Rejecting Tsinghua and Peking Universities: I Will Lead Harbin Institute of Technology to World Lead

When the office door was pushed open, the clock on the wall had already gone around twice.

Old Qi walked in, looking somewhat tired. His gaze swept over the two people sitting on the sofa, finally settling on the young face.

"You're Lin Feng?"

His voice was flat, revealing no emotion.

Lin Feng stood up and nodded respectfully: "Elder Qi, I am Lin Feng."

Zhao Weiguo also stood up, a hint of nervousness on his face. He knew the old man's status in the medical field—an academician of the National Academy of Medical Sciences, a leading figure in the medical community.

"Did you bring the documents?"

Old Qi walked to his desk, but didn't sit down; he simply stood and looked at Lin Feng. The higher-ups had indeed told him that a young man had made a breakthrough in cancer theory, but he didn't believe it. This problem had perplexed top scholars worldwide for decades; how could it possibly be solved by an unknown young man?

Lin Feng took out a thick stack of documents from his briefcase and handed them over with both hands: "They're all organized, please take a look."

When Old Qi took the documents, a barely perceptible hint of suspicion flashed in his eyes. He casually flipped to the first page, intending to end this meeting, which he considered a waste of time, after a brief glance.

But just three minutes later, he slowed down his page-turning speed.

Ten minutes later, he was already sitting in a chair, leaning slightly forward.

The air in the office seemed to freeze, broken only by the rustling of papers turning. Zhao Weiguo glanced at Lin Feng and saw that the young man remained seated calmly, his back straight and his gaze serene.

Time passed second by second.

Old Qi's expression began to change—his initial nonchalance was gradually replaced by seriousness, his brows sometimes furrowed and sometimes relaxed, and he would occasionally let out a soft "eh".

He suddenly stopped when he turned to page seventeen.

"This idea..." Old Qi muttered to himself, his fingers tapping lightly on the paper, "Using the immune system's memory function to mark cancer cells? This... how is this even possible?"

Lin Feng spoke up at the opportune moment: "The molecular mechanism is explained in detail on page thirty-two."

Old Qi quickly flipped to the corresponding page, his eyes immediately lighting up. He became increasingly engrossed in reading, sometimes nodding, sometimes gesturing in the air with his finger, completely absorbed in the world of the information.

An hour and a half later, he finally finished reading the entire first part.

A brief silence fell over the office.

Old Qi took off his glasses, rubbed his temples, then put them back on, looking at Lin Feng with a complex expression. His eyes held shock, doubt, but above all, the delight of discovering a treasure.

"These..." he hesitated, choosing his words carefully, "...were all done by yourself?"

"Yes, Professor Qi," Lin Feng replied neither humbly nor arrogantly. "From theoretical construction to experimental design, I completed everything independently. Of course, I also consulted a large number of cutting-edge documents."

Old Qi took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. He stood up, walked around the desk, and stood in front of Lin Feng.

"I apologize for my attitude just now."

These words were spoken with such solemnity that Zhao Weiguo, who was standing next to him, was stunned—Old Qi was actually apologizing to a young man.

Lin Feng quickly stood up as well: "You flatter me. I understand; anyone's first reaction upon seeing such a revolutionary theory would be skepticism."

Old Qi shook his head, but his eyes grew brighter: "No, an apology should be made when necessary. In the face of science, age and seniority are not important; what matters is genuine insight." He paused, a glint of anticipation in his eyes, "This shouldn't be all, right? I think there should be more core content behind these derivations."

Lin Feng smiled.

He took another folder from the inside of his briefcase; it was thinner than the previous one, but more securely sealed.

"This is the core of the theory and the initial drug design concept."

Old Qi's hand trembled slightly as he took the folder. He returned to his seat and opened it almost impatiently.

This time, he looked at it more slowly and more carefully.

Three hours passed quietly.

The sky outside the window changed from bright to dusky yellow.

Assistant Chen pushed open the door and saw that Elder Qi was still discussing with Lin Feng, a look of surprise flashing across his face. He had followed Elder Qi for many years and rarely saw this great master so engrossed in communicating with a young man.

"Professor Qi, Mr. Lin, Mr. Zhao, the research institute has prepared dinner. Would you prefer to go to the cafeteria or have it delivered to your office?"

Old Qi then realized the time, glanced out the window, and smiled apologetically, "Look at me, I got so engrossed I forgot about the time." He turned to Lin Feng, his tone friendly, "I'll call you Xiao Lin, you don't mind, do you?"

"Of course I don't mind," Lin Feng replied with a smile.

"Alright, Xiaolin, Weiguo, let's go have a meal together and chat while we eat," Old Qi said enthusiastically. "I still have many questions I'd like to ask you."

Upon hearing this, Assistant Chen's surprise deepened. He had never heard the word "ask for advice" from Old Qi, especially from a young man.

Dinner was arranged in a private room in the research institute's small canteen. The food was simple but exquisite, consisting of three meat dishes, two vegetable dishes, and a soup.

"Xiao Lin, I understand the principle of intelligent cancer cell recognition mentioned in your materials, but how exactly is the reprogramming of immune cells achieved?" Old Qi asked while eating.

Lin Feng put down his chopsticks and explained in as simple a language as possible: "We can use gene editing technology to insert specific receptor genes into T cells. These receptors can recognize special markers on the surface of cancer cells, just like equipping immune cells with a navigation system and a recognition mirror."

"How can we avoid accidentally damaging normal cells?"

"This requires a multi-layered verification mechanism. I designed a three-lock system; immune cells will only launch an attack if three conditions are met simultaneously..."

Their conversations became increasingly in-depth, covering multiple fields such as molecular biology, immunology, and medicinal chemistry.

It was the excitement of discovering a new continent, the thrill of seeing a glimmer of hope.

Back in his office after the meal, Mr. Qi couldn't wait to continue the previous conversation.

Lin Feng then began to elaborate on the design concept of the traditional Chinese medicine component: "I screened seventeen kinds of traditional Chinese medicine ingredients with anti-tumor activity. Through computer simulation and preliminary experiments, I found that the combined use of astragalus polysaccharides, Ganoderma lucidum triterpenes and artemisinin derivatives can reduce the expected production cost to less than one-third of that of traditional targeted drugs without reducing the efficacy."

"More importantly, these natural ingredients have better biocompatibility, and the long-term toxicity accumulation is far lower than that of chemically synthesized drugs." Lin Feng pulled up simulation data on his phone. "This is my preliminary toxicology prediction model. Take a look—"

Old Qi leaned closer to the screen and carefully examined the curves and charts, becoming increasingly alarmed with each look.

This is not only a theoretical breakthrough, but also a complete protocol that can almost be directly applied to clinical trials. Every step has been considered so meticulously, and every piece of data has solid evidence. This is not something a young person could accomplish independently.

But the facts are right in front of us.

"The younger generation is truly formidable." Old Qi let out a long sigh, leaned back in his chair, and looked at Lin Feng with a complex expression. "Truly, the younger generation is formidable. When I was your age, I was still assisting my mentor in the laboratory."

Lin Feng smiled modestly: "I'm just standing on the shoulders of giants. Without the accumulation of knowledge and experience by my predecessors, I wouldn't have been able to make these discoveries."

Old Qi shook his head, cut to the chase, and said, "Xiao Lin, I plan to set up a special research group as soon as possible. I've already thought of a name for it: Project Dawn. This project needs you, and I hope you can serve as the chief designer."

This is an extremely high honor and a great trust. For key national projects, the chief designer is usually a highly respected and authoritative scholar in the field.

However, Lin Feng shook his head.

"Professor Qi, thank you for your trust. But I think the more suitable position for me is special researcher. The chief designer needs to take overall control and coordinate resources from all parties, and you have more experience in these areas than I do. I am willing to provide all theoretical support and key technical guidance, but the specific progress of the project still needs a senior like you to steer it."

Old Qi was stunned.

He had seen too many young people vying for fame and fortune, but this was the first time he had encountered someone voluntarily relinquishing control. In the field of scientific research, control over a project often signifies academic standing, resource allocation, and the ownership of future achievements.

After a long silence, Old Qi suddenly smiled.

It was a smile of relief, a smile from the bottom of my heart.

"Okay, okay, okay." He said "okay" three times in a row. "Then let's do it your way. You are the specially invited chief researcher, and I am the project leader. Let's work together to truly ignite this dawn."

He stood up and walked to the window. Outside, the night was deep, but many windows of the research institute were still lit, where countless researchers were working late into the night.

"Cancer has taken too many lives and plunged too many families into despair." Professor Qi's voice was low but firm. "Xiao Lin, your research may change the fate of countless people. This path is difficult; there will be doubts, difficulties, and failures, but you and I both know—we have found our direction."

Lin Feng also stood up, walked to Qi Lao's side, and looked at the lights outside the window.

"As long as you're heading in the right direction, no matter how far the road is, you'll eventually reach your destination."

The two exchanged a smile, a tacit understanding and shared belief that only researchers can comprehend.