But waking up in the morning was painful.
The next day, Lu Zhou woke up with a headache from his hangover. Thanks to his strong metabolic function, he felt a little better after taking a shower. He went downstairs and ate some breakfast, then got in the car waiting for him at the hotel entrance.
Lu Zhou sat in the back seat and pinched his forehead.
“What time did I drink until yesterday?”
Wang Peng said, “Early morning… I didn’t expect you to wake up this morning.”
Lu Zhou: “Nothing but a couple of shots, no big deal.”
Wang Peng smiled and said, “… Where to?”
Lu Zhou: “ILHCRC headquarters.”
“Okay.”
Wang Peng skillfully turned the steering wheel and began driving.
Lu Zhou was leaning against the window. He planned on taking a nap but suddenly remembered how drunk he was last night.
“I drank too much last night, whatever you heard me say, pretend like I didn’t say anything.”
“It’s fine, we all have our bad days.” Wang Peng smiled and said, “Do you feel better? Are you ready for the unveiling ceremony?”
Lu Zhou smiled confidently.
“Of course I’m ready.
“This is nothing but a small event..”
…
Actually, it was quite a big event.
Media vans gathered in the parking lot of the magnificent ILHCRC headquarters building, which was situated in the high-tech zone. The entire world had their eyes set on this ceremony.
The crowd surrounded the front entrance of the building. A giant granite stone wrapped in red cloth, which was around five meters high, sat at the entrance of the building.
There were no red carpets, no balloons in the sky, no fireworks. However, no one looked down on the significance of this ceremony.
Scholars concerned about the future of mankind, laymen interested in physics, and politicians concerned about the impact of this project were paying close attention to this ceremony.
Some of them were sitting in front of a TV, others were live at the scene. They all couldn’t help but hold their breath.
A man in a suit stood in the center of attention.
He didn’t have a script in his hand, only a microphone.
He spoke in a clear and solemn voice.
“First of all, I’d like to thank the scientists, scholars, politicians, and everyone else watching at home for celebrating this glorious moment with us.
“As the chairman of the ILHCRC, I’d like to thank you all from the bottom of my heart!”
The crowd gave a wave of applause.
Lu Zhou nodded and cleared his throat.
“ILHCRC is an international physics research organization, and we are committed to solving problems that will impact our future.
“This project will help us understand the laws of the universe in which we live in.
“I’m honored to stand here and unveil this glorious building!”
Lu Zhou took two steps back and walked toward the granite stone.
He reached out and yanked off the red cloth.
A magnificent line of words was engraved in the stone.
[International Lunar Hadron Collider Research Center]
It was almost like time was frozen.
Then…
The applause and cheers began…
The researchers of the Institute of Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences excitedly waved their arms, and they even hugged each other with tears in their eyes.
They were going to change history!
They were going to achieve something great together!
This kind of glory overshadowed all personal honors, even the honor of a Nobel Prize. At that moment, they were all in this together, as a team.
Luo Wenxuan was being squished in the crowd, and he nearly dropped his glasses.
Academician Zhang Wenlong, the chairman of the Chinese Physical Society, clapped until his palms began to hurt.
“Finally.”
“Yeah,” said Fang Shaoping, the director of the Institute of Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He rubbed his eyes and said, “This is a new page for the Chinese physics field.”
Academician Zhang Wenlong chuckled.
“Not just the Chinese physics field!
“This is a new page for the world of physics!”
…
The unveiling ceremony was over.
Lu Zhou gently bowed and put down the microphone. A swarm of reporters came forward and extended their microphones.
“Professor Lu, I’m a reporter from Columbia TV, can you tell us why people think the hadron collider is a waste of money?”
Lu Zhou: “I think those people should educate themselves.”
“I’m a BBC reporter! I’d like to ask if the ILHCRC chairman position was determined by a vote? Did the ILHCRC consult other nation members on this decision?”
Lu Zhou: “No comment.”
With a group of security personnel escorting him, Lu Zhou finally escaped the reporters. Lu Zhou and other ILHCRC staff swiped their gate cards and went into the building.
Suddenly, he saw a glimpse of someone familiar in the crowd.
When the guy noticed Lu Zhou looking at him, he tried to slip away, but Lu Zhou yelled, “Luo Wenxuan!
“I was looking for you during the opening ceremony; you’re finally here.”
