At dusk, the sun was setting in the west as night quietly fell.

Lin Zhixia placed a stack of documents on the table and read from the first page to the last. Jiang Yubai happened to walk past her, and she called out distractedly: “Jiang Yubai.”

Jiang Yubai stopped in his tracks: “What is it?”

Lin Zhixia patted another chair, gesturing for Jiang Yubai to sit beside her. As Jiang Yubai took just one step closer, Lin Zhixia tugged at his sleeve. Jiang Yubai raised his hand to support her, and she fell against him.

He held her for a while before saying, “I’m going abroad on a business trip next week.”

“Which cities?”

“Frankfurt, London, Manchester.”

Lin Zhixia pondered: “When will you be back?”

Jiang Yubai answered truthfully: “Early next month.”

Calculating this, Lin Zhixia and Jiang Yubai would not see each other for a whole week. She began to cherish their time together. Jiang Yubai asked her to sit on his lap, and she agreed. He wrapped his left arm around her waist and accompanied her in reviewing the experimental report.

Lin Zhixia candidly introduced: “These are research data previously produced by my student Fang Yiwen.”

Jiang Yubai turned a page: “What’s the current situation?”

“Now, it’s like this,” Lin Zhixia said, “I’ve encountered a small problem, and I want to ask your advice.”

Before Lin Zhixia finished speaking, Jiang Yubai leaned close to her ear, his warm breath falling on the side of her ear, making her feel both tender and ticklish. She instinctively raised her head and continued: “Fang Yiwen’s previous advisor was surnamed Qian. Professor Qian established a key laboratory. This summer, Professor Qian changed jobs, and his laboratory was assigned by the college to Professor Qu’s management…”

Before Lin Zhixia could finish, Jiang Yubai guessed the cause and effect: “Professor Qu doesn’t agree to let you use his laboratory?”

“Yes,” Lin Zhixia admitted.

She was somewhat troubled: “I’ve looked at Fang Yiwen’s experimental design. If we give up on Professor Qu’s laboratory, Fang Yiwen will have to change methods and start collecting data from scratch, which would waste a lot of her time. She’s only in her second year of doctoral studies, and her time should be spent on more valuable things.”

After considering for just a few seconds, Jiang Yubai asked: “Is that Professor Qu the academic leader in your college?”

Lin Zhixia turned to look at him: “You have an idea?”

Jiang Yubai suggested that Lin Zhixia find the higher management department, clarify the specific arrangements for Qu Zongyi’s laboratory, and then take the laboratory schedule to Qu Zongyi and discuss the relevant material cost matters with him.

Lin Zhixia comprehended: “I understand. I’ll talk to him about money, which would be like handling an official matter, and we can also get the college leaders’ approval.”

Jiang Yubai elaborated further: “Sign a ‘Key Laboratory Usage Agreement.'”

Lin Zhixia was eager to try: “Good, I’ll take action tomorrow. If it doesn’t work…”

She was about to say “I’ll find another way,” but unexpectedly, Jiang Yubai casually continued: “Then we’ll build a better quantum chemistry laboratory at the company.”

“No, no, no,” Lin Zhixia immediately refused, “this laboratory is very expensive.”

Jiang Yubai probed: “How expensive?”

Lin Zhixia suddenly became curious and whispered to him: “How much money do you consider to be a huge sum?”

Lin Zhixia’s straightforward question only meant she wanted to know the answer, without any other implications. She remembered asking Jiang Yubai this question when they were young, and at that time, Jiang Yubai answered, “One yuan is a huge sum because currency is the foundation of an economic society.” But now, Jiang Yubai called her: “Professor Lin.”

Lin Zhixia listened attentively: “I’m here.”

He said, “Don’t worry about funding issues.”

Lin Zhixia held his hand: “Before our quantum technology company turns a profit, don’t burn large amounts of money on it. If the return rate isn’t high enough, you’ll suffer a big loss.”

As she spoke, she played with his fingers.

She gently lifted his fingertips, then caressed his knuckles, and scratched his nails. He grabbed her hand, and she looked up at him. He explained: “In the first two years after Jiangke Software was established, it lost money every quarter. In the internet industry, profits are high, but risks are higher.”

Lin Zhixia confided in him: “The enthusiasm for ‘quantum computing’ is growing in various countries, but I’m not sure how far it can develop in the next few years.”

“Let’s take it one step at a time,” Jiang Yubai tightened his grip on her fingers, “I have great confidence in you.”

Lin Zhixia nodded solemnly.

*

At nine o’clock the next morning, Lin Zhixia arrived at school on time.

She went straight to the laboratory and equipment management department of the “Frontier Interdisciplinary Sciences Institute” and retrieved the experiment plans for all graduate students for the current week. Using the school’s internal local area network, she executed a command-line program in the Windows system, established a weekly updated database, and successfully synchronized all those files to her computer.

Subsequently, Lin Zhixia wrote a crawler file and quickly created an experiment schedule related to “Qu Zongyi.”

She printed out this schedule and took a careful look—she was surprised to find that from Friday afternoon to Sunday morning, not a single student was using Qu Zongyi’s laboratory. If that was the case, why did he tell Lin Zhixia that the laboratory was in use 24 hours a day?

Monday at four in the afternoon happened to be Qu Zongyi’s “office hours.”

Just after four o’clock, Lin Zhixia brought Fang Yiwen and entered Qu Zongyi’s office.

Qu Zongyi had just finished a group meeting. He had more than a dozen students who were gathered together, lively and bustling, an extraordinary scene. Through his thick glasses, he glimpsed Lin Zhixia and greeted her amicably: “Hello, Professor Lin. Do you need something?”

All of Qu Zongyi’s students were older than Lin Zhixia.

When they saw Lin Zhixia, these students also responded in unison: “Hello, Professor Lin.”

Lin Zhixia smiled and said, “Hello, everyone.”

The students seemed reluctant to stay in Qu Zongyi’s office for one more second. They smiled at Lin Zhixia and hastily escaped from the room. As Lin Zhixia heard their footsteps fade away, she went straight to the point: “Professor Qu, I’ve come to see you today about the laboratory matter again.”

Qu Zongyi had an enamel mug on his desk—the side of this mug was peeling, but he had used it for many years without replacing it. He picked up the mug and made a cup of hot tea. Lin Zhixia then began: “My student Fang Yiwen has spent an entire year on a paper. The experimental data have been collected, the model is complete, and only one verification step remains… Professor Qu, it’s not easy for students pursuing doctoral degrees. Could you arrange an opportunity for Fang Yiwen before the end of this year? She won’t affect other students and would only need to borrow the equipment for about four days.”

Qu Zongyi pulled his glasses down an inch, half-hanging them on the bridge of his nose, looking like a rigid old scholar. He slowly replied: “The end of the year, December, I’ll try my best.”

Fang Yiwen stood behind Lin Zhixia, silent.

Lin Zhixia continued: “The cost of experimental materials can be deducted from my funds. I downloaded the ‘Key Laboratory Usage Agreement’ from the college website. Of course, the agreement is just a formality. In actual implementation, we still need to seek your consent first.”

Upon hearing the words “agreement,” Qu Zongyi looked up.

Lin Zhixia produced a “Weekly Laboratory Schedule” and placed it on Qu Zongyi’s desk.

Qu Zongyi took off his glasses and perused the stack of documents. Lin Zhixia wasn’t sure if he could see clearly without his glasses, but after a minute, Qu Zongyi spoke: “Student Fang Yiwen, come to the laboratory on Saturday morning. Get the key from my student.”

Beyond this, Qu Zongyi had nothing more to say.

Lin Zhixia felt the matter had been resolved perfectly.

After leaving Qu Zongyi’s office, Lin Zhixia mentally listed her tasks for the week—she had resolved Fang Yiwen’s equipment issue, and next, she needed to handle undergraduate course withdrawal issues, review the new product launch of the quantum technology company, read Feng Yuan’s latest research progress, complete her quantum algorithm experiment… Finally, she needed to pick up Tang Tingting and Luo Ying at the airport.

Tang Tingting had quit her job in Beijing, and Luo Ying had completed her doctorate abroad ahead of schedule. Both of them were joining Lin Zhixia’s quantum technology company, and Lin Zhixia was very much looking forward to becoming colleagues with them.

Tang Tingting was smart and cute, while senior Luo Ying was gentle and intellectual. They were not only Lin Zhixia’s classmates but also friends she had known for many years.

*

Lin Zhixia told Jiang Yubai about Tang Tingting and Luo Ying’s news.

She also mentioned that she had arranged with senior Luo Ying to show her around University Town and the laboratory. It worked out perfectly as Jiang Yubai would be in Europe next week, giving her plenty of time to host her senior.

Jiang Yubai inexplicably said, “I’ll try to return to China early.”

Lin Zhixia spoke lightly: “Focus on your work, don’t be too rushed, proceed at your usual pace, and be sure to rest. That’s what I tell my students, too.”

It was eleven o’clock at night. Jiang Yubai glanced at the wall clock and turned off the light. He opened his arms to Lin Zhixia, and she immediately pounced into his embrace, quietly giggling twice before saying: “You’re so warm.”

Jiang Yubai unbuttoned his pajamas, removing the barrier of a thin layer of fabric to more directly convey his body heat. The cold autumn night wind howled outside the window, with light rain pattering against the windowpane, but Lin Zhixia only felt comfortable, warm, and cozy, as if her entire being was soaking in a pool of warm water. She yawned and muttered to herself: “I’m planning to reform my ‘Quantum Bits and Computers’ course…”

Jiang Yubai patiently inquired: “How will you change it?”

Half asleep and half awake, Lin Zhixia’s wording became less careful: “Change it so that even you could score seventy points…”

The corner of Jiang Yubai’s lips curled slightly upward.

After so many years, a long-lost feeling.

Following her train of thought, he said softly, “My foundation is quite weak. The teacher will have to give me private tutoring.”

Lin Zhixia repeated his words: “Private tutoring…”

Lin Zhixia’s voice was too soft for Jiang Yubai to hear clearly. Just as he leaned his ear closer, she tilted her head up and kissed him, stunning him for an instant. She kissed him twice more before saying, “Lesson done, good night.”

Jiang Yubai slowly bent down and silently kissed her forehead. He answered in a whisper: “Good night, Xiaxia.”