Genius Fundamentals

Chapter 47 – Admission

The Oasis Base was located near Sun Lake and spread around 100 hectares. It was an education centre built by the city of Anming to augment the extracurricular life of primary and middle school students.

It comprised a hospitality room, an outdoor environment, an education district, and a dormitory block. These amenities allowed children to experience nature or other educational activities.

This was where the Jin Cup Summer Camp orientation would take place.

Lin Zhao Xi closed the summer camp handbook she was perusing and looked out the window of the car she was sitting in. The gate of the base could be seen in the distance, it was right next to the lake flanked by reeds.

The weather today was especially good. And this car had been provided by Mother Dean who specifically used it to deliver goods to the orphanage. The dean was worried about sending her to this place. It was far from the city, and one needed to take three different buses just to get here. So, she arranged a car and had Mother Lin accompany Lin Zhao Xi.

“It sure is convenient to have a car,” Mother Lin remarked as she looked out the window, impressed. “The place is so big.”

In the distance, there were outlines of tall and short buildings: dormitory, observation deck and even an animal pen, all equipped with custom-made amenities.
“Yeah.” Lin Zhao Xi was equally fascinated.

In the past, Old Lin had looked forward to sending her to Oasis Base, and participate in its Summer Camp. Unfortunately, in that timeline, she’d failed the selection test. Now, she was finally able to set foot on Oasis base. The only difference was that Old Lin wasn’t here to send her off.

In fact, before she set off, she had gone to find Old Lin. She had reckoned she was an adult at heart and leaving for a month wouldn’t be a big deal. However, when she met the man, she was almost overcome with the urge to ask him whether he had a daughter and if he had lost her. Her eyes welled up with tears yet again — She wanted to ask but could never muster the courage to.

Lin Zhao Xi was not without self-awareness. She was overcautious but forthcoming. And precisely because of this, she was afraid Old Lin would interrogate her about how she knew of the matter (of his daughter). Or perhaps, she was letting her imagination run wild..
Old Lin did not talk much about his past to anyone, not even to Lin Zhao Xi. As such, in the end, she could only ask if he would teach her some secret techniques.

Old Lin had looked at her indifferently and only said, “Love.”

What do you mean love?

She couldn’t help but laugh.

*

Outside the window, a black car passed them by. Something seemed to have caught Mother Lin’s eye for she abruptly said, “Quickly get ready to get out of the car. Have you got all your things?”

Lin Zhao Xi helplessly checked her bag once again. All the aunties working in the orphanage were very happy and proud of her success. And although Mother Dean didn’t say anything directly, she’d secretly spread the news.

Before she left, the aunties spent two whole days packing her things — an umbrella, change of clothes, stationery, a purse (with money) and even a sewing kit. That luggage, full to the point of bursting, worried her.

“Clothes and the acceptance letter are all packed, and there’s nothing I particularly need,” Lin Zhao Xi replied.

Mother Lin turned around and carefully gave her a once over. “Ah, I forgot to buy you a new set of clothes!”

Lin Zhao Xi looked at herself; she was wearing a T-shirt and sweatpants, they were very comfortable.

“You look like a boy.” Mother Lin shook her head, grabbed 100 yuan from her purse and stuffed it into the girl’s hand. “If you’ve forgotten to bring something, just buy it.” Then, thinking that one hundred may not be enough she added another hundred.

Lin Zhao Xi hurriedly held her back. “Oasis Base provides meals, besides, there’s nothing I can buy here.”

“No, you have to take the money, it’s good for girls to have cash anyway,” Mother Lin insisted. “What if you got swindled by a boy?”

Lin Zhao Xi laughed. “You’re thinking too far!”

The uncle who was driving cut in, “Just take it, Mother Lin is right.”

They continued to chat until they reached the front gate.

Oasis Base was bigger than they had imagined. Apart from the primary school departments, there were also the Junior High Education Camp and several other schools using the premises for extracurricular activities. The parking lot at the entrance was full of buses and cars.
The driver uncle came to a halt at the park gates. Lin Zhao Xi grabbed her things, held Mother Lin’s hands, and walked to the assembly area.

The handbook had stated that a college student with a red flag would be waiting for them at the assembly area. But before she could find the same, Lu Zhi Zhao slapped her on the back.
She almost screamed at him but then remembered this was how they greeted each other and so calmed down.

Lu Zhi Zhao was accompanied by his parents — Mrs. Xu and her husband. Lin Zhao Xi felt strange seeing a teacher while not in school.

As Mrs. Xu caressed Lu Zhi Zhao’s head, she exhorted Lin Zhao Xi to watch over him and make sure he wouldn’t eat too much junk food. Little Lu retorted saying that he had given up eating junk food long ago.

Lin Zhao Xi knew that Lu Zhi Zhao was still sensitive to what Zhang Liang and the other Experimental School students had said to him at the park.
They had barely walked a few steps when a big red car suddenly pulled up beside them.
It drew Lin Zhao Xi’s attention.

What a luxurious car.

The door opened, Hua Juan quickly jumped out and ran towards them as he shouted, “Goodbye, Big Sis!”

“Oh sh*t!” his sister called out to the rushing figure, “Hey, you forgot your things!”
Hua Juan instantly took a U-turn, went to the boot of the car and took out his luggage.
So, Hua Juan’s cussing runs in the family huh?

“Goodbye Mother Lin!” Lin Zhao Xi said before continuing with her friends.

“By the way, why do you call her Mother Lin?” Hua Juan asked.

Lu Zhi Zhao cleared his throat and assumed the tone that Mrs Xu usually used. “Hua Juan, one must respect others.”

Lin Zhao Xi, who didn’t really care, actually said, “Because she’s the one who’s been taking care of me my entire life.”

“She’s your nanny?”

“Nope, she’s the auntie working in the orphanage.”

“The f*ck?” Hua Juan was shocked. He hadn’t expected Lin Zhao Xi would be this outright and brazen.1 He looked at Lin Zhao Xi from head to toe and said, “You’re more arrogant than I thought.”

*

The students participating in the summer camp gathered at the gates of Oasis Base. They were from the upper grades of elementary school.

A college student was waiting with a red flag and a list of names and about to start the roll call. There were many people around Lin Zhao Xi, so she stood up on her tiptoes to get a better view.

At this time, Pei Zhi finally arrived.

Bus No. 98, stopped at the gate. One by one, a stream of several elderlies and children started to disembark. There was also a boy with a simple Nike backpack and sneakers in the group.

He was the last person to get off.

There was no adult accompanying this boy. If it weren’t for the Transformers cap he was wearing, Lin Zhao Xi would have thought she was looking at a street urchin.
She was a little puzzled.

Although Pei Zhi’s origin was a mystery, there were rumours that his family had a very big business and was too busy. Even if the rumours were false, why did they let him take the bus by himself?

The first one to speak was Hua Juan. “We need to treat Pei Zhi a bit better.”

“Eh?”

“He works very hard,” Hua Juan said. “Well, of course, not as hard as you.”

“What’s wrong with him?” Lin Zhao Xi asked.

“Lin Zhao Xi, one has to respect others.” Hua Juan mimicked Lu Zhi Zhao’s tone from earlier.

Lin Zhao Xi gave Hua Juan a death stare.

“All right, calm down now … It’s because his family doesn’t like him studying mathematics. He must have snuck out of his home this time.”

Lin Zhao Xi was flabbergasted. There are parents who don’t like their children studying math???

“Even if he’s a genius?”

“What if he’s a genius? There are parents that don’t wish their child to be a genius too!” Hua Juan confidently declared.

“But why do they not like Pei Zhi?”

“It’s not that they dislike him. His parents dislike the fact that he studies maths, arts, and other things. They even went as far to create a list of things they don’t want him to do,” Hua Juan explained without supplying Lin Zhao Xi with further details.

Lin Zhao Xi glanced at Hua Juan’s childlike face. She gleaned that he was someone intelligent, he knew when to stop talking about other people’s personal information.

In her past life, Lin Zhao Xi had never had the opportunity to learn about Pei Zhi’s background. Before the time loop, they were in the same class but the boy always sat far away from her. The only times she had heard anything about him was through the grapevine, and most of it was about how successful he was.

Now, upon Hua Juan’s explanation, her image of Pei Zhi had taken a heavy blow. She was bombarded by a series of thoughts …

“You like him so much but know nothing about him!”

“Now that you know the truth, would you still like him as much as you did before?”

“If you like him more than before after learning the truth, so what will you do next?”

*
When Pei Zhi arrived, the group of students was already organised. The person holding the red flag introduced himself, his face was full of smiles, but his words were brief.

“Hello students, my name is Xie Ran, and I’m a student from the department of mathematics in San Wei University.

Lin Zhao Xi raised her head and looked at him.

San Wei University? I went to the same university as him, huh.
Xie Ran was the same as the future her and Pei Zhi, a San Wei University student. Since Pei Zhi also studied in the department of mathematics in the future, he must be his senior.

“I’m one of your guides in the summer camp this month.”

He then began calling out names quickly and efficiently.

“Wang Feng.”

“Zhang Liang.”

…
The sound of the children saying “Here!” rang in the air. Soon, the roll call ended.
Xie Ran put away the list of names. “Follow me!” he shouted and led the 50 students inside Oasis Base.

There was no sound of cars within. Giant trees surrounded them, wild ducks and egrets rested by the lake. The students were all excited as they took in the view.

They were all carrying multiple big and small luggage, so their speed was extremely slow. However, Xie Ran, at the helm, was walking fast as if rushing toward something urgent.

Being surrounded by the children evoked a sense of camaraderie in Lin Zhao Xi.
“Lin Zhao Xi, are you nervous?” Lu Zhi Zhao tapped on her back and asked.

“I’m fine,” she replied, and continued to frown while looking at Xie Ran’s back.
Normally, in a summer camp, they would be led to the dormitory to put away their luggage, but Xie Ran was taking them to a teaching and learning building instead.
***