Chapter 12: "Is *The Three-Body Problem* Still Unfinished?"

On the first page, Su Xiang and a few other classmates with strong literary backgrounds, including Zhuang Sijing, raised their hands. When Chen Yan saw Lin Cheng also raising his hand, he was quite surprised. However, to play it safe, he called on Su Xiang.

Su Xiang stood and answered, “The elegant name for the sky is ‘Bilu’.”

“And for the sea?”

“‘Cangyuan’.”

“What about the wind?”

“‘Fusao’.”

“And the moon?”

“‘Wangshu’.”

“Excellent! ‘Wangshu’—the name Dai Wangshu comes from this. It’s one of the most beautiful names I’ve ever heard.”

Chen Yan lavishly praised Su Xiang’s answers, which sparked others’ desire to participate.

“Alright, please sit down. Several others had their hands up just now. Lin Cheng, tell us some elegant names for animals.”

Chen Yan’s question was clearly open-ended, cleverly handing the initiative over to the students.

Lin Cheng stood and answered loudly, “The elegant name for the peacock is ‘Nanke,’ for the lion ‘Suanni,’ for the rabbit ‘Yuebiao,’ for the tiger ‘Shanjun,’ and for the deer ‘Yuanji’!”

“Good! Very good! Now that you’re in your senior year, you should cut back on online novels and focus... You have the potential to be one of those ‘model children’ everyone talks about!”

Su Xiang, who usually never paid attention to others’ answers, turned her head some sixty degrees to look at Lin Cheng. He seemed changed.

He Yueyue felt uneasy inside. Was this really Lin Cheng? He seemed different. She glanced at Chen Zishi, and his eyes also showed amazement.

Chen Yan, a talented student from East China Normal University, had dispelled the awkward atmosphere in just a few minutes and started teaching seriously. The knowledge points, difficult concepts, and key topics were all laid out smoothly.

“No wonder he’s a young and promising teacher,” Chen Yan admired himself a little.

“Class dismissed!”

The students immediately stood up and bowed to Chen Yan.

“Respectful farewell to the teacher!”

Before Chen Yan could react, the students turned around and bowed toward the back.

“Respectful farewell to the elders and senior teachers!”

Then they turned around again.

Oh my! How awkward, how terribly awkward!

Chen Yan felt as if he ran out of the classroom.

On his way back, a junior teacher met him and said, “Your students are lively, and their traditional etiquette is well done...”

On the second page, after handling various polite remarks and compliments, Chen Yan rushed to find Zhou Luoyao to demand an explanation.

Zhou Luoyao was chatting happily with several classmates.

“Did you see Mr. Chen’s face? He was totally stunned! Hee hee hee…”

“What do you think we should do to him next time...”

Zhou Luoyao giggled, completely unaware that her homeroom teacher Chen Yan was right behind her.

“Zhou Luoyao, it’s you again!”

Zhou Luoyao jumped up and turned around.

“Mr. Chen, I swear it wasn’t me!”

“You swear... I’m neither deaf nor blind yet!”

Lin Cheng watched gleefully as the young Mr. Chen and the mischievous girl bickered.

...

When the class bell rang and everyone returned to the classroom, Lin Cheng began tidying up his books and papers.

Damn, only 88 in English? Was his English ever this bad?

Damn!

He then pulled out his Chinese exam paper, his expression darkened even more.

Damn!

Anyway, in the previous life, these two subjects were really a mess because of Lin Yueyue. She was quite strong in this area after all.

Zhuang Sijing noticed Lin Cheng staring at last semester’s papers with a troubled expression. She glanced over and then patted his shoulder reassuringly.

“Don’t look anymore. The provincial joint exam is coming soon. You’re good at math and science. Follow my pace in Chinese—memorize what needs memorizing, and essays require some technique. At least it can help you break the 100-point barrier.”

Lin Cheng glanced at Zhuang Sijing but said nothing.

After all, she was the study committee member and later got admitted to Shanghai Jiaotong University.

After evening self-study, the campus radio would play songs. From speakers along Yongdao Road came Jay Chou’s “Hair Like Snow”:

Your hair, like snow, sorrowful at parting

I burn incense, moved by whom?

Inviting the bright moon to make memories pure

Love perfect under the moonlight...

The moonlight was soft, stars sprinkled across the sky. Students either pushed their bicycles or carried their backpacks, walking in twos and threes along the tree-lined path.

They radiated the vigor of youth, their smiles full of longing for the future.

This was youth!

Naive about the world, yet sincere and frank.

In a daze, Lin Cheng felt as if the breeze of time had brushed past him.

On the third page, if not for reincarnation, one could never possess both youth and the sentimentality for youth simultaneously.

“Why aren’t you leaving?” Chen Guangtao tapped Lin Cheng from behind.

Lin Cheng looked and saw a magazine.

“What’s this?”

He snatched the magazine and said disdainfully, “Science Fiction World? You read this?”

Chen Guangtao chuckled, “I like it! Recently, there’s a new serial story by Liu Cixin that’s really good!”

“What? The Three-Body Problem?”

“You read it too? Ha ha ha…”

Chen Guangtao, as if finding a kindred spirit, launched into chatter.

“It’s about the Three-Body Problem, but the title is ‘Remembrance of Earth’s Past.’”

Wow!

Liu Cixin’s ‘Three-Body Problem’ wasn’t finished yet? So it hadn’t been published yet!

Years later, Liu sold the full rights to the trilogy for 100,000 yuan. In less than ten years, that copyright was worth 300 million!

“Give me that book! Here’s 100 yuan for you. You can buy another copy for yourself!”

And he tried to run off.

“Hey, I’ve finished reading it. Here, take it. Don’t look down on me!”

“Alright, bye!” Lin Cheng started his little blue bike and sped away.

“Damn! Are you out of your mind? Damn Lin Junjie!” Chen Guangtao cursed behind him.

“Cursing again! Damn Jay Chou!” Zhuang Sijing looked at Chen Guangtao’s flustered face with disapproval.

“Uh…”

At the bus stop, people waited quietly for the bus. It was a quiet time with only a few late-shift workers.

Some leaned against the window resting, others looked down at their phones, many still showing a blue screen.

Each person seemed like an isolated island; even so close, there was no interaction.

Chen Yan got on the bus, found a seat near the back, and stared out at the neon lights, lost in thought.

“What’s wrong with Mr. Chen?” Zhuang Sijing asked with a shy smile.

“He seems heartbroken. Don’t worry, I’ll set you up with someone when you go to college.”

“Oh, the study committee member from the honors class is so impressive?”

Chen Yan, as always, kept teasing his disciple mercilessly!