I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times

Chapter 45: Borrowing the Brain

Zheng Fa eyed the milk tea in front of him and glanced at Tang Lingwu suspiciously. “Old Bai being afraid of death doesn’t surprise me. But you’re so young…”

“It makes your skin fairer,” Tang Lingwu murmured.

Zheng Fa stared at her delicate, already fair face for a long moment, puzzled. “Do you really need that?”

From his perspective, Tang Lingwu’s complexion was already smoother and fairer than his current one.

Her eyes were filled with unwavering determination as she nodded earnestly, making it clear she found it essential.

Shaking his head in confusion, Zheng Fa turned to Old Bai.

Old Bai seemed to sense Zheng Fa’s skepticism. “Afraid of death? No, I just have a deep attachment to this world!” he argued softly.

Sighing, he added, “You know, young people online always joke about wanting to die. But once you reach my age, you’ll realize how wonderful life is, how precious it is. Before you know it, your life is almost over, and you learn to cherish it.”

Seeing Old Bai’s white hair and wrinkled face as he spoke with a touch of nostalgia, Zheng Fa couldn’t help but feel moved.

Tang Lingwu’s expression was one of admiration. “Grandpa Bai, I rarely meet someone who loves life as much as you do.”

“You wouldn’t understand!” Old Bai waved dismissively. “When I was young, my doctoral thesis was awful, and I lived in constant fear of not graduating. After starting work, my boss treated me like dirt.

“Becoming a legendary mathematician was out of reach, but I wasn’t lazy enough to just muddle through, either. Every morning I woke up wishing the world would end. I even considered hanging myself on the crooked tree outside the dean’s office just to spite my boss!”

He laughed bitterly. “But now? It’s completely different! My retirement pension is a few tens of thousands a month, I own a house in Jingcheng, I don’t have to work, and I’m not burdened with grandkids. Every morning, I can stroll in the park and exercise. I’m healthy, fit, and don’t even need young people to offer me a bus seat.

“Every evening, I watch square dancing at the plaza. The ladies there, about ten years younger than me, are eager to start twilight romances with someone of my standing.”

Old Bai sighed with contentment as he glanced at the two of them. “After paying into social security for decades, this is what I’ve been waiting for. If you were me, would you want to die?”

Tang Lingwu’s eyes widened. “So when you said we’d understand at your age…”

“Exactly! You’ll understand when you retire,” Old Bai replied matter-of-factly.

…

“So, as they say, knowledge should not be shared lightly—especially my sect’s secret teachings. Your desire to learn martial arts doesn’t seem very genuine,” Zheng Fa said, his tone firm.

Though Old Bai’s reasoning was convincing, Zheng Fa wasn’t quick to agree.

“Master, come on, give me another chance! I’ll definitely take it seriously!” Old Bai pleaded earnestly.

“You really want to learn?”

“I do!”

Zheng Fa nodded. “Let me make this clear: your aptitude isn’t great. If you’re serious about learning, you can’t quit halfway again.”

“I promise I won’t!” Old Bai patted his chest with conviction.

“Hold on. Let’s see your sincerity first.”

Zheng Fa turned and pulled a stack of thick drafts from his bag. They were filled with diagrams he had painstakingly recreated from Comprehensive Guide to Symbol Diagrams. It had taken significant effort, but the improved memory he gained after mastering the Linghe Body had made the process slightly easier.

Old Bai stared at the stack, his lips trembling as an ominous feeling washed over him. “How many… are there?”

Zheng Fa slowly held up one finger and smiled. “An entire room’s worth.”

Old Bai’s face instantly paled, surpassing even Zheng Fa’s newfound fairness.

Previously, Zheng Fa hadn’t shared too many diagrams with Old Bai, focusing more on learning topology from him. He preferred to grasp the subject himself but had to admit that his talent for it was limited.

Looking at Old Bai’s curly-haired head, Zheng Fa thought, You always complain about my brain. Well, yours seems pretty sharp. Lend it to me.

Old Bai had always been lazy and not the type to volunteer as a "tool person." But now, since he’d put himself in this position, Zheng Fa seized the moment.

“Maybe I should just keep teaching you topology,” Old Bai muttered, stroking his head as if it felt colder. “After all, the safest place for knowledge is in your own brain.”

“I didn’t say I’d stop learning,” Zheng Fa replied with a bright smile. “I’m just slow, that’s all.”

He wasn’t about to give up personalized tutoring, and he wasn’t letting go of the opportunity to use Old Bai’s mind as a tool either.

“…Actually, now that I think about it, you might have untapped potential in topology,” Old Bai said, trying to wiggle out of the situation.

Zheng Fa sighed lightly. “In that case, your martial arts ambition doesn’t seem all that sincere.”

Realizing that Zheng Fa wasn’t going to relent, Old Bai’s gaze fell on the milk tea beside him. Suddenly inspired, he glanced at Tang Lingwu, his ally in this endeavor. He signaled her with his eyes: We’re in this together. Help me out!

Tang Lingwu appeared to understand. She walked to the table, picked up the milk tea, and carefully inserted the straw.

A pleased smile spread across Old Bai’s face. She gets it! You have to serve people to plead your case!

But then he watched in disbelief as Tang Lingwu sipped from the straw herself.

“Are you going to feed him?” Old Bai asked in panic, reaching out to stop her. “That’s over the top!”

Tang Lingwu swallowed her drink and looked at him in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

“You drank it?”

“Mm-hmm,” Tang Lingwu nodded.

“Wasn’t that your token of respect to become his student?”

“I’m not learning martial arts.” Tang Lingwu lowered her head.

“It’ll make you fairer!”

“I’m naturally beautiful.”

“It’ll make you even more stunning!” Old Bai pressed.

“That’ll just attract trouble.”

Old Bai was taken aback by her sudden change of heart. Remembering the enthusiasm in her eyes earlier when talking about becoming fairer, he could only shake his head in exasperation.

Meanwhile, Zheng Fa observed the scene and understood that Tang Lingwu was simply trying to ease his burden. She likely didn’t want him to feel obligated to cater to both of them.

After all, recruiting a Jingcheng University-level “tool person” for a lifetime of milk tea was clearly unrealistic.

Realizing both Old Bai and Zheng Fa were staring at her, Tang Lingwu looked away and muttered, “I just don’t want to deal with the pain and effort. I wasn’t that interested in martial arts anyway.”

Old Bai facepalmed. Some ally you turned out to be!

He turned back to the stack of drafts, his expression conflicted. After a long moment of hesitation, he sighed and pushed them away.

The gesture caught Zheng Fa by surprise.

“You’re giving up?”

“I really don’t have time. I need to write my book,” Old Bai said with a sigh.

Zheng Fa frowned. “Wait, you’re actually writing a book?”

“…What? You thought I was lying?”

Zheng Fa nodded.

Old Bai glanced at Tang Lingwu, who also nodded in agreement.

“Is there no trust among us?” Old Bai exclaimed, exasperated.

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