Time flies and it is the day for the exchange meeting.
The exchange meeting was held for two consecutive days, and Ruan Shiqing's speech was scheduled for the second day. However, I was full of curiosity about the exchange meeting, so I went there on the first day.
After packing up the documents and taking the invitation letter, I sent a text message to Mr. Hawthorne who lived across the street, asking him if he was ready to go out.
It has been nearly a month since he moved into the hotel. He and Mr. Hawthorne, who lives across the street, see each other quite often. After several chance encounters and conversations, Ruan Shiqing exchanged contact numbers with him.
The other party quickly replied to the message, saying that he was ready and could go out at any time.
Ruan Shiqing packed up his things and prepared to go out.
It was naturally inconvenient to bring the cubs with him to this exchange meeting. Ruan Shiqing comforted the cubs who were staring at him eagerly, and then left with a determined heart.
In the corridor, Garland was already waiting.
Looking at the little dragon cub peeking out from the crack in the door, I couldn't help but laugh: "It's not easy for Mr. Ruan to go out alone."
Ruan Shiqing looked back and suddenly saw a little head sticking out from the crack in the door.
"The exchange meeting will end at 4:30. Wait for me to get back and take you to dinner." Ruan Shiqing looked helpless.
The kids who were left in the hotel said "oh" reluctantly, but still waved goodbye to him obediently.
Garland glanced at the cub who was reluctant to leave, and walked side by side with him towards the elevator. He said calmly, "Mr. Ruan has taught the cub very well. As far as I know, the cubs of the dragon clan, the nine-tailed fox clan, and the mermaid clan all have bad tempers. It's rare to find a cub as well-behaved as yours."
It's not an exaggeration to say that.
The cubs of the four ancient tribes were more noble than others since birth. They were pampered and brought up by the tribe, so their tempers were naturally worse. Sometimes, even if they didn't show anything on the surface, they were still arrogant in their hearts.
But the cubs that Ruan Shiqing raised were all well-behaved, sensible and considerate. Although they would act like a spoiled brat, they would never cross the line and were very well educated.
Ruan Shiqing smiled: "They suffered a lot when they were young, so naturally they are more sensible than you cubs."
Looking back, Ruan Shiqing also felt a little sad. Except for the little dragon cub that accidentally hatched at home, all the cubs had suffered a lot outside. When they first came home, they were also very cautious. After a long time, they gradually let go and learned to act like a spoiled child.
Garland showed a curious and surprised expression at the right time: "The cubs of the four ancient tribes are extremely precious, how could they suffer?"
"They were all adopted by me when they were wandering outside." Ruan Shiqing mentioned it briefly but didn't say much.
Garland observed 's expression and stopped asking questions. He just continued to chat with on other topics with a smile.
The two arrived at the venue on time, and after checking the invitation letter, they entered the venue.
The venue is divided into two areas. One side is the area where academic conferences are held. It is here that Ruan Shiqing will give a speech tomorrow. The other side is a rest area for scholars to chat and rest. It is furnished with comfortable sofas, drinks, and the latest scientific and technological information.
When the two entered the rest area, there were already quite a few scholars inside, and they were chatting in pairs in the rest area, and the atmosphere was very lively. The formal meeting was not to start until 10:00 a.m., and the two found a seat and sat down, and heard the scholars next to them talking about antimatter.
The debates among scholars in reality seem to be no different from those on the holographic Internet.
Most people are skeptical about the existence and application of antimatter. Some extreme people even directly deny the existence of antimatter, believing that the author of the paper is trying to attract attention and gain fame.
"According to what I have learned, the author seems to be quite young, less than 20 years old." The man who spoke was a middle-aged man, and his companions called him Harrison. He was short and fat, and his eyes were squinted by the fat on his face, making him look a little too slick and shrewd.
"Antimatter has been around for many years. If it existed, it would have been discovered long ago. How could it be the turn of a young man like this?" Harrison rolled his eyes in disdain. "Young mechanics nowadays are getting more and more impatient. They can't concentrate on research and just want to make some fancy things to gain fame all day long."
Another person echoed, "I also heard some news. It is said that the association invited him this time to take over his reputation and expand the influence of the exchange meeting. Regardless of whether this paper is true or false, at least with his reputation, he has attracted many talented people who did not participate in the exchange meeting before. It is finally of some use to the association."
"You are really brave. There are many hidden talents in this exchange meeting. If you really dare to show up tomorrow, I'm afraid you will not be able to get on stage."
When the people around heard this, they all laughed, as if they had already expected that the author would make a fool of himself.
Garland listened to all of this and looked at the other person's expression vaguely.
Ruan Shiqing held a glass of cocktail in his hand and listened calmly, without any anger on his face, as if the person being laughed at was not him.
If I hadn't known in advance that the other party was the author of the sensational antimatter paper, I would have been deceived by him.
Garland looked at him with a different eye because he was so young and yet had such composure and remained calm in the face of adversity.
After sitting for a while, Ruan Shiqing received a call from Dai Si, asking him whether he had arrived at the venue.
"Mr. Hawthorne, another friend of mine is coming too. I'll go pick him up. Please sit for a while." Ruan Shiqing put down his wine glass and said to Garland.
Garland nodded, and saw him striding towards the entrance of the venue.
After a moment, the other party led the young man with golden curly hair over. When Garland saw him, he raised his eyebrows.
"Mr. Hawthorne, this is my friend, Dai Si." Ruan Shiqing introduced the two people separately: "This is my new friend, Hawthorne."
"Master Ruan's friend must also be a master." Dais shook Garland's hand excitedly, his smile looking honest and straightforward, just like those ordinary mechanics who met the master mechanic.
But Garland knew that his mentor was Clay Gore, professor emeritus of Sikkim University and former president of the Machinists Association.
had dealt with Clay Gore several times, so naturally he had also met Dais. was Clay Gore's favorite disciple, and he almost personally led the project, no matter how big or small it was. Some people even suspected that Dais was Clay's illegitimate son.
I didn't expect Ruan Shiqing to be friends with Dai Si.
Of course, Hawthorne, who came from a remote planet, couldn't possibly know Dais, so Garland just maintained his own persona, greeted Dais, and sat down again.
On the contrary, Harrison and others who had been talking loudly before, their eyes lit up when they saw Days, and they enthusiastically surrounded him with wine glasses in hand.
"Mr. Days, I didn't realize you're here too." Harrison's shrewd eyes glanced behind the other person and realized that he was alone. He said in a familiar tone, "Long time no see. Say hello to Mr. Clay for me."
Dai Si frowned and looked at him, puzzled: "Who are you...? I don't think I've seen you at the teacher's banquet."
Generally, those who ask the teacher to say hello to them are the teacher's very close friends.
He was the teacher's last disciple. Because the teacher never married and his father was related to the teacher, the teacher had always treated him as his successor. While he was strict with him in his studies, he also took him to various occasions, big and small, and used his connections to pave the way for him.
In my impression, there is no such person.
He is a straightforward person, he says what he thinks.
Harrison's expression froze slightly.
He was just trying to build relationships and show off his "familiarity" with Professor Clay in front of others to raise his own status. This was his usual trick, but he didn't expect Des to be so disrespectful this time.
But he quickly reacted and said to himself, "You may have forgotten me. We met at the Duke of Lawrence's dinner party a while ago. I also talked with Professor Clay for a long time and we became close friends."
This was of course a lie. In fact, he had only seen Clay talking to the other person from a distance at the banquet.
Fearing that Dai Si would say something like "Why don't I remember the teacher and you having a good chat?", he didn't give him a chance to speak again and immediately changed the subject: "Are these two also friends of Mr. Dai Si?"
He looked at Ruan Shiqing and praised him generously, "You are such a handsome guy."
Dai Si was now completely obsessed with Ruan Shiqing. When he heard him praising his idol, he immediately agreed with a smile on his face, "You are obviously good at judgment. Master Ruan may be the youngest master mechanic in the entire Mechanics Association. If I hadn't been on a business trip with my teacher before, I would have introduced him to my teacher a long time ago."
Harrison was just complimenting him casually, but he didn't expect that this seemingly young young man was actually a master of mechanics. His compliment suddenly became more enthusiastic: "You are really a young man with outstanding talents. No wonder I felt that Master Ruan was extraordinary when I first saw him."
Ruan Shiqing looked at the flattering expression and raised his eyebrows slightly. He wondered what expression the boy would have when he knew that he was the author of the paper.
It seems that in this exchange meeting, there are capable and hermit people, but there are also such opportunistic people who follow the wind and act in a servile manner.
After a brief chat, it was time for the formal meeting.
Ruan Shiqing naturally sat with Dais and Hawthorne, and Harrison also shamelessly sat next to Dais.
He seemed to have figured out Dai Si's preferences. He would mention Ruan Shiqing from time to time, and then praise him a few more times based on Dai Si's words, until someone went up to give a speech. Everyone listened attentively, and the crowd finally quieted down.
Round after round of speeches ended. After each round, the scholars sitting on the other side would rush to ask questions and even engage in on-site debates. The academic atmosphere was quite strong.
Ruan Shiqing carefully recorded all the useful and interesting points, and occasionally asked a few questions.
When the day's exchange meeting ended, I felt that I had benefited a lot.
In fact, there were still many things to discuss with Daisy Hawthorne, but thinking of the children who were waiting eagerly at home, I went back to the hotel first.
I only made an appointment with the two of them to meet early the next day for the exchange meeting and discuss it then.
Because of the appointment, Hawthorne knocked on the door early the next day.
Ruan Shiqing was going to give a speech today, and he not only brought materials, but also experimental equipment and a small amount of antimatter.
When Hawthorne saw the things in the bag, he was surprised: "What are you doing...?"
Ruan Shiqing smiled and said, "It's necessary for the speech."
The two arrived at the venue. Dai Si had arrived early, and surprisingly, Harrison was also there.
After seeing Ruan Shiqing and the others, he stepped forward diligently to help take the things from their hands, and seemed determined to stay with them.
Ruan Shiqing looked at him with a smile, but did not refuse.
Anyway, it’s not me who will be embarrassed later.
Dais didn't notice Harrison's flattery, and said curiously, "We will be able to meet the author of the antimatter paper later. The teacher had prepared for it today, but he really couldn't spare the time, so he specifically asked me to send the video images back."
Hearing such praise for an unknown author, Harrison couldn't help but interrupt, "That author isn't very old, and probably hasn't even graduated from college. What can he come up with? Professor Clay is taking these eye-catching tricks too seriously."
Dai Si frowned upon hearing this and said with a little displeasure: "My teacher and I have both read the paper. The content is very meaningful and the experimental data is very rigorous."
Seeing that he was unhappy, Harrison shut up. But he still muttered unconvincedly: "I didn't see it with my own eyes, maybe it's just a good fabrication."
The pedestrians were chatting in the rest area. At around ten o'clock in the morning, a staff member walked towards them and said respectfully, "Mr. Ruan, you need to go over in advance to discuss the process for the speech later. We have reserved five hours for you."
Dai Si was surprised: "Five hours?"
I knew Ruan Shiqing had a speech today, but I didn't know it would be so long. A general speech lasts from 1 to 2 hours.
"Yes." The staff member responded with a smile: "Mr. Ruan's antimatter paper has received a lot of attention, and many scholars present came here for Mr. Ruan. In order to ensure smooth communication, we have reserved at least five hours. If time is insufficient, we can always postpone it."
Des opened his mouth slowly.
Harrison, who was sitting next to him, felt as if there were thorns under his buttocks, his face flushed red, and his little eyes no longer dared to look at Ruan Shiqing.