Inside the Fine Arts building, a complex atmosphere permeated the air.
In the oil painting studio, a group of students huddled around a phone, staring at a photo, it was Zhu Yawen in the physics lab, standing before a whiteboard and deriving formulas.
Dressed in a crisp white shirt with her hair tied back in a neat ponytail, she held a marker with an expression so focused she looked like a genuine STEM student.
“Is this really Yawen?” a boy murmured. “In my memory… shouldn’t she be at an easel, her fingers stained with paint?”
The girl beside him gave a bitter smile. “Last week, I asked her to go see the new exhibition at the art museum. She said, ‘Sorry, I have to go to Calculus class.'”
“Calculus?” another boy’s eyes widened. “Didn’t she get in as an arts recruit? Why on earth is she studying calculus?”
“Because of Xia Yaojin,” a girl who had been silent in the corner finally spoke up. “Haven’t you seen the forums? Zhu Yawen is learning programming, math, and physics just so she can have a common language with that top-tier scholar.”
Silence fell over the studio.
The art students looked at one another, stunned.
They suddenly realized that the “Department Belle” who used to spend entire days in the studio or dance gracefully across a stage, was moving away from their world at a staggering speed, sprinting toward a completely foreign domain.
“So…” a boy said with difficulty, “she’s giving up art for love?”
“Not exactly,” said a girl just entering the room; she was Zhu Yawen’s roommate. “She told me yesterday that studying science isn’t about giving up art, but about ‘using new tools to re-understand beauty.'”
“What tools? Formulas? Code?”
“Exactly.” The roommate nodded. “She said fractal geometry showed her another possibility for painting, and programming allows her to create patterns that traditional brushes simply can’t achieve. She isn’t abandoning art, she’s… upgrading it.”
The art students fell silent again.
This concept was too profound, too avant-garde. For those still practicing traditional techniques, it left them feeling lost yet tinged with a faint sense of… awe.
“Does she still paint?” someone asked.
“She does,” the roommate replied. “But what she’s painting now… is different.”
She pulled out her phone and swiped to a photo.
On the screen was an oil painting in progress, the background was a deep, starry sky, but upon closer inspection, the arrangement of those stars wasn’t random, they followed a specific mathematical sequence.
In the foreground were two intertwining lines of light, clearly a recreation of the digital art Xia Yaojin had generated with a program but infused with the texture and warmth of hand-painting.
“This…” one student stammered, “what kind of style is this?”
“She named it herself,” the roommate said. “‘Algorithmic Aesthetics.'”
In the Physics Department self-study room, Zhu Yawen was frowning at a calculus problem set.
She had been stuck on this single problem for twenty minutes. Those symbols and formulas felt like a cryptic language; no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t untangle the logic.
Beside her, Chen Mo from the Physics Department couldn’t bear to watch any longer. He whispered, “Want me to take a look for you?”
Zhu Yawen shook her head. “No, I want to solve it myself.”
“But if you keep grinding like this…”
“Yaojin can solve it, so I can too,” Zhu Yawen said firmly.
Chen Mo opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing.
He knew why Zhu Yawen was pushing herself so hard.
The discussions about Lin Shuyu on the forums, the skepticism from the Arts Department, and Xia Yaojin’s invisible “iron wall” all of it was pushing her forward, forcing her to run toward a field where she had no natural advantage.
Ten minutes later, Zhu Yawen finally arrived at the answer.
She let out a long sigh of relief, her face wearing a weary but satisfied smile.
“Congratulations,” Chen Mo said. “But honestly, you don’t need to push this hard. Jinjin… she might not even notice how much effort you’re putting in.”
Zhu Yawen wiped the calculations off the whiteboard and said softly, “I’m not doing this just so she’ll notice.”
“Then why?”
“For myself.” Zhu Yawen looked out the window. “The old me only had eyes for Gu Mingyuan, only those narrow loves and hates. But now, I see a bigger world, the universe of physics, the order of mathematics, the creativity of programming. These things have made my life… fuller.”
She paused. “As for Yaojin, she is the brightest star I’ve encountered in this world. I want to be near her, I want to understand her world, so I must learn. Even if, in the end, she only ever sees me as a friend, I won’t regret it. Because in this process, I’ve become a better version of myself.”
Looking at her, Chen Mo suddenly felt that the girl before him was much stronger than he had imagined.
“You’ve changed,” he said.
“Yeah.” Zhu Yawen smiled. “For the better, or for the worse?”
“You’ve become stronger.”
The weekend seminar took place as scheduled.
In the lecture hall of Beijing University, scholars and students from various universities filled the seats.
Xia Yaojin and Zhu Yawen sat in the third row. The former listened intently to the presentation, occasionally scribbling notes, the latter, though trying her best to follow the discussion, was clearly struggling.
During the mid-session break, Lin Shuyu walked over.
“Student Xia, what do you think so far?” she asked with a smile.
“I’m very inspired,” Xia Yaojin’s eyes were bright. “The application of quantum decoherence in financial risk assessment mentioned by Academician Wang. I had never considered that direction before.”
“My lab happens to be doing related research,” Lin Shuyu said. “Would you like to visit after the meeting? I can show you some unpublished data.”
Xia Yaojin was clearly tempted. “Is that okay?”
“Of course.” Lin Shuyu glanced at Zhu Yawen. “Would Student Zhu like to come along as well?”
Zhu Yawen nodded. “Sure.”
The lab tour went smoothly.
Lin Shuyu was indeed an academic genius, her explanations were clear and deep, and she provided brilliant answers to every question Xia Yaojin posed.
Zhu Yawen followed behind, listening quietly. She didn’t understand the technical jargon or the data, but she could read the look in Lin Shuyu’s eyes when she looked at Xia Yaojin that pure admiration, that joy of “finding one’s own kind.”
When the tour ended, Lin Shuyu walked them to the campus gate.
“Student Xia, are you really not considering transferring to Beijing University?” she invited once more. “I have all the resources you need here, and…” She paused. “I can understand you. We are both people who put academics first.”
The words were spoken softly, but Zhu Yawen understood the subtext.
I can give her what you can’t. I can understand the world that you cannot.
Xia Yaojin thought about it seriously, then shook her head. “Thank you, but I have no plans to transfer for the time being.”
“Why?” Lin Shuyu was somewhat surprised. “A-University can’t give you these things.”
“But A-University has the people I care about,” Xia Yaojin said as if it were a simple matter of fact. “Besides, knowledge can be learned anywhere, but some people… are unique.”
She spoke with a calm expression, as if stating an objective reality.
But Zhu Yawen’s heart skipped a violent beat.
Lin Shuyu remained silent for a moment, then smiled. “Alright, I respect your choice. However, the opportunity for academic collaboration is still there. We can exchange ideas regularly and inspire each other.”
“Okay,” Xia Yaojin nodded. “Let’s stay in touch.”
On the drive back, Zhu Yawen remained very quiet.
Xia Yaojin was organizing her notes from the day, occasionally sharing a few ideas with excitement, but for the most part, she remained immersed in her own world.
“Yaojin,” Zhu Yawen suddenly spoke up.
“Hmm?”
“If one day, Lin Shuyu or someone else could offer you better academic resources or a deeper academic resonance… would you choose them?”
Xia Yaojin stopped writing and considered the question seriously.
After a long silence, she finally said, “Academic resources are important, but… they aren’t the most important thing.”
“Then what is?”
“Comfort,” Xia Yaojin replied simply. “Being with some people feels comfortable. You don’t have to force a conversation, you don’t have to pretend; you can just be yourself. That kind of comfort is more important than academic resources.”
She paused. “Besides, academic resonance… you don’t necessarily have to find someone who already understands. Watching someone go from not understanding to understanding is also very interesting.”
Zhu Yawen was stunned. “Are you talking about… me?”
“Yes.” Xia Yaojin nodded. “The way you look when you’re studying math is very earnest. Even though you get stuck sometimes, you never give up. I like seeing your focus when you’re solving a problem, and your smile when you figure it out.”
She said these words with a tone as calm as if she were describing the weather. But inside Zhu Yawen’s heart, a storm of emotions had been unleashed.
“So…” she asked cautiously, “you don’t think it’s… forced for me to be learning these things?”
“Why would it be forced?” Xia Yaojin looked at her strangely. “Learning is a good thing. If you want to learn, I’ll teach you. Is there a problem with that?”
Looking into those pure eyes, Zhu Yawen suddenly laughed.
It was true to Xia Yaojin, the world was just that simple.
If you want to learn, learn. If you want to teach, teach. There were no complex calculations or weighing of interests.
“No problem,” Zhu Yawen said, her voice filled with a sense of release. “No problem at all.”
On the forums, new developments allowed the “shippers” to breathe a sigh of relief.
【Frontline Victory! Jinjin rejects Beijing University’s invitation! Reason: “There are people I care about at A-University!”】
OP (Seminar Insider): Sisters! We won! Jinjin rejected Lin Shuyu’s transfer invitation to her face! The reason: “There are people I care about at A-University!” Even if she just meant it literally, that one sentence is enough for us to freak out over for a whole year! Plus! Jinjin said watching Wenwen learn math is “very interesting”! If that’s not love, what is?! If that’s not a treat, what is!
1L (Shipper Ecstasy): Ahhh I knew it! Wen Jin is real!
2L (Psychology Dept Observer): Analyzing from Attachment Theory, Xia Yaojin has formed a stable Secure Attachment toward Zhu Yawen, she is certain Zhu Yawen will always be by her side, allowing her to be herself in peace. This is a very healthy foundation for a relationship.
3L (Arts Dept Intelligence Officer): Latest news! Wen-wen’s first “Algorithmic Aesthetics” work is finished! It’s currently being exhibited in the Arts Department gallery! It’s a painting of that function graph Jinjin made! But with the warmth of hand-painting added!
4L (Everyone): Quick! Go see the exhibition!
In the Arts Department gallery, Zhu Yawen’s Poem of Algorithms drew a large crowd.
The painting was a reproduction of Xia Yaojin’s function coordinate graph, but rendered by hand, giving the cold mathematical lines the warmth of a living breath. The background was a deep universe, the foreground a web of intersecting light tracks, the piece possessed both the precision of mathematics and the sensibility of art.
Most striking was the label beside the painting, which read:
“Dedicated to the person who writes poetry with functions. You gave me a new world, And I, using everything within that world, Write a poem in response to you.”
Xia Yaojin stood before the painting for a long time.
“Do you like it?” Zhu Yawen walked up beside her.
“Yes.” Xia Yaojin nodded. “You handled the noise from the program very well, simulating the texture of a hand drawn piece. And the color transitions are more natural than what my program generated.”
Zhu Yawen smiled.
As expected, Xia Yaojin’s focus was always on the technical side. But it didn’t matter. This was her Yaojin.
A “straight A” scholar whose eyes were only on her studies, yet who would carve out a place in her heart for the people she cared about. A “Hexagonal Warrior” who wrote poetry with functions without even realizing how romantic she was being.
“By the way,” Xia Yaojin suddenly said, “Lin Shuyu sent over some materials regarding new progress in quantum computing. Do you want to see them?”
“I do,” Zhu Yawen nodded. “But I might not understand it; you’ll have to teach me.”
“Okay.”
The two walked out of the gallery side by side, discussing profound academic questions. The sunlight spilled over them, warm and bright.
The art students watched their retreating figures and suddenly understood something.
Perhaps art and science were never opposites. Perhaps love and learning were never in conflict. Perhaps, when a person bravely steps into an unfamiliar territory for the sake of another, what she finds is not just love but a bigger, richer version of herself.
Slow, but steady. Rigorous as a mathematical theorem. Free as a work of art.