Bai Mingze was beyond the expectations of the three.

They had originally thought that a super-scholar, a math prodigy, and a study machine with such rapid progress would definitely have some quirks.

But he was perfectly normal.

And especially polite when he spoke.

Yesterday, everyone had wanted to see what the champion was like, whether he had the domineering aura of "I'm awesome, so what?"

But they just saw this person find a corner to sit down, holding a box of pure milk in his hand, being quiet and still. If someone took the initiative to greet him, he would nod and say, "Hello."

Of course, although he wasn't quirky...

He was, more or less, a little strange.

After all, he was the only student who was drinking pure milk while the leader was speaking.

And he even accidentally made the sound of sucking air mixed with a little water from the straw after finishing the milk.

It could only be said...

This person really loved milk.

"So, what were you guys called over by the teacher for?" Shen Yating asked the two curiously while waiting for the bus.

Shi Yi, being honest with his good friend, replied, "He asked us if we had any thoughts about entering the national training team to compete in the International Mathematical Olympiad."

"That's the top six in the country."

Shen Yating was surprised, but thinking about who these two were, she could understand. "Haidong is quite strong in competitions, and it has a place in the Math Olympiad. You two definitely have a chance."

"But that means giving up the gaokao," Bai Mingze suddenly said.

"So, did you refuse?" Liu Chengxi asked.

Bai Mingze thought for a while and said, "I guess you could say I婉言 wǎnyán (婉言: to speak tactfully/euphemistically) refused."

"I also婉言 wǎnyán (婉言: to speak tactfully/euphemistically) refused," Shi Yi said.

"Yeah, after all, accepting the training means giving up the gaokao. No matter what, you can't make a decision you'll regret," Liu Chengxi said, feeling happy for Shi Yi's decision.

That way, he wouldn't lose this rival.

Although he really was suffocatingly strong.

This time, there were some specialized one-sided talents, competition-type players. And they came from top-tier schools, but they were still below Shi Yi.

In other words, the all-rounder Shi Yi had won against the competitors who spent the time for six subjects on one subject.

Talent was really terrifying.

To be honest, Liu Chengxi felt a bit lucky to be able to stay in the provincial team this time.

Although his ranking in the province was still okay, he felt that his performance in yesterday's selection exam was a little unsatisfactory.

After comparing answers, he lost to Shen Yating by a few points again.

Although the two of them were quite strong in No. 1 High, and their rankings were very high, after looking at the whole province, they could only be considered second-tier.

And naturally, there was no way to stand out among so many students and gain the leader's attention.

"So, besides that, did he say anything else?" Shen Yating asked curiously.

Regarding this, Shi Yi said with some embarrassment, "I don't know why, but I was still chosen as the captain of the provincial competition."

"Oh." Shen Yating said with admiration, "Haidong captain."

"Why do you say it like Captain America..." Liu Chengxi complained.

"It feels like there will be some kind of aura buff."

Shen Yating thought the title was cool.

"But it's just the class monitor of this small class, nothing special." After Shi Yi finished speaking, he added, "This person should have originally been Bai Mingze."

"No, no." After being praised like this, Bai Mingze immediately said, "You are the most suitable for this class monitor, and it's legitimate. My performance on the selection exam was still too poor."

"Being able to get into the 26-person list with a 'too poor' performance is really amazing." Shen Yating, who predicted that she barely made it in, said with emotion.

"Good luck, barely passed."

Bai Mingze didn't plan to tell anyone about the fact that he submitted a blank paper and was still selected, including the teachers at Haizhong and his parents.

Because saying it, and then saying lightly that he didn't want to participate in the national competition at all, would only make people think he was flaunting and being smug.

If he was selected, but didn't go, he could still put on a show.

But since he was already going, what he had to do next was to get good results as much as possible.

"Too humble, we've all heard of your great name." Shen Yating smiled.

"Huh?" Bai Mingze expressed his confusion.

So, Liu Chengxi explained, "You went from 560 to 660, and it seems it only took three months. Then, it only took another three months to get to over 700. Such an increase can be said to be the second most exaggerated we've ever seen."

While Bai Mingze was puzzled, Shen Yating added, "The first is a boy we were going to meet at that coffee shop. He, like you, has made very rapid progress."

"Oh, I see."

Bai Mingze nodded, then thought for a while and explained, "Actually, there's some water in my progress speed."

"Huh?" Shi Yi was puzzled.

Then, Bai Mingze continued, "Although I've improved so many points, it's not like I suddenly saw the light. Actually, my grades in middle school were okay. My score on the middle school entrance exam could get me into the top 100 in the entire Ningcheng city."

"That high?" Liu Chengxi was very surprised to hear him say that.

Top 100 in the city, that score was definitely very impressive.

A person who was in the top 100 in the city only scored 560, which meant that he had regressed a lot before his improvement.

"Everyone knows that middle school exams, with a little talent, you can get high scores without even trying."

After Bai Mingze said this sentence, he added with self-reflection, "After getting to high school, relying on talent can indeed get you a score of five or six hundred. But in the end, you still have to work hard."

"Meaning, you didn't study hard after entering high school, so you fell so many places." Shen Yating analyzed rationally, "Then, under some kind of契机 qìjī (契机: opportunity; turning point), you decided to study hard, and as a result, you suddenly surpassed everyone."

After she analyzed it like this, everyone understood.

Scientific, reasonable.

Everyone was at ease with Bai Mingze's improvement.

Because he was originally a super-powerful prodigy, being able to rank in that position in an educationally competitive city like Ningcheng actually meant he already had the potential to get into Qinghua or Beijing University.

It could only be said that capable people were always capable.

It just depended on whether he wanted to do it or not.

"So, what's that契机 qìjī (契机: opportunity; turning point)?" Liu Chengxi looked at Bai Mingze with particular curiosity.

The remaining two people were also very concerned.

What kind of契机 qìjī (契机: opportunity; turning point) was it that made him change so much, made him determined, and become a respected figure on the spot?

Such a strong guy must have some very special reason, right?

Teacher Bai Mingze, don't let us down!

Bai Mingze saw such a sentence in everyone's eyes.

But he...

He...

"Is, is that the bus coming?"

Just then, Bai Mingze saw the bus coming and abruptly changed the subject.

Then, everyone got on the bus just like that.

Next, Bai Mingze sat in a seat.

The three of them were holding onto the handrails, staring straight at him, waiting for an answer.

...Such a rude way to treat guests.

"Um..." Bai Mingze held it in for a long time before managing to squeeze out an excuse, "I beat a particularly favorite game, and suddenly I felt that other games weren't interesting, and then I settled down..."

And after a brief pause, everyone gradually accepted this reason.

And they sighed in their hearts: As expected of a strong person, they're just随性 suíxìng (随性: following one’s inclinations/doing as one pleases).

Okay, he was being understood as a genius whose life motto was "inspired by interest."

Although it was a bit of a deviation, it was okay as long as it satisfied them.

As for the real reason, he couldn't let anyone know...

Because after they knew, they would be particularly disappointed, having the feeling that the grand finale of a Manchu Han Imperial Feast was a bowl of rice.

But I know that after I say this, you will be even more curious about how lame this reason is.

However, Xia Hai's friends were all quite friendly.

Even that boy with the face that could start a harem wasn't cold at all, and was kind to others.

What an eye-opener.

Just like that, he went to that coffee shop with the three of them.

And as soon as he went in and sat down, he saw a very beautiful girl.

Moreover, she had a really great figure.

"Chen Yuan won't be here for a while, you guys order first." Zhou Fu wasn't here to be a waitress today, but just heard that they were coming, so she came over to help out, wearing casual clothes of jeans and a jacket.

They mentioned "Chen Yuan" again.

Bai Mingze was very curious about what kind of relationship this girl had with Chen Yuan.

Who was the head of the household between the two of them?

Why did they have to call Chen Yuan when they mentioned Zhou Fu's restaurant?

So weird, so weird, this circle is so weird.

"You order first, this is Xia Hai's best coffee shop." Shen Yating handed the menu to Bai Mingze.

And Zhou Fu was shocked when she said this sentence.

Ah? Xia Hai's best coffee shop?

Who acknowledged that?

Does Dianping know about this?

"It does look pretty good..."

After seeing the prices, Bai Mingze felt the high-end atmosphere here.

At this time, Zhou Fu covered her mouth and said softly, "Everyone has the lowest discount."

After hearing her say that, Bai Mingze realized that his stinginess had been seen through.

He blushed all of a sudden.

Wasn't the most annoying personality trait for girls in a guy being stingy?

Damn it, he was going to be considered a蝦头男 xiātóunán (虾头男: lit. shrimp head man; a derogatory term for a male chauvinist) who didn't even want to spend money at a coffee shop.

Thinking of this, Bai Mingze ordered a few more items at once, in order to restore his lost image.

"Are you ordering that much?" Seeing Bai Mingze order like this, Zhou Fu suggested, "You should still do what you can afford."

My portions here aren't that small, and you won't be able to finish it if you order too much.

Do what I can afford?

She saw that I was pretending!

Damn it, now he had become a more advanced version of a蝦头男 xiātóunán (虾头男: lit. shrimp head man; a derogatory term for a male chauvinist) than just being stingy, an advanced version of a虾头男 xiātóunán (虾头男: lit. shrimp head man; a derogatory term for a male chauvinist) who was obviously very stingy but pretended to be generous for the sake of face.

Damn, all of his components had been tested out with just one order.

Bai Mingze turned red.

Seeing him turn red, Liu Chengxi suddenly felt that this guy was really something else.

He blushed when he saw his girlfriend, and he blushed when he saw Zhou Fu.

This kid, how could he be moved when he saw a pretty girl?

Shen Yating felt that it wasn't like that. Liu Chengxi's expression showed that he was thinking too much.

This Bai Mingze should be a super high IQ, deeply hidden...

Elementary school student.

Just like her third-year cousin, his psychological age was particularly young compared to students of the same age.

He would have a stereotypical impression of people.

Seeing Liu Chengxi, because he was handsome, he would think he was particularly popular with girls, and quite aloof, repelling ordinary-looking boys.

Seeing Zhou Fu, he would also think too much and over-interpret her words, getting caught up in self-consumption, because the other party was a very beautiful girl with a great figure, and he was at a disadvantage in terms of height and appearance.

How should she put it...

Before she was about to see Bai Mingze this time, she had imagined many versions of the Great Demon King.

There was the cold and ruthless one.

There was the seductive and domineering one.

There was the one who was the only one worthy of respect in heaven and earth.

The only thing she didn't expect was that he would actually be an elementary school student who would get nervous when he met a pretty girl.

Suddenly, she felt that this opponent... wasn't so scary anymore.

Then, the dishes everyone ordered were served one after another.

Then, everyone looked at the hot milk in front of Bai Mingze with some subtle expressions...

"You seem to really like drinking milk, huh?" Shi Yi asked what was on everyone's mind.

"Ah, yes, I like this flavor." Bai Mingze squeezed out a smile and replied.

Actually, he just generally liked it.

But he had to drink at least two boxes of milk a day.

He generally wouldn't stop.

Sometimes, he would also get internal heat because he drank too much milk.

Then he would switch to a bottle of milk and a bottle of honeysuckle.

In short, he couldn't stop drinking milk.

These two years were his last chance to break 170cm.

But unfortunately, he was still 3cm short.

As long as he persevered, he would definitely be able to...

Add some height-increasing insoles in college.

"So, are you still coming to the training camp?" Liu Chengxi asked.

"It's too troublesome to come once, but after all, I entered the training team..." Bai Mingze sighed as he said this.

"Since you don't want to do this, then why don't you decline? After all, this will affect your normal subject review." Shi Yi suggested.

"Moreover, if your goal is just to get a medal, there's no need to come at all. Just do more practice problems." Liu Chengxi also advised.

"But wouldn't that make people think I'm not good?" Bai Mingze struggled.

"Who thinks that?" Shen Yating asked.

"The teacher of the training team, he even singled me out when he talked to me today." Bai Mingze felt that he was only one step away from getting angry and losing his temper at him.

He must have been very angry about the blank paper he submitted yesterday.

"Why think so much?"

At this time, Liu Chengxi said quite handsomely, "That teacher is only thinking about how good the results of his team will look, and hasn't thought about how important the gaokao is to us. He can stand on his position, and you have to stand on yours too."

I also have to stand on my position...

Meaning, I don't have to care about him?

Bai Mingze fell into thought.

After a while, he nodded and said, "Then I won't come to Xia Hai again."

"..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Fu, who had just brought the desserts over, was stunned for a moment, and immediately asked with some panic, "Is, is there something wrong with our service?"

Why did he say such harsh words as never coming to Xia Hai again?

"No, no, it's not like that."

Seeing that she had misunderstood, Bai Mingze quickly waved his hand to deny it, quite anxiously. "I said that because I don't want to come to the training camp anymore. Your coffee shop is very good."

"Oh, like that..."

Hearing this, Zhou Fu breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.

This girl... is so cute.

"Hi hi hi."

Just then, a tall, handsome guy who was as handsome as Liu Chengxi, but also looked a little more humorous, came over and greeted everyone.

And Bai Mingze sat up even straighter, especially properly.

The head of Zhou Fu's household was here!

And after this head of household sat down, Zhou Fu immediately nodded with a smile, "I made what you wanted in advance, and I'll bring it to you now."

"Go on, Xiao Fuzi." Chen Yuan said calmly.

"Yes, yes, yes."

Zhou Fu was only subservient to Chen Yuan as a waitress for this moment. If it was at school, she wouldn't indulge this rebellious son like this.

As expected of the head of the household, he had so much status!

"This must be Bai Lao, right? Hello." Chen Yuan greeted Bai Mingze in the first instance.

"Yuan Lao, hello." Bai Mingze responded in the same way.

Good, I approve of this kid's abstraction.

"So, you've all become provincial team players?" Chen Yuan looked at these people in surprise.

"So-so."

"Meh."

The Ya-Xi combo replied rigorously.

"No matter what, you're all talents from our "Three People Travel" group, congratulations."

Good news: Haidong Province has 26 players participating in the national competition, and our "Three People Travel" group has a total of three people who have emerged, with a 100% success rate.

"Chen Yuan's ranking was also very high at the time, why didn't you participate in the second test?" Bai Mingze asked in confusion.

"Our school isn't a competition school, everyone is aiming for extra credit, except for Class 1, so they didn't register us for the second test." Chen Yuan explained.

"Oh, I see."

"Actually, I didn't have time to learn the Olympiad problems for the second test at that time, and maybe it would have been even worse if the scores were combined from both tests." Chen Yuan said with a smile.

What a humble person.

This person is different from me, he is truly a rapid improvement, starting from LV1.

Moreover, he doesn't have dark circles under his eyes!

What a powerful man, in a situation where he was so much worse than me at the starting point, he was able to break 700 without sacrificing sleep!

This trip to Xia Hai was quite worth it.

At least he knew: there are people beyond people, and there is heaven beyond heaven.

Everyone drank their drinks, ate their desserts, and chatted.

After a while, KFC also arrived.

So, everyone started eating.

While eating, Shen Yating asked curiously, "So, do you have a girlfriend?"

Sure enough, this question directly made Bai Mingze turn red.

Seriously, you're too much of an elementary school student!

And Liu Chengxi also became obviously vigilant, and even helped her wipe the corners of her mouth with a tissue in order to 'declare sovereignty.'

Yo yo yo, my jealous Bao Chengxi.

"Of course I don't have a girlfriend."

After turning red, Bai Mingze said seriously, "And dating at Haizhong is punishable by nine generations of relatives."

"You're so humorous." Zhou Fu, who was sitting next to Chen Yuan, was amused.

"He's not joking." At this time, Shi Yi敏锐 mǐnruì (敏锐: sharp, acute, keen) echoed, "Haizhong and No. 4 High have very strict school rules, not like your No. 1 High."

"Then what about Sister Wenxin?" Chen Yuan asked.

"..."

Shi Yi supported his forehead, and said with some embarrassment, "It's a bit unmanly to say, but I still haven't dared to tell anyone about my relationship with her. So at No. 4 High, I haven't broken the rules yet."

"Even someone as strong as Shi Yi has to be secretive, that's indeed a bit ruthless." Shen Yating complained.

She only knew that everyone at No. 1 High knew that the two of them were dating.

Even the school teachers would tease them when they saw them, when no one was around.

It could only be said that this should be the reason why the top combat power of No. 1 High was slowly being left behind by Haizhong and No. 4 High.

They could only rely on the number of people who got into Qinghua and Beijing University to win.

But Shen Yating still liked her school very much.

What she wanted was this kind of ease.

"Then do you have someone you like?" Zhou Fu asked curiously.

This question made the study demon shy again.

Seeing this, Zhou Fu quickly sacrificed everyone else, "Don't worry, they all have CPs. Ya-Xi, Xin-Yuan, Wu-Yi."

"What kind of combination names are you making up? They're quite catchy." Chen Yuan complained.

"Ya-Xi, Xin-Yuan, so nice to hear." Shen Yating said with a smile.

"Aren't you going to comment on Wu-Yi?" Shi Yi asked weakly.

Then, Shen Yating smiled and made a hand gesture of three: "Three days off."

"Three days off that include Saturday and Sunday have no value. Back in our day, we would take seven days off." Chen Yuan said.

And at this time, Bai Mingze interjected with difficulty, "Do you, really want to know?"

"Tell us, Brother Mingze." Chen Yuan made a gesture of invitation.

So, Bai Mingze explained shyly while taking out his phone, "It's a senior who's two grades above me, now she's a freshman, studying at Haidong University in your Xia Hai..."

"Yo, Bai Mingze's Li Xinru senior." Shen Yating said to Liu Chengxi leisurely.

"..." Liu Chengxi turned his face to the side, not wanting to say anything.

Women, they said they wouldn't mention it again.

At this time, Bai Mingze stretched out his phone.

Then, everyone leaned their heads over.

This senior's note was Senior An Jiani, and the avatar was a cartoon cat raising its hands.

Before seeing it, everyone was smiling.

But when they saw it, everyone except Liu Chengxi, including Shi Yi, was stunned.

Wait, this is a couple's avatar.

But the four of them held back from saying anything.

The clever Chen Yuan said, "Brother Mingze, can I add you on WeChat?"

"Of course you can."

Bai Mingze agreed directly and quickly went to bring up his QR code.

Then, Chen Yuan was stunned again when scanning the code.

波风水门 Bōfēng Shuǐmén (波风水门: Minato Namikaze from Naruto).

"..."

Well, 波风水门 Bōfēng Shuǐmén (波风水门: Minato Namikaze from Naruto) is indeed handsome.

"It's pretty good, the name sounds really nice, haha." Shen Yating made an awkward smile.

"It sounds like she's a beauty." Zhou Fu also nodded awkwardly.

Everyone's faces were awkward.

Only this Bai Mingze was still shy!

Your senior has a senior brother, do you know that?

Do you know what the gold content of a couple's avatar is, 波风水门 Bōfēng Shuǐmén (波风水门: Minato Namikaze from Naruto)!

"That Fourth Hokage... ah, no, Mingze, try this Swiss roll, it's delicious."

Chen Yuan pushed a green Swiss roll in front of him.

"Thank you." Bai Mingze nodded with a smile.

"This matcha cake is also good." Shen Yating continued to smile awkwardly.

"Matcha daifuku, please try." Now it was Shi Yi.

Then, Zhou Fu also took a green mochi from Chen Yuan and gave it to Bai Mingze.

"Thank you everyone, you're all so enthusiastic..."

Bai Mingze, who received a warm welcome in Xia Hai, was so moved that he was about to cry.

And the others were secretly glancing at Bai Mingze in front of a table of green food, wondering when he would react...

——

Today, Teacher Yuan started school, and I had writer's block for most of the day. I didn't start writing until she came back from school, so there are only 6,000 words. I'll definitely have a double update tomorrow.

I'm recommending another seedling, a friend's book, it needs to be followed.