Zhu Yawen discovered that when she tried to approach Xia Yaojin through academic interests, Xia Yaojin’s response was far more… breathtaking than she had ever imagined.
On a weekend afternoon, the two met in the computer lab.
Zhu Yawen brought her sketchpad and a stack of reference materials on fractal geometry, while Xia Yaojin brought a high-performance laptop and her signature brand of intense focus.
“I want to create a series of oil paintings based on fractal geometry,” Zhu Yawen said, spreading out her sketches. “But traditional hand painting makes it difficult to accurately represent the mathematical structure of self-similarity…”
Xia Yaojin took the sketches and scanned them carefully. “You need a program to generate precise patterns to use as a base for your paintings.”
“Exactly,” Zhu Yawen nodded. “But I’ve tried several existing fractal generation software programs, and the results weren’t ideal.”
“That’s because those programs use generic algorithms.” Xia Yaojin had already opened her programming environment. “You need a customized algorithm to adjust parameters according to your artistic vision.”
Her fingers flew across the keyboard as lines of code appeared like flowing water.
Zhu Yawen sat beside her, watching. Although she couldn’t understand the complex syntax, she could feel the immersive concentration radiating from Xia Yaojin.
Two hours later, a basic fractal generation program was complete.
Xia Yaojin ran the program, and a classic Mandelbrot set pattern appeared on the screen but she quickly began tweaking the parameters.
“If you want a more artistic effect, you can introduce random perturbations,” she explained while modifying the code. “You can also overlay multiple Iterated Function Systems to create richer layers…”
As she made adjustments, the patterns on the screen began to shift. The cold mathematical figures gradually took on the rhythm of life, and the infinitely nested boundaries began to flow with an eerie beauty.
Zhu Yawen’s eyes lit up. “That’s it! That sense of motion…”
“But it’s still too ‘mathematical,'” Xia Yaojin said suddenly. “Since this is an artistic creation, we should break out of the purely mathematical framework.”
She closed the program and opened a new file.
“What are you doing?” Zhu Yawen asked curiously.
“Changing my approach.” Xia Yaojin’s eyes were shining. “What if, instead of using a fractal generation algorithm, we used function plotting?”
“Function plotting?”
“Yes. Using mathematical functions to define the trajectory of the brush.” Xia Yaojin had already started writing the new program. “We can view the canvas as a coordinate system and use a set of functions to describe the flow of the lines.”
The idea left Zhu Yawen stunned.
Painting… with functions?
Xia Yaojin’s programming speed was staggering.
An hour later, a completely new program was finished.
She entered a set of complex functional equations and clicked ‘Run.’
On the screen, a point began to move, tracing a singular trajectory that drew fluid lines.
They weren’t straight lines or circular arcs, but a type of curve never seen before one that possessed both mathematical precision and artistic grace.
“This is…” Zhu Yawen held her breath.
“It’s a variation of a cardioid, combined with the fluctuations of a sine function and the growth of an exponential function,” Xia Yaojin explained, entering another set of equations.
A second trajectory appeared, interlacing and intertwining with the first like two currents of energy, simultaneously attracted to and independent of each other.
A third line, then a fourth…
The patterns on the screen grew increasingly complex and beautiful. Those lines, defined by pure mathematics, actually combined to form a stunning image, resembling the orbits of stars or the vessels of life, rigorous yet poetic, rational yet romantic.
Zhu Yawen was completely mesmerized.
This wasn’t just a program generated pattern.
This was a painting… created with mathematics.
“But it’s still not enough.” Xia Yaojin frowned at the screen. “It lacks color and texture.”
She continued to modify the code, introducing lighting models and texture mapping.
The lines began to take on a three dimensional quality, showing changes in light and shadow.
“Color theories used in the Art Department can be converted into mathematical models,” she murmured to herself, opening a color science dataset. “An RGB to HSV conversion, plus some random noise to simulate the texture of hand painting…”
Zhu Yawen was speechless.
She looked at Xia Yaojin’s focused profile and the masterpiece forming on the screen, one that surpassed all her imagination. She suddenly realized something:
When she tried to get closer to Xia Yaojin through academics, what Xia Yaojin gave back to her was an entirely new world.
A world where mathematics and art were perfectly fused, a world she had never even dreamed of.
Three hours later.
Xia Yaojin pressed the final key and leaned back against her chair. “Finished.”
On the screen was a complete digital artwork.
The subject of the painting was two intertwined curves, one a deep blue, like the night sky, the other a warm orange, like the morning light.
They wound around each other in complex mathematical trajectories, bursting into nebula-like brilliant colors at their points of intersection.
The background consisted of countless minute fractal structures, like cosmic dust or the pathways of thought.
The entire image possessed the rigorous precision of mathematics while maintaining the free spiritedness of art.
Most strikingly, if one looked closely, they would see that these two main curves actually formed two letters:
X and Z.
The initials of Xia Yaojin and Zhu Yawen’s surnames.
“This is…” Zhu Yawen’s voice trembled slightly.
“It’s for you,” Xia Yaojin said calmly. “A tool to assist your fractal geometry and oil painting creations. You can use this program to generate drafts and then create your art on top of them.”
She paused. “Of course, if you feel that digital painting is sufficient, you can use it directly. This program supports exporting high-resolution images; they should look good if you print them out.”
Zhu Yawen stared at the screen for a long time, unable to speak.
Then, she suddenly turned around and hugged Xia Yaojin tightly.
It wasn’t a brief, polite hug, but a hug given with all her strength.
Xia Yaojin’s body stiffened.
“…Thank you,” Zhu Yawen whispered in her ear, her voice carrying uncontrollable emotion. “This is the most precious gift… I have ever received.”
Xia Yaojin hesitated for a moment, then raised her hand and lightly patted her back.
“You’re welcome,” she said, her tone as calm as ever. “If you want, I can teach you programming. That way, you can adjust the parameters yourself and create even more works.”
Zhu Yawen released her, her eyes slightly red, but her smile was radiant. “Okay. I want to learn.”
That night, the campus forum exploded once again.
However, this time, the reason for the explosion was a bit… unusual.
[HOT] “Science and Art Students are Both Speechless! Jinjin Used Functional Coordinates to Paint a Picture!”
OP (Random Passerby A from the Computer Lab): Brothers and sisters! I just witnessed the most shocking scene of my life in the computer lab! Jinjin! She used mathematical functions! To paint a picture! Not just a fractal pattern! A real painting where the brush trajectories are defined by functions! Two curves intertwining into X and Z (the initials of their surnames)! The colors are dynamically generated! The background is a fractal universe! My friends in the Art Department are speechless! My friends in the Science Department are in tears! What kind of god-tier move is this?!
1st Floor (Art Student A): I was there… I’ve studied art for ten years, and today is the first time I felt… math is so beautiful.
2nd Floor (Physics Student B): I was there too… I’ve studied physics for ten years, and today is the first time I felt… art is so rigorous.
3rd Floor (Zhang Ming, CS Major): I saw the code… the complexity is extremely high. It integrates function plotting, fractal geometry, color science, and computer graphics lighting models… Jinjin finished writing it in just three hours.
4th Floor (Wang Zhe, Math Major): I analyzed the functional equations of the main curves… they are composite variants of a cardioid, sine functions, and exponential functions. This combination is mathematically elegant, and visually… I can only say Jinjin has a supreme sense of mathematical aesthetics.
5th Floor (Su Qing, Chemistry Major): The color generation algorithm references chemical spectral data… she fused science and art at the molecular level.
6th Floor (Zhao Mingyu, Biology Major): The fractal structures in the background simulate neuronal connections and vascular networks… she even integrated life sciences into this.
7th Floor (Li Ting, Foreign Languages Major): So this isn’t just a painting… is this a love letter written in the language of every academic discipline?
8th Floor (All CP Fans): !!! A LOVE LETTER !!!
9th Floor (Psychology Observer): Analyzing from the psychology of creation: Xia Yaojin is expressing emotion through the methods she excels at most, academics and programming. This is a highly personalized expression of rational romance.
10th Floor (Professor Wang, Art Dept): I am Professor Wang from the Art Department. This work… makes me rethink the relationship between math and art. If Student Xia Yaojin is willing, she is welcome to give a guest lecture in the Art Department.
11th Floor (Professor Chen, Math Dept): I am Professor Chen from the Math Department. This work… makes me rethink the relationship between art and math. If Student Xia Yaojin is willing, she is welcome to give a lecture in the Math Department.
12th Floor (Professor Zhao, CS Dept): I am Professor Zhao from the Computer Science Department. This program… has reached the level of a graduate student. If Student Xia Yaojin is willing, she can come directly to be my graduate student.
13th Floor (Admin Xiao Liu): Um… the professors are here too… the server…
14th Floor (Tech Dept Xiao Wang): Don’t worry! The new server can take it! Currently, there are 250,000 people online simultaneously! Including professors from every department!
Xia Yaojin was completely unaware of the frenzy on the forum.
She was in her dorm, frowning at her computer screen.
Zhou Xiaoyu leaned over: “Jinjin, that painting you made… was it really for Zhu Yawen?”
“Yes,” Xia Yaojin nodded. “She said she needed a tool for creating with fractal geometry.”
“But those are X and Z! The initials of your surnames!”
“Yes, that’s to mark ownership and prevent the program from being misused,” Xia Yaojin said, as if it were the most logical thing in the world.
Zhou Xiaoyu: “…” She gave up trying to explain.
“By the way,” Xia Yaojin said suddenly, “Zhu Yawen wants to learn programming. I promised to teach her. But her math foundation needs supplemental work. I plan to start her with Calculus…”
She opened a document and began drafting a teaching syllabus.
Watching her serious expression, Zhou Xiaoyu suddenly smiled.
Perhaps Xia Yaojin truly didn’t understand romance or love. But in her own most capable way, she had given Zhu Yawen a gift unique in all the world.
Isn’t that… the ultimate form of romance?
At the same time, in Zhu Yawen’s apartment.
She was staring blankly at a high-quality print of the painting.
On the glossy photo paper, the mathematically defined lines shimmered with an eerie luster. She reached out to touch the texture of the image, though it was printed, Xia Yaojin had simulated the texture of oil paint strokes in the program, giving the entire piece the warmth of something hand painted.
Her phone vibrated; it was a message from Ji Minmin: “OMG! The forum exploded! That painting! Have you seen it?!”
Zhu Yawen replied: “I saw it. She gave it to me.”
Ji Minmin: “…This is a confession, right? This is absolutely a confession?”
Zhu Yawen looked at the painting and smiled.
To Xia Yaojin, this might just be a “creation tool.” But to her, this was Xia Yaojin using her entire soul to say:
I saw you walk into my world. And I, using my world, created a universe for you.
She picked up her brush and spread a canvas next to the printed draft.
Xia Yaojin had painted a picture for her using math. Then she would use pigments to write a poem for that painting.
Art and Science. Emotion and Reason.
Two vastly different worlds, at this moment, perfectly intertwined. Just like the two curves on the screen, forever interlaced, never to part.
Outside the window, the night was deep. But the worlds of these two girls were now tightly connected because of a painting drawn with functional coordinates.
In the future, there would be more miracles. Because when a top student begins to use academics to express emotion, that power is enough to shake the world.
On the forum, fanfic writers had already begun creating new chapters: 《The Functional Love Letter: When a “Straight” Top Student Learns Romance》
And everyone was looking forward to what the next chapter would look like.
The story has only just begun… and they have only just stepped onto the path that belongs to them.