My IQ has been increasing year by year.

A weekend morning.

There's always a lingering smell in the boys' dormitory building—a mixture of instant noodle smell, sweat smell, and some other unidentified odors.

Chen Zhuo got up, but no one was in the room.

Dayong's bed was a mess, the blanket was rolled up in a ball, and several sheets of draft paper covered with various physical properties were thrown on the table.

Chen Zhuo took a towel, walked to the sun, wiped his face, and then basked in the sunlight for a short while.

Close your eyes until your vision turns white from the sun.

OK, that's all. I turned around and went back to my dorm.

After changing into a short-sleeved shirt and slipping on a pair of slippers, Chen Zhuo opened the door and went out.

The door to room 216 was ajar, probably left open to let in some air when Lu Jia went out.

Chen Zhuo walked over and casually pushed him away.

The curtains were not open, so the room was very dark.

Chu Ge sat in front of the computer.

The table was piled high with books: thick textbooks for his major courses, printed review materials, and several stacks of exam papers from who-knows-where, haphazardly piled up, almost completely obscuring him. Chu Ge wore headphones, his eyes fixed on the screen.

My fingers flew across the keyboard.

There was a torn-open bag of instant noodles and two empty cans of Red Bull next to me.

Chen Zhuo stood at the door and watched for a while.

Chu Ge was completely unaware that someone was behind him. After typing a line of code, he grabbed a pen and quickly scribbled a few words on an exam paper, then threw it aside and continued slamming it against the keyboard. Chen Zhuo neither knocked nor interrupted.

He reached out and grasped the doorknob, closing the door behind him.

In the hallway, several boys carrying books walked by, yawning.

Chen Zhuo slowly walked down the stairs.

Stepping out of the dormitory building, the sunlight outside was almost blinding.

The early summer breeze carried a hint of heat.

There were many people on campus.

The pace of the weekend was noticeably slower than usual. Groups of two or three students rode their bicycles along the road, their baskets filled with breakfasts they had just bought from the cafeteria. Chen Zhuo walked along the road.

I stopped briefly as I passed the convenience store next to the cafeteria.

The freezer door was covered with a layer of condensation.

Chen Zhuo opened the cabinet door, rummaged through it, and took out a mung bean popsicle.

I paid 50 cents.

Tear open the wrapping paper, crumple it into a ball, and throw it into the nearby trash can.

I took a bite of the popsicle.

The ice shards were hard, and the sweetness of the mung beans melted in my mouth.

With one hand in his pocket and an ice pop in the other, Chen Zhuo strolled leisurely along the shady side of the camphor tree.

Ahead lies a long road.

This road is completely blocked today.

Both sides of the road were lined with stalls of all sizes.

The senior students brought out everything they could sell from their dorm rooms.

Cardboard boxes, old straw mats, and even bed sheets laid directly on the floor.

Books, thermos flasks, lamps, old clothes, cassette tapes...

It has everything.

People were packed together.

"How much does this postgraduate entrance exam English book cost?"

Five pieces.

"Will you sell both? They're completely covered in writing inside."

"Two dollars? Go buy some herbal paper with those two dollars. Four dollars, take it."

"Three dollars, or I'm leaving."

"Okay, okay, take it, take it."

The sounds of bargaining, laughter, and cursing filled the air, along with someone bringing a tape recorder that was playing Jay Chou's "Seven Mile Fragrance".

The various sounds mingled together, making one's ears ring.

Chen Zhuo did not push his way into the crowd.

He ate his popsicle and walked slowly around the perimeter, looking at the various old things on the stalls.

We walked to the base of a huge camphor tree.

The tree trunk was very thick, blocking out a large patch of sunlight and casting a dense shadow.

A person was standing under the tree.

Su Wei.

A light blue pinstripe shirt, sleeves casually rolled up, and jeans underneath.

She didn't carry a backpack or any books.

He was holding a bottle of Coca-Cola.

It looks like it was just taken out of the freezer; it's still emitting cold air.

Su Wei leaned against the tree.

She didn't look at the items on the street stall.

Her gaze swept across the crowd and landed on the faces of the students who were haggling over a few dollars' difference in price.

His eyes were calm, with a unique kind of indifference.

Chen Zhuo stopped in his tracks.

He looked around and saw that the spot under the tree was indeed good, as it offered both shelter from the crowds and a bit of breeze.

He walked over, stopped about half a meter away from Su Wei, turned around, and faced her in the same direction, looking at the flea market ahead. "Click."

Chen Zhuo took a bite of a mung bean popsicle and chewed it with a crunching sound.

Su Wei turned her head and glanced at him.

My gaze moved from his short-sleeved shirt to his slippers.

"The sun rose in the west."

Su Wei looked away and back at the crowd in front of her, taking a sip of her cola.

"You busy man, you didn't even spend today in the old library."

Chen Zhuo swallowed the ice cream in his mouth.

"Busy people are still people, and they also need to rest. I don't really want to go to the old library anymore, and I can't stand staying in the dormitory."

He casually pointed in the direction of the boys' dormitory.

"The room smells like engine oil. Da Yong has been spending all his time in the lab downstairs lately, and when he comes back, he goes straight to bed without even changing his clothes."

Chen Zhuo mumbled through a popsicle.

"Chu Ge must have been traumatized by something. He had stacks of test papers piled up in front of the computer, and he was practically glued to the chair, typing so hard his fingers were practically sparking." Chen Zhuo shook his head.

"Come out and get some fresh air."

Su smiled.

She held up the Coke can in her hand and pressed it against the side of her face to cool it down.

"fine."

The two remained silent and stood side by side.

At a street stall not far ahead.

The senior student sat on an old newspaper, fanning herself with a magazine in her hand.

There were three large cardboard boxes next to it, all filled with old books.

Lu Jia stood next to the cardboard box, wearing a hooded sweatshirt.

He was holding a rusty tin mooncake box in both hands.

"Excuse me, how much is this problem set for 'Advanced Algebra'?"

A boy squatted in front of the stall, holding two books with slightly yellowed covers.

The senior student put down the magazine she was reading.

"Volumes 1 and 2 together, twelve in total."

The boy flipped through the pages of the book.

"How about eight yuan? I'll also take this tattered dictionary, that'll make it ten yuan in total."

The boy pulled out an English-Chinese dictionary with its corners rolled up from the corner of the cardboard box.

The senior student glanced at the tattered dictionary.

"Okay, ten bucks, take it."

The boy took out a ten-yuan bill and handed it over.

Lu Jia stood aside, not reaching out to take the money.

His gaze fell on the two exercise books and the dictionary.

His brows furrowed tightly into a knot.

The exercise book for "Advanced Algebra" is priced at 24 yuan when brand new. If it is depreciated to 50% new, the residual value of a single book is 6 yuan, and two books are 12 yuan.

The English-Chinese dictionary is severely damaged, and the remaining value of the paper is about one yuan and fifty cents.

The total value should be thirteen yuan and fifty cents.

A transaction for ten yuan.

The loss was three yuan and fifty cents.

Lu Jia's lips moved slightly.

He watched as the senior student took the ten-yuan bill and put it into the tin box he was holding.

Paper money floated on top of the pile of coins.

Lu Jia took a deep breath.

He turned his head and watched the boy walk away contentedly with the book in his hand.

He turned back to look at his senior.

The senior student has already started talking to another person about the price of an old guitar.

Lu Jia stood there, holding the tin box, looking a little dazed.

Standing under the tree, Su Wei looked at Lu Jia's expression.

She tilted her head back and took a big gulp of cola.

"Lu Jia looks like she's about to crash."

Su Wei looked at Lu Jia's stiff back, her voice tinged with amusement.

Chen Zhuo bit off the last piece of popsicle.

"Let him be."

Chen Zhuo followed Su Wei's gaze.

"I used to spend all day scribble those numbers on scrap paper, it was almost driving me crazy. But I'm actually quite happy with how things are now."

Chen Zhuo held the wooden stick and twirled it in his hand a couple of times.

There are no absolute equations in buying and selling. Just take it as an opportunity to broaden your horizons by encountering more illogical situations.

Su Wei nodded.

She switched the can in her hand to her left hand.

He took a small black notebook out of his pocket with his right hand, opened it, and flipped through it.

Chen Zhuo turned to look at Su Wei.

Although Su Wei stood under the tree in a relaxed posture, there was an unconcealable tension in her eyes.

That tension was different from Lu Jia's rigid stiffness.

"And you?"

Chen Zhuo looked at the crowd in front of him and asked casually.

"Instead of resting on the weekend, you're just standing here watching people sell things?"

Su Wei put the notebook back into her pocket.

She watched as a girl in front of her was haggling fiercely with a vendor over a piece of old clothing.

"I scraped together some money."

Su Wei's voice was very steady.

I'm planning to buy a stock next week.

She turned her head and looked at Chen Zhuo.

"I've been staring at the computer screen for the past few days, with candlestick charts and red and green numbers filling the screen. My eyes hurt and my head feels numb."

Su Wei sighed.

"I was going to throw up if I kept looking, so I came down to see some living people and get some fresh air."

Chen Zhuo listened.

He looked at Su Wei.

They didn't ask about the code, nor did they ask how much money was invested.

"I know absolutely nothing about finance."

Chen Zhuo's tone was frank, but tinged with disdain.

It's definitely not because I threw a lot of money into this place in my past life.

Then they lost everything.

"Stocks are completely illogical."

He looked at the chaotic flea market in the distance.

"Today one plus one equals two, tomorrow one plus one equals negative ten, the variables are all running around randomly."

Chen Zhuo shook his head.

"It involves calculations of money and markets, just thinking about it gives me a headache."

Su smiled.

He was laughing very relaxed.

"That's how it is."

Su Wei looked at the Coke can in her hand.

"To put it nicely, it's called a financial model; to put it bluntly, it's just a more sophisticated form of betting."

She looked at the crowd in front of her.

"Everyone is gambling, betting that others are greedier than themselves, betting that others are more afraid than themselves."

Chen Zhuo walked to the trash can next to him and threw the remaining wooden sticks in.

He clapped his hands and walked back.

"OK."

Chen Zhuo looked at Su Wei.

"Then I wish you good luck with your dice rolls next week."

Chen Zhuo spoke casually.

"If you really make money, don't forget to treat us."

Su Wei raised the can of cola in her hand and waved it at Chen Zhuo in mid-air.

"no problem."

Su Wei lowered her hand.

She looked at Chen Zhuo.

Sunlight filtering through the leaves shone onto Chen Zhuo's T-shirt.

He seems to have too much free time.

He's so idle that he's completely out of place among the genius teenagers and pillars of the nation portrayed online.

"And you?" Su Wei asked.

"Look at how much free time you have now. Have you managed to get through the problems at the old library?"

Chen Zhuo put his hands in his pockets and looked at the teaching building in the distance.

The early summer breeze rustled through the leaves.

"fine."

Chen Zhuo's tone was so calm, as if he were talking about how many steamed buns he ate that morning.

"Now all that's left is mindless manual labor. You just have to clock in every day and scroll down all the useless stuff."

He turned his head and looked at Su Wei.

A faint smile played at the corners of his lips.

"Probably in another month or two."

Chen Zhuo's voice was not loud.

"You should be able to see my name again in the Annals of Mathematics."

Su Wei straightened her back slightly as she leaned against the tree trunk.

Annual Review of Mathematics.

Su Wei looked into Chen Zhuo's eyes.

Chen Zhuo's eyes were clear and bright, the arrogance of a genius hidden beneath a gentle exterior, not at all sharp, yet undeniably strong. Su Wei raised an eyebrow.

"Okay."

Su Wei picked up the Coke can, took the last sip, and then stomped on the empty can.

"Looks like I'll have to make a bigger profit on this stock next week."

She stomped the flattened can into the trash can.

"Otherwise, I'm afraid I won't be able to afford to treat you, the rising star of the mathematics world, to a lavish meal two months from now."

Chen Zhuo chuckled softly.

"The braised pork from the cafeteria is fine, just add an extra portion of meat."

Su Wei smiled too.

The two did not continue the topic.

The flea market on the alley was still bustling.

Lu Jia was still standing there, holding the tin box, like a dutiful guard.

The senior student had already started chatting with people at the next stall about which company's interview was easier to pass.

The sunlight moved slowly.

The shade of the trees stretched out.

Chen Zhuo and Su Wei stood side by side under the tree.

He didn't say another word.

Listening to the wind and watching the people coming and going in front of me.

By noon, the number of people at the stalls had gradually decreased.

It's time to eat.

Su Wei glanced at the watch on her wrist.

"I'm leaving," Su Wei said.

"Go back and get some sleep. I still have to keep watching those fluctuating numbers this afternoon."

Chen Zhuo nodded.

"Go."

Su Wei turned around and walked along the path towards the girls' dormitory.

Chen Zhuo stood still.

I watched her figure disappear into the crowd.

He turned his head and glanced at Lu Jia's stall.

The senior student is packing the remaining books into a cardboard box.

Lu Jia squatted on the ground, helping to move the cardboard boxes, and a large patch of dust got on his sleeve.

Chen Zhuo looked away.

He turned around and walked slowly toward the cafeteria.

Two o'clock in the afternoon.

215 Dormitory.

Chen Zhuo pushed open the door, but there was still no one inside.

Da Yong still hasn't returned.

Chen Zhuo walked to his desk.

Pull out a chair and sit down.

There were several sheets of draft paper on the table, with a few lines of simple matrix derivation written on them.

Those were the thoughts he jotted down casually before leaving the old library yesterday.

Chen Zhuo picked up a pen from the table.

The pen nib lingered on the paper for a moment.

He looked at the numbers and symbols on the paper.

The red and green numbers that Su Wei had mentioned flashed through my mind.

It also flashed past Lu Jia's face as she stood in front of the stall, struggling over a few yuan difference.

digital.

It's all numbers.

Some numbers are showing patterns.

Some numbers are a gamble on people's hearts.

Chen Zhuo put down his pen.

I stood up, walked to the window, and opened it.

The afternoon sun shone in, carrying warmth.

I moved a chair over and lay down, looking at the empty basketball court outside.

Close your eyes.