Rong Yu continued to immerse herself in scientific research.
Lu Jiaojiao, no longer wanting to be constantly ordered around by Rong Yu, brought in a newcomer to participate—an assistant assigned to her by the institute after she was promoted to senior researcher.
With the assistant's help, she was much more at ease and spent her time learning beside Ji Mohan.
Outsiders called her a genius, but she knew in her heart that her so-called genius was merely the threshold to meeting a true genius. And Ji Mohan was a genius in the truest sense.
At sixteen, Ji Mohan had won gold medals in physics, chemistry, and mathematics, and was admitted early to Huaqing University. It was said that Jing University had also tried to recruit him at the time, even causing a minor scandal between the two top institutions.
She, on the other hand, had barely scraped into Huaqing with her college entrance exam scores. There was no comparison.
In his freshman year, Ji Mohan became a campus celebrity at Huaqing for participating in major projects and publishing papers.
Back then, she was still busy attending classes and getting various certifications...
Perhaps heaven favored her, giving her an extra layer of connection with Ji Mohan. That was how she entered the world of geniuses, got into the Materials Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and step by step became a senior researcher... If she had relied purely on herself, it would have taken at least over a decade, probably not until she was in her thirties or forties, to reach this position.
Lu Jiaojiao focused intently on staying by Ji Mohan's side.
But she soon noticed that Ji Mohan seemed to be constantly at Rong Yu's beck and call... Such a genius, actually playing second fiddle to Rong Yu.
She looked at Rong Yu in disbelief.
Immersed in her research, Rong Yu's face showed no expression. Her eyes were fixed on the data, like an emotionless experiment machine.
Suddenly, a flicker in her gaze, she spoke: "Mo, quick, record this."
Ji Mohan's voice was filled with disbelief: "The dielectric constant has exceeded 2000..."
Rong Yu let out a soft sigh: "Shi is exhibiting quantum resonance on a cosmic scale within the simulated deep-space environment..."
This material, despite having many, many flaws, happened to perfectly compensate for existing shortcomings.
It was truly a perfect material.
But—
"Mo, look, this noise peak. There's regular interference every time at 9.7 GHz." She frowned slightly. "I suspect the dielectric loss of the superconducting resonant cavity wasn't factored in. We need at least three more sets of control experiments."
Ji Mohan swiftly recorded the experimental data and began preparing for the next round of control experiments.
Lu Jiaojiao picked up the data: "I'll start on the report."
She was very skilled at theoretical analysis and summarization. With the data neatly laid out, it hardly required any brainpower. In less than two hours, a paper was completed.
A look of awe appeared in her eyes.
Earlier in the year, her paper on the new substance was at the basic theoretical level, simply describing where Shi was discovered, what its form and structure were like, its properties...
But this paper involved synthesizing Shi with existing elements to form an entirely new material applicable in the aerospace field. This was a brand-new breakthrough in materials science.
She printed the paper, bound it into a booklet, left the lab, and went straight to Professor Li's office.
She knocked and entered: "Professor Li, our collaborative project with the Fourth Aerospace Institute has yielded preliminary results. Please take a look."
Professor Li hadn't placed much importance on this project.
After all, it was a newly discovered substance. Generally, it takes a long time for humanity to grasp its properties and begin to utilize it gradually.
He picked up the paper, quickly scanned it, and was immediately stunned: "Using Shi-silicon synthetic crystals as a coating for deep-space probes? Can increase aerospace probe speed by five times? And extend service life? How did you think of synthesizing silicon with the new substance? Whose idea was this?"
Lu Jiaojiao's eyelashes fluttered.
She had overheard conversations between Ji Mohan and Rong Yu and clearly knew this direction was first proposed by Ji Mohan.
She had saved Ji Mohan.
Everything of Ji Mohan's was, in effect, hers.
She looked up, her expression unchanged, and said: "Last year, while studying the basic properties of Shi, I considered synthesizing it with various existing substances. Besides silicon, there was also..."
She spoke eloquently.
"Your thinking is indeed unique. The key is, the experiment actually succeeded." Professor Li's face was full of pleasant surprise. "Jiaojiao, your unique perspective and experimental innovation explain why you became a senior researcher at such a young age. I wouldn't be surprised if you become an associate professor within two years. Having a rising star like you is a blessing for our Materials Institute."
Lu Jiaojiao wore a look of modesty: "You flatter me, Professor. The success of this experiment is largely thanks to Mohan. Although he's only a junior researcher, his talent in experimentation is something I can hardly match... Also, the staff assigned by the Fourth Aerospace Institute provided all the aerospace knowledge. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to complete the experiment and paper in such a short time."
The smile instantly vanished from Professor Li's face.
There was another, deeper reason he hadn't valued this project: the staff assigned by the Fourth Aerospace Institute was actually a minor celebrity.
Since the Aerospace Institute didn't take the collaboration seriously, why should he invest his energy in it?
He spoke: "The Aerospace Institute only provided theoretical support in aerospace science. In this research paper, that portion accounts for less than one percent. Therefore, even though the project was initiated by the Aerospace Institute, this paper should be published under the name of the Materials Institute. Jiaojiao, please arrange that."
Lu Jiaojiao curved her lips into a smile: "Yes, Professor."
She immediately set about publishing the paper.
Back in the lab, Rong Yu and Ji Mohan were still busy.
They worked until six in the evening.
Ji Mohan looked up and said: "My teacher invited me for a meal. Great-grandmother, would you like to join?"
When a teacher invites you to dine, you must go.
But he was worried his Great-grandmother would get absorbed in work and forget to eat.
Rong Yu took off her gloves: "What is your teacher's main research focus?"
"My teacher is Professor Chi from the Chemistry Division of the Chinese Academy of Sciences," Ji Mohan replied. "He mainly researches polymer fiber materials."
"Perfect. I'd like to chat with a professional in that field." Rong Yu tidied up the various equipment. "The second set of control experiments still isn't quite right. Talking with your teacher might lead to a different breakthrough."
Ji Mohan quickly contacted Professor Chi. After confirming the location, he drove there with Rong Yu.
The dining spot was a hotpot restaurant by the window. As soon as they entered, they saw a small man in his fifties waving at them.
Ji Mohan, who had been standing quite straight, seemed to shrink into his shoulders like a mouse seeing a cat the moment he spotted Professor Chi. Scratching the back of his head, he called out: "Hello, Teacher."
Seeing him, Professor Chi felt a surge of irritation: "You keep making excuses when I ask you for a meal. A junior researcher, I don't know what you could possibly be so busy with every day..."
Halfway through his sentence, he finally noticed the person standing beside Ji Mohan. His brow furrowed instantly, and he lowered his voice, saying, "Don't tell me you've gotten a girlfriend? Your career is just taking off, and you're already getting involved in a romance. It seems to me you don't want to keep your position at the Chinese Academy of Sciences!"
