Chapter 611 - Chapter 611: 239 Heritage, Gifts, National Top Scholar's Grandeur (Part 2)_1

Chapter 611: 239 Heritage, Gifts, National Top Scholar’s Grandeur (Part 2)_1

From the driver’s seat, Assistant Yun watched as Academician Ma ascended the splendid golden steps.

His gaze indeed fell on the notebook that Academician Ma carried in his hand.

He had been following closely as an assistant professor alongside Academician Ma for quite some time.

Academician Ma always carried that notebook with him, and although the assistant professor didn’t know what the USB drive was, the notebook must represent the culmination of Academician Ma’s work to date.

Although the code numbers used were excessive, there was no doubt they were of a confidential level.

At the entrance, the manager respectfully assisted the elderly man upstairs.

…

As he turned, he seemed to catch a glimpse of infrared light on the steps. He paused momentarily, looked again, but it had disappeared.

**

Today, the Sijing Club was very quiet.

The top floor.

When Academician Ma arrived, Bai Lian had just blown out the candles, and Pu Xiaohan had turned on the main lights.

Since Academician Ma couldn’t stay long, he didn’t go inside. He looked at the people in the room, his gaze sweeping past Jiang Fulai and Xu Nanjing, waiting at the door for Bai Lian to come out.

Xiao Bingwen was quietly discussing with Xu Nanjing why Director Chen was so respectful towards that blonde.

Before they could finish their discussion, the manager opened the door again.

“Miss Bai, is there another guest yet to arrive?” Xiao Bingwen asked as he turned his head, only to see Academician Ma standing outside the door, his hair as unkempt as ever, holding a notebook in his hand.

Academician Ma, an international authority on quantum physics.

Laboratories abroad had violated countless regulations for him, yet they couldn’t persuade him to join them.

A living fossil of the physics department.

Xiao Bingwen had only seen him at lectures or in university physics textbooks; now here he was at Sijing.

Xiao Bingwen blinked.

By his side, Xu Nanjing, who had met Shun Yu, was more composed than Xiao Bingwen, though her inner questions were mounting, involving President Jian Zhongyou and Dean Shu.

And now Academician Ma had shown up?

Bai Lian was equally surprised. Academician Ma was typically unconcerned with worldly affairs; his circle was simple, consisting only of physics, with no regard for other social interactions.

What was he doing here?

She glanced at Jiang Fulai, who stood up first. Bai Lian then murmured to Ji Heng that she would go out with Jiang Fulai.

“Academician Ma,” Bai Lian approached the entrance, “why have you come?”

Jiang Fulai lazily followed behind Bai Lian.

Academician Ma hadn’t intended to come, but Jiang Fulai had mentioned that this year was particularly significant for her.

“I heard it’s your birthday,” Academician Ma said, observing the quiet surroundings, free from any disturbance, “This place is quite suitable for reading and research.”

Bai Lian looked around; normally, it wouldn’t be so quiet here.

“Have you read through the algorithms?” Academician Ma didn’t dwell on the environment. He routinely asked Bai Lian a few questions, which she answered one by one, each with her own insights.

It was evident that she had studied them seriously after returning.

Such top-tier geniuses were too rare in the country.

Academician Ma had finally found one, entirely to his liking, who had not yet plunged headlong into the abyss of dark matter like Jiang Fulai had.

He looked at Bai Lian as if seeing the near future, his voice becoming gentler, “These are some insights I’ve had since I started in this field, as well as the USB drive—it contains data I’ve stored. Take your time to go through it during your university days.”

Academician Ma handed over the notebook and USB drive to Bai Lian.

“This…” Bai Lian lowered her eyelashes, looking at the notebook and USB drive.

“Take them with confidence,” Academician Ma said, looking at her and clearing his throat, “If this year is your starting point, then I hope you will carry our dreams to the mountaintop, and you will find the answers along the way.”

The corridor lighting in the club was not bright.

Bai Lian looked at Academician Ma, whose eyes were cloudy yet warm. She had realized at their first meeting that Academician Ma was not in the best of health.

But when she was about to leave Jiangjing, Academician Ma still came to see her off.

“Thank you, sir.” Bai Lian accepted the notebook. Always holding her teachers in high esteem, she observed the traditional respect for mentors.

Academician Ma was not interested in social gatherings, so Jiang Fulai and Bai Lian accompanied him downstairs.

Downstairs, Assistant Yun watched as Academician Ma came down in less than ten minutes, accompanied by two others. Assistant Yun observed the girl with her hair loosely coiled up.

He had not yet had time to be surprised that the Academician had come to see Bai Lian.

His gaze then fell on the man with a straight posture beside her, a man who looked down, his face indiscernible against the club’s entrance light, revealing only sharp jawlines. His entire presence was noble and cold, like the distant moon hanging high in the clear night sky, aloof from the world.

Such a cold aura, the assistant have only seen it in one other person.

He stepped out of the car, opened the door for Academician Ma, looked up, and sure enough, he saw those pale, faint eyes, “Young Master Jiang.”

Assistant Yun respectfully greeted.

After Assistant Yun drove off, he glanced in the rearview mirror. Jiang Fulai followed behind the young lady entering the club, speaking to her in a low voice.

He saw clearly that in Bai Lian’s hand was the notebook of Academician Ma.

“Don’t spread the word about today’s events,” Academician Ma closed his eyes in the back seat.

**

After seeing off Academician Ma, Bai Lian headed upstairs.

Jiang Fulai walked on her left, his hand casually in his pocket, and the waiter was standing at the elevator, pressing the button as the two approached.

They reached the top floor.

Jiang Fulai turned his head to look at Bai Lian, “Want to go check out the terrace?”

At that time, it wasn’t hot outside.

The terrace was large, decorated with fresh flowers all around. Standing on the terrace of the Sijing Club, one could overlook the street bars and night market below.

Bai Lian, with the notebook in her left hand, walked to the railing and leaned on it with one hand, gazing at the lights of thousands of homes below, while the flowerpot beside her bloomed with pink roses.

She used to enjoy standing on the city wall, watching the sunset, the moon, and the stars.

Back then, there were stars all over the sky.

Below the terrace, a green lawn was laid out with a few wooden tables and gazebos scattered about, adorned with lights on all sides.

Jiang Fulai glanced at her for a while.

Then he lowered his gaze and covered her right hand with his. Jiang Fulai’s palm was always cool, like a gentle stream flowing down slowly from a snowy mountain in summer.

The rose beside them shuddered in the wind, casting a quivering shadow over their hands.

With his lashes lowered, Jiang Fulai then spread open Bai Lian’s fingers and placed a long wooden box that he had concealed for a long time into her palm. Looking up, the surrounding light shattered in his pale eyes, turning into a sky full of stars. He seemed quite casual, “A gift.”

Bai Lian gazed into his eyes and gave a leisurely smile, “What is it?”

Jiang Fulai let go of her hand, a fine laugh in his eyes. He rarely looked so gentle, and at this moment he appeared more strikingly graceful than even the vibrant roses around, “Take a look.”

Inside the box was a White Jade Hairpin, its texture fine and translucent. Under the subtle lighting, it seemed to be enveloped in a fluorescent glow, with a poppy carved into the tail of the pin.

**

Meanwhile, back in the private room.

“Why hasn’t Sister Lian come back?” Pu Xiaohan handed a piece of cake to Xu Nanjing, “Have some cake.”

Xu Nanjing held the cake but didn’t eat it, his gaze fixed on the door, “Why did Academician Ma come looking for Alian?”

Pu Xiaohan didn’t recognize Academician Ma.

But Ning Xiao and Tang Ming had already guessed something.

Back at the Boyuan Base, when Academician Ma suddenly attended a lecture and afterward Bai Lian took them to another seminar.

Pu Xiaohan spoke, “Maybe he’s asking her what she’ll study in the future. I heard before that Dean Shu also wanted to ask Sister Lian if she’d like to go to the Chinese department.”

Pu Xiaohan then cut another piece of cake for Xiao Bingwen.

Bai Lian’s classmates all seemed casual about people coming to look for her and didn’t seem to make much of it.

Xiao Bingwen held his fork and didn’t eat, but inquired subconsciously, “That was Academician Ma… Do you guys know what he does?”

Ning Xiao looked at the problems on his phone without looking at Xiao Bingwen.

Tang Ming patiently explained to Xiao Bingwen, “I know Academician Ma. I attended his lecture last year and even bought his book on condensed matter, though I haven’t really understood it yet.”

The use of professional terms made it clear they knew of Academician Ma’s reputation.

So why were they still so unperturbed?

Xu Nanjing, hearing that he had attended Academician Ma’s lecture, suddenly looked up, “Which university did you apply to?”

“Jiang University,” Tang Ming scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed, “I didn’t do as well as Sister Lian and Ning Xiao, only just meeting the physics department’s requirements.”

Jiang University was known for its physics department, the pinnacle within the country, with the department ranking high amongst global institutions.

The score required was outrageously high, with most students being admitted through competitions.

Xu Nanjing had only managed to get into Jiang University’s economics department with the help of Jiang Fulai’s tutoring.

Seeing Tang Ming’s bashful face, Xiao Bingwen thought they were all students from Xiangcheng like Pu Xiaohan, who had only managed to get into universities in Jiangjing; how could they all be in Jiang University, and moreover in the physics department?

Since when had the Jiang University physics department become so commonplace?

Xiao Bingwen glanced at Tang Ming’s youthful face, suddenly realizing that Bai Lian, his classmate, also became unfathomable.

Xu Nanjing caught on to something; he was aware of Bai Lian’s ranking on the Jiangjing app last time, which was basically the same as the national college entrance exam ranking.

Add to that his involvement in auctions and mineral matters, which had him flying abroad for several months, only finishing in early July.

He hadn’t paid much attention to the college entrance exam results.

Finally catching on, Xu Nanjing put down the small cake, “Wait, how much did Alian score in the college entrance exam?”

“Her?” Pu Xiaohan casually sat down at the table, picked up a video camera beside her, and started reviewing footage, “750, a perfect score and the national top scorer. Go search the news in Beicheng and Xiangcheng. Back then, even the Beicheng Education Bureau couldn’t keep it under wraps; it was all over the place—such is the grandeur of a national top scorer… tsk.”

Having witnessed such a scene, Pu Xiaohan wasn’t surprised by anyone who came looking for Bai Lian.

If you find any errors ( Ads popup, ads redirect, broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.