At that moment, students crowded every inch of the classroom at Trinity College, with quite a few teachers among them.
Li Qiwei calmly walked up to the podium.
He picked up a piece of chalk and began solving the problem.
1. Elliptical orbit design: Mars, Earth, Moon
2. Velocity increment calculation
3. Calculate the velocity during the launch phase
4. Rocket selection
Under Dr. Wilson's astonished yet expectant gaze,
under Raymond's nervous and horrified stare,
under the curious, complicated scrutiny of everyone in the classroom,
Li Qiwei wrote as if inspired by the gods, gradually laying out a system of equations.
The chalk scraping and tapping against the blackboard struck everyone's hearts like heavy hammers, making them tremble.
His commanding presence, paired with his fluid writing, won everyone over.
"Oh, my God. Is Bruce really going to solve it right here?"
"God bless, I'm starting to like this Qing man."
"I heard all Qing people know magic. Is he cheating?"
"Shut up, you damn fool. How many degrees does magic have? How could it solve this problem?"
"Sunny beaches!"
The noisy chatter did nothing to slow Li Qiwei down.
One board, two, three.
Before long, even the four wheeled blackboards were full.
Just then, a middle-aged man in his forties took the initiative to carry over another portable blackboard.
Then he quietly stood to the side, continuously working out calculations with his pen.
When Wilson saw the man, he looked extremely respectful. He was just about to greet him when the man raised a hand to stop him.
Li Qiwei glanced at him in surprise, thanked him, and continued solving the problem.
Another fifteen minutes passed. The classroom gradually fell silent until it was quiet enough to hear a pin drop.
Soon, the final result had become a system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations.
Using a special technique, Li Qiwei directly solved the equations.
Then he provided the answers, including the rocket's mass, its thrust, and its orbital parameters.
More than thirty minutes had passed since he began, and at last he stopped writing.
"Dr. Wilson, I believe I got this problem right?"
By now, Wilson was completely stunned. He looked at the analysis covering the blackboards, his heart bitter.
He deeply regretted bragging earlier that he had solved it in a week.
But Li Qiwei had not only solved it perfectly on the spot; he had even added many details Wilson himself had overlooked.
By comparison, Wilson's solution looked like a grade-schooler's work.
How embarrassing. How embarrassing!
Wilson suddenly felt dejected. Was this the difference between a genius and an ordinary person?
He was a PhD in physics who had graduated several years ago, while the other man was only an undergraduate.
For a moment, he even began to wonder if choosing physics had been a mistake.
But Wilson quickly rallied.
Hard work can make up for a lack of talent!
If I keep working hard, I'll definitely catch up with these geniuses.
Then he looked at Li Qiwei, his expression fired with excitement, and declared loudly:
"I hereby announce that Bruce Li has solved this problem perfectly!"
"I'll also honor my promise. Bruce gets full marks in this course!"
The moment he said this,
the classroom erupted.
"My God, does Bruce go to the same university as us? How can the gap be so huge?"
"Damn it, he must have happened to work on a similar problem beforehand and solved this one by accident."
"So what if he solved it? The knowledge he used is over two hundred years old. Boring."
"Can humans really reach the Moon, or even Mars?"
Some were shocked, some jealous, some dismissive, and some lost in thought.
They had witnessed a miracle—a miracle created by a Qing man.
At that moment, many people's views changed.
So Qing people weren't as ignorant and backward as the propaganda claimed.
There were still people like Bruce Li among them, people with real talent.
Wilson held Li Qiwei's hand tightly and wanted to introduce him to the man who had brought the blackboard, but the man had already left.
So he could only shake his head and let it go. Fortunately, the man would probably remain at the laboratory for a few more days.
Then Wilson said fervently:
"Bruce, please be sure to come see me at the Cavendish Laboratory after class. There's something I'd like to discuss with you."
"Of course, Doctor. It would be my honor."
As soon as Li Qiwei finished speaking, Wilson left the classroom with his materials in hand.
It seemed he couldn't wait to study the shock Li Qiwei had brought him.
Li Qiwei was just as stunned.
Come on, this was the Cavendish Laboratory!
It was practically a Nobel Prize in Physics factory, and countless great scientists had come out of it.
But Li Qiwei suppressed his excitement and instead turned his gaze toward Raymond.
Everyone followed his gaze.
At that moment, Li Qiwei was like a king, looking down on everything.
"Raymond, it's time to honor your promise."
At that moment, Raymond clenched both fists, his veins bulging, sweat beading on his face.
He gritted his teeth, his face twisted with shame and anger.
Being naked in front of the teachers and students, even barking like a dog—he'd rather die!
His status would never allow him to do something so humiliating.
If his family found out, they might throw him out immediately and leave him to fend for himself.
But if he went back on his word, he could forget about making it in Cambridge.
Unless he had a thick enough skin not to care at all.
Li Qiwei said nothing to hurry him along, but everyone's gaze pinned Raymond in place like nails, making him feel as if he were sitting on pins and needles.
"Fuck!"
He growled under his breath.
Then, amid the crowd's contempt, he fled the classroom in disgrace.
Li Qiwei saw him go and sneered. He had thought Raymond was a man of talent who would stand by his word, but it turned out he ran at the first sign of trouble.
Still, the hatred in Raymond's eyes as he left put Li Qiwei on his guard.
Just then, a young man came over, looking extremely respectful as he bowed slightly.
"Hello, Senior Bruce Li. My name is Chris Paul, and I'm a freshman at Trinity College."
"Your performance just now won me over. May I study by your side?"
Li Qiwei sized up the handsome young man in front of him. He was about 1.8 meters tall, roughly the same height as Li Qiwei.
He searched his memories for a moment, but found nothing about this person. He was probably a nobody.
But so what?
Li Qiwei was brimming with ambition now, confident in his abilities and bold enough to take risks.
Quite a few teacher-student pairs in physics had both won Nobel Prizes, becoming a celebrated story.
He might as well take Chris on as his follower and nurture him into a future giant of physics.
Besides, having an assistant would make all sorts of things more convenient.
Li San was loyal and highly skilled in martial arts, but his education was limited.
Expecting him to help with research by handling miscellaneous tasks was about as likely as a sow climbing a tree.
With that in mind, Li Qiwei decided to stop being modest and said calmly:
"Chris, may I call you that?"
"There's only one thing I have to say to you: you'll never regret the decision you made today."
At his words, Chris abruptly raised his head, brilliant light bursting from his eyes.
Senior Bruce was incredible!
Now that was a real man!
When it came to scholarship, he was confident and domineering to the bone; when it came to others, he was magnanimous, neither arrogant nor overbearing.
Seeing Chris bow down and pledge himself to him after a mere show of presence, Li Qiwei was delighted.
So he gave him an assignment: "Go to this address, find a man named Li San, and tell him to pick me up tonight."
Raymond had suffered such a great humiliation. Li Qiwei couldn't afford to let his guard down.
But in a battle of wits, I can beat you; in a fight, I can beat you just the same.
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