My Name is Lin You

My name is Lin You.

I have been a genius ever since I was a child.

I didn't just dub myself one—I'm a real genius!

When my peers were still figuring out one plus one equals two, I already found analytic geometry to be a piece of cake.

Those crooked curves and complex parametric equations were like gibberish to others, but to me, they were like a painting. Every point and every line had its own meaning.

So clear, so beautiful!

While kids my age were learning linear equations with one variable, racking their brains trying to figure out what exactly "x" was...

I was already studying calculus.

Differentiation, integration, limits, infinity—I found those abstract concepts genuinely fascinating.

Absolutely fascinating!

I loved the feeling of describing the world using the language of mathematics.

I loved the process of... peeling back the layers of complex things to see the most fundamental laws beneath.

My father said this was a gift.

I thought so too!

My father was an incredibly amazing researcher.

Together with a group of equally brilliant geniuses, he researched the world's most cutting-edge AI technology.

He worked at the world's largest AI company as a technical backbone, a core member of the tech team.

In my eyes, my father was the true genius, and the person I admired most.

I only had my father growing up.

My mother passed away before I was old enough to remember her.

I had no memory of her; I had only seen her in photos.

In the photos, she looked very gentle and had a beautiful smile. My father said I had her eyes.

My father's work kept him busy, extremely busy.

He had to research top-tier technologies, attend meetings, conduct experiments, and write reports. He often came home very late...

But he never neglected my education.

Since I was little, he recognized my talent and took great pride in it.

He often said that with my gift, I would definitely become someone extraordinary in the future, someone who could push the world forward!

When he said this, there was a light in his eyes.

He truly believed it.

And so, I always believed it too.

But my father was so busy that he often couldn't take care of things at home.

Yet, he didn't feel safe leaving me in the care of others.

Nannies, daycares, relatives... he didn't trust any of them.

Because he had been through an accident.

He never wanted to talk much about what that accident was. At the time, all I knew was that it had caused him to lose some important people.

Including my mother.

Therefore, ever since I was very young, my father would take me with him to Dawn Corporation.

He would work while keeping an eye on me.

I was still little back then, only seven or eight years old.

At that time, Dawn Corporation wasn't the cold, massive behemoth it would later become.

It was controlled and managed by technicians who were most passionate about AI. The atmosphere was very relaxed and free.

I had even seen many of the employees on TV; they were all incredibly amazing scientists and engineers!

Back then, I felt that since my father could work alongside them...

He must be an incredibly amazing person too!

Everyone was very friendly.

Even though I was a little tagalong my father brought to the office, I was still very popular.

Especially after everyone found out that I could actually understand calculus.

Can you imagine? A group of top-tier AI researchers gathered around a seven or eight-year-old girl, watching her solve calculus problems on scratch paper with a pencil.

They were all astounded!

Then, one by one, they would run over to ask me questions.

"Youyou, do you know how to do this problem?"

"Youyou, can you understand this formula?"

"My god, this child is a true genius!"

I was so proud of myself back then!

Because as long as I answered their questions, they would let out exaggerated gasps of amazement!

Then they would turn to my father and say, "Zhouyuan, your daughter is just too incredible!"

And my father's face would break into a proud smile.

Although he didn't say much, I could tell his face was glowing with pride.

I liked it there.

The people there were all so smart and amazing.

I could understand what they were saying. I found the things they researched to be interesting.

The problems they discussed—

The boundaries of AI self-awareness, the limits of emotional simulation, the application of quantum computing in neural networks...

Even though I didn't fully understand them at the time, I could feel their charm!

...Unlike those classmates at school.

Those classmates were all so, so stupid.

They couldn't even learn the simplest algebraic functions, still looking bewildered after the teacher explained it three times.

They thought I was weird, but I thought they were the weird ones.

Why couldn't they understand something so simple? What on earth were their brains used for?

I couldn't talk to them at all; it was like we were from two different worlds.

Gradually, I disliked going to school more and more.

So that day, I told my father...

I didn't want to go to school anymore.

The things taught in school were too easy. I had already learned everything the teachers were covering, and sitting in the classroom was purely a waste of time.

Wasting time meant wasting my gift.

I said I wanted to go to the company with Dad every day.

My father wasn't a fuddy-duddy.

He didn't say things like "children must go to school." Instead, he listened earnestly to my reasons, then nodded and said he would discuss it with the people at the company.

A few days later, he told me the company had agreed.

That day, they called me into a large office and threw a small welcome party for me.

There were colorful balloons, a cream cake, and an auntie who gave me a thick copy of "Introduction to Quantum Computing" as a gift.

Although I couldn't really understand it at the time, I loved the gift.

They gathered around me, laughing and saying that if the law didn't prohibit child labor, I could become an official member of Dawn Corporation right then and there!

I was only eight years old at the time.

Being praised like that by a group of the smartest people in the world made me incredibly happy!

I loved this place!

...

...

At Dawn Corporation, I experienced what a mother's love was.

I had grown up without a mother.

Although she looked gentle in the photos, she was ultimately just a piece of paper, a presence I could never touch or embrace.

But here, I met a woman.

A very, very beautiful woman.

She had long black hair and bright eyes. When she smiled, her eyes curved into crescents, and her whole being radiated a reassuring warmth.

She liked me a lot, and every time she saw me, she would crouch down and pat my head.

Others called me "Youyou", but she called me "Xiaoyou".

She said she preferred calling me that because it sounded a bit cuter.

She also told me that she had a son who was slightly older than me.

She said that although her child was older, he was much clumsier than me. He hadn't inherited his father's IQ and still couldn't even figure out the classic "chickens and rabbits in the same cage" math problem.

Every time she tutored him with his homework, she felt like pulling her own hair out!

She spoke words of disdain, but I could tell that every time she mentioned her child, her eyes held an unconcealable gentleness and pride.

At that moment, I suddenly understood that this kind of love was called "maternal love".

Even if her own child were a fool who couldn't solve a simple math puzzle, she would still love him.

She told me to call her Aunt Su.

Later, I found out that Aunt Su was actually one of the shareholders of Chenxi Company.

Furthermore, she was the largest shareholder!

She wasn't the technical type; she was part of the management team, responsible for the company's operations and strategy.

The technologies developed by the researchers I admired were brought to the market by her, turned into real products, and transformed into a power that could change the world.

Her husband's name was Fang Chu, who was also one of the founders of Chenxi Company.

He was often on television and was also my father's boss.

Yeah, he was also one of the men from that group who had surrounded me earlier, watching me solve math problems and gasping in amazement.

Aunt Su didn't understand those advanced mathematical and AI theories.

She wouldn't discuss calculus and quantum computing with me like my father and the researchers did, nor would she test me on complex formulas and theorems.

She didn't really understand any of that, and she never pretended to.

But she would chat with me.

She would sit beside me and listen to me talk about things that happened at my old school.

She would listen to me complain about my incredibly stupid classmates, and listen to me explain the new things I had recently figured out.

She would bring me delicious snacks.

Cookies she baked herself, or strawberry cake bought from a dessert shop she passed by. Every time she came, she always had a little surprise in her pockets.

She would also clap and cheer for me when I solved a difficult problem, even though she didn't understand it at all.

Being with her was truly comfortable.

Even more comfortable than being with my father's technical staff.

I didn't need to prove how smart I was, and I didn't need to solve problems to earn approval. She liked me simply because I was me.

I gradually realized that this was high emotional intelligence.

It was an ability to make people feel genuinely comfortable and warm from the bottom of their hearts.

This ability was also a kind of talent.

And my talent in this area was very poor.

But, I still wanted to become someone like Aunt Su.

So, I started to learn from her personality.

I observed how she spoke to people, how she smiled, and how she made people feel comfortable.

How she made everyone who spoke to her feel valued.

This was much harder than learning calculus!

I was originally a very quiet person.

I always felt that most of the people around me were incredibly stupid, and talking to them was simply a waste of time.

I would rather read, solve problems, and think about those interesting questions quietly by myself...

...than say a single word to those who couldn't even understand basic algebra.

But under Aunt Su's influence, I slowly became more cheerful and less withdrawn.

I learned to smile, learned to speak in a lighthearted tone, learned to make small jokes, and learned to make others feel relaxed and happy when they were with me.

That period was the happiest time of my life.

...

But the good times didn't last long.

Uh... at least for me, they didn't last long.

Because Chenxi Company's business was booming.

Their products were becoming more and more popular, their market share was growing, and media attention was increasing.

And as part of the management, Aunt Su also started getting busy.

She had more and more things to handle and less and less free time.

From being able to accompany me every day at the beginning, it changed to coming once every few days, and then later...

I wouldn't even see her once a week.

Every time she rushed by and saw me, she would still stop, crouch down, rub my head, and call me Xiaoyou with a smile.

In that smile, there was a trace of exhaustion and apology.

She said she was just too busy recently, and that once she was done with this busy period, she would come and spend proper time with me.

I said okay.

But I knew that this busy period would last a very, very long time.

I was disappointed, but I also knew it wasn't her fault.

My father was also very busy.

Chenxi Company had taken on a massive project, and everyone was rushed off their feet.

As a core technical backbone, my father often didn't even have time to eat.

Most of the time, I would sit in the office all day, only to see him once when he got off work at night.

No one kept me company anymore.

I started staying by myself again.

Sitting alone in the corner of my father's office, flipping through increasingly thick textbooks and literature, and calculating increasingly complex formulas on scratch paper.

Mathematics, physics, chemistry, computer science, AI...

I studied everything.

Those textbooks and documents became my only companions during that time.

They wouldn't smile at me, wouldn't rub my head, wouldn't call me Xiaoyou...

But they could keep me company.

Everyone in the company was very busy.

Everyone was working hard for that grand goal.

No one had the time to keep an eight-year-old girl company anymore.

They would only pass by occasionally, and when they saw me, they would come in, rub my head, and say, Youyou is so good, reading by yourself again.

Then, without saying more than a few words, they would hurriedly turn around and leave, rushing to attend the next meeting or process the next batch of experimental data.

I gradually got used to this kind of life.

Being alone wasn't so bad either.

It was quiet, I could focus on my studies, no one disturbed me, and no one asked me stupid questions.

It was quite nice.

...

Until one day.

My father brought in an older girl.