Evan Lin returned to his room. He hadn’t been there long before Rachel Liu came knocking and called him downstairs.
When Evan arrived at the lobby, most of the students from Brightsea First and No. 2 High were already assembled. Sisi Shao’s eyes flickered almost imperceptibly when she saw Evan and Rachel step out of the elevator together.
Except for Evan and Rachel, who looked calm, everyone else seemed at least a little downcast—clearly, the exam hadn’t gone well for them.
"The Olympiad is over, so don’t dwell on it," Howard Huang scanned the group. He’d already asked a few students after the test, but apparently none of them did very well. "Just treat it as experience."
Although there were regrets, the outcome was already decided, so he didn’t say much more.
"Tonight, Mr. Qin from River City First High is hosting dinner for everyone. When you meet students from other schools later, try to chat and exchange experiences if you get the chance." After speaking, Howard Huang glanced at Old Man Liu, who stood beside him with his hands behind his back, and asked gently, "Mr. Liu, would you like to say a few words?"
"No need. Everyone’s probably hungry, so let’s just head out. Take a taxi to Peaceful Melody Restaurant—it’s not far from here. Bring me the receipt later and I’ll reimburse you for the fare."
After speaking, Old Man Liu looked toward Evan. "Evan, you and Rachel come with me—I’ve got something to ask you."
With that, Old Man Liu walked out of the hotel with his hands behind his back.
Many students looked on with envy as Evan and Rachel walked out side by side.
Outside the hotel, Old Man Liu hailed a cab. While waiting, he turned to Evan and Rachel and asked, "Were the problems hard?"
"A bit," Evan nodded honestly. Normally, he could finish most problems in under an hour, but this exam had taken him over three.
"Mm."
Rachel also nodded from the side.
Old Man Liu nodded slightly. "It’s fine if you didn’t do well. Honestly, the whole approach to Olympiad problem-solving is kind of flawed—even math professors at Huaqing University get stumped by a lot of these questions."
Standing by the roadside, Old Man Liu offered a few words of encouragement.
"Have you thought about what university you want to go to, or what major you’ll choose?"
A taxi pulled up. After getting in, Old Man Liu took the front passenger seat and asked again.
Evan shook his head.
Rachel was clear about her goal: "Oceanport University, Finance Department."
"Oceanport, huh? That’s a great place."
Old Man Liu nodded approvingly at Rachel, then turned to Evan. "There’s still a year until the college entrance exam. You should think it over. Honestly, with your talent, going into a math department might be selling yourself short."
He sighed slightly as he said this.
Last night, Professor Gu had considered recruiting both Evan and Rachel, but in Old Man Liu’s opinion, while math is great, it usually leads only to lecturing or academic research—a dry and boring life.
Peaceful Melody Restaurant.
This restaurant isn’t particularly famous in River City, but it’s clean and the décor is mid-range.
At this moment, the entire second-floor hall had been reserved.
As the host, River City First High received funding from the education bureau for the Olympiad, so after the contest, they brought all the schools and teachers together here to encourage inter-school exchange.
The taxi stopped, and as soon as they got out, Mr. Qin came over to greet them.
"Mr. Liu, you’re here. Professor Gu is already seated upstairs. Follow me." Mr. Qin greeted them with a smile and a respectful tone.
Old Man Liu nodded and followed Mr. Qin upstairs.
Evan and Rachel walked behind them.
The second-floor hall was already filled with people.
But even at a glance, you could clearly sense the different atmospheres at each table.
The inner tables, closer to the center, were filled with students dressed sharply and confidently. They sat smiling, chatting freely without any restraint.
By contrast, the tables near the outer edge had students whose clothing and overall demeanor seemed less polished. These were the ones who’d come from counties and smaller cities outside River City for the exam.
At one of those tables, Evan spotted Martin Ma, who sat with his head down, looking nervous and ill at ease.
Next to him sat Brandon Yang, who looked cocky and arrogant, legs crossed and acting like he owned the place.
Evan also noticed another familiar face at that table.
A girl.
Her name was Yvonne Xie.
She was slightly above average in both height and looks, and had received plenty of love letters growing up. Back in junior high, she even dated the boss of Whitewood County No. 2 Middle School, which stirred up a lot of gossip.
Yvonne had also been Evan’s classmate in middle school, but they weren’t close. Back then, she openly looked down on Evan for his plain clothes and average looks.
It had bothered Evan for a long time.
After the high school entrance exam, Yvonne went to Whitewood County No. 1 High, and they basically lost contact.
Now, three centuries later, seeing her here was a surprise for Evan.
"They’re not here yet. Let’s go grab seats."
Rachel followed Evan’s gaze to the table and glanced lightly at Yvonne, then let her eyes drift back to Evan without showing any reaction.
From Rachel’s perspective, looking at Yvonne was like a swan glancing at a duckling—she didn’t even care.
The banquet hall was set up with large round tables, each seating fifteen to twenty people—just enough for all the students from Brightsea No. 1 and No. 2 High.
Many of the students from smaller counties had to share tables with those from other schools.
Not long after Evan and Rachel picked their seats, Sisi Shao and her group arrived as well.
One by one, everyone sat down, but when Sisi saw Evan and Rachel together, she seemed lost in thought.
The teachers, including Old Man Liu, took the seats of honor at the innermost tables. Professor Gu, Mr. Qin, Howard Huang, and several other city and county teachers were already there.
With Old Man Liu and Professor Gu sitting at the head table, no one objected.
While quietly wiping her utensils with a napkin, Rachel asked in a soft, almost casual voice, "Where are you going after dinner?"
Evan frowned slightly, not quite sure why Rachel was suddenly being so warm toward him.
When something happens for no reason, there must be something strange behind it.