Old Yao’s full name was Yao Ting.
It sounded cultured, but the man himself was burly, goofy, and absurdly strong.
He and Yan Zhixing stayed in the small office for about fifteen minutes.
When they came out, blinking at the sunlight outside, both of them looked a little dazed, as if still processing what had just happened.
“Old Yan, are we being groomed for promotion or something?”
Yan Zhixing thought for a moment.
“Seems like it.”
“Then after training, does that mean we won’t be reassigned somewhere else?”
“In theory, yeah.”
“D*mn—so we’re skipping all the assessments and getting bumped straight into the core team?”
A shadow of seriousness flickered across Yan Zhixing’s face.
“Don’t get cocky. Didn’t you hear Uncle Liu say we’re going with him to the Capital tomorrow for business?”
“So? Business is business. What’s the big deal?”
Yan Zhixing’s mouth twitched.
“It’s the result of that business that’ll decide whether we stay or go. Nothing’s confirmed yet. At best, we’ve just been given a shot. Whether we can seize it or not…”
“Pfft—of course we can!”
The two of them were driven out of Camp A by electric cart and started preparing for departure.
….
At the Yutianhua Residence, inside the villa.
Xie Dingyuan was used to getting up early, and today was no exception.
After washing up, he left the house at 7:30 like usual—only to suddenly realize the experiment had ended, and Jiang Fuyue no longer needed him to pick her up and drop her off.
He turned back inside and sat in the living room, momentarily stunned.
Aunt Liu came out of the laundry room and was startled to see the master of the house still there at this hour.
“Sir, you’re not going out today?”
Normally, Xie Dingyuan would leave at 7:30 sharp and wouldn’t even let her make breakfast, saying someone else would bring it for him.
“I’m staying in today.”
“Oh! What would you like for breakfast? I’ll make it now.”
“Steamed buns.”
“Alright, just a moment.”
“Where’s Zhong Ziang?”
Aunt Liu glanced upstairs.
“It’s Saturday. He’s probably still sleeping.”
Xie Dingyuan went upstairs to wake him.
Zhong Ziang didn’t have a habit of locking his door—too lazy, and besides, nobody in this house would enter his room uninvited.
Aunt Liu always knocked first.
Only when he told her to come in would she enter.
As for Xie Dingyuan…
His uncle wouldn’t lower himself to step into that dog den.
Normally he avoided it like the plague—why would he voluntarily walk in?
But today was an exception.
Who would’ve thought Xie Dingyuan would suddenly feel like waking him up himself?
As soon as he pushed open the door, the mess inside made him frown deeply.
On the 1.8-meter bed, the sheets were tangled into a ball, the comforter twisted in every direction.
Zhong Ziang was lying on his side, half his face smushed into the pillow, mouth half open, drooling a small puddle.
Xie Dingyuan’s frown deepened.
“Zhong Ziang, get up and eat.”
No reaction. The drool just kept flowing.
Xie Dingyuan’s mouth twitched.
“Zhong Ziang!”
“…Huh?” Finally a little movement—but his eyes stayed shut.
“Aunt Liu, don’t bother me. It’s Saturday. I’m sleeping in…”
He yanked the covers up and buried his head.
Xie Dingyuan called his name a third time. Three strikes, you’re out.
Zhong Ziang suddenly sensed something was off. He snapped his eyes open, shot up, and slurped back the drool.
Xie Dingyuan looked like he could crush a mosquito between his brows.
Finally out of patience, he grabbed a tissue from the nightstand and chucked it at his face, pressing his fingers to his throbbing temples.
“Wipe it off.”
Zhong Ziang wiped the drool away in a panic, laughing sheepishly.
“Uncle! It’s you? Aren’t you heading out today?!”
“The experiment’s over. From now on, I’ll be taking you to and from school.”
Jiang Fuyue would be back at school too—maybe they’d run into each other.
Xie Dingyuan had his own little calculations.
Zhong Ziang looked like he was about to cry. He spoke seriously: “Actually, I can go by myself. No need to chauffeur me. You’re busy with research and running a company. No need to trouble yourself with something this minor!”
“Your mom told me to keep an eye on you.”
“…” No comeback for that.
“Go wash up. Breakfast is downstairs.”
Zhong Ziang sluggishly kicked off the covers, feet touching the floor—then suddenly— “Uncle, did you just say the experiment’s over?!”
“Mm. Why?”
“Then that means Jiang Fuyue’s free now?! I just found out she moved in next door! I’ll go see her after breakfast!”
Xie Dingyuan’s gaze turned dark.
“Why do you want to see her?”
“To hang out, duh!”
Now it was Xie Dingyuan’s turn to be speechless.
Zhong Ziang jumped out of bed, excited by the thought of seeing his crush.
He even made an effort to dress up.
Leather jacket, jeans, skater shoes—hair styled just right. From head to toe, he radiated one message: I’m handsome.
He checked himself in the mirror, confirmed the look, and went downstairs for breakfast.
“Morning, Aunt Liu!”
“Good morning, young master. You look bright and fresh today!”
“Really?”
Aunt Liu nodded.
“Really.”
“Hehe…” Pleased, he headed to the dining room. Breakfast was already served.
His uncle was already eating, but his face was a bit gloomy, like someone had pissed him off again—though it didn’t dampen Zhong Ziang’s good mood.
He slurped his noodles, wiped his mouth, admired himself in the reflective kitchen door, and was just about to head out.
Suddenly—
“Stop.”
“…Uncle?”
“Have you finished your weekend homework?”
It felt like a bolt of lightning had struck Zhong Ziang.
…
Fifteen minutes later, in the living room.
On the coffee table: Given that one focus of the hyperbola lies on the directrix of the parabola y² = 4√7x, determine the equation of the hyperbola…
Zhong Ziang was about to dig a hole through the paper with his pen.
At this moment, forget expectations—he didn’t even have the will to breathe.
“Uncle, I don’t know how to do this.”
Xie Dingyuan sat on the couch, flipping through the latest issue of an SCI journal. He lifted his eyelids and glanced at him.
“Bring it here, I’ll teach you.”
“You’re so busy, I couldn’t possibly trouble you. Maybe I could ask Jiang Fuyue instead? She explains things super clearly. I understand instantly when she teaches me.”
“Oh? She’s tutored you before?”
“Of course! More than once…” Zhong boy grinned, caught in the memory.
And missed the sudden drop in his uncle’s expression.
“Didn’t you two not get along? She even talks to you?”
“You know the saying: no fight, no friendship! Fighting shows affection! If it’s not enough, you get kicked! There’s that other one—fight in bed, make up under the covers… It’s all in the novels! That’s what they call a ‘bickering couple’ dynamic, you know?”
“…” Xie Dingyuan had no desire to understand. He just wanted to punch something.
But Zhong Ziang had hit full rant mode and couldn’t stop: “Uncle, don’t you think it’s romantic? Just imagine, years from now, at our wedding, the emcee says, ‘They met in middle school. Everyone expected love at first sight, but instead it was a tale of conquest and domination—who conquered who? Let the guests guess!’”
“Isn’t that beautiful? Beautiful?! The applause will shake the venue, whistles everywhere!”
Xie Dingyuan could actually picture the scene—Zhong Ziang’s vivid storytelling was that convincing.
“Just think how many people will envy our love! We’ll be the most beloved couple in Four Corners City! My assets will be her assets, and they’ll all go to our baby in the end—”
“Oh right, Uncle, make sure your wedding gift is generous! If it’s too small, I’m not accepting it!”
Xie Dingyuan clenched his jaw and gave a frosty smile:
“If you have that much energy for daydreaming, maybe focus on how to solve this d*mn problem!”
Zhong Ziang glanced at the math test in his hand: “…”
Ah! Reality is cruel!
In the end, he didn’t get to see Jiang Fuyue that day. His uncle had him pinned down doing problems all day long.
And that wasn’t even the worst part.
The worst part was—
He couldn’t understand a single thing his uncle was teaching.
“Uncle, I think you’re messing with me. But I have no proof.”
Xie Dingyuan lifted his eyes lazily.
“…Use the XXX Theorem for this one.”
“What theorem?!”
“XXX.”
“We’ve never learned that!”
Not just never learned—this string of pseudo-English, pseudo-R gibberish, he’d never even heard of it.
“I can teach you.”
“…” Please spare me. Mercy, please?
“Start with the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality… then apply… then… and finally… loop back to the first step…”
Zhong Ziang turned his head dramatically toward the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Dear heavens! I’ve sinned. Punish me by law if you must, but please don’t let this dog-tormentor of an uncle torture me any longer!
Xie Dingyuan: Brat. You’ve pissed me off.
Zhong Ziang: When can I marry my goddess?!
Xie Dingyuan: Do another test paper. 🙂
Zhong Ziang: …?
Xie Dingyuan: Then correct it for me.
Zhong Ziang: [Flatline]
ZZ: *discussing wedding*
XD: *planning funeral* 😏😆