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When the long-distance bus finally pulled into the Boston Greyhound station, a completely different atmosphere from that of Alabama hit the ground.

In September, Boston's air already carries a touch of the crispness characteristic of the Atlantic coast, replacing the humid heat of the American South.

Most pedestrians on the street are walking in a hurry. Businessmen in suits and ties brush past young students carrying backpacks. The coexistence of Gothic ancient buildings and modern glass curtain walls creates a busy urban scene full of academic atmosphere.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) does not have a traditionally enclosed, tree-lined campus. Its buildings are scattered along the Charles River, blending into the city yet forming a unique character.

When Su Ning stood in front of the iconic Great Dome building, dragging his suitcase, and looked at the students around him who were rushing about, most of them wearing thick glasses, carrying heavy books, or having heated discussions, even he felt a slight ripple in his heart.

This is where he will study and live for the next four years.

The registration process is efficient and simple.

At the new student reception area, the person in charge of registration was a senior student. She glanced at Su Ning's admission notice, then looked up at him, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

“Suning Gan? Oh! You’re the one from Alabama who got a perfect score on the SAT…” The senior student seemed to realize that this was a bit rude, so she quickly stopped talking and processed the formalities. “Your dorm is in Baker Building. Here are your key and campus card. Welcome to MIT, Gan.”

"Thank you."

The senior student's attitude reflected respect for academic ability, rather than because of his race or background.

The dormitory is a standard double room. My roommate is a male student from India named Raj Patel, who is also a freshman majoring in electrical engineering.

Raj is very talkative and curious about everything.

“Wow! Alabama!” Raj exclaimed enthusiastically to Suning as he tidied up the table covered with complex circuit diagrams. “I’ve only ever seen that in movies! Cotton fields and cowboys everywhere, right? How did you end up getting into MIT from there? That’s incredible!”

“It’s not all cotton fields there,” Suning replied simply to the Indian man.

Then she started tidying up her bed and desk, which contrasted sharply with the slightly messy state of Raj's place.

Dorm life from now on is going to be terrible; I actually hope to live with international students from the Chinese community.

Actually, I don't have any racial prejudice against Indians, it's just that their hygiene habits are... well, let's just say they're not great.

“Hey, Su,” Raj leaned closer and whispered, “I heard there’s a monster freshman in our physics department this year who published a paper back in high school, and I think… he’s also called 'Su'? Could it be you?”

Suning smiled noncommittally, neither confirming nor denying.

This low-key demeanor only confirmed Raj's guess, and his eyes immediately filled with admiration as he looked at Suning.

The first week for freshmen is for getting familiar with the environment and choosing courses.

MIT's curriculum is known for its depth and breadth, but it is also known for its extremely high dropout rate.

At the course information session, a gray-haired professor bluntly warned the new students, "Gentlemen, welcome to hell... no, I mean MIT. Here, sleep is a luxury, and coffee is a necessity. If you're still clinging to the high school study methods, I suggest you go check out Harvard next door; it might be a better fit for you."

A low chuckle, a mixture of tension and excitement, rose from the audience.

Su Ning calmly flipped through the course catalog, already having a plan in mind.

I not only chose the core courses in the physics department, but also checked several advanced mathematics courses and "Introduction to Artificial Intelligence" in the computer science department.

His course selection list made the academic advisor next to him frown.

"Gan, are you sure you want to choose these? Studying 'Quantum Mechanics' and 'Advanced Calculus' at the same time... that's a lot of work..."

“I’m sure, Professor.” Su Ning’s tone was calm but unquestionable. “I have already studied the relevant basic content on my own.”

Looking at Su Ning's calm gaze and near-perfect academic transcript, the consultant finally nodded and signed the course selection form.

Then, university life quickly got on track, and its intensity far exceeded that of high school.

The library lights burn all night long, the laboratory instruments hum incessantly, and students can be seen arguing and debating fiercely in the corridors...

All of this constitutes MIT's unique landscape.

Suning quickly adapted to this pace, like a highly efficient sponge, greedily absorbing the most cutting-edge knowledge of the era.

In the real world, although I am a student at Zhejiang University, all my thoughts are on business.

Zhejiang University tacitly approved of his actions, so Suning didn't seem like a student at all.

Suning's figure frequently appears in the quietest corner of the deepest part of the library, or in a laboratory that is still running late at night.

Su Ning's talent and composure quickly attracted the attention of the professors.

During a problem-solving session in "Classical Mechanics".

The professor posed a very tricky orbit calculation problem that involved multiple perturbation factors.

But while many students were still engrossed in calculations, Su Ning had already stood up and written a series of simple yet elegant formulas on the blackboard.

Furthermore, it points out an implicit approximation condition in the problem that can simplify the calculation.

The professor adjusted his glasses, carefully examined his derivation, and his eyes gleamed with admiration. "A truly brilliant insight, Mr. Gan. You've grasped the essence of the problem."

Then he turned to the whole class and said, "See? Sometimes, physical intuition and clear thinking are more important than blind calculations."

After class, the professor called Su Ning over and said, "Gan, are you interested in general relativity? My research group is doing some related work. If you have time, you can come and learn more."

"Thank you, Professor. I'm very interested," Su Ning replied politely.

He knew that the door had been opened for him.

At the same time, he also received news from the south.

Forrest Gump used the camera he gave him to take many photos and send them to him...

There's a blurry image of him charging on the rugby field, a silly grin with his new teammates, a photo of him visiting Jenny at a girls' school, and mountains of food piled up in the university cafeteria...

Behind each photo is a simple caption: "Brother, this is a competition."

"Brother, this is Jimmy. He treated me to ice cream."

"Brother, Jenny says she misses you."

"Brother, the apple pie Mom sent is delicious."

Looking at these photos full of everyday life, Suning's lips can't help but curl into a smile.

Of course, he would also write to Mrs. Gan regularly to let her know he was safe and sound, briefly describe his life and studies in Boston, and remind her to take care of her health.

In occasional late-night conversations with Raj, his Indian roommate would ask curiously, "Su, you never seem to miss home? I've never seen you have a girlfriend? You never go to any of the sorority parties you get invited to."

Su Ning put down the book in her hand and looked out the window at the shimmering lights on the Charles River. "This is where I should be now. As for the rest... they're not on the agenda for now."

For Suning, MIT is not just a university, but a key platform for acquiring core technologies of this era and accumulating future capital.

The knowledge, connections, and resources he has here will all become crucial pieces in his grand strategy. From the very beginning, his university life was destined to go beyond just classrooms and credits.

A wider world is slowly unfolding before him, and he is ready to move forward at full speed.

……

During his second semester at MIT, Suning's life took a subtle turn.

It all started with a chance encounter at a coffee shop near Harvard Square.

That afternoon, Suning had just finished his part-time job at the computer center and was looking for a place to relax with a cup of coffee.

Pushing open the door of "Blue Bottle Coffee," the wind chimes tinkled crisply.

Just as he bent down to take out his wallet, an Asian girl carrying a lot of art books hurriedly turned around, and the two bumped into each other, scattering the books all over the ground.

"Oh dear! I'm so sorry!" the girl exclaimed, her voice slightly accented.

"It's okay." Su Ning squatted down to help her pick up the books.

It was noted that most of the books were "Visual Arts Theory" and "Modern Painting Techniques".

The girl looked up, revealing a delicate oval face and long, flowing black hair cascading over her shoulders. "I'm Kim Yoon-ji, a sophomore at the Boston College of the Arts. I'm so sorry!"

"Suning, MIT." He introduced himself briefly and handed her the last book.

Yunzhi blinked, then suddenly smiled: "I know you. That handsome guy from MIT who always sits alone in the corner drinking Americano. I work part-time at this coffee shop, and I've seen you a few times."

"Thank you! Actually, you're very beautiful too, just like a big Korean star."

And that's how the two got to know each other.

Yunzhi has a cheerful and lively personality, which contrasts sharply with Suning's calm and reserved nature.

She would secretly draw a special heart shape on Suning's latte when he came to the coffee shop; she would hand him a funny doodle when he frowned at his notebook.

"Su Ning, why are you always so serious?" Yun Zhi couldn't help but ask once, resting her chin on her hand as she looked at him. "It's like all the world's problems are waiting for you to solve them."

Looking at the bright-smiling girl in front of him, Su Ning said, "Perhaps it's because I had too many things to consider before."

"And now?" Yunzhi asked, tilting her head.

“Now,” Su Ning paused, “the coffee is delicious, and seeing you is also a pleasure.”

"..." It was clear that Su Ning's answer satisfied Kim Yoon-ji.

As a result, their relationship developed very quickly.

Yunzhi takes Suning to explore Boston's lesser-known galleries and jazz bars that are unknown to international students; Suning, in turn, helps Yunzhi sort out her thoughts in his uniquely rational way when she is anxious about her final writing assignments.

“You can establish a functional relationship between color saturation and emotional intensity,” he once suggested while looking at Yoonji’s color practice, “and then use the gradient descent algorithm to find the optimal combination.”

Yunzhi was stunned at first, then burst into laughter, "My God! You're a madman!"

But after laughing, she actually tried this method, and the work she created unexpectedly received high praise from the professor.

Three months later, when Yunzhi's cramped student apartment became temporarily uninhabitable due to a burst water pipe, Suning made a decision.

“Move in with me,” he said as he helped Yoonji tidy up her water-soaked drawings.

Yunzhi looked up in surprise: "What did you say?"

“I rented an apartment on Beacon Street with two bedrooms,” Suning said calmly, as if discussing the weather. “You can use one of them as a studio.”

Are you proposing to me?

"Will you accept my love?"

"Of course! You're such a fool, you should have confessed your love to me a long time ago."

"I'm sorry! I was just being dense."

And so, Suning and Yunzhi began living together.

This apartment in a luxury building was soon filled with Yoonji's art supplies and paintings.

She likes to draw back the curtains in the early morning to let the sunlight fill the entire living room.

"Oppa, come and try this!" Yoon Ji-hye called out excitedly to Suning, holding up a burnt kimchi pancake.

Suning put down the book in his hand and savored it carefully. "Next time, you can reduce the heat by 15% and shorten the time by 3 minutes."

"Hey! Can't you say something nice?" Yoonji stomped her foot angrily, but her eyes were full of laughter.

Their lives are filled with these seemingly incongruous yet inexplicably harmonious moments.

Yunzhi would force Suning to accompany her to the farmers' market, and while he was seriously comparing tomato prices, she would secretly stuff a large bouquet of flowers into his shopping cart; Suning, on the other hand, would quietly prepare late-night snacks and hot tea for Yunzhi when she stayed up late to create.

One weekend night, after indulging in their passion, the two wrapped themselves in the same blanket and looked out at the lights across the Charles River from their balcony.

“My mother is coming to Boston next month,” Yunzhi suddenly said, her voice sounding a little nervous. “She wants to meet you.”

Su Ning was silent for a moment, then gently put his arm around her shoulder: "Okay."

"You just agreed like that?" Yunzhi turned to look at him in surprise. "Aren't you going to ask how she'll test you? Aren't you worried she won't like you?"

"Probability analysis shows that as long as you show enough sincerity, the success rate is over 87%," Su Ning said seriously.

"Haha..." Yunzhi was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter and pounded his chest: "You really are... hopeless!"

But as she laughed, she rested her head on Su Ning's shoulder. "But I like you like this."

"Yoonji, I feel it again now, let's continue..."

"what……"

A gentle river breeze blows, and the city lights in the distance are reflected on the river's surface, shattering into a shimmering array of stars.

In this unfamiliar city, two young people from the East built their own little world.

There are no earth-shattering vows, no dramatic plot twists, only the warm companionship in the mundane details of daily life.

For Suning, this is an unprecedented experience...

No need for calculation or planning, just knowing that there is a light on for him when he returns home on a tired night.

...(End of chapter)