Jiang Yubai understands Li Zirui very well.
Many years ago, Jiang Yubai's mentality was similar to Li Zirui's, or even more serious.
Jiang Yubai remembered that he had given up vacations and parties, and his daily entertainment activities only included drawing the "Exploring the Universe" comics and hanging on the horizontal bar in the playground. Even though he and Lin Zhixia had a lot of fun, he stubbornly believed that he had not fallen, he was just using strategies flexibly to make his competitors take it lightly.
Jiang Yubai's expression became somewhat complicated.
Li Zirui waved at him: "I'm really confused. Let's stop talking. I'm going back to study."
"Come on." Jiang Yubai wished sincerely.
Li Zirui walked away in a hurry with his schoolbag slung across his shoulder.
The other three students in the class walked out of the classroom one after another. The boy named Han Guang was still chatting with Lin Zhixia: "I submitted my paper last semester to Physical Review Letters."
Jiang Yubai had heard of Physical Review Letters. He knew that it was a top journal in physics and it was a great achievement for an undergraduate student to publish a paper in such a journal.
When Lin Zhixia was an undergraduate, she published two articles in Physical Review Letters, which attracted widespread media attention. But as always, she declined all interviews, fearing that she would be put in a situation where she would be scrutinized by everyone.
Han Guang obviously knew Lin Zhixia's academic background. He briefly described his current situation: "I submitted the paper three months ago, and the day before yesterday I received replies from three reviewers. Two reviewers asked me to change the model and recalculate..."
Earlier this month, before Lin Zhixia's supervisor went on vacation, he made a special effort to help her become a reviewer for a top journal. She accepted the invitation from the journal editor. She still has two papers lying on her computer, waiting for her review.
Therefore, she paid close attention to Han Guang: "Are all the comments given to you by the three reviewers positive?"
"Pretty good, they all wrote positive reviews," Han Guang replied.
"Then don't worry," Lin Zhixia shared her experience. "Refer to the reviewers' comments, check your paper carefully, and make up for what is missing. If the reviewers' opinions are wrong, contact them in time. Only communication can lead to progress."
Han Guang suddenly laughed: "I'm not sure whether the reviewer is right or wrong."
"Are you an independent author?" Lin Zhixia asked again, "Have you ever found a teacher?"
Han Guang unzipped his schoolbag and took out a printed paper and review comments: "My teacher went to the Max Planck Institute."
The "Max Planck Institute" that Han Guang mentioned refers to the Max Planck Institute for Physics in Germany, also known as the Heisenberg Institute. This institution has a high academic level and enjoys a high reputation in the physics community.
Han Guang briefly explained that his teacher was very busy at the Max Planck Institute and would not reply to emails until a week later. He felt that Lin Zhixia had a solid foundation and had reached the level of a reviewer. Before he finished speaking, Lin Zhixia agreed, "Okay, give me your paper and the review comments, and I'll take a look at it for you."
He was stunned for a second, then immediately handed the manuscript to her.
Lin Zhixia flipped through it casually and said, "I'll finish reading it tomorrow, and I'll email you tomorrow night."
"So fast? You don't have anything else to do?" Han Guang asked in surprise.
Lin Zhixia said sincerely, "Because I think your time is a bit tight. If you want to apply for a PhD at MIT, you must have a paper published in a top journal so that you can get in touch with the professor. If you publish this paper sooner, your application will be much easier."
She stared at Han Guang, her eyes shining.
Han Guang's eyes wandered around. He compared Lin Zhixia with several other teaching assistants and thought to himself that Lin Zhixia's teaching method was more suitable for him. Li Zirui was under great pressure, but he was like a fish in water.
Lin Zhixia put Han Guang's paper into her schoolbag and said, "If you have any questions, don't delay and email me directly. I wish you a successful application in advance."
Han Guangdao: "Very good, thank you."
Lin Zhixia waved her hand nonchalantly: "I am your teaching assistant. I am supposed to do all this. The school pays me a salary."
After saying this, Lin Zhixia held Jiang Yubai's hand and said, "Sorry for the long wait. What time did you come?"
Jiang Yubai said: "Two fifty."
"You don't have class today?" Lin Zhixia asked again.
Jiang Yubai's fingertips rubbed her palms, making her feel a little itchy.
They walked together on the sun-filled stone road. Lin Zhixia deliberately stepped on his shadow, and he actually let go of her hand and took out two membership cards from his pocket.
"What is this?" Lin Zhixia asked him.
Jiang Yubai answered the question irrelevantly: "You have been studying for a doctorate for seven months and have never been out to play. Your advisor is on vacation. Do you want to go somewhere else this weekend? Change the environment and enjoy the scenery."
Today the weather is sunny and the breeze is gentle. Lin Zhixia is bathing in the warm sunshine. She is eager to do something, but her expression is a little hesitant: "No... I have to revise the paper. I am a reviewer. I don't have time to rest."
Jiang Yubai believes that Lin Zhixia is too tired and overworked. Since she started studying for her doctorate, she has less and less time to relax.
Jiang Yubai described a beautiful blueprint for her: "We are going to Switzerland for a vacation for two days and two nights. We will leave today and return next Monday. I have booked a hotel room. The hotel is near the Alps, with beautiful scenery, mountains and water... Haven't you always wanted to see the Alps?"
Yes.
Lin Zhixia loved eating Alps candy when she was a child, so she has always been curious about the Alps. She has heard Jiang Yubai talk about the scene of "heavy snow on the top of the mountain, green grass in the mountains", and the scene of clear and fast streams rushing at the foot of the mountain.
Moreover, Lin Zhixia already holds a Swiss visa. Their research group has close ties with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. This summer, Lin Zhixia will go to the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology to give an academic report, so she applied for a visa in advance.
Could she travel to Switzerland first
Lin Zhixia was slightly shaken.
She has never traveled with friends and family.
In her memory, her parents were very busy at work - they had to look after the supermarket at home. The four of them ate at the same table only a few times, not to mention traveling as a family.
Every Spring Festival, Mom and Dad would take Lin Zhixia and Lin Zeqiu back to their rural hometown. Mom and Dad were from the same village, and their grandparents still lived in the village.
My grandparents' house is a two-story building they built themselves. There is a pig and a flock of chickens in the yard, which smells of leftovers all year round. Every winter, a stove would be set up in the lobby, a blazing fire would be lit, and an inch of ash would float. My uncle, aunt, and cousin would always occupy the best position to warm themselves by the fire. They often talked about their family's vacation experiences in Japan, South Korea, and the Maldives. At that time, Lin Zhixia was actually a little envious. She knew that her brother was also envious. But neither she nor her brother would show it. They would both pretend that they preferred to stay in the countryside to feed pigs and play in the mud.
But how can children’s thoughts escape the eyes of adults
She suddenly understood the embarrassment and dilemma her parents had when they sat in front of the fire many years ago. As parents, they were helpless to provide their children with better material conditions.
Lin Zhixia fell into memories and gradually lowered her head.
Jiang Yubai's voice interrupted her thoughts: "Bring your laptop and review the manuscript in the hotel room. This time is just a scout. If you like, we can hang out more often in the future."
The word "scout the location" touched Lin Zhixia.
She asked, "How much is the accommodation per night?"
More than 10,000 yuan, Jiang Yubai thought. Considering Lin Zhixia's financial status, he concealed the price from her.
Jiang Yubai said in a roundabout way: "My father has a cooperation with this hotel." This is the truth. Jiang Yubai's father controls a European food transportation company. That resort hotel happens to be one of the transportation company's customers.
Jiang Yubai's description was truncated, and the hotel's luxury suite sounded like a free gift. In the end, he succeeded in convincing Lin Zhixia. If he told her about his travel plans a few days in advance, she would have the opportunity to check the hotel room prices online, but he delayed telling her until Friday afternoon, and Lin Zhixia didn't have time to think about it, so she agreed to his arrangement.
Lin Zhixia returned to her dormitory, quickly packed her luggage, and got into Jiang Yubai's car. They took a private plane and landed at the Swiss airport after a short flight of one and a half hours.
It's getting dark.
The bright moon rises high in the sky, casting a faint and soft halo of light.
Lin Zhixia was sitting in a business car. The car drove smoothly on the road and went straight to their resort hotel. Lin Zhixia held the car window with both hands and looked out the window at the mountains and rivers. She could not see the towering snow-capped mountain tops, but only the lush grass under the moonlight and lights.
Lin Zhixia was very interested.
Then, she suddenly thought of a question: "Jiang Yubai."
Jiang Yubai approached her: "What's wrong?"
"How many rooms did you book?" she asked seriously.
Jiang Yubai said: "A suite."
Lin Zhixia turned her head and looked at him, her voice very light: "So, will I sleep in the same bed with you this weekend? To be honest, I am not mentally prepared enough."
Jiang Yubai said "hmm" in a neither light nor heavy voice. He said, "Last year's New Year's Eve, we stayed in the same bed for a whole night."
"No, no, no," Lin Zhixia corrected, "It's not just sleeping, it's that meaning."
Jiang Yubai paused for a moment.
Lin Zhixia whispered in his ear: "It's always played like this in the movies, the hero and heroine go out traveling together, and they will..."