Cultivation: I Have Studied Abroad in the Modern World-Chapter 21 - : Talent

Tang Lingwu cherished the last sip of her milk tea, drawing it into her mouth, then pondered briefly with the empty cup in hand before stuffing it into her backpack and went upstairs with Zheng Fa.

"I drank your milk tea, so leave this matter to me!"

She almost patted her chest proudly.

Arriving on the fourth floor, she stopped, pointed at a security door, and said, "My teacher lives here; wait here while I talk to him."

She knocked on the security door, and when it opened, Tang Lingwu gave Zheng Fa a look to wait, squeezed through the door crack, and left the security door ajar.

Zheng Fa stood behind the door, listening as the voices inside faintly reached him.

"Mr. Bai, could I ask you for a favor?" Tang Lingwu's voice was very clear.

Zheng Fa grinned.

Her voice was a bit too sweet.

"First tell me what it is."

The voice that came was an old man's, filled with wariness, and Zheng Fa felt it oddly familiar.

"I brought another student to you!"

"You're dating?"

The old man's voice suddenly grew louder.

"What dating? I mean, I have a classmate who has a question for you."

"A diligent student, huh? Male or female?" The old man clearly didn't believe Tang Lingwu's explanation.

"Male... but we are really not dating!"

Clearly, Tang Lingwu was putting a lot of effort for a cup of milk tea.

"Tsk, I know what you young people are up to, these young men, very few are diligent but many are lascivious! I refuse."

The old man clearly saw Tang Lingwu as a younger and was somewhat hostile towards every male around her.

"Mr. Bai, aren't you a university professor? Educating without discriminating!"

The old man indignantly said, "I've retired! Do you understand? I taught students before retirement, and if I keep teaching after retirement, what was the point of retiring?"

The old man clearly had some grievances about his work.

Simply put, he was lazy.

"But teaching one or teaching another doesn't make much difference!"

Tang Lingwu was really trying hard; Zheng Fa, listening outside, felt a shiver down his spine.

It was hard to imagine such words coming from her normally slightly cold face.

"You're different, your mom gave too much... no, I mean you are very gifted in mathematics! Smart!"

"So you didn't even meet him, maybe he is gifted too?"

"About mathematical talent, you know, saying someone doesn't have it when you see them - this method is actually pretty accurate."

"...Is this really not doable?"

"No, it's not!"

...

Tang Lingwu walked out of the room dejectedly, a hint of apology on her face.

"I'm sorry, he doesn't want to meet you."

"It's ok, you've done your best."

Listening outside, Zheng Fa could imagine how Tang Lingwu was cajoling and pleasing in front of the man, even discerning her effort through her voice.

After all, that cup of milk tea was actually to thank Tang Lingwu for being willing to bring him.

Just now, he also realized that Tang Lingwu's family had spent quite a lot to connect her with this teacher.

A hundred times the price of twenty-eight yuan wasn't enough.

One milk tea cup, expecting the teacher to be willing to teach him, he wasn't that greedy.

"How about..." Tang Lingwu turned to glance at her backpack, which still held the empty milk tea cup, hesitantly saying, "I buy you a milk tea in return?"

"It's not necessary. If you really feel embarrassed, I'll just ask you if I have questions later. If I can't ask the teacher, asking a student isn't too different."

"Don't worry, I will, I'll definitely teach you!"

"Teach my ass! One cup of milk tea bought you? He just wanted an excuse to talk more to you!"

An old man's voice came from behind her, sounding disappointed yet concerned.

Zheng Fa stared as a head of curly white hair peeked through the door gap.

Watching this familiar old face.

Zheng Fa suddenly realized, wondering why the voice sounded so familiar!

...

Inside the house, the three of them sat on the living room sofa, the atmosphere momentarily awkward.

Zheng Fa and Mr. Bai, the curly-haired elderly man they previously met in the park, were at a loss for how to start a conversation.

Tang Lingwu looked a bit confused, looking from one person to another, seemingly unsure how the three of them suddenly ended up inside.

"Well... young hero."

"You can just call me Zheng or Mr. Zheng."

Hearing the phrase "young hero," especially in front of a classmate like Tang Lingwu, Zheng Fa felt an inexplicable surge of embarrassment.

"Alright, Mr. Zheng, let's skip the formalities; you can call me Old Bai or Mr. Bai." The elderly man continued, "The person she mentioned earlier, was that you?"

"Yes, I came across a few diagrams and wanted to show them to you, Mr. Bai."

"No rush, no rush, are you interested in tutoring with me?"

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"I don't hope to become your student, Mr. Bai, but I'd be glad even just to ask a couple of questions,"

Zheng Fa recalled the man's previous definitive rejection and said sheepishly.

"No! I thought about it just now. I've been a teacher all my life, and suddenly retiring... This passion for teaching just can't be stopped."

Tang Lingwu's face was filled with question marks.

You didn't say that just now, did you?

Zheng Fa was also stunned, looking at the elderly man's sincere face.

"So, Mr. Bai, you mean..."

"My point is, as someone who's been involved in mathematics, I'd like to find students with a strong math aptitude to teach. Young hero, no, Mr. Zheng, does your school also need to find highly talented individuals to impart some secret knowledge?"

"Um?"

"Look at me..." Mr. Bai pointed at himself.

"I could tell at a glance, Mr. Bai, you have an extraordinary foundation!"

Zheng Fa suddenly grasped it.

"And you seem to have a natural flare for mathematics as well!"

Tang Lingwu watched from the side, her eyes filled with confusion.

These two men, it seemed like they made some dirty deal right before her.

...

Looking at the diagrams Zheng Fa handed over, Mr. Bai frowned slightly, his expression stern.

Compared to his earlier playful demeanor, he now resembled a university professor more.

He traced his finger over the diagrams and looked up at Zheng Fa:

"That's all?"

"Yes."

"Well, I can't make anything out of them." Mr. Bai put down the papers: "Why not find some fortune tellers? Let them calculate and figure out what these patterns are."

Zheng Fa: "..."

"However, if you ask me whether these patterns have any regularity, there are indeed some."

"Please go ahead."

"This one, this one, and this one." Mr. Bai pointed at three patterns, unsurely stating, "If we view it from the mathematical perspective of topology, they actually represent a pattern."

"Ah?"

Zheng Fa looked at the three diagrams, baffled.

He tried to discern the similarity from different angles but failed.

"Topo... what?"

"This involves a basic and simple topological concept called homotopy..." As Mr. Bai spoke about his expertise, he continued enthusiastically, gesticulating with his hands.

After talking for a while, he finally paused to ask Zheng Fa, "Did you understand?"

"..."

Zheng Fa felt like a tiny knowledge imp was trying to pry open his skull with a chisel, but alas, it seemed he had instinctively mastered iron head skills.