When had Yara Lu ever been treated with such indifference?
She didn't want to apologize.
But now, the choice was no longer hers—she had to.
Yara looked at Celia with reddened eyes, her fists clenched tightly. "Celia, I'm sorry."
Celia's lips curved slightly. "Forget it."
Elder Jiang cleared his throat and said, "Alright, let's leave the past behind. Celia, you and Nathaniel will be leading the team to Country Z for the World Competition. That's the most important task right now."
This time, both Nathaniel Fu and Celia would personally represent the university in the international competition. The pairing of two prodigies left the entire audience in awe.
At that moment, Elder Jiang suddenly asked with curiosity, "By the way, where's Nathaniel? Has anyone seen him?"
······
Nathaniel was already at Tsinghua University, seated in his office.
His phone chimed with a message from Professor Jiang in the faculty group chat: "Nathaniel, come quickly! Your genius junior has just arrived at the university."
Nathaniel replied curtly, "I'm busy at the moment. I'll come by later."
Setting his phone aside, he turned to his teaching assistant. "Bring me Celia's perfect-score exam paper. I want to take a look at it."
The assistant was momentarily surprised. The much-talked-about prodigy had already arrived, yet Professor Fu was still scrutinizing her work.
"Yes, sir."
Within minutes, the assistant returned with the paper. "Here it is, Professor Fu."
Nathaniel accepted it, his expression unreadable. He didn't believe Celia had cheated, but he was genuinely curious—how had she achieved a flawless result?
He scanned through the advanced mathematics test carefully. As his eyes moved across the pages, a spark ignited in his sharp gaze. Her thought process, her approach to the problems—it was strikingly familiar. It mirrored the way his own prodigious junior had once solved problems.
He lingered on her handwriting: elegant, steady, fluid, as if written in a single breath. It was exactly the same style as his junior genius back then.
A realization crashed over him. Recent fragments of memory snapped together, forming a picture he should have noticed long ago.
How had I never seen it before? Who is she, really?
Abruptly, Nathaniel rose from his chair and strode out.
"Professor Fu! Where are you going?" the assistant called after him, but he was already gone.
…
Descending the steps, Nathaniel immediately noticed the large crowd gathered ahead. He knew at once—Professor Jiang must have arrived with the genius junior.
Could it be her?
He walked forward, his presence commanding. Someone in the crowd quickly spotted him. "Professor Fu is here!"
The sea of people parted instinctively, leaving a clear path. Nathaniel advanced with measured steps until he reached Professor Jiang.
Standing beside him was a young woman—slender, poised, her aura quietly radiant. Celia.
At that moment, she lifted her delicate face, her bright eyes meeting his.
Their gazes locked.
Professor Jiang chuckled warmly. "Nathaniel, there you are at last. Celia, this is your Senior Fu."
Celia inclined her head, her eyes clear and gentle as she spoke in a soft, melodic voice. "Hello, Senior Fu."
Hello, Senior Fu.
The words struck him with a strange familiarity. She had called him that once before, that night when he tugged her ponytail, thinking she was merely teasing.
Nathaniel's lips curved faintly, his voice low and steady. "Hello, Junior Su."
Not far away, Yara Lu watched the scene unfold. She had almost forgotten—Celia wasn't just any genius. She was also Nathaniel's junior prodigy.
The very one Yara despised most.