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

The morning after the wedding, a light rain fell in the mountain town.

A fine drizzle, like silk threads, gently tapped against the windowpane, enveloping the entire city in a thin layer of mist. When Lin Feng woke up, Shen Moran was already awake, lying on her side beside him, staring at him intently.

"What are you looking at?" Lin Feng laughed.

"To see if you're really here." Shen Moran reached out and gently stroked his cheek. "I'm afraid that when I open my eyes, you'll be gone again."

Lin Feng grasped her hand: "Not this time. At least... not for this month."

After breakfast, the two packed their luggage quickly—two backpacks, a few changes of clothes, traveling light.

Zhao Weiguo drove them to the airport. On the way, the rain stopped, and sunlight pierced through the clouds, casting beams of light.

"Mr. Lin," Zhao Weiguo glanced in the rearview mirror, "the route has been planned, first stop Dunhuang. As for security along the way... we will keep our distance and will not disturb you."

"Thank you for your hard work." Lin Feng nodded.

"Of course." Zhao Weiguo paused. "You should spend this month with your wife. The rest... we'll take care of it."

As the plane took off, Shen Moran leaned on Lin Feng's shoulder, watching the mountain city silhouette gradually shrink outside the porthole.

"This is the first time," she said softly, "that I'm going out with you not for work."

Lin Feng hugged her tightly: "There will be many more times in the future."

The sunset in Dunhuang is so magnificent that it leaves one speechless.

The two stood atop the Singing Sand Dunes, watching the sunset paint the entire desert golden. The wind swept across the dunes, stirring up fine sand that shimmered like gold dust in the sunlight. In the distance, Crescent Lake resembled a piece of emerald, set within the golden sea of ​​sand.

"So beautiful," Shen Moran murmured.

Lin Feng didn't speak, but simply raised his camera and pressed the shutter. In the picture, Shen Moran stood atop a sand dune, her long hair blowing in the wind, with a sky full of rosy clouds behind her.

She turned to look at him and smiled: "This one needs to be developed and hung at home."

"it is good."

That night, we stayed at a guesthouse on the edge of the desert. The courtyard was quiet, with only the sound of the wind and the occasional camel bell. The two of us sat on wicker chairs in the courtyard, looking up at the starry sky.

The starry sky here is completely different from that in the city—the Milky Way is clearly visible, like a luminous ribbon stretching across the sky. The stars are densely packed, so bright that they seem within reach.

"When I was little," Shen Moran said softly, "my dad would take me to our old home in the countryside, and we could see a starry sky like this. But after we moved to the city, I never saw it again."

Lin Feng held her hand: "If you want to see it again in the future, I'll come with you."

"You'll be very busy." Shen Moran turned to look at him. "I know."

No matter how busy I am, I will always make time to watch the stars with you.

Shen Moran's eyes were slightly red as she leaned on his shoulder.

They spent three days in Dunhuang, exploring all the caves of the Mogao Grottoes, riding camels in the desert, and eating roasted whole lamb at the night market. There was no itinerary, no must-see attractions; they just went wherever the road took them, resting whenever they were tired.

On the fourth day, Shen Moran said, "Junior, let's go see the sea."

"it is good."

So they flew to Sanya.

Life by the sea has a different rhythm. During the day, you can stroll on the beach, collect seashells, and sunbathe; in the evening, you can eat seafood at a seaside restaurant and watch the sunset; at night, you can listen to the sound of the tide and chat about anything and everything.

Shen Moran learned to surf—though most of the time she just lay on the surfboard getting flipped over by the waves. Lin Feng watched from the side, laughing so hard he almost fell over.

"You're still laughing!" Shen Moran climbed out of the water, soaking wet, and glared at him angrily.

Lin Feng walked over and picked her up: "Stop laughing, let's go get some coconut chicken."

"That's more like it."

A week later, Shen Moran said again, "I heard that Sayram Lake in the Western Regions is especially beautiful, like paradise."

"Then let's go."

We transferred from a plane to a car, heading west. The scenery along the way gradually changed from lush green to desolate yellow, and finally to the Gobi Desert and snow-capped mountains.

When Sayram Lake came into view, the two of them held their breath.

What a vibrant blue it was—it was as if all the blue pigment in the world had been poured into this lake. The water was crystal clear, revealing the pebbles at the bottom. In the distance stretched snow-capped mountains, their peaks perpetually covered in snow, shimmering silver in the sunlight. The lakeshore was a vast grassland, blooming with wildflowers, where cattle and sheep grazed peacefully.

They lived in a wooden cabin by the lake. In the evening, they sat in rocking chairs on the porch, watching the sunset paint the lake golden, then orange-red, and finally a deep purple.

"This place," Shen Moran said softly, "is so beautiful."

Lin Feng put his arm around her shoulder and said, "Mmm."

"In the future..." Shen Moran paused, "when you're not so busy, let's come here and stay for a few days every year, okay?"

"Okay." Lin Feng agreed earnestly, "I've got it."

As the sun completely sank below the horizon, stars began to appear in the sky. The starry sky here was even more spectacular than in Dunhuang—there was no light pollution whatsoever, and the Milky Way was so clear it seemed almost within reach.

Shen Moran leaned against Lin Feng's chest, gazing at the starry sky, and suddenly said, "Junior, do you know what? This past month has been the happiest month of my life."

Lin Feng's heart tightened.

"So," Shen Moran looked up at him, "let's go back tomorrow."

Lin Feng was stunned: "Isn't there still a week left?"

"That's enough." Shen Moran smiled, a smile with a familiar, understanding gentleness. "This month is enough. I know you have many important things to do. You can't let me delay them."

"But……"

"No buts," Shen Moran interrupted him. "I'm already very satisfied. Really."

She reached out and gently stroked his face: "For this past month, you belonged completely to me. That's enough. The rest of the time... it's time for you to return to your battlefield."

Lin Feng looked at her, his throat tightening.

This woman is always like this. She waits for him, understands him, and then lets him go.

"Senior..."

"Don't say sorry." Shen Moran shook her head. "You've never apologized to me. You're just doing what you're supposed to do, doing... something very, very great."

She leaned back into his arms, her voice soft: "I just hope that when you're doing those things, when you're tired and weary, you'll remember that someone is waiting for you at home. Remember that there's a place in this world where the light will always be on for you."

Lin Feng hugged her tightly, speechless.

The next day, they began their journey home.

On the plane back to Shancheng, Shen Moran held his hand tightly the whole time, as if she wanted to hold onto all the warmth of the past month.

I stayed home for another three days.

For the past three days, Shen Moran didn't cry, nor did she show the slightest reluctance. She cooked for him, accompanied him for walks, and watched TV in his arms at night, just like always.

But Lin Feng knew that she was holding his hand more tightly than ever before.

On the morning of the fourth day, Lin Feng packed his luggage—it was still that simple backpack, but now it contained a few new clothes that Shen Moran had bought for him, as well as a group photo taken at Sayram Lake.

"I'm leaving," he said at the door.

Shen Moran nodded and smiled: "Be careful and eat on time."

"Um."

"And..." she paused, "come back when you're tired. I'll be waiting for you."

Lin Feng stepped forward, hugged her tightly, and planted a kiss on her forehead.

Then he turned around and went downstairs.

He didn't turn back—not because he didn't want to, but because he dared not. He was afraid that if he turned back and saw her crying, he really wouldn't be able to leave.

Zhao Weiguo was already waiting downstairs.

As the car drove out of the residential area, Lin Feng took one last look in the rearview mirror—by the window on the fourth floor, Shen Moran stood there, wearing the pajamas he had bought for her, her figure somewhat blurred in the morning light.

But her hand was waving.

Keep waving until the car turns and you can't see it anymore.

Four hours later, the plane landed in Harbin.

The campus of Harbin Institute of Technology remains unchanged. The leaves of the birch trees have begun to turn yellow, rustling softly in the autumn wind. The small courtyard in the professors' quarters is spotless, with sparkling windows and clean furniture.

Lin Feng put down his luggage and went straight into the study without resting.