Zhao Qiang said, "We don't have any ideas yet, but we will as long as we research them. I think this topic is more practically significant than purification. If our country mass-produces this kind of firearm, or even modifies it for tanks and airplanes, it would be a qualitative leap for weapon systems!"
Gu Yu was well aware of the powerful impact of his research on the compression gun on the improvement of the nation's weapon systems, and Zhao Qiang was also pushing him to switch research topics, so it seemed that they really couldn't rely on the purification issue any longer.
Gu Yu immediately slammed his fist on the table and decided: "Alright, temporarily halt the purification research, and immediately begin research on high-strength micro-compression motors!"
Volume 2 [341] Interview
Chen Xinyu was extremely annoyed. She'd been at the university for over ten days, and not only was the interview unfinished, but her photographer, Wang Peng, had been seriously injured and was currently recovering in the hospital. However, amidst her anger, Chen Xinyu was also somewhat relieved. Wang Peng had only come to Donghai City to assist her with the interview because he'd pestered her. Now that he was in the hospital, Chen Xinyu had much more peace and quiet, and she no longer had to constantly guard against his harassment. To be honest, she secretly approved of that brick incident.
"Reporter Chen, we cannot agree to your requested solution," the principal said, looking troubled. He had managed to appease one party, but now another was causing dissatisfaction. Reporter Chen had come early this morning demanding an explanation and severe punishment for the student who injured her photographer.
Chen Xinyu said angrily, "So you're saying there's no justice in Donghai City? The one who hits is innocent, and the one who gets hit deserves to be unlucky?"
The principal hurriedly waved his hand and said, "No, no, Reporter Chen, you've misunderstood. The problem is that the assailant was actually the victim, and they are all the people you're supposed to interview." The principal quickly explained the whole story.
Chen Xinyu said, "Even if those students were forced to act, you saw what happened in the video. He knew my cameraman wasn't a bad person, but a journalist, so why did he still attack? I need an explanation for this."
"This..." The principal was in a dilemma. Reporter Chen was right; Wang Peng had already revealed his family's background and still got hit with a brick. This didn't make sense. Zhao Qiang didn't have any connections and was only a freshman this year. Should they just push him to take the fall? The principal had no choice but to sacrifice one person for everyone's benefit.
"Reporter Chen, how about I call Zhao Qiang over? You can decide how to punish him." Although the principal wanted to use Zhao Qiang as a scapegoat, Zhao Qiang was still Professor Gu's student, and it would be inappropriate for the principal to punish him directly. However, if Reporter Chen hit or verbally abused him, that would be a different story. Professor Gu couldn't very well take his anger out on a girl, could he?
Chen Xinyu: "Okay, call them all over, I need to interview them!"
So Zhang Zhen and his four colleagues, who were busy in the lab, rushed to the principal's office without even changing out of their work clothes. In their eyes, the principal and Professor Gu were equally important; no matter how capable Professor Gu was, he was still just a member of the school.
The principal introduced them one by one: "This is Zhang Zhen, the deputy director of Professor Gu's laboratory. He is very knowledgeable, and his research results include the safe disposal of nuclear waste with reduced radiation."
Zhang Zhen blushed, but he didn't say anything. He felt obligated to accept the assignment from his teacher, otherwise the teacher would be unhappy. However, after receiving the money, Zhang Zhen knew how to allocate it.
"These are his junior fellow students, all of whom are among the elite," the principal said, more likely to try and flatter them.
Chen Xinyu glanced at the five people. One guy was hiding behind someone, not looking at her. Chen Xinyu was annoyed because this was the guy who had injured her photographer! So Chen Xinyu pointed at him and said, "You, come out."
Zhao Qiang was also somewhat displeased, but considering that Chen Xinyu was somewhat attractive, he stepped forward and asked, "What is it?"
Chen Xinyu asked, "Did you injure my photographer?"
Zhao Qiang nodded: "Oh, do you have any objections?"
Chen Xinyu felt a tightness in her chest: "You...you actually asked me what my opinion was? Don't you have any shame?"
Zhao Qiang said, "Reporter Chen, right? Don't you know that the University of Science and Technology is a school under state security protection? What if some unidentified people taking photos on campus leaks state secrets? There have been many leaks recently. Reporter Chen, you don't want to be punished by the higher-ups because of a photographer, do you?"
Chen Xinyu retorted, "Who doesn't know his identity? Wang Peng is a senior photographer from CCTV!"
Zhao Qiang said, "You know about this, but none of us knew. He doesn't wear a name tag, so who would know what he does? Principal, did you know he was a cameraman for CCTV before?"
The principal shook his head: "I don't know, I only found out after I was beaten." If the principal had known, he would have sent someone to keep an eye on things much earlier, and this wouldn't have happened.
Zhao Qiang said, "Reporter Chen, you see, you should have notified us in advance if you wanted to come to the school for an interview, but you didn't. As a result, the school was unprepared, which led to this misunderstanding. But if you want to pin this on me, I'll accept it. After all, we ordinary people don't have much of a voice or human rights."
Chen Xinyu's face flushed red: "If I do anything to you today, would that be infringing on your right to speak and your human rights?"
Zhao Qiang said, "I didn't say that. I was just fulfilling my responsibility as a student by stopping unidentified people from taking pictures indiscriminately. Principal, aren't you planning to give me a certificate or something? Or maybe a scholarship or something?"
The principal hesitated, "This...we'll talk about it later." He thought to himself, "Professor Gu's students are all quite capable. They actually managed to leave a reporter speechless. Not only did they hit the photographer, but now they're demanding certificates and scholarships. How shameless!"
Chen Xinyu suddenly smiled: "Okay, I admire you. Principal, my photographer is in the hospital. Didn't you say you'd get me one? I think we don't need to look for anyone else. This one is quite suitable."
Before the principal could speak, Zhao Qiang interrupted, "I'm sorry, beautiful lady, although I really want to be your photographer, I know nothing about this industry. What if I make you look ugly in the photos? That would be a huge problem. What if you complain about me and accuse me of a bunch of crimes?"
Chen Xinyu's lips twitched slightly, but she tried her best to hold it in. "I think for Professor Gu's students, learning photography would only take a few minutes. If you don't know how, I can teach you. If you can really make me look like an ugly monster, then I should thank you, because you've achieved an effect that no one else can."
Chen Xinyu wore a black suit, with a white flower peeking out from the collar of her blouse. Her shoulder-length hair was incredibly smooth. Unlike other girls, she didn't wear stockings; her toes playfully peeked out, as white and delicate as her thighs. Upon closer inspection, she was a stunning beauty. It would be absolutely impossible for Zhao Qiang to make her look ugly.
The principal finally interjected, "Reporter Chen, does having Zhao Qiang be your photographer mean that everything that happened before can be wiped clean?"
Chen Xinyu said, "Okay."
The principal said to Zhao Qiang, "Zhao Qiang, this is an important task assigned to you by the school. You must complete it well. Do you understand?" As he spoke, the principal winked at Zhao Qiang, meaning that he should not be ungrateful. Getting Reporter Chen to say that he would not pursue the matter was already a great success!
Zhao Qiang dared not disrespect the principal, so he could only listlessly say, "Alright, I'll give it a try."
The camera arrived quickly. Although it wasn't a high-end model, it still caught Chen Xinyu's eye. She learned how to use it briefly first, then explained it to Zhao Qiang. No special effects were needed; Zhao Qiang just needed to adjust the lighting to ensure Chen Xinyu was properly positioned on the screen. If anything went wrong, they could re-edit it later.
Chen Xinyu brushed a few stray hairs from her forehead and asked Zhao Qiang, "Are you ready?"
Zhao Qiang got into position, completely out of his depth. He'd never done this before, but the people being interviewed were his senior and junior classmates. He could forgive Chen Xinyu if he didn't get a good result, but he felt terrible about letting down Zhang Zhen and the others.
Actually, Chen Xinyu's interview transcript was quite ordinary. It didn't involve any national high-tech or cutting-edge secrets. At most, it mentioned Zhang Zhen's research on reducing radiation from nuclear waste, which was no longer a matter of secrecy. However, Zhang Xinyu was unaware of the related "g" substances and compression guns. She was simply making a documentary series about postdoctoral research and life, and today's face-to-face interview was just one part of it. The majority of the footage would focus on her life and work, but filming and interviewing about classified matters were absolutely prohibited. However, ordinary research was fine.
It must be said that Chen Xinyu's composure and elegance were on full display when facing the camera, while Zhang Zhen and others were extremely nervous. After Chen Xinyu finished her introduction, she asked Zhang Zhen her first question, "Dr. Zhang, how many years have you been engaged in scientific research?"
Zhang Zhen was so nervous he couldn't speak. He opened his mouth a few times but then stammered, "I...I...I forgot too."
Chen Xinyu chuckled: "Dr. Zhang, you're too nervous. I can see that none of us have experience in front of the camera. How about this, we won't do any interviews today, we'll just film our daily lives, okay?"
Li Tianwen wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "That's no problem. We just need to continue doing what we were doing before."
Chen Xinyu said, "Yes, and then the photographer follows you around, recording your entire day."
Li Tianwen smiled at Zhao Qiang, who was carrying a camera, and said, "Zhao Qiang, you're in luck now!"
Zhang Zhen calmed down and said, "Reporter Chen, did the interview procedures comply with the school's confidentiality regulations?"
Chen Xinyu pulled a stack of documents out of her bag: "What do you think? Do you want me to recite them for you?"
Zhang Zhen said, "That's good, otherwise I wouldn't dare to agree to it."
Chen Xinyu glared at Zhao Qiang: "Photographer, let's go."
He headed straight for the physics lab building after leaving the principal's office. On the way, he ran into a group of students leaving get out of class. One of the boys greeted Li Tianwen, "Hey, Wen, wanna go for a quickie tonight? Don't you want to recoup your losses?"
Chen Xinyu asked, puzzled, "Touch? Touch what?"
The male classmate asked, "Who are you? Wen's girlfriend?"
Chen Xinyu's expression wasn't good. "Do you think it looks like it?"
The male student said, "It doesn't seem like it at all! How could a wild boar like Awen manage to find such a good cabbage?"
Chen Xinyu's face darkened further. Li Tianwen stepped forward and shoved the male classmate, saying, "Aren't you going to leave? You're such a chatterbox."
The male student said, "Are you coming or not? We're one short for mahjong."
If Chen Xinyu still didn't understand, she would be a fool. She said, "I didn't expect a top student to gamble?"
Li Tianwen said awkwardly, "A little gambling is harmless fun, and it's good to play in my spare time to exercise."
Chen Xinyu said, "This is the first time I've heard of playing mahjong to exercise."
Right at the entrance of the physics lab building, another group of boys greeted everyone, "Hey, Superman..."
Chen Xinyu asked, "Who? Who is Superman?"
Han Chao said shyly, "Some classmates like to call me Superman."
The boy asked, "Superman, who's this? Your sister? Doesn't look like her. What does she do? Is she one of your girls? You've got some nerve. Didn't Professor Gu forbid you two from dating? By the way, what's Xiaoqiang doing carrying that big camera? Changed careers? I heard he knocked out a photographer with a brick a few days ago. Has that been dealt with?"
Han Chao pushed the classmate, saying, "You should leave now, don't get in our way."
The boy walked a few meters before suddenly turning back: "By the way, Superman, that Hai ii you patted so nicely last time asked me to tell you that if you don't go back to her, she'll go pat someone else."
"What is Hai II?" Chen Xinyu asked.
Han Chao's face turned as red as a monkey's bottom. "A blind masseur..."
Chen Xinyu clearly didn't believe it. She raised her voice and asked the boy who had already walked away, "Excuse me, who is Hai ii?"
The boy said from afar, "The massage parlor's small..."
Sis, you have such a full bust, what's up? You want to try it too? Yours isn't small either, Superman must have been so busy touching you these past few days...
Volume 2 [342] A Group of Normal People
*Thud!* In a fit of anger, Chen Xinyu kicked over a flower bed made of bricks by the roadside! Zhao Qiang captured the moment on camera.
Zhang Zhen glared at Han Chao, who innocently replied, "How was I supposed to know they'd talk nonsense?"
Zhang Zhen said, "You'd better behave yourself from now on, or I won't be able to protect you if the teacher finds out."
"?" Han Chao said, feeling wronged. "Brother, I'm a man, 28 years old this year. I need to find a place to vent, right?"
"?" Li Tianwen caught up from behind and said, "Can't you do it yourself? It's affordable, cheap, and saves money!"
"?" Chen Xinyu suppressed her anger and followed the others: "Games? You researchers have time to play games? Don't tell me this is a way to exercise?"
Li Tianwen explained with ill intent, "Oh, it's a game that men play under the covers, it's good for their physical and mental health."
Chen Xinyu said, "A game only for men? I've never heard of such a game. Can't women play it?"
Li Tianwen said, "Women can play too, but it's not as convenient as it is for men. You know, indentation and protrusion are completely different concepts. It's cleaner and more hygienic for men to play with it, but for women..."
Chen Xinyu suddenly thought of something and snorted fiercely, "You scoundrel! You shameless scoundrel!"
Having entered the lab, Chen Xinyu was disappointed with these so-called senior researchers and pillars of the nation's future. She lost all interest in continuing the interview and sat listlessly in a chair. She felt she had brought this trouble upon herself; how comfortable it would be to stay at the station. Coming to this remote Donghai City had only brought her a bellyful of anger.
Zhang Zhen said to Li Tianwen and Han Chao, "Look at what you two have done! This was a great opportunity to promote our lab and the school, and you've turned it into a negative example."
Li Tianwen said: "What negative examples? Do you think researchers are gods? Do they have to abstain from women, eat vegetarian food every day, and stay buried in books after work, turning themselves into bookworms? Only when people see such people will they believe that they are doing research. When they see a normal researcher, they will say that he is abnormal, that he is a rogue and shameless."
Zhao Qiang had already tossed the camera aside. He said, "Let's stop discussing this useless stuff. After work, we'll go back to what we were doing. There's no need to change ourselves for anyone. But when we're at work, we should do our jobs well."
Ni Hong praised, "Yes!"
Chen Xinyu watched the group of people wandering around the lab, doing things she couldn't understand. This lab wasn't the core of their research, so Chen Xinyu was allowed to film them, but she wasn't interested at all. She had the idea of ending the interview hastily. What kind of young talents and leaders of China's scientific research? That was complete nonsense!
Chen Xinyu started tidying up her manuscript, idly watching the others work. Suddenly, she noticed something. Zhang Zhen was supposed to be her main interviewee, the leader of this lab, but why had he asked the guy who knocked out his photographer several questions in such a short time? This didn't seem right.
Chen Xinyu put down her manuscript and began to observe carefully. She noticed another problem. Not only Zhang Zhen, but others were also asking Zhao Qiang questions from time to time. After receiving answers, they continued working. Judging from their actions, they seemed to be designing a motor, a very large motor, large enough to be the size of a truck!
Chen Xinyu walked up to Zhang Zhen and asked, "Director Zhang, what are you researching?"
Zhang Zhen explained, "Oh, this is a motor."
Chen Xinyu asked, "Does such a large motor have any practical application value?"
Zhang Zhen answered honestly, "No."
Chen Xinyu felt dizzy: "If it has no practical application, what's the point of your research? It's a waste of the country's research funds!"