Chapter 171 Straight Line

Chapter 171 Straight Line

In mid-March, the rain that had been falling for several days in Huizhou finally stopped.

Once the chill of late spring passed, the temperature soared like a rocket. Along the main road on campus, the branches that had been bare all winter suddenly sprouted a layer of fine green buds.

The season of renewal has arrived.

A restless atmosphere began to permeate the air, making it difficult to calm down.

This restlessness was a deadly catalyst for Lu Jia, who was in the throes of puberty at the age of sixteen.

It was a little after 2 p.m.

Chen Zhuo walked out of the building where the applied physics laboratory was located.

After spending the morning and half an afternoon staring at the screens in the server room, checking for errors in a pile of complex data, his eyes are now starting to ache.

Stepping out of the building, a warm spring breeze greeted him. Chen Zhuo stopped, tilted his head back, stretched, and rubbed his neck.

He temporarily cleared his mind of all concepts like fluid mechanics and boundary conditions.

He was parched and just wanted to go back to his dorm to get a drink of water and then slump in a chair for a while.

I strolled back to the dormitory building at a leisurely pace.

I went up to the second floor and pushed open the door to room 215.

Wang Dayong wasn't there, and the room was quiet.

Chen Zhuo pulled out his chair, sat down, and let out a long sigh of relief.

I went outside, got a cup of hot water, and started walking back.

When I passed by dormitory 216, the door was wide open.

Chen Zhuo heard heavy sighs coming from inside, stopped, and turned to look inside.

Lu Jia was the only one in the dormitory.

Lu Jia didn't go to study hall or the library.

He looked like a cat with its fur standing on end, lying in front of his desk.

He carefully pieced together two sheets of draft paper with tape, covering the entire desktop.

Chen Zhuo, carrying a water glass, slowly strolled inside.

He didn't say anything, just stood behind Lu Jia, looking down at the draft paper that took up the entire table.

It was a huge, complex tree-like structure diagram with countless branches extending outwards.

Each branch node is marked with formulas and annotations such as P(AB), Nash equilibrium, and sympathetic threshold.

Looking at these hard-hitting derivation formulas, Chen Zhuo's instincts stirred.

At first glance at this picture, his first reaction was that Lu Jia was doing some kind of hardcore interdisciplinary mathematical modeling.

After all, it's a gifted youth program, so it's perfectly normal for them to dabble in academic activities that go beyond the curriculum.

Chen Zhuo even took half a step forward with his water glass, purely out of academic curiosity, wanting to see which boundary condition Lu Jia was stuck on, and preparing to exchange a few words.

Then, at the very top, there was a line of text written in bold.

Model for deriving the optimal solution of approaching someone.

The air was still for a few seconds.

Chen Zhuo paused slightly in the hand holding the water glass.

He lowered his head, took a sip of hot water, suppressed the smile on his lips, and then gently tapped the back of Lu Jia's chair twice with his knuckles.

"How long has this national-level research project been approved?"

Lu Jia trembled with fright, and the pen in her hand drew a long black line on the draft paper.

He turned around abruptly and saw Chen Zhuo standing behind him with a water cup in his hand. His tense shoulders finally relaxed.

"Brother Zhuo, why do you walk so quietly?"

Lu Jia let out a long sigh, like a deflated balloon. He threw his pen on the table and slumped back in his chair.

He pointed to the draft paper on the table, covered with his painstaking drawings, his voice filled with a deep sense of frustration and grievance.

"Don't laugh at me, I'm so worried."

19

Lu Jia rubbed her face in frustration.

"I spent the whole winter break collecting data, and in the two weeks since school started, I went to the field to collect various data and kept adjusting the environmental variables."

"As a result, I discovered that no matter how I combined the elements, no matter what time or place I chose, this formula simply didn't close."

Chen Zhuo couldn't help but chuckle softly when he saw Chen Zhuo's worried expression.

He casually pulled over Chu Ge's chair and sat down next to Lu Jia.

He placed his water glass on the corner of the table, crossed his hands on his knees, and adopted a posture of listening attentively.

Tell me about it.

Chen Zhuo spoke in a calm tone.

What scenarios did you envision?

When talking about his model, Lu Jia instantly became serious. He sat up straight, pulled the draft paper closer, and pointed to the largest branch on the left with the tip of his pen.

"The first scenario I envisioned was people queuing for food at the second cafeteria."

Lu Jia spoke very quickly, as if she were giving an academic presentation.

"The braised pork window in the second canteen is where she goes every Wednesday at noon. I've observed that the absolute peak of the crowd density at this window is between 12:10 and 12:20 every Wednesday at noon."

"This is a typical open environment."

Lu Jia drew a circle on the draft paper.

"According to my calculations, if I were behind her, there would be an average of 3.5 witnesses within a one-meter radius of her."

.

Chen Zhuo leaned back in his chair and nodded slightly.

Lu Jia continued.

"In game theory, group observation can greatly change an individual's decision-making mechanism. In such an open environment with at least three and a half strangers watching, human self-preservation instincts and social defense mechanisms will be activated."

"If I suddenly ask her for her QQ number, the probability of her triggering a defensive rejection will increase by 40% due to environmental pressure, because rejection is the safest option in public and the one that carries the least social risk."

Lu Jia concluded.

"Therefore, striking up a conversation in the cafeteria is too risky."

Chen Zhuo stroked his chin.

"That makes sense, environmental stress is indeed a problem."

Chen Zhuo echoed this in a serious tone.

"How about we go somewhere else?"

Lu Jia moved the pen tip to the middle branch.

"The second scene is the foreign language corridor on the third floor of the library."

"It's a semi-enclosed space, usually with very few people and dim lighting. On cloudy days, the corridor's illumination is only about 150 lux."

Lu Jia's brows furrowed even more.

"In terms of space and lighting, I can indeed reduce the safe distance to less than one meter, and even walk side by side with her."

"but..

"6

Lu Jia tapped her forehead with the pen.

"I calculated it from a psychological and physiological perspective."

"In a relatively small, dimly lit, semi-enclosed corridor, if I, as an unfamiliar person of the opposite sex, suddenly get so close to her and start a conversation, it will give her a very strong sense of spatial oppression."

"This sense of pressure will directly cause her sympathetic nervous system to be excited, her adrenaline secretion to increase, and her to be extremely vigilant. In this state, she will most likely regard me as some kind of potential threat, rather than a junior with whom she can exchange contact information."

Lu Jia sighed.

"Therefore, the library corridor is also not allowed."

Chen Zhuo picked up his water glass and blew on the tea leaves floating on top.

He looked at Lu Jia with a mixture of tolerance and helplessness that comes from an adult watching a child messing around.

"Open spaces are afraid of being crowded, and semi-enclosed spaces are afraid of scaring people."

Chen Zhuo took a sip of water.

"So, according to your analysis, this is a dead end?"

"It's not entirely impossible."

Lu Jia gritted her teeth and slammed the pen tip heavily onto the rightmost branch of the draft paper.

The branch was densely covered with various velocity vectors and angles.

"The third scenario is dynamic interception on the main road of the campus."

Lu Jia stared at that branch as if he were facing a world-class mathematical problem.

"This question is the hardest."

"I tested it, and her average walking speed is about 1.2 meters per second."

"To avoid creating hostility by directly intercepting her and making her feel that I am blocking her, I must adopt a strategy of approaching from the side and rear."

Lu Jia drew two parallel dotted lines on the paper with a pen.

"My plan is to cut in from her left rear blind spot at a relative speed of about 1.5 meters per second, and then slow down to keep level with her."

At this point, Lu Jia's voice even carried a hint of fear.

"But Brother Zhuo, do you know how difficult this is?"

Lu Jia looked at Chen Zhuo with a face full of despair.

"This requires absolute vector synchronization! The instant I open my mouth, my cadence and speed must be exactly the same as hers."

"People can ride bicycles by anytime on the main road, or play around on the roadside. If any external disturbance occurs, it could cause my pace to be out of sync with hers for even half a second."

""

Lu Jia took a deep breath.

"I would either walk in front of her or fall behind her, and the scene would become extremely awkward for more than three seconds."

"In that awkward, mobile atmosphere, the social mortality rate is as high as 90%!"

After Lu Jia finished describing the three scenarios, she loosened her grip, and the pen rolled off the table and fell to the floor.

He leaned back, and the back of his head hit the back of the chair.

"We're doomed."

Lu Jia muttered to himself.

"No matter how I combine the variables, no matter how I adjust them, as long as I'm unsure of her mood, blood sugar level, and whether she has any acquaintances within three meters of her at that moment..."

"The success rate of this approach is always an unknown."

The dormitory fell silent.

The wind outside blew into the room, making the huge sheet of draft paper on the table rustle.

Chen Zhuo sat in his chair and listened quietly to Lu Jia's ten-minute-long, grand discourse that incorporated game theory, psychology, and kinesiology.

He slowly placed the water glass in his hand on the table.

Chen Zhuo turned his head and looked at Lu Jia, who was slumped in the chair. He didn't smile; his expression could even be described as sincere.

"Lu Jia".

Chen Zhuo's voice was very steady.

"Actually, if you took these two draft papers, you could just walk up to her and strike up a conversation."

Chen Zhuo pointed to the tree diagram on the table.

"I guarantee your success rate is absolutely 100%."

Lu Jia's eyes, which had been dimmed, suddenly lit up.

He sat up abruptly, as if grasping at a lifeline, and even his breathing became rapid.

"Really?"

Lu Jia's brain immediately began to work at lightning speed, trying to use his stored theories to explain Chen Zhuo's words.

"You mean, by using this rigorous logical deduction model, I can demonstrate my meticulousness as a science student, thereby creating an intellectual attraction for her and breaking down her conventional social defense mechanisms?"

Lu Jia found it increasingly reasonable and even bent down to pick up the pen on the ground, preparing to add this new variable into the formula.

Chen Zhuo looked at his serious expression and slowly shook his head.

The smile in his eyes finally completely disappeared.

"No."

Chen Zhuo looked at Lu Jia and slowly added insult to injury.

"She'll just think you might have suffered some serious trauma."

Lu Jia's hand, which was picking up the pen, froze in mid-air.

"Out of a desire to calm those who are emotionally unstable, and out of fear that you might suddenly go crazy."

Chen Zhuo picked up his water glass and took a sip.

"She will definitely write down her QQ number for you immediately, and then stay far away from you."

Lu Jia stood there, stunned.

Several seconds passed before he realized that Chen Zhuo was teasing him.

He slumped back into the chair like a deflated balloon.

"Brother Zhuo, please stop teasing me."

Lu Jia buried her face in her hands, her voice muffled, revealing a deep sense of powerlessness.

"So what should I do? I haven't even come up with a decent opening line. Am I just going to sit here and do nothing?"

Chen Zhuo stopped joking.

Looking at Lu Jia's worried face, he knew that the kid had really gotten himself into a dead end and couldn't get out.

Lu Jia believes that everything in the world has its own rules, and as long as you have enough ability, you can find the standard answer.

But in this world, you can't predict people's hearts.

Chen Zhuo reached out and pulled a pen from the pen holder on the table.

He tapped lightly twice on Lu Jia's draft paper covered with formulas with the tip of his pen.

The crisp tapping sound drew Lu Jia's attention back.

"Lu Jia".

Chen Zhuo looked at him, his tone becoming somewhat casual.

In geometry, what is the shortest distance between two points?

Lu Jia was stunned for a moment, clearly not keeping up with Chen Zhuo's leap of thought.

But his brain still reacted instinctively.

"The straight segment is the shortest."

Chen Zhuo nodded.

He threw the red pen in his hand onto the table.

"Oh, right."

Chen Zhuo pointed to the huge draft paper.

"Throw this thing away."

Lu Jia looked at Chen Zhuo with a puzzled expression.

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line.

Chen Zhuo spoke in a calm tone.

"Going to ask for a QQ number is the same principle."

"Go over there."

Chen Zhuo drew a straight line in the air with his finger.

"Walk there, walk straight there."

"Don't go around in circles, don't plan any chance encounters at the cafeteria, don't worry about how dark the corridor is, and definitely don't try any vector cut-in from the side or rear at 1.5 meters per second."

Chen Zhuo looked into Lu Jia's clear eyes.

"Just walk up to her and look at her. Forget all those fancy words, just start talking."

Chen Zhuo paused for a moment and taught him the simplest sentence.

"Senior, can I add you on QQ?"

Lu Jia gasped.

"Is it really that straightforward?"

Lu Jia's eyes widened.

"What if... what if I get nervous and start stuttering?"

Lu Jia felt increasingly uncertain as she thought about it, gripping her thighs tightly with both hands.

"When I'm with her, my mind goes blank. If I blush and stammer, unable to even speak a complete sentence, wouldn't that completely ruin my first impression? Wouldn't it be a negative score?"

Seeing Lu Jia's nervous and sweaty appearance, Chen Zhuo reached out and patted Lu Jia on the shoulder.

"A stutterer is best."

Chen Zhuo said softly.

Lu Jia looked up, her face full of confusion.

"You are a sixteen-year-old college student."

Chen Zhuo looked at him.

"Stuttering, blushing, sweaty palms from nervousness—these are your greatest strengths."

Chen Zhuo smiled.

"This shows that you are sincere and that you don't have those greasy tricks."

"If you were really like those seasoned lovers, with your silver tongue and smooth talk, you could plan your chance encounters perfectly and walk up to them with a flawless opening line."

Chen Zhuo shook his head.

"The older female students would probably think that you're too scheming and like a hooligan."

Lu Jia listened blankly.

His brain, which was filled with probability theory and game theory, suddenly had a small window opened, and an unreasonable spring breeze blew in from outside.

Sincerity is always the best weapon.

Chen Zhuo picked up the water glass on the table and stood up.

He didn't continue. He had already torn down the wall that needed to be torn down; the rest of the road was for Lu Jia to walk on his own.

Chen Zhuo turned and walked towards the door.

"Go."

Chen Zhuo, with his back to Lu Jia, waved his hand, leaving behind a light, reassuring remark.

"Take your stuttering mouth and walk in a straight line."

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