I was a top student in America.

Over the next few days, the team members basically adapted to the pace and intensity of the training camp.

Most of the team members who were aiming for a perfect score in the IMO were able to finish their practice problems that night.

While I cannot guarantee that every step is written perfectly, at least the general conclusions are correct.

Kevin is slightly behind.

He always had a few questions left over from the practice materials that were handed out each time.

Even after spending the entire weekend at the library, I still hadn't finished. In the end, I could only catch up by having Li Ao explain the problems to me.

As the main competition approaches, Li Ao's daily life remains regular.

Aside from working on problems and discussing them with his teammates in the discussion room, he spent almost all his remaining time in the library, continuing to study ordinary differential equations.

My days are fulfilling and I feel a great sense of accomplishment.

That morning.

He arrived at the Granger Engineering Library early with his laptop and chose a seat by the window.

UIUC's campus isn't too crowded during the summer, but good spots in the library become increasingly sought after as the start of the semester approaches.

If you arrive a little late, the seats by the window or near the power outlet will basically be gone.

Therefore, many people will go to the nearby Starbucks or bookstore, spend some money to buy a cup of coffee, and reserve a seat to read.

Li Ao first took out his laptop from his bag, then took out his phone and sent Emily a text message.

Although her summer program is almost over, she doesn't plan to go home. Instead, she wants to stay at school and study advanced mathematics in advance.

After all, for students in the School of Education who are more inclined towards humanities, these required science courses can indeed be a headache.

Not long after, Emily walked briskly in from the door and sat down naturally next to Li Ao:

"Am I late?"

Today, Emily was still wearing a light-colored short-sleeved shirt and denim shorts, her hair was simply tied in a ponytail, and she wasn't wearing any makeup, but she exuded youthful energy.

She jogged over, still not fully out of breath, and greeted Li Ao first.

Li Ao smiled.

"I just arrived too."

He knew that Emily lived not very close to the Granger Library, and it was indeed a long walk to get here.

Thinking about it carefully, although the two met through Professor Brown and had some connection with each other, they actually didn't have many opportunities to sit side by side and chat quietly like this.

So at first, it was a bit awkward.

As their attention gradually became absorbed in their books, the atmosphere slowly became more natural.

Li Ao's plan for today was to work through ordinary differential equations problems, occasionally deriving a few formulas on scratch paper.

If he didn't explain, people passing by would probably assume he was a math major.

Emily probably cherishes this hard-won opportunity to study at a prestigious university and is studying very diligently.

When she encountered advanced mathematics problems that she couldn't understand, she would seize the opportunity to ask Li Ao for help.

Li Ao patiently explained this to him.

He has now thoroughly mastered the fundamentals of mathematical analysis and real analysis, making it easy for him to solve Emily's simple calculus problems.

In addition, Emily is Mr. Brown's daughter, so her high school math foundation was already quite good. Often, she only needed a couple of reminders to understand quickly.

A few hours flew by, and it was lunchtime in the blink of an eye.

Students around them closed their laptops one after another, leaving their water bottles and coats on their seats to reserve their spots, and then went downstairs in twos and threes to buy lunch.

Emily also stopped writing, closed the book, turned to look at Li Ao, and took the initiative to speak:

"Leo, thank you for helping me with calculus. Let me treat you to lunch."

Li Ao didn't think much of what Emily said.

With Professor Brown as a connection, it's perfectly normal for friends to help each other out.

He didn't feel that the other party owed him any favors, so he casually replied:

"Sure. But actually, I have a meal card from the Illini Union Restaurant..."

"What good food is there over there? I'm so tired of it. Let me take you to try something different today."

Emily interrupted with a laugh.

Li Ao didn't refuse again, nodded, and began to tidy up the things on the table.

……

There's a Portuguese-style roasted chicken restaurant on the corner of Green Street. Their signature dish is a hot sauce made with African bird's eye chilies, which has a unique flavor and is reasonably priced. It's very popular among UIUC's faculty and students.

The restaurant was packed, and Li Ao and Emily finally managed to find an empty table after ordering.

Before the two could exchange more than a few words, a familiar figure approached the table.

"I knew it! We asked you to go out this weekend, but you didn't come. Turns out you were secretly meeting up with some high school kid behind our backs."

Li Ao looked up and saw a petite Asian girl with her long hair tied in a bun, holding a cup of iced coffee.

He remembered that the girl was Emily's roommate; they had met on the first day of summer camp on the central lawn.

Emily later mentioned that her name was Lily Chen.

Emily was clearly surprised to run into an acquaintance. She moved aside to make room and casually handed him a roasted chicken leg from her plate.

"What's wrong with high school students? Leo is helping me with calculus."

Lily was a natural at making friends. She didn't sit down, but stood by the table, her eyes scanning Li Ao up and down, her face full of gossip.

"That would be great—I also wish I had a friend from the US national math competition team to help me with calculus on weekends."

She deliberately dragged out her words in a teasing tone, then waved to Li Ao, wisely choosing not to stay and become a third wheel.

"I've already eaten. I just happened to see you by the window and came in to say hello. Please enjoy your meal and chat."

As soon as she finished speaking, she turned and walked away with her coffee in hand, and as she passed Emily, she deliberately winked at her.

Emily knew she would be questioned when she returned to her dorm, but she was cheerful and didn't feel embarrassed.

After Lily walked away, she took the initiative to explain to Li Ao, "That's just Lily's personality, she likes to joke around, don't mind her."

"It's okay, having such a lively roommate is quite interesting." Li Ao smiled.

Emily nodded and took a bite of her fries.

"Lily is a nice person, but she can be a bit noisy when she starts gossiping."

In the afternoon, the two continued studying at the Granger Engineering Library.

Emily didn't pack her things and return to her dorm until evening.

……

Influenced by Li Ao, Kevin now also gets up early on weekends to study and prepare for the IMO.

That morning, he had spent several hours in the discussion room with members of the national team discussing difficult combinatorial mathematics problems.

In the afternoon, he went to Granger Library alone again, bringing with him a question that had been bothering him recently, hoping that Li Ao could help him with it.

As soon as Kevin reached the window area on the second floor, he saw Li Ao.

He was about to go over and say hello when he noticed that there was a pretty girl sitting next to Li Ao.

Kevin recognized her immediately; she was the girl he had seen on the central lawn before.

He acted as if he had stumbled upon some great secret, and forgot all about asking questions, turning around and leaving.

"You said you were only interested in studying, but I've finally caught you red-handed."

Having been constantly put down by Li Ao in his studies, Kevin finally found something to tease him about, and he felt a sense of satisfaction.

……