Genius Club

Chapter 41: Chapter 41 Manuscript

The wooden door was light.

Lin Xian merely rapped the back of his hand against it a couple of times and the door slid open inward, accompanied by a heart-wrenching, grating creak.

Professor Xu Yun, absorbed in his research, was startled by the noise and looked up with a frown at Lin Xian.

Lin Xian apologetically bowed and offered a small smile.

Unfriendly eyes bore into him from across the room.

“Young man, I think I made myself very clear that day at the hospital. Why can’t you understand?”

Lin Xian shook his head, walking in.

“Teacher Xu, you misunderstand. I’m not here about that chemical substance, nor am I representing MX Company.”

“President Zhao said during the meeting that our new product launch would consider other products and wouldn’t bother you with this matter anymore.”

…

After listening to Lin Xian, Professor Xu Yun’s expression eased slightly.

He lowered his head, his glasses touching the eyepiece of the microscope.

“Well then, I thank you for your kindness. If every cosmetics company had someone as understanding as Miss Zhao, it would be wonderful.”

Lin Xian stepped forward and placed the carefully compiled documents on the lab table, looking at Professor Xu Yun.

“Teacher Xu, the reason I’m here is to bring these documents about the Hibernation Pod Filling Liquid to you. When you have time, please have a look. The information recorded here might inspire and help your research.”

Professor Xu Yun was taken aback.

He raised his head, adjusting his glasses, looking at Lin Xian in disbelief.

“You…”

Professor Xu Yun faltered, then after a pause continued.

“I remember you said that you graduated from the College of Art and Design?”

“Yes.”

“Do you have any relatives who are researching hibernation?”

“No.”

“Then where did these documents come from?”

Lin Xian fell silent for a while before slowly replying,

“That I cannot say.”

Professor Xu Yun sighed and chuckled.

“Young man… I appreciate your kindness and good intentions. But each field has its own complexities, especially in scientific research; it’s not something that can be clearly explained or broken through in just a sentence or two. I suppose you obtained these materials from the internet or a layman scientist? These things are not credible, child… If the theories of such layman scientists were correct, they would have been published in various journals already.”

“But Teacher Xu, you really should take a look at the manuscript.”

Lin Xian continued to explain.

“It contains a solution to the Ice Crystal Problem, which must also be a tough challenge for you, right?”

“So, you even know about Ice Crystals? It seems you have indeed done some research, but this has been a popular topic on the internet as well,” said Professor Xu Yun indifferently.

Professor Xu Yun still didn’t believe what Lin Xian was saying.

Lin Xian felt somewhat helpless.

But he knew that, with his limited knowledge, it was very difficult to convince Professor Xu Yun, especially since he didn’t even understand the content he had copied.

Sigh.

That’s the trouble with scientists.

Too stubborn, too obstinate.

After some persuasion, Professor Xu Yun finally nodded and pointed to the lab table beside him.

“Put it there; I’ll look at it when I have time. I’m too busy to spare a moment right now.”

With the conversation having reached that point, Lin Xian had to leave the manuscript, making one last plea.

“Teacher Xu, this manuscript truly was not easy to come by, please remember to take a look.”

Professor Xu Yun, focused on his microscope, nodded noncommittally and gestured for Lin Xian to leave with a wave of his hand.

…

Stepping out of the laboratory building, the warm sun shining down, Lin Xian stretched lazily.

He felt that once Professor Xu Yun had some free time, or when he hit a dead end in his research, he would probably look at the manuscript.

“I hope Professor Xu Yun looks at it soon… I am still waiting for the verification of the results.”

Lin Xian took a deep breath and for a moment, savored the refreshing air of East Sea University before heading back to work at the company.

Since Zhao Yingjun had decided to abandon Professor Xu Yun’s Moisturizing Cream Plan, not only would product development have to start from scratch, but the script and copy design for Rhein Cat would also need rethinking.

“Without the moisturizing cream leading, can this new Rhein brand really succeed?”

Lin Xian grimaced.

He himself had no confidence.

…

In the following days.

Lin Xian spent his days at MX Company working on the design adjustments for Rhein Cat, and at night, he went into his dreams, searching for more works on Rhein Cat in other bookstores and video shops, looking for inspiration.

As the date for Rhein’s new product launch approached, every department was burdened with heavy tasks, and Lin Xian was no exception.

…

Nighttime.

East Sea University laboratory.

Professor Xu Yun, his head covered in sweat, stared excitedly at the microscope.

This was yet another brain-wracking experiment…

It could be said to be his last resort, the final method he could think of to overcome the “Ice Crystal Problem.”

He wiped the sweat from his forehead, took off his white coat, and flung it to a chair in the distance. He opened and closed his arms a few times, clenched his fists, and cautiously placed his eyes to the microscope.

Next to him, the computer screen displayed a temperature that continued to fall…

13 degrees Celsius,

3 degrees Celsius,

0 degrees Celsius,

-1 degree Celsius,

-3 degrees Celsius…

As the temperature kept dropping, ice nuclei began to congeal on the edges of the microscope’s view, and from these nuclei, sharp and beautiful ice crystals started to form.

Professor Xu Yun’s heartbeat quickened.

He clutched his chest, his gaze fixed on the living cells at the center of the microscope’s view.

They were still moving slowly.

The cell membrane was still intact.

The cytoplasm inside was flowing slowly.

“Don’t freeze… don’t freeze…”

Professor Xu Yun whispered a prayer.

The monitor beside him showed the temperature continuing to drop, reaching -16 degrees Celsius.

But then!

An anomaly occurred!

Inside the cell, several extremely small ice nuclei suddenly appeared!

Then, centered on these ice nuclei, six sharp and symmetrical snowflake-shaped ice crystals rapidly spread out!

So fast that in an instant, countless sharp ice crystals pierced through the fragile cell membrane!

The once plump and wriggling living cell suddenly deflated like a punctured ball… the leaking cell fluid quickly turned into ice crystals, freezing solid.

Everything was frozen in stasis.

The living cell that had just been moving was now completely turned into a frozen specimen, sealed within a field of snowflake ice crystals…

Thud.

Like a deflated ball, Professor Xu Yun collapsed into the chair.

He looked up at the ceiling with vacant eyes, his voice hoarse:

“Another failure…”

He took off his glasses and set them aside, propping himself on the table with his hands, rubbing his dry eyes.

He reached out absentmindedly to grab something to wipe his eyes with.

When he turned his head,

he saw a stack of manuscript pages fastened on the table.

They were filled with many handwritten words and symbols, sprawling with a chaotic orderliness.

And at the beginning of the first page…

The big bold characters for “Ice Crystal” pierced Professor Xu Yun’s soul like the tip of a needle.

“…”

Professor Xu Yun stared intently at those two characters.

As if possessed, he reached out…

And picked up the manuscript.