My IQ has been increasing year by year.

2001 9 Month 1 Day.

The mornings at the No. 1 Middle School in the city are as noisy as an early morning vegetable market.

The retractable iron gate at the school entrance was stretched to its limit, and several old men stood ready, but they still couldn't stop the youthful hormones that surged in with the heat.

This is a special year.

Although it will be several more months before "Meteor Garden" sweeps across the mainland like a virus, the signs of excitement have already begun to appear in the hairstyles of boys and the cuffs of girls' pants.

Everywhere you look, there are children who haven't completely lost their childishness, but whose bodies are already growing wildly like weeds.

The boys, wearing oversized school uniforms with their trousers dangling on the ground, gathered in small groups, arms around each other, talking about the newly released "Legend" or the NBA broadcast.

The girls seemed a bit more cunning, secretly altering the waist of their school uniforms to make them narrower, revealing a section of their white ankles, and swinging their ponytails high.

Among a group of people whose average height is close to 1.6 meters, nine-year-old Chen Zhuo stands out a bit.

He is only 1.42 meters tall.

He was wearing a brand new, small-sized junior high school uniform, the cuffs and pant legs of which his mother had rolled up.

He carried a not-so-large backpack on his back and a green military water bottle in his hand.

He walked around campus like an elementary school student who had mistakenly wandered into a university.

Although they are indeed elementary school students.

Curious glances kept coming from all around.

"Hey, look! Isn't that the kid?"

"Which one? The short guy?"

"How can you talk about someone like that? She's the top student in the city this year, and she's only nine years old. She skipped a grade."

"Holy crap, nine years old? I was still playing in the mud when I was nine!"

The discussions always reached Chen Zhuo's ears, for some reason.

Chen Zhuo pushed up his glasses expressionlessly.

He ignored the comments; he was used to it.

For a mature adult whose soul has long since matured, these discussions wouldn't evoke any particular feelings in him; at most, he'd just find them a bit noisy.

He found the classroom of Class 1, Grade 7 according to the class assignment list.

The easternmost part of the first floor.

Science Experimental Class.

This is a new gimmick that No. 1 Middle School in the city came up with this year, claiming that this class brings together the smartest minds in the city.

Quite a few people had already arrived in the classroom.

The noise in the classroom paused strangely after Chen Zhuo stepped into the class.

Dozens of eyes turned to look.

Chen Zhuo calmly looked around the classroom under everyone's gaze.

There's no need to look for a seat at all.

The first row of the classroom, right in the middle, facing the podium, is empty.

This table is clearly different from the surrounding tables.

His height seemed to have been deliberately lowered, and the chair he was paired with didn't appear to be one of the hard wooden benches provided by the school.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a height-adjustable chair with black cushions.

Although the design is outdated and looks like it was taken from an administrative office, it is indeed a height-adjustable chair.

On the back of the chair, there was a printed note:

Chen Zhuo

Chen Zhuo stuffed his schoolbag into the hole and sat down without any pretense.

The height is just right.

It has a good balance of firmness and softness.

He placed his water bottle on the corner of the table and took a thick book out of his bag, opening it on the table.

The whispers around them started again.

"A soft chair, I'm so envious."

"I'm envious too."

"If you can get first place in the entrance exam when you're nine, you can sit in the principal's office."

......

The morning's proceedings were unremarkable.

Roll call, self-introductions, and getting to know each other.

The homeroom teacher, Lao Zhao, was a middle-aged man in his forties who taught math and was also the grade leader.

When he entered the classroom, he made a point of glancing at Chen Zhuo, who was sitting in the first row.

That look in his eyes was very complex.

It's like looking at a piece of porcelain, or perhaps a fragile piece of porcelain.

He didn't call on Chen Zhuo to stand up and introduce himself, nor did he utter any clichés like "learn from Chen Zhuo."

As he walked past Chen Zhuo, he lightly tapped the corner of the table and asked in a low voice:

Is the height suitable?

Chen Zhuo nodded, "That's suitable, thank you, teacher."

"Hmm, I'll say it if the blackboard is reflecting light."

After Old Zhao finished speaking, he went up to the podium and began to recite those classic phrases about school rules and regulations.

This special, ordinary treatment made Chen Zhuo feel very comfortable.

Dealing with smart people is so much easier.

Since the school has admitted him, it will naturally provide him with the best environment. He only needs to stay quietly and earn some honor for the school in his spare time, which is the greatest reward he can give the school.

However, this sense of comfort came to an abrupt end at noon.

"Ring ring~"

When the bell rang, the boys rushed out.

The junior high school cafeteria is located at the other end of the playground.

For the thousands of growing teenagers, the journey to the cafeteria was practically a racetrack.

The students around me rushed out in a flash, creating a gust of wind.

Chen Zhuo slowly packed his things and leisurely walked out of the classroom.

He didn't run away.

It's not that I don't want to run, it's that I can't outrun them.

Even though he had persisted in morning runs for two years and his physical fitness far exceeded that of his peers, it was still not enough in the face of the absolute age difference.

Those boys in the second and third years of junior high school were all taller than him, and each of their steps was equivalent to several of his.

When Chen Zhuo slowly and leisurely squeezed into the cafeteria, there was a long queue at every window.

People cutting in line, shoving, and shouting incoherently.

Chen Zhuo stood outside, looking at the almost impenetrable wall of people, and calmly assessed the situation.

It might be difficult to squeeze in with my height, or I might trip over someone who doesn't see me and spill soup all over myself.

It's not really worth it.

Chen Zhuo sighed, turned around, and walked out of the cafeteria against the flow of people.

Fortunately, I was prepared.

Chen Zhuo bypassed the teaching building, crossed the playground, and arrived at the west wall of the school.

This is an iron fence, and outside is the back gate of Yuhong Primary School.

The midday sun was scorching, and the cicadas in the trees were chirping their hearts out.

Chen Zhuo waited by the fence for a short while before a chubby figure came running over, panting.

It's Zhang Qiang.

This kid is in sixth grade this year and is currently overwhelmed with worries about the transition to junior high school next year, but that doesn't stop him from continuing to be Chen Zhuo's logistics manager.

A while ago, Chen Zhuo went to Zhang Qiang's house to play and tutored Zhang Qiang. When Zhang Qiang's mother heard that he was the child who got the top score in the city at the age of nine and that he was tutoring Zhang Qiang for free, she was overjoyed.

As she was saying this, she prepared to give Chen Zhuo some money, but Chen Zhuo firmly refused. After thinking about it, she tried to see if he could help her make lunch.

The two hit it off immediately and were both very happy. One saved his child tens of thousands of yuan in tutoring fees, and the other solved his own supplementary learning problem.

"Brother Zhuo, over here."

Zhang Qiang was covered in sweat, his school uniform collar was askew, and he was carrying a heavy insulated box.

"I knew you wouldn't be able to get any food over there because of your height, Brother Zhuo."

"My mom just made braised pork this morning, and she also made two chicken drumsticks; they're all still hot."

Chen Zhuo took the insulated box; it was heavy.

Thanks.

Chen Zhuo didn't stand on ceremony. He found a stone stool under the shade of a tree, sat down, and opened the lid.

Below is rice, topped with large chunks of braised pork and two large chicken legs, and even a poached egg is thoughtfully included.

Chen Zhuo picked up his chopsticks and began to eat heartily.

Zhang Qiang didn't leave. He squatted outside the fence, holding half an ice pop in his hand, watching Chen Zhu eat it.

"Hey bro, how was junior high? Did anyone bully you?"

"No"

Chen Zhuo took a bite of the chicken leg, his cheeks bulging.

"Everything is fine."

"That's good."

Zhang Qiang chuckled, "If anyone dares to mess with you, just call me. Even though I didn't get into the top high school, I know some thugs over there..."

Go memorize your vocabulary.

Chen Zhuo interrupted him.

"Have you finished reading the math notebook I gave you?"

"I've looked at it... but there are some parts I don't understand." Zhang Qiang scratched his head, looking miserable.

"If you don't understand it, just memorize it first. There are only a few types of questions."

Chen Zhuo picked up the box, cleaned the last piece of meat, and wiped his mouth.

"Zhang Qiang, if you don't pass the exam next year, no one will bring me food anymore."

"I'm still waiting for you to come and protect me."

Zhang Qiang was stunned for a moment.

He looked at the small, thin figure inside the fence.

Although Chen Zhuo is now the top prodigy in the school, in Zhang Qiang's eyes, he is still the younger brother who needs his protection and who needs him to bring him meals.

"Don't worry, Brother Zhuo!"

Zhang Qiang threw the popsicle aside, a sudden fierce glint appearing in his eyes.

"I have to pass the exam to protect you!"

"It's just a stupid equation, I'll go back and work on it to death!"

Chen Zhuo nodded and handed the empty insulated box back.

"Come to my house tomorrow night, I'll give you extra lessons."

"Okay!"

Watching Zhang Qiang's retreating figure, Chen Zhuo pushed up his glasses.

It's nothing.

No?