Rebirth: Starting from Lighting Up the Tech Tree

Chapter 155 Yu Ying Graduates

The thesis defense at Huaxia University of Technology started at 9:00 a.m., and Zuo Cheng arrived at the school gate an hour early.

He parked his car at the school gate and stood there for a while, watching the students coming and going, carrying bags and materials. Some were on the phone, and some were walking quickly with their heads down, much like he had back then. However, he had no memory of this campus back then; he had completed his undergraduate studies at another university.

The phone rang; it was Yu Ying.

"Have we arrived yet?"

"I'll be waiting for you at the door."

"No need to wait, just go straight to the building downstairs in the defense classroom. I'll be out in a bit."

"No rush, I'll wait."

Yu Ying paused for two seconds, then lowered her voice, "Nervous."

"That's normal," Zuo Cheng said. "You've prepared for three years, and no one on the defense committee knows this topic better than you. What are you nervous about?"

"I'm afraid something unexpected might happen."

"We'll talk about it once we're out." He paused, then added, "Kongkong, you can do it."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, then a voice said, "Okay, wait for me."

He hung up the phone. Zuo Cheng put his phone in his pocket and walked inside.

The defense lasted for two and a half hours. Zuo Cheng waited in the corridor without going in. He checked his phone, dealt with a few emails, replied to two messages, and then sat on a chair in the corridor, doing nothing.

He wasn't worried that Yu Ying wouldn't pass her dissertation defense. Her research had been published in top journals since the second year, and her advisor, Professor Li, had publicly stated that it was one of the most solid doctoral dissertations he had ever supervised. What worried him was something else, or rather, not worry, but a kind of inexplicable feeling, like the silence before a moment truly arrives.

When the door opened from the inside, the professors on the defense committee came out first. He recognized a few of them, exchanged glances, and nodded.

Then there's Yu Ying.

She was wearing a navy blue suit today, her hair was up, and when she came out, she had the relaxed look of someone who had just finished an exam. Her eyes were a little unfocused, and when she saw Zuo Cheng, she paused for a second.

What are you doing here?

"I'll pick you up."

She walked over, stood beside him, and whispered, "You passed. Excellent."

"Know."

Yu Ying glanced at him. "How did you know?"

"Just a guess."

She didn't speak, but tightened her grip on the file folder beside her and smiled to herself. In that instant, Zuo Cheng thought of something, or perhaps nothing at all; he simply felt that this person standing here was the right person.

Professor Li followed out from behind, saw Zuo Cheng, walked over and shook hands, saying, "Your company poached my student; you'd better make good use of him in the future."

"Definitely," Zuo Cheng said. "Professor Li, Yu Ying is in room 402; she's one of the company's most important people."

Professor Li nodded, glanced at Yu Ying, and said with a mixture of reluctance and pride in his voice, "Yingying, take the path you've chosen well."

Yu Ying looked up, her eyes reddening slightly, and said, "Teacher Li, thank you for all these years."

Professor Li waved his hand and said, "No need to thank me. Getting this far on your research is your own achievement." He adjusted his glasses, took two steps to the side, then stopped, turned back, and said, "If you have any questions, contact me anytime. I'll be there for you anytime until I retire."

Yu Ying lowered her head and didn't speak. Zuo Cheng stood beside her, also remaining silent.

Sometimes, silence speaks louder than words.

A week later, Yu Ying joined 402.

This wasn't a regular onboarding ceremony. Han Lu held the press conference in the large conference room, projecting the appointment letter for Chief Scientist. All employees were present, including Liu Wei, who was on a business trip in Shenzhen. He flew back, still in his casual travel clothes, and breathless as he entered, saying that no one could stop him; he had to come back to witness it.

Yu Ying stood on the stage, facing over five hundred pairs of eyes. She wore a white shirt, calm, with a hint of awkwardness at the occasion. She squinted slightly under the lights, glanced at the audience, found Zuo Cheng, and their eyes met for a second.

Zuo Cheng stood below the stage, listening to Han Lu preside over the event, listening to the reading of the appointment letter, listening to the applause, his eyes constantly fixed on her.

During the interactive session, a young engineer asked Yu Ying what the first thing she did upon taking office as chief scientist was.

Yu Ying thought for three seconds and said, "Let's look at the most difficult technical problems everyone is facing right now, and then prioritize them."

Another round of applause filled the conference room, with several people laughing and clapping, as if they hadn't expected the answer to be so direct.

Zuo Cheng sat in the audience, hands in his pockets, not clapping. He simply looked at the person standing on the stage, a very simple thought in his mind.

at last.

After the press conference, media interviews lasted for two hours. Three tech media outlets, having received advance notice, set up cameras at the entrance. After interviewing Yu Ying, they approached Zuo Cheng and asked a series of repetitive questions. Zuo Cheng gave a uniform answer: "You already know the chief scientist's name. For the rest, wait for the research institute's press conference."

After the media left, Shen Yiming quietly walked over, stood next to Zuo Cheng, and whispered, "Brother Cheng, when you invited me to join 402, did you ever imagine this scene would one day?"

Zuo Cheng glanced at him sideways. "I hadn't thought about it."

Shen Yiming laughed, "I hadn't thought about that either."

The two stood in the corridor for a while without saying a word.

After a while, Shen Yiming said, "Now we have Yu Ying, Li Guodong, and space photovoltaics. The next step is brain-computer interfaces, and the sixth branch will be the year after next. Brother Cheng, you've really thought this through."

"It's not finished yet," Zuo Cheng said.

That evening, they stood on the rooftop terrace of the 402nd floor for a while, without any particular reason, simply heading up. The night wind was a bit chilly, but not biting. The night view of Hangzhou unfolded before them, the lights stretching out in a continuous panorama.

Yu Ying leaned against the railing, looked out, and said, "I'll come to this rooftop often in the future."

Why?

"Thinking," she said. "When you're stuck in the lab, changing your surroundings can be helpful."

"Um."

The two of them were quiet for a while.

Yu Ying turned her head, glanced at him, and said, "Brother, thank you for waiting for me."

Zuo Cheng didn't speak immediately. A gust of wind blew from the side, and a strand of her hair fell loose.

He brushed the strand of hair back and said, "No rush."

Yu Ying didn't speak again, turned her face to the side, and looked out again. The light shone on her face, quiet and soft.

In the distance, the night stretches across Hangzhou. The lights are on in room 402, and people are still working, discussing, or staring at their screens inside.

From today onwards, this company has gained another anchor point.

Zuo Cheng imagined a point in time ten years from now, a time filled with space photovoltaics, commercial spaceflight, brain-computer interfaces, and the person standing next to him. He didn't say any of this; he simply put his hands back in his pockets, stood there, and looked at the light.