A brand-new red carpet was laid out at the entrance of the academy building. The Dean, Vice Dean, and the Secretary-General of the Education Foundation were all present. The leaders, dressed in sharp suits, smiled as they looked ahead, shaking hands with Jiang Yubai and his entourage with exceptional warmth.
Lin Zhixia and her three students stood behind the Dean.
Fang Yiwen, the only doctoral student in Lin Zhixia's group, tapped the carpet under her feet and identified it accurately. "A synthetic polypropylene fiber carpet."
Xu Lingbo asked casually, "Synthetic polypropylene fiber, is it expensive?"
Fang Yiwen pushed up her glasses. "Not at all. It's the cheapest material for carpets."
Fang Yiwen's voice was neither loud nor soft, but it just so happened to reach the Vice Dean's ears.
The Vice Dean's back stiffened.
Although the Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies wasn't short on funding for events, their money didn't just fall from the sky. They still had to be frugal with their daily spending. What's more, it was a rainy day. If they had laid out a fine carpet only for it to get stained with mud and rainwater, wouldn't that be a terrible waste?
Fortunately, Jiang Yubai didn't seem to have heard Fang Yiwen's words.
Jiang Yubai's expression didn't change in the slightest. He exchanged a few pleasantries with the Dean before getting straight to the point. He also mentioned that the internet company's board of directors would be visiting the university next month to sign a "Technological Cooperation Framework Agreement," which would comprehensively deepen their strategic cooperation and further strengthen the ties between both parties.
The Dean beamed. "Excellent. The President will be back next month."
At present, the President was still on an academic visit to the United States.
The President often said that all the deans needed to work together to build their university into a world-class institution.
The President had always been very supportive of the development of cutting-edge disciplines and of research institutes jointly established by the university and corporations. After all, a world-class university needed to advocate for the close integration of academia and industry... At this thought, the smiles on the faces of the Dean and Vice Dean became even more sincere.
Out of courtesy, the Vice Dean made a "please" gesture. "Mr. Jiang, our signing ceremony will be held in the conference room on the first floor."
However, Jiang Yubai did not follow the Vice Dean. His secretary closed the umbrella and took a step back, clearing the space to Jiang Yubai's right.
Jiang Yubai stood his ground, his gaze sweeping past the crowd and landing on Lin Zhixia. He addressed her respectfully, "Professor Lin."
The Dean also called out, "Professor Lin, please come over here."
Lin Zhixia walked to Jiang Yubai's right side with a semblance of normalcy. Jiang Yubai smiled at her again, and in that instant, the world seemed to fall silent. The rain stopped, the sky cleared, and everything melted into his smile.
Lin Zhixia returned a brilliant smile of her own.
An invisible emotional bond tied the two of them together, and anyone could sense that their relationship was anything but ordinary.
The atmosphere was exceptionally warm and harmonious. The vast majority of those present understood the situation but chose not to point it out. The sole exception was Fang Yiwen, who blurted out, "Professor Lin, do you know him?"
Xu Lingbo tugged on Fang Yiwen's sleeve, but she just asked, "Why are you pulling me?"
Zhan Rui's face turned even redder; he wished he could find a hole to crawl into.
The Vice Dean couldn't help but rub his forehead.Jiang Yubai, however, was secretly thinking that with Lin Zhixia's research group now established and her work getting on track, she would only become busier in the future. Once Lin Zhixia started leaving early and returning late, Jiang Yubai would definitely come to the university to pick her up and drop her off. In that case, it was only a matter of time before they were spotted by Lin Zhixia's colleagues or students. Given that they currently represented a commercial collaboration between their company and the university, any unsavory rumors that might arise in the future would be unpleasant and would also damage Lin Zhixia's reputation.
Lin Zhixia's reputation was extremely precious.
Rather than wait for others to spin tales, it was better to clarify the situation early on.
Therefore, Jiang Yubai explained his and Lin Zhixia's relationship in detail: "Professor Lin and I have known each other for twelve years; we practically grew up together. I admire her academic standards and have faith in her professional capabilities. The ptsic quantum programming language platform is managed by the team Professor Lin created, and she completed the framework design all by herself..."
They walked forward as they spoke.
The Dean pushed open the main door to the conference room, and Jiang Yubai's tone became even more natural. "As Professor Lin's boyfriend, I had the honor of witnessing the early development of the ptsic platform."
Jiang Yubai's main point was still the "Quantum Technology Laboratory" itself. He had seemingly, and unintentionally, revealed a shocking inside story.
Lin Zhixia let out a soft laugh and acknowledged, "If it weren't for your support, I might have just treated ptsic as a simple open-source project and released it fully to the online community."
This brief exchange between Jiang Yubai and Lin Zhixia contained a huge amount of information. The unspoken, tacit understanding between them made their every explanation extremely convincing.
Next, Jiang Yubai offered some more conventional remarks. He praised the university's first-class facilities, formidable research strength, abundant talent pool, and unique strategic vision. He expressed his hope that their collaboration could lead to breakthrough technological innovations.
When he finished speaking, the room was completely silent.
He turned his head to meet Lin Zhixia's gaze.
Lin Zhixia's eyes were shimmering with a brilliant light.
She picked up where Jiang Yubai left off and began to describe the design philosophy of the ptsic quantum programming language. Her long string of professional terminology stunned Jiang Yubai's team, yet it made the physics professors present nod frequently, understanding perfectly.
A festive atmosphere filled the conference room.
After reviewing the contract, Lin Zhixia solemnly signed her full name.
Witnessed by everyone present, the signing ceremony concluded successfully.
The rain outside never stopped, and in fact, it showed signs of getting heavier.
The rain poured down and thunder rumbled. Disregarding the harsh, stormy weather, the Dean personally escorted Jiang Yubai to the entrance of the college building.
Jiang Yubai bid the Dean farewell with a very polite and courteous attitude.
The Dean still had a lot of official business to attend to urgently. He wanted to report the news of the successful contract signing to the President's Office as soon as possible. He watched Jiang Yubai walk off the red carpet, then hurriedly returned to the college building.
Jiang Yubai took a long-handled black umbrella from his secretary. Holding the umbrella, he naturally sheltered Lin Zhixia beneath it.
Lin Zhixia glanced at her watch. It was twelve o'clock noon, right at lunchtime.
Earlier, Lin Zhixia had arranged with the students in her group to treat them to a meal today. She also recalled that during her doctoral studies at Cambridge, her supervisor would bring his wife to the graduate students' dinner banquet every year.
Lin Zhixia intended to follow her PhD supervisor's example.So, Lin Zhixia quietly told Jiang Yubai, “If you’re free this afternoon, you should come to our research group’s gathering. I booked a private room at a restaurant next to the university. I want to treat my students to a meal.”
Rainwater slid down the edge of the umbrella. Jiang Yubai tilted the handle, angling it toward Lin Zhixia. He exchanged a few more words with his assistant, who nodded in agreement and then led the group from the company back to the parking lot, while Jiang Yubai remained standing where he was.
“Coming to lunch?” Lin Zhixia invited again.
Jiang Yubai smiled and said, “Let’s go.”
Lin Zhixia turned to call out to her students, “Follow me.”
Xu Lingbo was the first to respond. “Alright, Professor Lin! Coming!”
He pulled a raincoat out of his backpack, gave it a little shake, and abruptly threw it over his head. Like a wild horse that had broken its reins, he bolted behind Lin Zhixia and shouted at Jiang Yubai, “Hello, Teacher’s Husband! Hello, Teacher’s Husband!”
The title “Teacher’s Husband” made Lin Zhixia laugh.
Near the university was a restaurant named “Zui Xiang Lou,” which specialized in Cantonese and Jiangsu-Zhejiang cuisine. The average cost per person was over a hundred yuan.
Xu Lingbo had long heard that the food at Zui Xiang Lou was delicious. He had passed by it countless times and could always smell the aroma wafting from inside, but being habitually frugal, he couldn't bear to spend over a hundred yuan on a single meal.
This afternoon, he could finally fulfill his long-held wish, so he was inevitably a little excited. He even managed to strike up a conversation with the Teacher’s Husband, Jiang Yubai. He told Jiang Yubai everything he knew, holding nothing back. When Jiang Yubai brought up Lin Zhixia’s work in the Laboratory, Xu Lingbo divulged all the information he was aware of.
Jiang Yubai then asked him, “Is Professor Lin’s ‘Quantum Bit and Computer’ course going smoothly?”
Xu Lingbo let out a hearty laugh. “Hah, that course was snatched up by a bunch of undergraduates. A few days ago, I was reading in my dorm when several third-year juniors came looking for me, all because of Professor Lin.”
Following his lead, Jiang Yubai continued, “Did they come to ask about the course content?”
“Ah, no,” Xu Lingbo corrected. “They were asking about…”
“About what?” Lin Zhixia was also curious.
Hearing Lin Zhixia’s voice, Xu Lingbo snapped back to his senses as if waking from a dream. Good heavens! He had almost sold out his juniors.
That evening, several juniors had come to Xu Lingbo’s dorm together, asking shyly if Professor Lin looked the same in person as she did in her photo. Did Professor Lin have a boyfriend? Was Professor Lin’s research group in need of students to do odd jobs?
As a second-year graduate student, Xu Lingbo was naturally more mature and composed than the third-year undergraduates. From an objective standpoint, he had earnestly analyzed the reality for them: “Don’t you know that people look better in dynamic videos than in static photos? Of course Professor Lin doesn’t look the same as her photo. She’s much more beautiful in person.”
The moment he finished that sentence, the juniors’ hearts fluttered. As if drunk, they all scrambled to pull out their phones and selected “Quantum Bit and Computer” on the spot.
Xu Lingbo was perfectly clear about the difficulty of this course—after all, he was one of the teaching assistants for “Quantum Bit and Computer”—but he didn’t stop his juniors. Instead, he watched with open eyes as this group of naive, innocent young men leaped into the fiery pit.
It wasn’t his fault, though.
He hadn’t lied.
He had merely concealed part of the truth.What if he poured his heart out to the junior students, telling them honestly: "Run for your lives! The homework for 'Quantum Bit and Computer' is ridiculously hard! I couldn't even understand the solutions when I got them. I had to rely on my senior sister to explain the problems to me sentence by sentence!"
What student, unafraid of death, would dare to choose this course then?
If no students chose the course, Teacher Lin would be sad, wouldn't she?
Countless thoughts flashed through Xu Lingbo's mind as Lin Zhixia led them into a private room at "Drunken Fragrance Pavilion."
Inside the room was a solid wood square table, and the five of them sat on two sides of it. Lin Zhixia picked up the menu, her tone cheerful. "Order whatever you want. Just get whatever you feel like eating."
Lin Zhixia remembered that her middle school homeroom teacher, her undergraduate advisor, and her doctoral advisor had all treated their students to meals and said the exact same thing. Although the three teachers had completely different personalities and were from different regions, they had reached a wondrous consensus on this point. Lin Zhixia decided to carry on this spirit.
The fragrance of tea filled the quiet room. Xu Lingbo was the first to break the silence. "Miss waitress, hello, hello. I'll have a scallion oil poached chicken, fish head and tofu soup, and a bowl of rice. A big bowl of rice, please. Thanks."
Zhan Rui followed, "Stir... stir... stir-fried cabbage, sweet and sour lotus root slices."
Fang Yiwen said, "I want a roujiamo."
Lin Zhixia was stunned.
Her students...
Why were they so frugal?
Even if she had brought the virtuous and thrifty Lin Zeqiu out to eat, he would have at least ordered a "Beef Bourguignon."
Lin Zhixia pinned her last hopes on Jiang Yubai. She believed he would surely display the magnanimous air of a wealthy heir he was born with. To her surprise, Jiang Yubai actually said, "Please add a side of cold-dressed cucumber, thank you."
Cold-dressed cucumber?
Lin Zhixia was instantly dumbfounded.
The waitress bent down and asked, "Hello, ma'am, is there anything else you need?"
Lin Zhixia returned the menu to the waitress and casually rattled off a string of dishes, "Roast suckling pig, steamed sea bass, Longjing shrimp, grilled lamb skewers, tomato and beef brisket clay pot, lotus leaf soup. For drinks, we'll have fresh-squeezed juice. I want strawberry juice. What do you all want?"
After everyone gave their answers, Lin Zhixia nodded. "Alright, let's start with that. If it's not enough, we can add a few more dishes."
"How much will this cost, Teacher?" Xu Lingbo asked uneasily.
Lin Zhixia waved her hand. "It's fine. Our research group has just been formed. It's worth commemorating."
The three students in her research group all sat across from her, while Lin Zhixia's seat was right next to Jiang Yubai. As soon as the waitress left the room, Lin Zhixia secretly tugged on Jiang Yubai's sleeve. Jiang Yubai leaned his head down toward her. "What's wrong?"
Lin Zhixia pulled her hand back. "N-nothing."
Fang Yiwen raised an eyebrow. "Teacher Lin, you're stuttering too?"
The word "too" was a subtle jab at Zhan Rui, who couldn't help but hug his arms.
Xu Lingbo immediately stopped her. "Senior Sister, don't say that."
"It's nothing," Fang Yiwen said with exceptional magnanimity. "Don't mind what other people think. A student from Teacher Qu's group said we're the 'old, weak, sick, and disabled' group, and I didn't even get mad."
Xu Lingbo's face, on the contrary, flushed red. "Which brat said we're old, weak, sick, and disabled?"
Fang Yiwen pointed to herself, then to them. "I'm the old, you're the weak, and Zhan Rui is the disabled."
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