CHAPTER 347: 141 A TRUE GENIUS IN THE REAL SENSE

Gao Yuyue woke up the next day when the sun was already high in the sky.

The space beside her was long empty.

She lingered on the bed for a bit, reached under the pillow, and found her phone to send a message to Shen You’an.

——Where are you?

"Ding ding," the phone rang with a notification tone in the otherwise silent room.

Gao Yuyue raised her head and noticed the sound was coming from a phone on the desk.

Shen You’an left the house and didn’t take her phone?

Gao Yuyue dialed the internal line to order food and took a moment to freshen up while waiting for the staff.

"Do you know where the girl who’s with me has gone?"

She asked the staff delivering the food.

The other person replied respectfully, "She headed out to the grasslands to ride horses early this morning."

Looking outside the window, it was early December, the temperature bitingly cold, the wind howling, and the sun appearing a dreary, pale shade.

Shen You’an seemed frail, yet surprisingly resilient — venturing off horseback riding in the winter morning.

Impressive.

After quickly finishing her breakfast, Gao Yuyue grabbed Shen You’an’s phone and headed out.

The chilling wind howled around her as Gao Yuyue instinctively tightened her down jacket.

The phone in her bag suddenly rang, and she reflexively pulled it out to answer.

"An’an, I’m heading to Qingzhou to shoot a promotional video soon. We’ll meet up shortly, isn’t that exciting? Happy?"

A young girl’s voice came through the phone, crisp and infused with playful energy.

Gao Yuyue glanced at the phone’s contact name, and her jaw nearly dropped.

Baby? Who even comes up with a contact name like that?

Shen You’an, turns out you’re that kind of person.

Without hearing a reply, the girl’s puzzled voice continued, "An’an? Are you listening?"

Gao Yuyue cleared her throat lightly. "Uh, so, An’an isn’t here right now, but I’ll relay your message."

The girl instantly turned wary. "Who are you? Why do you have An’an’s phone?"

Gao Yuyue raised her eyebrows, "An’an just got out of my bed, and I even know her phone’s unlock password — what do you think?"

Silence descended on the other end, followed by the girl’s dejected tone.

"Well, thanks. I’ll hang up now."

After the call disconnected, Gao Yuyue curled a sly smile, humming to herself as she strolled towards the grasslands.

In the distance, two figures galloped side by side on horseback, radiating casual grace.

Squinting, Gao Yuyue’s gaze landed on the person riding alongside Shen You’an.

Was that Liu Runxi—or was her vision deceiving her?

The two seemed engaged in conversation, appearing entirely at ease and synchronized.

Though she’d long been aware of their growing camaraderie, horseback riding together at the crack of dawn felt a bit... overly familiar?

With a wave of her hand, Shen You’an urged her horse forward, dismounting as she neared Gao Yuyue.

Gao Yuyue’s mischievous gaze darted between the two. "What’s going on between you two?"

Neither gave off the slightest hint of romantic tension, both looking calm and unconcerned.

"Have you eaten breakfast yet?"

Shen You’an casually asked.

"Already ate."

Liu Runxi approached, nodded politely at Gao Yuyue, then led his horse away.

Gao Yuyue leaned closer to Shen You’an. "What exactly is your relationship with him?"

"Friends."

"That’s it?"

"What else?"

Gao Yuyue pouted. "Boring."

"By the way." She handed the phone to Shen You’an.

"Someone named Baby called you. Said she’s coming to Qingzhou for a shoot and wants to meet you. Who’s this oversized Baby referring to anyway?"

Shen You’an took the phone, nonchalantly replying, "A friend."

Gao Yuyue rolled her eyes. "How come you have so many friends?"

"There’s a lot you have no idea about. Want to learn horseback riding? Offer expires soon."

Gao Yuyue wouldn’t pass up on the opportunity to give Shen You’an some grief over horseback riding. By the end of the morning, Shen You’an was fine, but Gao Yuyue ended up utterly exhausted.

The two went to a restaurant, and Gao Yuyue, famished from physical exertion, ordered several main courses to replenish her energy.

As they settled in, Liu Runxi and Jiang Shengyao entered the restaurant.

Spotting them, Gao Yuyue’s eyes lit up as she waved with a grin. "I’m in a great mood today—order as much as you want, it’s on me!"

Liu Runxi gracefully took the seat next to Shen You’an, smiling and nodding. "Thank you."

Jiang Shengyao, a half-step slower, pursed his lips before settling in the seat next to Gao Yuyue.

Resting her face on one hand, Gao Yuyue studied Jiang Shengyao intently.

"I haven’t congratulated you yet, School Hunk Jiang."

Jiang Shengyao scratched his head sheepishly. "Gao Yuyue, stop teasing me."

It turned out Zeng Liang had found a skilled hacker, who somehow managed to secure what Jiang Shengyao had wanted.

Jiang Shengyao sneaked glances at Shen You’an across the table. Ever since she exposed his grade-school antics yesterday, he couldn’t help feeling guilty whenever he saw her. It was as though he owed her something.

Shen You’an, on the other hand, didn’t even acknowledge him. With her head down, she seemed engrossed in texting someone on her phone.

Beside her, Liu Runxi poured her a cup of tea and placed it at her hand.

Shen You’an naturally picked it up and took a sip.

Jiang Shengyao noticed the scene, subtly uneasy — when did those two get so close?

Next to him, Gao Yuyue’s voice interrupted his spiraling thoughts. "I’m curious, what trick did you use to beat Leng Yunyang? Did the corporation make exceptions for you?"

"Of course not." Jiang Shengyao glanced at her. "I’ll be honest — my friend hired a highly skilled hacker. Even I didn’t expect it to work."

"A hacker?" Gao Yuyue blinked.

"Care to introduce me? It’s rare to find reliable hackers these days."

You’d have to be remarkable to defeat Leng Yunyang.

"Sure, I’ll ask around for you later." Jiang Shengyao replied.

Noticing his repeated glances toward Shen You’an, Gao Yuyue smirked with a wicked gleam.

"Jiang Shengyao, you used to detest these superficial titles the most, didn’t you? Why are you now hiring hackers to win? You’re not secretly eyeing a photoshoot with the school beauty, are you?"

Jiang Shengyao’s hairs bristled. He immediately rebutted, "Don’t talk nonsense. I don’t mean anything like that!"

"Oh? Dare to act but not admit it — coward."

Jiang Shengyao was visibly flustered, avoiding eye contact with Shen You’an, and drowned his awkwardness in repeated gulps of water.

Gao Yuyue thought to herself, teasing him was surprisingly entertaining.

On the other side, Liu Runxi was showing Shen You’an something on his phone.

Shen You’an grabbed a napkin from the corner storage box, unfolded it, picked up a pencil nearby, and began calculating something on the napkin.

The two worked seamlessly together on the problem, exchanging ideas in perfect harmony, complementing each other’s approaches in a way that felt impervious to outsiders.

Gao Yuyue strained to eavesdrop but gave up in despair, massaging her forehead. This was hopeless—she couldn’t understand a word. Was this what the academic elites lived for?

Hold on. It’s a weekend lunch—why was she being subjected to their problem-solving session?

You two—are you even giving anyone else room to breathe?

After scribbling away on four napkin sheets, Shen You’an finally arrived at the solution, setting her pencil down. "The domain of X’s real component Re(x) 0. Using the third property, it can analytically extend across the entire complex plane, applicable in probability statistics, other applied disciplines, and computing improper integrals."

With clean-cut features, clear black-and-white pupils, and a soft stream of a gentle smile by the corner of his lips, Liu Runxi remarked with genuine appreciation. "Gamma function. So, you’ve already self-studied this far."

Shen You’an raised an eyebrow. "I was about to ask you the same thing."

"Second place" was a nickname often thrown at Liu Runxi, but in reality, he was even smarter than Shen You’an anticipated. Shen You’an had a cheat system aiding her rapid progression over the years.

Without it, she might never have kept up with Liu Runxi’s level of thinking — he was nothing short of a genius.

Perhaps in another lifetime, without her meddling, Liu Runxi would have been the celebrated academic prodigy universally admired. But now, everything was overturned because of her.

Shen You’an thought to herself — thanks to her system’s assistance, there was still much she could learn from him.

Liu Runxi shook his head, laughed lightly, and said, "I’ve learned a great deal from you—thank you."

Shen You’an raised her eyebrow slightly.

Outstanding individuals always seem adept at noticing others’ strengths and are never shy to learn from them.

Perhaps that’s why the excellent keep getting better.

"Okay, you two—just stop it." Gao Yuyue tapped her finger against the table, glaring irritably at them both.

"This is a restaurant, not a library."

Shen You’an laughed lightly. "Alright, let’s eat." She crumpled the papers filled with her notes and thoughts into balls, tossing them into a nearby trash bin.

Gao Yuyue opened her mouth, hesitating, before closing it in resignation, visibly pained.

When neither was looking, Gao Yuyue bent down stealthily and swiftly retrieved the paper balls from the trash, stuffing them into her pocket.

These were treasures—there’s no way their destiny should be a trash can.

If Shen You’an achieved greatness someday, these might become invaluable manuscripts.