The secretary was diligent and conscientious. Once Lin Fangxin confirmed that the judging panel from the National Agricultural Science Essay Competition really was coming, she immediately informed Guo Zhaofu, the principal of Jida Affiliated High School.
When Guo Zhaofu heard the news,
he took it very seriously.
He immediately called a meeting of the school leadership
to discuss how to receive the judging panel from the National Agricultural Science Essay Competition.
After some discussion, they settled on two things.
First, they would invite the judges to a meal after the meeting to build a rapport.
Second, they would publicize Yan Xiao and Lin Fangxin's achievement within the school ahead of time, then give them commendations once they won an award.
After all,
having a high school student's paper catch the judges' attention was already something well worth bragging about.
The night passed uneventfully.
Early the next morning, Lin Fangxin arrived at school a little after eight.
At nine sharp, she suddenly remembered that Yan Xiao was the king of running late, so she called him without hesitation.
"Have you left yet?"
"Yeah, I'm already out."
"Where are you?"
"On the road. Almost there. Traffic's a little backed up." Lying in bed, Yan Xiao opened his eyes and lied...
"Okay. Are you coming to our classroom first? Should I wait so we can go over together?" Lin Fangxin suspected nothing.
"No need. Go ahead. Let's meet at the main school building. I think I'll be a little late." Yan Xiao sat up in bed and quietly put on his clothes.
He was afraid any noise might tip Lin Fangxin off.
"All right, then let's meet at the school gate."
With that, Lin Fangxin hung up.
Yan Xiao really wanted to lie back down and sleep a little longer, but reason told him that, however excellent his paper was, he should avoid making a bad impression on the people deciding who would receive the million in prize money.
After getting out of bed, he quickly freshened up and headed straight out.
By the time he reached the school gate, it was exactly 10:25 a.m.
Resisting the enticing look the woman at the breakfast stall cast his way, Yan Xiao strode through the school gate with his head held high.
A brisk walk,
a jog,
a sprint,
five steps at a time up the stairs,
and he finally reached the meeting room door at 10:29:58.
He pushed the door open at exactly ten thirty.
As soon as he entered, everyone in the room turned to look at him.
The principal thought, Just what I'd expect from one of our students. His looks, bearing, and knowledge are all first-rate.
Lin Fangxin thought, He actually made it on time. That was no small feat.
Meanwhile, Zhao Xiaolei and the other judges from the National Agricultural Science Essay Competition mentally compared the young man before them with the image they had formed of him.
Hmm.
Not quite what we imagined.
He doesn't look like a top student...
Under all those gazes, Yan Xiao went straight over and sat beside Lin Fangxin.
The principal spoke. "Now that everyone's here, let's welcome our colleagues from the judging panel of the National Agricultural Science Essay Competition! Thank you!"
As he spoke, Guo Zhaofu led the applause.
Everyone else reluctantly joined in.
Fortunately, Guo Zhaofu spared them any more formal pleasantries.
He simply gestured to Zhao Xiaolei, then cheerfully settled in as a spectator.
Zhao Xiaolei cleared his throat and said, "We've come mainly because of the paper 'Research and Preliminary Exploration of Insect Phototaxis.'"
After a pause, he continued, "We think this paper is exceptionally well written. Both its research approach and some of its hypotheses are highly innovative.
"However, since there hasn't been any previous research on this subject,
"we would like to ask you once again to take us through the experiment.
"Would that be convenient for you?"
Zhao Xiaolei's words sounded like a question, but everyone could tell it was really a request they were expected to fulfill.
Lin Fangxin looked at Yan Xiao, seeking his opinion.
After all, Yan Xiao was the paper's first author, so whether they demonstrated the experiment again was up to him.
Yan Xiao, however, did not immediately agree.
He said, "Repeating the experiment isn't a problem, but I require the experts from the National Agricultural Science Essay Competition judging panel who participate to keep the equipment we use confidential for the time being."
Guo Zhaofu nodded along and repeated, "It must be kept confidential."
As for why it needed to be kept confidential, he had no idea.
In any case, siding with his own student was the right thing to do.
"Is there some particular reason for that?" Zhao Xiaolei asked.
"Of course." Yan Xiao nodded and replied, "I've already applied for a practical technology patent for the new equipment. I don't want disclosure of its entire design to affect my patent application."
Understanding dawned on Zhao Xiaolei, and he said with a smile,
"Don't worry about that. If your experiment proves the validity of your paper, the equipment used in it will automatically receive the relevant patent protection."
Huh?
Yan Xiao was puzzled.
That's how things work on Azure Star?
"Then I don't have to wait out the patent application period?"
"Of course not. If I'm not mistaken, you're applying for a practical technology patent, right?"
Yan Xiao replied, "Yes."
Zhao Xiaolei nodded and said, "You can rest assured about that. Every year, new agricultural patents submitted through the competition are automatically entered into the Patent Database.
"If no patent holder is explicitly specified, the patent belongs to the paper's author."
"Then I understand. If we're going to conduct the experiment, we'll need a week to prepare."
"Another week? Can't you use the previous equipment? Could you shorten the wait and start the experiment as soon as possible?" Zhao Xiaolei felt that waiting a week was far too long.
At this point, even a single day's wait felt agonizing to him.
Yan Xiao paid no attention to Zhao Xiaolei's impatience. He said firmly, "At least a week. We used the simplest version of the equipment for the previous experiment, and it's already broken. I designed the new equipment myself, and a sample is being manufactured now, so we have to wait at least a week."
Lin Fangxin found Yan Xiao's answer a little strange.
The old equipment still works fine. Apart from being a little dirty, there's nothing wrong with it. Why tell them to wait a week?
In fact, Yan Xiao's thinking was very simple.
If he used mousetraps, then once the experiment's details leaked, manufacturers could bypass the patent itself and make their own simple devices with different appearances and configurations but the same operating principle.
In that case, even if he held the patent rights, he would have no grounds to sue them.
So Yan Xiao simply decided to stall for a week.
He planned to use that week to contact a manufacturer and have a set of equipment made.
Although making molds and the other work involved would cost quite a bit,
compared with the future returns,
it really amounted to nothing.
It was money he had to spend.
Although Zhao Xiaolei was impatient, he knew there was no better alternative, so he could only agree.
Even though they could not conduct the experiment,
that did not stop him from asking more questions.
At first, his questions focused mainly on certain arguments in the paper.
But as their conversation continued, he realized that this young man's knowledge of agriculture was truly vast.
So vast that it astonished him!
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