From child prodigy to chief scientist

Listening to Fei Ran's words, Xu Xiao also felt a sense of responsibility growing within him.

Although his passion for the competition itself wasn't as strong as before, it made all the difference if he could fight for his country.

He will do his best to perform at his best and ensure that the red flag flies high in the IMO arena.

…………

After completing two phases of training and selection for the national math competition team, Xu Xiao returned to his hometown in the steel city.

Xu Xiao's family had already learned about his selection for the national math competition team and prepared a feast to celebrate the good news.

"I can't believe our family has produced a member of the national team. If Xiaoxiao really wins a gold medal at the IMO, wouldn't that be almost like being a world champion?"

"It's not just close, it's a genuine world championship. With Xiaoxiao's previous achievements, winning the gold medal shouldn't be a problem."

In previous years, almost every student selected for the Chinese National Mathematical Olympiad team has won a gold medal, and winning a silver medal is extremely rare.

But Xu Xiao would never be satisfied with just winning a gold medal.

After all, the gold medal rate in the IMO is close to 10%, and Xu Xiao's goal is definitely to get a perfect score and help the team win first place in the team competition.

After discussing the national math competition team, Xu Xiao shifted the topic to university applications.

"Dad, Mom, Professor Yuan Jiyang from Peking University came to see me before and told me about the latest offers Peking University could make to me..."

Then, Xu Xiao repeated these conditions to them one by one from memory.

Hearing these tempting conditions, Xu Lang and Yu Guilan were both very excited.

"Yan University is really sincere. I've never heard of them offering so many benefits to attract a student before."

"They even considered our household registration and jobs; they're really thoughtful."

However, after careful consideration, the two still had some concerns.

They were somewhat worried that the job opportunities offered by Yenching University might not be stable enough, while the jobs back home could be held until retirement without any unforeseen circumstances.

While it would be great to have a job while accompanying someone to study, they still feel there are certain risks involved if the whole family were to move to Yanjing.

This is equivalent to binding all their work to Xu Xiao, which will put a lot of invisible pressure on Xu Xiao. Moreover, if anything changes in the future, it may be better to maintain the original life.

After thinking for a moment, Xu Lang said:

"How about I go to Beijing to accompany Xiaoxiao while she studies? I can come back in a few years when Xiaoxiao grows up. We don't need the Beijing residency permit."

Xu Lang figured that since he had taken care of Xu Xiao more often before, if someone really needed to make a sacrifice, then let him do it.

Yu Guilan wasn't ready for a long-distance relationship with them, but she felt insecure if they both quit their stable jobs.

Understanding her parents' concerns, Xu Xiao patiently explained:

"Dad, Mom, don't worry. Before signing the letter of intent for admission with Yenching University, I will definitely confirm every clause of the agreement with them."

"For jobs that I can offer you, they will definitely be long-term, stable positions with better pay than before. Only then will I consider letting you live in Yanjing."

"As long as we're sure there aren't any hidden problems in the agreement, we should try our best not to miss this opportunity..."

Afterwards, Xu Xiao explained to them the advantages of having a Beijing household registration, such as medical care and elderly care, which are far better than in Gangcheng.

As long as the positions offered by Yenching University are formal, the salary, benefits, and other perks will definitely be better than their original positions.

After listening to Xu Xiao's explanation, Xu Lang and Yu Guilan's thoughts also began to change.

"If there are no problems, let's go work there together."

"That's good. If we're closer to Xiaoxiao, we won't have to worry too much."

Knowing that their family would no longer have to be separated, Xu Lang and Yu Guilan felt much more at ease.

Both of their parents are currently in good health, and since they both have siblings, there's not much to worry about regarding their parents.

"Okay, then let's settle on this for now. After I finish dealing with the academic exams, I'll go to Yenching University to sign the agreement, and then I'll audit classes there for a while."

In fact, Xu Xiao doesn't need his parents' care. After all, he's not really a child, and adapting to university life won't be a problem for him.

His desire for his parents to come to Yanjing was primarily based on their perspective; he hoped they could have a better life in the future.

Of course, these were just Xu Xiao's own thoughts, and she didn't say them to her parents.

After finalizing these plans, Xu Xiao first returned to Yucai School to resolve the academic proficiency test issue as soon as possible.

During Xu Xiao's absence, Yang Dun stayed at Yucai School, where he was overwhelmed with studying for the college entrance examination every day.

As a result, Yang Dun didn't even attend the national physics team training camp, focusing all her attention on the academic exams.

Fortunately, he has a strong learning ability. Even though he felt somewhat resistant to many subjects, he is almost ready after these days of review.

Seeing that Xu Xiao and Yang Dun were ready, the school specially arranged exams for them in various subjects.

The final result was not too surprising; they both passed all subjects and successfully passed the academic proficiency tests.

The moment he received his results, Yang Dun finally released the pent-up emotions he had been suppressing for so long.

"Ahhh... I finally passed all these subjects. I almost went crazy studying all this stuff..."

In Yang Dun's mind, reviewing for the academic exam was even more difficult than preparing for the national physics competition.

After all, Yang Dun was very happy when he was studying physics, but studying these humanities subjects was as painful as forcing himself to eat food he didn't like.

Xu Xiao was also very happy for Yang Dun. Of course, he himself found the exam very easy and felt no pressure at all.

"Xu Xiao, this time we can really go to Peking University together! You have to do your best at the upcoming IMO too!"

"Don't worry, I definitely won't let you down."

"It's a pity I won't have the chance to participate in IPHo, but it's good to be able to rest for a while. See you in Yanjing then."