As dusk fell and the sun dipped westward, night quietly descended.
Lin Zhixia placed a stack of documents on the table, reading from the first page to the last. Just as Jiang Yubai happened to pass by, she distractedly called out to him: "Jiang Yubai."
Jiang Yubai stopped in his tracks: "What is it?"
Lin Zhixia patted another chair, signaling for Jiang Yubai to sit beside her. As soon as he took a step closer, Lin Zhixia grabbed his sleeve. Jiang Yubai raised his hand to steady her, and she leaned into him.
He held her for a while before saying: "I'm going abroad on a business trip next week."
"Which cities?"
"Frankfurt, London, Manchester."
Lin Zhixia pondered: "When will you be back?"
Jiang Yubai answered truthfully: "Early next month."
Calculating the time, Lin Zhixia realized she and Jiang Yubai wouldn't see each other for another whole week. She began to cherish their time together. When Jiang Yubai invited her to sit on his lap, she agreed. With his left arm around her waist, he browsed through the experimental report with her.
Lin Zhixia openly explained: "This is research data previously compiled by my student Fang Yiwen."
Jiang Yubai turned a page: "What's the current situation?"
"Well, here's the thing," Lin Zhixia said, "I've encountered a minor issue and wanted to ask your opinion."
Before Lin Zhixia could finish, Jiang Yubai leaned close to her ear, his warm breath brushing against her skin, making her tingle with sensitivity. She instinctively lifted her head and continued: "Fang Yiwen's former supervisor was Teacher Qian, who established a key Laboratory. This summer, Teacher Qian changed jobs, and his Laboratory was reassigned by the department to Teacher Qu for management..."
Before Lin Zhixia could finish, Jiang Yubai guessed the sequence of events: "Teacher Qu doesn't agree to let you use his Laboratory?"
"Yes," Lin Zhixia admitted.
She looked troubled: "I've reviewed Fang Yiwen's experimental design. If we give up on Teacher Qu's Laboratory, Fang Yiwen would have to start over with a different method to collect data, which would waste a lot of her time. She's only in her second year of PhD studies—her time should be spent on more valuable pursuits."
After considering for a few seconds, Jiang Yubai asked: "Is that Teacher Qu your department's academic leader?"
Lin Zhixia turned to look at him: "Do you have an idea?"
Jiang Yubai suggested that Lin Zhixia approach the higher management department to clarify the specific arrangements for Qu Zongyi's Laboratory. Then, she should present the lab schedule to Qu Zongyi and discuss matters related to material costs with him.
Lin Zhixia understood: "I see. Discussing money with him would make it an official matter, and we could also seek approval from the department leadership."
Jiang Yubai elaborated further: "Sign a 'Key Laboratory Borrowing Agreement.'"
Lin Zhixia grew eager: "Alright, I'll take action tomorrow. If it doesn't work out..."
She was about to say "I'll figure something else out," but unexpectedly, Jiang Yubai casually added: "Then we'll build a better Quantum Chemistry laboratory within the company."
"No, no, no," Lin Zhixia immediately refused, "That kind of laboratory is very expensive."
Jiang Yubai inquired: "How expensive?"
Suddenly curious, Lin Zhixia whispered to him: "What amount of money do you consider a fortune?"Lin Zhixia's straightforward question only meant she wanted to know the answer, with no other implications. She remembered asking Jiang Yubai the same question when they were children, when he had replied, "One yuan is a fortune because currency is the foundation of the economic society." Now, Jiang Yubai called out to her: "Teacher Lin."
Lin Zhixia listened attentively: "I'm here."
He said, "Don't worry about funding."
Lin Zhixia held his hand: "Before our Quantum Technology Company turns a profit, don't keep pouring large sums of money into it. If the return rate isn't high enough, you'll suffer huge losses."
As she spoke, she played with his fingers.
She gently lifted his fingertips, stroked his knuckles, and scratched his nails. He grasped her hand, and she looked up at him. He explained: "During the first two years after Jiangke Software was established, it incurred losses every quarter. The internet industry has high profits, but even higher risks."
Lin Zhixia confided in him: "The 'quantum computing' fever is growing hotter worldwide. I'm not sure how far it can develop in the coming years."
"Take it one step at a time," Jiang Yubai tightened his grip on her fingers, "I have great confidence in you."
Lin Zhixia nodded solemnly.
The next morning at nine o'clock, Lin Zhixia arrived at school punctually.
She went straight to the Laboratory and Equipment Management Department of the "Frontier Interdisciplinary College" and retrieved all the graduate students' experimental plans for the week. Using the school's internal local area network, she executed Windows command-line programs to establish a weekly-updated database, successfully synchronizing all those files to her own computer.
Subsequently, Lin Zhixia wrote a crawler script and quickly generated an experimental schedule related to "Qu Zongyi."
She printed out this schedule and, upon careful examination, was surprised to discover that from Friday afternoon to Sunday morning, there wasn't a single student scheduled in Qu Zongyi's laboratory. Given this, why had he told Lin Zhixia that the laboratory was in use 24 hours a day?
At four o'clock on Monday afternoon, it happened to be Qu Zongyi's "office hours."
Shortly after four, Lin Zhixia brought Fang Yiwen with her and stepped into Qu Zongyi's office.
Qu Zongyi had just finished a group meeting. His research group consisted of over a dozen students, gathered together in unusually lively numbers. Peering through his thick glasses, he spotted Lin Zhixia and greeted her amiably: "Hello, Teacher Lin. Is there something you need?"
All of Qu Zongyi's students were older than Lin Zhixia.
Upon seeing Lin Zhixia, this group of students also responded in unison: "Hello, Teacher Lin."
Lin Zhixia smiled and said: "Hello, everyone."
The students all seemed unwilling to spend another second in Qu Zongyi's office. They smiled at Lin Zhixia and scrambled out of the room one after another. Hearing their footsteps fade into the distance, Lin Zhixia got straight to the point: "Teacher Qu, I came to see you today about the laboratory matter again."On Qu Zongyi's desk stood an enamel cup—its edges chipped and faded, a companion he hadn't replaced for years. He lifted the cup to brew a pot of hot tea before Lin Zhixia finally spoke: "My student Fang Yiwen has spent a full year on a paper—experimental data collected, models completed, only the verification step remains... Teacher Qu, doctoral studies are challenging. Do you think we could arrange an opportunity for Fang Yiwen before year-end? She won't disrupt other students—just about four days of equipment use."
Qu Zongyi slid his glasses down his nose, perching them precariously like a rigid old scholar. He replied slowly, "Year-end, December... I'll try my best."
Fang Yiwen stood silently behind Lin Zhixia.
Lin Zhixia continued, "The cost for experimental materials can be deducted from my research funds. I downloaded the 'Key Laboratory Borrowing Agreement' from the college website. Of course, the agreement is just a formality—actual implementation naturally requires your approval first."
Hearing the word "agreement," Qu Zongyi looked up.
Lin Zhixia produced a "This Week's Laboratory Schedule" and placed it on Qu Zongyi's desk.
Removing his glasses, Qu Zongyi flipped through the stack of documents. Lin Zhixia couldn't tell whether he could read them clearly without glasses, but after a minute, he declared, "Student Fang Yiwen, come to the laboratory Saturday morning. My assistant will give you the key."
He said nothing more.
Lin Zhixia considered the matter satisfactorily resolved.
After leaving Qu Zongyi's office, Lin Zhixia mentally listed her weekly tasks—having secured Fang Yiwen's experimental equipment, she needed to handle undergraduate course withdrawals, review the new product launch for Quantum Technology Company, read Feng Yuan's latest research progress, complete her own quantum algorithm experiment... Finally, she had to pick up Tang Tingting and Luo Ying from the airport.
Tang Tingting had resigned from her job in Beijing, while Luo Ying had completed her Ph.D. abroad ahead of schedule. Both were joining Lin Zhixia's Quantum Technology Company, and she looked forward immensely to working with them.
Tang Tingting was clever and delightful; Senior Luo Ying was gentle and insightful. They weren't just former classmates but longtime friends.
Lin Zhixia shared the news about Tang Tingting and Luo Ying with Jiang Yubai.
She mentioned she'd made plans with Senior Luo Ying to show her around the university district and laboratory. Since Jiang Yubai would be on a business trip to Europe next week, she'd have ample time to host her senior.
Jiang Yubai inexplicably added, "I'll return as early as possible."
Lin Zhixia replied lightly, "Focus on your work—no need to rush. Maintain your usual pace and be sure to rest. That's what I tell my students too."
It was 11 PM. Jiang Yubai glanced at the wall clock and switched off the lights. Opening his arms to her, she immediately nestled into his embrace, quietly chuckling twice before murmuring, "You're so warm."Jiang Yubai unbuttoned his pajamas, removing the thin layer of fabric to more directly convey his body's warmth. The cold autumn wind howled outside the window, with light rain pattering against the panes, yet Lin Zhixia only felt cozy, warm, and comfortable, as if soaking in a pool of warm water. She yawned and murmured to herself, "I'm planning to reform my 'Quantum Bit and Computer' course..."
Jiang Yubai asked patiently, "How so?"
Half-asleep, Lin Zhixia didn't mince her words: "Reform it to the point where even you could score seventy..."
The corner of Jiang Yubai's lips lifted.
After all these years, that familiar feeling returned.
Playing along, he whispered, "My foundation is indeed weak. The teacher will have to give me private lessons."
Lin Zhixia repeated his words: "Private lessons..."
Her voice was too soft for Jiang Yubai to catch. As he leaned his ear closer, she tilted her head up and kissed him. He froze for a moment before she kissed him twice more and said, "All fixed. Goodnight."
Jiang Yubai slowly bent down and silently kissed her forehead. He replied in a breathy whisper, "Goodnight, Xia Xia."
OpenNovel