First Meeting

December 30, 1900, London, King George V Dock.

Li Qiwei and Li San and Hong'er had been waiting here for almost two hours, but the three showed no impatience. Instead, they kept gazing into the distance.

Li Qiwei explained the general content of the Spark Plan to the two, which made them both very happy.

Li San and Hong'er strained their eyes, and finally, people from their homeland had arrived. In the future, they would have someone to talk to and wouldn't feel lonely.

Previously, Li Tingzhao had sent a telegram briefly introducing the information of this batch of Spark members. Wang Luyao's arrival made Li Qiwei full of curiosity.

What was this situation? After mingling for so long, was the heroine finally making her appearance?

The "Sea Wind" liner they were traveling on was expected to dock today, and all three were extremely excited.

Unlike Li San and Hong'er, Li Qiwei was excited about the launch of the Spark Plan.

Since the London Quantum Conference ended, he had become a hot commodity at Cambridge University.

Vice-Chancellor Caldwell personally met him and promised to resolve all his worries, as long as he focused on his experiments at Cavendish.

As for the doctoral entrance examination? It didn't exist! Professor Thomson directly waived the process; he could directly pursue a doctorate after graduating with a bachelor's degree.

The university even promised that as long as Li Qiwei could publish another groundbreaking achievement, even if he had only studied for half a year, he would be directly awarded a doctorate.

Li Qiwei was stunned, but on second thought, it seemed like he was the one at a disadvantage.

Based on quantum theory and the photoelectric effect, he deserved ten doctoral degrees from Cambridge.

The university wanted to squeeze more out of Li Qiwei to exchange for money from the government; their calculations were as clear as day.

However, none of this mattered to Li Qiwei. He seized the opportunity to make his own request: to arrange for three Chinese people to study at Cambridge and be awarded degrees upon graduation.

As for Wang Luyao, Li Qiwei reconsidered. The school would definitely not agree.

But since she wasn't here to study anyway, he could personally tutor her if worst came to worst.

Caldwell was a bit hesitant, but in the end, he gritted his teeth and agreed, emphasizing that the tuition fees for the three would have to be paid at least halfway.

Li Qiwei almost burst out laughing at that moment. He had been prepared to pay the full amount himself. Fortunately, he hadn't spoken too quickly.

Just as Li Qiwei was lost in thought, Hong'er suddenly exclaimed, "Young Master, look quickly, the ship is here! Are our people from home arriving?"

Li Qiwei looked over immediately, recognized the words "Sea Wind" on the hull, and shouted, "Excellent, it's them!"

The magnificent liner let out a huge roar and slowly docked at the pier.

A moment later, the cabin door opened. Li San stood in the crowd like a reef, holding a large sign with the words "Li Qiwei" written in Chinese characters.

Soon, the three men and one woman spotted their target and walked towards Li Qiwei and the others.

Wang Luyao recognized Li Qiwei at a glance. The feeling of her heart fluttering, mixed with over twenty days of extreme anticipation, could no longer be contained upon seeing him in person.

She ran over and threw herself into Li Qiwei's arms, tears in her eyes and her voice choked with emotion, "Brother Qiwei, I finally see you."

Li Qiwei felt as if he had been electrocuted. It was clearly the instinct of his original body kicking in. Childhood memories flashed before his eyes like a kaleidoscope.

After a long while, Li Qiwei patted Wang Luyao's back and said softly, "Alright, there are so many people here. We'll talk more when we get back."

He appeared calm, but inwardly he was secretly pleased. He wasn't a literature master, but he could still flirt.

Li San and the other onlookers silently consumed a doggy bag of affection. Only Hong'er had a strange expression, a mix of happiness and loss, but no one noticed.

On the train back to Cambridge from London, He Yujie and the other two were extremely excited, constantly asking Li Qiwei various questions and about his future plans.

Li Qiwei looked at the three young faces before him, filled with emotion. They were the future of China.

Information about the three appeared in his mind. Clearly, none of them were ordinary people, and their backgrounds were also very interesting.

He Yujie's father had served as a county magistrate, a true official family.

Xia Yuanli came from a family of scholars and poets, influenced by his elders since childhood, possessing a high level of traditional cultural literacy.

Xu Qitai, even more so, came directly from a family that embraced Western learning. He had been familiar with physics, chemistry, and mathematics since childhood and had even translated scientific literature.

Indeed, in this era, China's elites were beginning to rise, and only these elites had the ability to lead countless ordinary people to build a new world.

At the same time, this showed that the Qing Dynasty had long lost popular support. Officials, gentry, and the intellectual class were all opening their eyes to the world.

Li Qiwei was filled with ambition. With a grand gesture, he said, "Yujie, Yuanli, Qitai, rest assured, I've made all the arrangements. When you arrive, you can directly go to Cambridge University to study."

"Wow," the three exclaimed in unison, clearly having some concept of Cambridge University. Especially Xu Qitai, who asked excitedly, "Is that the university Newton attended?"

Li Qiwei smiled, "Yes, Qitai, you know quite a bit."

Xu Qitai chuckled, "I once helped my grandfather translate his Principia Mathematica. It was just too profound."

Li Qiwei was immediately surprised. Good heavens, this foundation was quite solid. He felt ashamed to admit that he himself had never read the book. It seemed he needed to be more cautious about showing off in the future.

At this moment, Wang Luyao said sweetly, "Brother Qiwei, can I also go to Cambridge to study?"

"Uh, this..." Li Qiwei was speechless and explained, "Luyao, Cambridge University does not yet admit female students, so it's impossible."

"However, I can teach you personally. I'm even better than the professors at the school."

"Including the three of you, I've compiled a set of teaching materials myself, which I'll teach you all together."

Wang Luyao pouted, puffing out her cheeks in disdain, "I thought the West was a civilized and advanced place, but I didn't expect them to discriminate against us women in the same way."

"I could attend schools run by foreigners for women back in China."

Li Qiwei could only try to smooth things over, joining He Yujie and the other two in railing against the British government and Cambridge University.

As their conversation deepened, Li Qiwei also gained a certain understanding of the three's personalities.

Xu Qitai was the oldest, but lively and cheerful, with a quick mind, and very good at interacting with people.

He Yujie, meticulous and reserved, enjoyed pondering things, making him well-suited for scientific research.

As for the youngest, Xia Yuanli, he was strong-willed and refused to admit defeat, determined to become a master of Western learning and return to serve China.

Although their personalities were vastly different, all three were exceptionally intelligent and full of spirit, which greatly boosted Li Qiwei's confidence in the future of the Spark Plan.

Then he looked at Wang Luyao, who was sitting beside him. A faint, pleasant fragrance wafted into his nose. The young woman's fair skin seemed almost translucent.

She was completely engrossed in the three youngsters' repeated calls of "Sister Luyao," her smile blooming like a flower.

Li Qiwei took a deep breath and looked out the train window, suddenly filled with anticipation for the life ahead.

Around 9 PM, the group finally arrived at their accommodation in Cambridge. Li Qiwei told them to get a good night's rest.

Tomorrow was New Year's Day according to the Western calendar, and he would host a welcoming banquet for the four.

Next came the intense "training" for the three initial Spark Plan members.

Once they were familiar with their surroundings, Li Qiwei planned to use teaching methods from a certain middle school in later generations to give the young men a taste of the thrill of a college entrance exam sprint.

Mastering math, physics, and chemistry would allow them to fearlessly travel the world.

Thanks to reader [2019015] for the monthly ticket. Lao Xu is once again asking for your continued reading and collection, and for votes. Thank you all for your support. The Spark Plan members are all here, and the protagonist is about to get down to serious business.