Great Scientist's Perspective

"It's something good to do, that's why I'm happy," Zhou Yu'an said.

Shen Qi asked, "Oh, tell me about it?"

Xiao Junlong said with a beaming smile, "I'm getting married! The banquet is next month, and Professor Witten will be attending. I'm so happy! I never expected Fields Medal winner to be at my wedding."

"Congratulations, brother!" Shen Qi said.

"Director Shen, could you come to my wedding?"

"Here I am, congratulations again, Lao Xiao, you've finally won the heart of your beauty."

Xiao Junlong clapped his hands and laughed, "Fantastic! Two winners of the Fields Medal!"

"So Zhou, are you still waiting for that perfect girl?" Witten looked at Zhou Yu'an was now the only single man among the four.

Zhou Yu'an smiled and said, "I hope she appears soon."

"Qi, what I want to say is..." Witten turned to Shen Qi and said, "Most of the scholars in this department are as excellent as Zhou. They are completely dedicated to their work and are extremely busy. I haven't been in your department for long, but I feel that the workload here is more than three times that of Princeton."

"I agree." Zhou Yu'an nodded and said, "But Edward, there's nothing we can do about it. We need to produce research results that will have a significant impact on the international stage as soon as possible."

"No, you don't understand what I mean," Witten said, shaking his head. "Excellent scientists shouldn't live like this. You're busier than Wall Street stockbrokers; working late into the night is the norm. Look, this coffee shop is only filled with the four of us at 3 p. m., a perfect time for coffee, while at the Princeton Mathematics Department, almost all the professors and doctoral students would be there at this time. That's a difference in mindset and attitude."

Shen Qi nodded and said, "I feel the same way. Perhaps it's my responsibility."

Witten, acting as a life mentor, said, "The most outstanding scientists should have abundant emotions and a relaxed mindset, rather than being workaholics who constantly assign tasks. You need to relax, everyone needs to relax."

"I accept your criticism, Edward. Yes, we were all too tense, and I didn't set a good example."

Shen Qi had long noticed this problem. He also knew that researchers were not manual laborers. When scientific research was transformed into high-intensity physical labor, researchers would only care about performance and material gains. Shen Qi Mathematical and Physical Research Center would never reach the level of the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study.

Shen Qi is also working hard to change this situation. He has set up a coffee shop, chess and card room, gym, audio-visual entertainment room, calligraphy and painting and musical instrument room and other leisure places on the third floor of the center.

However, the reality is that these leisure venues are underutilized.

This isn't the employees' fault. Their leaders set an example by handling all aspects of math, Science and Engineering, and biology, launching one major project after another, and selling patents for ever-increasing prices. They were working like dogs.

Scientists who dedicate their lives to scientific endeavors deserve the respect of the people. The backbone of the nation, in addition to standing tall in the country's scientific research, also needs to possess a charismatic personality and rich and fulfilling interests.

Back home, Shen Qi confided in Ou Ye, "Sigh, Witten was right, I'm a boring person. My attitude at work has subtly influenced my subordinates; they're all heading towards becoming mere research laborers, uninterested in dating. I have to force them to go on blind dates, which isn't good."

Ou Ye: "I feel the same way. The researchers at your center are becoming more and more like emotionless robots."

"Honey, how can we improve this? An outsider's perspective is often clearer; I'd like to hear your advice."

How did Princeton do it?

"But we can't simply copy Princeton's approach; the situations in China and the US are different."

Shen Qi took out his phone to check the news and his WeChat Moments. After relaxing for a while, he planned to draft a framework plan for the project of Mathematical Grand Unification.

A post on his WeChat Moments made Shen Qi particularly anxious; it had been posted five minutes earlier.

The updater was Shen Qi's father, Shen Zhishan.

Shen Zhishan, dressed in a hospital gown, lay on the hospital bed. The accompanying text read, "A word of advice to everyone: drinking will lead to trouble and harm your health. I, Old Shen, will quit drinking starting today. If I drink even one more drop, I'll chop off my hand! Please don't worry, I'm fine. I'll be discharged after two days in the hospital."

Shen Qi knew very well that his father loved alcohol, and he inherited his father's drinking capacity, so he was also quite heavy-handed.

Shen Qi can drink, but he's not an alcoholic.

Old Shen is different. Apart from business occasions where drinking is unavoidable, Old Shen also drinks at home when he has nothing to do. He really likes drinking and cannot go a day without alcohol.

Old Shen has many friends and competitors in the business world. He probably posted a message on his WeChat Moments to reassure his business partners and subordinates, telling them not to worry and to just go about their business.

But as his own son, how could Shen Qi not worry. "That old drunkard has drunk himself into the hospital!"

"Oh? Dad's in the hospital?" Ou Ye was also worried about her father-in-law. He had been very good to her and had strongly encouraged her to take over the Shen Family.

Ou Ye was Old Shen's WeChat friend, and she also saw Old Shen's WeChat Moments update. "Our dad should be fine, right? He said he'll be discharged in two days."

"Let me ask," Shen Qi said, calling Old Shen.

"Hello, son." The call connected, but it wasn't Old Shen; it was Shen Qi's Mom.

Shen Qi's voice was concerned and anxious. "Mom, what's wrong with Dad? Did he drink so much that he was hospitalized? Alcohol poisoning? Stomach bleeding?"

"Your dad drank too much at a dinner party a few days ago. When he came out of the restaurant's private room and went downstairs, he lost his balance and tumbled from the second floor to the first floor, injuring his lumbar spine." Mom's voice was calm, but there was a hint of unease in it.

"This... this is a serious lumbar spine injury! Can I be discharged in two days?" Shen Qi was extremely anxious. A lumbar spine injury is not something to be taken lightly, otherwise there is a risk of disability.

"It's a bit serious. Your dad has little sensation in his lower body, and he'll have surgery in a few days. But don't worry too much. Your dad is staying at our hospital, and our best orthopedic surgeon will be performing the operation." Mom comforted Shen Qi, telling him to focus on his work. She assured him that she would look after things at home, and that Old Shen was a lucky man who would be alright.

After hanging up the phone, Shen Qi paced anxiously. His father hadn't injured his internal organs while drinking, but he had fallen from the second floor to the first floor and was at risk of being paralyzed from the waist down.

"I'll go with you and go back to see Dad." Ou Ye understood Shen Qi's worries about his father. Shen Qi was an only child, and if something happened to his Old Shen, it would be difficult for him to focus on his work, which was only natural.

"Honey, my dad will appreciate your thoughtfulness, but since you're about to give birth, don't go anywhere, just stay in the capital."

The next day, Shen Qi instructed Aunt Cuiping to take good care of Ou Ye. He then flew to Nangang City and went straight to Nangang First Hospital, the hospital where Shen Qi's Mom worked. Old Shen was hospitalized at this hospital.

Old Shen occupies a VIP ward by himself; the conditions are excellent.

The ward was filled with fruit, milk, and flowers, showing that Boss Shen was still quite popular.

But even the wealthiest and most well-connected bosses are powerless in the face of birth, aging, illness, and death.

Old Shen accidentally injured his lumbar spine, but he showed his indomitable spirit on his WeChat Moments.

In reality, even the most resilient Old Shen couldn't withstand the pain of his illness, and he appeared to be in great distress.

"Damn it, it hurts so much!" Old Shen cried out in pain as he lay in the hospital bed.

"Isn't it that his sense of sensation is not obvious?" Shen Qi didn't know whether to be happy or worried. His father could feel pain, which meant there was still hope for him?

"That's my lower body. My neck hurts from lying down for so long," Old Shen groaned, looking very unwilling. "My company got a big project and won the bid. I have to get discharged from the hospital as soon as possible, otherwise that kid Zhao Qiang will definitely take advantage of the situation, steal my business, and take over my market."

Zhao Qiang is probably Old Shen's business rival. Shen Qi comforted him, "Dad, you're already in this state, at risk of paralysis. What do you care about winning the bid? You can earn money all you want, but you only have one life."

"Shen Qi, you're wrong. In business, big fish eat small fish, and small fish and shrimp will only end up dead. I'm fifty-four this year, and I can only work for another ten years before I have to retire. The next ten years are crucial for our company's development. If we can't take over others, we'll be swallowed up. Every big order we lose now feels like a knife to my heart." Old Shen reached for his phone on the bedside table, wanting to remotely command the company's elites to hold the line, but unfortunately, his phone had been confiscated by Shen Qi's Mom.

"A good businessman should have abundant emotions and a relaxed mindset, not be like a money printing machine, constantly producing money. Dad, you need to relax, relax." Shen Qi was pleased to see that although his father was bedridden, his mind was clear and his spirit was full of fighting spirit.

The more negative a patient's mental state, the greater the surgical risk. Whether it's to defeat that kid Zhao Qiang or to expand the company in the next decade, Old Shen's mindset is at least positive, and he has a strong spiritual sustenance.

Old Shen's health may be failing, but his fighting spirit remains. "Son, Great Scientist, if I hand over my company to you, I don't think it will last two years before it collapses!"

"Why hand it over to me? Dad, do you think I know anything about business?"

"You are my only son. If I don't pass my legacy to you, who else can I pass it on to?"

Shen Qi: "How could I possibly have time to manage a company?"

Old Shen: "So you're just going to watch me work until I'm 80?"

This is the tragedy of being an only child. If Shen Qi had a brother or sister, they could take over their father's job.

But now, Shen Qi faces a dilemma: with his father getting older and his health declining, who will take over the family business?

"Dad, you'll definitely live to be a hundred. We can talk about the family business later. Your priority now is to focus on recovering, clear your mind of all distractions, and cooperate with the doctors during the surgery. Only when you're fully recovered can you take down that kid Zhao Qiang."

"Son, I am very pleased that you came back to visit me. I am a former soldier and have a certain sense of the big picture. The contributions you have made to scientific endeavors are certainly more significant than coming back to do business. I am a patient and may be speaking carelessly in my illness. Let the family business take its course. You should focus on your scientific career." As the father of Great Scientist, Old Shen was reasonable and demonstrated a high level of political awareness.