A Visit

The recipient address on the envelope was still Nangang Second High School, but now it included a mailbox number: P. O. Box A102.

Shen Qi studied at Nangang Second High School for six years, from junior high to senior high. Last year, he returned to his alma mater to give a speech. He knew that mailboxes starting with "A" at Nangang Second High School Middle School were for faculty and staff. Therefore, Momo should be a faculty and staff member of Nangang Second High School.

On a whim, Shen Qi went to check mailbox A102 at Nangang Second High School, which was not difficult for him.

An investigation revealed that the owner of mailbox A102 at Nangang Second High School is a staff member of the school's Office of Spiritual Civilization Construction and Cultural Publicity, named He Fang. She is female, of Han ethnicity, Non-Party Affiliated Person, and between 25 and 30 years old. This staff member responsible for cultural publicity possesses a mature yet elegant demeanor, and is skilled in singing, dancing, music, calligraphy, and painting. Her marital status is unknown, but she has suitors.

"Thanks, Xu Rui," Shen Qi said on the phone.

The source of the information is Xu Rui, who currently works as a physical education teacher at Nangang Second High School: "I should thank you; Professor Shen's words are more effective than those of the Education Bureau Director."

These days, jobs are hard to find, especially a teaching position at the prestigious Nangang Second High School Middle School, which is extremely difficult to secure.

Six months ago, Shen Qi helped his good friend Xu Rui from high school get this job. It was just a matter of a word, a simple favor.

Xu Rui asked, "Professor Shen, if you're transferring to a ministry or agency that matches your expertise, what kind of position would you need? It should be higher than a department head, right?"

Shen Qi smiled noncommittally, "Why have you become so realistic?"

Xu Rui sighed and said, "I can't be unrealistic. This society is just that realistic. I have a wife and children to support, and my wife is pregnant with our second child."

"Old Xu, you're really something. I'll never be able to keep up with you when it comes to childbirth. But speaking of which, personal trainers probably earn more, right?"

Xu Rui, who used to be a personal trainer, said, "You don't understand this industry. It's a job that relies on youth, and there's no sense of security. Besides, the students I've trained weren't just working out for the sake of working out."

"Are there mostly female students?"

"There are a few... Let's not talk about that, a hero doesn't dwell on past glories. By the way, what are you investigating He Fang from our school for?" Xu Rui was still a true friend. Shen Qi asked him to check who owned mailbox A102, and Xu Rui didn't ask why, he immediately went to investigate and obtained a lot of useful information.

After the investigation was completed, Xu Rui asked Shen Qi why he did it this way.

Shen Qi said, "It's a personal matter."

Xu Rui chuckled on the phone, "Oh, it's a private matter, I understand, I understand. We're both married, we should be understanding, haha! You know my character, I'm known as 'Sharp-tongued Xu,' I'll keep this to myself and promise to forget about it completely."

After ending the call, Shen Qi his pen and wrote, "Momo, thank you for the letter."

At this point, Shen Qi experienced writer's block.

After thinking for a moment, Shen Qi continued, "Because of work, I often write. Including drafts, I wrote more than 500 pages of A4 paper last year. I read your letter, but I can't guarantee that I can reply to every one. Thank you again for your letter and your greeting card."

After writing the letter, Shen Qi sent it out. The sender's name was "Old K," a pen name he had suddenly come up with. His international name was Key.

Many people wrote to Shen Qi, either in paper form or by email.

The content is incredibly diverse, ranging from job seekers and those seeking love to those claiming to have solved a major problem, and even elementary school students asking Shen Qi how to solve math problems.

Shen Qi couldn't possibly reply to every letter; he selected a few to answer, and Momo was one of them.

The second letter was addressed to elementary school students. In it, Shen Qi taught them how to do math problems and suggested that they consult their math teachers more often.

After finishing dealing with the letters, Shen Qi went to the Chemistry Laboratory and saw Old Yan sitting there in a daze.

Old Yan was confused; he didn't know what to do next.

Several months ago, Shen Qi and Old Yan co-authored a paper in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, reporting on a new compound they synthesized in the laboratory.

Shen Qi said that this compound is a smoking cessation drug, but the process from compound discovery to drug registration and finally sale to patients is extremely long. The pharmaceutical industry has a long supply chain and is subject to administrative regulation, making it particularly complex.

Old Yan's dilemma is that we discovered the compound C01B and published it in a journal. However, let alone animal experiments or clinical trials (I-III), we can't even proceed with the next step, "compound optimization," because we lack equipment and manpower.

"Director Shen, could you give me some instructions? Is our lab only doing the most basic route design?" Old Yan asked.

Shen Qi said, "At present, this is the best we can do."

"I understand now, that's good. Actually, you and I both know that Organic Chemistry is a rather toxic field... Luckily, I stayed at Yanda University, where the working environment is relatively good. My classmates who went to outsourcing companies are complaining about their miserable lives every day..." Old Yan started talking non-stop.

"You have a classmate who works at an outsourcing company, right?" Shen Qi asked.

"Yeah, there's a guy, a classmate of mine from graduate school, who lives in the capital. He's in charge of a lab now. Last week at the class reunion, he said he was hopeless. His girlfriend is young and beautiful, but he just can't get it up..." Old Yan said sympathetically.

"Smoking too much has a negative impact on your health." Shen Qi patted Old Yan on the shoulder and asked, "Would it be convenient for you to visit and learn from your classmate's lab?"

"The laboratory is a restricted area, and ordinary people are definitely not allowed in, but if Director Shen wants to go, it shouldn't be a problem." Old Yan came outside the laboratory and took out his phone to make a call.

"My classmate asked when you're going. He's in the lab right now," Old Yan said, covering the mouthpiece of his phone as he asked Shen Qi.

Shen Qi: "Is it okay now?"

Old Yan: "He said it's fine, we'll be waiting for Director Shen."

"Let's go." Shen Qi put on a trench coat and a mask, and had Old Yan drive his car to a company on the North Fifth Ring Road.

"This is a private company that specializes in organic outsourcing." Old Yan seemed to have been here before. He parked his car with practiced ease, filled out a visitor information form at the gate security desk, and left his ID information and contact details.

The security guard made an internal phone call, "Engineer Cheng, there are two visitors, Engineer Yan and Engineer Shen, who want to discuss business with you... Oh, it's already arranged, right? Okay."

The security guards let Old Yan and Shen Qi into the company, where Old Yan's classmate, Engineer Cheng, greeted them at the entrance of the R&D building.

"Professor Shen, welcome, welcome!" Engineer Cheng was overjoyed, not expecting that Shen Qi himself would actually come.

"We're all alumni, let's learn from each other." Shen Qi exchanged a few simple pleasantries, then entered the R&D building with Old Yan, changed into lab coats, and followed Engineer Cheng into a laboratory.

Even though he was wearing a mask, Shen Qi could still smell a familiar, tangy odor.

Organic synthesis, especially the synthesis of nitrogen heterocyclic compounds, often requires the use of amines. Many amines are highly toxic and volatile.

There are more than a dozen lab technicians in this lab, and it's already 6 p. m., but they show no sign of leaving. It seems that working overtime is the norm.

Each lab technician had a fume hood, but even so, the smell in the lab was still very strong, and some of the aniline smells were unforgettable.

Whether it's for the cause of chemistry or to earn a living, these chemistry lab technicians who persevere in their work deserve our utmost respect.

"Professor Shen, please feel free to look around. I have an experiment to finish soon." Engineer Cheng was genuinely busy, so he allowed Shen Qi to tour the room at his leisure.

Everyone was busy, and the other lab technicians didn't know who Professor Shen was. Everyone was fully equipped with head coverings, masks, and protective goggles.

Without disrupting everyone's experimental work, Shen Qi gave a friendly tour of the laboratory.