This Monday was out of the ordinary for Cui Shenzhi.
After the first few weeks of the term, Li Zheng and Lin Yujing had seldom attended his "Biophysics" class.
As amiable as Cui Shenzhi was, he too had a temper.
Therefore, he planned to give a warning to the two during the midterm exam, although they looked down on the teacher. Even if the teacher was not smart, at least the authority to set exam topics was still in the teacher’s hands.
Subsequently, out of the blue, he faced an even more brutal blow.
For a lecturer, there was nothing more cruel than "those who don’t attend classes scoring the highest", giving him a sense of his self-worth being denied.
But today, they had all come, neat and tidy.
And they behaved very well, not doing anything too outrageous in class.
They just quietly bowed their heads and studied on their own.
Wait a second... studied on their own?
Could it be because the teacher’s voice was more suitable as background noise?
If that was the case...
Upon thinking this, Cui Shenzhi blushed and bowed his head.
Well, at least the teacher still had some use...
Perhaps studying on your own in the "Biophysics" classroom was at least more comfortable than a silent environment.
With such a duty, Cui Shenzhi’s teaching today was a bit gentler than usual.
However, Mo Nian, who sat in front of Li Zheng, was still quite distressed.
The reason for the distress was also related to "self-worth."
In the past few months, he had tried to approach Li Zheng’s current project.
But to hell with it!
What the hell was it?
He had studied "Advanced Mathematics", but it seemed like Li Zheng and the others were dealing with "Advanced High-Level Mathematics", mathematics that went who-knows-where.
As a pure-blooded man, Mo Nian could not accept this.
He would rather be kicked out of Science Frontier than tolerate being the one who drags everyone down.
Just study, just study mathematical physics, just bow your head and study hard,
groaning in pain as he did so.
"Damn… a guaranteed spot is not a good thing either…" Mo Nian said, clutching Yang Jun’s thigh tightly, "I’ve gotten lazy, lazy in everything outside of biology…"
"Brother… it hurts…" Yang Jun moaned with teary eyes.
Hearing such moans, Mo Nian was initially moved by worldly thoughts, his steadfast faith somewhat shaken.
But turning his head and seeing Yang Jun’s face, he immediately steadied himself again.
"Sorry…" Mo Nian withdrew his hand, "Lately I’ve been struggling with advanced math and physics…"
Yang Jun, rubbing his thigh, said aggrievedly, "You could have just told me where it was difficult…"
"What would you know, little brother who can’t even use a cell phone." Mo Nian casually opened a textbook, "Take topology for instance. I understand every word and symbol, but if I look at more than 18 characters in a row, my mind starts looping with DNA structures and then I don’t know anything anymore."
"That’s pretty basic though, right? Isn’t it just adding a few conditions to the concept of sets from high school?"
"Exactly," Mo Nian nodded, "I can understand every word you say, but I have no fucking clue what you’re talking about."
"Same here, I always had this issue when explaining things to classmates in high school, let me show you how I use the mathematical collector for examples…" Yang Jun said, taking out some discarded printing paper he’d picked up from the machine room, and started writing on the back of it.
Unlike the abstract descriptions in the textbook, Yang Jun’s explanations were extremely straightforward.
So straightforward that after Mo Nian looked it over, although he still had no idea what topology was, he felt a confidence that he could solve the problems.
"Not bad… so I just need to apply this method when solving the problems…"
"Yeah." Yang Jun pushed the paper towards Mo Nian, nodding. "Actually, I don’t understand many concepts either, our teachers back home didn’t understand them, so we just had to summarize some unconventional methods for solving problems. Now, although the teachers at Ji University have improved a lot, this habit just can’t be changed."
"This… is very much like artificial intelligence…" Mo Nian shook his head, not sure if he was complimenting or cursing, "Although the computer doesn’t know a damn thing itself, it’s core thinking is just a long string of ones and zeroes... but it can still defeat a go champion."
"I’m not that capable." Yang Jun scratched his head shyly, glanced at the struggling Li Zheng behind him, then smiled and lowered his head, "Brother Li is really something, understands concepts and solves problems quickly…"
"That being said…" Mo Nian’s expression gradually tightened, looking at his own hands, "I’m left with… being good with my hands?"
"Brother Nian, don’t do this..." Yang Jun, afraid his leg might explode from the squeeze, quickly asked, "I heard from the teacher that in biological research, isn’t 90% of it all about experimentation? Isn’t having good practical skills the most important quality?"
"For now, yes." Mo Nian nervously glanced to the side, "But think about it, no matter how precise human handiwork may be, can it surpass machinery? There’s only one reason experimental robots haven’t replaced 90% of lab personnel yet—biologists... are just too damn cheap."
"Why do I feel like you’re talking about my uncle who insists on hand-reaping wheat?"
"Same thing." Mo Nian, hugging Yang Jun, said, "Jun, surely you didn’t come all this way just to settle for a role that will eventually be replaced, or to do the same monotonous work every day, did you?"
"Well... actually... sometimes farming is more enjoyable than studying..." Yang Jun grimaced, "It’s just that there’s so little land back home, otherwise it might not have been my turn to study... I sometimes envy other families that have land to farm... Brother, it’s different for us, the people in our hometown. To have a repetitive job that can keep us fed and warm each day is the greatest happiness."
"Sigh..." Mo Nian sighed deeply, "I understand you, but once you actually have those things, you’ll want more, like I do now. Keeping a research position under Professor Bing’s supervision isn’t a big problem... but Jun, I’ve become greedy; I want to forever be in Li Zheng’s group at Science Frontier, doing some of the most imaginative and pioneering work."
"Then just... keep striving," Yang Jun threw a punch into the air, "Although Brother Li is a nice guy, why should anyone who can’t even handle topological structures work with him?"
"What did you say?" Mo Nian glared with bulging eyes.
"~" Yang Jun’s legs went weak, "Brother, I was wrong..."
"No, harder." Mo Nian clenched his teeth and opened his textbook, "I’m feeling motivated now... Inspire me more."
"Ah... really, brother?"
"Yes, harder!"
"Cough..." Yang Jun grimaced, steeling himself, "An ordinary recommended student thinking he can catch Brother Li’s eye? Blind, Brother Li has never even looked straight at you."
"Yes... just like that... Don’t stop, louder, I can’t hear you."
"Mo Nian, you’re nothing but a waste who’s good for nothing besides biology." Yang Jun cursed and eventually ended up covering his face in shame, "Being just an experimental tool, hoping for Brother Li to look at you properly?"
"Uh-huh... that’s the spirit..."
As Mo Nian was about to look up at Yang Jun to get him to stop, Yang Jun couldn’t hold himself back anymore.
"Brother Li only has eyes for Jingjing, you don’t stand a chance!"
"No... wrong track, Jun..."
Even Li Zheng and Lin Yujing, who were behind, looked up in horror.
With Mo Nian’s face turning crimson, the two furrowed their brows, instantly becoming alert.
As for Teacher Cui at the platform, he was fraught with self-blame.
It must be my voice that’s not soft and lovely enough, not providing good background music, that accidentally drew your attention and made you distracted from your studies.
Give me another chance, I’ll lower my pitch by half a tone.
...
This Monday was also quite extraordinary for Shen Yuecen.
Because...
Jian Feng hadn’t replied to his emails!
As Gu Jianfeng had said, every week Shen Yuecen would send a few carefully selected papers to Jian Feng with some homework questions, which Jian Feng would usually complete quickly and provide feedback. Shen Yuecen would use this feedback to decide the papers for the next week’s studies.
But the previous week, there had been no response from Jian Feng.
Even by midnight, there was still no sign of him.
At that moment, Shen Yuecen realized something.
What’s meant to happen will happen.
Li Zheng, this damn kid... is at it again...
In a burst of irritation, Shen Yuecen didn’t interact with Li Zheng during that afternoon’s math class.
Just like a girlfriend who is used to passionately making love with her boyfriend every night, suddenly one day, she just goes through the motions, without as much as a moan.
The class lost its flavor, and Li Zheng also taught it without taste.
In the teacher’s lounge after class, Shen Yuecen was similarly indifferent, but he couldn’t avoid the weekly mentorship meetings, after all, he was Li Zheng’s only official mentor.
However, these moments felt less like academic guidance...
and more like family members catching up.
"Sigh..." Once seated, Shen Yuecen tilted his head, his face a picture of misery, picking up his water bottle, "When I was young, I once encountered a stray cat. Every day I would put food out in the yard for it, and it would come every day. Then as others began feeding it too, it would only come to my spot every three or four days. Later on, a family started giving it scraps of fish, sometimes even things like pig liver or duck hearts. After that, it never came back."
Listening, Li Zheng’s face contorted with confusion. "Grandma... I’ve been really busy with the project lately... I really haven’t had time to come by. How about this, once this busy period is over, I and Jingjing will bring our bedding over to your place, find us a bed, and we’ll stay for a week."
Shen Yuecen nearly spat out his water.
Looking at Li Zheng’s earnest eyes, he wasn’t sure whether this was a face-saving challenge or an actual will to spend time with an elder.
"My house is big!" Shen Yuecen was forced to sputter, "Four rooms, you each could occupy two rooms."
"What about you?"
"Even if I sleep on the sofa or the floor, you guys can forget about sleeping one..." Shen Yuecen said, gesturing vigorously with his hands, "Stop it, young people are meant to be studying, knowing that you are studying is enough for me, no need for these formalities."
"You’re right."
"But Gu Jianfeng." Shen Yuecen squinted and glared, "What exactly did you give him?"
"Just some mathematical problems from our project..."
"Is your project about the Riemann Hypothesis?"
"It’s about superconductivity, as you know."
"Then why has it trapped him for so long?" Shen Yuecen set down his glass and shook his head, "You don’t know, every math paper I give to Gu Jianfeng, even PhD students struggle with it for two weeks before they can digest it, not to mention fully understanding it, yet Gu has never kept me waiting for a day, has your stuff reached this depth already?"
"Slightly deep..."
"Which professor is supervising your superconductivity project? Is it Lu Dongsheng from the experimental side, or Zhang Qi from the theory side?"
Li Zheng modestly said, "It’s Teacher Jie Qifen, you might not recognize him."
"..." Shen Yuecen’s expression froze and he was silent for a long while before finally saying stiffly, "That explains it... He might not come back for a while now..."
"What?"
"Fish in the water, pig’s liver, and duck’s heart." Shen Yuecen kept shaking his head, "With these scents, how can the cat still eat our leftover food?"
"..." Li Zheng swallowed and said, "You might have misunderstood, Gu Jianfeng has never met Teacher Jie in person, the questions I consult with Gu on are all mine."
Shen Yuecen pointed at the table with his hand, "Can you say there are none of Jie Qifen’s ideas in this?"
"...I can’t say so absolutely."
Shen Yuecen tapped his forehead and said, "For those extremely smart people, embedding a hook in the equation is enough to dig to the bottom."
Li Zheng scratched his head, "I... I didn’t notice anything strange..."
"We’re different, we’re the dull ones, making up for it with hard work, learning a broad array of things," Shen Yuecen sighed, then leaned back on his chair for a long time before saying, "I didn’t oppose when you wanted to work on superconductivity theory, but you made some promises, remember?"
"I remember." Li Zheng immediately nodded, "Limited to this semester, if by the end of the term there’s still no sign of noticeable results, the project will be terminated."
New novel 𝓬hapters are published on freёwebnoѵel.com.
"I’ll give you some more leeway, until the Spring Festival," Shen Yuecen raised his hand, "If there’s still no hope by then, just take a break. The saying that ’you won’t turn back until you hit the south wall’ isn’t necessarily bad, but in some places, there isn’t even a wall, just pure endlessness. Maybe there’s a wall, but to challenge it with the short span of human life is still endless."
"I’ll heed your advice," Li Zheng sighed, "You’re already more open-minded than most for allowing us to follow Teacher Jie Qifen."
"Allowing? Does my permission matter?" Shen Yuecen pointed at Li Zheng and chided him with a laugh, "I don’t allow you to skip class, I don’t allow you to hang out with Jingjing outside of class... Does that matter?"
"Hehe~"
"Always grinning," Shen Yuecen flung his hand, "Go on, you won’t be killed by Jie Qifen’s methods."
"No worries, it’s quite joyful to calculate, especially when doing it with Jingjing."
"???" Shen Yuecen, upon realizing and wanting to throw something at Li Zheng, saw him already darting away, with only his sleazy laughter echoing down the hallway.
Shen Yuecen smiled helplessly and had no choice but to put on his dress shoes again.
"Thirty years on... he should have this sense of proportion by now."
...
After dinner, in the laboratory classroom, as night fell, the Sun belonging to the trio rose as usual.
As Li Zheng was setting up tools on the table, he asked, "How’s auntie?"
"What?" Teacher Jie wiped the whiteboard, puzzled.
"Didn’t you take your mother to the hospital over the weekend?"
"Oh... no worries, just a routine checkup," Teacher Jie picked up a marker, "How about you guys, is Gu Jianfeng interested?"
"Very—very interested." Lin Yujing also pulled over her whiteboard, gesticulating with her arms, "He calculated all day without feeling hungry, I was fainting from hunger just watching."
"Fainting from hunger?"
"Yeah, that’s what Li Zheng said," Lin Yujing pitifully said, "Anyway, when I woke up, I found myself already on the floor..."
"What about before that?" Teacher Jie rubbed his forehead, "Even when I blackout from drinking, I can still remember the state before the blackout."
"Before... before..." Lin Yujing tapped her chin, "Before seemed rather comfortable, laying somewhere... where was it..."
"Cough, that’s not important." Li Zheng sharply interrupted and erased Lin Yujing’s memory again, then turned to Teacher Jie, "Gu Jianfeng seemed to have calculated the Magic Angle into a higher dimension, might need octonions now."
"Yes, yes, I skipped over these parts when I was reading about string theory." Lin Yujing followed up, "Later, I found out that it’s not only about string theory; these are related to quantum logic too. Why didn’t you tell us?"
"This... the mathematical extension is another direction, not necessarily related to superconductivity." Jie Qifen started writing on the whiteboard, "Let’s continue with ours. Over the weekend I calculated those five solutions we simulated in the paper; three of them are fine, but the other two must have significant errors."
Just as Li Zheng and Lin Yujing picked up their chairs to move closer, a rough and then childish panting was suddenly heard at the door.
"Right... right!" A disheveled boy gasped as he leaned against the door, "Among the five standard solutions, three need to consider factors outside the domain..."
"Jian Feng!"
"Jian Feng?!"
Li Zheng and Lin Yujing hurriedly got up to help him.
They were genuinely scared by Gu Jianfeng’s disheveled appearance.
"I came straight to school, Teacher Shen told me you were here..." Gu Jianfeng asked excitedly as he was helped along, "Although you only gave me numbers, this is a deeply quantum issue, right???"
"Um... it’s about superconductivity... but going into this scale, it indeed becomes a quantum issue," Li Zheng said with a trembling voice, "You were able to deduce this..."
"That’s not the point, the point is those three imaginary solutions..." Gu Jianfeng shook the paper in his hand and nodded incessantly, "Imaginary solutions unfolded... unfolded a new image... plus those five solutions... eight points... eight points... all on one axis!!"
"What are you talking about??" Li Zheng was completely baffled, "These solutions here are angles, right? The traditional five solutions are just five angles, what do points and axes have to do with it?"
"We expanded it a long time ago, don’t you remember!" Gu Jianfeng grabbed Li Zheng’s arm, "It’s now a brand new number field and space... From this new space view... these eight solutions are all on one axis, it’s amazing, Li Zheng!! You told me this is the result of a physical simulation experiment... let me calculate the coincidence of special conditions, I calculated it... but why are they on one axis? It’s like an infinitely thin needle that has pierced through eight planes... I don’t know what to call this phenomenon... what should it be called... you’re good with words, you..."
Just as Gu Jianfeng blurted out crazily without choosing his words.
A voice as cold as ice cut in.
"Tunneling path."
"Right!! That’s exactly it! Good name!!" Gu Jianfeng turned his head quickly.
But he only saw a man with a vacant gaze and a stiff complexion.
"Who told you to calculate imaginary solutions?" Jie Qifen questioned word by word.
"I... I just... felt it..." Gu Jianfeng sighed blankly, "Those numbers are right here... isn’t it natural... to know there’s more out there..."
"You are even more... even more..." Jie Qifen was somewhat inarticulate, tried several times, then stiffly stood up, "I’m stepping outside for a smoke, let him rest a bit."
"Hey..." Li Zheng hurriedly grabbed Jie Qifen’s arm, "You finally quit smoking, don’t start again."
"I know, thank you, let go." Jie Qifen said coldly.
Once he had been gone a while, Gu Jianfeng asked blankly, "What’s the matter... why does everyone seem so unhappy... Shouldn’t we be happy about the solution?"
"Yes, but you... probably went too far," Li Zheng said, rubbing his head to soothe Gu Jianfeng, then towards Lin Yujing, "Do you understand?"
"I... I’ll give it a try." Lin Yujing walked up to the whiteboard, trying hard to sketch and describe.
"Imagine a plane with five singular points distributed on it."
"The two-dimensional people on the plane know these points are incredible, they tried hard for a long time, but couldn’t find any reliable patterns or models."
"Until Gu Jianfeng appeared. With his unbridled calculations based on the existing data, he believed that outside the plane, in places invisible to the two-dimensional people, there were three more such singular points."
"In theory, such things shouldn’t matter much."
"But the issue is, Gu Jianfeng’s mathematical thinking was so powerful, he looked at the eight points as if he thought of something, then... then he believed mathematically... there exists an angle from which these eight points lie on a one-dimensional axis."
Lin Yujing made a crumpling paper gesture as she spoke.
"It’s like folding and curling the two-dimensional plane, then piercing it with a needle, perfectly piercing this two-dimensional plane eight times, three of which are theoretical piercings... don’t look at me like that, Li Zheng, I’m also not very sure what I’m talking about..."
"In short, Gu Jianfeng thinks this is a crazy discovery, but couldn’t think of a name..."
"At that moment, Old Xie said—"
"Tunneling path."
Lin Yujing covered her face with one hand and spread the other, "I... I tried my best..."
"Very good!!" Gu Jianfeng nodded eagerly, looking expectantly at Li Zheng, "Although it’s not rigorous, but that’s roughly the gist, you should be able to understand now, right?"
"I..."
Li Zheng’s brows slowly furrowed.
Liu Xin...
I, I shouldn’t have treated you that way...
I’m sorry.