Chapter 168 The Sublimation of Friendship
When Chen Xueming woke up, it was already three in the afternoon.
Sunlight spilled in through the gaps in the curtains, casting a golden patch of light on the floor. He moved his neck and found a jacket sliding off his shoulders—it wasn't his, it was Lin Mo's.
He froze for a moment, then picked up the jacket and looked at it for a long time.
It was a light gray jacket with slightly frayed cuffs and a small oil stain on the collar. Lin Mo usually wore it while walking around the base, and sometimes he would even drape it over himself while staring blankly at the device late at night.
Chen Xueming folded the jacket neatly and placed it at the head of the bed.
Then he stood up, walked to the window, and pulled open the curtains.
The sunlight of the Gobi Desert made him squint. In the distance, the tokamak-3 gleamed in the sun, and people were coming and going at the construction site as usual.
He suddenly felt that today's sunlight was exceptionally warm.
At four in the afternoon, Chen Xueming walked into the control room.
Lin Mo was sitting at the main console, discussing something with Li Xiao. Hearing footsteps, he turned his head, saw Chen Xueming, and smiled slightly:
“Awake?”
Chen Xueming nodded, walked over, and placed the neatly folded jacket by his hand:
“Thank you.”
Lin Mo glanced at the jacket, then at him, said nothing, and simply nodded.
Li Xiao blinked from the side and suddenly said:
“Dr. Chen, you've slept for twelve hours. Are you hungry? Should I go get you something to eat?”
Chen Xueming shook his head, sat down next to her, and stared at the familiar data on the screen. After watching for a few seconds, he suddenly spoke:
“Xiao Li, pull up that set of parameters from yesterday again. Let me take a look.”
Li Xiao was taken aback: “Which set? The problematic one?”
Chen Xueming nodded.
Li Xiao quickly pulled up the data. On the screen, the curve that had once caused him sleepless nights appeared again. But this time, as Chen Xueming looked at it, there was no anxiety in his heart, only peace.
He pointed at the curve and said to Li Xiao:
“Look, here is where the boundary conditions couple. I used to think they were independent, but actually...”
He began to talk incessantly, from the principles of coupling to algorithm corrections, and from physical models to practical applications. Li Xiao listened intently, asking a few questions from time to time, which Chen Xueming answered one by one.
Lin Mo sat nearby, watching this scene with the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.
This rival who had once been at odds with him was now acting like a teacher, patiently explaining problems to the younger generation. And after he finished, he even took the initiative to ask Li Xiao:
“Do you understand? If not, I'll explain it again.”
Li Xiao nodded: “I understand. Dr. Chen, you explain things so well.”
Chen Xueming was stunned for a moment, then smiled somewhat bashfully:
“Is that so? I wasn't like this before. Back then, whenever anyone asked me a question, I found it annoying.”
Li Xiao blinked: “And now?”
Chen Xueming was silent for a few seconds, then looked at Lin Mo:
“Now I feel that having someone ask questions is quite nice.”
Evening, in the Canteen.
Zhao Gang walked over with a tray and plopped down next to Chen Xueming. He looked at Chen Xueming, then at Lin Mo sitting opposite, and suddenly said:
“Teacher Chen, you look different today.”
Chen Xueming looked up: “How am I different?”
Zhao Gang scratched his head: “I can't quite say. It's just... you seem relaxed?”
Chen Xueming was stunned for a moment, then smiled:
“Really? Maybe it's because I got enough sleep.”
Zhao Gang shook his head: “No, it's not a matter of sleep.” He thought for a moment and suddenly pointed at Lin Mo, “Before, when you looked at Chief Lin, you always had this expression—”
He stiffened his face, making an 'I don't respect anyone' expression.
Then he pointed at Chen Xueming again: “Now when you look at him, you have this expression—”
He switched to a 'this guy is truly awesome' expression and even gave an exaggerated thumbs-up.
Li Xiao laughed so hard she nearly spat out her food.
Chen Xueming was made a bit bashful by his words; he lowered his head to eat, ignoring him.
But Zhao Gang wouldn't let it go:
“Really! Teacher Chen, you might not have noticed it yourself, but the look in your eyes when you look at Chief Lin now is truly different.”
Li Xiao took the opportunity to add:
“Right, the way Dr. Chen looks at Senior Brother Lin now is even closer than how one looks at their own brother.”
Chen Xueming finally couldn't take it anymore, looking up to glare at them:
“Are you two just too idle?”
Lin Mo sat nearby, smiling as he watched the show, without saying a word.
After glaring at them, Chen Xueming glared at Lin Mo:
“And you! They're talking about me like this, and you're not going to do anything?”
Lin Mo picked up his teacup and took a leisurely sip:
“I think what they're saying is quite right.”
Chen Xueming: “...”
A burst of laughter erupted in the Canteen.
That night, Chen Xueming and Lin Mo stood side by side in front of the tokamak-3.
The moonlight was like water, spilling over the massive device. At the distant construction site, the lights were bright, and workers on overtime were still busy. The night wind of the Gobi blew past, carrying fine sand; it was a bit chilly, but neither of them felt the cold.
Chen Xueming suddenly spoke:
“Old Lin, was I quite annoying before?”
Lin Mo turned to look at him: “Why ask that all of a sudden?”
Chen Xueming gave a bitter smile: “I know. When I first arrived, I found everyone disagreeable and thought I was the best. I didn't listen to what you said, I was impatient when Xiao Li asked questions, and I didn't even bother to respond when Zhao Gang greeted me.”
He paused and continued:
“This incident has made me realize one thing.”
Lin Mo didn't speak, waiting for him to continue.
Chen Xueming looked at the massive device, his voice very soft:
“I used to think that scientific research was a matter of individual ability. Whoever is smart and capable gets results. But this time... if it weren't for you, Xiao Li, Zhao Gang, and all those who helped me, I wouldn't have been able to get through this at all.”
He turned his head and looked at Lin Mo:
“Old Lin, thank you.”
Lin Mo was silent for a few seconds, then smiled:
“What's there to thank? We're on the same team.”
Chen Xueming was stunned for a moment, then he also smiled.
“Right, on the same team.”
The two stood side by side, looking at the device that was about to be ignited.
Under the moonlight, their shadows merged together, making it impossible to tell who was who.