What if I say I really do like mathematics?

The young guy immediately felt a unique vibe from Gibson and eagerly asked, "You're not a student here, right?"

Though Gibson was about the same age as college students, the aura he carried was completely different. He had the demeanor of someone who had lived through much, not something you see in an average student.

Gibson chuckled and shook his head, saying helplessly, "You noticed, huh?"

"You've got a special presence! Staying so cool in front of all these people, that's not something a regular college kid can do," the young man continued quietly.

Their conversation caught the attention of people around them. The young man asked again in a low voice, "So, what brings you to Starfall City University?"

"Looking for someone!" Gibson replied, pulling out a smartphone with a selfie of a girl as the wallpaper.

The young guy saw the photo and exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't that Gabrielle, the goddess? You're here for her?"

Gibson, a bit surprised, asked, "She's famous around here?"

"Of course! She's not only one of the beauties of the campus but also comes from a very wealthy family. A lot of guys are after her! Are you one of her admirers?"

Gibson shook his head and said, "No, you got it wrong. She's the one after me. I've never accepted her advances. By the way, do you know where she might be right now?"

The young man gave a slightly embarrassed smile, finding this kind of male vanity pretty normal.

"She should be in the Math Department. I heard she's preparing for her grad school exams."

Gibson almost laughed out loud, thinking to himself, "She dares to study advanced mathematics with that brain of hers? Isn't she just asking for trouble?"

After finding out where Gabrielle might be, Gibson asked around the campus for the exact location of the Math Department. He planned to go there directly to return the phone to Gabrielle and then hurry back to work.

After walking around for a while, Gibson finally spotted Gabrielle in a classroom. She was pretending to pay attention to the lecture, scribbling something non-stop in her notebook. Clearly, she hadn't realized yet that she had forgotten her phone somewhere.

While the teacher was facing away from the students, explaining something, Gibson quietly slipped into the classroom and sat behind Gabrielle, slightly to the side.

From this angle, he could clearly see that Gabrielle was actually drawing in her notebook! Considering she was attending an advanced mathematics class, Gibson thought this might be a bit challenging for her.

"Hey, Miss Popular!" he whispered.

"Hey, Miss Popular! You don't want your phone anymore?" he called out a bit louder.

Despite his quiet calls, Gabrielle didn't hear him. Her long hair covered her ears, and she was wearing earphones, totally lost in her own world.

Just then, the teacher put down his textbook and pointed sternly towards the back of the room, "The student at the back, please stand up!"

Suddenly, all eyes turned towards the back row. Following the gaze of the students in front of her, Gabrielle turned around and saw Gibson sitting right behind her.

"What are you doing here?!" she exclaimed in surprise.

She was still thinking about the little incident at the school gate that morning and hadn't expected Gibson to follow her into the classroom.

Meanwhile, the teacher on stage tapped the podium and asked in a deep voice, "Young man, are you a student in our department? What's your name?"

Just then, the ponytailed girl who had a confrontation with Gabrielle at the school gate that morning was also in the classroom!

As soon as she spotted Gibson, the ponytailed girl immediately recognized him and said to the teacher with a mocking tone, "Professor White, he's not a student from our department. He's the boyfriend of our university's 'goddess'—a real rich second generation! He's just come back from studying abroad. His family is super rich; I heard even their grocery shopping car is a Mercedes. Look at him, so thoughtful, coming to sit in on his girlfriend's class!"

Hearing this, Gibson could feel the unfriendly glances from the guys around him.

He couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time. He always knew that the intrigues among girls could be intense, but now it seemed his previous thoughts were way too conservative.

People around started whispering and sizing him up.

"Ha, are you kidding me? He's a rich second generation?" one guy scoffed. "He doesn't have a single brand-name item on him!"

"Exactly, look at his clothes, his pants—they totally look like they're from a street stall, the kind you get for ten bucks a pile!" another added.

"How does he even deserve to be our goddess's boyfriend? He's way too bold!" a disgruntled voice chimed in.

"The goddess of our university might have been tricked, my heart hurts. Even if she doesn't accept me, she shouldn't be with a guy who's even worse than me!" another voice joined the fray.

Despite the mocking and cursing around him, Gibson didn't seem to care. He knew he was not on the same level as them. He had come just to return a phone, not expecting to stir up such a storm.

Suddenly, the teacher slammed his hand down on the desk, his voice echoing through the classroom, "I don't care who you are, but please don't bring your flirting games into my classroom! If you're genuinely interested in mathematics, you're welcome to stay; if not, please leave!"

Gibson gave the teacher a smile, "What if I say I really do like mathematics?"

He had made a significant mark in the field of mathematics, cracking a centuries-old problem left by Eldoria mathematicians when he was just twelve or thirteen, which made him famous. After that, he disappeared from the public eye as if he had evaporated.

True genius, time doesn't erase their knowledge. If a so-called top student can't remember the math formulas a few years later, then their talent is just slightly better than average.

The teacher was no pushover either. Hearing Gibson's response, he threw down a challenge, "If you can solve the problem I set, you can attend my classes however you want. I'll even save a seat for you."

He continued, "I've never taught this problem before. If you can solve it, you're welcome anytime in my class. I'll give you ten minutes, or you can choose to leave now."

The other students burst into laughter.

"Professor White graduated with a PhD from the mathematics department of Starfall City University. The problems he sets could even be textbook examples!" someone called out.

"Ten minutes? Professor Yang, don't joke around; give him ten days and he still wouldn't solve it!" another student joked.

"His math skills are probably still at elementary level; this problem is way too hard for him!" another comment joined the mocking chorus.