The night before the college entrance exam results were released, I redeemed my Peking University ad

Not going to Ji Bai Research Institute?

Everyone was taken aback.

"Why?" Qin frowned.

Since we're already here, why aren't we going to leave?

Then they came for nothing, didn't they?

Director Lu shook his head: "The higher-ups said that Ji Bai is busy right now and it's inconvenient to disturb him. They told us to stay at the guesthouse first and go there early tomorrow morning."

"What's up?"

Qin Ye frowned even more: "What could be more important than these projects at the institute? We came here with military orders."

Lu Weiguo looked at her and remained silent for a moment.

"Xiao Qin, I'd like to know the answer to your question too, but the higher-ups have made it clear that we can't disturb them tonight."

He paused, his tone softening slightly: "I know you're anxious, and I am too, but since we're already here, one more night won't make a difference."

"Let's go rest first and get some rest. When we meet him tomorrow, we can ask him any questions in person."

"If he's really capable, we won't lose out. If he's just a fraud, you can say so to his face, right?"

Qin remained silent.

Director Lu didn't say anything more, turned around and got into the car.

Everyone gradually took their seats.

Qin Ye, however, lagged behind. He took out his phone from his pocket, walked to the side, and made a call.

She lowered her voice, her tone tinged with displeasure:

"Hey, it's me, we've arrived."

"Yes, they won't let us go."

"They said Ji Bai was busy and couldn't come!"

"I just want to know, in the dead of night, what could a researcher possibly be doing that's...?"

Halfway through his sentence, Qin Ye's expression suddenly changed.

Her body stiffened slightly, and her gaze gradually turned cold.

After a few seconds, she hung up the phone and stood there silently for a while.

Then, she turned around, strode to the front of the line, and walked up to Director Lu.

"Land Office."

Lu Weiguo straightened up from his seat, looked up at her, and asked, "What's wrong?"

Qin also took a deep breath and spoke coldly:

Do you know what Ji Bai is doing right now?

Lu Weiguo didn't speak, he just looked at her.

"He's on a date!"

Qin Ye's voice wasn't loud, but everyone heard it clearly.

"What?"

Section Chief Liu Guodong was the first to react, looking utterly astonished: "We flew for hours, bringing all the resources of the institute, and he... he's on a date?"

Zhou Yongqiang, the deputy head of the Third Section, also looked grim.

"We were dragged out of our homes in the middle of the night, leaving our wives and children behind, bringing all the hard work of decades, only to find out... they're dating?"

Even Chen Zhe, a young key member who initially admired Ji Bai, fell silent.

At first, everyone was just discussing the matter at hand.

Whether Ji Bai is capable, whether the project can be advanced, and the ownership of the final results are all things that can be discussed and debated.

Even those who initially didn't think highly of Ji Bai approached the discussion with an academic mindset, focusing on the issue rather than the person.

They harbored no ill will toward Ji Bai personally, and even held him in some respect and expectation because of the matter of room-temperature superconductivity.

But now, upon hearing that they had rushed over overnight in a great hurry, only to find the other party preoccupied with their personal feelings, their initial expectations instantly soured, and they felt somewhat slighted and dismissed.

If Ji Bai truly has important business tonight, whether he's in a meeting, conducting experiments, or engrossed in some monumental research, then they will wait all night without complaint.

but!

Is he on a date?

This guy is actually on a date?

"Oh."

Liu Guodong gave a wry smile and leaned back in his chair: "No wonder the higher-ups were so hesitant to say. I thought it was some major national event, but it turns out it's just this kind of 'major event'."

"This is outrageous."

Chen Zhe said indignantly, "We traveled all night, and we can't even see each other, just because he's dating? He's the God of Seasons, but he can't do this..."

"Xiao Chen, stop talking." Director Lu interrupted him in a deep voice.

"Director Lu, I don't have any issues with Ji Bai."

Chen Zhe's face flushed red: "I just feel... he should at least show some attitude, right? Which of us hasn't spent the best years of our lives on this project?"

"We're not here to beg him; we were sent here by our superiors! If he thinks these technical issues aren't worth his time, then let's all stop wasting our time!"

"Exactly! The higher-ups sent over such important information, so many people are watching this project, and he's still thinking about dating?"

The crowd began to discuss it.

"This is ridiculous! This is incredibly careless!"

"We flew here overnight, and they didn't even care?"

"I thought he was working really hard, but it turns out he has quite a rich private life."

Qin's expression turned completely cold.

She has the utmost contempt for people who don't take scientific research seriously.

Many researchers spend their entire lives buried in the laboratory, working themselves to the bone, and still may not achieve any results.

But Ji Bai, who has the best resources and the highest expectations, actually abandoned the national project to go on a date?

That's utterly absurd!

"Alright, alright, that's enough!"

Lu Weiguo's face darkened as he sternly silenced the discussion.

"I know you're unhappy, but I have a few things to remind you of."

"First of all, we were sent here by our superiors, not invited by others. You can be angry, but don't take it out on others."

"Secondly, no matter what Ji Bai is doing tonight, he has no obligation to cooperate with our schedule. He is not one of our staff members and is not under our jurisdiction."

"third……"

He paused, his tone softening:

"It's getting late, let's go back to the guesthouse first. We'll meet the person tomorrow morning. If you have anything to say or anything that's bothering you, you can talk about it face to face when you meet tomorrow."

"What if he's still not available tomorrow?" Qin suddenly asked.

"Then wait at the entrance," Director Lu said.

"Oh."

Qin scoffed lightly, his voice cold: "Wait for what? Wait for him to come back from his meeting before seeing us?"

After saying that, she walked to the last row and sat down, turning her head to look out the window.

There was no anger on her fair face, only a cold indifference that came after being offended.

Outside the car window, the night was dark.

The bus slowly started moving, leaving the airport and heading towards Fucheng city.

The atmosphere inside the car was somewhat somber.

Liu Guodong leaned against the window and dozed off, his brows furrowed in worry.

Zhou Yongqiang turned the crushed cigarette pack over and over without saying a word.

Chen Zhe looked down at his phone, his fingers swiping rapidly across the screen, but he couldn't focus on any of the news articles.

Qin sat in the last row, his face pressed against the cold windowpane, his eyes wide open.

"Ji Bai... I'd like to see just how good you really are."

She wanted to see what this genius, who valued dating more than military projects, would come up with tomorrow.

If the problem can't be solved...

Qin Ye would be the first to disagree!

……

The next day, at six o'clock in the morning.

As dawn broke, Fucheng was still shrouded in a thin layer of mist.

At the entrance of the Ji Bai Research Institute, a dark green military-plated bus slowly came to a stop.

Lu Weiguo was the first to get out of the car, followed by a group of people from the station, and Qin Ye, who hadn't slept much all night...