My IQ has been increasing year by year.

Chapter 224

Chen Zhuo folded the last two thick clothes he had to change into and put them into the travel bag.

Zip up the zipper.

The desk is very clean.

He locked all the draft papers filled with discrete grids and algebraic varieties in a drawer.

There was only a water cup and two unfinished books on the table.

Winter break has started.

He slung the canvas bag over his shoulder, pushed open the door, and the draft from the hallway rushed directly down his neck.

Chen Zhuo tightened his collar and swayed as he arrived at Li Jianming's office.

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

Chen Zhuo raised his hand and knocked twice on the door.

"Enter."

Li Jianming sat behind his desk, wearing reading glasses, flipping through a journal he didn't know where it came from, while a teacup on the desk was steaming.

Chen Zhuo pushed open the door and put the canvas bag on the chair by the door.

"All packed up?"

Li Jianming closed the journal in his hand, took off his reading glasses, and threw them on the table.

"It's all packed up." Chen Zhuo nodded.

"Just wanted to say hello, I'm heading to the school gate."

Li Jianming looked him up and down.

"Aren't you cold wearing so little?"

"It's alright, it doesn't feel too cold outside since it's not raining."

"What time did you buy your ticket? You'll arrive in Zeyang in the evening, right? Is someone picking you up?"

Li Jianming picked up the teacup and blew away the foam on top.

"I didn't buy a ticket."

"My dad borrowed my uncle's car and drove straight to pick me up on the highway. They should be almost at the school gate by now."

"As long as someone answers."

Li Jianming took a sip of tea and slammed the teacup down on the table.

"It's the dead of winter, and you'll suffer terribly to squeeze onto a slow, green train."

The room was quiet for a while.

Ji Jianming leaned back in his chair, looking at the quiet young man in front of him.

In the past six months, from the "Annals of Mathematics" to that incomplete manuscript, and then to Pierre's long journey to find someone, this child has been like a clock that has been wound up to its limit, never stopping for a moment.

Even though I had just finished recording a CCTV program a couple of days ago, I was still working on that grid thing that night.

"Chen Zhuo".

"exist."

Li Jianming pointed at him.

"When you're on vacation, clear your mind."

Li Jianming's voice lacked the sternness he usually displayed when discussing mathematics; it sounded entirely like a nagging elder.

"Go back and eat more meat. Look at you this semester, you haven't gained any weight in your face. You've spent it all on those formulas."

Chen Zhuo smiled.

"The food in the cafeteria is pretty good."

"What a load of rubbish! What kind of oil and fat can you get from cooking in a big pot?"

1

Li Jianming waved his hand.

"Lock the drawers when you get home. Stop thinking about that stupid grid. You have to act like it's Chinese New Year. Visit your relatives and watch some useless TV programs to refresh your mind."

"understood."

"You really know?" Li Jianming stared at him.

"I really understand," Chen Zhuo replied earnestly.

"I guarantee I heard every single word."

Li Jianming nodded in satisfaction.

"Alright, stop lingering here. It's cold outside. Let's go to the main gate. Don't keep your dad waiting."

Chen Zhuo picked up the canvas bag and slung it over his shoulder.

"Professor Li, you should also go back and rest early. I wish you a Happy New Year in advance."

"Happy New Year, go ahead."

Chen Zhuo turned around and closed the door.

The wind in the corridor was still cold, but he felt quite at ease.

There aren't many people left on the USTC campus.

Most students rushed to the train station with their bags after finishing their final exams, and even the few who passed by were in a hurry.

The wind rustled the dry branches of the roadside trees.

Chen Zhuo walked to the main entrance of the University of Science and Technology of China, and his gaze swept across the street past the retractable gate.

A shiny black Santana 2000 was parked on the side of the road. In this day and age, this car was quite conspicuous parked on the side of the road.

There was a person leaning against the car door.

Chen Jianguo was wearing a gray collared jacket, and his hair was obviously washed and combed neatly before he left home that morning.

He was looking down, taking out a lighter from his pocket to light a cigarette. The flame flickered in the wind, and he covered it with his hand, taking two puffs and exhaling a puff of white smoke.

Chen Zhuo quickened his pace and crossed the road.

"dad."

Upon hearing the sound, Chen Jianguo abruptly raised his head.

Seeing his son approaching, Chen Jianguo quickly threw the cigarette he had just taken two puffs of on the ground, stomped it out with his toe, and strode over to meet him.

"Are you cold?"

Chen Jianguo snatched the canvas bag from Chen Zhuo's shoulder, weighed it in his hand, and frowned.

"Why did you bring so little? Where's the thick blanket?"

"I left the blanket in the dorm; I'll use it again next spring."

Chen Zhuo let him take the bag.

Chen Jianguo looked him up and down.

"You've lost weight."

Old Chen made his conclusion, his tone revealing his heartache.

"That sharp face must mean you didn't eat well here. Come on, get in the car, the heater's on."

Chen Jianguo turned around to open the trunk door.

Just then, the passenger door was slammed open.

A figure wearing a puffy down jacket jumped out of the car like a cannonball.

"Brother Zhuo!"

Zhang Qiang had messy, unkempt hair and faint dark circles under his eyes, but his expression was quite happy.

He grabbed Chen Zhuo's shoulder and shook him hard twice.

"Surprised?! Unexpected?!"

Chen Zhuo was shaken by him and steadied himself, looking at his best friend whom he hadn't seen for almost half a year.

Zhang Qiang is a little darker and stronger than he was six months ago, but his lively and energetic spirit hasn't changed at all.

"Why are you here too?" Chen Zhuo asked.

"nonsense!"

Zhang Qiang let go, rubbed his frozen cheeks, and looked smug.

"I just finished my city-wide final exams for ninth grade yesterday! Winter break is finally here! I begged Uncle Chen to drag me here to pick you up first thing this morning!"

Zhang Qiang let out a long sigh of relief and exhaled into the air.

"You have no idea how I survived the past six months. Junior high was a nightmare. Every day was just doing test papers, doing test papers, then math, then physics, then chemistry. I felt like I was being roasted to a crisp."

Zhang Qiang got more and more excited as he talked, gesturing wildly as he spoke.

"But now it's all over, the exams are finally over, and I'm temporarily free."

Chen Zhuo listened quietly to his complaints without interrupting.

When Zhang Qiang finally caught his breath and stopped...

Chen Zhuo looked at him.

The corners of his mouth slowly turned up, revealing a very gentle and harmless smile.

"In this final exam, the last major question in physics..."

'

Chen Zhuo's voice was neither hurried nor slow.

Zhang Qiang's smile suddenly froze.

"Is the force analysis drawn correctly?"

Chen Zhuo finished speaking.

A cold wind blew between the two of them.

Zhang Qiang's eyes widened slowly, and his expression of relief instantly crumbled.

He clutched his head in agony and squatted on the ground, wailing in pain.

"Chen Zhuo! You son of a bitch!"

Zhang Qiang squatted on the ground, his voice filled with desperate sobs.

"I came all this way to pick you up, and the first thing you bring up is this awful thing?! I drew the direction of the friction force on the inclined plane completely backwards on that problem! Fifteen points! All gone!"

Chen Zhuo stood to the side, looking at the bundle of down jackets squatting on the ground, his smile deepening.

Chen Jianguo closed the trunk at the back of the car, walked over, and kicked Zhang Qiang's shoe in an annoyed manner.

"Alright, Qiangzi, stop howling. Aren't you embarrassed enough in the street? Get in the car, it's so windy outside."

Zhang Qiang stood up and glared at Chen Zhuo with a face full of grief and indignation.

"You wait."

He cursed and opened the back door of the car, pushed Chen Zhuo inside, and then climbed in himself.

The car door closed, shutting out the cold wind from outside.

It was indeed very warm inside the car.

Chen Jianguo sat in the driver's seat, shifted gears, released the handbrake, and the black Santana smoothly merged into the traffic, heading towards the highway.

The car radio was on, playing some popular song from some unknown station.

Zhang Qiang couldn't stay still in the back seat at all.

The pain of being hit by the physics problem only lasted for less than five minutes before he was fully recovered.

"Hey, is your university usually very strict?"

"good."

Chen Zhuo leaned back in his seat, looking out the window at the receding roadside trees.

"How many people are in your dorm? Do you have internet access? Can you play games until you're half dead?"

"There are two people, yes, the internet is pretty good, but I haven't played it yet."

"That's so much fun! I'll take you there another day."

"You have no idea how crazy schools are these days. The high school entrance exam is just around the corner next semester, and Lao Zhao wants to use even the time we spend in the bathroom to memorize vocabulary."

Zhang Qiang changed his posture, slumping halfway in the chair.

"I've figured it out. I'm just not cut out for studying. If I mess up my final exams this semester, my dad will definitely whip me with his belt."

Chen Jianguo, who was driving in front, chimed in.

"You deserved it. Your dad is out there doing business every day. Do you know how hard it is for him to send you to school?"

"Uncle Chen, you can't say that. I've tried my best. It's just that the question doesn't recognize me."

Zhang Qiang retorted, feeling wronged.

Chen Zhuo listened to their bickering.

The car's heater was blowing on my face, making me feel a little drowsy. The radio was broadcasting the weather forecast, and the host's voice had a bit of crackling noise.

There was no scratch paper, no English letters, and no endless topological derivations.

Chen Zhuo closed his eyes.

The car drove for several hours.

When we got off the highway and entered Zeyang city, it was already getting dark.

The streetlights along the roadside lit up one by one.

Instead of heading towards the machinery factory, the Santana turned onto a main road along the main thoroughfare.

Brocade Garden.

The security guard saw the Santana's license plate and raised the barrier gate without even asking any questions.

The car drove around half of the neighborhood before stopping in front of a high-rise residential building.

Pushing open the car door, the wind in Zeyang was not much less intense than in Huizhou.

Chen Jianguo went to the trunk and took out Chen Zhuo's canvas bag.

"Let's go upstairs."

The elevator quickly descended to the first floor, and when the doors opened, the interior was spacious and bright.

Zhang Qiang pressed 6.

The elevator operated silently.

With a ding, we arrived at the sixth floor.

Chen Zhuo stepped out of the elevator and paused for a moment.

Because the security doors on both sides of the corridor were all open.

The hallway was filled with the rich aroma of braised pork and stewed ribs, mixed with the smell of hot oil and scallions.

The right side is 602, and the left side is 601.

"What are you waiting for? We're home."

Zhang Qiang patted Chen Zhuo on the back and pointed to the door on the left.

Chen Zhuo stepped inside.

The heating inside was on full blast; you could feel a wave of heat hit you as soon as you entered.

The spacious living room has wooden floors, bright chandeliers, a brand-new fabric sofa against the wall, and several potted plants on the TV cabinet.

The faint sound of the range hood could be heard coming from the kitchen.

"mom."

Chen Zhuo called out.

Half of his body peeked out of the kitchen.

Liu Xiuying was wearing a floral apron and holding a spatula in her hand.

Liu Xiuying's eyes lit up immediately when she saw Chen Zhuo.

"Oh, my son's back!"

She quickly put down the spatula, wiped her hands haphazardly on her apron, and hurried out.

Following closely behind, Zhang Qiang's mother also came out, carrying a plate of freshly stir-fried vegetables.

"Chen Zhuo is back! Let me see him!"

Liu Xiuying walked up to Chen Zhuo, grabbed his arm, and squeezed it up and down.

At this moment, it seems that all mothers in the world have the same lines.

"How did you get so thin? Your face is so much smaller. Does the USTC cafeteria not serve you meat?"

Liu Xiuying's eyes welled up with tears of heartache.

"You haven't lost weight, you've actually grown a little taller."

Chen Zhuo let her pinch him.

"Alright, alright, the child just got back, let him change his shoes and wash his hands first."

Chen Jianguo walked in carrying a bag and closed the security door with his heel.

Change into slippers.

Chen Jianguo led Chen Zhuo inside and pushed open a door.

"Look at your house."

This is a south-facing bedroom, and it's quite spacious.

The room wasn't decorated much; the most eye-catching thing was a huge desk placed by the window.

The desktop is smooth and flat, and there is an eye-protecting table lamp on the corner.

"This table was specially made by a carpenter by your Uncle Zhang."

Chen Jianguo patted the thick tabletop.

"From now on, you can read here, write whatever you want, even cover the whole place."

Chen Zhuo looked at the table.

"That's great, thank you, Dad."

Zhang Zhicheng's voice came from outside.

"Old Chen! Little Zhuo! Come out quickly, all the dishes are ready, let's eat!"

Since the two families are so close, and today is a welcome dinner, they simply put their dining tables together.

The marble dining table was piled high with food.

Braised pork ribs, steamed sea bass, braised prawns, chicken stew with mushrooms, and a plate of thinly sliced ​​braised beef.

Zhang Zhicheng, wearing a sweater, was pouring a bottle of Wuliangye liquor (with the packaging removed) into a glass.

"Come, come, sit down, everyone."

Zhang Zhicheng handed the full wine glass to Chen Jianguo.

"Today is a big reunion for both our families. Qiangzi has finished his exams, and Xiaozhuo is on vacation. We must drink this glass."

Chen Jianguo took the wine glass and sat down with a smile.

Chen Zhuo sat next to Zhang Qiang.

As soon as they sat down, Liu Xiuying and Wang Li each took a pair of chopsticks and began piling meat into their bowls.

"Chen Zhuo, eat more pork ribs to supplement calcium."

"Qiangzi, the meat on the belly of this fish has no bones, you can eat it."

In less than a minute, a small mountain had been piled up in Chen Zhuo's bowl.

The atmosphere at the dinner table was excellent.

Chen Jianguo and Zhang Zhicheng clinked glasses and chatted about the recent business in the building materials market and the personnel changes at the machinery factory.

Liu Xiuying and Wang Li were discussing which vegetable market had the freshest meat and how to choose good cabbage.

While gnawing on ribs, Zhang Qiang kicked Chen Zhuo under the table and whispered that he had brought back his USTC cafeteria meal card, saying he wanted to see what a university meal card looked like.

Nobody is talking about topology.

Nobody was talking about Pierre or Princeton.

At this table, Chen Zhuo is like a kid who has just come home for vacation.

He slowly chewed the rice and ribs in his bowl, occasionally answering Zhang Qiang with a few meaningless remarks.

After several rounds of drinks...

Chen Jianguo's face was slightly flushed, and his voice became louder.

Chen Zhu finished the last bite of rice in his bowl and put down his chopsticks.

He took out a tissue and wiped his mouth.

Then, he looked at Zhang Qiang, who was about to pick up the last piece of braised pork with his chopsticks, and then at Chen Jianguo and Zhang Zhicheng, who were clinking glasses next to him.

"Dad, Mom, Uncle Zhang, Auntie."

Chen Zhuo spoke up.

"There will be a program on CCTV-1 in a couple of days."

Chen Zhuo paused for a moment, seemingly recalling the name of that festival.

"I might be there, so remember to check back later."

The voice just fell.

The entire dining room seemed to have been paused.

Chen Jianguo's hand, holding the glass, froze in mid-air. The liquor in the glass swayed slightly from the movement, reflecting the light from the overhead lamp.

The words "Let's go!" that Zhang Zhicheng was about to say were stuck in his throat, and he stared blankly at Chen Zhuo.

Liu Xiuying was holding a soup ladle, about to scoop a spoonful of chicken soup. The ladle stopped above the porcelain basin, and the soup dripped into the basin, making a crisp dripping sound.

The most outrageous one is Zhang Qiang.

He held the braised pork with his chopsticks, his mouth slightly open, his eyes showing a blank stare as if he couldn't process the information in front of him.

The house was so quiet that you could hear the hum of the refrigerator compressor running in the kitchen.

A full five seconds passed.

Zhang Qiang was the first to react.

With a click.

The piece of braised pork fell onto the table.

Holy crap!

Zhang Qiang suddenly stood up, the movement so large that the chair legs scraped against the floor with a screeching sound.

"Brother Zhuo, you're on TV?!"

Zhang Qiang's voice cracked from extreme shock.

"Which channel? The city TV station or the provincial TV station's science and education channel?"

Chen Zhuo leaned back in his chair and looked at him.

CCTV-1.

Chen Zhuo corrected him.

"I didn't ask for the exact broadcast time, but I estimate it will be in the next few days."

These words were like a nuclear bomb, detonating right there in the restaurant.

"CCTV... Channel 1?"

The soup ladle in Liu Xiuying's hand fell into the basin with a clatter, splashing a few drops of soup.

She suddenly stood up, rubbing her hands haphazardly on her apron in her excitement.

"Oh dear! Why didn't you say so sooner!"

Liu Xiuying's eyes instantly reddened, and her voice trembled.

"What...what were you wearing? Did you wash your hair? Do you look presentable? Did you stutter when they asked you questions?"

In Liu Xiuying's simple values, appearing on CCTV meant being seen by the entire nation.

This is to bring honor to one's ancestors and to have immense prestige.

"I'm wearing this outfit today; it looks pretty good."

Chen Zhuo smiled helplessly.

Chen Jianguo, who was standing next to him, finally came to his senses.

He slammed the wine glass heavily on the table with a bang, spilling the liquor everywhere.

"Old Zhang!"

Chen Jianguo grabbed Zhang Zhicheng's arm, his face as red as a sheet, his eyes bloodshot, and he was trembling with excitement.

"Did you hear that?! CCTV-1! My son is on CCTV-1!"

Zhang Zhicheng was also in a state of extreme excitement, and grabbed Chen Jianguo's arm with his other hand.

"Brother Chen, good, good, this is great news!"

Zhang Zhicheng slapped his thigh suddenly and looked around.

"Where's my phone? Where's my phone?!"

He took the flip phone out of his coat pocket.

"No, I have to call right away. I have to tell my friends to all be glued to the TV in a couple of days!"

Chen Jianguo suddenly realized what was happening and quickly reached into his pocket.

"Yes, yes, yes! We need to notify my second uncle, and also Old Liu and Old Sun at the factory! Notify them all!"

Two grown men, nearing fifty, stopped eating and drinking, grabbed their phones, and ran to the living room.

"Feed? Old Liu! You're canceling all your work in a couple of days! Watch TV! CCTV-1!"

Liu Xiuying and Wang Li couldn't stand it any longer. The two huddled together and started discussing whether they should buy some melon seeds and peanuts so they could invite their friends over to watch together.

Only Chen Zhuo and Zhang Qiang remained at the dinner table.

Zhang Qiang stood there blankly, looking at Chen Zhuo, who remained calm as he sat in the chair.

"Awesome."

Zhang Qiang hesitated for a long time before finally uttering only these two words.

"Brother Zhuo, you're fucking awesome! You actually got on CCTV."

Zhang Qiang's face turned red with excitement, and he walked over and punched Chen Zhuo hard on the shoulder.

"Now I can brag about it! My childhood friend was on CCTV-1!"

Chen Zhuo looked at his best friend, who was so excited he was practically out of his mind.

He smiled but didn't say anything.

Zhang Qiang was incredibly excited when he sat in front of the television and heard about him on the national live broadcast.

The expression on their faces must be quite something.