Reborn in 1977, I will no longer be my brother's blood bag.

Final assessment.

The four words posted on the bulletin board were like a stone thrown into a lake, startling the entire Department of Automation.

The five people on the list, in particular, almost instantly became the center of discussion.

On her way back to the dormitory, Gu Xiaolan was still sighing:

"Professor Chen is too ruthless. He just selected them and then put them through another test."

Liu Xue nodded repeatedly:

"This isn't selecting students, it's practically selecting apprentices."

A casual remark caused Lin Xiuhe to pause slightly.

Choosing apprentices. She suddenly remembered that in her past life, many truly great professors would indeed take their best students under their wing and mentor them.

And now, she seems to be standing in front of that threshold.

Whether we can get in is still unknown.

Evening, dormitory 403.

The atmosphere was much quieter than the previous few days.

Liu Xue was reviewing her studies while lying on the table, Gu Xiaolan was organizing her notes, and even the usually calm Su Qing was more focused than usual.

Because everyone knows that the scariest thing about Tsinghua University isn't the exams, but that you'll find the people around you working even harder than you.

Lin Xiuhe sat at her desk, a thick stack of materials from Professor Chen spread out in front of her.

Much of the content goes beyond undergraduate courses, but the more she reads, the more excited she feels.

It wasn't the joy of solving problems, but a feeling of connecting with the future.

Automation, control systems, industrial upgrading—these terms may have seemed distant in 1978, but she knew they would change the entire country in the coming decades.

Just then, there was a knock on the dormitory door.

Gu Xiaolan ran to open the door, and a boy was standing outside.

"Find Lin Xiuhe."

Hearing the sound, Lin Xiuhe looked up.

It was actually Li Mingyuan.

Gu Xiaolan instantly perked up, and the other two in the dormitory also secretly looked over—after all, being ranked first and second in the Automation Department had become a hot topic on campus.

"What's up?" Lin Xiuhe walked to the door.

Li Mingyuan handed over a piece of paper: "Take a look."

"What?"

"Past exam questions"

Gu Xiaolan almost cried out in surprise.

Past exam questions? These kinds of things are treasures no matter where you put them.

Lin Xiuhe didn't answer immediately: "Why are you giving it to me?"

Li Mingyuan was silent for two seconds, then smiled:

"Because I don't want to win too easily."

When he said that, everyone in the dormitory was stunned.

mad.

That's outrageous.

But he said it so naturally.

Lin Xiuhe looked at him and suddenly smiled: "Then you might be disappointed."

Li Mingyuan was taken aback at first, then couldn't help but burst out laughing:

"I hope so."

After saying that, he turned and left. The corridor fell silent again.

Gu Xiaolan rushed over directly:

"My God, is this what it means for geniuses to communicate?"

Liu Xue was utterly shocked:

"It gave me goosebumps."

Su Qing adjusted her glasses, remaining silent, but her gaze lingered on the test paper. She suddenly realized that Lin Xiuhe was entering another circle—a circle belonging to top students.

Meanwhile, on the other side, in the boys' dormitory.

As soon as Li Mingyuan entered the room, Zhao Guodong looked up:

"Did you go to see her?"

"Um."

"Send the documents?"

"Um."

Zhao Guodong sneered:

"You're quite generous."

Li Mingyuan placed the book on the table, his expression calm.

Are you scared?

Zhao Guodong's face darkened:

"You think I'm afraid of her?"

"That would be best." Li Mingyuan sat down and said calmly, "Because I think she's more capable than you imagine."

After he finished speaking, Zhao Guodong didn't say anything more, but his eyes slowly turned cold.

The final assessment began on the second day.

The location was still in the Automation Building, but this time, there were only five people in the classroom: Lin Xiuhe, Li Mingyuan, Zhao Guodong, and two other students who were also academically excellent.

Professor Chen stood at the podium, holding a document in his hand, his gaze slowly sweeping over the crowd:

"There's only one task today. Five hours to solve one problem."

After he finished speaking, he handed out the materials.

Everyone lowered their heads simultaneously. At the very top of the first page were a few words—

[Production Line Control Optimization Solution for a Machinery Factory]

Upon seeing this, Lin Xiuhe's pupils contracted slightly.

Machinery factory.

Production line.

Control optimization.

These words, when put together, instantly reminded her of someone—Zhou Zhiyuan.

At the same time, Professor Chen's voice rang out again:

There is no standard answer, nor is there a fixed approach. What I want to see is not the result, but how you think.

The classroom quieted down, and everyone began flipping through their documents.

The further he looked, the more solemn his expression became.

Because this is not a question at all, but a real case, even like a real project.

Li Mingyuan frowned, Zhao Guodong's expression also turned serious, and the two students next to him kept turning the pages.

Only Lin Xiuhe stopped when she reached the third page.

She had seen it before because of some issues in the information.

To be precise, we met in a past life.

That was an old solution that was later completely phased out, and it has not yet been discovered.

In that instant, her heart raced slightly, because she suddenly realized that this assessment might be more important than anyone else imagined.

On the podium, Professor Chen watched the five people calmly.

No one knew that this data was not selected randomly.

It comes from a mechanical research institute in Beijing, and it's a project he's been focusing on recently. Whoever truly understands it will be qualified to stay.

Time passed slowly, and the only sound in the classroom was the scribbling of pens across paper.

Two hours later, Lin Xiuhe slowly put down her pen and looked up—

Be the first person to complete the initial plan.