```
Typically, the victims of Li Zheng’s presence who suffered were mostly male.
It wasn’t because he was targeting them on purpose, but simply because the proportion of short-haired, bespectacled men in the field of science and competitive environments was just too high.
In reality, Li Zheng’s impact was a gender-neutral ecological chain disruption.
For instance, this evening, he sat alone in the lobby of the girls’ dormitory, motionless, as if deep in thought, or perhaps emptying his mind.
To the girls passing through the lobby, this was pretty much like a juicy, sinewy bone lying in a starving dog’s kennel.
Even the most reserved female prodigies couldn’t help themselves but to sweep glances over with the corner of their eyes.
As for those less reserved, they had already passed back and forth in front of the lobby seven or eight times, more diligent than the patrolling guards in a video game.
The enforcer of order in the girls’ dormitory, the dormitory supervisor auntie, had originally intended to shoo the boy waiting here out to the entrance.
But when she stepped out of the office and got a clear view of Li Zheng.
She felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment, unable to open her mouth.
She thought she had a heart of steel, an impartial defender of order.
In the end, she was defeated by handsomeness.
At the moment when her girlish heart overtook her sense of duty, the auntie felt ashamed and silently retreated to her office, using her phone as an excuse to continue peeping secretly.
Li Zheng, of course, was oblivious to all these attentions; he had become numb to it all from being under the spotlight for too long.
He just sat there quietly, at times resembling a young Planck, other times a middle-aged Feynman; some girls even secretly harbored wicked hopes that he’d be scummy like Schrödinger.
But nobody knew that beneath this meaningless guise of handsomeness,
lay the soul of a true Zu Chongzhi.
Wait, someone did know.
"Memorizing prime numbers again?" Lin Yujing jumped right beside him.
"Yeah, it’s indeed a good way to clear my mind," Li Zheng said with a smile as he stood up, "Grandpa taught me a lot, but this is the only thing that works."
"It works, it works..." Lin Yujing said shyly, yet cautiously scanning the dorm mates passing by, "If you need me, just make an appointment somewhere... Let’s go, let’s get out of here, don’t stay here..."
"The doors will be locked soon, I’m worried you won’t make it back," Li Zheng whispered.
"Then... it’s better than you not being able to get out," Lin Yujing forced him out, stuttering.
At that moment, the entire lobby erupted into a brief cacophony of teeth chattering.
Even the auntie, accustomed to seeing many a late return, couldn’t help but jab at her phone screen aggressively.
Fuck, they definitely won’t come back to the dorm tonight.
Why do they get to enjoy themselves...
It must be said, their strategic level was a bit low.
This night, even if they really didn’t return to the dorm, they were surely discussing their studies.
And indeed, that was quite enjoyable.
Walking through the campus at night, Li Zheng scatteredly talked about the School of Physics’ relentless competition, and also pieced together Teacher Jie’s past.
In his messy explanations, Lin Yujing naturally detected Li Zheng’s confusion and doubts.
She didn’t ask questions or interrupt him but let him finish speaking.
In the end, even the words Li Zheng said himself were becoming unclear.
"I’m confident I can control myself, but you, Jian Feng... and Wu Shu... "
"Although Zhong Ping didn’t say it outright, it seems that some graduate students have fallen deep into it before... and they ended up in bad mental states."
"But at the same time, Jie Qifen is so far the teacher who has inspired my mathematical thinking the most. He took me into the core of the physics building, guiding me to reconstruct it on my own with mathematical language..."
"For me, learning this part from no one but him is essential."
"I know I’ll stubbornly continue, but this also means danger, it means the entire School of Physics will be disappointed in me—actually, I’m not even confident I can achieve any significant results."
"I thought about disbanding this research group, but I don’t know what to say."
"Everyone would definitely support me unconditionally to follow Teacher Xie’s studies."
"So this time, I’m really a bit troubled..."
Only after confirming that Li Zheng had finished speaking did Lin Yujing let out a sigh.
"Ah... If only you were half as sensitive and meticulous in other areas outside of your studies..."
"Oh?" Li Zheng turned his head and quirked an eyebrow, licking his lips, "Is it that you’re insensitive, or am I not meticulous?"
"Cut it out, we’re talking serious stuff," Lin Yujing hurriedly covered her mouth, saying through her fingers, "Or are you really not planning to talk about serious matters... but instead, want to forget about them..."
"Yeah... let’s finish talking before forgetting," Li Zheng raised his hand and patted Lin Yujing, "Hold on for a while, don’t be too eager."
"Who’s eager? It must be you who has a mind full of shitty thoughts," Lin Yujing quickly wiped her mouth and tried to act formal as she walked away with her hands clasped behind her, "After saying so much, what do you think makes Jie Qifen more brilliant than other teachers?"
"It should be... the mathematical interpretations," Li Zheng gestured, "Ordinary teachers would only convey the definitions of concepts to you, teach you how to apply formulas, more brilliant teachers will tell you where those concepts come from, Jie Qifen is stronger than them all. He digs deep, turning every seemingly vague concept into mathematical substance, then he guides me to connect this substance with the basic axioms, creating a feeling like unlocking one unlocks them all. I believe in the controversial study of quantum mechanics later on, sticking to such rigorous mathematical logic in derivation is actually the least likely way to go astray..."
"If you really trust him that much, trust his way of thinking, then there must be something wrong in modern quantum mechanics, and egregiously so," Lin Yujing said lightly, as though she was narrating an utterly common fact, "Of course, this doesn’t mean his theories are correct. But there must be something outrageously wrong for him to be this way."
```
Li Zheng watched Lin Yujing swallow his saliva and said, "How come you so easily took his side..."
"I’m not taking sides, I think both sides are wrong~" Lin Yujing replied with a smile, "But emotionally I do side with Jie Qifen. Not for any other reason, but because these teachers from the School of Physics, they really look down on people too much."
"Look down on whom?"
"Us," Lin Yujing spread her hands and said, "If Jie Qifen’s theories are indeed pseudoscientific ramblings, how could we possibly keep up? If Jie Qifen really has us bewitched, wouldn’t that just prove that his theory is more formidable than all the research in the world? If his theory could lead me ’astray,’ at least it proves it’s more ingenious and worth studying than string theory. Just as string theory isn’t a pipe dream, what makes string theory the standard and not Jie’s theories?"
"You... you’ve already learned string theory...?" Li Zheng shivered.
"What else would I do while you and those people were bashing chemistry, play with voodoo dolls?" Lin Yujing answered fiercely, "But though string theory is interesting, it’s essentially a self-contained mathematical labyrinth. Replace ’strings’ with something else, like ’membranes’ or ’waves,’ and you can still have a similar labyrinth, as long as it has an elegant entrance and exit. Like when playing a game, once you realize the nature of its quantification, it becomes tasteless. I guess Jie Qifen’s theory is probably the same. You’ve praised him for so long; if his labyrinth isn’t fun, I’ll despise you too."
Li Zheng exhaled deeply and waved his hand, "Hold on... you’re on a whole different level than me; I need a moment to catch up."
"Chemistry makes people dumb, Scum Chap deserves it!"
After mocking, Lin Yujing then took Li Zheng’s trembling hand.
"Gu Jianfeng, Wu Shu—I don’t care about them, nor do I care about Jie Qifen; the only thing I can think of that’s interesting and might lead to something is superconductivity. I don’t care about all the things you said; I don’t mind as long as..."
Lin Yujing turned her head and whispered.
"...as long as I can do it with you."
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freёwebnovel.com.
"Ah..." Li Zheng’s face brightened up, feeling a sense of sudden clarity.
"Thinking back to the past half-month, you were doing chemistry with so many people..." Lin Yujing’s face showed a hint of fierceness, "Do you know what I went through during that half a month? String theory! I was calculating string theory every day! This time, for once, I found something fun in physics... You better not run off!"
"Oh?" Li Zheng said excitedly, "I was wondering why you were acting so strange that half a month. Were you jealous of my studying? Didn’t want to see me study with others? Or didn’t accept group learning? Wanted to have me all to yourself in physics?"
"That’s the idea... but it sounds so disgusting the way you put it!"
"Haha!" Li Zheng wrapped his arms around Lin Yujing and laughed unrestrainedly, "Then I’ll satisfy you. Just the two of us this time, we’ll study until we’re dazed and confused, until we ’Enter Demonization,’ until heaven and earth shatter."
"???" Lin Yujing asked weakly, "Not taking Jie Qifen with us?"
"We still need an advisor..."
"Sss, if his classes aren’t interesting, I’ll just walk out on the spot."
"Old Xie won’t disappoint you," Li Zheng said, arching his eyebrows deeply and taking a breath, "Alright, now that the serious talk is over, is it time to clear our minds?"
"Hold on... at least hide behind a tree... Mmm... Mmm-mm..."
The university campus at night is just like that, always some trees inexplicably shedding lots of leaves.
...
A new day, and Sui Miao received a formal project collaboration proposal from Yingpei College first thing in the morning.
[Theoretical Exploration of Superconductivity and Superconducting Materials]
[Participant Members: Li Zheng (Yingpei College), Lin Yujing (School of Physics).]
[Advisor: Jie Qifen (School of Physics).]
Below a series of standard documents, Sui Miao clearly saw the endorsement signature of Yingpei’s dean, Niu Gang.
Sui Miao could only sigh deeply and proceed with the matter following protocol.
One could say that the only outcome of all yesterday’s efforts was that the superstar team was disbanded.
Zhong Ping also quickly received the news and approved it immediately.
With yesterday’s words already said, and Niu Gang in charge, with Li Zheng proposing the topic, all they needed from their School of Physics was an experiment administrator, and there really wasn’t any reason to prevaricate.
When Sui Miao handed the official document to Jie Qifen, he did not show much emotion. After stating that he could still manage the laboratory work, he lowered his head and continued preparing the handwritten lesson plan.
Sui Miao glanced over and it was completely filled with content that was difficult for him to understand at first sight.
"Teacher Jie, isn’t that mathematical depth a bit..."
"Hehe." Jie Qifen just shook his head with a smile and began writing calculations with relish, "They can understand, only they can understand."
Sui Miao wanted to say more but, seeing Jie Qifen’s engrossed look, ultimately just sighed again.
He sincerely hoped for a good outcome.
...
That evening, when Li Zheng and Lin Yujing entered the laboratory, Jie Qifen was writing on the whiteboard.
He also changed from his usual sloppy appearance, wearing a clean shirt and crisp trousers—though both looked rather dated, like a throwback to the ’90s intellectual or a poorly attired country gentleman attending a formal event.
On the whiteboard, Jie Qifen had clearly written the teaching content.
According to this outline, before they could really tackle superconductivity, they had to lay down a series of theoretical foundations.
These would mainly focus on Quantum Mechanics, Strong Interaction, and Field Theory.
As for Solid State Physics, Electromagnetism, Condensed Matter Physics, and other areas that seemed more closely related to superconductivity, Jie Qifen assumed Li Zheng and Lin Yujing already mastered them. Even if they hadn’t, they could study them on their own without him having to waste words.
After seeing the pair, he didn’t joke around as much as usual, nor did he make any grandiose statements; he got straight to the point.
Li Zheng expected him to start with Quantum Mechanics and begin from the most fundamental aspect.
But he never imagined that this aspect would be "matrices."
The same matrices from mathematics, a theory that appeared 60 years before Quantum Mechanics.
It’s likely that the mathematicians of that time could never have imagined that years later, something called "Quantum Mechanics" would emerge, and the matrix theory they collectively created, which they did not even know had any use, would become the most important mathematical support for this discipline.
Thus began the first movement of a quantum symphony originating from mathematics.
Then, in the blink of an eye, it was already deep into the night.
It wasn’t that anyone wanted to blink; it was mainly because Teacher Jie’s lesson plan for the day had been used up.
He himself hadn’t expected to be able to speak so fast and for so long, and at the end, when he looked at the blank pages beneath his hand, he actually felt somewhat annoyed.
"I’m getting old, my hand is too slow," Teacher Jie sighed and said with a bitter smile, "Sorry, but we can only go up to here for today."
"What!!" Lin Yujing said, staring dumbfounded, "It’s nothing like what Li Zheng said, Teacher Jie’s lectures are super amazing. Everything flows so well!"
"You flatter me, you two are just too smart," he replied.
"I don’t think that’s the case," Li Zheng closed his notebook filled with formulas and wiped the grease from his forehead, "If you had always prepared your lessons with this attitude... I guarantee you would have been the most popular teacher in the school... No one understands Quantum Mechanics better than you."
"It’s more than just attitude," Lin Yujing nodded repeatedly, "The image and temperament are also very comforting, definitely the best teacher I have ever seen... apart from my grandma..."
"Alright, let’s not talk about this anymore," Teacher Jie waved off, "Same time tomorrow, I’ll prepare more and try to wrap up the quantum part by the end of the month."
"There’s no need to rush," Li Zheng surprisingly asked the teacher to slow down the pace of teaching, while packing up he said excitedly, "Today I learned even better than I had hoped, how about getting some late-night snacks and a drink later?"
"I have to head back," Teacher Jie quickly slung his bag over his shoulder, "If I don’t go home, my mom can’t sleep."
"Well... alright then..."
"Remember to lock the door, I’ve left the key here."
After placing down the key, Teacher Jie left.
Lin Yujing shrugged at Li Zheng: "He’s nothing like what you told me..."
Li Zheng responded helplessly: "He’s probably scared of not being able to control himself and reveal his private stash. I can feel how restrained he was while teaching."
"That just makes me even more curious," Lin Yujing scratched her head, "He’s such a clear-headed teacher, what could his private stash possibly be? I must find a way to ask tomorrow."
"Don’t do that, let’s understand the public goods first," Li Zheng slung his backpack, "Late night snacks?"
"I want to eat..." Lin Yujing hesitated, "But it’s going to be this late every day... Once is okay, but every day... wouldn’t that just be..."
"That would just be Shen Yiyun," Li Zheng exclaimed, "No wonder... this is probably how overworking causes weight gain."
After a struggle, in the end, the two of them still went out for late-night barbecue.
And they resolved that they definitely would not eat the next day.
...
The next day, at the same time, they sat in the same place, swearing to God that they definitely could not eat again the third day.
On the third day, they tacitly denied the existence of God, so the oath became unimportant.
On the fourth day, they met Shen Yiyun at the barbecue restaurant and had a joyous meal together.
...
Once studying begins, time always flies by so quickly.
Things like publishing papers seemed like a long time ago.
Members of the Science Frontier group wanted to ask Li Zheng about his progress, but the problem was they simply couldn’t find him!
So they could only assume that he was lost in love and had no interest in studying anymore.
Actually, on the contrary, these past two months have been when Li Zheng improved the most.
Every night, four to five hours of Teacher Jie’s lectures, coupled with accelerated deep digestion after returning to the dormitory, and some additional extended learning, made it seem as if Li Zheng had returned to his high school days, overwhelmed by study.
Lin Yujing was the same, except that she was more often overwhelmed by barbecue, and the hunger that followed every night’s legendary lectures was unbearable!
However, this in-depth and prolonged study made the teachers at the School of Physics increasingly uneasy, often asking Zhou Xiao about their progress, fearing that Li Zheng and the others would be led astray.
Initially, Li Zheng kindly responded, but after being asked repeatedly, he also grew annoyed and only replied, "We’re studying our stuff, don’t ask anymore."
This kind of response, undoubtedly made the kind-hearted teachers even more worried.
In fact, they had passed by the lab and attempted to listen in.
But the interactions between the three inside the lab had reached a horrifying level; due to the chasm between mathematics and the Chinese language, often they wouldn’t even speak, expressing whatever they wanted to by writing a series of formulas and symbols on their own whiteboards. Then another would respond with more symbols, and this process would usually be interspersed with some "mm-hmm" sounds.
This was even more terrifying...
Had they become so bewitched that they lost their ability to speak?
Uncontrollably, rumors began to circulate, starting within the School of Physics, but because Li Zheng was widely expected and well-known, the gossip gradually spread throughout the entire campus.
"Li Zheng... alas... has fallen onto a mistaken path..."
"Yingpei supported him so much, thinking he would choose a good direction with the resources... Such a pity."
"Have you heard? It’s already been two months... Li Zheng has been entangled with that Teacher Jie for two months now..."
"It seems like he’s become so obsessed with calculating that he can’t talk anymore, along with his girlfriend..."
"His girlfriend was a mute to begin with."
"I heard their group initially included Wind God and Queen, but those two couldn’t stand it and left..."
"The classic case of getting a little success and becoming overly proud. Just because of some good luck, do you really think you are the Chosen One who governs everything?"
"Hey, hey, not cool to say that, but their teacher really does act like he’s the Chosen One, huh?"
"Would your Chosen One end up as a lab manager?"
"Hahaha!"
Li Zheng, of course, couldn’t hear these discussions, and frankly, even if he could, he wouldn’t care.
Those people simply couldn’t understand just how joyful this period of study truly was.
However, Jie Qifen ultimately couldn’t escape all this.
After all, Li Zheng and Lin Yujing were two invaluable gems that no one dared to criticize or provoke, especially with Niu Gang irrationally protecting them.
So, all the pressure was shifted to Jie Qifen instead.
Before he knew it, almost every day, a leader would summon him for a talk.
From thought work to practical guidance, from threats to enticements, from professional titles to positions, they practically covered everything under the sun, all just to get him to let those two poor kids off the hook.
In the process, Jie Qifen always maintained a non-violent non-cooperation stance, valuing his words like gold. You say your piece, and I’ll work on my teaching plans.
But he was human, and he would inevitably tire.
By the end of November, the weather had grown colder, but he still wore the same jacket, thinking about teaching plans on the homeward bus so deeply that he didn’t feel the cold.
It was only when he entered his home and his elderly mother pinched the thin fabric of his trousers and scolded him, "Not wearing long johns, just wait until your legs ache," that he suddenly felt the chill.
It turned out that winter had already arrived.
He didn’t even have time to take a bath before he changed into a set of thick underwear and, as usual, washed and medicated his mother’s feet.
His mother, though, suddenly became very talkative.
"Ai, you’ve been coming home so late recently, are you really working on a key national project that you absolutely can’t leave?"
"What else?" Jie Qifen replied with a weary smile, "Do I look like the type to stay late at work on my own initiative?"
"You’d have to be ghost-possessed to work overtime!" She leaned forward curiously and whispered, "Tell me the truth, did you get yourself a girlfriend?"
"Not a chance."
"Isn’t it that person in your phone, Tang something-or-other..."
"That’s my student’s teacher..."
"Your student’s teacher would still be your colleague, right? Why beat around the bush with me?"
"Not exactly, she’s from a high school... Ah, forget it, think whatever you want."
"I’m just saying..." She lifted the hem of her trousers closer and whispered, "Why don’t you invite her over to our house one day?"
"Like I said, I’m busy with an important project." Jie Qifen carefully applied the medicine, his expression unwavering as he explained, "This project is very critical, and it might become a top-secret project at any moment. Then all of us professors will have to convene in a secure location, where phone calls won’t even be allowed."
"Like you’re building an atomic bomb?"
"Something like that."
"Just you?"
"I am a professor at Ji University, after all, okay?"
"Sure, sure, a great professor, just can’t find a wife." His mother laughed heartily, "Give me your phone, let me have another look at that girl..."
"I told you, that’s not it."
"I’ll just look, just think about it, is that not allowed?"
"Take it, take it!"
A moment later, the medicine was applied, and Jie Qifen tidied up the basin and towel, then reached to take back his phone and head to bed.
"Just one more look..." His mother still clutched the phone, grinning with delight, "She’s a teacher too, right? Being a teacher is nice..."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Jie Qifen snatched the phone back grumbling, "Go find something to do, watch your soap operas or whatever, just stop fixating on this."
"If I don’t worry about it, no one else will." His mother shook her head, turned, and went to bed. Then, suddenly recalling something, with her nose twitching, she pressed him, "I haven’t smelled tobacco in this house for a long time..."
"I quit." Jie Qifen waved his hand dismissively.
"When did that happen?"
"About two months ago."
"Why?"
"It’s better for my health." Jie Qifen quickly closed the bedroom door.
Yet she kept to herself, chuckling, "It sure is because a wife won’t let you... I’ve scolded you for so many years to no avail; you need a wife to keep you in line, haha..."
Back in his own room, Jie Qifen leapt over several big piles of bundled calculation sheets as if playing hopscotch, until he reached his bed and lay down. Then, almost by habit, he turned on his phone and saw Tang Zhifei’s photo.
Following a long smile, he pressed the phone to his heart and soon fell into a deep sleep.
"It’s actually quite nice."
He murmured with a smile.