The IMO competition has six problems in total, each worth seven points, with a maximum score of 42 points.

A score of 34 points is the threshold for a gold medal, 29 points for silver, and 23 points for bronze.

In the Huaguo team, including Cen Huai’an, three people achieved full marks, while the other three had scores of 40, 38, and 33 points respectively.

The team won five gold medals and one silver.

The student who got the silver medal was the last boy chosen for the team.

He sat next to Cen Huai’an, sighing in frustration.

“How could I be just one point short? Just one point!”

If he had one more point, he would have won a gold medal, but he was just one point away.

His face was full of regret and annoyance.

“How did you manage to get a perfect score, Cen?” he asked.

Cen Huai’an replied, “I got the answers right, so I got a perfect score.”

The boy was speechless.

Of course, he knew that getting everything right would result in a perfect score, but how did they manage to solve all the problems correctly?

Guan Yan and Qi Ming were watching the TV when the host announced that the Huaguo team had the highest total score in the IMO and won first place in the international mathematics competition. They both frowned slightly.

On TV, Cen Huai’an stood at the front, with the IMO gold medal hanging around his neck.

The host asked him to smile.

Qi Ming clutched his chest, suddenly feeling a sense of loss, as if something was missing, though he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was.

“Mom, why do I feel uncomfortable watching him win an award?”

Guan Yan just felt that Cen Huai’an was too outstanding.

The better he was, the smaller the chance her son would have to get close to him.

She wrapped her arms around Qi Ming’s shoulders and hugged him, saying, “It’s because someone who started on the same line as you has now surpassed you and is running further and further ahead. You feel like you’ll never catch up.”

Qi Ming was taken aback.

His usually carefree face, always focused on fun, suddenly showed signs of sadness.

Guan Yan didn’t say anything more.

No matter how bad her son was, he was still her son.

No matter how good someone else’s son was, he wasn’t hers.

Qi Ming continued staring at Cen Huai’an on TV.

The reporter kept asking him to smile, but Cen Huai’an remained expressionless, looking calmly into the camera.

Eventually, the reporter stopped asking.

Qi Ming felt as if Cen Huai’an’s gaze pierced through the screen and directly into his heart, making him instinctively look away.

When he looked up again, Cen Huai’an and his teammates were already stepping down from the stage, but Qi Ming’s eyes still followed him until he was completely out of sight.

Cen Huai’an had no idea that a stranger had been watching him so intently.

To him, Guan Yan and Qi Ming were just strangers.

Chu Xia and Cen Zhengnian were also watching the live broadcast.

Cen Zhengnian had been less busy lately. Back in April, their lab had completed its mission, and Huaguo became the third country, after the United States and France, to enter a certain field in aerospace.

After that mission, Huaguo began cooperating internationally in space exploration, marking a new starting point.

Though Cen Zhengnian had vacation time after the mission, he didn’t take it.

He planned to wait until both Chu Xia and An’an were free so they could go on a trip together as a family.

Chu Xia knew about Cen Zhengnian’s plan, so she was trying to arrange her schedule to free up some time for a vacation.

Cen Huai’an’s vacation time was more fixed—during the summer and winter holidays.

Since he had a competition at the start of this summer, Chu Xia planned to talk about the vacation after the competition was over.

As they watched the announcement of the scores and the gold medal winners on TV, Chu Xia was very nervous, staring at the screen without blinking, gripping Cen Zhengnian’s hand tightly.

Cen Zhengnian seemed calmer than Chu Xia, not appearing as nervous, but only he knew that his heart was racing.

When they announced Cen Huai’an’s perfect score and gold medal, Chu Xia let out a sigh of relief, her whole body relaxing.

Cen Zhengnian’s expression also became lighter.

“An’an got a perfect score! He got a gold medal!” Chu Xia turned around and hugged Cen Zhengnian tightly, unable to contain her excitement and joy.

Cen Zhengnian held her, a smile in his eyes. “Yes.”

After a while, Chu Xia released him and continued watching TV.

The camera seemed to favor Cen Huai’an, constantly focusing on him, which made Chu Xia the happiest, as she could see An’an continuously.

“Look, An’an still doesn’t like to smile.”

Cen Zhengnian nodded. “That’s just his personality.”

“But I can tell that An’an is happy inside. Look at his eyes.”

Cen Zhengnian looked as she suggested and saw that An’an’s eyes did seem to sparkle, giving him a more spirited appearance than usual.

After watching the IMO competition, Chu Xia turned off the TV and asked Cen Zhengnian to go out and buy two watermelons.

“I think An’an will be back tonight.”

Cen Zhengnian took Chu Xia’s hand, pulling her off the sofa with one swift movement. “It’s not too hot outside now. Want to come for a walk with me?”

Chu Xia glanced outside.

Although the sun wasn’t as strong as it was at noon, the heat was still visible in the wavy air.

She shook her head. “I’ll stay home and wait for you.”

Then, she gave Cen Zhengnian a heavy kiss on the cheek. “You’re the best.”

Cen Zhengnian’s smile deepened, and he wrapped his arm around Chu Xia’s waist, pulling her close and leaning down to kiss her lips.

After a long moment, Cen Zhengnian released her.

Her lips were now fuller and more flushed, glistening with moisture, making Cen Zhengnian’s eyes darken.

But he still had to go buy watermelons. He patted her head, turned, and walked out.

As soon as he stepped outside, all his emotions were carefully concealed.

After Cen Zhengnian left the house, Chu Xia let out a deep breath.

She had almost thought Cen Zhengnian was about to do something more.

When Cen Huaian came home in the evening, he had some watermelon that had been chilled in water.

It was cool and sweet. He held half of the watermelon and ate it with a spoon, feeling quite content.

“Mom, Teacher Hang asked me again if I wanted to apply for a recommendation.”

It wasn’t just Teacher Hang; other university professors had also approached him.

Chu Xia, who was eating watermelon cubes cut by Cen Zhengnian, swallowed and asked, “What did you say?”

“I refused them all. I already have a vague idea of what I want to study in the future.”

Chu Xia immediately perked up and turned to look at him. “What do you want to study in the future?”

Cen Huaian replied, “Mom, can I tell you later?”

Cen Huaian only had a vague idea and hadn’t fully decided yet.

He wanted to explore more to see if he truly liked what he was considering.

“Okay,” Chu Xia didn’t press him to give an answer.

After all, choosing a major was Cen Huaian’s own business, and she respected his opinion.

On the other hand, Cen Zhengnian looked at Cen Huaian with a thoughtful expression in his eyes.

The day after the IMO (International Mathematical Olympiad) ended, Jiang Zhida came to Chu Xia’s house.

At the time, only Cen Huaian was home.

“Uncle?”

He wasn’t alone—Zhang Lu, Jiang Weixi, and Jiang Weixian were with him as well.

As soon as she saw Cen Huaian, Jiang Weixi excitedly ran over, “Brother!”

Cen Huaian quickly reached out to catch her, and Jiang Weixi clung to him, giggling.

“Brother, you’re amazing! You won the gold medal at the IMO!”

Jiang Weixi had already heard about Cen Huaian’s achievement from her family and was extremely proud.

“I want to be as great as my brother in the future!”

Cen Huaian sat her down on the sofa and patted her head with its two cute pigtails. “Xixi, you can definitely do it.”

Jiang Weixi nodded seriously. “I believe I can do it!”

Watching her adorable behavior, Jiang Zhida, Zhang Lu, and Jiang Weixian all laughed together.

“An’an, you have no idea how famous you are in my social circle right now.”

Cen Huaian replied, “That’s already in the past.”

“No, no, no!” Zhang Lu waved her finger. “How can it be in the past? You just won the gold medal yesterday—it’s the freshest honor!”

Jiang Zhida casually lounged on the sofa, his whole demeanor relaxed. “Lu is right. This is a big achievement, and it definitely calls for a celebration.”

“Exactly!” Jiang Weixian agreed. “Brother, we came here today to ask you how you want to celebrate.”

Cen Huaian really hadn’t thought about celebrating.

He shook his head. “No need for a celebration.”

To him, this was just one small goal in life that he had achieved, and there would be many more goals in the future.

But Jiang Zhida, Zhang Lu, and the others didn’t let him brush it off so easily.

They insisted on celebrating his perfect score at the IMO and took him to Yunmengze.

Before leaving, Cen Huaian paged Chu Xia and left a note at home.

“Don’t worry, we already talked to your parents,” Jiang Zhida reassured him.

The celebration at Yunmengze was just for the kids and Jiang Zhida, no adults.

The top chef prepared a whole table of dishes, all of Cen Huaian’s favorites, though the other kids loved them too.

Zhang Lu, while savoring the delicious food, joked, “We’re really lucky today, all thanks to An’an. Uncle usually isn’t this generous.”

Jiang Zhida gave her head a playful rub. “When have I ever skimped on you? Haven’t you had plenty of good food?”

Zhang Lu grinned mischievously. “Uncle, don’t get mad! I’m just trying to emphasize how important An’an is!”

Jiang Zhida chuckled. “True, without An’an, getting a meal like this would be hard.”

Jiang Weixi was eating with her head down, her small bowl filled to the brim. Her cheeks puffed up as she chewed, looking like a cute little blowfish.

She nodded her head enthusiastically while eating, an adorable sight.

Besides Jiang Zhida, Shen Chuan was also there.

He had heard about Cen Huaian’s gold medal in the International Mathematical Olympiad and stopped by to give him a gift.

“You’re Zhida’s nephew, so you’re also my nephew. Here, this is my reward for you!”

Cen Huaian looked at Jiang Zhida, who nodded, so he accepted the small box.

Jiang Zhida and Zhang Lu had also prepared gifts for Cen Huaian.

Jiang Zhida gave him a brand-new pager from the factory, Zhang Lu gave him a pair of sneakers, Jiang Weixian—who didn’t have much money—gave him a book, and even Jiang Weixi had drawn a picture for him.

Holding these gifts, Cen Huaian, who had been calm since winning the award, felt his heart stir once again, filled with warmth and gratitude.

When Cen Huaian returned home, he found even more surprises awaiting him.

Chu Xia had bought him a cake, and Cen Zhengnian had given him a newly completed model.

The sight of the model left Cen Huaian momentarily stunned. “Dad…”