After Jiang Fuyue left, she headed to visit Meng Zhijian, who lived in the adjacent unit.
It seemed that he had just returned from fishing. When he opened the door, he was still wearing his sun-protection gear paired with floral shorts, his sun hat still on, and his face was flushed and shiny from the sun.
“Hello, Teacher Meng.”
“You’re back in the country?” First, he was surprised, then quickly flustered and self-conscious. “I didn’t expect you to come. I just… got back from outside, all sweaty. Have a seat! I’ll go clean up!”
He dashed off at lightning speed.
Mrs. Meng welcomed her with a smile, “Come, sit on the sofa. I made some iced jelly for you to try.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Meng.”
Jiang Fuyue took a bite. The perfect combination of brown sugar’s sweetness and the icy jelly instantly erased the summer heat.
“How is it?”
“Delicious!”
Mrs. Meng’s eyes curved in delight.
Jiang Fuyue noticed both Mrs. Meng and the other teacher’s wife were gentle people. Then it hit her: maybe only such kind-hearted people could put up with Teacher Xu’s bluntness and Teacher Meng’s whirlwind energy.
Soon, Meng Zhijian returned in a fresh outfit, looking sharp and exuding the spirit of a young man.
He also asked Jiang Fuyue about the details of her competitions, especially the IPhO, the subject he teaches.
“… When you won the award, an old university buddy heard you were my student. We hadn’t been in touch for years, but those days he bombarded me with calls, trying to recruit you to USTC, saying they had already arranged for an admission notice that could be sent at the start of the term.”
“I know it’s a bit early to ask, but you should start thinking about which university and major you’ll choose.”
Jiang Fuyue nodded. “I understand.”
“Oh? Have you decided?”
“Not yet.”
Meng Zhijian guessed it would likely be between Q University and B University, and the major could be either physics or computer science.
After finishing her iced jelly, Jiang Fuyue politely declined Mrs. Meng’s offer for a second serving and pulled out a gift bag.
“What’s this?”
“It’s for you, some small souvenirs from D Country and E country.”
Meng Zhijian was touched. He felt that convincing Jiang Fuyue to switch from the math Olympiad class to the physics competition class was the best decision he’d ever made. Though, in retrospect, maybe she’d only joined for the 500-yuan subsidy…
This time, when she left, she carried with her a bag of dried fish, treated with Mrs. Meng’s secret recipe. The aroma was so enticing that stray cats in the neighborhood followed her as she walked.
Next stop: Yu Wenzhou’s house.
When she arrived, she found him lounging on the sofa, feet up, playing on his phone.
Sneaking a glance, she noticed that he was actually moderating a Weibo fan forum — and as the host, no less.
She noted the fan forum’s name: #AcademicGoddess#
Curious, Jiang Fuyue opened Weibo, searched for the fan forum, clicked in, and was startled by what she saw: her own photos. There were shots of her in her school uniform in the classroom, playing basketball with Zhong Ziang in a fall outfit, and on the award podiums at IPhO and IOI…
She glanced at the host’s ID: [BangingMyHeadForYue].
Jiang Fuyue: “?”
She clicked into his profile and found over a hundred posts, all anti-rumor defenses.
In the latest post, someone had claimed, “Jiang Fuyue’s ‘academic goddess’ image is just marketing. Her family’s rich, and she only won her IPhO and IOI awards by pulling strings.”
Yu Wenzhou reposted this with a 2,000-word essay debunking the rumors, explaining the strict impartiality of IPhO and IOI, and concluded, “Only a true dunce, no, an illiterate, could spread such nonsense.”
The comments were full of support for Yu Wenzhou.
One even asked: “Hey, Big Wall, be honest, are you secretly in love with the goddess?”
Yu Wenzhou replied, “Nonsense! She’s my student! My pride and joy!”
Several responses followed, with comments like:
“Hey, new guy, you’re clueless, huh?”
“Accusing Big Wall of having a crush on the goddess? Watch out for his wife, who’ll show up and make you do your homework.”
“Kid, go do your homework!”
“Lo and behold, “Big Wall’s” wife showed up”
“Welcome, teacher’s wife! Confetti everywhere!”
…..
Jiang Fuyue traced her way to his wife’s Weibo and was stunned to find she was a financial education influencer with over ten million followers.
Every single anti-hate post Yu Wenzhou made, she actually reposted.
Many long-time fans were already aware they were husband and wife.
The video of Jiang Fuyue receiving her award at the IPhO was edited into a high-definition version by his wife and pinned to the top of her homepage, captioned: “This is how amazing one of my hubby’s students is!”
It was shared over a million times.
The original trending video had spread from here.
Now it was Jiang Fuyue’s turn to be touched.
“Teacher Yu, where’s your wife?”
“Oh, she’s streaming tonight. She went to her studio to prepare.”
“Cough…” Jiang Fuyue leaned closer. “So, since you enjoy surfing the web so much, have you ever considered becoming a social media influencer like your wife?”
Yu Wenzhou’s eyes lit up. “Me? Really? I don’t think so… Your teacher’s wife has tagged me countless times, but my follower count hasn’t grown. Guess I just don’t have the talent for it.”
Deep down, people who spend time online often crave attention.
The more attention they get, the bolder they become.
Yu Wenzhou was no exception.
“Have you ever thought about why?”
“Why what?”
“Why your wife has so many fans and often tags you, but your follower count doesn’t grow.”
Yu Wenzhou shook his head, looking puzzled. “I really haven’t… Do you know why?”
“It’s because your personal brand isn’t complete or unique enough. When your wife tags you, her fans see you as just her husband, someone riding on her coattails. They like her but don’t know you, so naturally, they won’t follow you.”
“Oh~ So that’s why. Do you have any advice?”
Jiang Fuyue cleared her throat and pulled out a business card.
She wasn’t sure why she was carrying it—she even had it at the airport last time.
Yu Wenzhou took the card and glanced at it. “Xingyue Agency? Wu Qian?”
“This agency is newly established, but their branding and marketing strategies are top-notch. They can build on your existing traits to craft a more distinct persona. Right now, they only have two signed influencers, and their styles are completely different from yours. So, there’s no need to worry about overlap or competition for resources. You should give it a try.”
Yu Wenzhou pocketed the card without saying whether he would or wouldn’t go.
Jiang Fuyue handed over her gift and left happily.
Visiting her teacher while scouting a potential influencer for her family’s agency?
Nice!
…..
Evening, No. 1 High School’s Faculty Housing Area.
As the city lights came on and the cool breeze swept through—
“Hey, Teacher Meng, out for a walk?”
Meng Zhijian: “Yes, yes!”
“Didn’t go fishing today?”
“Ah, I left halfway through. Annoying, isn’t it?”
The neighbor, who was also a colleague at No. 1 High School, immediately asked with concern: “What happened?”
“One of my students came to visit me, so I came back early.”
“Graduates can be so thoughtful. Two of mine came by with flowers and fruit just the other day. These kids…”
Meng Zhijian shook his head proudly, “Mine isn’t a graduate; she’s still a student. You probably know her too.”
“Oh? Someone I know? Who?”
“Jiang Fuyue!”
Ever since her perfect scores in two international competitions, Jiang Fuyue’s name was practically legendary in the residential area. The teacher’s eyes widened as he eagerly asked, “When did she come? She’s back? Did she mention if she’s choosing Q University or B University?”
“She came this afternoon, just a few hours ago. She even brought a gift!”
“What gift?”
“Here, have a taste—” Meng Zhijian pulled a piece of chocolate from a pouch and broke off a square.
The teacher looked oddly at him. Normally, he wasn’t one to carry a pouch on his walks. What was up today?
Little did he know, the teacher was onto something.
“How is it? Good, right?”
“Tasty.”
“It’s from D Country!”
“Must be nice to have such a thoughtful student, acing two big competitions and so polite that she visits right after returning to the country!”
Meng Zhijian couldn’t help but glow with pride.
En….
How many more to go?
The chocolates should last, right?
He counted. Five squares left. Enough to visit five more people. Off he went~
Not far off, Xu Jing held milk tablets, saying, “You know, my student brought these… Jiang Fuyue, right…”
That night, the No. 1 High School residential area was filled with the sweet scent of chocolates and milk tablets, and no shortage of envious teachers.
