Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
After a long wait, Lu Zhou finally received a reply from Nature.
[Dear Professor Lu Zhou, we are surprised and excited about your research results. This is without a doubt a great invention. Your paper will be published in the next edition of Nature Chemistry…]
When Lu Zhou was reading this email on his computer screen, he could not help but smile.
This day finally came.
Once his thesis was published, then he could complete his reward mission.
He was looking forward to how much experience points he would get.
Also, it was not just about the experience points. Many people were bound to be interested in his patents.
In the same afternoon, Lu Zhou drove his Ford Explorer SUV to Philadelphia Airport.
He stopped his car and walked inside the airport. From far away, he saw a little girl wearing a hat while she dragged a suitcase behind her.
Lu Zhou instantly recognized Xiao Tong. He walked over and patted her shoulder from behind.
“Hey.”
“Ah!”
Xiao Tong was surprised by the sudden tap.
She turned around and when she saw Lu Zhou, she was relieved but she still gave him a dirty look.
“Did you know that I nearly got a heart attack!”
Lu Zhou only wanted to give her a surprise. He had not expected her reaction.
I see you still treat me like this.
Don’t know if you’re going to transition smoothly into university life…
After Lu Zhou picked up Xiao Tong, they did not stay at the airport for long. He took her to the parking lot and was about to introduce her to his favorite car when Xiao Tong wandered around.
Lu Zhou was curious about what she was looking for and he asked, “What are you looking at?”
When Xiao Tong did not see what she expected, she asked, “Brother, why are you the only one picking me up?”
Lu Zhou, “…?”
Do you want a security guard or what?
Lu Zhou never realized what Xiao Tong was talking about.
Xiao Tong got in the backseat and did not wear her seatbelt. She started to curiously touch the interior of the car.
She suddenly said to her brother who was in the driver’s seat, “Brother, are we going directly to Princeton?”
“Princeton isn’t fun. Let’s go shopping in Philadelphia,” said Lu Zhou. He started the car but did not drive yet. Instead, he took out his phone and sent Chen Yushan a message.
“Oh…” said Xiao Tong. She then added with a sad tone, “But I want to go to Princeton.”
Lu Zhou said, “There’s nothing fun about that place.”
“It’s not all about fun. Dad and mom told me to see if you’re taking care of yourself,” said Xiao Tong. She then poked her head to the front seat and said, “Oh, and I have to inspect if you have found yourself a pretty girlfriend.”
What is this?
So my parents sent you to spy on me?
Lu Zhou smiled and shook his head. However, his heart was full of warmth.
Even though he was in a foreign country, every time he thought about his family who cared for him from thousands of miles away, it made him felt less lonely.
“I’m taking care of myself well, as for a girlfriend… Tell them not to worry about it.”
Xiao Tong said, “Hey, it’s not up to you, I’m the one inspecting.”
“Ok ok ok, Miss. Inspector. Please go ahead,” said Lu Zhou with a smile. He then put away his phone and stepped on the gas pedal.
He was not familiar with Philadelphia as he had only been there a handful of times.
Fortunately, he had a friend that went to school here, who could show them around town.
However, he would owe Chen Yushan one.
…
The University of Pennsylvania was not far from the airport. Lu Zhou stopped the car in a nearby cafe and quickly saw Chen Yushan who was waving her hand at them.
Surprisingly, Chen Yushan was not alone.
Next to her, in a red and black summer dress, was Han Mengqi. If it was not because of the contrast between Han Mengqi’s depressed look and Chen Yushan’s excited look, they would really look like sisters.
Speaking of which, Lu Zhou had not seen his student since he went to CERN to participate in the European Research Summit. He had not expected to see her on the other side of the Pacific Ocean.
Lu Zhou was not too sure, so he called her name.
“Han Mengqi?”
When Han Mengqi heard the familiar voice, she suddenly looked up.
Then, she was stunned.
“Teacher?!”
When Han Mengqi saw the familiar face, her eyes popped wide opened.
Her cousin said that they were going to see a friend, but she did not mention who.
She did not expect that the friend was Lu Zhou?!
Suddenly, she remembered that she did not dress up at all. Not only did she not have makeup on, but she did not even brush her hair. Her cheeks turned red.
Suddenly, she noticed that there was a girl standing next to Lu Zhou, who was looking at her curiously.
Han Mengqi, who was somewhat confused, calmed down and hid behind her cousin.
Xiao Tong: ???
Lu Zhou did not notice Han Mengqi’s change of emotion. He greeted Chen Yushan and said to Han Mengqi, “I haven’t seen you in forever… When did you come to Philadelphia? I didn’t even know.”
It had been a year since Lu Zhou last saw Han Mengqi, but she did not grow taller at all.
Obviously, Mengqi had not been eating well since Lu Zhou left.
Since Han Mengqi had her head down and did not speak, Lu Zhou felt a little awkward.
Chen Yushan, who was standing next to her, sighed and patted her cousin’s shoulder.
“My lovely cousin was in a bad mood, so she came out of the house with me.”
Han Mengqi whispered, “Master, sorry for disappointing you.”
This was the second time that Lu Zhou nearly chocked today.
It was like Xiao Tong heard a big piece of news. She looked at her brother and asked, “Master? What is this situation?”
Lu Zhou knocked his dirty-minded sister on the head and said, “What do you mean what situation is this? Didn’t I tell you that I did some tutoring during my second year?”
Xiao Tong gasped.
Han Mengqi looked at Lu Zhou and Xiao Tong with confusion. She felt the relationship dynamic between the two was not what she expected.
Lu Zhou looked at her. He paused for a moment before saying, “I know what you’re feeling right now, but I hope you’re not discouraged. You did really well. When I first started to teach you, you couldn’t even do basic elliptic equations. By the end, you were getting 130 on your tests consistently. I’m sure you noticed the improvement. If you didn’t get in…”
Han Mengqi smiled and said, “I passed the requirement, but there were too many people applying for mathematics major this year…”
The f*ck, the mathematics department of the University of Jin Ling is popular now?
Lu Zhou was surprised that Han Mengqi did not get into mathematics.
The mathematics department of the University of Jin Ling rejects people?
When Dean Qin mentioned about the sudden influx in popularity, Lu Zhou thought that he was joking. It turned out that Dean Qin was not joking after all.
It seemed that he underestimated the influence of his “Mini Nobel Prize” and Goldbach’s conjecture.
Honestly speaking, Kai University, Shuimu University, Yan University, and Shan University, all had better mathematics departments than the University of Jin Ling. The strength of the University of Jin Ling was physics. However, most undergraduate students did not know this fact.
I feel like I screwed over a lot of people…
But now is obviously not the time to point that out.
Lu Zhou immediately asked, “Then which course did you transfer to?”
Han Mengqi nearly cried, “Applied chemistry…”
