into a ball, tossing it into the corner.
He actually…
Xie Dingyuan gritted his teeth, unable to accept his current state.
Shame, embarrassment, awkwardness—all these emotions surged within him.
He decided to leave the bedroom and headed straight for his study.
The dim and cold space, unlit, felt desolate. He stiffly sat behind his desk, allowing the darkness to engulf and erode him.
Someone might think his wife had left him…
The words inadvertently spoken by Shen Qiannan echoed in his ears once more.
And just earlier in that absurd dream, he had called out repeatedly, “Wife…”
Xie Dingyuan knew he was facing a dilemma.
This problem was harder than explaining the nature of black holes, exploring the ultimate efficiency of photovoltaic cells, or creating magnetic semiconductors at room temperature!
He seemed to be trapped in an academic crisis.
What did he used to do in such situations?
Right, research!
Xie Dingyuan turned on his computer, opened his preferred academic search engine, and was about to enter his query when he suddenly paused.
The question was—what keywords should he use?
Irregular heartbeat? Unexplained blushing? Psychogenic rapid breathing?
Or… imagination? Hallucination? Midlife youthful restlessness?
He tried each one, but none of the results could explain his current state.
Sitting in front of the computer, the screen’s light illuminated his face, revealing the furrowed brow of indecision and confusion in his eyes.
In a daze, he recalled the scene from his dream earlier, when Jiang Fuyue had climbed over the wall into his bedroom.
Both of them lying on the same bed, under the same blanket, her close proximity, her breath so near…
Their eyes met, and from the darkness of the girl’s black pupils, he saw his own contorted expression due to restraint.
Then, his proud self-control collapsed, and everything that followed…
Xie Dingyuan quickly halted his thoughts, afraid to delve deeper into those details, which were too…
Embarrassing.
He searched the keyword “dreaming”, and soon, relevant papers popped up. He clicked on one titled “Cognitive Neurological Theories and Mechanisms of Dreaming”.
…Existing research suggests that dreaming involves the activation of specific brain regions (temporo-parieto-occipital junction, frontal lobe, and limbic system). The activation of these brain regions may explain the cognitive characteristics of perception, consciousness, and emotional aspects during dreaming. [1]
So, dreaming involves the activation of specific brain regions.
Why are these specific brain regions activated?
Vasopressin—posterior pituitary hormone!
This was Xie Dingyuan’s first reaction as a biologist.
By extension, phenylethylamine, endorphins, adrenaline also rushed into his mind.
Phenylethylamine, abbreviated as PEA. It’s a neurotransmitter that makes people energetic, confident, and courageous. Under its influence, breathing and heart rate accelerate, accompanied by sweating palms, flushing, and especially dilated pupils.
Very well, he found answers to all his symptoms, Xie Dingyuan breathed a sigh of relief.
But the next moment, his gaze suddenly fixed on a small line of inconspicuous text in the lower right corner—
“As long as your brain produces enough PEA, love will follow.”
Love?!
Xie Dingyuan’s face changed drastically, as if touching upon some unknown territory, his breathing suddenly chilled, and his scalp tingled.
…
Shen Qiannan was already asleep.
But he was awakened by a burst of phone ringing.
The first time, he ignored it.
The second time, he continued to ignore it.
But the other party seemed persistent—if he hung up here, they would call right back.
Finally, at who knows how many times, Shen Qiannan grabbed the phone like an angry lion, his roar shaking the ceiling: “You better have an emergency!”
Silence on the other end.
“It’s not… Who are you? Calling and not speaking? Are you crazy?” He took down the phone, looked at the screen, and widened his eyes the next second.
Xie Dingyuan?
Shen Qiannan couldn’t believe it.
He was afraid his eyelashes were blocking his vision, so he rubbed them a couple of times and blinked hard.
It was indeed Xie Dingyuan, no mistake, and now he was completely awake.
“…Old Xie, what’s going on? Are you sleepwalking?”
Normally at this time, hadn’t he already gone to bed?
Don’t ask him how he knew; Xie Dingyuan had OCD about sleep times.
“I have a question.” Finally, the voice on the other end spoke, its tone heavy and dense, like a lead block wrapped in high-density sponge.
Shen Qiannan was taken aback. “You ask.”
“Increased levels of phenylethylamine, endorphins, adrenaline, vasopressin in the body, accompanied by external symptoms of vasodilation, increased blood pressure, heart rate, and blood sugar levels, along with feelings of suffocation and palpitations. What does this indicate?”
“F*ck! Are you on drugs?!”
“…No.”
“Those symptoms you mentioned are clearly the reactions after taking drugs. Where are you right now? I’m coming over right away! When did you take it? How much did you take? Are you still lucid? You…”
“Shen… Qian… Nan! I’ll say it again, I didn’t take drugs!”
His movements to put on his clothes paused, and he sat back on the bed. “Then why did you suddenly call me at this hour? Your behavior of calling me at this time is like what happens after taking drugs, understand?”
“So I’m asking you why.” The voice remained low, but upon careful consideration, there was a hint of confusion.
“You’re asking me?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m a physicist; you’re asking me about biology?”
“Do you have a problem?”
“For God’s sake, bro, you’re the expert in this field!”
Xie Dingyuan frowned, gripping the phone. “I can be sure this isn’t due to physiological factors.”
“Not physiological factors… Then it must be psychological factors?”
There was silence on the other end.
Shen Qiannan was getting excited. “I can’t help in the field of biology, but I can try psychology. You just said increased hormonal levels and accelerated heartbeat, right?”
“Yeah.”
“When do you experience these symptoms? Surely not anytime and anywhere, for extended periods?”
There was a pause of two seconds. “…When thinking about something.”
“What kind of things?” Shen Qiannan pressed on.
“…”
“Difficult to say?”
“…”
“Alright, let me guess. Firstly, it’s definitely not related to academics.”
“…”
“Secondly, it’s not related to family.”
“…”
“And it’s definitely not related to colleagues or social interactions. That leaves… women!”
Xie Dingyuan’s eyelids twitched, still not answering.
But silence had already said it all.
“Old Xie, you’ve got something going on, haven’t you! What’s all this about a rapid heart rate? Isn’t it just your heart pounding like crazy—thump-thump-thump? Spill it—what enchantress has stolen your soul?”
Xie Dingyuan: “…”
“No way, really?! Someone actually bewitched you?”
“…”
“D*mn!” Shen Qiannan cursed under his breath. “Look at you! Pulling off something big behind my back, all sneaky-like! Stop playing dead! Talk!”
Xie Dingyuan: “… What do you mean, ‘someone stole my soul’?”
“Ugh, now you’re playing dumb instead of dead, huh? Fine, if I have to spell it out for you, I will! Listen carefully! It means you, Mr. Stone-Heart, finally bloomed and fell for someone! You’ve got her stuck in your head—heart racing, out of breath, completely smitten. And, let’s be honest, you’re dying to—uh—you know, get closer to her. Ever heard of ‘stealing a kiss’?
“Like this: you grab her, pull her in, swoop her up, and kiss her senseless! Lights out, curtains drawn, and then… well, you know… the creaking, the thudding, the moaning… You get it, right? Hey? Hello?! D*mn it—did you just hang up on me?”
On the other end, Xie Dingyuan had already tossed his phone aside like it was a hot potato.
There was no fire, yet his entire body felt like it was burning.
Shen Qiannan said he had fallen for someone…
So, he had fallen for Jiang Fuyue?!
This realization made him tremble all over.
The next moment, the man suddenly covered his eyes with his hand, as if the darkness wasn’t enough to shield him. He was trying to escape.
It was unclear how much time passed, but by the time he lowered his hand, the moon outside his window had shifted positions.
He stood up and casually adjusted the collar of his pajamas.
Fallen for her?
Well… so be it.
…
Meanwhile, Jiang Fuyue was completely unaware that someone had thought about her all night. She slept soundly until morning.
After washing up and having breakfast, she headed to B University to meet with Fan Ye and the others.
Today was the final training session before they departed for Country E.
The large computer lab was empty except for the four of them.
Jiang Fuyue set the problems, while the other three worked on coding—this had almost become their standard routine.
No one questioned her authority. Situations like Huo Fanjin’s earlier public tantrums never happened within the IOI team.
To Fan Ye, Jiang Fuyue was an all-knowing Agata.
To Huang Hui and Gao Zhaoming, she was simply an unbeatable genius.
The recently concluded IPhO competition had only solidified this impression further.
