Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I spent the first half of my life living in Lin Yu’s shadow.

He was a once-in-a-century genius, while I was just an ordinary student-so ordinary I couldn’t have been more average.

He got into a key high school without breaking a sweat, skipped grades, and had top universities fighting to admit him. Even when he cut class and dated, the teachers only praised him for having personality.

As for me, I did everything by the book. I cut my hair as short as possible, stayed up late grinding through practice problems, studied and studied, and gave it everything I had, only to barely scrape my way into a Project 985 university.

By the time I got into college, Lin Yu was already a junior, following his advisor to all sorts of conferences and events. Every now and then, you could even catch a glimpse of him on TV.

Whenever my parents saw him, they would mock me in that cutting, passive-aggressive way of theirs.

“You’re both human, so how are you so much stupider than Little Lin?”

“I’ve never lost to Uncle Lin in my entire life-except when it comes to you. You really make me lose face!”

“Because of you, I can’t even hold my head up in front of Aunt Lin…”

I listened to things like that for eighteen years.

Calmly, I packed my bags. Then I went to the station alone, dragged my suitcase onto the train, and left for college.

News about Lin Yu always reached me with perfect accuracy through my parents’ insults.

How every advisor wanted him. How many papers he had published. How he casually flipped through a textbook before an exam and still ranked first in his entire department.

When I saw that message, I was in the library reviewing for a major course.

I looked at the dense notes covering my textbook, smiled, set the chat to Do Not Disturb, placed my phone facedown on the desk, and went back to studying.

In my senior year, I missed the recommendation quota for graduate school by one rank.

That night, my mother lost control and spent the entire night cursing me out.

When I hung up, she started sending voice messages, wailing as if the sky had fallen.

“How did I give birth to such an idiot!

“So useless… What a miserable life I have!”

…

After that night, I blocked her. Then I found a job in a city thousands of miles from home and didn’t go back for three whole years.

Not even on New Year’s Eve.

Every New Year’s Eve, I sat alone in my rented apartment, put on a classic movie, drank Coke, and wondered whether the Spring Festival Gala might be a little better this year.

Between my parents and me, aside from transferring them money, there wasn’t a single extra word.

The fourth year was about to arrive.

On New Year’s Eve, I carried a shopping bag full of Coke back to my apartment. At the door, I saw someone I absolutely did not want to see-Lin Yu.

Now, he was a familiar face on television, the darling of academia. The word “genius” was practically stamped on his forehead, and the fact that he stood there in a sharp suit did nothing to lessen my irritation with him.

“What are you doing here?”

His Adam’s apple bobbed. His voice was slightly hoarse.

“Why won’t you go home?”

I frowned at him, not quite understanding what that had to do with him.

When I didn’t answer, his eyes dimmed. He went on, “Your parents miss you a lot…”

“If that’s all, you can leave.”

Impatient, I gave him the order to go. “You’re not welcome here.”

“…I miss you too.”

He said.