Rong Wangtian's brows were tightly furrowed.
He looked thoroughly annoyed. "I don't know any Manager Zheng."
He had his own pile of messy affairs to deal with and certainly no spare time to help the Hong family.
"President Rong, you must be joking," Hong's Father said with an ingratiating smile. "If you didn’t know Manager Zheng, why would he cancel our collaboration with Hongyun Supermarket just because of Rong Yu throwing a tantrum? That day was truly a misunderstanding. Had I known Rong Yu was your daughter, I would’ve treated her as an honored guest. Things would never have escalated this far. Please, President Rong, be magnanimous and help us out."
Rong Ruoyao spoke in disbelief, "Are you saying a manager from Ji Group canceled your partnership because of Rong Yu?"
Hong's Father nodded repeatedly.
"A high school student like Rong Yu doesn’t have that kind of influence," Rong Wangtian pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don’t know any Manager Zheng, and neither does my daughter. Your supermarket probably failed to meet their standards, which is why they terminated the collaboration."
He had no interest in dragging this out.
Without another word, he left with Rong Ruoyao.
Hong's Father hurried after them. "President Rong! President Rong! Please mediate for us—I’ll give you an extra two percent profit margin! President Rong!"
Rong Wangtian got into his car, and it sped away.
Hong's Father frowned. "Could it really have nothing to do with the Rong family?"
"Hmph!" Hong Xia scoffed. "I already looked into it. After Rong Yu returned to the Rong family, she was practically ignored. She was even kicked out and now lives at school. A neglected daughter like her couldn’t possibly sway Manager Zheng’s decisions!"
Hong's Father reconsidered. True, President Rong had no reason to lie to him.
Rong Yu took a car straight to the Fourth Aerospace Research Institute.
Perhaps due to a critical project, the entire institute was brightly lit, with cars packed outside the entrance.
Lin Rang was waiting for her at the foot of the steps.
She quickened her pace. "Senior Brother."
Lin Rang’s expression was grave. "The China Space Station has encountered an unexpected orbital deviation due to magnetic interference from an American satellite. The displacement is increasing exponentially over time. If not resolved promptly, it will—just as the U.S. hopes—plunge into space..."
Rong Yu listened carefully.
As soon as she stepped into the lobby, she ran into a large crowd—at least twenty or thirty people.
"Professor Lin," a man in his forties spoke first, his gaze landing on Rong Yu. "This must be the new student Academician Yun recently took under his wing?"
Lin Rang smiled warmly. "Junior Sister, these are all Professor Min’s students. This is Professor Li, this is Professor Wang, these are doctoral candidates, and those are graduate students..."
Rong Yu: "..."
She suddenly realized she was face-blind.
Meeting so many people at once—all those eyes, noses, mouths, and similar titles—was utterly overwhelming.
"Don’t worry if you can’t remember," Lin Rang said cheerfully. "Even Professor Min sometimes mixes up names. It’s normal for outsiders to get confused."
Professor Li’s lips stiffened into a forced smile. "Seems like Professor Lin envies how lively our side is. Then again, Academician Yun only has two students—one in a wheelchair and one still in high school. It must be lonely for him, doing research without enough help. Would you like me to send a few junior brothers to assist you?"
Lin Rang fell silent.
Because of his mobility issues, their mentor often had to handle tasks himself rather than delegate them.
As a student, he did feel inadequate.
"Thank you for your kindness, Professor Li," Rong Yu said, her eyes clear and earnest. "But if Professor Min has so many students helping, why haven’t his research achievements surpassed our mentor’s?"
Lin Rang couldn’t help but laugh.
His junior sister’s words were a direct hit to the heart.
Professor Li’s face turned green.
Rong Yu quickly clarified, "Don’t misunderstand—I’m not saying Professor Min is inferior to our mentor."
The implication was clear: Professor Min’s students were so ineffective, they might as well not exist.
Professor Li and his group turned even greener.
"Professors Lin, Li... why are we all standing around talking?" Dr. Wang Xiaoli walked over. "All departments are nearly assembled, and we urgently need everyone’s cooperation..."
Inside the core meeting room, experts from various fields sat around a large round table.
Only leadership, academicians, professors, and specialists had seats.
The rest stood along the sides.
As a high school student, Rong Yu was the lowest-ranking presence there. She obediently stood behind her mentor, scribbling notes as she rapidly recorded the key points discussed by the experts.
"The attitude control system keeps reporting errors, but hardware checks show no issues..."
"Ground radar indicates chaotic fluctuations in orbital parameters..."
"A linear model must be used to correct the orbit..."
The experts debated various solutions, coordinating across departments.
The mathematics team’s task was to reconstruct the chaotic parameter equations and recalibrate the orbital model...
Yun Xiaoyuan and Min Shenyan, despite their usual rivalry, worked together to derive the equations.
"No, this isn’t right..." Yun Xiaoyuan frowned. "Why is the margin of error increasing?"
Min Shenyan spoke up, "Lin Rang handled this part of the calculations. Lin Rang, double-check and see if there’s a miscalculation somewhere."
Lin Rang’s expression was tense. "I’ve reviewed it three times. The error keeps growing. According to this model, the space station will crash within twenty-four hours..."
Professor Li, distrustful, took the draft. "Let me see."
With seven or eight students assisting, they spent over an hour recalculating—only to arrive at the same grim conclusion.
The new chaotic parameter equations not only failed to resolve the fluctuations but accelerated the impending crash...
Yun Xiaoyuan’s frown deepened. "Where exactly is the problem?"
"Damn Americans!" Min Shenyan slammed the table. "Afraid of being surpassed by China, they resort to such underhanded tactics!"
"Anger won’t solve anything," Yun Xiaoyuan said. "Time is running out. Let’s reconstruct the chaotic parameters and adjust the equations. Lin Rang, gather the students and continue the calculations—ensure every step is verified by at least three people to eliminate minor errors..."
Min Shenyan couldn’t resist muttering, "See? This is when having more people pays off."
Yun Xiaoyuan shot him a glare.
He shut up.
Then, a voice spoke up.
"I think the overall equation isn’t wrong—it’s just missing a variable."
Rong Yu had maintained an extremely low profile from the start. Sitting in a corner with her notebook, she had been silently working through calculations for the past four or five hours without shifting her posture.
Professor Li had even thought to himself how inconsiderate this girl was—too busy to even fetch water for everyone during such a critical time.
But this wasn't his junior sister, and he had no right to order her around—otherwise, Lin Rang would get agitated and might even bite.
While the two professors were deep in discussion, this kid actually dared to interrupt...
