Ji Mohan's face paled in alarm.
"Professor, you've misunderstood, she's not my girlfriend!" he hurriedly explained. "She is, is..."
The words "great-grandmother" stuck in his throat, refusing to come out.
"Hello, Professor Chi," Rong Yu said with a smile. "My name is Rong Yu. I'm employed at Haicheng Fourth Aerospace Research Institute. Currently, I'm involved in a collaborative project with the Materials Institute concerning the application of the new substance 'Shi' in the aerospace field. I have a few questions I'd like to consult you on, Professor Chi. I wonder if you might be interested?"
Professor Chi looked at her with disbelief.
As a traditional academic researcher, he didn't pay much attention to entertainment news, so he was unaware that Rong Yu had starred in an aerospace promotional video.
Instead, what struck him was how young Rong Yu looked—definitely not even twenty.
At such a young age, probably not even graduated from university, and she's already employed at an aerospace institute?
Professor Chi's interest grew. "Have a seat. Order whatever you'd like to eat first. We can talk over the meal."
It was Rong Yu and Professor Chi's first meeting, so she didn't dive straight into work talk. After taking a few bites of the hotpot, she took out a printed experimental report and handed it over. "Professor Chi, please take a look. The second set of control experiments showed an anomalous Tyndall effect..."
Professor Chi immediately forgot about the hotpot, focusing intently on the report.
This wasn't the polished kind of report meant for publication, but more like casual notes. It lacked formal structure, yet every part was insightful.
He spent nearly half an hour reading the few pages.
After finishing, he looked up. "The experiment simulated vacuum, radiation, and temperature differences, but it overlooked one point."
He took a pen from his chest pocket and circled a string of data on the report. "Look here. When the pH value fluctuated from 6.8 to 7.2, your Zeta potential suddenly changed. These tiny, cumulative changes led to deviations in the results. Have you considered the possibility of cosmic dust?"
Ji Mohan's eyes flickered. "The latest external deposit analysis report from the International Space Station indicates that the main components of cosmic dust are silicates and iron-nickel microparticles."
"Do you know why lunar module windows get scratched?... The surface hydroxyl groups on these nanoparticles, when excited by cosmic rays, can act almost like solid acid catalysts," Professor Chi explained. "There should be some interaction between the silicon-oxygen tetrahedra on the surface of Shi crystals and the iron nanoparticles..."
"Thank you, Professor Chi." Rong Yu understood instantly.
Ever since her rebirth, every conversation with professors and academicians of this era had been immensely beneficial to her.
The ocean of knowledge was vast and boundless; she still had so much to learn.
Professor Chi looked at her with admiration. "Young lady..."
Hearing this address, Ji Mohan nearly choked on his food.
His family's ancient ancestor being called "young lady" felt utterly incongruous, no matter how he thought about it.
Professor Chi shot him a glare, then turned back to Rong Yu with a kindly expression. "How about taking on another teacher?"
Rong Yu replied, "I'm sorry, Professor Chi, I already have a teacher."
Professor Chi sighed with regret.
Of course, such an outstanding young person was probably already under the tutelage of a renowned master. He just wondered who had acted so quickly.
Professor Chi didn't press further. He looked at Ji Mohan with mild annoyance. "I originally asked you to join me for a meal today to discuss a project I wanted you to work on with me. But since you're already involved in this major project, we can talk about it after you're done."
The three of them chatted and ate, thoroughly enjoying the hotpot meal.
Early the next morning, Rong Yu and Ji Mohan went to the lab to continue verification tests for the control group.
As soon as they swiped their access cards and entered the main hall of the laboratory building, they saw a large crowd gathered around Lu Jiaojiao, talking animatedly.
"Jiaojiao, your paper on Shi crystals is truly a milestone!"
"With this new synthetic substance, aerospace endeavors will take a great leap forward. You're simply brilliant."
"To become a senior researcher at such a young age, Jiaojiao is naturally outstanding. Once this project is implemented, she'll probably be promoted directly to associate professor."
"..."
Lu Jiaojiao wore a carefully restrained smile on her face.
Previously, these very people had been whispering behind her back, saying she didn't deserve to be a senior researcher.
Now, they were finally convinced.
She looked up and saw Rong Yu and Ji Mohan walking in. The smile on her face instantly froze.
She cleared her throat and said, "This wasn't just my effort; it was primarily a team achievement."
"Your team only has four people," one researcher pointed out. "One is Ji Mohan, a junior researcher—what significant contribution could he make? One is your assistant, a new intern at the Materials Institute who mostly runs errands. And as for the other..."
Everyone noticed Rong Yu entering.
Her appearance was too striking among the crowd of researchers to ignore.
The people here were highly educated professionals with basic decorum. No matter how much they might privately look down on a celebrity, they were unlikely to gossip openly.
Another researcher turned to Ji Mohan. "For this milestone paper, Jiaojiao even added your name as the second author. You might even be promoted to intermediate researcher by the end of the year based on this second-author paper. Since Jiaojiao is mentoring you like this, you really should treat her to more meals."
Lu Jiaojiao pressed her lips together and spoke to Rong Yu, "Ms. Rong, as the representative of the Fourth Aerospace Institute participating in this project, your name should have been included as well, but..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Rong Yu interrupted her.
Rong Yu's gaze was icy. "Researcher Lu, the experiment is not yet complete. Please withdraw this paper immediately."
Her eyes were too cold.
And in Lu Jiaojiao's view, her attitude was particularly arrogant.
It sounded like an order.
Lu Jiaojiao, who initially felt some guilt and unease, was provoked by Rong Yu's demeanor and let out a scornful laugh. "Is the big celebrity here to instruct us researchers on how to conduct science?"
The surrounding onlookers regarded Rong Yu with even more peculiar looks.
They genuinely couldn't understand why someone from the entertainment industry would try to mix into the scientific research circle.
Could it be that nowadays, celebrities also needed to publish papers to secure resources?
Ji Mohan looked at Lu Jiaojiao with visible anger.
Before, when she appropriated his research findings, he let it slide because he truly owed her an enormous debt of gratitude.
But now, Lu Jiaojiao had published a paper without even mentioning it. First author: Lu Jiaojiao. Second author: Ji Mohan. No third author.
His great-grandmother was the initiator and primary researcher of this study. Lu Jiaojiao, who forcibly inserted herself as a supporting member midway through, where did she get the audacity to publish a paper? Moreover, there were still unresolved aspects of this experiment...
Under Ji Mohan's intense stare, Lu Jiaojiao's composure began to crack. She pressed her lips together and said, "Let's go over there to discuss this."
