Inside the grilled fish restaurant.
After casually brushing Li Yi off, Xu Yun leaned against the wall in the corner, pulled out his phone, and went straight to Weibo.
Sure enough, after opening the trending list and scanning just a few entries, he spotted the topic Li Yi had mentioned:
#Newton's Portrait, Anta#
By then, the topic had fallen to eighth place, below "#Snowy Mountain Slow Motion#." Ahead of it was "#Stilt Walking Box Office#."
Xu Yun couldn't help giving a slight shake of his head.
Weibo was, after all, more entertainment-focused. On top of that, the brand name at the end had probably led some users to dismiss the topic as an advertisement. As a result, a topic that would undoubtedly have shot to the top of the physics world's trending list was stuck in an awkward middle ground on social media.
Xu Yun swiped the screen a few times, selected a post from one of the first media outlets to report on it, and opened it. The post contained two images taken from a foreign media outlet, accompanied by a long block of Chinese characters.
"According to BXC, a British tabloid, renowned British collector Belaim Brisson died of liver cancer last Monday. In his will, he donated all eighty-plus items in his collection to the British Museum."
"The donation ceremony began yesterday at 8 p.m. Beijing time. More than fifty media outlets attended to interview and broadcast the event, with approximately two hundred people present."
"The much-discussed portrait of Newton was item number thirty-four in the collection. While taking photographs at the event, a reporter from Al Jazeera noticed a pair of modern-style sneakers painted on a table behind Newton."
"This immediately drew questions from some of the media present. One reporter suggested on the spot that the portrait might have been altered in modern times. However, Puzemeisluo Mills, director of the British Museum, said that, as one of the world's four major museums, the British Museum had conducted precise dating analyses on every work it accepted into its collection. He could guarantee that this portrait was painted by Aesvid, a well-known artist of the late seventeenth century, and presented the authentication report there and then."
"Several internationally renowned experts at the event also examined the portrait, and unanimously agreed that it was an original work by Aesvid. The panel included two well-known scholars from Huaxia's Academy of Fine Arts, @Yangmei Chen Yiping and @Yangmei Gu Guangtao."
"However, Puzemeisluo Mills also acknowledged that the museum had never detected these possibly modern sneakers in any of its previous inspections. They seemed to have appeared in the portrait overnight."
Xu Yun then opened the images in the post, enlarged them, and studied them closely.
The portrait's subject was Newton in his later years. His bearing and appearance were already quite different from Little Ox's, though the young man who loved to win people over with reason could still faintly be seen in the shape of his brows and the contours of his face.
In the painting, Old Master Newton wore luxurious blue-green robes, held a Holy Book in his arms, and gazed solemnly ahead.
Behind him were furnishings such as a fireplace and a lounge chair. On the table behind his right hand, the side of a pair of sneakers was just visible.
Xu Yun knew those sneakers well. He had spent 328 yuan on them at a brick-and-mortar store. They were the very pair—
the ones Little Ox had swiped.
It was obvious.
Some mysterious force had caused parts of his experiences in a parallel timeline to be reflected in the history of this world.
If nothing unexpected happened, this was probably the bonus easter egg.
How should he put it?
After experiencing rebirth and time travel, Xu Yun had become quite accepting of situations like this.
So rather than feeling shocked, he felt a trace of delight—or perhaps the thrill of being the only one who knew the truth.
Just as Xu Yun's thoughts began to stir, the younger students beside him started sharing their opinions.
"I think it's more likely to be a coincidence."
The speaker was the last of the five young men, who hadn't been introduced yet. His name was Ren Yongcun, and he was Xiao Zhao's classmate and roommate. He was currently a first-year graduate student.
"I remember seventeenth-century brogues had laces, right? Maybe Old Master Newton was in the mood to modify a pair of shoes on a whim. A portrait isn't a photograph, after all. With a bit of luck, it could've just happened to resemble that pair of Anta sneakers."
Hearing this, Tang Yiqiu shook her head and pointed at the photo.
"Senior Ren, we're all science students. We can't let our thinking get too sentimental. Honestly, how likely do you think that is?
"Look here—the shoe's upper is red and white, with a little patch of black between them. It's exactly the same as that pair of Anta sneakers. That's really hard to explain as a coincidence."
"Exactly!"
Zhou Peiyao, sitting nearby, chimed in with her cheeks puffed out. Then she pointed at Tang Yiqiu's bowl.
"Qiuqiu, can I have one of your beef balls? I don't have any in my side dishes. I'll trade you a triangular dumpling!"
"It's Yiqiu—ugh, I mean, it's Yiqiu!"
Tang Yiqiu protested softly, then helplessly picked up a beef ball for Zhou Peiyao.
"Senior, be careful. I ordered the extra-spicy one. You might not be able to handle it."
Zhou Peiyao grinned and reached into the hood of Tang Yiqiu's down jacket, rubbing it over and over.
"I know. You're from Jiangxi. You even brush your teeth with chili water."
"..."
As he watched the younger students grow closer, a trace of delight appeared on Xu Yun's face.
There was no question about the character of Li Yi and the others. Anyone with a bad reputation or no ability would never have made it past Xu Yun's initial screening. But for a team to move forward smoothly, individual ability wasn't enough. They also needed to work well together—at the very least, they couldn't spend the whole time acting like strangers.
Xu Yun had originally planned to use this meal as a chance for everyone to break the ice. He would guide the conversation and help them feel more at ease. He had plenty of experience with that kind of thing. In his previous life, he'd gone to more than his share of work dinners and drinking parties. He'd picked up a few things just by watching.
But before he could say anything, the trending topic on Weibo had given them a chance to get to know one another. After several rounds of discussion and speculation, the five of them had clearly grown much more familiar.
Zhou Peiyao in particular was already acting like she and Tang Yiqiu were about to become a couple.
Once he had the time, he'd take them out for barbecue. After that, the relationships within the temporary research group would more or less settle into place.
The group continued chatting for a while, taking turns sharing their thoughts. Once they'd eaten their fill, Xu Yun paid the bill for everyone.
After they left the restaurant, Xu Yun was about to tell them to head back to the lab when he suddenly felt a chill in his heart.
He hesitated for a few seconds, then turned to Li Yi, the only second-year graduate student among the five.
"Little Li, take Tang, Xiao Zhao, and the others back to the lab. I've got some paperwork to sort out with Director Tian. Until I get back, follow Old Qiu's instructions. Contact me anytime if anything comes up. I'll be back before three this afternoon."
Li Yi nodded.
"No problem, Xu God. Go take care of your business. Anything else you want me to pass along?"
"That's all. Be careful during the experiment."
"Got it!"
After parting from Li Yi and the others, Xu Yun hurried home. He locked the door and entered that sealed space.
At that moment, the number displayed on the door representing the 1665 Instance was unmistakably—
3/100!
If you have any fun ideas for new high-tech gadgets, feel free to leave a comment. Nothing too ambitious, though. Don't hold back—write down whatever comes to mind.
Before you continue