Translator:
Henyee Translations
Editor:
Henyee Translations
It was none other than Professor Sun Hongbiao.
âProfessor Sun, you must be joking, Iâm only exchanging thoughts with him,â Lu Zhou said. He was a little embarrassed, so he smiled and said, âAnd you have no right to say Iâm not nice.â
When Professor Sun heard him, he became less aggressive. He then yawned and pretended like he didnât know anything.
âProfessor Lu, what are you talking about, I donât understand?â
Lu Zhou shook his head and smiled.
At the lithium-sulfur battery conference held by the Energy Bureau, Professor Sunâs question ignited the debate about the research direction. Because of this, Professor Sun offended many of his peers.
Of course, Lu Zhou wasnât a narrow-minded person, so he wasnât resentful of Professor Sun.
Otherwise, he wouldnât have agreed to let Professor Sun publish the âFeasibility of Suppressing the Shuttle Effect on Hollow Carbon Spheresâ in the journal published by Shuimu University.
However, even though Lu Zhou wasnât resentful, he still didnât like being poached.
Lu Zhou coughed and didnât look at Professor Sun. Instead, he smiled at the tall guy and asked, âWhat do you think, bro? Offer still stands. Within two years, Iâll let you publish in a top journal. Do you prefer Science or Nature?â
Scientific researchers often didnât care about salaries. Furthermore, a private research institute would definitely be able to provide a higher salary than a postdoc.
For someone who was interested in academia, publishing a journal was a much more valuable thing.
This was the reason why there were so many people who only cared about doing experiments and didnât care about money.
When Lou Fan heard Lu Zhouâs offer, he started to think.
If it was anyone else that âlet him publish in a top journalâ, he would be doubtful.
But this was Lu Zhou...
He was not a normal person.
After all, Lu Zhou published in journals more than twice per year.
Lou Fan thought of this, and he started to feel tempted.
However, he then saw Professor Sun looking at him...
Lou Fan smiled awkwardly and said, âI... have to think about it.â
He only said this to save Professor Sun the embarrassment.
One was a well-known domestic scholar while the other was an internationally renowned scholar.
It was obvious that he had already made up his mind.
Lu Zhou could sense this, so he smiled and handed Lou Fan his business card.
Professor Sun, who was standing at a side, stared at Lu Zhou. However, he didnât say anything.
He knew that he couldnât match Lu Zhouâs offer. In addition, his previous actions werenât moral.
The conference was about to begin, and by the likes of it, the national award was in Lu Zhouâs hands.
Professor Sun would rather make friends than enemies.
Although Professor Sunâs talent was poached, he suddenly felt a little more comfortable.
Lou Fan took the business card. He couldnât stand Professor Sun looking at him, so he quietly walked away.
Professor Sun looked back at Lu Zhou and asked, âProfessor Lu, did you come to Shuimu to give me a hard time?â
Lu Zhou rubbed his nose.
âYou have it wrong. Actually... Iâm only passing by.â
Two seconds of silence passed by.
Professor Sun coughed and said, âProfessor Lu, stop joking.â
âNo, no, Iâm not joking.â
âYou really didnât come to find me?â Professor Sun asked as he looked at Lu Zhou. He was surprised by Lu Zhouâs answer, and he couldnât believe that Lu Zhou wasnât joking.
Lu Zhou looked at Professor Sunâs astonished expression. He didnât know what else to say.
Lu Zhou was only at Shuimu University to look around.
He didnât come for Professor Sun at all. In fact, he didnât expect to poach anyone.
However...
Lu Zhou felt that Professor Sun wouldnât want to hear the truth.
...
Lu Zhou basically spent the past few days hanging out at Shuimu, Yan, and Minzu University. He even received an invitation from Academician Xiang to report on his âGroup Structure Methodâ at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. At the report session, he also shared his research on the additive number theory.
The days quickly flew by, and soon, it was already the 8th of January.
Lu Zhou woke up early in the morning.
Once he had his breakfast at the hotel restaurant, he went back into his room. He then put on the same suit that he wore to the prize ceremony in Stockholm.
Lu Zhou stared at himself in the mirror for a while as he admired his own appearance. He would have been late if it wasnât for Wang Peng calling and reminding him.
The award ceremony was at the Beijing Conference Center.
Lu Zhou went through the entrance security check before he followed a VIP staff member inside. By then, the venue was already full of people.
When Academician Xiang noticed Lu Zhou, he quickly walked over.
âWhat took you so long?â
Lu Zhou said, âThere was a bit of traffic... Am I late?â
Academician Xiang replied, âNot quite, but most people usually arrive an hour or two early. This conference is a good opportunity to network with peers. Your mentor told me to take care of you, and I planned on introducing you to a few people. However, we donât have time for that anymore.â
Lu Zhouâs mentor was obviously Academician Lu.
When Lu Zhou heard that Academician Lu wasnât here, he asked, âAcademician Lu isnât coming?â
Academician Xiang shook his head and said, âHe just got back from Switzerland yesterday. He has to go to Daya Bay in a few days, so Iâm afraid he doesnât have time to come.â
Okay then, I guess theoretical physicists are really busy...
Lu Zhou recalled that old man Witten also flew between America and Switzerland often. Witten might teach at Princeton one day and fly to CERN for a report on the next day.
While Lu Zhou was talking with Academician Xiang, Wang Haifeng, who was standing nearby talking with his peers, suddenly noticed him.
There was no way for Wang Haifeng to ignore Lu Zhouâs existence. After all, Lu Zhou was the youngest person at this conference.
It would be difficult not to notice Lu Zhou!
Wang Haifeng looked at Lu Zhou walking over, and he quickly put on a fake smile.
âProfessor Lu, how are you?â
Lu Zhou noticed someone greeting him, and he froze for a bit.
He didnât recognize Wang Haifeng at all.
âSorry, who are you?â
Wang Haifengâs eyebrows suddenly twitched.
There was a twinge of dissatisfaction in his eye, but he quickly smiled and said, âProfessor Lu, you are really forgetful. It has been less than a year since the lithium-sulfur battery meeting; how can you forget about me?â
Lu Zhouâs eyes lit up, and he smiled.
âOh, youâre Professor Wang... You were Liu Hongâs boss?â
When Wang Haifeng heard Liu Hongâs name, he nearly exploded.
Not only did Lu Zhou poach Liu Hong, but Lu Zhou had the nerve to mention it to Wang Haifeng.
This is despicable!
When Academician Xiang saw that there was a bit of tension in the air, he coughed and tried to diffuse the situation.
âOkay okay, the conference is about to begin. Wait until after the conference to settle your beef.â
Although Wang Haifeng didnât like Lu Zhou, he was at a grand conference hall, and he couldnât just start an argument here.
He saw the old man standing next to Lu Zhou, and he could tell that the old man was a scholar.
However, he wasnât sure of the status of the old man.
Wang Haifeng calmed down a bit and didnât say anything. Instead, he turned around and left.
âLook at you...â Academician Xiang pulled Lu Zhouâs shoulder and lowered his voice as he said, âIf you donât maintain good relationships, you are bound to offend people!â
Lu Zhou was helpless.
He really didnât think he offended Wang Haifeng at all.
The only time they had interacted before was at the lithium-sulfur battery meeting.
If Wang Haifeng didnât introduce himself and mention that meeting, Lu Zhou really wouldnât have remembered who he was...
The conference was about to begin.
The professors, scholars, and the higher-ups were seated. The noise at the conference hall gradually quieted down.
The solemn bright red color of the podium gave a sense of respect to the venue.
A lively song broke out and the highest honor academic award ceremony finally began!