Chapter Summary: May I Have This Dance?

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Zhou and his sister Xiao Tong attend the Nobel banquet but find the small portions insufficient, leaving both still hungry.
• After the banquet, guests move to the Gold Hall for the traditional Nobel ball. Lu Zhou recognizes the hall from his earlier Crafoord Prize ceremony and reflects on how quickly he has returned as a Nobel laureate.
• Academician Klass, chairman of the Nobel Chemistry Prize Committee, urges Lu Zhou to dance, explaining that it is a customary part of the celebration and that the media expects to see him participate.
• Lu Zhou tries to avoid dancing by claiming he has no partner, but Princess Madeleine immediately offers to dance with him.
• During their dance, Madeleine reveals that many guests had requested to sit beside Lu Zhou at the banquet—especially young women—teasing him about his popularity.
• After the song ends, Lu Zhou admits he is only beginning to find the rhythm. Madeleine offers to teach him another dance, but he politely declines.
• Madeleine hints that other women are interested in him and subtly directs his attention toward Vera.
• Vera, dressed in a borrowed black evening gown, nervously asks Lu Zhou whether she looks presentable and then invites him to dance.
• Although Lu Zhou briefly worries about the propriety of dancing with a student, he accepts Vera’s invitation.

Character Developments

• Lu Zhou: Despite his academic confidence, he is awkward and self-conscious in social and romantic situations. He dislikes dancing, struggles with the formal expectations of the ball, and becomes embarrassed by the attention he receives from women. Nevertheless, he acts courteously and accepts Vera’s invitation.
• Xiao Tong: Her shared hunger and high appetite reinforce the humorous suggestion that these traits run in the Lu family. Her presence adds a lighthearted, familial element to the formal event.
• Princess Madeleine: She is portrayed as charming, confident, and playful. She deliberately puts Lu Zhou at ease while teasing him about his popularity and appears to recognize Vera’s interest in him.
• Vera: Vera shows vulnerability and nervousness when presenting herself in the borrowed dress, but Lu Zhou’s compliment boosts her confidence. Her willingness to ask him to dance reveals her affection and growing courage.

Significant Themes

• Public image versus personal insecurity: Lu Zhou is internationally celebrated, yet he feels uncomfortable performing a ceremonial social role such as dancing.
• Romantic attention and social expectations: His Nobel recognition brings him unusual attention from women, creating both humorous and potentially complicated interpersonal situations.
• Ceremony and status: The ball emphasizes the obligations that accompany fame. Lu Zhou must represent not only himself but also his academic achievements and country.
• Subtle emotional development: The chapter shifts from public celebration to a more personal interaction between Lu Zhou and Vera, suggesting growing romantic tension.
• Humor amid prestige: The grandeur of the Nobel setting is balanced by Lu Zhou’s hunger, awkward dancing, and discomfort with being treated as a celebrity.

Character Interactions

• Lu Zhou and Xiao Tong share a humorous complaint about the banquet’s inadequate food.
• Academician Klass pressures Lu Zhou to join the dance and jokes that a poor performance could be remembered by historians.
• Princess Madeleine dances with Lu Zhou, teasing him about the numerous young women who wanted to sit near him.
• Madeleine indirectly encourages Lu Zhou to notice Vera.
• Vera seeks Lu Zhou’s approval of her appearance and asks him to dance, and he responds warmly by accepting.

Chapter Summary

Plot and events

At the Nobel banquet’s formal dance in Stockholm, Lu Zhou accepts Vera’s invitation and awkwardly attempts to teach her how to dance. Their clumsy performance includes Vera stepping on his toes, but they complete the dance. Afterward, Lu Zhou encounters Professor Gerhard Ertl, who congratulates him and thanks him for receiving his Nobel nomination letter.
When the banquet ends, reporters question Lu Zhou about his prize money and future research. He gives no specific details, only hinting that his next project could be difficult, highly significant, and capable of changing people’s lives. When asked whether it will be more interesting than his lithium-sulfur battery work, he confidently says yes without revealing anything further.
Back at the hotel, he meets Chen Yushan, who regrets missing the post-banquet ball. After learning that Lu Zhou danced with Princess Madeleine, she becomes envious and jokes about attending if he ever wins another Nobel Prize.

Character development

Lu Zhou remains modest and guarded despite his international recognition. He handles the reporters diplomatically, acknowledging the importance of his future work while protecting its secrecy. His awkwardness during the dance contrasts with his usual confidence as a scientist, revealing a more vulnerable and humorous side. He also recognizes how rare and difficult a second Nobel Prize would be, showing his realistic understanding of academic achievement.
Vera appears nervous and inexperienced but willing to participate. Chen Yushan’s playful jealousy and excitement highlight her closeness with Lu Zhou, while Lu Zhou responds to her teasing with affectionate humor.

Character interactions

Lu Zhou and Vera struggle through their first dance, with Lu Zhou offering awkward instructions and Vera apologizing after stepping on him. Professor Ertl warmly congratulates Lu Zhou and jokes about being so surprised by his Nobel nomination that he dropped a sandwich. Reporters repeatedly press Lu Zhou for information about his future plans, but he skillfully avoids disclosure. Chen Yushan questions him about the dance, reacts with envy to his having danced with Princess Madeleine, and extracts a joking promise that he will bring her along if he ever wins another Nobel Prize.

Significant themes

The chapter explores the contrast between public prestige and private awkwardness, showing that even a celebrated scientist can feel uncomfortable in ordinary social situations. It also emphasizes Lu Zhou’s growing fame and the public’s intense curiosity about his next breakthrough. His mysterious new project creates anticipation and suggests another potentially transformative scientific development. Finally, the conversation with Chen Yushan adds themes of friendship, affection, playful jealousy, and the extreme rarity of repeated success.

Chapter Summary: “A Lesson to Remember”

Key Plot Points and Events

• China’s national media heavily celebrates Lu Zhou’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry. CCTV broadcasts his award ceremony, showing him receiving the medal and standing ovation in Stockholm.
• The achievement inspires widespread pride among students, doctoral researchers, and academics, who view Lu Zhou as a symbol of Hua Nation’s rising scientific status and growing influence in global academia.
• Lu Zhou dominates Weibo’s trending searches. Most online reactions praise his youth, productivity, and historic achievement.
• A minority of ignorant nationalists dismiss the Nobel Prize as a foreign award and criticize Lu Zhou for working in basic science rather than developing weapons or military technology. The public strongly condemns these remarks, and the offending post eventually disappears.
• Wang Haifeng reacts bitterly to Lu Zhou’s success. He is increasingly resentful and alarmed by Lu Zhou’s growing prestige, realizing that Lu Zhou now far surpasses him in academic influence and connections.
• In Academician Liu’s office, Wang indirectly asks whether Lu Zhou might return to Hua Nation. Liu points out that Lu Zhou’s decisions belong to Lu Zhou alone and cannot be controlled by others.
• Liu acknowledges that Lu Zhou’s accomplishments deserve recognition, comparing him to a cat that catches mice regardless of its color.
• Liu then warns Wang by describing Ma Chang’an, a mathematics professor and former student of the influential Elder Gu. Ma was recently punished over funding problems, possibly because of a conflict with a powerful figure.
• The implication frightens Wang: even a member of Elder Gu’s academic lineage could be quietly ruined. Liu urges Wang to abandon his personal grudge against Lu Zhou and avoid doing anything reckless.

Character Developments

• Lu Zhou: Though absent from most of the chapter, his Nobel victory elevates him into a national symbol and gives him extraordinary authority within academic and political circles. His independence and influence are emphasized.
• Wang Haifeng: His jealousy and insecurity become clearer. He recognizes that he no longer has the status to challenge Lu Zhou directly and begins to fear the consequences of opposing him.
• Academician Liu: He acts as a calm, perceptive mentor. He understands Wang’s resentment and uses Ma Chang’an’s downfall as a cautionary example, warning Wang without directly accusing him.
• Ma Chang’an: Introduced as an indirect warning figure. His disciplinary trouble demonstrates how dangerous academic factional conflicts and powerful enemies can be.
• Elder Gu: Although deceased, his continuing influence highlights the strength of academic networks and factions.

Significant Themes

• National pride in scientific achievement: Lu Zhou’s Nobel Prize is presented as a source of collective hope and proof that Hua Nation is becoming a major force in science.
• The value of basic research: The criticism that Lu Zhou should produce weapons is mocked, reinforcing the importance of fundamental science independent of immediate military or practical applications.
• Academic power and hierarchy: Lu Zhou’s Nobel Prize transforms his standing, showing that achievement can grant influence greater than institutional position or seniority.
• Jealousy and self-interest: While most people celebrate Lu Zhou, Wang Haifeng views his success as a personal threat.
• The consequences of resentment: Academician Liu’s warning suggests that personal grudges can become dangerous when directed at someone with immense influence.
• Caution and political awareness: The chapter emphasizes that academic disputes are connected to institutional power, factions, funding, and personal networks.

Character Interactions

• The public and Lu Zhou: Viewers respond emotionally to his ceremony, seeing him as an embodiment of national progress.
• Online commentators: Supporters defend Lu Zhou and basic science against a hostile nationalist critic, revealing a conflict between informed patriotism and shallow nationalism.
• Wang Haifeng and Academician Liu: Wang seeks reassurance and possibly strategic advice, but Liu refuses to validate his concerns. Instead, Liu reminds him that Lu Zhou controls his own future and warns him against escalating their conflict.
• Liu and Wang regarding Ma Chang’an: Liu uses Ma’s downfall and connection to Elder Gu to make Wang understand the risks of challenging powerful academic figures. The conversation ends with Wang frightened and chastened, receiving the chapter’s “lesson to remember.”

Chapter Summary — “Nobel Lecture”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wang Haifeng is reprimanded by his former mentor, Academician Liu, for his earlier conduct toward Lu Zhou. Liu’s warning makes Wang realize that he violated important academic and professional boundaries.
• Wang becomes deeply shaken and recognizes that he was fortunate Lu Zhou chose to ignore him rather than retaliate. He also realizes that Lu Zhou had barely remembered him at all.
• The following day, Lu Zhou delivers his Nobel Lecture at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. His thirty-minute presentation, titled “The Secrets of Numbers in the Microscopic World,” focuses on his research into HCS-2 material and unusual scientific phenomena.
• The lecture attracts chemistry scholars, university students, and members of the public. Lu Zhou explains his work in an accessible way without relying on overly complicated formulas.
• He concludes by arguing that mathematics allows scientists to approach unknown phenomena from a broader, almost “God’s-eye” perspective. He defines science as the rational examination of why unexplained things are the way they are.
• The audience responds with thunderous applause and a standing ovation.
• Afterward, Lu Zhou meets Zhang Wenbin, the Chinese ambassador to Sweden, who congratulates him on bringing honor to Chinese science.
• Lu Zhou reveals that he plans to travel to France to claim a Millennium Problems prize, astonishing the ambassador and embassy staff.
• He then says he intends to return home for the New Year. Ambassador Zhang invites him to visit Shangjing first because an important person wishes to meet him.

Character Developments

• Wang Haifeng undergoes a moment of fear and self-reflection. He recognizes the seriousness of his behavior, the power imbalance between himself and Lu Zhou, and his own arrogance in treating Lu Zhou as an enemy.
• Lu Zhou is portrayed as humble, composed, and intellectually exceptional. Despite his extraordinary achievements, he downplays his honors and treats the Nobel Prize as only one part of a larger scientific journey.
• Ambassador Zhang Wenbin appears respectful, enthusiastic, and politically attentive. He recognizes Lu Zhou’s symbolic importance to China and attempts to establish a closer connection with him.
• Lu Zhou’s growing list of achievements—including the Nobel Prize, Fields Medal, and Millennium Problems prize—emphasizes his almost unprecedented influence across multiple areas of science.

Significant Themes

• Humility versus arrogance: Wang’s downfall comes from overestimating himself, while Lu Zhou remains modest despite immense success.
• The responsibilities of academic conduct: The chapter emphasizes the unspoken rules and hierarchy of academia, showing that misconduct toward a prominent scholar can have serious consequences.
• The unity of mathematics and science: Lu Zhou presents mathematics as a tool for transcending narrow experience and understanding unfamiliar phenomena.
• Scientific inquiry and rational thought: His definition of science highlights curiosity, reason, and the desire to explain the unknown.
• National pride and scientific prestige: The ambassador’s reaction shows how Lu Zhou’s Nobel Prize is viewed not only as a personal achievement but also as an honor for China.

Character Interactions

• Wang Haifeng and Academician Liu: Liu sternly warns Wang, prompting his realization that he has endangered his reputation and position.
• Wang Haifeng and Lu Zhou: Although Wang sees Lu Zhou as a rival or threat, Lu Zhou has largely ignored him, revealing the vast difference in their status and perspectives.
• Lu Zhou and the lecture audience: Lu Zhou communicates complex scientific ideas clearly, earning admiration and a standing ovation.
• Lu Zhou and Ambassador Zhang: Zhang warmly congratulates Lu Zhou and praises his contributions to Chinese science. Their conversation reveals Lu Zhou’s remarkable schedule and leads to Zhang’s invitation to Shangjing.

Chapter Summary: “A Detour to France”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After the Nobel Prize ceremony in Stockholm, the visiting scholars leave Sweden. Lu Zhou tells his family that he will not return to China with them because he must first travel to France.
• His destination is the French Academy, where he is scheduled to receive the Clay Mathematics Institute’s one-million-dollar prize for resolving the Navier–Stokes existence and smoothness problem, one of the Millennium Prize Problems.
• At the award ceremony, Professor Carlson explains the historical importance of the Navier–Stokes problem and praises Lu Zhou for completing research that had challenged mathematicians for decades.
• Lu Zhou receives the specially prepared medal, certificate, and one million US dollars. The ceremony effectively marks the conclusion of the Navier–Stokes problem.
• Professor Carlson reveals that handing out the prize fulfills a personal ambition: despite years of preparing Millennium Prize materials, he had never previously been able to use them. Lu Zhou’s achievement allows him to fulfill that wish before retirement.
• Lu Zhou soon leaves Paris and returns to China. At Ambassador Zhang’s invitation, he changes his destination from Jinling to Shangjing.
• In Shangjing, he is escorted to a secluded government compound, where he meets the elderly official who previously honored him and Academician Wu Shigang.
• The meeting concerns national energy strategy and the goal of completing a controlled nuclear fusion DEMO demonstration reactor before 2025.
• When asked what major project would be suitable for China, Lu Zhou gives a decisive answer: controlled nuclear fusion.

Character Developments

• Lu Zhou continues to rise from an exceptional mathematician to a figure with national and international influence. His Nobel Prize and Millennium Prize achievement give him credibility beyond mathematics, particularly in energy technology.
• He remains modest and pragmatic when discussing his awards, correcting his father’s assumption that mathematicians routinely become wealthy.
• Lu Zhou also demonstrates increasing ambition and responsibility. Rather than focusing only on personal achievement, he seeks national support for a transformative energy project.
• Professor Carlson is shown as devoted to the mathematical community and weary from years of responsibility. Lu Zhou’s success gives him emotional closure and allows him to approach retirement peacefully.
• Old Lu provides a humorous, ordinary perspective on Lu Zhou’s extraordinary success, focusing mainly on the prize money.
• Academician Wu Shigang serves as an academic intermediary, helping translate Lu Zhou’s specialized ideas for government officials and showing that the meeting is being taken seriously.

Significant Themes

• The completion of historic scientific work: The chapter presents the Navier–Stokes solution as a milestone that will be remembered by history.
• Scientific achievement and public responsibility: Lu Zhou’s discoveries are no longer merely academic; his reputation allows him to participate in decisions affecting China’s national development.
• The importance of energy technology: The chapter emphasizes energy as the foundation of industry and civilization, alongside materials and information technology.
• Legacy and retirement: Carlson’s reflections highlight the personal sacrifices behind scientific institutions and the satisfaction of finally witnessing a Millennium Problem solved.
• National ambition and technological progress: The final proposal of controlled nuclear fusion shifts the story toward a larger, state-supported scientific project.

Important Character Interactions

• Lu Zhou and his family discuss his continued travels and prize money, contrasting his extraordinary career with his father’s practical viewpoint.
• Professor Carlson formally honors Lu Zhou, then shares a personal confession about the significance of the ceremony and his impending retirement.
• Government officials arrange Lu Zhou’s private meeting in Shangjing because his achievements in mathematics, lithium-sulfur batteries, and energy research have earned their trust.
• Academician Wu acts as the bridge between Lu Zhou’s scientific expertise and the government’s broader policy concerns.
• The chapter ends with Lu Zhou making a bold, unexpected proposal—controlled nuclear fusion—which shocks the people in the room and opens the next major stage of his career.

Chapter Summary: “The Three-Word Answer”

1. Key Plot Points & Events

• Lu Zhou meets with senior leadership, with Academician Wu as consultant, to propose a major national project in controlled nuclear fusion.
• Lu argues that all Earth’s energy ultimately comes from the sun, and that mastering fusion means mastering the sun—and thus the future.
• Academician Wu questions the enormous cost and asks about confidence. Lu admits science is trial and error, but insists the benefit to future generations justifies the risk.
• When asked what he needs, Lu replies: funding, personnel, and cooperation from relevant departments. The old leader gives a three-word answer: “No problem.”
• The scene shifts to the Southwestern Institute of Nuclear Physics, where Professor Sheng Xianfu reports on the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator breakthrough, crediting Lu Zhou’s calculations for the improved control scheme.
• Debate arises between advocates of the mainstream Tokamak path and the underfunded Stellarator path. A researcher suggests asking Lu to design a Tokamak control scheme; Sheng dismisses it as impractical due to extreme complexity and hardware limits.
• After the meeting, Academician Pan privately tells a colleague he feels the Tokamak path may be a dead end—based only on intuition.
• Pan then receives a phone call informing him: “The person we were just discussing in the meeting is in Shangjing right now.” — hinting that Lu Zhou’s fusion project will now involve him.

2. Character Developments

• Lu Zhou: Bold, visionary, and persuasive. He moves from pure research to seeking national-scale support, showing ambition to reshape the entire energy landscape.
• Academician Wu: Cautious, cost-conscious, but respects Lu’s stature; acts as a pragmatic translator between scientists and policymakers.
• The Old Leader: Decisive and supportive; after brief consideration, approves Lu’s proposal without demanding detailed figures.
• Professor Sheng Xianfu: Passionate advocate for stellarator research; openly credits Lu’s theoretical contribution, frustrated by institutional inertia.
• Academician Pan Changhong: Seasoned, contemplative, increasingly skeptical of the Tokamak orthodoxy; trusts his intuition, and is now clearly on the verge of being pulled into Lu’s orbit.
• Unnamed researcher: Represents mainstream resistance, but lacks the standing to challenge Lu directly.

3. Significant Themes

• Energy as the root of civilization: Lu argues all productivity and progress ultimately depend on energy, making fusion the ultimate prize.
• Science as trial and error: Great breakthroughs require accepting high-risk, high-cost failures.
• The cost of the future: The tension between immediate national investment and long-term, uncertain payoff.
• Scientific path debate: Stellarator vs. Tokamak—the mainstream may not be the correct path.
• Individual genius vs. institutional caution: One iconic scientist can shift national priorities and challenge entrenched research paradigms.

4. Character Interactions

• Lu Zhou ↔ Academician Wu & the Leader: A serious, persuasive dialogue that ends with official approval.
• Sheng Xianfu ↔ Researchers: A tense academic exchange; Sheng rebuts objections sharply and shuts down unrealistic proposals.
• Pan Changhong ↔ Zheng Gaoming: Quiet corridor conversation revealing Pan’s doubt about Tokamak, followed by a fateful phone call about Lu Zhou’s presence in Shangjing.

Chapter Summary: “A Veteran-Level Master”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Zhou meets privately with a senior national leader and discusses Controlled Nuclear Fusion in depth, including possible technical routes, their advantages and drawbacks, major research challenges, and which problems may be solvable.
• He also discusses plans for establishing the Hua Nation Institute of Advanced Studies. His future treatment and arrangements are left unspoken because officials will handle them automatically.
• After the meeting, Wang Peng drives Lu Zhou to the same state-run hotel where he stayed previously. Lu Zhou plans to remain in Shangjing for two more days while awaiting the government’s final decisions and meeting domestic nuclear-fusion scholars.
• Lu Zhou reserves the hotel’s conference room for a meeting.
• He meets Academician Pan Changhong, the retired director of the Southwestern Institute of Nuclear Physics and an important pioneer who helped initiate Hua Nation’s participation in ITER.
• Lu Zhou confirms that he supports the Stellarator approach rather than the more established Tokamak route. When asked whether he is confident, he cites his “scientific intuition.”
• Lu Zhou explains that Controlled Nuclear Fusion is too broad and difficult for one person to accomplish and directly asks Pan for help.
• Pan initially refuses because Stellarators are outside his specialty and he is too old for demanding experimental work. He suggests Lu Zhou seek support from Academician Zhou, the leader of the domestic Tokamak effort.
• Lu Zhou reveals that he has already secured high-level government approval, policy backing, and funding for a new Stellarator project that will operate alongside the existing Tokamak program.
• Realizing that the project has official support and is no longer merely Lu Zhou’s personal proposal, Pan changes his mind and agrees to participate. Lu Zhou welcomes him to the team.

Character Developments

• Lu Zhou: Demonstrates confidence, strategic thinking, and political awareness. He presents his scientific vision clearly while recognizing that fusion research requires broad institutional cooperation. His willingness to personally recruit an influential veteran shows both humility and leadership.
• Academician Pan Changhong: Initially cautious and resistant because of his age, expertise, and the entrenched Tokamak-centered research structure. After learning that Lu Zhou has secured government support, he becomes willing to contribute, showing that he respects Lu Zhou’s seriousness and potential.
• Wang Peng: Continues acting as Lu Zhou’s trusted driver and discreet escort, respecting the confidentiality of Lu Zhou’s government meeting.
• Academician Wu: Quietly observes the earlier technical discussion, emphasizing how specialized and advanced Lu Zhou’s knowledge has become.

Significant Themes

• Scientific ambition versus established orthodoxy: Lu Zhou challenges the dominant Tokamak approach by advocating research into the Stellarator.
• The importance of institutional support: Even brilliant individuals cannot complete a massive project like fusion research alone; government funding, research institutions, and experienced scholars are essential.
• Academic politics and power: The choice between Tokamak and Stellarator is tied not only to science but also to funding, authority, and entrenched research factions.
• Confidence and leadership: Lu Zhou’s faith in his own intuition allows him to pursue an unconventional path and persuade others to join him.
• Generational cooperation: The chapter brings together Lu Zhou’s youth and innovation with Pan Changhong’s experience and historical influence.

Character Interactions

• Lu Zhou and the senior leader engage in a serious, technically focused discussion, establishing the government’s interest in his fusion plans.
• Lu Zhou and Wang Peng interact comfortably, though Wang maintains professional discretion.
• Lu Zhou shares a warm, familiar exchange with the hotel manager, reflecting his growing status and connection to the country.
• His central interaction is with Academician Pan: Lu Zhou respectfully seeks the veteran’s help, Pan tests his confidence, and Lu Zhou’s revelation of official backing ultimately convinces Pan to join the Stellarator project.

Chapter Summary: “Buying One Back”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Zhou spends several days meeting domestic scholars in controlled nuclear fusion with Academician Pan’s help, assembling a research team for Stellarator research.
• He identifies a major obstacle: Hua Nation lacks a suitable Stellarator. Building one from scratch would take years, threatening his mission deadline to achieve ignition with “DEMO” before 2025.
• Lu Zhou proposes purchasing Germany’s retired WEGA Stellarator, formerly operated by the Max Planck Society’s Institute for Plasma Physics, and modifying it for their purposes.
• Academician Pan questions whether Germany would even be willing to sell the machine, but Lu Zhou believes his international academic connections may make negotiations possible. He plans to travel to Germany personally once the project is organized.
• After roughly half a month of discussions, the Stellarator project is officially approved. Named “STAR,” it is established as a program parallel to the existing EAST Tokamak project.
• The government grants STAR an enormous budget of one billion US dollars, much of which will be used to import equipment.
• At the Southwestern Institute of Physics, Jia Liangcai and Academician Zhou Chengfu react to the new project. Although Zhou is displeased that Lu Zhou has established a rival program outside his control, he accepts that Stellarators are not their specialty and advises focusing on their own work.

Character Developments

• Lu Zhou demonstrates strategic thinking and urgency. Rather than waiting years for a new reactor, he seeks an existing, decommissioned machine and uses his international reputation and connections to accelerate the project.
• He also gains greater institutional influence in Hua Nation. His Nobel Prize and promise of progress in fusion research allow him to secure exceptional government support.
• Academician Pan Changhong becomes an important supporter and facilitator, using his professional network to help Lu Zhou recruit researchers. He also reveals admiration and envy for Lu Zhou’s international connections.
• Academician Zhou Chengfu is shown as proud and territorial. He dislikes Lu Zhou’s independent STAR project, especially because it challenges his dominance over domestic fusion research, but remains pragmatic and avoids direct opposition.
• Jia Liangcai acts as Zhou’s confidant, voicing criticism of Lu Zhou’s decision to bypass Zhou and encouraging Zhou’s resentment.

Significant Themes

• Ambition versus time: Lu Zhou cannot afford the slow pace normally associated with fusion research because his mission has a strict deadline.
• Strategic use of existing resources: The plan to buy and modify WEGA reflects practicality, efficiency, and a willingness to take unconventional shortcuts.
• Scientific prestige and political influence: Lu Zhou’s Nobel Prize gives him extraordinary credibility, funding, and institutional power.
• Competition within science: STAR’s creation introduces rivalry between Lu Zhou’s Stellarator program and Zhou Chengfu’s established Tokamak projects.
• National scientific development: The chapter emphasizes Hua Nation’s effort to close technological gaps and build advanced domestic fusion capabilities.

Character Interactions

• Lu Zhou and Pan Changhong collaborate closely, with Pan providing contacts and Lu Zhou supplying the vision and leadership. Their discussion about WEGA highlights Lu Zhou’s boldness and Pan’s concern over the practical and political difficulties.
• Pan’s admiration for Lu Zhou’s international network contrasts with his own more limited global reach.
• Jia Liangcai attempts to provoke Zhou Chengfu against Lu Zhou by framing Lu’s actions as disrespectful.
• Zhou Chengfu rejects open confrontation, insisting that STAR and the existing fusion programs should proceed independently while leaving room for future cooperation.

Chapter Summary: “Did You Really Only Talk About Mathematics?”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• The chapter explains why research into Controlled Nuclear Fusion should be conducted in an accessible, well-connected location rather than a remote area such as the Gobi Desert. Although it involves nuclear energy, it is not a military project requiring secrecy.
• Lu Zhou decides that Jinling is an ideal location because of its talent pool, transportation, and academic resources. He has already selected a site near Purple Mountain for the project.
• Before the formal documents for the fusion project are completed, Lu Zhou returns to Jinling University, his alma mater. His goals are to inspect the newly completed Computational Materials Research Institute, which he funded with one hundred million, and obtain the university’s support for both the fusion project and his proposed institute of advanced studies.
• Lu Zhou meets with Principal Xu in the university’s administrative building. After exchanging pleasantries, they discuss Lu Zhou’s future return from Princeton and his plans for building a research institute.
• Lu Zhou proposes creating Hua Nation’s own institute of advanced studies, modeled on the principles of open, independent, and non-bureaucratic academic research.
• Principal Xu initially doubts that such an institute could be genuinely free from political and administrative interference. Lu Zhou reveals that a senior official has already approved the idea, allowing Lu Zhou to operate the institute as he sees fit.
• The chapter ends humorously when Principal Xu asks whether Lu Zhou’s discussion with the official was really only about mathematics. Lu Zhou admits that they also discussed Controlled Nuclear Fusion.

2. Character Developments

• Lu Zhou is shown as increasingly influential and ambitious in the academic and technological fields. He is not seeking political office or university administration, preferring to remain focused on research and to serve as a research institute director.
• His vision has expanded beyond individual discoveries: he now wants to shape the broader academic environment by creating an institution that protects scholars from bureaucracy and politicization.
• Lu Zhou demonstrates both practical judgment and confidence. He understands that major scientific projects require cooperation, talent, and accessibility, and he is willing to take responsibility for testing a new institutional model.
• Principal Xu is portrayed as a supportive but realistic educational administrator. He agrees with Lu Zhou’s ideals but recognizes the practical obstacles to implementing them. His surprise at the government’s approval emphasizes how unusual Lu Zhou’s position and influence have become.

3. Significant Themes

• International cooperation and accessibility in science: Controlled Nuclear Fusion is presented as a large-scale scientific endeavor that depends on collaboration and convenient communication rather than secrecy or isolation.
• The importance of academic freedom: The chapter argues that scientific progress thrives in open environments free from excessive bureaucracy and political interference.
• The relationship between talent and institutions: Individual genius is not enough; researchers also need well-designed institutions and supportive academic cultures.
• Reforming academia: Lu Zhou challenges the tendency to bury talented scholars under administrative responsibilities and advocates allowing researchers to focus on scholarship.
• Science and government cooperation: Although Lu Zhou wants academic independence, the project still depends on high-level political support. The chapter explores how government approval can enable, rather than necessarily control, academic innovation.

4. Character Interactions

• Manager Wang and Lu Zhou: Manager Wang politely tries to persuade Lu Zhou to stay longer, but Lu Zhou insists on leaving because of his busy schedule. Their exchange reflects Lu Zhou’s restless, work-focused personality.
• Wang Peng and Lu Zhou: Wang Peng drives Lu Zhou to the airport, handling the practical details of his travel.
• Principal Xu and Lu Zhou: Their meeting begins warmly, with gifts of tea and discussion of Lu Zhou’s possible return to Jinling University. The conversation then becomes serious as Lu Zhou explains his plans for a new institute.
• Principal Xu’s skepticism about depoliticizing academia contrasts with Lu Zhou’s confidence that the project has already received official approval.
• The final exchange—Principal Xu asking whether Lu Zhou “only talked about Mathematics,” followed by Lu Zhou’s admission that they also discussed fusion—provides the chapter’s comic ending and hints at the much larger national project behind the academic discussion.

Chapter Summary: “Building on a Grand Scale”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Official approval for Lu Zhou’s controlled nuclear fusion project arrives in Jinling shortly after him.
• The Jinling Military District rapidly secures the site at the foot of Purple Mountain. Although the research facility itself occupies only eighty mu, nearly eight hundred mu are cleared to provide a safety perimeter.
• Nearby residents are relocated or compensated generously and without delay, demonstrating the project’s national importance and the government’s efficiency.
• Hua Nation Nuclear Industry Construction Group begins construction almost immediately after winning the bid, erecting temporary facilities and preparing the site.
• Guards speculate humorously about the purpose of the construction, wondering whether it is a nuclear power plant, a testing site, or a nuclear shelter, but their superior reminds them that the project is classified and beyond their authority to discuss.
• Lu Zhou arrives with Commander Liao of the military district and meets Sun Zhonghai, an experienced nuclear-construction engineer.
• After reviewing the plans, Lu Zhou requests a roughly 500-square-meter underground chamber to house the Stellarator. Engineer Sun proposes building the laboratory inside Purple Mountain, with a small mountain entrance and an access road.
• Lu Zhou emphasizes that safety and secrecy are the most important requirements. He explains that, although controlled fusion is theoretically safer than fission, the extremely hot plasma involved still presents risks.
• Commander Liao promises to coordinate with the municipal government to improve the roads leading to the facility.

Character Developments

• Lu Zhou is shown taking responsibility for the project’s practical and security concerns, not merely its scientific aspects. He is cautious, insisting on underground construction, strict safety standards, confidentiality, and reliable transportation.
• Commander Liao emerges as a supportive and efficient military leader. He treats the project as a national duty and readily offers military and governmental assistance.
• Engineer Sun Zhonghai is established as highly experienced and competent, drawing on his work constructing major nuclear facilities. His confidence reassures Lu Zhou about the technical safety and quality of the project.
• Little Liu and Little Li provide comic relief through their uninformed speculation, while Old Zhao and their squad leader reinforce the seriousness and secrecy surrounding the facility.

Significant Themes

• National mobilization and efficiency: The project moves from approval to construction in less than a week, reflecting the state’s ability to rapidly concentrate resources on a strategic scientific goal.
• Science and national power: The military, government, construction industry, and scientific community cooperate closely, presenting research as part of national development and defense.
• Safety versus public fear: Although controlled fusion is not a weapon and does not create a runaway chain reaction, the word “nuclear” and the extreme conditions involved create psychological and practical concerns.
• Secrecy and responsibility: The facility’s classified nature requires discipline from both military personnel and researchers. Lu Zhou’s careful planning shows that scientific ambition must be balanced with security and risk management.
• Building for the future: The construction of a dedicated Stellarator institute marks the transformation of Lu Zhou’s theoretical project into a large-scale national undertaking.

Character Interactions

• The guards’ speculation contrasts with Old Zhao’s warning that they should not discuss matters outside their authority.
• Commander Liao and Lu Zhou share a respectful partnership: Lu Zhou expresses gratitude, while Liao insists that supporting scientists is part of the military’s duty.
• Lu Zhou and Engineer Sun communicate directly and pragmatically, with Sun adapting the construction plan to Lu Zhou’s scientific and security requirements.
• Commander Liao responds to Lu Zhou’s concerns by offering practical administrative support, especially regarding road construction and coordination with local authorities.

Chapter Summary: "Knowledge Is the Greatest Wealth"

Key Plot Points & Events

• Construction of the "STAR" Stellarator Institute (Controlled Nuclear Fusion national project) progresses rapidly in Jinling; municipal leaders inspect the site and are highly pleased with the visible political achievements it represents.
• Commander Liao assures Lu Zhou the project will be completed within 3–6 months.
• The Jinling Institute of Computational Materials building is finished; Lu Zhou relocates Yang Xu and the research team out of the laboratory building he borrowed from Jin University's School of Chemistry, returning it to its rightful owners.
• Lu Zhou transfers 100 million yuan to the Jinling Institute for Advanced Study account from Starry Sky Technology's funds.
• He plans a meeting with all researchers to discuss the institute's next steps.

Character Developments

• Lu Zhou: Demonstrates principled boundary-setting by returning the university lab despite pressure to stay, recognizing his public visibility as a Nobel laureate requires caution. Shows ambitious long-term vision for building a world-class research institution (Materials Science, Mathematics, Physics). Articulates his core philosophy that research itself creates wealth.
• Yang Xu: Remains Lu Zhou's most capable assistant; notes the new lab feels too empty, highlighting the need for recruitment. Playfully teases Lu Zhou about building a Large Hadron Collider.

Significant Themes

• Knowledge as the greatest wealth — the chapter's central thesis; Lu Zhou embodies this by reinvesting his fortune into research infrastructure.
• Public vs. private boundaries — Lu Zhou's careful separation of personal interests from university property reflects his political awareness.
• Scientific ambition and scale — from controlled nuclear fusion to hypothetical future projects (colliders, dark matter satellites), the chapter frames research as an ever-expanding horizon.
• Bureaucratic optics — scientific projects double as political achievements for local government, and Lu Zhou is conscious of managing perceptions.

Character Interactions

• Lu Zhou & Dean Li: A reluctant farewell; Dean Li laments the departure of over ¥100 million in equipment and urges Lu Zhou to stay, but accepts Lu Zhou's principled reasoning about public/private separation.
• Lu Zhou & Yang Xu: Casual yet strategic conversation while touring the new building; Yang Xu grounds Lu Zhou's grand visions with practical questions (funding, feasibility), while Lu Zhou responds with confidence in knowledge as the ultimate resource.

Summary: Chapter "Two Major Directions"

Key Plot Points

• Lu Zhou holds a meeting at the Computational Materials Research Institute with only ~20 core researchers present
• He formally confirms that the Controlled Nuclear Fusion project has been established in Jinling
• Lu Zhou announces the institute will pivot toward two major research directions supporting the fusion project:
  1. Superconducting materials — seeking higher-temperature, more engineering-friendly superconductors (building on SG-1, which achieved 101K transition temperature)
  2. Heat-resistant materials — developing a viable "first wall" to contain plasma escaping magnetic fields
• He presents a breakdown of prerequisite technologies for fusion, proposing to split the large project into smaller sub-projects assigned to researchers
• The meeting concludes with Lu Zhou's inspirational speech about the undertaking's significance

Character Developments

• Lu Zhou: Demonstrates leadership and strategic vision, positioning himself as a coordinator who will tackle the hardest problems while delegating sub-projects. His ambition now extends beyond mathematics/materials into the grand energy challenge.
• Qian Zhongming (Senior Brother Qian): Shows pragmatic skepticism; questions feasibility while indirectly affirming faith in Lu Zhou through his reasoning.
• Liu Bo (Senior Brother Liu): Expresses doubt about manpower and project viability, representing the "ordinary researcher" perspective.

Significant Themes

• Ambitious scientific vision: Lu Zhou's willingness to tackle controlled nuclear fusion despite institutional limitations
• Interdisciplinary connection: The link between materials science and energy technology—materials as the enabling bottleneck for fusion
• Large-project management: The pyramid-like structure of delegating major projects into sub-projects (academician → Yangtze River Scholars → Distinguished Young Scholars → research staff)
• Commitment vs. skepticism: Faith in exceptional talent versus practical concerns about resources

Character Interactions

• Yang Xu awkwardly apologizes for the small turnout; Lu Zhou reassures him that core members suffice
• Qian Zhongming and Liu Bo have a post-meeting exchange where Qian argues that Lu Zhou's unique position as the only active Nobel laureate researcher in China means staffing shortages won't hinder him—talented researchers will flock to his banner
• Lu Zhou delivers a motivational closing statement asking colleagues to "encourage one another" in the shared undertaking

Chapter Summary: “At Least a Postdoc, Right?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Zhou emphasizes that controlled nuclear fusion requires not only scientific breakthroughs but also practical engineering solutions. SG-1, a carbon-based superconducting material, has shown great potential, but no one yet has experience producing or applying it on an engineering scale.
• To address this problem, Lu Zhou invites Baosheng Group, a major domestic superconducting-materials and magnet-engineering company, to collaborate on developing a 50-tesla superconducting magnet for a Stellarator fusion reactor.
• Baosheng sends its chief engineer, Cao Ganwei, who recognizes the difficulty of the proposal. Traditional superconductors cannot easily reach magnetic fields above 10T, and a magnet of this scale would be unprecedentedly challenging.
• Lu Zhou presents SG-1 samples and experimental data to Cao. Although Cao is initially skeptical—particularly because of graphene’s high cost—he concludes that the project appears theoretically feasible if funding is not a concern.
• Lu Zhou permits Cao to take several grams of SG-1 for further research but refuses to share unpublished experimental data, demonstrating his caution regarding intellectual property and confidential research.
• Afterward, Lu Zhou tells institute director Yang Xu that he plans to visit Germany after the New Year, both to investigate Stellarator-related work and to purchase roughly 100 million US dollars’ worth of equipment.
• Yang immediately suggests purchasing two additional transmission electron microscopes. Lu Zhou approves and also announces plans to recruit more than two hundred researchers.
• When Yang asks about the minimum qualifications, Lu Zhou jokingly—or perhaps seriously—sets the bar at “at least a postdoc.”

Character Developments and Interactions

• Lu Zhou is shown expanding from theoretical and academic research into large-scale engineering and industrial organization. He recognizes his limits and delegates manufacturing challenges to Baosheng Group rather than attempting to handle everything himself.
• He also demonstrates confidence, ambition, and willingness to spend heavily in pursuit of a fusion breakthrough, insisting that cost is secondary to building the DEMO Demonstration Reactor.
• Cao Ganwei begins cautiously, concerned about engineering practicality and material costs, but becomes genuinely interested once he studies SG-1’s data. His willingness to take samples reflects growing confidence in the collaboration.
• Yang Xu appears enthusiastic and practical, immediately identifying equipment needs and accepting responsibility for recruiting qualified researchers. His interaction with Lu Zhou reflects a cooperative relationship built around rapid institutional expansion.
• Lu Zhou’s interactions with both men show his ability to persuade experts while maintaining authority over sensitive information and major strategic decisions.

Significant Themes

• From theory to engineering: Scientific discoveries have little value unless they can be manufactured and applied in real systems.
• Interdisciplinary collaboration: Fusion research requires cooperation among materials scientists, engineers, industrial companies, and research institutions.
• Ambition backed by resources: Lu Zhou’s project is national in scale, and he is prepared to invest enormous sums in equipment, personnel, and development.
• Scientific risk and experimentation: The proposed SG-1 magnet is highly unconventional, but the characters accept that major breakthroughs require attempting what has not been done before.
• Expansion of scientific institutions: The chapter highlights the rapid growth of Lu Zhou’s institute, including new facilities, advanced instruments, and a large influx of highly educated researchers.
• Confidentiality and intellectual property: Lu Zhou balances openness in collaboration with strict control over unpublished data.

Summary: Chapter — "A Research Dog with Dreams"

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• The chapter opens with a Weibo recruitment notice from the Jinling Institute for Advanced Study, a research institution founded by Nobel Prize winner Lu Zhou ("Lu the God"). The notice calls for PhDs in Materials Science, Physics, Mathematics, and related fields (minimum PhD + 12 months postdoc/industry R&D experience), offering an annual salary of 150,000 yuan plus benefits.
• Hou Jinli, a Materials Science postdoc at USTC (University of Science and Technology of China) who has completed exactly one year of postdoc work, sees the post at midnight and becomes deeply interested.
• The recruitment notice specifies that candidates who pass the interview and complete a 1–6 month probationary period can become formal researchers — a major career acceleration compared to the usual 6–8+ year path through postdoc, assistant researcher, and associate researcher positions.
• Hou Jinli applies, receives an interview invitation, and takes the high-speed rail from Luyang to Jinling.
• Upon arriving at the Jinling Institute for Advanced Study, he is stunned to find a massive crowd of applicants gathered outside the building — a realization of how fierce the competition is.

2. Character Developments

• Hou Jinli (protagonist): A postdoc at USTC who has stayed in materials science despite its poor career prospects. He is idealistic (loves research), pragmatic (wants career advancement), and at a turning point — he sees this opportunity as a chance to leap from "the exploited to the exploiters" and save six or more years of academic ladder-climbing. His hopes are visibly shaken when he sees the crowded applicant pool.
• Sun Hao: A younger lab junior (still 7 months short of eligibility) whose role is largely observational — he expresses envy and jokes about asking for favors if Hou Jinli succeeds, adding a note of workplace banter.

3. Significant Themes

• Career disillusionment in STEM: The chapter critiques the grim job market for Materials Science (and the "four great traps" of biology, chemistry, environmental science, and materials science) in China — low profitability, long development cycles, and years of low-status, low-pay research work.
• Idealism vs. Pragmatism in academia: Researchers need "at least a little idealism" to stay in the field, yet the dream of becoming a "big name" (driving a BMW, managing multimillion-yuan projects) is what actually drives many to persist.
• Hierarchy and class in academia: The contrast between exploited postdocs/assistants and the established "exploiters" (professors, lab heads) is explicit. Formal researcher status is portrayed as a genuine class leap.
• Competition and precarity: Even with 200 openings, the sheer scale of competition makes the outcome uncertain — foreshadowing that talent alone may not be enough.

4. Character Interactions

• Hou Jinli & Sun Hao: Informal senior-junior lab relationship. Sun Hao spots the recruitment notice on Hou Jinli's screen, is impressed/disbelieving (“You actually dare to apply to a Nobel Prize winner's laboratory?!”), and playfully asks to be “looked after” later. The exchange is light-hearted but underscores the perceived prestige of the institute and the rarity of such opportunities.
  Overall context: This is the opening chapter setting up Hou Jinli's application, the allure of Lu Zhou's new research institute (linked to a controlled nuclear fusion project), and the protagonist's ambitions. The cliffhanger ending — Hou Jinli confronting a sea of applicants — establishes the high-stakes, competitive atmosphere driving the story.

Chapter Summary: “Talent Placement”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Jinling Institute for Advanced Study completes its large-scale recruitment process. Tens of thousands of applications are reduced to about 1,000 interviewees, with only roughly one-fifth expected to pass.
• Yang Xu oversees recruitment, while Lu Zhou personally reviews applicants for the future Physics and Mathematics Research Institutes.
• Unlike Materials Science applicants, Physics and Mathematics candidates must submit proposed research projects. Lu Zhou considers these proposals more important than resumes because they reveal applicants’ research ability, experience, and potential to secure funding.
• The Computational Materials Research Institute recruits around 200 full researchers and retains more than 500 PhD holders as research assistants. This transforms it from a small institution into one of the country’s largest Materials Science research organizations in terms of personnel and equipment.
• Lu Zhou deliberately limits the new Physics and Mathematics institutes to about 20 researchers each, believing that the institute should expand carefully rather than grow too quickly.
• A housing crisis emerges because the institute’s employee apartments will not be completed until the following year, while new researchers will begin arriving in January.
• Lu Zhou initially proposes monthly housing subsidies—2,000 yuan for full researchers and about 1,000 yuan for research assistants—but Yang Xu points out that individual rentals would be difficult to manage and that local housing is scarce.
• Lu Zhou approaches Jinling University President Xu for assistance. President Xu readily offers two completed but vacant faculty-apartment buildings for temporary use.
• President Xu explains that the institute’s importance, its cooperation with the university, and especially its enormous ten-billion-US-dollar research project make the arrangement worthwhile for Jinling University.
• Before Lu Zhou leaves, President Xu asks him to present awards at the upcoming Jinling University College Student of the Year ceremony. Lu Zhou agrees.

Character Developments

• Lu Zhou demonstrates a cautious, long-term approach to institution building. He values quality over rapid expansion and wants to develop a domestic research model inspired by Princeton while continuing to experiment with the best structure.
• He shows strong trust in Yang Xu by allowing him to manage most recruitment, while personally focusing on the intellectual direction of the Physics and Mathematics institutes.
• Lu Zhou’s international reputation and research influence are evident in how easily university officials accommodate his needs. His Nobel Prize, Fields Medal, and leadership of a massive research project give him substantial institutional leverage.
• Yang Xu proves practical and administratively capable. He identifies the housing problem, recognizes the limitations of Lu Zhou’s subsidy plan, and proposes using Jinling University’s vacant faculty housing.
• President Xu is supportive and politically astute. He immediately understands the strategic value of cooperating with Lu Zhou’s institute and treats the housing arrangement as a worthwhile investment.

Significant Themes

• Talent and merit: The chapter emphasizes that opportunity is formally equal, but success depends on applicants’ abilities and their capacity to make use of the opportunity.
• Institution building: Creating a world-class research institute requires more than recruiting famous scientists; it also involves careful planning, housing, staffing, infrastructure, and administrative cooperation.
• Quality versus expansion: Lu Zhou resists growing too quickly, recognizing that talent development and institutional culture cannot be produced overnight.
• Research prestige and institutional influence: The institute’s Nobel-winning leadership and massive research funding attract talented researchers and encourage cooperation from established universities.
• Collaboration and mutual benefit: Jinling University assists the institute because of existing academic ties and the potential benefits of participating in its major research projects.

Character Interactions

• Lu Zhou and Yang Xu discuss how to house the incoming researchers. Their conversation highlights Lu Zhou’s willingness to solve practical problems and Yang Xu’s ability to identify administrative complications.
• Lu Zhou meets with President Xu to request temporary housing. Although Lu Zhou hesitates to ask for help, President Xu anticipates the request and offers two faculty dormitories immediately.
• President Xu frames the cooperation as a reciprocal relationship: Jinling University helps the institute, while the institute’s future research projects may provide valuable opportunities for the university.
• President Xu then asks Lu Zhou to present awards at the student ceremony. Lu Zhou humorously assumes he might be receiving another honor, but agrees once he understands that he is being asked to award others.

Chapter Summary: "Too Early for Me"

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• With staffing resolved, Lu Zhou delegates the management of new researchers—coordinating roles, projects, and equipment scheduling—to Yang Xu, testing his administrative skills.
• Lu Zhou realizes he still has no permanent residence in Jinling and has been living in hotels.
• Xiao Tong calls to ask about the Annual Figures gala; she is thrilled to learn Lu Zhou will present an award.
• Lu Zhou attends the Jinling University 2018 Annual Figures Awards Ceremony at the new campus's grand auditorium.
• He unexpectedly reunites with Senior Brother Yan Xinjue, who has returned to China from CERN after years abroad.
• They discuss recent physics news, including the five-sigma observation of the Higgs boson decaying to bottom quarks.
• The ceremony opens with the same "Ignite Youth" dance performance, triggering Lu Zhou's nostalgia.

2. Character Developments

• Lu Zhou: Confirms his plan to resign from Princeton and return to Jinling to teach, with this year as the deadline. He shows growing nostalgia, feeling that time has passed quickly since 2015, reflecting on how his life has changed.
• Xiao Tong: Demonstrates her playful, proud relationship with her brother, excited to see him recognized at the gala.
• Yan Xinjue: Still active at CERN, feeling immense pressure surrounded by brilliant minds. He remains warm and respectful toward Lu Zhou, though slightly in awe of his accomplishments.

3. Significant Themes

• Homecoming and transition: Lu Zhou's planned return to China signals a major life shift.
• Nostalgia and the passage of time: Lu Zhou reflects on how much his life has changed since 2015, feeling both distant from and connected to his past.
• Academic achievement and recognition: The gala highlights honors and scholarly milestones.
• Mentorship and academic legacy: Lu Zhou's humorous exchange about "Old Lu" (Academician Lu) emphasizes the bonds of academic lineage.

4. Character Interactions

• Yang Xu (off-page): Entrusted with day-to-day institute management; Lu Zhou's confidence in him is implied.
• Xiao Tong (phone): Playful and bashful; hangs up abruptly after getting the news she wanted, leaving Lu Zhou confused.
• Wang Peng (car ride): Casual conversation about siblings and future family plans; Lu Zhou deflects the "second child" question with "That kind of thing is still too early for me."
• Yan Xinjue (in person): Warm reunion between old academic brothers. Yan Xinjue jokes about "mooching a dinner" at the gala and is slightly awed by Lu Zhou's Nobel Prize, but their dynamic remains easy and familiar.
• Other faculty (brief): Lu Zhou greets Principal Xu, Academician Lu, and "Old Tang" upon arrival, indicating his continued ties within Jinling University.

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Jinling University holds its annual award ceremony, presenting the "Pillar of Excellence Special Scholarship" (15,000 yuan) to the year's most outstanding students.
• Lu Zhou serves as the award presenter.
• The prize goes to a series of academic standouts: a physics student, a mathematics student, engineering students, and others.
• Lu Zhou is surprised to discover his younger sister, Xiao Tong, is among the honorees as the Business School academic ace.
• After presenting her award, the final honoree is announced: Han Mengqi from Applied Chemistry Class of 2016 — a name that makes Lu Zhou freeze, hinting at a significant unresolved connection.

2. Character Developments

• Lu Zhou: Embarrassed by the title "Professor Lu," but gradually accepts it; takes pride in his alma mater's talent and feels concern about the school's gender imbalance. His unexpected reaction to Han Mengqi's name suggests emotional history.
• Xiao Tong: Has grown into an exceptional student — perfect GPA, Oxford exchange, top contest awards. She reveals she worked hard partly to "not embarrass" Lu Zhou and longs for his genuine praise, which he finally gives.
• Wu Kai (math student): Portrayed as brilliant but socially anxious/awkward, idolizing Lu Zhou to the point of nervous blushing and verbal slips.

3. Significant Themes

• Academic excellence and recognition at an elite institution.
• Sibling relationships and the pressure of living up to a high-achieving family member.
• Legacy and mentorship: students see Lu Zhou as a role model.
• The personal weight of past relationships/connections surfacing in public settings.

4. Character Interactions

• Lu Zhou & Hu Tiancheng (Physics): Enthusiastic fan interaction; asks for autograph, email, and even a spot in Lu Zhou's WeChat Moments.
• Lu Zhou & Wu Kai (Math): Awkward but earnest — Wu Kai stammers, blushes, and says he "grew up listening to" Lu Zhou's stories; Lu Zhou gently corrects his age and encourages him.
• Lu Zhou & Xiao Tong: Sisterly teasing mixed with genuine emotion. Xiao Tong proudly shows off her award; Lu Zhou balances tough love with a heartfelt "well done."
• Lu Zhou & Han Mengqi: No direct interaction, but her name being called at the end visibly shocks Lu Zhou, leaving the encounter unresolved.

Summary: "Buying a House"

Key Plot Points and Events

• At Jinling University's annual Person of the Year awards ceremony, Lu Zhou presents the award to none other than his former student, Han Mengqi, whose achievements include perfect scores in ten major courses and two first-author papers in top-tier SCI journals.
• Han Mengqi nervously asks whether she can apply to be Lu Zhou's master's student. He reveals he plans to return to Jinling University to teach, will offer a course in Computational Materials Science, and tells her she may apply.
• After the ceremony, Lu Zhou goes house hunting with Wang Peng. He rejects a massive 1,100 sq meter villa in Rose Garden as too large and remote, and considers a 585 sq meter villa at the eastern foot of Purple Mountain, closer to downtown and the university town, priced around 40+ million RMB.

Character Developments

• Han Mengqi: Shows vulnerability and bravery in asking about her academic future; initially expects disappointment but transforms to disbelief and excitement when Lu Zhou affirms her.
• Lu Zhou: Demonstrates loyalty to his former student and a concrete commitment to returning to China, showing he values mentorship and is re-establishing roots in Jinling.
• Han Mengqi's roommates (Li Fang, Su Jiawen, Luo Meng): Provide comic relief; Luo Meng imagines a romance novel between Han Mengqi and Lu Zhou, while Su Jiawen dismisses her imagination.

Significant Themes

• Mentorship and generational support: Lu Zhou honors an old promise ("we made an agreement before your college entrance exam") and opens a path for Han Mengqi's future.
• Homecoming: Lu Zhou's return to Jinling University signifies a deliberate shift of focus back toward China and his academic roots.
• Women in science: The narrative explicitly rejects the notion that women are unsuited for scientific research, referencing female researchers at Princeton and praising Han Mengqi's abilities.

Character Interactions

• Lu Zhou and Han Mengqi: A warm, somewhat awkward exchange on stage; her hesitation contrasts with his calm, encouraging affirmation.
• Roommates' dynamic: Luo Meng's overactive imagination and romance-novel speculation are playfully mocked by Su Jiawen and Li Fang.
• Lu Zhou and Wang Yalan (saleswoman): She treats him with heightened respect after noticing his car and driver; he is pragmatic and clear about his needs (quiet, completed, detached, convenient transportation).

Chapter Summary: “The Success Rate of the Experiment”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Zhou visits a luxury villa in Zhongshan International, a wealthy residential community in Jinling, and evaluates it as a potential home.
• He approves of the antique-style study and decides to purchase the house.
• Wang Peng inspects the property from a security perspective, pointing out that two trees could create a blind spot near the courtyard wall. Lu Zhou dismisses the concern as excessive but plans to install cameras, drones, and Xiao Ai for security.
• Meanwhile, Hou Jinli settles into a faculty dormitory after joining the Institute for Advanced Study in Jinling. He is impressed by the institute’s generous housing policy and excited about working in a Nobel Prize winner’s laboratory.
• On his first official day, Hou begins producing SG-1, a newly developed carbon nanomaterial, with fellow intern Yu Junda.
• They follow the Huers Method to prepare Graphene Oxide and then attempt the more delicate n-type doping process required to create the final material.
• The experiment appears to fail, producing a clump of black powder instead of the expected light reddish-brown sample.
• While disposing of it, Hou notices that the black material is unusually strong and does not crumble when squeezed, suggesting that the failed experiment may have produced something valuable.

Character Developments

• Lu Zhou is shown as practical and relaxed. Although he values security, he rejects excessive paranoia and focuses on comfort and suitability when choosing his home.
• Wang Peng demonstrates professional security expertise and constant vigilance, even identifying potential infiltration routes in an ordinary residential property.
• Hou Jinli is established as a skilled and experienced experimental researcher. His prior work has made him highly competent at laboratory procedures, and he performs the Graphene Oxide preparation smoothly.
• Yu Junda is revealed to have more experience writing papers than performing experiments. He assists Hou but is impressed by Hou’s practical laboratory skills.
• Hou also displays scientific curiosity and careful observation when he notices that the supposedly failed sample has unusual durability.

Significant Themes

• Scientific experimentation and uncertainty: Even when researchers follow published procedures precisely, experiments can fail because of small differences in technique or conditions.
• Practical skill versus theoretical knowledge: The chapter emphasizes that hands-on experimental ability and attention to detail are essential, not merely the ability to understand or document research.
• Unexpected discoveries: The failed experiment may have created a new or superior material, highlighting how breakthroughs can emerge from mistakes.
• Security and trust: Lu Zhou’s discussion with Wang Peng contrasts reasonable precautions with excessive suspicion, reflecting the balance between safety and paranoia.
• Institutional prestige and opportunity: The institute’s housing benefits and connection to a Nobel laureate attract talented researchers and demonstrate its exceptional status.

Character Interactions

• Lu Zhou and Wang Peng debate whether the villa’s landscaping creates a security vulnerability, with Lu Zhou ultimately making the final decision.
• Wang Yalan politely defends the community’s professional security team, but Wang Peng’s confidence in his own abilities leaves her momentarily confused.
• Hou Jinli and Yu Junda collaborate on producing SG-1. Hou takes the lead because of his stronger laboratory experience, while Yu assists and observes.
• Their failed experiment initially causes disappointment, but Hou’s discovery about the sample’s strength creates suspense and suggests that the apparent failure may actually be an important success.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points

1. Hou Jinli's discovery: After an SG-1 experiment, Hou Jinli finds an unknown black substance in the waste that feels distinct from ordinary carbon slag. Lacking proper equipment (XRD, SEM), he decides to write a research proposal to analyze it.
2. Proposal review: Ten project proposals are submitted to Lu Zhou for institute funding; he approves six, including Hou Jinli's, and rejects four for failing requirements.
3. Zhejiang University collaboration: Yang Xu returns from an exchange visit, reporting that multiple Zhejiang University professors are interested in the collaborative fusion materials research plan—they can take on at least 20 projects.
4. Baosheng Group progress: A draft industrial production plan for SG-1 has been completed. They request several institute researchers be sent to assist with finalizing the production line design. Lu Zhou approves, with Yang Xu to select personnel.
5. Year-end urgency: Lu Zhou notes the approaching end of the year and that he needs to accelerate his own work.

Character Developments

• Hou Jinli: Shown as observant and intellectually curious, willing to pursue seemingly trivial anomalies; longs for his own laboratory and dreams of publishing in top journals.
• Lu Zhou: Demonstrates a generous, principle-based funding philosophy—approving exploratory research even without obvious economic value. He trusts Yang Xu's judgment and manages the institute pragmatically.
• Yang Xu: Effective, reliable as the institute's external liaison; handles collaboration negotiations and reporting with competence.

Significant Themes

• Scientific serendipity: accidental discoveries as potential breakthroughs; Lu Zhou explicitly values funding "accidental" research.
• Institutional collaboration: the necessity of pooling resources across universities and industry for a massive undertaking like controlled fusion.
• Academia-industry partnership: Baosheng Group handles engineering/design while the institute handles technical research.

Character Interactions

• Hou Jinli & Yu Junda: Playful collegial banter; Yu Junda mocks the waste as "just carbon slag" but Hou Jinli insists it feels different, ending with light innuendo.
• Lu Zhou & Yang Xu: Casual but professional; Lu Zhou jokes about being a "Nobel Prize big shot" making instant coffee. Yang Xu delivers both good news (ZJU collaboration) and action items (Baosheng Group staffing request).