Rebirth 08: Equipment God

Chapter 242 Is Xiao Zhai protesting?
In the principal's office, Zhai Da sat obediently, while Principal Wang Chunguo made tea at his desk, his administrative jacket blocking out the sunlight.

A moment later, the principal placed a teacup in front of Zhai Da and then sat down on the guest sofa opposite Zhai Da.

"Xiao Zhai, I've heard from others that you applied for a pass, but I didn't expect it to be for such an eye-catching car."

Zhai Da chuckled dryly, "You even know about such a small matter?"

Who the hell is gossiping behind my back?!
Principal Wang Chunguo sighed and said, "Why did you buy such a car? Did you consider the trouble it might cause the students?"

Zhai Da could only continue, saying, "It was a bit ill-considered."

How much did that car cost?

"Uh, a few hundred thousand, I guess."

"more specific."

"Several hundred thousand, several hundred thousand, well, a little over a million."

It's actually free.

Principal Wang Chunguo glared helplessly at Zhai Da: "With your income, buying a car like this is reasonable, but a school has its own rules and regulations. From now on, drive slowly on campus, no revving your engine, and definitely no speeding, understand?!"

Zhai Da breathed a sigh of relief. He had thought the principal was going to revoke his campus pass, which would have been a real problem, as it would have blocked his "unblocking mission".

Little did he know that Principal Wang originally had this idea.

Unfortunately, he personally approved this decision, and now that the order has been changed so frequently, he's in a difficult position.

That's why he was so angry.

Fortunately, Zhai Da is not a typical rich kid. Everyone at school knows he is a great writer who is good enough to be on TV and receive awards. He is definitely better than those spoiled brats who rely on their family background to show off.

Our school has a rigorous academic style and does not encourage students to flaunt their parents' money, except for their own.

That was all the principal could tell himself.

"Don't worry, Principal, I'm a very simple and honest person, and I never show off!"

Principal Wang Chunguo, with a serious expression, lifted the tea lid, frowned slightly, and looked solemn, making Zhai Da nervous again.

Principal: My hand slipped and I put in too much tea, spilling the foam.

He took a slurp and said, "Xiao Zhai, you've been at Harbin Institute of Technology for a semester now. How's it going?"

Zhai Da said, "Very good. The school has given me a lot of support and a lot of freedom. But don't worry, my studies have not been delayed."

"Okay, that's good. By the way, did you see Old Qian when you went to northern Beijing?"

"You know that too?"

Principal Wang finally showed his first smile since entering the room: "After all, the JF-12 wind tunnel has a collaboration with our school. This project has caused quite a stir, especially in the field of engineering. Academician Yu from the Institute of Mechanics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences even called to express his gratitude, and most of the conversation was about praising you."

Zhai Da genuinely didn't know this, and humbly replied, "I only went to help with a small matter. If Master Gong hadn't been injured, it wouldn't have been my turn to provide support as a novice."

"Young people should be willing to take responsibility and also be willing to take credit. You played a role in such an important project in your freshman year and were praised by the other unit. It's okay to be proud, haha, especially since you got to meet Professor Qian?"

This even made Principal Wang a little envious, since even he had never met that legendary figure.

After all, Professor Qian was over ninety years old and in relatively weak health. In the past ten years or so, apart from his students and grand-students, people would only bother him when the country made a major breakthrough.

"You went there, but didn't take a picture with Mr. Qian?"

Zhai Da said, "There really was a small gift from Mr. Qian. We took a picture together, but it wasn't us who took it; it was Mrs. Qian who took it."

It's funny, actually. Normally, unless you've already given permission to a special filming crew, like a TV station, you're not allowed to take photos or videos there.

Because this person is a hero and star of the Republic, that face represents too much. If someone with malicious intent were to use a photo to deceive local governments into accepting policies or investments, or to spread rumors.

Only after approval will the so-called "public footage" appear.

However, Mr. Qian gave Zhai Da his own harmonica, which he had cherished for decades. This harmonica also held great sentimental value for his wife. Perhaps decades ago, Mrs. Qian often listened to it being played by the lake. She was a soprano in her youth.

So Madam Qian took the initiative to suggest taking a photo.

No one would stop the Qian family from taking normal family photos.

So Zhai Da was fortunate enough to receive the actual photograph a week later, sent by Gong Changzhang, which he carefully preserved.

Upon hearing this, Principal Wang immediately said, "How about we make a copy and hang it in the school's Hall of Fame?"

"Uh, I don't know the rules in this regard, is that appropriate?"

"Don't worry, there's nothing inappropriate about it. It's purely a record of the exchange between Harbin Institute of Technology students and academic giants, and it doesn't involve any secrets, hahaha." This is quite prestigious. What about Tsinghua University and Peking University? Do their undergraduates even get to meet Professor Qian? And they even received gifts and recognition from him!
This little incident eased the atmosphere in the office considerably. Principal Wang didn't mention the car again. The tea grew stronger and stronger, and with each sip, Principal Wang had to frown and endure the bitterness, to the point that Zhai Da wondered what was in the other person's cup.

There was a math teacher at Maofang Middle School who liked to secretly bring liquor into his thermos during class.

The more I drink, the more ideas come to me; the more I write on the blackboard, the more crooked they become.

"Originally, we planned to have you and Xiao Lu visit various labs and academicians at the end of the semester to determine which academician would be involved in the training next year. However, you ended up staying in northern Beijing for more than ten days, and then there was exam week after you came back. They even asked Xiao Lu if she wanted to go and take a look first, but the girl refused."

"It seems that we can only look for this opportunity next semester. But I still want to ask you in advance, Xiao Zhai, when you first registered you didn't know much about university life or the various majors. Do you have any ideas now? Which direction do you want to develop in?"

Zhai Da felt this topic was important, and after a moment's consideration, he said, "Currently, I'm probably more skilled and interested in engineering-related fields, but as for more specific sub-fields, I can't determine that yet."

Principal Wang nodded: "I understand. Don't rush. Engineering is our strong area, and it covers a wide range of fields. You'll always find a suitable opportunity."

“Xiao Zhai, from a technical standpoint, it’s a pleasant surprise that you can play a role in the JF-12 project. But from a knowledge and learning perspective, I believe you see yourself as someone who will not just be a technical expert in the future, right? There is still a lot to learn, and you also need to take courses at school.”

Zhai Dashen agreed, saying that he had a pair of "nimble hands" and was no less capable than anyone else in terms of practical skills, but he would not stop at his hands; otherwise, he would just be an enhanced version of "Gong Changzhang".

Rounding up or down is like living in vain.

Zhai Da had an unexpected and brief chat with the principal, which could be considered a show of concern before the winter break. He felt that even if he hadn't run into trouble this time, Principal Wang would likely have called him and Lu Wei over for a casual chat.

As soon as he left the main building, he saw several people surrounding his car. When Zhai Da got closer, he was surprised to find that some of them were acquaintances.

Cheng Mo, a computer genius whose π codename is "Turing".

Four or five boys, seemingly from the same class, were pointing and gesturing at the car, praising it as worth at least several hundred thousand yuan. Cheng Mo, on the other hand, seemed uninterested, playing on his phone.

At least they acted as if they weren't envious.

At this moment, Zhai Da walked over and greeted him with a smile: "Cheng Mo? How was your exam week?"

The code name is only used internally and privately; it's a bit too childish to use it on the street.

Wearing an elegant trench coat and with his hair perfectly styled, Cheng Mo smiled and said, "If I can't even handle something as simple as an exam perfectly, wouldn't I be letting down the president's favor?"

Excellent, Zhai Da likes this confidence; that's what a genius looks like.

Remembering Cheng Mo's pretentious style, and seeing a few other people who were probably his classmates, Zhai Da lightly pressed his car key: "Beep beep."

"Where are you going? Shall I give you a ride?"

Smart people think fast; Cheng Mo didn't show a second of surprise on his face, as if he already knew that this awesome car belonged to Zhai Da.

"Thank you."

Then he casually got into the "Palamera".

Without further ado, Zhai Da got into the car and started it, producing a moderate roar of the engine, which fully satisfied Cheng Mo's vanity.

He sped away, leaving his classmates staring in disbelief.

Zhai Da could clearly feel that Cheng Mo's every pore was radiating comfort.

It was a big one.

Wouldn't that sense of belonging just spring up from nowhere?
Zhai Da smiled and asked, "Where are you going?"

Cheng Mo remained silent for a long while before giving an answer that left Zhai Da speechless: "We went to the main building."

Zhai Da:
Why did you get on the bus?
Someone seemed to realize they'd gotten carried away with their act: "How about... President, you go around in circles and then put me down?"

Zhai Da chuckled dryly, thinking to himself, "You really are a multi-talented individual!"
So Zhai Da drove around the main building for about five minutes before returning to the main entrance.

Just as he was about to park, Cheng Mo suddenly shouted, "Oh no! The people from our class haven't left. They're still chatting at the entrance!"

Zhai Da looked over and, sure enough, the car hadn't gone inside, but it wasn't standing outside either. Separated by a glass door, he hadn't yet noticed the car had returned.

"That"

"They should be there soon, Chairman, could you take one more detour?"

Zhai Da:
Are you helping me accumulate miles over here?
Above the main building, President Wang held a cup of overly strong tea, which was burning his heart. He felt it would be a waste to throw it away, so he simply stood in front of the window and looked down at the campus of Harbin Institute of Technology.

The winter sun shines brightly.

Then I saw a black car downstairs, circling around for a while.
He pushed up his glasses and stared for a long time.

Is Xiao Zhai protesting against me?
(End of this chapter)