Chapter 1 The "Lin Xian Senior!"

Just as the awards ceremony ended and he was about to head backstage, a magical, fluffy, high ponytail bounced up from below the stage.

Then, a familiar petite figure, familiar crescent-shaped eyes, a familiar, refreshing smile—Chu Anqing jogged over and stood before Lin Xian, her hands behind her back.

Lin Xian stepped forward and handed her the World Championship trophy he had just received.

"Want to take a look? I couldn't have gotten it without you."

"Wow, so pretty! Is it made of pure gold?"

Chu Anqing happily held the trophy, examining it from top to bottom.

"Hehe, if I can lift it, it's definitely not pure gold, and this weight probably means it's hollow."

"Trophies aren't usually made of pure gold," Lin Xian explained.

"Pure gold is too soft and easily deformed, and... trophies are more about the honor than the actual value, so the material isn't that important."

Looking at Chu Anqing, who was carefully studying the trophy, Lin Xian looked around but didn't see Chu Shanhe's figure.

That was strange.

How could that doting father allow his teenage daughter to come abroad alone? Especially in this venue full of Americans, making such a dangerous move... And where were the bodyguards? The bodyguards weren't there either. If Huang Que hadn't appeared in time, Chu Anqing's situation would have been truly dangerous, almost a disaster.

"How did you come here by yourself, Anqing?" Lin Xian asked.

"Where's your father? Did he agree to let you come alone?"

"Oops..."

Chu Anqing scratched her head, smiling sheepishly.

"He definitely wouldn't let me, so I snuck out. When I went home last time, I took out my passport, and then I asked for leave from school without telling my family... and I just flew to New York."

"So... Lin Xian Senior, you have to keep this a secret from my dad! If he finds out I came to America by myself, he'll definitely scold me to death!"

Heh.

Lin Xian smiled wryly.

It wouldn't just be a scolding, would it?

If Chu Shanhe knew what she had just done surrounded by a bunch of American hulks, he would be scared out of his wits.

It seemed he really needed to use Zhao Yingjun's trick from the third dream, and now Kevin Walker's as well.

He raised his right hand and tapped his Bluetooth headset twice.

"Understood, I will delete the relevant videos and photos from the internet," VV said in his headset.

This was easy for it.

Chu Anqing hadn't even shouted twice before Huang Que protected her, and the plainclothes bodyguards surrounded them tightly, so the cameras couldn't get a clear shot anyway.

The few clear videos that existed hadn't even spread yet, and VV deleted them easily.

"What you did was too dangerous, don't do it again next time," Lin Xian said, thinking for a moment.

"I doubt there will be a next time."

This hacker competition was actually a desperate struggle with no good outcome.

If he hadn't come to the United States to participate, if he hadn't intervened, the Dragon Country's internet security firewall and Skynet system would have been breached, and everything around him would have been monitored 24/7. Even if Kevin Walker couldn't lock onto him in the short term, it was only a matter of time.

No matter what...

Every camera on the street, every cell phone, every dashcam, even backup cameras would become tools to monitor him. Just thinking about it was terrifying.

In Kevin Walker's hands, the Skynet system would become a real net wrapping around him, with nowhere to hide, nowhere to escape.

Therefore...

He couldn't ignore the Skynet issue for his own safety.

VV felt the same way.

The internet security firewall was a good barrier and buffer zone, a natural barrier that VV could use.

Especially for the juvenile VV, protecting this firewall would not only protect Lin Xian well, but also buy it as much time as possible to update, iterate, and develop.

From that perspective, this trip to the United States was necessary.

He had to go, whether he wanted to or not.

Bringing the juvenile VV across the border in his physical body to retrieve the gift that Ji Lin had left him at Einstein's former residence could only be done under the protection of the official national forces.

Therefore, there was no need to look back and worry about gains and losses now.

Overall, this trip to the United States wasn't a loss.

At least it clarified many things and expanded the direction for the future. Since he had been locked down and hard-controlled by the mysterious old man in the fourth dream, he had to break through the encirclement in reality and find a way to find the mysterious old man's existence in 2023 to rescue himself trapped in the fourth dream.

This was a battle that would have to be fought sooner or later, a battle that had to be fought.

He was destined to be unable to avoid it.

Seeing that Lin Xian suddenly stopped talking.

Chu Anqing nodded obediently.

"I'm sorry, Lin Xian Senior. Now that I think about it, I really did something stupid. I feel pretty embarrassed myself..."

"But, at the time, I just felt that everyone thought you couldn't win, and I couldn't stand it, so I wanted to come over and cheer you on. I didn't expect those Americans to be so unchivalrous and impolite to boo, and in a moment of excitement... I seemed to lose my mind, hehe."

"It's okay," Lin Xian said with a smile.

"Some things are done when they're done, there's no absolute right or wrong. I was saying that for your safety, I didn't mean to blame you at all."

"Yo, Lin Xian, who's this girl?"

At the backstage entrance, the leader of the Dragon Country team walked over.

He had noticed that Lin Xian wasn't following, so he came to see what was happening, and immediately saw this cute little girl.

She looked much younger than Lin Xian, but she was indeed very beautiful and sweet.

Considering the girl's amazing actions earlier and the way they were chatting so happily now... Although the leader was a middle-aged man in his fifties, who hadn't been young before? The whole boy-meets-girl thing had been the same for five thousand years, hadn't it?

He suddenly understood, smiling at Lin Xian.

"Is this your girlfriend, Lin Xian? What a brave girl, a heroine, a modern-day Hua Mulan!"

"Captain, you've misunderstood," Lin Xian explained with a smile.

"This is the daughter of Chu Shanhe, the chairman of the East Sea Chamber of Commerce. I don't know if you know Chu Shanhe."

"Oh."

Instantly, the leader understood.

So, she was Chu Shanhe's daughter.

Although he wasn't familiar with Chu Shanhe, he had often heard the name. To be fair, Chu Shanhe had a very high status in the scientific research community. Although he was a layman in scientific research, he had always done the work of a layman, donating money and laboratories, and helping all kinds of scientists who encountered problems. And no matter what project he funded, he only provided money and didn't interfere, letting the scientists take charge and decide on their own.

Naturally, such a philanthropist had a high status in the scientific research community, and everyone praised him.

But...

Based on the leader's decades of life experience.

He didn't quite believe that these two talented young people weren't boyfriend and girlfriend.

If they weren't boyfriend and girlfriend, would this girl be able to do something like that for Lin Xian?

Even close relatives like a sister, younger sister, or mother wouldn't necessarily dare to stand up and cheer alone in that situation, with the whole audience booing and surrounded by a bunch of American hulks.

Being able to do something like that for Lin Xian, there must be deep feelings.

To put it bluntly, it was a life-or-death gamble. If those crazy Americans got angry and rushed up to beat the girl, they wouldn't be able to stop them in time.

Fortunately, someone had helped. It should also be someone from the Dragon Country military; those plainclothes men didn't look ordinary at all.

Therefore, the leader guessed.

These two were probably secretly dating because they were concerned about Chu Shanhe's identity and the age difference between them, and didn't want to make it public.

Mm-hmm.

He understood.

In his feudal era, there were even more of these "enemies" who were secretly in love and didn't speak on the surface.

The leader patted Lin Xian on the shoulder, smiling meaningfully.

"I see, I see, so she's Chu Shanhe's daughter. No wonder, like father, like daughter, she's also fierce! But... it's okay, Lin Xian. From today on, you're also a great hero who has brought glory to the Dragon Country, so you don't have to worry so much about your identity."

Lin Xian tilted his head, looking at the leader in confusion.

Seeing him look like he understood everything just now, he felt like he really understood.

But...

What did you understand?

"In short! Congratulations, Lin Xian!"

The leader laughed and shook hands with Lin Xian, then bent down and shook hands with Chu Anqing as well.

"Congratulations to this brave little girl! To protect your safety, you'll stay with us and Lin Xian during this time. Lin Xian is going to Princeton next, so you can stay with Lin Xian and be protected by us, and then take our special plane back to the country together after the trip."

...

In the evening, a joyful celebration banquet was held in the hotel restaurant where the delegation was staying.

The older team members and leaders drank a lot of wine and were very happy and proud. As the hero of the hour, Lin Xian naturally drank some as well. Because everyone knew that he had private business to attend to in Princeton the next day, they didn't urge him to drink too much and let him control himself.

As the celebration banquet reached the second half, it was mostly the drunken older team members reminiscing about the past and the glorious years. Lin Xian, as someone with a bit of an age gap with them, naturally couldn't join in, so he came to the viewing room on the top floor of the Aman Hotel with Chu Anqing, who was also enjoying the celebration banquet and having a lot of fun. They leaned against the railing of the highest open-air balcony, overlooking the night view of New York.

"How does it feel?"

Looking at the lights, neon signs, traffic, and crowds of the international metropolis, feeling the cool night wind high in the sky, Lin Xian asked.

"Hehe, I think it's not as good as East Sea."

Chu Anqing's fluffy high ponytail danced in the night sky, and a few slender strands of hair tickled Lin Xian's neck, making him feel inexplicably itchy.

"I still prefer East Sea because it's our country, and it's my home."

Chu Anqing leaned on the white stone railing, swaying back and forth, and continued.

"Even if East Sea doesn't have as many skyscrapers as New York... I don't live in skyscrapers anyway. No matter how good the outside world is, it's not ours, and there's no sense of belonging. But home is different. Where there's a home, even if it's dilapidated, poor, and backward, it's still very warm. What's more... East Sea is also very prosperous, it's just that New York started earlier."

As she spoke, Chu Anqing stood on tiptoe and pointed to a towering black building in the distance.

"Lin Xian Senior! Do you know what that building is?"

"That must be the Empire State Building..." Lin Xian smiled.

"That's too obvious, it's practically a free point. It's been filmed to death in movies."

"Then what about that one?"

Chu Anqing pointed to another tall one.

"Rockefeller Center, also a landmark building in New York."

By now, Chu Anqing was no longer surprised by Lin Xian's erudition, because that's how it should be in her eyes.

Lin Xian Senior had always been so erudite, good at music, chess, calligraphy, painting, scientific research, and even computer hacking technology, truly omnipotent.

"Then what's over there?"

Chu Anqing pointed to the distant shore.

"That's also Manhattan," Lin Xian explained patiently.

"The location we're in now is the most prosperous, richest, most densely populated, and also the smallest area in the five boroughs of New York. The river you pointed to is the Hudson River. This whole area is Manhattan, known as the center of the world economy."

"Wow!"

Listening to Lin Xian's eloquent speech, Chu Anqing couldn't help but be amazed by Lin Xian's erudition once again.

"So!"

"This is the center of the world!" Chu Anqing said in surprise.

Chu Anqing opened her eyes wide, looking at everything within sight.

Her father often took her abroad, but mostly for travel and vacations. She had been to the United States, but mostly to the West Coast. She had never been to New York, let alone standing at the highest point of this classical art building, overlooking the entire city, in the center of the world.

"Um... to be precise, it's the center of the world economy," Lin Xian corrected.

But then he thought...

Never mind.

What was there to argue about?

"But I think it can also be said to be the center of the world. After all, the Earth is round, and anywhere can be said to be the center of the world. In comparison, this place may be more competitive."

Chu Anqing stepped on the first step of the white stone railing.

She straightened her body.

Her height became the same as Lin Xian's.

Then she spread her arms, like Lucy standing at the bow of the Titanic, standing in the center of the world, embracing the evening breeze, embracing the night sky, embracing the world.

"It's so nice..."

She closed her eyes, feeling the caress of the night wind, and murmured to herself.

"I heard there's a movie called *Crying Out Love, In the Center of the World*. It would be even better if it could be filmed here, but I vaguely remember that it's a Sakura Country movie." (Sakura Country refers to Japan)

"Yes," Lin Xian nodded.

"It's a tragedy."

Hiss.

Chu Anqing shuddered and opened her eyes.

"A tra-, a tragedy? Then never mind... I won't watch it, I don't like watching tragedies."

"People often say that the core of comedy is tragedy, but maybe that's the benefit of not being so smart. I find it hard to understand the so-called tragic cores in those comedies. I can only understand some superficial things, and I'm always laughing out loud at those comedy movies."

"Hehe, actually, my mom always says I'm a simple-minded person with no ulterior motives, who thinks everything is good and acts on impulse without considering the consequences. But sometimes I think that's pretty good too! Whether it's because I'm lucky or because everyone I've met is very kind, anyway... being happy is the greatest joy in life!"

...

Lin Xian looked at the happy-go-lucky girl in front of him, her hair tousled by the wind.

If it were Zhao Yingjun, she would have been fixing her hair long ago.

Her signature move was to brush the stray hairs from her cheeks behind her ears, doing it every day, every time, without getting tired of it.

But Lin Xian had never seen Chu Anqing make that move.

She was so free, easy, happy, and carefree.

Letting the wind blow her hair into a mess.

She was still her.

The wind couldn't mess her up, couldn't blow her away, couldn't scatter her.

At this moment...

Lin Xian, who had been immersed in a tense and dangerous atmosphere all day, seemed to be infected by her unique happiness, becoming happy, a smile appearing on his face.

"Want to shout something?"

Lin Xian pointed to the prosperous night view and the colorful neon lights.

"I saw you've been holding it in this whole time."

"Oh! You could tell!" Chu Anqing blinked incredulously, then smiled into two crescents again.

"Hehe... As expected, Senior, you're very smart, I can't hide anything from you. Just now, when I heard you say that this is the center of the world, I couldn't help but want to shout something, I even got into the pose, but in the end, I held back."

Lin Xian was amused.

He had indeed noticed.

Just now, when Chu Anqing spread her arms to embrace the night sky, she was clearly preparing to shout something, she even took a breath, but in the end, she didn't shout it out.

"It's a rare opportunity, it's not easy to come to the center of the world once, shout out whatever you want, don't hold back."

"Wo-, wouldn't it be a bit disturbing?"

"It's okay," Lin Xian said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Today, at the competition, 80,000 people booed me for so long, what's wrong with giving them a shout back? I'm even letting them off easy."

"That makes sense!"

Chu Anqing gave Lin Xian a thumbs up, instantly feeling that a full stomach of anger, not shouting out would really be letting that group of unchivalrous audience members off cheap!

Thinking of the 80,000 people booing in the New Jersey stadium, Chu Anqing instantly felt a sense of empathy. She put her hands together like a small trumpet and shouted at the endless, prosperous city.

"Lin Xian Senior!!!! Add oil!!!!" (Add oil is a common expression of encouragement.)

Add oil...

Add oil...

Add oil...

The echo seemed to wander through the city.

It was clear that Chu Anqing had shouted with all her might, venting all the unhappiness and anger in her heart.

"Ah, that feels good!"

Chu Anqing rubbed her throat.

"Hehe, it's mainly because I was interrupted by those black hulks in front of me when I was about to shout the third time at the stadium. Not shouting it out was really making me uncomfortable! Now I've finally shouted it out!"

Having said that, she licked her lips and smiled apologetically at Lin Xian.

"Is it... is it too awkward?"

"It's okay," Lin Xian said with a smile.

"But wasn't that what you wanted to shout just now?"

"You could even tell that!"

Chu Anqing really suspected that Senior was a parasite in her stomach.

"Because I felt like you were imitating *Titanic* just now," Lin Xian said truthfully.

"Ah..."

Chu Anqing covered her forehead.

"Really, I have no privacy at all with you... Okay, since you've already seen through it, then I'm not afraid of being laughed at."

She stepped onto the white jade stone step again.

Standing high in the center of the world.

Spreading her arms, facing the sky, facing the moonlight, facing the whole world...

Closing her eyes, raising her head, facing the evening breeze.

Chu Anqing stood proudly like Lucy embracing the sea in *Titanic*—

"You jump, I jump!"