Chapter 52: I Love Studying

Stepping out of the dormitory building, Xu Ming and his roommates headed straight for Canteen No. 5, the veritable sanctuary of mathematics located on the southern side of the campus.

Along the way, as they passed various iconic landmarks, they naturally stopped to converse and share their thoughts, growing increasingly familiar with one another.

Before long, a small triangular plaza formed by the intersection of three flagstone paths came into view.

Bordered by the Centennial Hall to the east and the dormitory clusters to the west, it connected to the eastern path of the library to the north, while continuing further south led straight to Canteen No. 5.

Faced with this triangular expanse, Jiang Xu appeared quite excited and immediately halted his steps to share his reservoir of knowledge with the group.

"We must all remember this spot. Chances are we will be frequenting it in the future. The Triangle is the ultimate survival information hub for students of the School of Mathematical Sciences."

"I heard from upperclassmen before that people gather here every day to discuss studies."

Having said that, he proactively walked toward the iron-framed bulletin board on the western side.

Ni Mingjie and Zhu Zhixuan were equally intrigued; driven by an intense thirst for knowledge, they immediately followed closely behind Jiang Xu.

Naturally, Xu Ming had long heard of the Triangle. As a historically significant landmark on campus, it encapsulated half a century of Peking University’s cultural memory, serving as the academic and social nexus, especially for the mathematics department.

Yet, by the time he entered Peking University in his past life, the Triangle had already been demolished—truly a regrettable loss.

Now, witnessing firsthand the place regarded by math students as their spiritual home, a surge of excitement stirred inevitably within his chest.

However, instead of looking at the bulletin board, his attention was captured by a piece of thick cardboard tied to a nearby tree with a red string. As he stepped closer, the words written upon it immediately came into view.

"Urgent sale: *Theory of Functions of a Complex Variable*, 50% off, comes with a complimentary cheat sheet for $\varepsilon-\delta$ proofs."

"Looking for a teaching assistant for Mathematical Analysis problem-solving sessions; must be able to draw intersections of three-dimensional surfaces."

His amused gaze lingered for a few seconds before being pulled away by Ni Mingjie’s loud exclamation of surprise.

"People can actually exchange assignment and homework answers here?"

Turning around to look at the bulletin board, he saw that it was plastered with multiple layers of handwritten mimeographed sheets in blue ink.

Some had been torn until only half a page remained.

There were short-form notes on Functional Analysis, answers to Demidovich's problems, and more...

Following the direction of Ni Mingjie’s gaze, another notice caught his eye—a somewhat dated reward offering for problem set solutions.

"Looking for the solution to Problem 7 of the 'Real Analysis' assignment. Reward: one chicken leg meal from Nanyuan Canteen."

Jiang Xu belonged to that category of boys who simply could not keep things to themselves; put simply, his urge to share was far too strong.

No sooner had Ni Mingjie's voice trailed off than Jiang Xu eagerly chimed in to elaborate.

"Our undergraduate curriculum in the math department places immense emphasis on problem sets. We adhere to the ironclad rule of weekly submissions. Failing to complete two assignments will dock fifteen points from your midterm exam, and scoring below sixty on three consecutive occasions will result in a formal reprimand."

"According to what an upperclassman told me during the summer camp, submitting homework every week is the very breath of life for the School of Mathematical Sciences."

"Miss a single submission, and your academic life suffers a stroke of asphyxiation."

"That's why those who run out of time have no choice but to post rewards, begging senior students to help them solve the problems."

Xu Ming listened to every word of this explanation. He had to admit that Jiang Xu had indeed made thorough preparations in advance for his guaranteed admission to the Peking University School of Mathematical Sciences. After a brief hesitation, he decided to add a caveat.

"Over-reliance on others makes it difficult to guarantee that the proof processes are entirely error-free."

"Do you guys know of any successful precedents for transferring out of the math department?" Ni Mingjie asked, unable to suppress a slight shiver as his underlying dread of the math department deepened.

Even Zhu Zhixuan chimed in, "Jiang Xu, you were the only competition math student in our dorm. It looks like we'll have to ask you for guidance often after classes start."

"That's definitely not a problem. However, the best approach is still to seize the opportunity to form study groups with senior students to improve together," Jiang Xu agreed with a nod, immediately offering an even better alternative.

Perhaps because it was only their first day of registration, everyone instinctively harbored a subtle resistance to thinking about such headache-inducing matters.

After quickly wrapping up the topic, they finally arrived at Canteen No. 5.

They had only wandered a small fraction of the way inside before they understood why it was revered as the sanctuary of the mathematics department.

The primary reason was the special privileges enjoyed by math students.

At certain serving windows, anyone who could correctly solve the math problem written on the small blackboard could present their student ID and receive a complimentary "Differential Set Meal."

In the afternoon, because they had to fetch textbooks from the basement warehouse of the textbook department, purchase second-hand Pigeon bicycles, and hunt for auspicious-brand electric fans at the market, the group ran back and forth until they were drenched in sweat.

There was simply no helping it; after all, the dormitories lacked air conditioning.

To escape the summer heat, apart from upgrading their equipment by scavenging second-hand fans, their only other option was to leech off the air conditioning in the Science Building's study rooms.

By evening, Jiang Xu originally wanted to help everyone tutor the $\varepsilon-\delta$ language of limits, which frequently appeared in mathematical analysis. However, at Ni Mingjie's enthusiastic suggestion, the group ultimately decided to venture out together for a night stroll along the banks of the Weiming Lake.

Xu Ming was naturally intimately familiar with Weiming Lake, especially since those three characters had remained written on his high school classroom blackboard for two and a half years.

Yet, unable to resist the overwhelming enthusiasm of his roommates, he simply went along to revisit the scenery.

"There are still far too few girls in our math department. It looks like there are only a dozen or so in the entire freshman cohort."

Having spent the entire day interacting with everyone, Ni Mingjie—now walking along the path by the Weiming Lake—clearly had no intention of maintaining his facade of a dignified gentleman. The moment he opened his mouth, he steered the topic straight toward girls, a trace of wistful melancholy washing over his face.

Beside him, Zhu Zhixuan, who had barely spoken to any female classmates throughout high school, was clearly incapable of joining such a conversation.

Jiang Xu, however, wore a knowing smile at the corner of his lips as he remarked, "Don't tell me you're actually thinking of falling in love after entering the math department?"

"Why ever not?" Ni Mingjie retorted with a heavy dose of defiance.

No sooner had his voice dropped than he shifted his gaze to Xu Ming, tossing out a new question with a face full of curiosity.

"Xu Ming, is there someone you like?"

"I like studying," replied Xu Ming, who privately considered his heart as cold and unfeeling as hardened cement.

Jiang Xu nodded in complete agreement.

"Xu Ming is right. Given the study pace and intensity of the math department, we simply don't have the energy to pursue romance."

"That applies to the girls in the math department as well."

Just as he was holding forth with great eloquence, however, he saw Xu Ming suddenly quicken his pace and proactively stride toward a group of girls approaching from not far away.

Left dumbfounded, Ni Mingjie and the others exchanged bewildered glances for a couple of seconds before hurriedly picking up their pace to follow.

"Chen Lu."

"Xu Ming, are you here to see Weiming Lake too?" Chen Lu, who had been admiring the lake scenery with her roommates, looked up at the sound of her name, her face instantly lighting up with joy.

Before Xu Ming could reply, a round-faced, rather cute-looking girl standing next to her chimed in with a question.

"Who is this..."

"He's my high school classmate," Chen Lu introduced him to her roommates in a poised manner.

"We were in the same class," Xu Ming echoed, before remembering something and adding a reminder, "Remember to call your mother every week to let her know you're safe."

"Mm-hmm."

Clearly not expecting Xu Ming to bring that up, Chen Lu replied in a voice no louder than a mosquito's as her cheeks instantly flushed crimson.

Xu Ming was also quite surprised to run into Chen Lu here. Since she was touring Weiming Lake with her roommates, he treated this encounter merely as a pleasant minor interlude, exchanged brief greetings, and purposely avoided lingering too long to disrupt their time.