What Manner of Being Was He?

June 18, 1900.

Three days had passed since the Quantum Mechanics paper was published. While a storm was sweeping through the world of physics, Li Qiwei, at its very center, remained remarkably calm.

At that moment, Professor Thomson and Wilson were "pressuring and tempting" him to make sure he included the Cavendish Laboratory's name when he published his next paper.

Li Qiwei hurriedly nodded in agreement.

He and Wilson were now very close, and Professor Thomson had once helped him avoid being held accountable by the university.

Besides, the Spark Plan was also based at Cambridge University.

So no matter what, Li Qiwei intended to stay at the Cavendish Laboratory and milk it for all it was worth.

As he walked to his exam, he suddenly noticed a crowd of students gathered around the noticeboard at Trinity College.

Everyone was whispering to one another, their faces alight as they excitedly discussed something.

Suddenly, they spotted Li Qiwei. They parted to make way for him, their eyes fixed intently on him.

Just then, Chris squeezed out of the crowd, his face brimming with excitement. "Senior Bruce, you're incredible!"

"Look, Dean Sanders put up this announcement especially for you."

"It commends you for publishing your paper. I'm so jealous."

Li Qiwei was curious. He stepped closer and read the announcement.

"Warm congratulations to Bruce Li, a third-year undergraduate at our college, on publishing his groundbreaking paper in Nature."

"The paper is the first to introduce the concept of the quantum, opening up a new direction for research in physics."

"Bruce Li is a diligent student of outstanding character who often helps his fellow students."

"He is a role model for all students at Trinity College. We encourage everyone to learn from him."

"Furthermore, the publication of this paper reflects Trinity College's remarkable teaching achievements and high standards of education."

"It also demonstrates Cambridge University's profound academic heritage and humanistic concern."

"..."

After reading the announcement, Li Qiwei laughed wryly.

He hadn't expected the distinguished dean of Trinity College to resort to this sort of petty trick.

Sanders had a grudge against him, so he was using the paper to heap praise on him, hoping to dispel Li Qiwei's resentment.

An ordinary young man would surely have let the flattery go to his head and been overwhelmed with gratitude toward Sanders.

After all, public praise like this could satisfy one's vanity without limit.

But Li Qiwei wasn't some naive young hothead. This worthless scrap of paper, with no actual reward attached, might fool a child and nothing more.

What he wanted was to have Bellam and Miles driven out.

So after reading the announcement, he simply walked away, leaving everyone behind to gaze at him in admiration.

"Wow, Senior Bruce has such an imposing presence."

"He published such a world-shaking paper and still remains completely unruffled. Bruce is a role model for all of us."

"The ancient Eastern nation really is unfathomable. How else could a genius like Bruce Li have emerged from it?"

While the students were busy admiring Li Qiwei, a far more high-level meeting was also fretting over him.

Cambridge University's chancellor was elected by the university's senate and was generally a person of social standing. The position was largely ceremonial.

The vice-chancellor, on the other hand, was Cambridge University's actual academic and administrative head.

At that moment, more than a dozen people were sitting casually in the vice-chancellor's office.

Vice-Chancellor Caldwell had gathered several of the university's physics professors to discuss how to publicize this achievement.

He himself had been stunned by the impact of the Quantum Mechanics paper.

Physics was the foremost of the natural sciences.

If chemistry was the end of biology, then physics was the end of chemistry.

That was why the emergence of an entirely new physical theory held an irresistible attraction for the scientific community.

At first, Caldwell had thought the matter would be simple. But then he discovered that the paper's author was a man from the Qing Dynasty, and his supervisor was a German professor.

This put Caldwell in a difficult position, and he found it hard to believe.

No matter what, he couldn't connect those two facts.

Only after Professor Thomson explained the situation did Caldwell finally understand what had happened.

He also praised Professor Thomson profusely for recognizing Li Qiwei's talent and discovering it in time.

Meanwhile, Sanders had no choice but to reveal the cheating incident. There was no point trying to hide it; plenty of students had been present.

As expected, the moment he finished, everyone's expressions turned complicated.

Even Caldwell didn't know what to say. There was a lot more to this than met the eye.

He gathered his thoughts, then said slowly, "Whatever else, Bruce Li is a Cambridge student. That won't change."

"I don't think I need to explain to anyone here how important a theory this revolutionary is."

"Most importantly, as long as this achievement belongs to Cambridge, I can apply to the government for more funding for education and scientific research."

"The new theory needs to be verified through experiments, which means buying equipment and hiring the relevant staff."

"With such a solid justification, the skinflints at the Ministry of Finance will have no grounds to refuse."

"Gentlemen, this is vital to Cambridge and to every one of you. I hope we can all work together to see it through."

Although they were only professors of physics, they all understood how important funding was to the university and to physics.

So they understood Caldwell's urgency perfectly.

At that point, someone brought up Li Qiwei's Qing Dynasty background and suggested it might make publicity difficult.

Caldwell pondered for a long time, then said firmly, "There's no need to worry about that. We should highlight Bruce's background instead."

"Think about it. Bruce Li was just an ordinary young man from a backward country."

"Yet simply by studying at Cambridge and absorbing its culture, he went on to create such a great theory of physics."

"Doesn't that prove just how tolerant and open-minded Cambridge University is?"

"I believe Bruce Li's Qing Dynasty background actually highlights Cambridge University's strength."

"War is the business of politicians. Science is our business."

"We mustn't let racial issues compromise the purity of science!"

Caldwell ended his speech with ringing conviction.

Everyone was stunned by his words. They admired how he truly deserved to be vice-chancellor; he was no fool.

His way of handling the matter, and the boldness behind it, were beyond their reach.

Caldwell then turned to Sanders and instructed him, "Dean Sanders, I don't care what it takes. You must clear up the misunderstanding between you and Bruce Li."

"Under no circumstances can we let him quit in a fit of anger, let alone join another university."

"Oxford University in particular is out of the question. Otherwise, Cambridge will become a laughingstock."

Sanders could only nod in agreement. He knew all too well about the rivalry between Cambridge and Oxford.

Then Professor Thomson, who had said very little, spoke up. "Vice-Chancellor Caldwell, Bruce Li has already agreed to become my doctoral student."

"I believe a genius like him will keep his word."

"Of course, I also need the university to support his admission."

Caldwell was overjoyed. "That's wonderful! Professor Thomson, it's true what they say: a great teacher produces outstanding students."

Thomson paid no mind to Caldwell's flattery. He only cared about Li Qiwei.

Across from him, Sanders gave him a grateful look.

Thinking back to his earlier argument about Li Qiwei, Sanders felt his old face turn red. He wasn't a physicist, after all, and hadn't been able to see what made Li Qiwei special.

The only reason he was sitting here today was because he was dean of Trinity College.

Fortunately, he had sent those two idiots to apologize in advance. Otherwise, this really would have been a problem.

After that, Caldwell and the others reached an agreement: they would do everything they could to promote Li Qiwei and his Quantum Mechanics theory.

They would try to attract more physicists to Cambridge University so they could pursue the theory further and bring it to fruition.

That would make Cambridge the world's top university!

And when that happened, Caldwell might even be able to climb another rung up the ladder.

Everyone had their own little schemes, but while some were delighted, others were distraught.

The ones in distress were Bellam and Miles.

At that moment, they were like ants on a hot pan, pacing back and forth in the office, beside themselves with worry.

Bellam had already heard from other sources about Li Qiwei's fame and prestige.

It was no exaggeration to say that the two of them weren't fit to carry his shoes, yet they had been foolish enough to frame him.

Now, all they could do was beg Cecil for help.

Bellam knew that as long as Li Qiwei stood his ground, Sanders would definitely sacrifice him.

If they had apologized promptly before, there might still have been room to maneuver. But now it was too late.

They would reap what they had sown.