“And he’s always going on about how intimidatingly smart you are. How hard he has to work to keep up with you.” Intimidatingly smart. I hold on to those words, examine them up close. I’ve never thought of myself as intimidating or scary, yet it feels like the greatest compliment. A confirmation of my wildest hopes. Julius Gong takes me seriously. He isn’t just competing because he thinks it’d be embarrassing to lose. He’s afraid of losing to me.
