Chapter 49 Frank Communication

The afternoon sun slanted into the 'Old Place' teahouse, casting mottled patterns of light and shadow on the wooden floorboards.

Lin Mo arrived ten minutes early, taking his usual seat by the window. The proprietress brought him tea and said with a smile, 'Meeting that friend again today?'

'Yes,' Lin Mo nodded, 'Tieguanyin again, please.'

'Coming right up!'

Lin Mo looked out the window. The small town was quiet in the afternoon. Occasionally, someone wearing a base uniform would pass by on an electric scooter, the basket filled with daily necessities just purchased from the town. In the distance, the Kunlun Mountains shimmered faintly in the sunlight, like a silent oil painting.

At exactly three o'clock, Chen Xueming's figure appeared on the street corner, right on time.

He was still wearing that dark gray jacket, but his hair was combed more neatly today, and he walked with a straighter posture. As he pushed the door open, his eyes immediately found Lin Mo, and he gave a slight nod.

'Have a seat,' Lin Mo said, pouring him a cup of tea.

Chen Xueming sat down, took a sip of the tea, and set the cup down. He looked at Lin Mo. The wariness and resistance from yesterday were gone from his eyes, replaced by a complex calmness.

'Teacher Lin,' he began, 'I thought about it all night after I went back yesterday.'

Lin Mo didn't speak, waiting for him to continue.

'I thought about a lot of things,' Chen Xueming said, his fingers gently tracing the rim of the teacup. 'The path I've walked these years, the choices I've made, and... the regrets.'

He looked up at Lin Mo. 'When you said you needed me yesterday, were you serious?'

'Serious,' Lin Mo answered without hesitation.

'Why?' Chen Xueming asked. 'We've only met once, and at the review meeting, I questioned you relentlessly. You don't know me at all. You don't know what kind of person I am, or if I can even get along with a team.'

Lin Mo looked at him and, instead of answering directly, said, 'Dr. Chen, I'm not here to find fault or assign blame.'

Chen Xueming was slightly taken aback.

'Your questioning showed me your seriousness about research,' Lin Mo said calmly. 'The questions you raised at that review meeting—cycle life, safety, cost—each one is a real problem that must be faced for industrialization. If it were someone who just went along with everything, I'd be more worried.'

Chen Xueming was stunned.

'People who truly do research don't easily believe other people's data,' Lin Mo continued. 'Doubt, verify, doubt again, verify again—that's the normal state of science. The fact that you questioned me precisely shows you are serious about your research.'

Chen Xueming's lips moved, but no words came out.

'So after that day, I asked Director Fang to look into your background for me,' Lin Mo said. 'I wanted to know what kind of person you really are, why you reacted that way.'

A flicker passed through Chen Xueming's eyes. 'And then?'

'Then I learned your story,' Lin Mo said, taking a sip of his tea. 'Ph.D. from Caltech, postdoc at MIT, three top-journal publications in the Lithium-Sulfur Battery field. Back in the country for four years, applied for seven projects. Five passed initial review, but you didn't get funding for a single one.'

Chen Xueming's expression changed slightly. He lowered his gaze, staring at the teacup.

'The first year back, you went to a 985 university in the south,' Lin Mo continued. 'You were halfway through building a team when the project funding got cut, the reason being 'research direction doesn't match the university's key development areas.' The second year, you switched to a new energy company, wanting to work on industrialization. Turned out they just wanted your gilded resume for fundraising, didn't care about the technology itself. The third year, you wanted to go it alone, pulled together three partners, struggled for over half a year, and finally disbanded due to differences in vision.'

Chen Xueming's shoulders tensed.

'And then this year,' Lin Mo's voice softened a bit. 'You returned to the CAS system, affiliated under an old acquaintance. No independent laboratory, no team, could only bury your head and work alone. The projects you applied for got rejected again and again. The reasons given were never academic, but 'insufficient project feasibility,' 'unclear industrialization prospects.''

Chen Xueming looked up sharply. 'How do you know all this so clearly?'

'Director Fang looked into it,' Lin Mo said frankly. 'But she told me this not to judge you, but to help me understand you.'

'Understand me?' Chen Xueming let out a bitter laugh. 'Understand why I became such a troublemaker? Understand why I questioned you like a madman at the review meeting?'

'Understand why you're resentful,' Lin Mo said.

Chen Xueming was stunned.

'You have real skill, but nowhere to use it,' Lin Mo looked at him. 'The direction you're working on is right, but no one believes you. You've struggled for four years, achieved nothing, watching people less capable than you produce results one after another. Anyone would be resentful.'

Chen Xueming lowered his head, his shoulders trembling slightly.

Silence spread between them. The teahouse was quiet, only the occasional clatter of dishes from the distant kitchen. The sunlight slowly shifted, crawling from the tabletop onto Chen Xueming's arm, casting a warm glow on the dark gray jacket.

'Teacher Lin,' Chen Xueming's voice was a bit hoarse, 'do you know what the hardest part is?'

Lin Mo didn't speak, quietly waiting for him to continue.

'The hardest part isn't projects getting rejected, or having no support,' Chen Xueming looked up, his eyes slightly red. 'The hardest part is... you start doubting yourself.'

His voice was rough, as if he'd swallowed sand.

'When I was in the US, publishing in top journals, getting patents, everyone said I was the rising star in the Lithium-Sulfur Battery field. But after coming back, four years, four years of achieving nothing. I started thinking, am I really not good enough? Is my research really worthless? Were they right to reject me? Am I really too far from industrialization?'

His fingers gripped the teacup tightly, knuckles turning white.

'Sometimes, when I can't sleep in the middle of the night, I flip through the papers I published before. That data, those experiments, those derivations—I look at them and feel both familiar and strange. Familiar because I did them with my own hands, strange because I've started doubting whether they have any meaning at all.'

Lin Mo listened quietly, not interrupting.

'That day at the review meeting, I saw your data,' Chen Xueming continued. '1450. I worked for three years, my best sample only reached 780. At that moment, there was only one thought in my mind: Fake. It must be fake. Because if it were real, it would mean these four years weren't about unrecognized talent, but that I'm genuinely not as skilled.'

He gave a bitter smile, full of bitterness.

'So I questioned relentlessly. Searched desperately for flaws. Tried desperately to prove you were wrong,' he looked up at Lin Mo. 'Because then I could tell myself: See, it's not that I'm no good, it's that they faked the data.'

Lin Mo was silent for a few seconds, then asked, 'And now? Do you still think we're fake?'

Chen Xueming shook his head. 'I watched the on-site verification with my own eyes. The data is real.'

'Then what do you think?'

Chen Xueming took a deep breath and slowly let it out. He looked out the window at the Kunlun Mountains, at the silent mountain silhouette, his voice lowering.

'I thought about it all night. Yesterday after going back, I looked through the materials you made public again. The material system, electrolyte formulation, electrode structure—the optimizations you made, some I had thought of, some I hadn't. For the ones I thought of, I know why I couldn't achieve them—no money, no people, no equipment. For the ones I hadn't thought of... Teacher Lin, I genuinely want to learn.'

He turned back to look at Lin Mo. The stubbornness and wariness from yesterday were gone from his eyes, replaced by an indescribable openness.

'I want to join your team. Not because I have nowhere else to go, but because what you're doing is real, because I want to know how those technologies I couldn't think of came about, because—' he paused, '—because I want to accomplish something.'

Lin Mo looked at him, a slow smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

'Welcome,' he extended his hand.

Chen Xueming was momentarily stunned, then grasped Lin Mo's hand. The hand was somewhat cool, but the grip was firm.

'But I'll be blunt upfront,' Chen Xueming released the hand, his expression turning serious. 'I have a bad temper, speak bluntly, don't know how to read people. If I end up arguing with your people in the future—'

'Then argue,' Lin Mo interrupted him. 'Just remember to treat them to a meal afterward.'

Chen Xueming was stunned, then—he laughed.

It was the second time he had laughed in front of Lin Mo. This laugh was much more natural than yesterday's, free of those complex emotions, leaving only a sense of relieved ease.

'Teacher Lin, you're quite interesting,' he said.

'Am I?' Lin Mo picked up his teacup. 'Compared to the leaders you've encountered before?'

Chen Xueming thought for a moment. 'Different. They either wanted to use my resume as window dressing, or thought I was too much of a troublemaker to manage. You...'

He weighed his words. 'You actually want me to work.'

'Exactly,' Lin Mo said matter-of-factly. 'There are so many problems to solve with Lithium-Sulfur Batteries. If I work alone, it'll take forever. With you here, you can at least share half the load.'

Chen Xueming didn't know whether to laugh or cry. 'So you're looking for a workhorse?'

'What else?' Lin Mo also laughed. 'Invite you to be a mascot?'

The two looked at each other and laughed simultaneously.

Outside the window, the sunlight was just right, warming the teahouse. The pot of Tieguanyin was more than half finished, its fragrance wafting faintly in the air.

'By the way,' Chen Xueming suddenly remembered something, 'Teacher Lin, that data of yours—1450—how on earth did you achieve it? I know the best laboratories globally right now have only achieved around 800 energy density for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries. You doubled it. That's not scientific.'

Lin Mo looked at him, thought for a moment, and said, 'Come report in tomorrow, and I'll tell you.'

'Can't say it now?'

'If I tell you now, you won't be able to sleep tonight.'

Chen Xueming was taken aback, then shook his head helplessly. 'Fine, I'll endure for one night.'

He stood up and looked at the sky outside. The sun was already tilting west, almost dinnertime.

'I should head back then,' he said. 'What time tomorrow morning for reporting in?'

'Eight o'clock,' Lin Mo said. 'Do you know the way?'

'I do,' Chen Xueming nodded, then paused. 'Teacher Lin, thank you for today.'

'For what?'

'For being willing to listen to all this,' Chen Xueming said, looking at him seriously. 'I've kept these words bottled up for four years, never told anyone. Feels much better saying them today.'

Lin Mo also stood up. 'If you have something to say in the future, just say it. No need to hold back in the team.'

Chen Xueming nodded, turned, and walked out. At the door, he suddenly stopped and looked back at Lin Mo.

'Teacher Lin, aren't you afraid I'll change my mind and not come tomorrow?'

Lin Mo smiled. 'You won't.'

'Why are you so sure?'

'Because you just said you want to accomplish something,' Lin Mo looked at him. 'People who want to accomplish something don't give up opportunities that come knocking.'

Chen Xueming was stunned for a few seconds, then laughed.

This smile held relief, anticipation, and a trace of gratitude he himself hadn't even noticed.

He pushed the door open and walked into the afternoon sunlight.

Lin Mo sat back down, looking at the cup of tea that had already gone cold. The proprietress came over and asked with a smile, 'Your friend left? Want a refill of hot water?'

'No need,' Lin Mo stood up. 'The bill, please.'

'Sure thing! Same as always, thirty-five.'

Lin Mo scanned the code to pay and walked out of the teahouse.

The sunlight on the street was softer than before. The outline of the base in the distance was particularly clear in the sunset glow. He took a deep breath. The air carried the unique dry scent of the Gobi Desert, mixed with the smoky aroma of cooking from the town's households.

His phone vibrated. It was a message from Li Xiao.

'Teacher Lin! Did you manage to handle that troublemaker Chen Xueming? I've cleared a workstation. Should I prepare a welcome sign?'

Looking at the message, the corners of Lin Mo's mouth lifted slightly.

He replied with three words:

'Handled.'

Then he added another line:

'No welcome sign. Prepare the experimental plan. We start real work tomorrow.'

Li Xiao replied instantly:

'Received! Teacher Lin, you're exploiting labor!'

Lin Mo smiled, put away his phone, and walked towards the base.

Behind him, cooking smoke from the small town rose in wisps, blending with the distant mountain silhouette.

By the time he returned to the base, dusk was falling.

As soon as Lin Mo entered the laboratory building, he saw Zhao Gang coming down the stairs.

'How did it go?' Zhao Gang asked.

'Done,' Lin Mo said. 'Reporting in tomorrow.'

Zhao Gang breathed a sigh of relief, then frowned. 'That kid didn't make any unreasonable demands, did he?'

'No,' Lin Mo shook his head. 'He just wants to do something.'

Zhao Gang was silent for a few seconds. 'Then let him do it. But I'll keep an eye on him. If anything seems off—'

'It won't be,' Lin Mo said. 'If you don't trust him, you should at least trust me.'

Zhao Gang looked at him, then after a while, nodded. 'Alright, I trust you.'

The two went upstairs together. When they reached the laboratory door, Lin Mo stopped and looked inside through the glass window.

Li Xiao was still at her computer, the screen filled with dense lines of code. Zhang Zhe was organizing samples beside her, his movements still focused. Everything was the same as yesterday.

But Lin Mo knew that starting tomorrow, there would be one more person here.

Someone who could share the burden of solving Lithium-Sulfur Battery problems.

Someone who wanted to accomplish something.

He pushed the door open and walked in.

'Teacher Lin is back!' Li Xiao looked up. 'How did it go? How did it go?'

'Reporting in tomorrow,' Lin Mo said. 'Get ready. Show him around the laboratory tomorrow.'

'Received!' Li Xiao's eyes sparkled. 'Should I prepare a PPT to introduce our research progress?'

Zhang Zhe chimed in from the side, deadpan, 'You just want to show off, don't you?'

Li Xiao's face flushed. 'Teacher Zhang, why do you have to say the truth out loud like that!'

Lin Mo smiled and walked to his workstation, turning on the computer.

On the screen, the system interface remained quiet.

[Current research points: 890]

Twenty points more than yesterday. Probably because reaching an agreement with Chen Xueming triggered some sort of recognition mechanism in the system.

Lin Mo thought for a moment and typed a line:

Query optimization directions for Lithium-Sulfur Battery electrolyte

The system quickly displayed results:

[Key Parameters for Electrolyte Optimization]

Lithium salt concentration (current optimal: 1.0-1.5M)

Solvent ratio (optimization potential for DOL/DME system)

Additive screening (key: suppressing polysulfide shuttling)

[Suggested Next Step]

Introduce electrochemistry expert for systematic screening

Looking at the last line, the corners of Lin Mo's mouth lifted slightly.

The electrochemistry expert would arrive tomorrow.

Outside the window, night deepened. The distant Kunlun Mountains had already merged into the night, only the base lights twinkling like scattered pearls on the Gobi Desert.

Lin Mo turned off the computer and stood up.

'Let's go, time to rest,' he said to Li Xiao and Zhang Zhe. 'We have a newcomer tomorrow. Everyone, be on your toes.'

'Don't worry, Teacher Lin!' Li Xiao made an OK sign. 'I'll definitely put my best foot forward!'

Zhang Zhe, unusually, made a joke. 'Then you'd better clear away that pile of snacks on your desk first.'

Li Xiao: '... Teacher Zhang, your memory is too good.'

Lin Mo smiled and walked out of the laboratory.

At the end of the corridor, Zhao Gang was still waiting there.

'Let's go back together,' Zhao Gang said.

The two walked side by side into the night.

Behind them, the laboratory lights still shone, like a tiny star embedded at the foot of the Kunlun Mountains.