Zhaofu Well.
Secret Base, 39th Floor, Conference Hall.
A group of white-haired elders was discussing the people involved in the "Fuxi Cell" and "Silver Pupil Incident."
"How can there be so much to consider? Hesitating and shrinking back—what's the point?"
Academician Zhao Hongyun slapped the table, his voice booming like a bell. "I say Yan Anqing is a pillar of the nation, a truly indispensable talent! If we don't put him to use, value him, and promote him, that's what will truly chill people's hearts!"
Hearing Academician Zhao's words, several elders beside him seemed deeply moved. They nodded slightly in agreement.
"I disagree!"
An elderly man with a close-cropped haircut snorted coldly and rose to his feet.
He carried himself with the bearing of a tiger crouching and an eagle glancing back. Cold light flickered in his brilliant golden eyes. His presence was imposing; he too was a Golden-Eyed One.
"Young people need proper tempering!"
"I acknowledge that Yan Anqing has talent and ability."
"Precisely because of that, he should spend another decade or more honing himself at the grassroots level. If we force his growth and end up ruining him, who will take responsibility?!"
"Young people nowadays lack a settled mindset. If they become famous too early, it's easy for them to go astray, grow lofty and unrealistic, and look down on everyone else."
"For Yan Anqing, the most important thing now is to build a solid foundation—learn more and accumulate more!"
"As I see it, you're killing Yan Anqing with praise! You're harming him, trying to turn him into a second Fang Zhongyong!"
Wang Anshi's "Injury to Zhongyong" had long been included in China's compulsory education textbooks.
The story of a genius burdened by fame, ultimately falling and becoming mediocre, was familiar to everyone.
After hearing the close-cropped elder's words, the people present seemed to grow hesitant as well.
What he said...
Did make sense.
Hearing this, Zhao Hongyun's face flushed red. He blew his beard and glared, raising his voice several notches. "Old Li! You're opposing this just for the sake of opposing it! We can't bring personal feelings into official business!"
"Blood Moon, Golden Pupil Syndrome, and now a Silver-Eyed whose hair turned from white to black—this is a brand-new era! What does the discovery of Fuxi Cells mean?"
"It's a biotechnology leap no less significant than the Industrial Revolution! Any country that fails to keep pace in this area may end up falling behind and being beaten in the future!"
"What's wrong with making an exceptional promotion for a talent like Yan Anqing?"
"Don't lecture me about Injury to Zhongyong! Wang Anshi borrowed a name and adapted it into a fictional story! He just disliked the little child's poetry, but did he ever consider how old Fang Zhongyong was at the time?"
"So what if Fang Zhongyong never took the imperial examinations, entered officialdom, and became a farmer? Everyone has their own ambitions. Are you looking down on people for farming? 'All trades are lowly, only study is noble'?"
"If farmers didn't grow crops, what would he eat? What right did he have to ruin the man's reputation? A scholar's sense of superiority? Bah! It reeks of the rotten stench of the feudal era!"
"Even taking ten thousand steps back, Yan Anqing's very first research result could change the world. His fortune is exceptional. If you want to compare him to historical figures, at least find a suitable one!"
"Fine! If you won't say it, I'll find them for you!"
The more Zhao Hongyun spoke, the more agitated he became, his neck turning bright red. "Lu Ban, Mo Di, Zhang Heng, Ma Jun, Zu Chongzhi, Zhuge Liang, Shen Kuo, Bi Sheng..."
At first, his favorable impression of Yan Anqing had only come from thinking that the young man was rather lucky.
But Yan Anqing had produced ten papers on the "Superpower Cavity Structure" and "Fuxi Cells" in merely half a month.
That was no longer simply a matter of luck.
He possessed both talent and fortune!
A talent like that was destined to leave his name in history!
As one of the people who had guided Yan Anqing, Zhao Hongyun felt honored as well.
Old Li, who was arguing against him, was named Li Yanhuang. He too was a Golden-Eyed One.
Not long ago, several hotheaded young scientists from Mojuke had become so obsessed with obtaining research materials that they recklessly ran up to Li Yanhuang and demanded blood, urine, semen, and muscle tissue samples.
Zhao Hongyun could completely understand why Li Yanhuang had developed prejudices against young scientists.
But he would never allow anyone to suppress Yan Anqing because of personal feelings!
Upon hearing Zhao Hongyun's words, the elderly attendees exchanged glances, their expressions deeply contemplative.
Recently, a theory of "fortune" had become popular.
The term fortune came from Shen Kuo's Dream Pool Essays of the Northern Song Dynasty.
"Even the many illnesses of mankind rise and fall with the waxing and waning of fortune."
Why was it that China's Golden-Eyed Ones happened to appear at a rate of one per province?
Over in America, it seemed that only one Golden-Eyed One appeared for every five states.
Japan had only produced two in total!
South Korea had not produced a single one!
North Korea was luckier, with one Golden-Eyed One.
Science could not explain this phenomenon, so people could only attribute it to "fortune."
Speaking of fortune...
Wasn't our national fortune a little too good?
Some of the elders thought of the recent "First Silver-Eyed Incident."
Why had Shang Yin transformed neither earlier nor later, but precisely when he told Yan Anqing, "The world is focused on you"?
That might well have been indirect evidence.
Before long, Zhao Hongyun overrode the opposition and secured the decision.
Yan Anqing's professional rank had already risen quickly enough. In less than a month, he had simultaneously become the Special Operations Team 13 Leader of Yaoguang Section and a Level 6 Researcher at Mojuke. Even if they spoke up for him, they had no way to raise his rank any further.
Without rules, there could be no order.
Yan Anqing had become the Special Operations Team 13 Leader at Yaoguang Section because he had brought back three Golden-Eyed Ones in a single mission!
He had become a Level 6 Researcher at Mojuke because he had written ten scientific papers rated "Class A" and produced genuine results as well!
Zhao Hongyun proposed putting all their effort into promoting Yan Anqing nationwide and turning him into a Star Scientist.
It would not only be a reward for Yan Anqing, but also an experiment.
An experiment concerning "fortune."
As the saying went: when the time is right, Heaven and Earth lend their strength; when fortune fades, even heroes lose their freedom!
If everyone in the country knew Yan Anqing and looked forward to his next breakthrough,
Then under the blessing of national fortune, what kind of performance would Yan Anqing deliver?
Would his virtue fail to match his position, causing his carefully built image to collapse completely?
Or would he withstand the pressure and produce epoch-making research results that drove the world mad?
It was worth looking forward to!
"Hmph."
Li Yanhuang snorted coldly, his brilliant golden eyes gleaming. "Scientists should be low-key, focused, and quietly devoted. How can they be associated with celebrities? This is utterly childish!"
Unfortunately, the overall decision had been made. He was powerless to reverse it.
Old Li held his forehead and sighed.
After this, who knew how many shameless admirers would swarm around Yan Anqing...
How would that boy react?
According to the records, Yan Anqing's current roommate was a female PhD.
At that thought, Li Yanhuang's face turned livid.
Bastard!
Such great talent, wasted on lust and romance!
In reality, Yan Anqing, this straight-as-steel man, was not nearly as sordid as Academician Li Yanhuang imagined.
There was nothing improper between him and Jiang Xinyue.
Every day, Yan Anqing spent sixteen or seventeen hours in the laboratory.
He pretended to work hard on research, but in reality, he was gradually transforming the people stored in the database into "Latent Qualified" or "Silver-Eyed."
After returning to his room, he would wash up briefly and then bury himself in sleep, barely ever seeing Jiang Xinyue.
That crazy girl even slept in the laboratory. If regulations had not forbidden it, she would have eaten, drunk, slept, and relieved herself there. She would not leave until she produced results.
It was now 11:56 at night.
Yan Anqing had just returned to the dormitory when he saw a golden-eyed young man standing outside the door, looking as though he had been waiting for a long time...