My IQ has been increasing year by year.

September 2nd.

The weather in Princeton was lovely, with bright sunshine and a slight chill in the air.

In the second-floor lounge of the Van En Building at the Institute for Advanced Study, it was so quiet that you could hear the ticking of the second hand on the wall clock.

The entire wall on the left is a huge blackboard, densely covered with white symbols.

That was an algebraic matrix left behind by Chen Zhuo two days ago when he was re-deriving part of the Hodge conjecture.

Pierre stood in front of the blackboard, holding a cup of black tea that had stopped steaming.

He stared at the convergence formulas for the discrete grid on the blackboard for a long time, finally letting out a soft breath, turning around, and walking towards the floor-to-ceiling window in the lounge. Dean Cyril was leaning against the window, holding a cup in his hand.

"You spend half an hour staring at that blackboard every morning."

Cyril glanced at Pierre, his tone indifferent.

"I'm trying to find vulnerabilities."

Pierre took a sip of tea.

"Even though I know I won't find it, it helps me clear my head."

Cyril didn't reply, but simply looked out the window.

Through the floor-to-ceiling windows of Vane Building, the view extends beyond the quiet grove of trees, clearly revealing the edge of Princeton's main campus. It's a completely different world from the tranquil Institute for Advanced Study.

Today marks the official start of the academic year for undergraduate students at Princeton.

The main road was jammed with cars, and the lawn was covered with colorful welcome tents.

Young people, pulling suitcases of all sizes, surged forward like a tide.

People were shouting, people were hugging, and loud music could be faintly heard.

Pierre frowned.

He followed Cyril's gaze, making no attempt to hide the disdain on his face.

"Look at those guys."

Pierre reached out and tapped twice on the glass beside him.

"He was dragging his suitcase around aimlessly, with no discernible pattern."

"I was stuck in traffic on Washington Road for a full forty minutes this morning."

Cyril sighed.

"A pickup truck, from who-knows-which state, was blocking the middle of the road, its bed filled with a freshman's pile of broken furniture that he didn't know what he was going to do with." "The current batch of undergraduates is getting worse and worse."

Pierre snorted coldly.

"I bet the lawn in front of the Alexander Synagogue will be trampled into a muddy mess by sunset today. Those headless flies can't even read the road signs." The door to the lounge was pushed open.

Chen Zhuo walked in with a water cup. He went to the water dispenser and filled the cup halfway.

Hearing the conversation between the two elderly people, he didn't interrupt, but simply carried his water glass and slowly walked to the window.

The sun is shining brightly outside.

Those eighteen or nineteen-year-olds, wearing short sleeves, ran in the sunshine, carrying cardboard boxes and laughing loudly.

Chen Zhuo stood between two old men whose combined age was nearly 150, looking calmly at the hustle and bustle outside the window.

Pierre glanced at him.

"Do you find it noisy? If needed, I can have the administration office negotiate and have them move the welcome speakers further away from the research institute." Chen Zhuo took a sip of water and smiled.

"well enough."

His voice was gentle, and there was not a trace of displeasure in it.

"Young people, this is normal."

Pierre raised an eyebrow.

Chen Zhuo looked out the window at a boy helping a girl move boxes, and his smile deepened.

"After all, this is Princeton. Getting into this university is something to be very happy about."

Chen Zhuo looked away.

"It's understandable that they get a little excited."

He spoke casually, his tone carrying a tolerance beyond his years.

Pierre and Cyril exchanged a glance.

A fourteen-year-old boy, speaking in a tone befitting an elder, was defending a group of eighteen- or nineteen-year-old college students.

But those two real old guys are getting angry over a little noise.

Pierre coughed to cover his embarrassment and turned to walk towards the door.

"I'm going to check yesterday's journal. Don't stand by the window for too long, or you'll catch a chill."

Cyril shook his head, smiled, picked up his cup, and followed him out.

The lounge fell silent again.

Chen Zhuo finished drinking the water in his cup, looked at the colorful balloons floating in the main campus, and stood quietly for a while.

He felt he had been sitting for a while and wanted to go for a walk.

Chen Zhuo left the lounge and followed the corridor to the office of Administrative Specialist Wu Li.

The door wasn't closed properly; there was a crack.

Woolley was standing in front of his desk, holding a document in his hand.

He didn't lower his head, but looked straight ahead, then gently placed the document down, the edge of which fit perfectly against the edge of the table.

Chen Zhuo knocked on the door.

"Please come in."

Wu Li raised his head.

Good morning, Mr. Woolley.

Chen Zhuo went inside.

Woolley immediately stood up straight, his hands hanging naturally at his sides.

"Good morning, Mr. Chen. Is there anything I can do for you? Do you need more stationery, or do you need the room temperature set adjusted?" His pronunciation was still clear and standard, without a single flaw.

"Neither."

Chen Zhuo smiled.

"I see the main campus is quite lively today, and I'd like to take a stroll there, but I'm not very familiar with the area. Would it be convenient for you to show me around now?" There was a brief two-second pause in the office.

Woolley's expression remained unchanged, maintaining his polite professional smile.

But in his mind, the alarm had already gone off.

Main campus.

First day of school.

Everywhere you look, there are hormone-fueled, unpredictable undergraduate freshmen.

In addition, there's this fourteen-year-old genius who's under the utmost protection of the entire hospital.

Woolley quickly created a risk assessment model in his mind.

The conclusion is: This was a disaster.

"Mr. Chen."

Woolley pushed up his thin glasses on the bridge of his nose.

"On a technical level, I must remind you that the main campus has a very high population density today, the roads are congested, and there is a significant risk of uncontrollable physical collisions." He paused, his tone tactful.

"If you'd like to take a walk, the woods behind the research institute, or the shores of Carnegie Lake, might be a safer and more comfortable option." Chen Zhuo looked at Woolley and noticed his tension.

He didn't make things difficult for the other person; he simply spoke gently.

"It's okay, we'll just walk along the edge of the main road and avoid crowded places. If you really have work to do, I can go by myself." Upon hearing the words "I can go by myself," Woolley's eyes twitched slightly.

Let this brain, which contains Hodge's conjectures, enter that chaotic zone alone?

Dean Cyril will definitely deduct my year-end bonus until the next century!

"No, Mr. Chen, helping you familiarize yourself with the campus is part of my job."

Woolley quickly took the suit jacket off the hanger, put it on deftly, and buttoned it up.

"I'd be happy to help you, please follow me."

The two walked out of Fan Enlou.

As you walk along the path in front of the forest, the surrounding trees filter the sunlight, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

This area is still within the boundaries of the Institute for Advanced Study, and it remains quiet.

But as they approached Washington Road, the sounds in the air became more numerous and varied.

The sounds of car engines and shouts from the crowd mingled together and assaulted our senses.

Crossing that invisible boundary, they officially stepped into the main campus.

Chen Zhuo walked very slowly.

He had his hands in his pockets, calmly surveying his surroundings.

The roadside is lined with Gothic buildings, their walls covered with ivy, and colorful cardboard boxes are piled on the lawn.

A boy carrying a guitar was walking along, talking loudly to a girl beside him, and almost bumped into a trash can on the side of the road. Chen Zhuo stopped and let the two students pass first.

Wu Li walked half a step behind Chen Zhuo.

He still looked like a meticulous English butler, with his back ramrod straight and his steps even.

But if you look closely, you'll see that his gaze is like radar, constantly scanning the area within ten meters in front of him.

"Mr. Chen, please move slightly to the left. The luggage on that trolley in front looks a bit unbalanced."

Woolley reminded him in a low voice.

Chen Zhuo did as he was told and stepped aside.

"Thanks."

"My duty."

The two continued walking forward.

As I passed an intersection, I saw a middle-aged couple pulling two large suitcases, standing under a road sign looking around.

The father was holding a crumpled map and was covered in sweat.

Seeing Chen Zhuo and Wu Li approaching, the father's eyes lit up, and he quickly went to greet them.

Excuse me!

The father looked at Chen Zhuo, probably thinking the Asian boy looked friendly, like a local high school student familiar with the area, or perhaps he saw Woolley in a suit beside him as someone who could guide them. "Excuse me, how do we get to Blair House? We've been looking at the map for ages and still can't figure it out."

Woolley frowned slightly.

He was just about to speak, to politely refuse this ineffective social interaction, and to give a general direction to send the person away.

Chen Zhuo had stopped walking.

He glanced at the map in the father's hand but did not take it.

"You've passed by."

Chen Zhuo's voice was warm and clear.

"Go back from here, turn left after you see the archway with two stone lions, walk along the stone path, pass through the second courtyard, and the red building with the clock tower is Blair House." He thought for a moment and then added.

"However, they're setting up a welcome dance over there right now, so the main entrance might be blocked. You can go in through the side door on the left; there's an elevator there." The father paused for a moment, then nodded repeatedly.

"Thank you so much! Thank you so much!"

The couple, pulling their suitcases, hurriedly left in the direction Chen Zhuo pointed out.

Wu Li stood to the side, looking at Chen Zhuo's profile.

He remembered that Chen Zhuo had just arrived in Princeton yesterday.

"Mr. Chen, when did you memorize the campus map?"

Woolley couldn't help but ask.

I glanced at it casually when I passed by a couple of days ago.

Chen Zhuo answered casually.

"Let's go, it looks more lively up ahead."

Woolley didn't say anything, he just followed silently.

After walking a little further, we entered the main area for student club recruitment.

Long tables were set up on both sides of the road, with banners of various colors hanging down.

Members of fraternities, sports clubs, academic associations... all sorts of organizations, dressed in matching T-shirts and holding flyers, were soliciting people. The noise level here skyrocketed.

Chen Zhuo didn't find it noisy; he just walked slowly, occasionally glancing at the posters.

As they passed a booth with a banner for the Princeton Undergraduate Mathematics Club, a white male student in a blue T-shirt caught their eye. The student looked to be a sophomore or junior and was holding a stack of flyers.

He saw Chen Zhuo.

An Asian boy who looked to be fourteen or fifteen years old, dressed casually, was accompanied by a serious-looking adult man in a suit. This was all too common on the main campus during recruitment season.

The junior high school students who come to visit the school are accompanied by their parents or hired guides.

The boy strode over and blocked Chen Zhuo's path.

"Hey! Little guy!"

The boy's voice was loud, full of the enthusiasm of an undergraduate and a strange sense of superiority.

Are you visiting Princeton with your family? Are you interested in mathematics?

As the boy spoke, he handed a flyer to Chen Zhuo.

"This is our club's icebreaker challenge for new students this year. If you can solve it, whether you're a new student or not, you can come to our booth and get a free hot dog and a commemorative T-shirt!" Woolley stopped in his tracks.

His gaze fell on the flimsy flyer, then he glanced at the smiling undergraduate student.

It felt as if a million alpacas were stampeding through Woolley's mind.

Asking someone who has just derived the core of the Hodge conjecture to do an icebreaker challenge for an undergraduate student in exchange for a hot dog.

This is not just a waste of time, it's an insult to the computing power of advanced research institutes.

Woolley instinctively stepped forward, blocking Chen Zhuo's path.

The professional smile on his face disappeared, replaced by a cold, administrative detachment.

"Feel sorry."

Woolley's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority.

"This gentleman doesn't need your..."

A hand gently patted Woolley's arm.

Chen Zhuo walked out from behind Wu Li.

His expression remained gentle, showing no sign of displeasure at being offended.

He casually took the flyer.

The boy looked at Chen Zhuo and grinned.

"Don't be afraid, this is just a slightly complicated problem involving Taylor series and combined integrals. It might be a bit difficult for high school students. You can take it back and think about it slowly." Chen Zhuo glanced down at the flyer.

Printed in black and white on white paper was a calculus problem that was indeed a bit convoluted.

Chen Zhuo looked at it for about three seconds.

"The question is quite interesting."

Chen Zhuo raised his head and looked at the boy.

The boy's smile became even brighter.

"Really? This question was personally set by our vice president, specifically to select those with potential..."

"but."

Chen Zhuo interrupted him softly.

Chen Zhuo lightly tapped the third line of the flyer with his finger.

"It seems you missed an 'n' in the factorial term of this denominator during typesetting."

The boy's smile froze on his face.

Chen Zhuo moved his finger down a little and tapped the last line.

"And here, the integration domain doesn't have a boundary definition in the real number range. If it's not restricted, this expression will collapse when it diverges to infinity." Chen Zhuo looked at the boy, his tone as if he were stating that the weather was nice today.

"If your freshmen actually calculate according to this formula, they will probably waste an entire weekend on scratch paper for a result that can't converge." The boy's mouth was slightly open as he looked down at the flyer he had handed out.

He was frantically calculating the two places Chen Zhuo had pointed out in his mind.

A few seconds later, the boy's expression changed.

Chen Zhuo did not wait for the other party to speak.

He casually folded the flyer twice and held it in his hand.

He looked at the boy who was still in a crashed state, and a gentle smile curved his lips.

"But the idea is quite ingenious."

Chen Zhuo nodded to the boy, his tone sincere.

"I wish you a successful recruitment day."

After saying that, Chen Zhuo turned around and continued walking along the forest path.

Woolley stood there and glanced at the stunned undergraduate student.

He adjusted his glasses, turned around, and followed Chen Zhuo.

Even after walking a few dozen meters, the surrounding noise was still deafening.

Wu Li walked beside Chen Zhuo, his eyes fixed on the road ahead.

His expression remained as composed and unperturbed as ever.

But in his mind, a grand celebration was underway.

Nice job.

Woolley breathed a long sigh of relief.

He had seen far too many self-important geniuses.

If it were any other scholar in that situation, they would probably stand by the roadside and spend half an hour criticizing everything from the history of calculus to the failure of undergraduate mathematics education, and finally add a dimensionality reduction attack from algebraic geometry.

That means Woolley would have to stand in that noisy environment for another thirty to forty minutes.

But Chen Zhuo did not.

There were no lengthy speeches, and no emotional fluctuations.

Five seconds of precise pointing out the mistake, a gentle blessing, and then a clean and decisive turn and walk away.

Without wasting a single second of his breath, he utterly humiliated that arrogant undergraduate.

This high emotional intelligence, knowing when to advance and retreat, and even responding with a touch of nonchalance made Woolley feel incredibly comfortable.

They are the perfect partner.

Wu Li's opinion of Chen Zhuo rose to a new level.

The two then strolled along the main road for a short while, avoiding several crowded areas and looking at some old buildings.

The sunlight gradually became a bit dazzling.

Chen Zhuo held the folded flyer in his hand and gently patted the palm of his other hand.

He glanced at the freshmen who were still carrying their suitcases and were covered in sweat.

I've had my fill of excitement and enjoyed the lively atmosphere.

Chen Zhuo stopped and turned to look at Wu Li.

"Mr. Woolley."

"Yes, Mr. Chen. Is there any other area you'd like to visit?"

"No need, I've had enough sightseeing."

Chen Zhuo smiled.

"Let's go back to Van En Lou."

Woolley's shoulders relaxed very slightly.

"Okay, Mr. Chen."

Chen Zhuo looked back the way he came, a different look in his eyes.

"I should go back and continue reading. I just took a walk around and a new idea about singularity redundancy variables suddenly popped into my head." He spoke softly, as if talking to himself.

Woolley followed beside him, asking no questions, and simply led the way quietly.