Losing to My Substitute (Katerina and Joshu)
Substitute 69

Chapter 40

Miss Emma, just like her mother, was dutiful. When the clock struck the hour, she would certainly

knock on the door to remind Linda to take her medicine.

And in doing so, she would be the first to discover that Linda had already left.

With that thought, Linda felt no burden. She rested her head gently against the sofa.

The river, the rainy nights, the sunlight, the green grass, and the abandoned games in her phone-all of it had already slipped away from her.

She sat quietly, a faint smile lingering on her lips.

Linda didn't expect to wake up again.

Sunlight poured through the windows of the classroom, casting a warm glow across her face, bringing with it a long-lost sense of brightness and comfort. "Linda."

She frowned, struggling to open her eyes, the light momentarily disorienting her.

"Linda, explain Big O notation."

Someone tugged at her arm, and Linda instinctively stood up, only to freeze when she took in her surroundings.

It was her university classroom.

The longer she stayed silent, the more eyes turned toward her.

Then, from behind her, a low, magnetic voice spoke up.

The voice was soft, like a lover's whisper, carrying the quiet mysteries of youth.

"It describes the asymptotic behavior of functions..."

"Big O notation is a mathematical representation used to describe the asymptotic behavior of functions, particularly in algorithm analysis. It's used to describe the running time or space **complexity of an algorithm, focusing on the growth rate of a function as the input size n becomes

very large." 70.19

Chapter 40

Ignoring the voice behind her, Linda answered quickly, almost as if desperate to confirm something.

The professor on the podium adjusted his glasses and nodded slowly. "I know developing programs after class is exhausting, but you still need to focus during lectures. Please take your seat." Ding-ding-ding-

The bell rang, signaling the end of class.

Linda immediately grabbed the yawning Rachel beside her.

Rachel, covering her mouth, had tears welling in her eyes from the yawn-not for the reason Linda

thought.

"Rachel? You're back?"

Rachel rubbed her eyes, her face full of confusion. "Linda, what's wrong with you today? You've been acting so strange-not just falling asleep in class, but also... zoning out a lot." From behind came a light cough, deliberately drawing attention.

Linda knew it was Ivan. But this time, she didn't turn around. Instead, she tightened her grip on Rachel's hand and walked out of the classroom.