The press conference came to an end.
Rong Yu was surrounded by senior professors, fielding questions left and right. It took over ten minutes before she could finally, with some difficulty, extricate herself and Ji Mohan from the main hall.
Just as they turned a corner, a figure suddenly stepped out.
Lu Jiaojiao's research lab coat had been reclaimed, and her senior researcher ID badge, the symbol of her status, had also been confiscated. She stood there dejectedly, her eyes fixed on Ji Mohan, her voice hoarse: "Mohan, we need to talk."
Ji Mohan saw her flushed face, likely from Professor Li's slap. He spoke: "Jiaojiao, what you need to do now is cooperate with the institute's investigation."
"Investigation? Investigate what? What is there to investigate?" Lu Jiaojiao's voice suddenly turned shrill. "Ji Mohan, you've ruined me, do you know that? My career, my future, you've destroyed it all... What am I supposed to do now? What should I do?"
This matter didn't even require an investigation.
Because the core, difficult techniques in her research achievements all came from Ji Mohan. Just a few probing questions on the relevant topics would leave her utterly defenseless.
She would be expelled from the institute.
She would become a stain on the industry.
She would be forever nailed to the pillar of shame.
And, she could never again set foot in the field she loved.
She had studied so hard since childhood, learning day and night while others ate, drank, and had fun, burying herself in books while others traveled... She had struggled so hard to reach this height, only to plunge into an abyss at the peak of her life. How could she possibly accept this...
Large tears rolled down Lu Jiaojiao's cheeks, her crimson eyes locked on Ji Mohan. "I saved you. I am your savior, Ji Mohan. How could you do this to me!"
Ji Mohan's lips tightened.
Once the debt of life-saving was brought up, normal conversation became impossible.
"Harm you?" Rong Yu's voice chimed in. "Ms. Lu, perhaps you haven't quite grasped that it was your personal transaction with Ji Mohan that nearly harmed the nation's scientific research endeavors!"
Lu Jiaojiao's eyes slowly shifted and landed on Rong Yu.
She stared fixedly at Rong Yu, unable to control herself. "It's all because of you. It was you who incited Ji Mohan to do such a thing at the press conference. How have I wronged you, for you to harm me like this! You accuse me of academic theft, but what about you? Aren't you also leaching off Ji Mohan? If it weren't for Ji Mohan's unconditional help, his willingness to work tirelessly for you, could you have produced research results so quickly? What right do you have to stand on moral high ground and accuse me..."
Ji Mohan said coldly, "After working alongside Rong Yu these past few days, can't you still see the gap between yourself and her?"
Lu Jiaojiao broke down, leaning against the wall.
She covered her face, unable to hold back her sobs.
Rong Yu felt not an ounce of sympathy for her.
She spoke calmly, "Back then, you would leap into the lake without hesitation to save a complete stranger, Ji Mohan. It was precisely that pure-hearted courage that left Ji Mohan feeling indebted all these years. But now, in your pursuit of status, you've taken credit for research results and disregarded academic ethics. Does this version of you still live up to that brave young girl who did what was right?"
Leaning against the wall, Lu Jiaojiao suddenly let out a laugh—tears on her face, a smile on her lips—an expression that was profoundly unsettling.
"Unless—" Rong Yu looked at her, "Unless the person who saved Ji Mohan back then wasn't you at all."
Lu Jiaojiao shuddered violently.
Just as Rong Yu stepped away, Lu Jiaojiao's phone vibrated. Seeing the caller ID, despair filled her eyes. Her hand trembled as she answered. "Dad..."
"You disgrace! You've shamed the entire Lu family! Had I known you were such a useless thing, I never should have brought you back to the Lu family!"
Lu Jiaojiao bit her lip. "But when I got into Tsinghua University, I brought honor to the Lu family. Later, working at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, I helped the Lu family connect with major families in the capital. I..."
"Enough! No more of this useless talk!" Mr. Lu's voice was icy. "Before, when you said you wanted to pursue a career in research, I indulged you. Now that path is closed. Come home obediently and prepare for an arranged marriage!"
The call ended with a sharp click.
Lu Jiaojiao slid down to sit on the floor, weeping softly.
Her surname was Lu. She was the Lu family's illegitimate daughter. The year she turned ten, her biological mother died. She went to the Lu family to claim her place, only to be turned away at the door.
From that moment, she vowed that one day, the Lu family would come to take her home themselves.
There was only one path to change her fate: study hard.
With excellent grades, she tested into Beijing's best middle school. Only then did her father start giving her a living allowance. When she tested into the best high school as the city's top scorer, the Lu family finally accepted her.
Her academic achievements were her greatest source of confidence.
But now, it was gone. Everything was gone.
She, too, would become a pawn for the Lu family to manipulate at will...
Rong Yu walked to the building's back door where her teacher, Yun Xiaoyuan's car was parked.
Even before the press conference began, her teacher had called, asking if she needed her to step in and clarify things. Rong Yu had refused.
Yun Xiaoyuan was an academician, a leading figure in mathematics, a globally renowned mathematician. A person of such talent should not be dragged into these disputes.
Yun Xiaoyuan immediately noticed Ji Mohan following Rong Yu.
This young man, having his work plagiarized for so many years, had actually kept silent. If not for Little Yu stepping in, a fine talent like him would likely have been buried.
She spoke up, "What's the Materials Institute's punishment for you?"
Ji Mohan scratched his head. "Suspended for half a month to cooperate with the investigation. I don't know the final ruling yet."
"Get in the car," Yun Xiaoyuan said. "Let's go for a meal."
Rong Yu and Ji Mohan got in.
Ji Mohan was a researcher who paid little attention to the world outside his work. He only knew the person before him was his great-grandmother's teacher, but had no idea who she really was.
When they arrived at the restaurant and entered the private room, there were seven or eight people. A few looked familiar, but he couldn't recall where he'd seen them.
Then he heard the roomful of people greeting each other.
"Academician Yun."
"Academician Min."
"Academician Tian."
"..."
Ji Mohan was instantly stunned.
These people were all academicians.
How many academicians did China have? And here were seven or eight of them. In all his years, this was the first time he'd seen so many academicians gathered in one place. For a moment, he even had the absurd feeling that academicians weren't such a rare commodity.
The group surrounded his great-grandmother, talking.
"Little Yu, how did you think of using topological insulator theory to explain the anomalous conductivity of Shi crystals?"
"Little Yu, your quantum confinement model seems different from the traditional ones. Did you reconstruct an algorithm?"
Rong Yu answered the various professional questions with composure.
Min Shenyan sighed.
Such an outstanding student should have been his. It was all because he was one step too slow.
And his son was no help either, obsessed day and night with archaeological mummies and bog bodies, completely disregarding his old father's feelings...
Ji Mohan watched in a daze.
When he first met his great-grandmother, he had deeply doubted her authenticity. But to humor the old master, he had held his nose and accepted it.
But as time went on and they spent more time together, a genuine affection grew between them. Regardless of whether it was entirely real or not, addressing her as "Great-Grandmother" felt like no loss to him.
Later, when they worked together at the materials research institute, the extraordinary talent and ability she displayed made him realize she truly was the Matriarch of the Ji family, the esteemed Professor Rong who was so highly revered in the early days of the nation's founding.
And now, seeing the circle of distinguished figures gathered around Great-Grandmother, he understood with crystal clarity the vast, immeasurable gap that lay between them.
