Returning Home in Riches

May.

Du Ke was still busy. His contract with the custom car shop had expired, and he resolutely refused to renew it. He had no intention of getting involved in the custom car industry again and directly abandoned the identity of Li Changyang.

Boss Xu repeatedly requested to renew the contract, raising his annual salary to five million and increasing the profit-sharing from custom jobs from 30% to 50%.

But Du Ke still refused.

"Why, Engineer Li? We can negotiate any terms you want. I believe no one will be more generous than me, no matter where you go. If someone else is trying to poach you, at least tell me their offer. Can't I match it?"

"It's not about that. I really don't want to do it anymore. I want a change of pace. I've made quite a bit of money this past year. It's not about the money... Goodbye, Boss Xu."

Actually, the reason wasn't complicated.

First, he had earned enough to live on through his custom car skills. With an income of hundreds of thousands a month, occasional bonuses, and modest personal expenses, he had saved over three million.

Second, his reputation in the custom car scene was growing. Players from all over the country sought him out, and even media outlets wanted to interview him. This made him feel that if he continued to be so high-profile, his identity might be exposed, so he decided to cut ties completely.

Third, the incident where he had learned his skills through illicit means had erased any sense of gratitude he felt towards Boss Xu, so he left without hesitation.

Therefore.

He directly gave up his job and prepared to focus on scientific research.

After all, the electron flow theory had been thoroughly researched, and the concept of the Long-Haired Battery was becoming more refined. All that remained was to secure investment, find materials, develop the production process, launch it into the market, dominate the battery industry, and reach the pinnacle of life.

This day.

Tao Xun called: "Little Du, the latest issue of the Journal of Chemical Physics has been published. The sample copy has likely been mailed to you. I was planning to bring it to you directly, but I thought, you can just browse your paper on the website. Three articles are being published together, and the cover features your diagram of the electron flow equilibrium. You're the star of this issue of the Journal of Chemical Physics."

"Really? Let me see."

Du Ke happily went online and opened the Journal of Chemical Physics website. He quickly found his papers prominently displayed. The Journal of Chemical Physics was originally a Chinese journal, but to align with the mainstream academic community, it had transitioned to a fully English publication with Chinese abstracts. Currently, English papers were still dominant, and most of China's core SCI journals were in English.

Du Ke was still forcing himself to learn English. He could only barely understand his own papers.

Fortunately, the webpage had an automatic translation function. With a single click, the all-English website turned into a Chinese one. Of course, Du Ke didn't need it. He opened the three English papers, found his name, "Du Ke," and was overjoyed. He had certainly written papers before; otherwise, he wouldn't have graduated. However, Anhui University didn't require papers to be published, so he had never submitted anything to any journal.

This was the first time his paper had been published, and it was in an SCI journal.

With an impact factor of 0.4, his three papers combined could earn at least one citation. Don't underestimate a citation, especially from an SCI journal; even one is a gain.

After a moment of elation.

He suddenly calmed down: "It's no big deal. It's just an SCI journal with an impact factor of 0.4. Academic paper proliferation has become rampant in China these years. Apart from a few select journals, most don't have a good reputation, and the Journal of Chemical Physics is no exception. As long as you're willing to spend money and pull strings, even undergraduate students can easily get their papers published there."

Papers in SCI journals directly relate to professional title evaluations and grant applications. This inevitably leads some people to seek shortcuts for personal gain, resulting in widespread paper fraud and plagiarism. To get papers published, people would bribe reviewers with gifts, money, and connections, thus polluting the entire academic environment and damaging the reputation of domestic academic journals.

So, looking at the journal cover and the equilibrium diagram he had drawn himself, Du Ke felt a sense of loss.

It was like finally conquering the goddess, only to discover she also pooped, farted, ground her teeth, and snored. The ideal is often grand, while reality is stark.

However, he still called Xu Weijun: "Little Xu, it's Du Ke."

"Ah, Senior Brother Du, what can I do for you?"

"The latest issue of the Journal of Chemical Physics, can you help me order a hundred copies from the editorial department... Yes, yes, I'm giving them as gifts... Oh, really? You can also print separate offprints? Okay, I'll order a hundred offprints too. Not two hundred, money is no object. Just make sure the quality is good... You don't need to send them over. I'll pick them up myself. I have a pass, right? I'll drive over; it's not far."

No matter how exquisite the papers looked online, they were no match for being printed and bound into a book.

Chinese culture emphasizes establishing virtue, merit, and words. Anyone with aspirations wants their achievements to be passed down through generations, especially in academia. Du Ke was still far from writing a book, but having his papers published was still worth celebrating. He had to give a copy of the Journal of Chemical Physics to all his aunts and uncles. He could also tell them about his guaranteed admission to Xiake University, bringing honor to his parents.

A brand-new BYD Han was parked in the villa's garage. It wasn't a transformation of his Mind Armor; it was a real BYD Han.

He used to transform his Mind Armor into a car. But one day, he was stopped by traffic police for a DUI check. They looked at his driver's license and vehicle registration. Fortunately, they only glanced at them and didn't scrutinize them closely. Otherwise, they would have discovered that the vehicle registration for Du Ke's car didn't match. He had replicated a BYD Han from a 4S shop, along with someone else's license plate and registration, so there was no record in the vehicle management system.

So, for safety reasons, he stopped messing around and bought a new car and registered it properly.

Just like the BYD Han, he also bought a BMW S1000rr, which was parked in the garage. This way, when he transformed his Mind Armor, he would have a basis for it and wouldn't have to worry about traffic police checks.

Professor Tao Xun had arranged a vehicle pass for him to enter and exit Xiake University. The next day, he went to the editorial department and collected one hundred copies of the Journal of Chemical Physics and two hundred offprints. Offprints were individual papers used for gifting. In academic circles, this was common practice; people would exchange offprints of their papers when they met. It was an opportunity for academic exchange and a way to show off one's achievements.

"Little Du, have you written your four papers yet?" an editorial board member asked.

"Almost. I'm still refining them."

"Are you planning to submit to P.R.B?"

"Yes."

"Good luck."

"Thank you, Teacher Li." Du Ke thanked the editorial board member, surnamed Li. Having published in the Journal of Chemical Physics, he was now part of that journal's inner circle, one of their own.

Leaving the editorial department and returning to the villa, Du Ke immediately made a call: "Hello, Binzi? Where are you living now? Have you found a job?... Hmm, I've been busy. I'm preparing to pursue graduate studies at Xiake University... I don't know if it's difficult. I got in through recommendation. I wrote a few papers, and luckily, they were published in the Journal of Chemical Physics... I'll mail you a copy. Got it!"

The call wasn't hung up yet. Binzi was his former roommate from Anhui University, and they were good friends.

"Let's not talk about me and Cui Ping. It's been a year. Her well-being has nothing to do with me. I'm doing very well now and plan to focus on my graduate studies and work diligently." Du Ke's tone was calm. It had been over a year since he had obtained the Mind Armor, and similarly, he had been single and recovered from heartbreak for over a year. This past year had been fulfilling and enjoyable, completely free from the constraints of romantic entanglements.

"Alright, I won't talk to you for long. When you receive the package, take a good look at my paper. You have my permission to brag to your colleagues using my work... Okay, goodbye."

With a series of phone calls and mailing out journals and offprints, he quickly contacted all his close friends.

Then, he drove his BYD Han back to his hometown.

Returning to wealth without returning home is like wearing brocade at night.

He, Du Ke, had returned.