Chapter 5 The Mentor's Care

Professor Wang's office was located at the far east end of the third floor in the Physics Building, an old room facing the sun.

Lin Mo knocked on the door and heard a voice from inside saying, "Come in." Pushing the door open, he saw Wang Zhenguo sitting in a rattan chair by the window reading documents, with a cup of steaming tea by his side. Sunlight spilled through the window, illuminating the entire room.

"Little Lin is here, take a seat." Wang Zhenguo set down the documents and pointed to the chair opposite him.

Lin Mo sat down. He had been to this office countless times; from joining the research group in his senior year until now, he came at least a dozen times a year. Every visit involved reporting progress, discussing problems, and receiving guidance. But today, he felt exceptionally uneasy.

Wang Zhenguo took off his reading glasses and stared at him for a moment.

"Haven't been sleeping well lately?" the teacher asked.

Lin Mo subconsciously touched his face. "I'm alright, the experiments have just been a bit busy."

"Busy enough to have such heavy dark circles?" Wang Zhenguo's tone was calm, but Lin Mo could hear the concern within. "I remember that no matter how busy you were before, you never looked like this. Tell me, what difficulties have you encountered?"

Lin Mo opened his mouth but didn't know where to start.

He wanted to tell Wang Zhenguo, 'Teacher, I might have created a Room-Temperature Superconductivity material.' But he knew how absurd those words would sound. A Ph.D. Student, in an ordinary laboratory, using ordinary equipment, creating something that the world's top teams couldn't produce in ten years? If it were him, he wouldn't believe it either.

"It's just... I've been working on a new direction recently," Lin Mo said, weighing his words. "There are some preliminary results, but they aren't mature yet. I want to verify them further."

Wang Zhenguo nodded without pressing for details. He picked up a thermos from the desk and handed it to Lin Mo. "Drink some water first. Look at how dry your lips are."

Lin Mo took the cup and took a sip. The warm tea entered his throat, causing his tense nerves to relax slightly.

"Little Lin, you've been with me for four years now." Wang Zhenguo leaned back into the rattan chair, looking out the window. "I remember when you first joined the group, you didn't understand anything. You had to ask several times just to set up a simple optical path. Now, you conduct experiments independently, write papers independently, and sometimes even help your junior fellow students solve problems."

Lin Mo didn't know why his teacher suddenly brought this up, so he just listened quietly.

"Scientific research is something that cannot be rushed," Wang Zhenguo's voice was peaceful, as if talking to himself. "When I was young, I was also in a hurry. I always thought about producing results quickly, publishing papers quickly, and getting recognition from others quickly. The result? Haste makes waste."

He turned back and looked at Lin Mo. "Have you been thinking about this lately too?"

Lin Mo was stunned. He didn't know how to answer. He wanted to say, 'Teacher, I'm not in a hurry, I just don't know what to do.' But he couldn't say it.

"I know you young people are under a lot of pressure," Wang Zhenguo continued. "Publishing papers, finding jobs, getting professional titles—everything needs to be fast. But with research, sometimes the more you rush, the less comes out. Those truly important discoveries often appear when you are most relaxed, or at the most unexpected times."

He paused and smiled. "Of course, you still need to work hard. I just want to remind you not to push yourself too hard. If your health collapses, everything is gone."

Lin Mo lowered his head, his eyes feeling a bit hot. He had been wound tight like a string these past few days, pretending to be normal during the day and conducting experiments in secret at night, carrying that massive secret in his mind that he couldn't tell anyone. Hearing these words from his teacher, those suppressed emotions suddenly found an outlet.

But he couldn't cry. He took a deep breath and looked up.

"Teacher, I'll remember that."

Wang Zhenguo nodded with satisfaction and picked up a document from the desk to hand to him. "Take a look at this project. It's from the National Natural Science Foundation and fits well with our direction. I think you could give it a try and write a proposal."

Lin Mo took the document and flipped through it casually. It was a research project regarding Quantum Materials, which was indeed related to superconductivity. In the past, he would have been very interested. But now, with the actual superconducting material in his hands, these theoretical projects suddenly felt dull and uninteresting.

"I'll look at it," he said, putting the document away.

Wang Zhenguo looked at his watch. "It's almost noon. Shall we have lunch together? The cafeteria is fine."

Lin Mo wanted to refuse, but seeing the expectant look in his teacher's eyes, he nodded.

The mentor and student walked out of the office and headed toward the cafeteria along the familiar corridor. They encountered several students on the way who respectfully greeted Wang Zhenguo. Wang Zhenguo responded to each one, occasionally stopping to ask about their research progress.

Lin Mo walked to the side, watching his teacher surrounded by students, a complex emotion welling up in his heart. He wondered, if he really spoke of that discovery, what would his teacher think? Would he be happy? Or would he be skeptical? Perhaps both.

The cafeteria was crowded. Wang Zhenguo found a corner seat and asked Lin Mo to queue for food. When Lin Mo returned with two trays of food, his teacher was talking to someone.

The person was in his forties, with blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing a dark casual suit and a polite smile. Seeing Lin Mo, his eyes lit up.

"Dr. Lin!" the man proactively reached out his hand. "What a coincidence, I didn't expect to run into you here."

Lin Mo was momentarily stunned before reacting—George. The Visiting Scholar who had called him twice.

"Mr. George." Lin Mo set down the trays and shook hands with him.

George turned to Wang Zhenguo. "Professor Wang, your student is truly young and promising. I've read several of the papers he published in the field of Quantum Optics; they are very well written."

Wang Zhenguo smiled. "Little Lin is indeed quite good and very hardworking."

"I was just telling Professor Wang that I hope to have the opportunity to visit your laboratory," George said to Lin Mo. "I wonder if it would be convenient for Dr. Lin?"

Lin Mo glanced at Wang Zhenguo, and the teacher gave a slight nod.

"It's convenient," Lin Mo said. "Just set a time."

"Excellent!" George looked very happy. "How about tomorrow afternoon? It won't delay your experiments, will it?"

Lin Mo hesitated for a second. Tomorrow afternoon, he had originally planned to make another batch of samples. But since the man had asked so directly, it wouldn't be appropriate to refuse again.

"That works."

"Then it's settled." George looked at his watch. "I won't disturb your meal. See you tomorrow!"

He nodded politely and turned to leave. Lin Mo watched his back disappear into the crowd, feeling that something was slightly off.

Wang Zhenguo had already started eating. Seeing Lin Mo still standing, he called out, "Eat quickly, the food will get cold in a moment."

Lin Mo sat down and absentmindedly poked at his food. Wang Zhenguo saw what was on his mind and said, "I've looked into that George; he has some reputation internationally. There's no harm in you young people interacting more."

"Mm," Lin Mo responded, not saying much more.

After eating, Wang Zhenguo went back to his office, and Lin Mo returned to the laboratory. Walking on the road, he was still thinking about what just happened. Was George's enthusiasm sincere, or did he have other motives? Was he being too sensitive, or was there really a problem?

He shook his head, deciding not to think about it for now. Taking him on a tour of the laboratory tomorrow afternoon would just be a cursory look at conventional equipment; there was nothing to worry about.

Back in the laboratory, Lin Mo habitually glanced at the safe. It sat quietly in the corner, looking no different from the other cabinets around it. But he knew that if the things hidden inside were discovered, it would cause a massive stir.

Lin Mo walked to the window, watching the crowds coming and going outside. He suddenly remembered what Wang Zhenguo had just said: those truly important discoveries often appear when you are most relaxed, or at the most unexpected times.

Could his discovery be considered important? Of course. But the timing and manner of its appearance were truly inconceivable.

Lin Mo reached into his pocket and felt the piece of blue material he carried with him. It was sealed in a small sample bag, warm and quiet, like a sort of amulet.

The afternoon sunlight shone in, casting bright spots of light on the workbench. Lin Mo stood there, looking at those spots of light, and quietly made a decision:

Wait a bit longer. Verify a few more times. Once he was completely certain, he would then consider the next step.

As for George, he would treat him as an ordinary Visiting Scholar—receive him politely, but keep things brief.

Lin Mo turned and walked toward the workbench, beginning to prepare for the afternoon's work. The secrets in the safe could only belong to him for the time being.