Math professor returns to routine

Walk out of the venue.

The lukewarm sunlight streamed down, and Lu You raised her hand to shield her eyes, squinting slightly.

The school anniversary ceremony has ended; it lasted a full two hours.

The content is not exactly the same as the flag-raising ceremony, but it is extremely similar; it's basically an extended and enlarged version.

The leaders delivered the opening remarks and introduced the guests. Student representatives gave speeches, followed by recitations and choral singing. Guests then gave speeches, and the leaders went on stage again to summarize and give their best wishes.

The procedures are always the same, with nothing new.

If it weren't for the fact that Tang Wan could be seen between each step of the process, Lu You would have really wanted to make an excuse to go to the bathroom and sneak away.

"Shall we have lunch together?" Zhang Zhichuang asked in a friendly manner.

"No, my relatives invited me out for dinner," Lu You politely declined.

"That's okay!"

After saying goodbye to her three roommates, Lu You walked to a shady spot nearby and took out her phone.

There are unread messages from my aunt and Tang Wan.

Auntie only sent the lunch time and restaurant address. Lu You replied "Received" and then turned to open the message sent by Tang Wan.

[My beloved: Darling, I'm going to eat after get off work.]

[Husband: Can you find the time?]

【My beloved concubine: (﹏)】

[My dear consort: There are too many guests today, and the student council is short-staffed.]

[My beloved concubine: You must go help out after you finish eating.]

guest.

Lu You thought of the several groups of people she had seen on campus today, all dressed as alumni of a certain college or graduating class.

The guests Tang Wan mentioned probably included them, as well as some other prominent figures from academia, education, politics, and business.

Previously, at the school anniversary ceremony, Lu You saw about a dozen super big shots who he had only seen in the news or books.

Husband: Poor child.

[Husband: I'll send you some photos later to whet your appetite.]

【My beloved concubine: (^3^)】

With plenty of time to spare before the agreed time, Lu You leisurely walked out of the school and found her car.

Lu You had considered using the pass to park her car in the school parking lot, so she wouldn't have to walk hundreds of meters to get her car every time.

But for an undergraduate student to drive a luxury car worth millions is just too conspicuous.

Lu You wasn't afraid of trouble, but there was no need to take on trouble either, so she simply decided to stop outside the school.

I only need the car on weekends anyway, so walking a little further is just a form of exercise.

Lu You drove off and, following the navigation, arrived at a quaint courtyard house in the suburbs.

The blue bricks and gray tiles, the bright red auspicious gate, are full of charm, but the drawback is that they are not grand enough.

However, given the weather in the capital, putting on such a grand show is simply asking for trouble in winter.

Lu You walked towards the courtyard house. As he approached the gate, a young man in a suit and leather shoes came to greet him.

"Excuse me, are you Mr. Lu You?"

“It’s me.” Lu You nodded.

"this way please."

The young man led the way, and Lu You followed behind. After glancing around, Lu You lost interest.

The interior design is a modern hotel style, so it's really not very attractive.

The courtyard house is a three-section courtyard house. You enter the main house by passing through the hanging flower gate and the courtyard.

Lu You raised an eyebrow when she saw the three people sitting around the dining table.

The young man led Lu You away silently.

"Old Wang, this is my nephew. Isn't he a handsome young man?"

"Indeed, a handsome man." Wang Zhili smiled, looking at Lu You with a strange expression.

Shen Pingkuo was about to introduce Lu You and have him greet the person, but unexpectedly, Lu You spoke up and greeted them on his own.

Good afternoon, Academician Wang.

Wang Zhili, a middle-aged man with half-black and half-white hair, a slightly plump figure, and a free and easy temperament, was the judge who initially proposed and participated in Lu You's thesis defense, recommended Lu You as the college representative, and was Xiao Liang's former mentor.

On the surface, he seems unremarkable, but in reality, his resume is incredibly impressive.

The title of academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences alone is a height that Lu You had not yet reached in his previous life, not to mention that he also holds important positions in many academic societies and research institutes, and is covered with various honors.

This was the highest-ranking figure Lu You encountered in the Chinese mathematics community after his transmigration.

Of course, the highest-ranking person in the School of Mathematics is still the Dean. However, the Dean is very busy and rarely seen. Lu You has only met him a handful of times, and there has been no communication between them.

Moreover, the dean's administrative path, in terms of academic achievements alone, is not as high as Wang Zhili's.

Shen Pingkuo glanced back and forth between Wang Zhili and Lu You a few times, looking surprised. "You two know each other?"

“Of course I know him! Your nephew is a big name in the college!” Wang Zhili made no attempt to hide the smile and admiration in his eyes. “Don’t just stand there, find a place to sit.”

Lu You nodded, glanced at the empty seats, hesitated for a moment, and then pulled out the chair next to Shen Mumu.

Of the three people present, only sitting next to my cousin was the most comfortable.

Shen Mumu pouted and moved away from Lu You.

Lu You found it amusing.

This guy is still holding a grudge about asking her about her grades this morning!
Shen Pingkuo was very curious about what Lu You had done that made even Wang Zhili, an academician, know his name.

However, the most urgent task is to serve the food and start the meal.

Shen Pingkuo called over the waiter waiting outside and said, "Tell the kitchen to serve the dishes."

"Okay." The waiter replied and left.

In less than five minutes, five dishes were laid out on the table.

Half a sesame oil chicken, half a roast goose, a plate of stir-fried pork belly with green peppers, a steamed sea bass, a dish of water spinach with fermented bean curd, and a pot of fragrant hot soup.

The dishes were simple, the ingredients plain, but Wang Zhili's eyes lit up.

"Pingkuo, you really understand me, you know I love Cantonese food!"

Lu You thought her uncle had prepared this meal especially for her and was touched, but it turned out that it just happened to be a coincidence that Wang Zhili liked the same thing.

Well, I was just being presumptuous.

Min Jie got up to serve soup; as Shen Pingkuo's wife, entertaining guests was a basic skill for her.

Before anyone started eating, Lu You took photos of each dish with her phone and sent them to Tang Wan.

[Husband: Ready to eat.]

Tang Wan's reply followed immediately.

【My beloved concubine: (ω`)】

[My beloved concubine: I want to eat it too!]

[Husband: I'll make it for you during the holidays.]

[My beloved concubine: Baby, you're so good to me!]

After all, this is a meeting place, and it's impolite to look down at your phone for a long time.

After exchanging a few words with Tang Wan, Lu You put away her phone and quickly ended the conversation.

Min Jie also placed a bowl of soup in front of Lu You.

"Thank you, Auntie," Lu You said politely.

Min Jie responded with a gentle smile.

As Shen Pingkuo invited everyone to start eating, the meal began.

Shen Pingkuo chatted familiarly with Wang Zhili, discussing their family matters.

Wang Zhili complained that his children were all troublesome; his eldest son got divorced in less than a year after getting married, and his youngest daughter was obsessed with chasing celebrities.

Shen Pingkuo then called out Shen Mumu's name, saying that she wasn't much better, and that her grades had plummeted in the last half semester.

Shen Mumu neither refuted nor explained, and silently lowered her head to eat her food.

Lu You now understood why Shen Mumu had been so resistant when he mentioned her grades.

Because it's not worth telling anyone.

As they chatted, the two changed the subject and began reminiscing about their youth.

We met in elementary school, separated in middle school, and reunited in society, through all sorts of scattered, trivial matters.

When the topic of middle school came up, Shen Pingkuo casually mentioned Lu You, trying to bring him into the conversation.

Unfortunately, Lu You only spent a year and a half in high school, and most of her memories were about studying or Tang Wan.

Learning is inherently a monotonous and lonely activity; no amount of embellishment can create a sense of excitement or bustle.

As for Tang Wan, talking about puppy love in front of the parents of teenagers is tantamount to dancing on a grave or dancing in a minefield.

After racking her brains, Lu You couldn't come up with a clever story, so she could only say that she was so engrossed in math in high school that she didn't experience the joys of youth.

Unexpectedly, these unintentional words resonated with Wang Zhili.

He showed his talent at a young age, became famous in a competition, and was later selected by his mentor to teach him everything he knew. He laid a solid foundation and went abroad to study until he achieved success and returned to China to take over his mentor's responsibilities.

Along the way, I've been rushing around, either studying or on my way to study. I haven't made many friends, let alone experienced youth.

Wang Zhili sighed with regret, lamenting that he had missed out on so much because of his studies.

If he could do it all over again, he would definitely slow down, finish his three years of high school honestly, make more friends, and experience all sorts of fun things.

Lu You picked up the bowl, took a sip of the hot soup, and remained noncommittal.

Wang Zhili and he may have different personalities, but they are the same kind of people.

Even if I could do it all over again, I would still follow the same path, participate in competitions, and end my high school career prematurely.

For them, the promotion path to the general public is too slow and even limits their growth.

Just like in League of Legends ranked matches, when a player's skill level far exceeds their current rank, the system will detect this and allow the player to advance to a higher rank.

When someone demonstrates extraordinary talent in their studies, there will naturally be someone to push them forward.

Everyone ate and chatted in a harmonious atmosphere.

When the food on the table was almost finished, Shen Mumu put down her chopsticks and got up to leave the table, saying that she was "full".

Soon after, Lu You finished eating and told the remaining three to eat slowly before chasing after Shen Mumu in the direction she had left.

After a quick search, Lu You successfully found Shen Mumu in the backyard living room.

He was sitting on the sofa, holding his phone, staring blankly into a certain direction.

Lu You walked into the reception room and sat down next to Shen Mumu.

At the same time, Shen Mumu also came to her senses and turned to look at Lu You.

"what?"

Lu You didn't mind Shen Mumu's unfriendly tone and went straight to the point: "Let me know about your recent studies."

Shen Mumu's face darkened further, and she said impatiently, "Didn't my dad tell you that during dinner? Why do you insist that I repeat it?"

“Your dad only mentioned the result of your grades slipping down. What I want to know is the reason and process behind your decline,” Lu You said earnestly.

Shen Mumu gave a self-deprecating laugh and asked in return, "Do the reasons and the process matter?"

"When a person dies, whether it is a natural death or an unnatural death, suicide or homicide, the situations are completely different."

"You work part-time as a criminal investigation forensic doctor, so is that how you make this comparison?"

"Just tell me if you understand it or not."

After a few lighthearted banter, the atmosphere of their conversation became much more lively.

"Will telling you my current situation solve the problem?" Shen Mumu said without much hope.

“Even if I tell you, it might not solve the problem, but if I don’t tell you, I can’t help you even if I want to.” Lu You remained calm and gentle, unaffected by Shen Mumu’s negative emotions.

"Study geniuses like you have it so easy and smooth sailing in your studies, how could you possibly understand the feelings of ordinary people like us?"

"You seem to have some misunderstanding about me."

Lu You glanced at the coffee table, picked up two white porcelain teacups, one large and one small, placed them in front of her, and filled them with water.

Shen Mumu looked at Lu You's behavior with confusion, not understanding what he was doing.

Lu You didn't let Shen Mumu's doubts linger for long. Pointing to the two full teacups, she asked, "What do you think is the difference between these two teacups?"

Shen Mumu hesitated for a moment, then asked uncertainly, "You want me to find the differences?"

"That's it!"

Shen Mumu bent down and approached the two teacups, her eyes slightly narrowed, carefully observing them from all angles before cautiously replying, "They're one big and one small, one holds more water and the other holds less, am I right?"

“That’s right.” Lu You smiled calmly. “The difference between you and me is actually the same as these two teacups. I’m older and you’re younger. I know more and you know less, but we are both human beings at heart. There is a limit to the knowledge we can comprehend. The problems you will encounter are the same problems I will encounter, just at different levels.”

Do you know Einstein?

"I know." Einstein's headshot and biographical information were hanging on the classroom wall. Shen Mumu saw them every day, so it was hard for her not to know.

"The founder of relativity, the founder of modern physics, a great man of the century, and a Nobel laureate in physics, is many times more amazing than me. Yet, even this super genius had problems he couldn't solve until his death. So, don't mythologize me. I just learned faster, more, and more deeply than you. I still encountered difficulties, and it wasn't as smooth sailing as you described."

A long silence followed.

Perhaps persuaded by Lu You, Shen Mumu leaned back in her chair and sighed, "Cousin, Sister Tang Wan said you have a great way with words. I didn't believe it at first, but now I see it for myself."

Lu You smiled. Without some verbal skills, he wouldn't have become a professor in his previous life. He honed his skills through countless lectures, defenses, and seminars.

"Can you tell me about your studies now?" Lu You casually grabbed a handful of cashews and stuffed them into Shen Mumu's palm.

Are you trying to soothe a child?

Shen Mumu felt something was off, but considering Lu You's handsome looks and pleasant voice, she let it go and popped a cashew into her mouth.

Crunchy, rich in flavor, and delicious!
It just gets stuck between my teeth a little.

“Nothing special.” Shen Mumu picked up a teacup and drank it all in one gulp. “I just can’t find a goal to study and I can’t get motivated.”

"That's it? I thought you were in a relationship!" Lu You teased.

Shen Mumu tossed two more cashews into her mouth and said lazily, "Too ugly, I don't like them."

"From what you're saying, a boy has confessed his feelings to you?" Lu You asked with interest.

"I'm so pretty, is it strange that someone confessed to me?" Shen Mumu said smugly, and with her looks, she certainly had the right to be proud.

Any product made by the Shen family is guaranteed to be of the highest quality.

"What kind of face would you find attractive?"

Shen Mumu glanced at Lu You sideways, looked him up and down, and said, "At least on the same level as you."

Hehe, at least.

I'm afraid I'll be single for the rest of my life.

Lu You sneered inwardly. There were men more handsome than him, but definitely not many.

"Getting off-topic, let's get back to the main point. Have you thought about what you want to be when you grow up?"

"That's too many!" Shen Mumu counted on her fingers, "Idol girl groups, social media bloggers, diplomats, prosecutors, lawyers, forensic doctors..."

"Stop, stop, stop!" Lu You interrupted Shen Mumu as she listed the dishes. "Have you ever looked into the specific job duties of these industries you mentioned?"

"Of course!"

"Where did you get that information? It couldn't be from a TV series, could it?" Lu You asked suspiciously.

"How did you know?" Shen Mumu asked, looking bewildered.

Lu You put his right hand to his forehead and remained silent for a moment.

Hearing the words "diplomat" and "prosecutor" made him feel uneasy; it had a strong Japanese and Korean drama vibe. After asking around, he was right.

It's not that there are no diplomats or prosecutors in the country, but rather that Shen Mumu, as a junior high school student, generally doesn't have access to these two professions, let alone aspire to them.

The only possibility is Japanese and Korean dramas.

"Let's not talk about our careers anymore, let's talk about which university you want to attend in the future!"

Shen Mumu's expression visibly stiffened, her eyes lowered, exuding a dejected and negative aura. "My original goal was Capital University."

"Not now?"

Shen Mumu slumped her shoulders and gave a bitter smile. "I've come to terms with reality. Capital University is too high and too far away; it's beyond my reach."

"You, a local Beijing woman, have the nerve to say that to a nobody from out of town like me?"

"What's wrong with being a local? Does being a local mean you don't have to take the college entrance exam? The competition here is just as fierce!" Shen Mumu retorted loudly.

Lu You took out his phone and searched for last year's admissions data for Capital University. As soon as the data came out, he immediately showed disdain.

"This is ridiculous! There are less than 60,000 test takers, yet only 300 or so places available. How is that competitive? My province has nearly 800,000 test takers, and only about a hundred places."

"You're so annoying! I don't want to talk to you anymore!" (End of Chapter)