They're already in university, and the primary school system is only just starting out?

"Squeak"

Chen Lin pushed open the door to dormitory 406, panting, just as the curfew was about to start.

He felt extremely tired. His physical fatigue wasn't too bad, but his mind was foggy and he just wanted to collapse onto the bed.

"Hey! Brother Lin's back? How did things go today? Which girl at the bar was so charming that you were partying until almost lights out before coming back?"

The speaker was Fatty Zhao, who was sleeping on the upper bunk by the door. He was in the middle of a crucial team fight in the game and made a sarcastic remark without even looking up.

"Yeah, yeah, you look exhausted like a dog. Is your back alright, Brother Lin?" Li Houzi, who was scrolling through short videos on the other bed, leaned out and winked at him.

The only one who seemed somewhat serious was the dorm leader, Wang Tao. He had just returned from the washroom, wiping his face with a towel, and smiled at Chen Lin: "Went to the backstreet again? How was your singing today? Any highlights?"

Chen Lin shoved the snack box under his desk, too exhausted to even wash up. He collapsed onto his bed, muttering weakly, "Screw singing, didn't go to the bar."

"Didn't go?" Fatty Zhao's hands didn't stop working, and his mouth didn't stop either. "Then what the hell were you doing so late at night? You look like a dog! You couldn't have really gone to the library to study, could you? That's not like you, Brother Lin!"

"Heh," Chen Lin slumped on the bed, too lazy to even lift his eyelids, "That's more exciting. I spent the whole night doing mathematical modeling with Shen Yan from the math department."

The dormitory fell into a deathly silence.

The character on Fatty Zhao's screen yelled "Ah!" and then died. He was so stunned that he forgot to curse.

The DJ track by the girl on Li Houzi's phone was playing loudly because it wasn't turned off.

Wang Tao covered his face with a towel, and his movements froze.

Six eyes, like searchlights, were fixed on Chen Lin, their gazes clearly saying, "Are you kidding me?"

"Who?!" Fatty Zhao's voice cracked. "Mathematics Department? Shen Yan?! You mean that... the legendary supermodel with messy hair but stunning looks, who only has formulas in her eyes?!"

"Hmm." Chen Lin hummed through his nose with his eyes closed.

"You?!" Li Houzi pointed at him, looking like he'd seen a ghost. "With her? Spending the whole night on mathematical modeling?"

"Hmm," Chen Lin hummed again.

Wang Tao tossed the towel aside, his face stern, and walked to Chen Lin's bedside, pressing his hand against Chen Lin's forehead: "Linzi, are you delirious from the fever? Or are you hallucinating from drinking fake alcohol? Shen Yan? Discussing math with you? And even until the lights went out?!"

Chen Lin slapped his hand away: "Believe it or not. I'm exhausted, stop arguing..."

"Holy crap!" Fatty Zhao snapped back to reality, letting out a strange yell, "Versailles! This guy's got some serious bragging! Guys, hold him down! Discussing math with Shen Yan? Why don't you just brag about debating relativity with Einstein?!"

"Exactly!" Li Houzi jumped off the bed, filled with grief and indignation. "Brother Lin, think before you lie! Who are you trying to fool! Tell me honestly, which girl is it? The one in the JK uniform last time, or the one who did the jazz dance?"

"I think he's just changing the subject!" Wang Tao joined the attack. "Shen Yan? Do you know what Shen Yan's status is in the math department? She sees nothing but math, nothing but air! Would she waste an entire night doing modeling with a sophomore Chinese literature major like you? You're kidding me!"

"Right, right, right! Bragging is tax-free!"

"He's feeling guilty! Brothers, start the torture! Scratch him!"

"Take his potato chips! Let's see if he says anything then!"

The dormitory erupted in chaos, filled with howls and wailing as the bachelors denounced the "traitor."

Chen Lin's head was throbbing from their noise. He wanted to yell back, but he couldn't even muster the strength to open his mouth.

A strong wave of drowsiness washed over Chen Lin, and everything went black before his eyes.

"Noisy, what's all the noise about..." he mumbled half a sentence, then a final thought flashed through his mind: "Why am I suddenly so sleepy today..."

The next second, his head tilted to the side, and he fell into a deep sleep.

He didn't hear a single word of his roommates' subsequent "torture and interrogation".

In room 406, only three boys remained, staring wide-eyed at Chen Lin, who had instantly fallen into a deep sleep and was even snoring softly.

......

......

Chen Lin struggled to open his eyelids.

The first thing that catches the eye is that familiar water stain on the dormitory ceiling, its shape somewhat resembling a map of Australia.

"What time is it...?"

He felt his throat was extremely dry.

I propped myself up on the bed, my head spinning.

He shook his head and looked around.

The dormitory was empty.

The gaming chair that Zhao Pangzi had sat on until it was a little deformed was empty, and Li Houzi and Wang Tao were no longer in the dormitory.

Outside the window, the sunlight was no longer the bright white of dawn, nor the glaring light of midday, but a warm and languid orange-red.

The afterglow of the setting sun shone through the window, casting long shadows on the concrete floor. Dust particles floating in the air were clearly visible in the beams of light, swirling slowly.

In the distance, a faint commotion could be heard coming from the direction of the playground, with the voices of boys and girls mixed together.

Chen Lin suddenly felt a sense of comfort.

Chen Lin fumbled for his phone on the bedside table and turned on the screen.

5:23 PM.

Date: Sunday, May 15th.

Holy crap!

Chen Lin jolted awake, instantly becoming mostly sober.

He then realized what was happening.

I got back to my dorm around 10 p.m. last night, and it's almost 5:30 p.m. now... He actually slept for almost 20 hours straight?!

This is the first time I've ever done this in my life.

He climbed down the ladder from the bed, walked to the window, and opened it. The warm breeze of early summer evening blew in, finally clearing his muddled mind a little.

He began to recall what had happened last night.

I went to the study room and met Shen Yan. I explained an optimization plan for modeling to her...

That's where the problem lies!

Chen Lin recalled that he didn't feel much exertion when he was explaining things to Shen Yan.

But not long after he finished speaking, Chen Lin felt extremely sleepy.

"So it seems... the abilities of the 'Little Mathematician' are limited?"

Chen Lin walked to the table, poured a large glass of water, and gulped it down in one go, only then did he feel alive again.

He pulled out a chair, sat down, and began to analyze the situation seriously.

"The title 'Little Mathematician' means that you will always get the correct answer when faced with any math problem. This sounds like a rule-level ability, almost like a bug. But to use this 'rule,' I myself need to be the one to carry it out."

Chen Lin stroked his chin, his thoughts becoming increasingly clear.

"For example, when used for basic arithmetic operations, the energy consumption is probably similar to that of a mobile phone on standby. I might not even feel it after a whole day of calculations. But yesterday's mathematical modeling calculation optimization involved completely different variables and computational scales. It drained my brain completely."

Thinking about this, Chen Lin couldn't help but feel a little scared.

"What if I were reckless and suddenly decided to think about Goldbach's Conjecture or the Riemann Hypothesis? Wouldn't I just faint as soon as I got an idea?"

"hiss----"

Chen Lin gasped, secretly making up his mind.

In the future, I must be more careful when using the "Little Mathematician" ability, and at least assess the difficulty of the problem first.

To be honest, Chen Lin wouldn't completely be unable to accept the possibility of someone fainting, as long as the returns were high enough.

The problem is that Chen Lin can't be sure how much of a side effect draining his energy will have on his body.

Chen Lin had absolutely no intention of using his own body for experiments.

After figuring out the problem with his body, Chen Lin picked up his phone and unlocked the screen.

A bunch of unread messages popped up on the screen.

One of them was from my mom, posted at noon today.

Mom: [Did you go out this weekend? The weather forecast says it'll get colder in a couple of days, so remember not to put all your long sleeves away. Eat on time, and don't always eat takeout; it's unhealthy.]

Chen Lin felt a warmth in his heart and quickly sent the reply.

Chen Lin: [Okay, Mom, don't worry. I'm in the dorm, about to go out for dinner.]

I closed the chat window with my mom, and below was a series of messages from the same person.

It's Shen Yan.

The first two were posted around 4 a.m.

Shen Yan: [Chen, I stayed up all night to do a preliminary test of your plan, and the results are excellent, much better than our previous ones!]

Shen Yan: [The predicted curve and the actual reported cases matched by more than 93%! Thank you so much!]

There was another one at eight in the morning.

Shen Yan: [We are currently writing a report based on your framework, but some of the concepts are too advanced. We've consulted a lot of materials but still only have a vague understanding. We might still need to consult you. Do you have time?]

Noon.

Shen Yan: [Chen, are you busy? Our code and report are finished and ready to be submitted.]

Shen Yan: [Our advisor reviewed our model and report and asked if we had hired a professor-level consultant...]

3 PM.

Shen Yan: Are you still busy? There's something I want to talk to you about.

The last one was just now, five minutes ago.

Shen Yan: [Chen, could you please reply to this message?]

Shen Yan: [There are some follow-up matters regarding this competition that I'd like to discuss with you in person. When are you available?]

Looking at this series of messages, Chen Lin rubbed his temples.

As he was pondering how to reply, another message popped up; it was from Li Zihan.

Li Zihan: [Chen, could you deliver some food to us? Same place as always, the study room in the small building of the department.]

Li Zihan: [Same as always, one meat dish and one vegetable dish per person, one tael of rice, and one serving without chili.]

Chen Lin: [Sorry, Li, I'm off on Sundays and won't be providing services.]

Li Zihan: [No way! Yan Yan dragged us here early this morning. We've been working all day and we're starving!]

Li Zihan: [Teary-eyed and pitiful.jpg]

Chen Lin said, "Don't try that."

Chen Lin: [Sorry, I have to go out right now, I really don't have time.]

Li Zihan: [Chen wouldn't just stand by and watch us starve, right?]

Li Zihan: [Hungry for food.jpg]

Li Zihan: [I'll pay extra! Add 10 yuan to the delivery fee for each person's meal!]

Wow, she's a rich woman!

Chen Lin: [You're really good at judging people.jpg]