Soul Returns to Hong Kong: From Tailor Shop to Richest Woman

In the third week after the start of the semester, Lin Ying finally managed to suppress the heartache caused by losing money.

Every morning at 8:30, the large lecture hall is packed with people; the professor takes the chalk to the stage, skips the small talk, and immediately starts writing formulas.

The teachers here just teach their own lessons. If the students don't understand, that's the students' problem. If the blackboard is full, they just erase it and keep writing, regardless of whether the students remember it or not.

Lucas sat next to her, his wrist aching from taking notes. "Lynn," he said, "I now reasonably suspect that these professors aren't teaching."

"What are you doing?"

"They're proving they're still alive! As long as the chalk doesn't break, they can keep writing."

Lin Ying finished the last line of formula: "The fact that you still have the mood to complain means you can still keep up."

"Even if I can't keep up, I have to complain. It's my basic dignity as an American."

Just as the two finished speaking, the professor on the podium suddenly turned around: "You two in the first row, since you had such a pleasant conversation, you should have no problem with next week's quiz."

Lucas froze on the spot.

When the bell rang, the entire classroom erupted in groans: "A quiz? Another quiz?"

"Didn't you just take the exam last month?"

"Does this count as a result?"

Lin Ying was packing up her lecture notes when Lucas buried his head in his bag, as if he wished he could disappear from the mathematics department forever.

During the afternoon tutoring session, Scott's mentor also mentioned the test.

He tossed two test papers onto the table: "Next Friday, spring test."

Lucas immediately asked, "Professor, will this be recorded in the file?"

"Not counted."

Lucas had barely breathed a sigh of relief when Scott added, "But if you write like you're half asleep, I'll remember you."

Lin Ying asked, "No ranking?"

"No rankings." Scott picked up his coffee. "You freshmen always ask about rankings, like a bunch of kids waiting for candy; this isn't elementary school, nobody's here to keep you happy."

After leaving the office, Lucas imitated Scott by performing a series of silent films, then complained, "The scariest thing about this school is that it never kills you, it just tortures you."

Lin Ying also found it strange.

Having been here for so long, I've taken countless tests, big and small, but each time they say there's no ranking or record keeping. Yet the teachers are all so serious, making me wonder what secrets are hidden behind these tests.

That evening, she went across the hall and knocked on Matthew's door.

Matthew still seemed reluctant to see civilized society; when the door opened, he was holding an empty cup in his hand.

"If you're here to borrow tea, I don't have any. If you're here to talk about math, I'll play dead."

Lin Ying walked in: "I'm here to ask about the exam."

"That's worse than borrowing tea leaves." Matthew poured himself a glass of water and sat down on the sofa. "So, what's the test this time?"

"The spring test will not rank participants or be counted in their records; there was also a small test before, which was also not counted. I don't understand what they are trying to do."

Matthew laughed after hearing this: "That's normal. The only major exam that's recorded here is once a year, before the Easter break. That's the real test. Most of the other tests are just for teachers to get a feel for the students and, incidentally, to scare them."

Lin Ying was quite surprised that Cambridge was so casual about it: "Once a year?"

"right."

"So, no matter how many tests you take during regular classes, they won't count as official grades?"

"More or less." Matthew, seeing her expression, suddenly said, "Lin Ying, I know you can't stand Cambridge, and you certainly can't stand this awful British weather; you want to finish your studies quickly and leave, right?"

Lin Ying did not deny it: "The food here is indeed not suitable for staying for long."

"The point isn't the food."

"It's very important to me."

Matthew was taken aback by her words and could only continue, "Listen, don't get everything right on your exams; if you perform too outrageously, those old guys in the department will be watching you like they've discovered a treasure. They'll give you more questions, more tutoring, more recommendations, and more research opportunities. Even if you can't stand it, they'll keep you here for life."

Lin Ying could imagine that scene.

Ma Xiuxiu said, "You'll be eating in the cafeteria every day until you become a part of the history of mathematics."

"I understand." Lin Ying nodded immediately. "I'll control it."

------

On the day of the spring test, the difficulty of the paper was much higher than the last one.

Lin Ying was doing well, but when she thought of Matthew's words, she stopped on the last big question. There were two solutions to that question: one elegant and one ordinary.

She chose the ordinary one.

When Lucas handed in his paper, he was still struggling with calculations. Lin Ying waited for him in the corridor for ten minutes before finally coming out.

"I survived. What about you? Are you done?"

"almost."

Seeing her like this, Lucas suddenly felt hurt: "Every time you say 'about the same,' it's like you're insulting me."

After the test, the course continued. Lin Ying didn't stand out much on the test paper, but during the tutoring session, Scott flipped through her answers and casually asked, "For the last question, did you deliberately take the long way around?"

Lin Ying remained expressionless: "No, this is the best solution."

Scott threw her test paper back at her: "Don't pretend next time."

March has passed, and the weather is still gloomy and cold; there is also good news, though, as Claire has finally sent a decent briefing.

The stocks Lin Ying transferred to the US market were still fluctuating for the first two weeks, but they have gradually stabilized. Sweetwater Company was the first to recover, the trendy shoe stock fluctuated a lot, but the trading volume was impressive; the chip technology stock is still agonizing, but Wojia Department Store gave her a pleasant surprise!

In May, the trees in Cambridge finally began to sprout new leaves, and Lucas finally stopped complaining every day about being pursued by boys.

The reason is simple: he met a girl.

That afternoon, Lin Ying had just come out of the library when she saw Lucas standing at the door, with a girl in a gray sweater beside him.

The girl was estimated to be around 175cm tall with short hair and freckles on her face, and she was carrying a stack of books.

As soon as Lucas saw Lin Ying, he immediately waved: "Lynn! Come here, let me introduce you to someone."

Lin Ying walked over.

"Joanne Reed, a math major," Lucas introduced. "She got in through exams, not the kind of person who was forced into elite schools by her family from a young age."

Qiao An glared at him: "Could you please not offend half the entire academy while introducing someone?"

Lucas shrugged: "I've been very restrained."

Lin Ying reached out her hand: "Lynn."

Joanne grasped her hand: "I know you. The Hong Kong girl from Professor Scott's group."

"I know you too, you're the girl who asked a question in the last analysis class," Lin Ying said, continuing the conversation.

Joan was a little surprised: "You remember?"

"Your question is clearer than the professor's."

Joanne laughed on the spot: "I like that sentence. It's much better than Lucas's conversational skills."

Lucas retorted, "What do you mean I can't chat? I'm very popular."

Joan looked at him: "Are you sure those people wanted to chat with you?"

This time, it was Lin Ying's turn to smile.

Lucas clutched his chest: "You two just met and you're already hurting me together, is that reasonable?"

The three of them walked towards the cafeteria together. Lucas was very excited the whole way. He had finally found two girls in the mathematics department who could speak normally.

While waiting in line, he suddenly turned to Joan and asked, "By the way, I've always wondered, with so many boys at Cambridge, why doesn't anyone pursue Lynn?"

Joanne looked at Lin Ying, then at Lucas: "Because she's too short."

Lin Ying: "..."

Lucas: "Huh?"

Joanne explained, "Many guys feel that having desire for her makes them look like a pedophile who should be sent to Scotland Yard (the Metropolitan Police).