Chapter 1140: Chapter 575: The Curse of Perpetual Second Place_3

Gu Xianning smiled lightly: "It’s in the post-production phase, expected to be released this summer."

"Make sure to save a few autographed physical albums for me when it comes out; a few good friends of mine are your fans, they’ve already reserved a spot with me."

Gu Xianning’s gaze was as gentle as water, "Okay."

After a pause, he said, "A personalized autograph is also fine."

——

Mid-April marked the finals of the Bright Cup physics competition.

The preliminary round was last October, and only Shen You’an and Liu Runxi from the class made it.

As expected, both smoothly advanced to the finals.

The Bright Cup physics competition is organized by the National Physics Research Institute, the highest standard physics competition in the country, aimed at all middle and high school students as well as university students, intending to discover talented students in physics, and finally decided the top three provincial district individual total scores to enter the finals.

This time, a total of ninety contestants from provinces across the country entered the finals.

Shen You’an, Liu Runxi, and another participant from De Ren University’s physics major, Chen Zhou, together represented Jingzhou.

The competition consists of four rounds over four days.

The first day is a personal theoretical written qualification test, single closed-book, a total of three hundred points.

Four major theoretical questions plus experimental design written topics, the difficulty at full throttle.

The top thirty nationwide advance to the next round, eliminating two-thirds of the participants.

The brutal nature of the competition is evident.

Shen You’an and Liu Runxi achieved the top two on the written test and both advanced.

The second day is an individual experimental practical elimination competition, two hundred points.

Participants independently operate the National Physics Research Institute’s advanced experimental equipment, with the top twelve advancing, eliminating more than half.

Chen Zhou was eliminated in this round, while Shen You’an and Liu Runxi continued to advance steadily.

Currently, in the total points ranking, Shen You’an ranks first, Liu Runxi second.

The two have become the greatest nightmare for all other contestants.

"Tomorrow’s bonus round is a duet collaboration competition, Shen, can I invite you to partner with me tomorrow?"

Shen You’an had just stepped out of the arena when he was approached.

The young man in front of him was from Yunzhou, named Xun Jian.

Currently ranked fourth in total points.

His story is quite legendary; he was originally from a poor mountainous area and was discovered for his physics talent by a volunteer teacher who funded his education out of the mountains to prevent the genius from being buried.

Indeed, Xun Jian proved himself this year, ranking first in Yunzhou’s physics competition total points.

If he can achieve a ranking in this physics competition, securing a spot at De Ren University is in the bag.

Shen You’an’s gaze passed through Xun Jian, falling on the young man emerging from the classroom.

Xun Jian sensitively noticed that the girl’s eyes before him, like deep pools, rippled slightly as if a stone had been thrown in.

That unexpected brightness made her entire being seem lively and attractive, a beauty that one couldn’t look away from.

Xun Jian instinctively turned back; the sunlight was glaring but far less dazzling than the youth.

That young man walked on the edge of light and shadow, surrounded by a layer of detached chill, untouched by earthly smoke.

His refined and aloof features were expressionless, resembling the solitary moon suspended on a winter’s night, casting its cold glow across the world yet remaining high and indifferent, separated from the mortal realm by an insurmountable distance, unwilling to spare even the edge of his gaze for others.

Xun Jian instinctively touched his arm, finding it surprisingly cold despite the supposed warmth of April’s spring.

Xun Jian knew who he was, Liu Runxi, the Liu family prince, as his father’s position rose, and as the sole heir to the Liu family, he too rose with the tide, poised to become Jingzhou’s new generation of elite Crown Prince.

Of course, Xun Jian didn’t know all this; since coming to Jingzhou recently, the most talked about people around him have been Shen You’an and Liu Runxi, having heard so much, he remembered them.

Shen You’an’s background is strange, also a big star, with explosive popularity, wherever he goes, he remains the eternal focus of the crowd.

While Liu Runxi, though low-key, his brilliance is also unstoppable.

Those girls’ gaze always follows him, hiding admiration, yet that boy is like a lonely moon fallen to earth, cold and aloof, suspended where no one can reach.

Imbued with detachment and coldness, his light does not warm, illuminating only the empty skies, making one hesitate to approach.

There have been rumors that he and Shen You’an are inseparable, that their relationship is very good, yet after two days of competition and secret observations, there seems to be no interaction between them; the rumors appear false, their relationship not as good.

After all, they are direct competitors; not resenting each other would be surprising.

But Xun Jian had seen the light in Shen You’an’s eyes; it might not mean anything, but it couldn’t possibly be the eyes with which you look at an enemy.