Chapter 41#

Alive#

The two of them left.

Seeing their figures distance themselves from the danger zone, the entire classroom suddenly erupted into chaos.

“Did you see that? Did you see that! Old Wang smiled! He actually smiled!?”

“When did those two get to know each other? In my memory, they hardly ever spoke a few words, and then today…” It was just quite something.

It was actually quite “ship-able.”

“Senior Mo calls Old Wang ‘Teacher.’ Do you think if I called Old Wang that, he would kill me?”

“Probably not. At most, he’d make you go up and solve some problems—maybe a hundred or so. If you can’t solve them, it’ll count toward your regular grade.”

“…”

Fortunately, the class ended in time. Mo Xuzhi and Wang Zhifeng had time to arrive at the Central Lecture Hall early to familiarize themselves with the process. Wang Zhifeng even borrowed a computer for Mo Xuzhi to get acquainted with the PPT.

He had always disliked doing these things. In situations like this, it was usually Wang Zhifeng who gave the report, while he just sat by his side to make up the numbers.

But he was, after all, a person in charge. If someone asked questions later, he would have to answer. It wouldn’t hurt to take a look at the boilerplate Wang Zhifeng had prepared now.

Afterward, the other participants arrived one by one. Mo Xuzhi sat on the stage, occasionally poking the nameplate with his name on it with his finger, and glanced down at the audience.

…And then he was intimidated by the row upon row of shiny, reflective bald heads and didn’t dare to look around anymore.

The meeting lasted the entire morning.

After the meeting adjourned, most people left one after another. A small number still had doubts and stayed behind to ask a few more things before finally leaving.

Mo Xuzhi organized the materials distributed during the meeting on the table, checked the time, and said, “It’s almost noon. Shall we eat?”

Wang Zhifeng looked at Mo Xuzhi’s thin frame and nodded.

“Then shall we go to the cafeteria today?”

Mo Xuzhi smiled and said, “I borrowed a student meal card from someone. Let’s have a good meal today.”

The Institute of Technology had a small cafeteria, but the dishes were all very healthy—so healthy that you could hardly taste the food. Many researchers had meal cards for faculty use, and they usually slipped into the cafeteria to eat among the teachers. Mo Xuzhi usually ate with Wang Zhifeng.

Although the faculty meals were decent, the variety was far less than that of the student meals, and the taste wasn’t as good either. Many people tried everything they could to get a student meal card but had never succeeded.

Wang Zhifeng didn’t care much about these things and only considered Mo Xuzhi’s thoughts. If he said he wanted to go, they would go.

So the two of them blended into the crowd of students and had lunch.

For the next two days, the two of them stayed in the laboratory. Whenever they had time, they went to the student cafeteria to “mooch” food and drink.

The students on campus were surprised the first time they saw the two in the cafeteria, but as time went on, they became more and more accustomed to it.

A certain forum even built a thousand-story thread.

[(No-prize Quiz) What are Boss Mo and Old Wang eating today?]

[1L: (Single Choice) Knowing they had braised chicken with mushrooms last night and green pepper stir-fried meat this noon, what are they having tonight? A. Braised pork B. Spicy hot pot C. Beef pot D. Boiled fish]

…

[1077L: Answer revealed: they had porridge :)]

The two-day break ended.

They had been in the lab for these two days, and Mo Xuzhi’s heart was completely devoted to the experiments. He was only dragged to eat by Wang Zhifeng. Having no appetite, he just had a few sips of porridge. Then his phone rang—it was the director calling to urge him back to work.

The amusement park booked by the production team this time was a bit far from Jingda. He couldn’t go back and forth as freely as he could now, so he had to pack his luggage.

He and Wang Zhifeng also had staff dormitories at the school. Their team members were on the same floor. Wang Zhifeng was only two rooms away from him, close enough for easy visits.

Mo Xuzhi leaned on the chair by the desk, his eyebrows drooping, his white lab coat draped loosely over him, looking drowsy.

Wang Zhifeng was helping him pack his suitcase.

“How long will you be gone for work this time before coming back?”

Seeing that Mo Xuzhi wanted to sleep, Wang Zhifeng spoke to chat, trying to break his drowsiness.

Mo Xuzhi had said earlier that he had to arrive at his workplace on time today, and if he dozed off, Wang Zhifeng should wake him up—even hitting him would be fine.

Hitting was out of the question, so Wang Zhifeng could only try to divert his attention.

“Eight or nine days, no more than ten.”

Mo Xuzhi raised his eyes slightly, his voice a bit hoarse. “After that, I’ll quit my job… or rather, my boss will fire me—it’s all the same. After that, I won’t go to work. I can finish the project I’m working on before the CI project starts.”

The amusement park he was going to later was the last location of the first phase of the variety show.

The plot would end here.

He couldn’t afford any mistakes at the final stage. He hadn’t rested for the past two days just to complete all his tasks so that he could focus on following the plot later.

“If you’re tired or someone bullies you, tell me.”

Wang Zhifeng put the small biscuits and cakes into a specialized bag and then into the suitcase. He looked up and said, “You’re not alone.”

“You still have me… and the others at the Institute of Technology.”

The Central government also stood behind him.

He didn’t know what Mo Xuzhi’s job outside was, but judging by Mo Xuzhi’s mood every time he left the lab, he probably didn’t like the job very much.

Mo Xuzhi was undoubtedly excellent, and Wang Zhifeng couldn’t imagine what kind of boss would want to fire him.

In any case, it probably wasn’t a good boss.

Mo Xuzhi smiled, propped up his chin, and asked, “I tell you, and then what? You go bully them back?”

He was clearly joking.

Wang Zhifeng, however, nodded. “Yeah.”

Mo Xuzhi laughed even more happily.

Wang Zhifeng finished packing the suitcase and stood up. “All packed. Think if there’s anything else you need to bring.”

“Definitely not.”

Mo Xuzhi stretched, took off his white lab coat, stood up, and casually tidied his cuffs.

“Once I’m back this time, I’ll spend half a month finishing the current experiment and testing it once. After perfecting the system, it can be sent to the Space Agency.”

His eyes flickered, and he asked again, “When does the Space Agency plan to send their big baby into space? Will we be in time to see it?”

Wang Zhifeng shook his head. “Estimated within thirteen to fifteen months. We probably won’t be able to see it.”

The CI plan was a massive project. Preparation alone had taken several years, and actually starting the work would only be more difficult. There was likely no possibility of coming out in just a dozen months.

By then, other people in the team would likely go to the aerospace base to watch the rocket launch. He heard the candidates had already been decided, and no one related to the CI plan was on the list.

“Oh.”

Mo Xuzhi responded, showing neither joy nor anger, and continued, “After finishing the project, we can start calculating the materials needed for the CI and finalize the approximate cost to avoid repeated back-and-forth later. It should take about a week or two. And for the candidates, I’ve sent you the table. Most have already been decided, with a few still under consideration.”

Wang Zhifeng said, “I saw Ji Baiwen’s name on the preliminary selection list.”

Ji Baiwen had little experience. The mere mention of being an outstanding student at Jinghua University—a resume that hardly qualified as a resume—was clearly not enough for the CI plan. He wasn’t in the original Central preliminary selection list either. His appearance now could only be because Mo Xuzhi added him.

“I added him,” Mo Xuzhi admitted frankly. “He lacks experience, but he progresses quickly, and his calculation efficiency is high. There’s still some time before the project starts. If he specializes in one area and can settle down, he can do it. How is he doing now?”

“He’s been undergoing targeted training in Team 3 since he came back last time.”

They had originally prepared for his not returning and had started the temporary transfer procedures for Liu Jianghao from Team 2. Plus, his desk had already been assigned to someone else. After Ji Baiwen came back, he couldn’t join Team 1, so he was sent to Team 3 for training.

“We’ll see the results then,” Mo Xuzhi said. “Once we’re ready, we’ll organize all relevant personnel to work in the lab in advance for a period to get synchronized.”

He paused, frowning slightly. “Right, I also need to file a report, otherwise the schedule will be a mess.”

But he didn’t have time to file a report.

He had already packed his schedule to the brim, leaving no gaps.

—Time might still be found. Though the day the cancer strikes will likely be very painful, he had no arrangements that day. If he found a quiet place and endured it, he might be able to get the report done.

There were about two thousand people who needed to be arranged in advance via the report. If he sent the message and the relevant units approved it, it shouldn’t take more than a day.

“Mo Xuzhi.”

Wang Zhifeng’s voice pulled Mo Xuzhi back from his thoughts.

Wang Zhifeng looked around the room.

The room was very tidy. The furniture was in its original arrangement, without any changes.

The bedding was standard issue from the institute—a sea of pure white, neatly arranged without a single wrinkle.

Except for the coat hanging on the rack and the green plant on the windowsill, there was no sign of anyone living in the room.

Or rather, the person living here seemed ready to leave at any moment, prepared to depart every single day.

Listening to Mo Xuzhi’s one-by-one arrangements, Wang Zhifeng sensed something was wrong.

Mo Xuzhi had filled his schedule so much that he left no room for himself. He had arranged so many itineraries but hadn’t mentioned a single word about rest.

He asked, “Have you ever thought about yourself?”

Mo Xuzhi raised his eyes. “What?”

“I’ll handle the report; you just sign it when the time comes.” Wang Zhifeng zipped the suitcase. “There’s a school anniversary this year. We won’t see the rocket launch, but we can watch the anniversary.”

“You need to relax properly.”

Mo Xuzhi nodded. “Okay.”

He agreed to whatever was said, appearing incredibly easygoing.

Wang Zhifeng’s fingers twitched, feeling helpless.

Mo Xuzhi hadn’t taken his words to heart.

Having worked with him for so long, others might not see it, but he could easily detect Mo Xuzhi’s perfunctoriness.

Mo Xuzhi looked down and pushed the chair he had been sitting in back to its original position. The four corners of the chair were parallel to the desk, coinciding with the lines on the floor—exactly as it was when he first arrived, without a millimeter of difference.

He couldn’t manage to rest.

Once he rested, he would lose his meaning for living.