chapter 7

Beside the court was a small artificial lake.

Since I wasn’t playing, I stood by the water alone, watching a few children skip stones.

Perhaps I was watching too intently, because one of the kids actually walked over and asked, “Wanna try, Big Sister?”

But I didn’t have the slightest clue how. I made a couple of clumsy motions and was just about to give up when someone took the pebble from my hand.

“Angle and force are both very important. It’s a matter of physics-the higher the flow velocity, the lower the pressure.” Lu Xinyu tossed the pebble lightly, instantly drawing a chorus of gasps from the children.

“Wow, Big Brother, you’re amazing!”

I looked at him as he suddenly appeared by the lake and couldn’t help but ask, “Why aren’t you playing ball with them anymore?”

“I’m a bit tired. I didn’t feel like playing.”

He smiled. “Skipping stones is more interesting anyway.”

There were a few chairs by the lake. The early spring weather was pleasant-neither too hot nor too cold.

The two of us sat down together, chatting idly about this and that.

“I remember you used to be really good at physics. I thought you’d go into a STEM field. How did you end up becoming a Host?”

He chuckled. “Life’s hardships. Hosts make more money.”

It was obviously a joke. Seeing that I didn’t believe him, he added, “Really. I’ve even taken a singing gig recently because of ‘life’s hardships.'”

As he spoke, he pulled out a pair of wireless earbuds and handed the right one to me. “Want to listen?”

I took the earbud, momentarily stunned.

My memories drifted back to my junior year of high school.

It was during the second semester, right before Lu Xinyu was about to leave for the United States.

That was the only time I had ever approached him with a physics problem I already knew how to solve, driven by a hidden motive.

“The steps for this problem are too complicated. I’m afraid I won’t remember them. Could you record yourself explaining the process for me?”

My palms were slightly sweaty as I gripped my MP3 player, already prepared for him to turn me down.

To my surprise, he only paused for a moment before pulling out his own MP4 player. “How about we use mine to record it? It might be clearer. I’ll send it to you on QQ.”

I said, “Okay.”

Lu Xinyu was a very meticulous teacher. He didn’t just explain; he would ask me questions as he went along.

“Do you understand this part? You try explaining it.”

Once the recording was finished, he handed me an earbud so we could listen together to see if it was clear.

The earbud cord wasn’t long, so I was forced to lean in close-very close to him.

A single problem took a full half-hour to record, taking up half of the evening self-study session.

Later, I named that recording “Problem-solving Logic” and saved it on my computer at home. I also tucked it away in my heart, listening to it countless times.

His voice had been very pleasant even back then.

I just hadn’t expected him to be such a good singer, too.

I couldn’t help but smile. “What song is this? Can I download it online?”

After a moment of silence, Lu Xinyu turned his head.

“Actually, this is a theme song I recorded for a show. Next week… I’ll be filming the program. Are you interested? Do you want to come and watch?”