I was a top student in America.

Chapter 145 of My Academic Success in America

"No wonder he's the star of your high school basketball team, his physical abilities are no joke."

As Isabella opened up the conversation, Arjun and Carter were also intrigued, putting down what they were doing and turning to join the discussion.

"Who says otherwise? When Leo did that floor move with one hand on the ground that day, it really gave me a fright," Ah-Qiong said, slapping her thigh.

"Judging from the body control Leo has shown, I estimate he's been training since at least elementary school. He's usually so low-key, I really don't know how many amazing talents he has hidden away."

As Carter spoke, a hint of admiration unconsciously crept into his eyes.

In the eyes of this group of top students, Li Ao's ability to write mathematical papers with such brilliance is simply a normal performance by a genius, and everyone is already used to it.

After all, physics PhDs like Arjun are not only top-notch in physics research, but also in coding and modeling.

But these cool street dance moves are a completely different story.

For these research dogs, the time they usually have to study their research topics and write papers is already very limited, so how could they possibly have the leisure to spend time and energy practicing such an extremely physically demanding dance?

If those overly academically inclined undergraduates saw this, they'd probably cry out to the heavens that God is unfair.

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But Li Ao became that unconventional and extraordinary exception.

U4 is not only able to complete a U.S. Department of Energy project in a very short time with amazing research efficiency, but when he goes on stage to perform street dance moves that require a high degree of muscle control, he is actually quite good at it.

This only shows that he spends a lot of time training his physical coordination in ways that are not visible to others.

Based on this calculation, everyone felt more and more that the total time Li Ao spent studying and high-intensity training every day was probably much longer than they had imagined.

He used to joke that he rolled his hair for eighteen hours a day, but now it seems that he might have been a little too modest.

"I now seriously suspect that Leo has some kind of superpower that allows him to not sleep."

"Maybe he sneaks out of bed every night to practice street dance at home," Ah-Jung said with a smile, half-jokingly.

Li Ao listened to every word of their discussion, but didn't remain silent or pretend to be profound.

He turned around, met everyone's gaze, and smiled leisurely, "Everyone's innate physical condition is different; you can't force these things."

The office fell silent instantly upon hearing this.

Ah-Qiong and the others exchanged glances, only able to sigh inwardly.

Why is the difference between people greater than the difference between people and dogs?

In everyone's mind, Li Ao's terrifying talent in mathematics and scientific research was already enough to make them look up to him with awe.

We thought that after spending so much time with him, everyone had become immune to his extraordinary talent. But who knew that this kid could turn around and unleash another jaw-dropping skill in a completely unrelated field?

This guy is like a walking treasure trove that can never be fully explored.

The group quickly packed their things, ended their joking conversation, and headed downstairs together.

As the temporary organizer of this event, Nicole grabbed the doorknob before leaving, turning back to everyone for a final check: "Did you all bring your coats and student IDs?"

After receiving a chorus of affirmative answers from everyone, she decisively turned off the lights and locked the door.

When the event email was sent out a few days ago, everyone had already confirmed with each other in online social groups and knew that many acquaintances would be showing up tonight.

After having dinner at the Hutchinson cafeteria, the group headed straight to the Reynolds Student Centre.

After swiping their student IDs and having their names checked at the entrance, with just over ten minutes left before the dance officially started, everyone entered in an orderly fashion.

As soon as he entered the hall, Li Ao spotted a familiar face in the crowd.

Besides acquaintances from the math department, there was also Emily and her friend Lily Chan.

Li Ao knew that Emily had been on an exchange program at the University of Chicago recently, so he wasn't surprised to see her at the venue. Before the ball started, he took the initiative to go over and greet them.

"Hey, isn't this the current community star from the University of Chicago? What brings you to the Christmas ball tonight?" Lily was pleasantly surprised to see Li Ao walking over and greeted him with a smile.

Since the major project from the Ministry of Energy was officially launched last month, coupled with the overwhelming and enthusiastic discussions on the school forum, even though they were students from the School of Social Sciences, they had heard of Li Ao's name.

A young man who had not even graduated from high school not only published several high-quality mathematical papers, but also participated in key projects of the Department of Energy and Argonne National Laboratory.

Even more outrageous is that he actually managed to help the University of Chicago's proposal overturn Caltech and Berkeley with a long paper on computational physics as the first author.

This extraordinary talent led Lily to jokingly refer to him as the "precious apple" of the school's two most prestigious departments.

"I wouldn't call it an honor to grace you with my presence; I'm just here to join in the fun with my senior colleagues from the lab," Li Ao replied with a wry smile, his tone casual.

Lily didn't think much of what he said, but as someone with experience, she kindly offered a few tips on ball etiquette: "Actually, this kind of dance isn't difficult. Just follow the rhythm of the music and don't keep your head down staring at your feet. Also, during the social interaction part later, be sure to participate actively and chat with your assigned dance partner."

Seeing this, Emily chimed in with a smile, "Leo, you'd better listen carefully. Lily is the best dancer in our dorm. She's been dancing since elementary school and has been practicing her basics for over ten years."

"Thank you very much for your guidance tonight, Sister Lily," Li Ao said politely with a smile.

Not long after, as the music started, the ball officially began.

Li Ao glanced at the stage and was somewhat surprised to find that the student in charge of hosting the event was none other than Evan Reed, whom he had met a few days ago.

Students in Professor Miller's group in the Computer Science Department.

He remembered that the other person had introduced him to Professor Miller after class.

However, considering that the host was busy at the moment, he did not rush over to say hello. He simply nodded from afar and gestured with his eyes when the other party's gaze swept over him.

The first half of the dance was mostly for free conversation, accompanied by several upbeat and soothing dance tunes.

According to the program, there will be an interactive segment where participants will be randomly paired up, and at the end, the students on site will even vote to select the "King" and "Queen" of the night.

As for this kind of entertainment-oriented selection, there are naturally no serious academic evaluation standards. To put it bluntly, it mainly depends on who is popular on the spot, who performs amazingly on the dance floor, or whether the interaction between partners can completely heat up the atmosphere of the whole place.

Li Ao naturally had no interest in competing for these empty titles.

After all, in terms of physical function, with his current stats, his strength and agility have been greatly improved, and he also has the support of the attributes of [muscle memory], [quick reaction] and [muscle control]. Performing street dance moves that require core strength and muscle coordination is like a max-level character going through a newbie village; it doesn't take much effort on him at all.

Just follow the drumbeats and dance. Besides, the original owner was born in the South District and already knew a thing or two.

But plans can never keep up with changes.

When it came to the random selection of dance partners, due to a coincidence in the queue arrangement, Li Ao's partner turned out to be Lily.