Love and Hate Tangled Together

Dean Cao eventually started drinking tea, one cup after another.

After a while, Shen Qi arrived at the center.

"Director Shen, your baby is better now, are you happy?" Dean Cao asked.

"I spent the whole morning trying to cheer her up, and I finally succeeded." Shen Qi wiped his sweat and poured himself a cup of tea.

How old is your daughter?

She's almost two years old.

"Look how happy you are! Little girls at this age are the cutest."

"Cute is cute, but also mischievous." Shen Qi was both amused and exasperated.

"I never imagined that someone as capable as you could have something you couldn't handle." Dean Cao chatted with Shen Qi for a while, then solemnly got to the point. "I think the physics tree-network framework you proposed is fantastic, essentially leading physicists into a new era. However, I still feel that your conch shell needs improvement."

"Dean Cao, I would like to hear more details." Shen Qi was certainly aware of Dean Cao's research direction. The two were actually quite familiar with each other. When Shen Qi was being nominated for academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dean Cao was working at the High Energy Physics Laboratory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and he voted for Shen Qi.

"Dark Matter should have a place in your conch shell," Dean Cao said bluntly. Of course, he had to defend the future of his research field; otherwise, wouldn't all his life's work have been in vain?

Not only did Dean Cao waste his academic efforts, but all the researchers in their field were in the same boat.

Although there are very few physicists in China who study Dark Matter, there are always people dedicated to this field.

Shen Qi put forward a theory that would render all Dark Matter researchers in China unemployed. Doesn't that sting, Dean Cao?

That's clearly heartbreaking.

If Dean Cao's research field has no future, can he still serve as the dean of the Yanjing University Physics Department? Can he still have the face to remain an academician?

There may be a series of chain reactions that follow; in short, this is a matter of great importance.

Cutting off someone's money and food is like killing their parents.

Shen Qi was unaware of the consequences.

He knew it, of course, but he did it anyway.

"I'm sorry, Dean Cao, but I think we should give up the research on Dark Matter as soon as possible." Shen Qi was also very direct. He felt that it was better to suffer a short pain than a long one. Even if everyone pointed fingers and looked down on him, he had to tell the truth. A small number of people might be disappointed, but in the long run, the benefits outweighed the drawbacks.

"Nothing to discuss?" Dean Cao was heartbroken. If it were some Folk Scientist spouting things that "you would never know unless I told you," Dean Cao wouldn't bother with him at all.

However, it was Shen Qi who made the remarks that shocked the Physics Community.

Shen Qi offered a suggestion. "Let's change our approach. Dean Cao, you could conduct more in-depth research on the Cosmological Constant. Wasn't that your early research focus?"

"That means there's no room for negotiation!" In Dean Cao's view, Shen Qi was trying to persuade him to quit his job and find another one, which was absolutely unacceptable!

"Hey, Dean Cao, Teacher Cao, can't you be a little less rigid?"

"It's not that I'm stubborn, but Shen Qi, you're too impulsive! Such a big matter, did you report it to the Yanjing University Academic Committee beforehand? Did you consult with the Chinese Academic Divisions of the Chinese Academy of Sciences? Did you organize an internal discussion among domestic physics experts? No, you didn't! Did you consider the consequences of this incident?" Dean Cao pressed him with three questions, becoming increasingly agitated.

"Dean Cao, please don't get agitated or act impulsively." Shen Qi poured Dean Cao some tea and said calmly, "Of course I've spoken to the higher-ups. Otherwise, how could I hold a report meeting and broadcast it live?"

"This... it's been approved from above?" Dean Cao was astonished, and suddenly felt a little flustered.

Shen Qi: "Approved."

"Sigh..." Dean Cao sighed bitterly, feeling a sense of desolation as if the heavens were about to destroy him.

Shen Qi explained, "I've already discussed the main ideas for this report with my superiors, and it was presented orally. The specific report documents weren't submitted beforehand. Not to brag, but regarding String Theory, superstring theory, and M-theory, the team with the fastest research progress and the deepest research in China is probably our center's physics team. This part of the report has been internally reviewed within our center, so it's being presented directly to the public."

"Director Shen, your center has you and Witten, along with a group of elite PhDs specializing in String Theory, superstring theory, and M-theory. In this area of research, you have no rivals worldwide; you are the most authoritative group. I have no objections to this section; you can do whatever you want."

"Facts have proven that you've done whatever you want. In the fields of String Theory, superstring theory, and M-theory, your theories are far ahead of contemporary applied technologies. So, in this field, whether it's right or wrong, it's up to you." Dean Cao softened his tone slightly, after all, Shen Qi was acting according to the rules, and Shen Qi was patiently explaining the background of this report meeting to him. Failure and defeat are acceptable in one's career, but basic respect between people must be upheld.

"But shouldn't you have discussed that conch shell with your colleagues in the department beforehand?" Dean Cao still harbored resentment, mainly focused on the conch shell.

"You've seen this conch shell before. It covers almost all branches of physics. If we were to hold a meeting to discuss it beforehand, all the colleagues in the department would have to attend—several hundred people! As you know, opinions on the establishment of a theoretical system vary widely. Everyone has their own interpretation, and with everyone contributing their own perspective, this meeting could probably take half a year... and we might not even reach a conclusion after half a year." Shen Qi smiled and shook his head. He was well aware of the department's meeting style.

The academicians of the division have all become leaders in their respective fields, and each academician has his own academic thoughts and beliefs.

Discussing a specific project, such as a cutting-edge material, can take several months before deciding whether to initiate the project, how to initiate it, and what specific technical route to take.

Discussing a new, disruptive theoretical system would take more than six months; it would probably take until the next century.

Academician Cao smiled wryly; he was familiar with the department's meeting procedures. "Let me see your conch shell one more time, so I can die knowing why."

"First of all, I must clarify one point: you and your scholarship will not die. Your lifelong academic research still has very important implications for us. This is not just polite talk. Please be patient and have another cup of tea." Shen Qi opened his computer and retrieved the original Conch file.

These words greatly pleased Dean Cao. Shen Qi was quite sensible at such a young age, and his sincere conversation left Dean Cao with no reason to continue getting angry.

Even though Shen Qi has embarrassed some people in his career, Shen Qi is able to prevent these people from completely severing ties with him in his daily life.

The computer screen displayed the physical framework of a tree network with a conch-like structure. Dean Cao stared intently at the screen; this conch-like structure evoked both his love and hate for him.