Astronaut Training

It was the height of summer, yet Xie Yuanxun was wearing a white suit that looked like an oversized down jacket, bulky all over, about as thick as two quilts wrapped around him.

Song He observed his face carefully; it was severely swollen, and he had gained a lot of weight overall.

"Old Xie, are you wearing a treatment suit? Just back from space, and your body's a bit off?" Song He asked.

"Yeah, I stayed in the Space City's weightless street cabin for too long. The physical exam showed a bunch of minor issues. This suit is like a balloon; I wear it to slowly adapt to the pressure," Xie Yuanxun nodded, grabbed a cup of NFC orange juice, and handed it over. "Sister-in-law, have some orange juice."

Before Xiang Xiaotong could reach out to take it, Xie Yuanxun suddenly let go, and the large bottle of orange juice fell with a thud, hitting Xiang Xiaotong's leg.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry!" Xie Yuanxun was startled. "I..."

"Not used to being back from space yet, huh?" Xiang Xiaotong smiled, bent down to pick up the orange juice, not angry at all. "When did you get back?"

"The night before last. I'm really sorry. I'm used to just letting go of things from up there; they float in the air. I dropped my mobile phone twice the first day back, and I broke a glass. That glass was a gift from Yun Shui. She was so angry she beat me up pretty good. I thought I had adjusted yesterday, but I'm drowsy now and forgot again!"

There was a burst of laughter in the car, and the atmosphere was quite cheerful.

"Teacher You, Song He and I were just talking about you yesterday," Xiang Xiaotong said.

"Oh?" The sleepy You Deyi perked up upon hearing this. "What were you talking about?"

"Back then, you interviewed me and said my talent was too good, and you were afraid of holding me back, so you didn't take me as a disciple," Xiang Xiaotong asked curiously. "Why were you so quick to take Song He as a student later? Weren't you afraid of holding Song He back?"

"I think my talent is stronger than hers?" Song He was also curious. "Why didn't you take her and took me instead?"

You Deyi chuckled twice. "I thought it was something important. You two discuss such boring topics as a couple!"

"Couples are both in academia, especially in the same field, so it's hard to avoid comparing," Xie Yuanxun said with feeling. "It's the same when Yun Shui argues with me. Every time she puts me down, saying my academic level isn't as good as hers, my technical contribution to the company isn't as good as hers. She uses this to get the upper hand, leaving me speechless."

"Boring? It's not boring. We think this is quite strange. Please explain it!" Song He asked seriously.

"Song He, your talent is definitely stronger than Xiang Xiaotong's, and not just by a little bit, but by two streets," You Deyi said with a smile. "Why did I treat you differently? Because I believe no teacher is qualified to be your long-term teacher!"

"Huh?" Song He was taken aback.

"That's right. All teachers are just temporary for you. No teacher's level will determine your upper limit. Someone with your talent relies purely on self-teaching to succeed. This is my assessment of you. Since the teaching staff won't affect you, I might as well teach you for a short period," You Deyi explained. "Xiang Xiaotong is different. Her talent is strong, but not strong enough to completely disregard the teaching staff. Therefore, whether she can follow a top teacher determines her upper limit, so I couldn't take up her time for improvement."

The couple exchanged glances, neither of them having expected such an answer. It seemed to make sense, yet something felt strange.

Before the two could ask further, You Deyi spoke again.

"You two are planning to have your wedding and honeymoon in Space City, right?"

"Yes!" The couple said in unison.

"I have some very bad news to tell you. I just found out about this bad news ten minutes ago," You Deyi sighed. "Your space honeymoon might be ruined."

"How could that be?" Song He was surprised. "Everything is arranged!"

"There was an accident," You Deyi took out his mobile phone from his pocket, tapped it twice to open it, and handed it over.