Li Qiwei spent the last few days of the holiday buried in work. He had so much to do that he desperately needed an assistant.
Hong'er and Li San were trustworthy, but their scientific and cultural knowledge was far too limited.
His underling Chris was qualified enough, but Li Qiwei still couldn't completely trust him. After all, Chris wasn't from Huaxia, and there were some things it wouldn't be appropriate to entrust to him.
After turning it over in his mind, Li Qiwei could only make things hard on himself for now. He'd make plans once this busy stretch was over.
On September 1, 1900, Li Qiwei finally returned to school for the start of his final undergraduate year.
When he stepped onto campus, many people looked at him with envy.
Ever since Vice Principal Caldwell had promoted him tirelessly, stories about Li Qiwei had spread everywhere—not just around Trinity College, but even through the other colleges.
In modern parlance, he'd gone viral beyond his own circle.
Li Qiwei was naturally delighted by this. If he hadn't been so pressed for time, he would have sought out the big shots in philosophy, chemistry, mathematics, and life sciences around Cambridge for a chat.
In their final year, physics students had practically no classes. Their main task was preparing their dissertations.
For Li Qiwei, it was a piece of cake. When the time came for the defense, he suspected his advisor would be the one trembling in his boots.
With fewer classes, Li Qiwei had more time to conduct experiments at the Cavendish Laboratory.
During that time, Lord Kelvin sent word that the meeting to discuss Quantum Mechanics had finally been scheduled for September 25. There weren't many days left.
Three days later, Li Qiwei set foot in the Cavendish Laboratory for the first time since the holiday began.
The moment he appeared, the research fanatic Wilson seized him. "Hey, Bruce! I've missed you so much. You missed a lot of excitement while you were in Germany."
"These days, you're even more famous in the physics world than my advisor. So many of my colleagues and friends have been asking me about you."
Faced with Wilson's barrage, Li Qiwei could only manage an awkward smile and wave his hand. "How could I possibly compare to Professor Thomson? I'm already worried sick about how I'm going to debate the big shots."
Wilson knew he meant the Quantum Mechanics meeting, so he teased him. "Ha ha, I've been invited to the meeting too. There are only twenty-some days left, Bruce. Nervous?"
Li Qiwei replied, "I'm young, and I've got nothing to lose. I'll just have to grit my teeth and go for it." What he was actually thinking was: Make way. I'm about to show off.
Wilson patted him on the shoulder and laughed. "Don't worry. I believe in you. With your genius, you'll take on ten of them at once and easily handle all those senior scholars."
"Come on. I'll introduce you to another genius today. He's a student of our advisor, so technically, he's my junior."
"Of course, I'm nowhere near as good as he is. Sigh, everyone in this lab is smarter than me. It's depressing."
Amid Wilson's endless chatter, Li Qiwei met the genius he'd been talking about.
He wasn't tall, but his eyes were bright and keen. A small mustache adorned his upper lip, and he wore a suit and tie, exuding the air of a consummate professional.
Wilson introduced them. "Bruce, this is Ernest Rutherford. He was once my advisor's student. Now he's a professor in the physics department at McGill University in Canada, and a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada."
"And I'm still only a lecturer. How humiliating."
Rutherford smiled faintly at Wilson. "Senior, the advisor said ages ago that you're his favorite."
Wilson pretended to nod in agreement, silently shedding tears.
Then, while Li Qiwei watched, Rutherford extended his hand and turned to him. "Hello, Bruce. I've heard a lot about you. I'm Rutherford."
Li Qiwei extended his own hand and smiled. "Hello, Rutherford. I'm Bruce. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Of course he was delighted to meet a future big shot. At the same time, Rutherford's credentials appeared in his mind:
"Ernest Rutherford, born in New Zealand in 1871."
"In 1894, he earned three degrees from the University of New Zealand: a Bachelor of Arts, a Master of Arts, and a Bachelor of Science."
"In 1895, he entered the Cavendish Laboratory as a graduate student under Thomson."
"In 1898, on Thomson's recommendation, he became a professor in the physics department at McGill University. That same year, he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada."
"In 1908, he received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his research on Radioactivity."
"In 1911, based on the results of his Alpha Particle scattering experiments, he proposed the Atom's Planetary Model."
"In 1919, he discovered and named the Proton."
"In 1932, he guided his students in discovering the Neutron."
"He died in 1937 and was buried alongside Newton and Faraday."
Such a dazzling résumé was downright terrifying.
By Li Qiwei's ranking system, Rutherford was unquestionably a T3-level figure.
And Rutherford wasn't just brilliant himself. Five of his students would go on to win the Nobel Prize in Physics, and one would win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Among them was the future Niels Bohr, the leading figure of the Copenhagen School.
As for Rutherford's other honors, they were too numerous to count.
Facing a super big shot like this, Li Qiwei could only show respect. He wouldn't dare look down on him, even though Rutherford was still young.
Rutherford looked at the young man before him, puzzled by how respectfully he treated him. He smiled and said, "Bruce, forgive my bluntness, but you look quite different from what I imagined."
"Oh?" Li Qiwei smiled faintly. "Please, tell me more."
Rutherford paused to gather his thoughts, then said, "I thought anyone capable of publishing a theory of Quantum Mechanics would be arrogant and unruly. How else could he have such wildly imaginative ideas?"
"But now that I've met you, Bruce, I see that you're refined and reserved. You fit my idea of an elite from Huaxia."
"In the language of Huaxia, you are a 'gentleman.'" Rutherford said the word "gentleman" in Chinese.
Li Qiwei was extremely surprised. True to his Master of Arts, Rutherford had even studied Huaxia culture.
So he replied, "Thank you for the compliment, Rutherford. For us in Huaxia, 'gentleman' is high praise."
"I'm also glad to meet a foreigner who knows something about Huaxia. You know, I've faced a bit more discrimination here."
As he spoke, Li Qiwei made a dismissive gesture.
Rutherford smiled knowingly. "Mediocre people love judging others by labels, yet forget what it means to be human."
"Bruce, don't let it bother you. At least there are people like me who understand you, aren't there?"
That almost turned Li Qiwei gay. What was going on? Could this Rutherford be a time-traveler in disguise?
He was so smooth. Were all literature master's graduates this good at flirting?
Maybe Li Qiwei should find an opportunity to pursue a master's degree in literature at Cambridge too. He might finally solve his singlehood problem.
Li Qiwei smiled. "Thank you, Rutherford. You've made me feel that the world is still a beautiful place."
"I think we'll have plenty to talk about when it comes to physics."
"Will you be staying in Britain for a while?"
Rutherford replied, "Yes. I'm taking care of some related formalities, and I expect to stay in Britain for quite some time."
"I have plenty of questions I'd like to discuss with you too. I need to take care of a few things now, but I'll see you again soon."
With that, he said goodbye to Li Qiwei and Wilson.
Wilson, who had been quietly listening the whole time, spoke up. "Geniuses really do recognize each other. I couldn't get a word in."
Li Qiwei said, "Oh, come on, my dear Professor Wilson. Hurry up and get back to your experiments. Finish your Cloud Chamber soon, and then you'll be a genius too."
Wilson chuckled, his energy fully restored.
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