After leaving the meeting room.
A group of parents were sitting on the sofas by the door. Rong Wangtian stood up and spoke with a gentle expression, "I've arranged for two simple tables at this hotel. Parents and children can sit, chat for a while. The adults can share educational experiences, and the kids can get closer, get to know each other. What does everyone think?"
Mrs. Song responded warmly, "It's fate that we've all gathered in Hong Kong. Let's all give Father Rong some face and have a meal together. It's also a good chance for us parents and teachers to exchange contact information."
The parents, keen to interact more, followed Rong Wangtian towards the dining hall.
Rong Yu did not refuse either.
Upon entering the hall and seeing the dishes on the two tables, the entire group was stunned.
There were at least eighteen dishes on each table, more lavish than a wedding banquet, with king crab, Australian lobster, and sea cucumbers all laid out.
"Father Rong, this is too extravagant." Even Pei Yaru was shocked. "It's just a casual get-together to chat. So many dishes, it's really..."
"No trouble at all." Rong Wangtian waved his hand dismissively. "Destined souls meet across a thousand miles. It's not easy for everyone from all corners of the country to gather here. The children have a big competition tomorrow. It's important they eat well and feel at ease. Please, don't stand on ceremony, have a seat."
As he spoke, he exhibited the inherent consideration of a businessman, inviting everyone to sit one by one. He managed to avoid making guests feel pressured while ensuring no one was left out.
Rong Yu thought to herself that this was probably one of the reasons Rong Wangtian could build his business from scratch and grow the Rong Group to its current scale.
The meal was enjoyed by hosts and guests alike.
By the time dinner ended, it was already past eight in the evening. She went upstairs back to her room.
Her room had been upgraded to a presidential suite, with three bedrooms and a living room. She, her old son, and her great-grandson were all staying there.
As soon as she swiped her card and pushed the door open, Old Master Ji said cheerfully, "I just had dinner with an old friend from Hong Kong. He's five years older than me but looks younger. He said three months ago he received an injection of the latest black-tech product developed by Li's Hospital. He originally just tried it on a whim, but the effects were surprisingly obvious. I'm planning to go check out the hospital tomorrow."
Ji Zhiyuan frowned. "Is it a setup?"
"Setup your head!" Old Master Ji kicked him. "That friend of mine is the chairman of a Hong Kong bank. His wealth is no less than ours. Why would he set up a trap for an old man like me?"
He moved closer to Rong Yu. "This rejuvenation project at Li's Hospital is still in the clinical trial stage and hasn't been publicly released. Only the wealthy class has caught wind of it, and you need an introduction to get a spot. Luckily, I have this friend as a middleman, otherwise I wouldn't even know which door to knock on... Mom, once I use this medicine, I'll look at least ten years younger. That means I can stay with you for ten more years."
The pursuit of longevity can be traced back to Qin Shi Huang.
The Chinese have been researching it for thousands of years without any real breakthrough, so Rong Yu was also skeptical.
But, with the rapid advancement of science nowadays—for example, those female celebrities on TV in their fifties and sixties who still look like they're thirty, or that year when rumors swirled in the entertainment industry about a certain hospital developing a 'rejuvenation shot' that made a group of actresses look younger collectively—such things are not entirely impossible.
She spoke up, "I have the competition tomorrow. A Yuan, cancel all your work and accompany him."
Ji Zhiyuan had come to Hong Kong precisely to accompany his elders; work wasn't that important. He immediately nodded in agreement.
Early the next morning, at six-thirty, Rong Yu got up, had a quick breakfast, and went to the first floor to meet up with the teachers and teammates.
At the entrance to the competition venue, the teachers in charge of the team, such as Pei Yaru, and the parents had to stop. Teacher Huang led the six students into the competition hall.
The dome of the International Physics Competition hall was dizzyingly high. Flags from over forty countries and regions were interwoven and hung overhead, like a sea of colorful clouds.
As soon as they entered, their ears were filled with a cacophony of different languages. Even though Rong Yu was proficient in several, she felt momentarily overwhelmed.
The team members present had all participated in international competitions before and weren't too nervous. They followed Teacher Huang inside.
"Hey! Look who's here." An intentionally raised voice speaking American English came from the right. "The geniuses from Team China here to lose face again?"
Rong Yu turned and saw six blond teenagers in dark blue suits walking towards them. The boy at the front was nearly 190cm tall, with a US flag pin on his tie, his gray-blue eyes filled with contempt.
A girl beside him frowned. "Jackson, don't go too far."
"What, am I wrong?" Jackson crossed his arms. "Last year, in the experimental round, China placed third from last. Chinese physics, garbage."
At his words, the faces of all the teammates beside Rong Yu darkened.
Although over the past decade or so, the physics proficiency of Chinese youth had grown exponentially, there was still a gap compared to the US. They could hold their own in theory, but were often crushed in experiments.
Faced with the mockery from the US team, they were furious but felt helpless.
"Interesting." A smile appeared on Rong Yu's face as she spoke in impeccable American English. "In last year's finals, the US team mistakenly calculated a Bose-Einstein condensate as a fermionic system. Such a basic error, that's the real garbage."
"Look at you, speaking such beautiful American English. How many years did you spend memorizing it?" Jackson sneered disdainfully. "Right, you Chinese are the best at these theoretical systems because you rely entirely on rote memorization. Being useless at physics experiments makes you garbage. Victory in physics belongs to the United States."
Sheng Ciyuan, furious, was about to speak when Rong Yu pressed her hand on his arm.
Rong Yu looked towards the nearest team from another country, Japan, and with a smile curling her lips, spoke in Japanese: "Physics doesn't belong to any single country. Do you agree?"
Hearing this, the entire Japanese team was stunned.
This Chinese person's Japanese was too fluent. At first listen, she sounded like a native.
Rong Yu turned to another team, the Russian team, and spoke in fluent Russian: "Half a century ago, Russia was invincible, leading numerous countries forward as the big brother, upholding the belief that physics has no borders."
The Russians nodded dumbly.
She switched to French, "But, dignity has borders. Insulting another country is tantamount to trampling on its dignity. In my book, that is unforgivable."
Finally, she looked at Jackson from the US team and said, "Of course, if you could master five languages through rote memorization, I might consider forgiving you."
Jackson didn't understand most of it, but he could see the change in attitude of the people around him. The roots of his ears turned red as if about to bleed. He took a sudden step forward but was stopped by his teammates.
Suddenly, applause broke out around them.
No matter the country, they had all suffered under US dominance for too long—politically suppressed, militarily encroached upon, economically sanctioned, and academically mocked year after year. No one could swallow that anger easily.
And this Chinese girl, effortlessly switching between several languages, had made Jackson feel utterly ashamed. It was deeply satisfying.
