Genius Club

Chapter 58: Chapter 58 The Storm is Approaching

Lin Xian shook his head.

Hibernation has side effects?

Science fiction movies never mentioned these…

In their setting, hibernation is a very relaxed affair, just sleep for a few hundred years, a few thousand years, tens of thousands of years, and then it was over.

After Teacher Xu said so, Lin Xian realized this blind spot.

They say that all medicines have their poison.

What medicine and treatment method doesn’t have some side effects?

Not to mention hibernation, such a complex human project, it couldn’t possibly be without any side effects.

“I don’t know, Teacher Xu.”

Lin Xian answered truthfully:

“Does hibernation have other side effects? Are they related to bodily functions?”

Professor Xu Yun shook his head.

He extended his index finger, tapped his own head:

“The biggest side effect is that due to the long-term inactivity of brain signals, it can cause varying degrees of memory loss.”

“Actually, in terms of bodily functions, hibernation won’t have any side effects, even if there is a certain amount of muscle atrophy, it can be recovered through exercise.”

“But… the damage to brain memory is something that cannot be avoided whatsoever. The current theory of hibernation can indeed slow down various physiological reactions by dozens or hundreds of times, but the principle of brain memory is very complex. It is a vague retrieval pattern maintained by neural signal stimulation.”

“I won’t tell you too much about the complexities, Lin Xian. In short, the longer the hibernation, the more memory will be lost. Of course, the actual situation will vary slightly from person to person, but if the duration of hibernation exceeds twenty years… there’s a high probability of losing all memories.”

…

Lin Xian nodded.

Memory loss as a side effect does sound quite plausible.

Professor Xu Yun stroked his daughter’s withered arm, speaking with a gentle smile:

“Actually, it’s alright if Yingjun forgets me, even if she forgets me completely… She will start her brand new life, whether or not she remembers me, her old father, doesn’t matter.”

“But I don’t want to forget her… I don’t want to forget Yingjun. Yingjun was only lively and boisterous during her childhood years, and my memories of her are only that little bit…”

“These memories, I’m not willing to lose even a bit of them.”

“Moreover, if memory is lost, does it also mean that emotions will disappear? If after waking up, Yingjun and I become strangers, without any feelings… I think that would be a very terrifying thing.”

Professor Xu Yun looked at Lin Xian with a slight smile:

“So, I won’t go into hibernation.”

“I will live to the last second of my life, cherishing the memories of Yingjun, and use every last second of my life to research a better Hibernation Pod for her.”

“So, Lin Xian, if you are still around when Yingjun wakes up in the future… I will trouble you to take a little extra care of this child.”

Lin Xian reflexively waved his hands!

No, no, no.

He couldn’t bear such a responsibility!

“Teacher Xu, I think you don’t need to be so pessimistic.”

Lin Xian consoled:

“No one can predict the development of science and technology. Who knows, one day, they might solve the problem of memory loss. You should pay more attention to your health… What father doesn’t want to watch his daughter grow up?”

Professor Xu Yun smiled, but said nothing more:

“Did you come here for a reason, Lin Xian?”

Lin Xian nodded.

He took out the invitation and explained his intention.

Saturday night, the day after tomorrow night.

MX Company will hold a grand celebration banquet and would like to invite Professor Xu Yun to attend.

Lin Xian originally thought Professor Xu Yun would definitely decline.

However…

“Sure.”

Professor Xu Yun cheerfully agreed.

He patted Lin Xian on the shoulder:

“You’ve helped me with such a big favor, the least I can do is show up to support you.”

“It’s been a long time since I’ve had such a happy and relaxing time… On that day, let’s have a couple of drinks!”

Unexpectedly smooth.

Evening…

Lin Xian had originally planned to seek out CC in his dreams to confirm whether her memory fragments contained any memories of this era and to ask if the name Chu Anqing meant anything to her.

But… several mid-level managers at the company insisted on taking Lin Xian out for dinner and drinks. He couldn’t refuse their enthusiasm and ended up playing until the early hours before going home.

The next morning, upon arriving at the company, Lin Xian reported to Zhao Yingjun that Professor Xu Yun would be attending the celebration.

Zhao Yingjun smiled as if she had expected it:

“It was indeed the right choice to have you deliver the invitation. If it had been us… Professor Xu Yun might not have given us the honor.”

“I don’t have any clout either,” Lin Xian responded frankly,

“It’s just that Professor Xu Yun’s been in good spirits lately, so perhaps he just wants to relax a bit.”

Zhao Yingjun bent over and pulled out four or five red invitations from the drawer below:

“Some people won’t be able to make it to the celebration, so you can take these extra invitations. If you have any relatives, classmates, or friends, you can invite them to join.”

Lin Xian only took one:

“I just need one, I only have one friend in Donghai City.”

He had previously told Gao Yang, “Let’s not forget each other when we rise to riches.”

He couldn’t leave out Gao Yang, a glutton, from such a lavish banquet dinner:

“Is the celebration just for our company members, besides Professor Xu Yun?”

Zhao Yingjun nodded:

“This is essentially an internal event for our company. I haven’t invited anyone else, fearing it might inhibit everyone’s ability to relax.”

“However, this morning… a bigwig proactively asked to join, saying he wanted to come and offer his congratulations in person.”

“Who?” Lin Xian asked curiously.

“Someone you know.”

Zhao Yingjun smiled,

“Chu Shanhe.”

?

Lin Xian was quite surprised:

“Chu Shanhe is coming? I never imagined he would take the initiative to come and congratulate us.”

“What are you thinking, Lin Xian, of course it’s not us.”

Zhao Yingjun tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear:@@novelbin@@

“Chu Shanhe wouldn’t care about our small business and minor success. He’s mainly coming to congratulate Professor Xu Yun.”

“I’ve told you before, for all these years, it has been Chu Shanhe alone who’s been supporting Xu Yun. Plus, he’s someone who’s extremely passionate about scientific endeavors. I suspect he decided to come and personally congratulate Professor Xu Yun after learning he would be attending our celebration.”

“But he certainly won’t stay for long, Chu Shanhe is a man of culture and stature. He’ll probably just make a congratulatory speech, say hello, meet Professor Xu Yun and then leave without staying for the meal.”

Oh…

So that’s how it is.

Chu Shanhe was coming for Professor Xu Yun, which made everything reasonable.

His admiration and respect for scientists were well-known. Chu Shanhe was probably even happier than Xu Yun himself for the latter’s achievements.

It goes without saying, this MX Company’s celebration… could be considered “a gathering of the illustrious.”

Having Professor Xu Yun attend was already an honor.

And it was even more unexpected that Chu Shanhe would come to celebrate in person.

“The prestige of our celebration is indeed quite high, with the two highest-status individuals in Donghai City attending,” Lin Xian said with a laugh.

Zhao Yingjun didn’t speak, just looked at Lin Xian with a hesitant expression.

This made Lin Xian feel uncomfortable. Was there a fly on his face?

“What is it, President Zhao?”

Zhao Yingjun smiled meaningfully and continued:

“Your comment isn’t wrong; our celebration does have a high value.”

“Remember what I told you last time at the science fundraising dinner? Whenever Chu Shanhe attends important banquets, he brings along his precious daughter, almost like he’s showing her off… as if afraid no one would know he has such a beautiful daughter.”

“So…”

She looked up at Lin Xian:

“Chu Shanhe isn’t coming alone this time.”

“He said he’ll bring his daughter with him…”

“Chu Anqing.”