Chapter 113 - 80: Flow State
Chen Lin recognized his current state. It was completely different from the god-like perspective he had when using the "Little Mathematician" title to solve problems—that feeling of knowing the answer with absolute certainty.
This was a purer, more primal form of immersion.
He remembered now. He’d had a few similar experiences back in his final year of high school while cramming for the college entrance exams.
Back then, the moment he sat down to grind through practice problems, the entire world seemed to fall silent. The concept of time would blur, and when he came to his senses, two or three hours had often passed, the exam papers before him already filled with answers.
It was a state known as "flow."
Since it was an ability he possessed naturally, not some overpowered cheat granted by the system, there was nothing to worry about.
Chen Lin completely relaxed and poured all of his consciousness into structuring the thesis before him.
...
...
Time passed quietly.
Half an hour later, Shen Yan let out a long breath and set down her pen.
’I did it.’
Following the three hints Chen Lin had given her, she had followed the thread, deducing step by step until she had finally produced a complete proof for the problem that had stumped her for over an hour.
The exhilarating rush of a sudden breakthrough left her feeling incredibly refreshed.
She subconsciously glanced at the time in the bottom-right corner of her computer screen—11:03 AM.
’Time for lunch.’
She turned her head, about to ask Chen Lin next to her what he wanted to eat for lunch.
But the words caught in her throat, and she swallowed them back down.
Chen Lin was sitting bolt upright, his back perfectly straight, his eyes fixed on his laptop screen without blinking.
His hands hovered above the keyboard, his fingers flying in a blur, producing a continuous stream of crisp clicks.
He exuded a powerful, unapproachable aura, as if an invisible barrier had been erected between him and the outside world.
Shen Yan froze. As a top student through and through, she recognized this state.
It was the immersive state of inspired creation that countless researchers dreamed of.
In this state, a person’s thoughts become exceptionally active and clear, and their work efficiency reaches an unbelievable level.
This state was a rare gift that couldn’t be sought out. Once entered, it must never be interrupted.
It was like an artist capturing a fleeting spark of inspiration; the slightest external disturbance could extinguish that precious flame for good.
But a hint of confusion also arose in Shen Yan’s mind.
’That’s strange.’
Before, Chen Lin had always been calm and composed. Whether he was helping her with the modeling competition or cracking that problem right in front of Academician Liang Tianshi, he had treated it like a simple elementary school math problem. He had never entered such a state of intense concentration.
So why was he so engrossed today, writing a simple undergraduate thesis?
Shen Yan couldn’t figure it out, but she didn’t dwell on it.
The only thing she knew for sure was that she absolutely could not disturb him right now.
So, Shen Yan remained silent, sitting there quietly and deciding to wait for him to emerge from this state on his own before they went to eat.
Her gaze drifted unconsciously to the side of Chen Lin’s face.
The late morning sun filtered softly through the library’s massive floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a faint golden halo on his well-defined profile.
His brows were slightly furrowed, his lips pressed tightly together. His focused and earnest expression held an indescribable charm.
As Shen Yan watched him, she found herself becoming lost in the sight.
It wasn’t until she felt her cheeks begin to grow warm that she snapped back to her senses and, like a startled fawn, quickly averted her gaze.
She pursed her lips in a fluster and shook her head slightly, as if trying to fling out all the jumbled thoughts in her mind.
Then, she took a deep breath, forced her attention back to the computer screen in front of her, and resumed studying the PDF on operator spectrum theory.
...
...
In the library, time ticked by, one second at a time, marked by the crisp tapping of the keyboard and the silent turning of pages.
The light outside the window gradually softened, fading from bright and glaring.
The sun had begun its descent in the west.
"Phew—"
Chen Lin let out a long, stale breath, typed the final punctuation mark, then leaned back sharply in his chair. He gave a deep, satisfying stretch, feeling the bones in his body let out a series of pops and cracks.
He glanced at the word count in the bottom-left corner of the document, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.
[Total Word Count: 4837]
’Hot damn!’
He had thought writing a thesis would be a massive undertaking; he’d even felt that the two weeks he reported to Professor Gu Ming might be cutting it close.
But he’d never imagined that after just one afternoon of immersive writing, he would have already finished nearly half of it!
’At this rate, forget two weeks. I’ll have the first draft completely finished in three more days, tops.’
Chen Lin thought gleefully, and subconsciously turned his head, wanting to share his joy with Shen Yan.
But as he turned, his eyes met a pair of clear and tranquil ones.
Shen Yan was just sitting there, watching him quietly.
Although the expression on her face was still her usual cool and aloof one, showing no ripples of emotion.
But in that instant, from the depths of her seemingly calm gaze, Chen Lin caught a faint trace of... grievance and resentment?