Chapter 158 - 128: Waiting for the Encounter (Part 3)
Chen Hao: "Oh, oh..."
For a second there, he suddenly felt like his family was about to sell the house. It scared him to death.
After listening, Academician Zheng asked the exact same question as Yang Xu:
"Jiang He, why do you seem to be in such a rush? What are you rushing for?"
Jiang He replied, "Pancreatic cancer is called the king of cancers. By the time it’s discovered, it’s already in the late stages. If this path with miRNA is viable, even if it only advances the detection time by a few months, it could save thousands upon thousands of lives. This project is certainly difficult, but I still want to give it a try. Even if my hypothesis is ultimately proven wrong, at least I can eliminate an incorrect answer for future researchers."
As soon as he said this, the entire room fell silent.
After a long moment,
Academician Zheng finally said, "Jiang He, it’s been a long time since I’ve heard words like that from an undergraduate."
Gong Nian, who was beside him, nodded and said, "Indeed. Forget undergraduates... Even graduate students and doctoral advisors, many of them lack that kind of spirit these days."
Principal Qian said, "Well done, Jiang He."
Minister Lin said, "I’m reminded of something a writer once wrote: ’I hope you will always be an idealist. You can be a farmer, an engineer, an actor, or a wanderer, but you must be an idealist. The end of an idealist’s path may be tragic, but it is never pitiful. Choosing mediocrity may be safe, but it is a life devoid of color.’"
Chen Hao was stunned.
’This is why they’re the leaders,’ he thought. ’They really know how to talk. Even I’m getting fired up just listening.’
After everyone had finished their round of praise, Zheng Liyan said, "Since you’re aware of the difficulties and know what you’re getting into, I won’t pour cold water on your enthusiasm. For a young man, having this much drive is a good thing."
Minister Lin also nodded. "If you’ve decided to do it, then go for it with everything you’ve got. The provincial department encourages clinical translation. If your SAP prediction model truly produces substantive data, come find me anytime."
At this point, the nature of the conversation had completely changed.
It shifted from initial doubt and attempts to dissuade him to genuine encouragement and offers of resources.
Zheng Liyan took out a business card and handed it to Jiang He. "If you encounter any problems in molecular biology during your research, you can call this number to find me. I’ll have my lab provide some technical support."
Lin Zhenhua also turned and gave his secretary a look. The secretary immediately stepped forward and handed a business card to Jiang He. "Jiang He, this is my work contact information. If you have any major breakthroughs, you can contact my secretary directly."
Jiang He took the business cards with both hands and nodded solemnly. "Thank you, Academician Zheng. Thank you, Minister Lin."
In truth, deep down, none of the leaders were optimistic about his chances.
But they had all tacitly arrived at the same thought:
Youth is for trial and error!
So what if he fails? Someone this brilliant is worth investing time and energy to nurture.
They were even already thinking about how they would console Jiang He after he failed in the future.
The meeting lasted for about twenty minutes.
The senior leaders had tight schedules, so after concluding the official business, they got up and left.
Jiang He and Chen Hao escorted them all the way to the main entrance on the first floor, watching as several black sedans drove off campus.
Chen Hao watched the direction the cars had disappeared in and let out a long, deep breath.
He raised a hand to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead, feeling that the back of his shirt was completely soaked through.
"Holy cow... Old Jiang, you really have a lot of nerve..."
Jiang He said, "I was just stating the facts. What’s there to be afraid of saying?"
"You’re a badass."
Chen Hao led Jiang He back toward the dormitory.
After a moment’s hesitation, he couldn’t help but speak up. "Old Jiang, to be honest... back there, listening to Academician Zheng and the others’ analysis, I kind of agree with them. Even that what’s-it-called, Johns Hopkins University in the United States, is just burning money in a pit, and even an academician isn’t optimistic about this miRNA stuff. Are we biting off more than we can chew? Maybe we should just listen to Director Yang and switch to a safer project?"
Chen Hao was genuinely afraid that Jiang He’s stubbornness would be his undoing, destroying a perfectly bright future.
Jiang He’s reply was concise: "You just need to trust me."
Chen Hao froze in place.
He looked at the absolute confidence in Jiang He’s eyes, and scenes from the past few months suddenly flashed through his mind—
the composure as he decisively cut into a pneumothorax in the internet cafe, the figure who single-handedly turned the tide in the emergency room after the car crash, and today’s four perfect scores that crushed the competition.
When had Old Jiang ever been wrong?
When had Old Jiang ever fought a battle he wasn’t prepared for?
"Damn! If you’re saying that, then what else is there to say? Of course I’ll trust you! So what if it’s Hopkins? Is Hopkins as badass as River God? Let’s just do it!"
Jiang He just smiled and didn’t say anything more.
The two of them walked all the way back to their dorm.
The moment they walked through the door, Chen Hao started hurrying him.
"Old Jiang, don’t just stand there, hurry up and take off your clothes!"
Jiang He: "?"
Only then did Chen Hao realize the ambiguity in his words and quickly explained, "I meant you should take a shower! Today’s a big day, you won the special grand prize! We definitely have to go out for a big celebration dinner tonight. Hurry up and take a shower, change into some clean clothes!"
Jiang He frowned. "There’s no need to go to all that trouble. We can just grab a casual bite."
"No way! We have to do this right!"
"..."
When Jiang He emerged from a reluctant shower and changed into a shirt,
Chen Hao opened a tin of hair clay.
"Come on, Old Jiang, sit down. I’ll help you style your hair."
Jiang He waved his hands dismissively. "No, no, no, I don’t want my hair styled. What are you guys really up to?"
’I actually noticed something was off a while ago. From Li Zijian suddenly breaking down and leaving the cafeteria at lunch, to Chen Hao insisting on accompanying me to the award ceremony, and now forcing me to change clothes and style my hair. These guys... they’re definitely hiding something from me!’
Seeing Jiang He’s resistant expression, Chen Hao knew that pushing any further would blow their cover.
He quickly washed the hair clay off his hands in the sink, laughing it off to cover his tracks.
"Alright, alright! No styling, no styling. If you don’t want to, then we won’t."
Chen Hao grabbed the jacket draped over the back of a chair and started pushing Jiang He toward the door. "Let’s go, let’s go, you look fine. Time to go to [Encounter]!"
Jiang He let himself be half-pushed out of the dorm by Chen Hao.
He squinted at the darkening sky.
’Chen Hao’s been acting way too hyped up today.’
Besides, his right eyelid had been twitching faintly since the afternoon.
’Could Zijian really be in trouble?’
Jiang He quickened his pace, his mind rapidly running through a therapist’s talking points.
’I can’t quite remember... What was it that Teacher Shen used to say?’
Jiang He scratched his head. ’After all, this isn’t my field. I don’t really know what to do.’
’Sigh, if only Teacher Shen were here!’
However, he didn’t know.
That at this very moment,
inside the [Encounter] restaurant and bar, there was no critical emergency that needed saving.
There was only her.
Waiting for you to encounter.