Chapter 59 – Experiment
Bai Jinyan chuckled and lightly touched his cheek with his fingertips. As he bent down to kiss, he asked again, “Are you going to watch?” His fingertips still had traces of water, as if the warmth of the hot water still lingered.
The moment their skin touched, Qiao Huaiyao suddenly widened his eyes, and his throat tightened. The warmth on his face spread silently.
“I…” Qiao Huaiyao’s lips moved slightly, and he cleared his throat, glancing nervously to the side. “I… you should go wash first; I’ll get your clothes.”
Without waiting for Bai Jinyan to reply, Qiao Huaiyao turned and ran out.
Seeing Qiao Huaiyao’s hasty retreat, Bai Jinyan’s smile grew broader as he reached out and closed the bathroom door.
Qiao Huaiyao ran back to the rest area, closing the door behind him. Leaning against it, he entered the air-conditioned room from outside, and the temperature had already risen a few degrees. The warmth on his face, which he had felt during the intimate encounter, didn’t fade away.
Qiao Huaiyao closed his eyes and suddenly heard a knock on the door behind him. He hesitated for a moment, then heard Lu Lu’s voice, “Brother Bai, I brought you some cold prevention medicine.”
Qiao Huaiyao pursed his lips and hesitated for a moment before not opening the door. “No need, I’ve already bought everything I need.”
In addition to cold medicine, he had also prepared ginger tea for cold prevention. Everything was already in the rest area. Qiao Huaiyao had ordered takeout earlier and left it in a thermos.
“Okay,” Lu Lu scratched his head and asked, “Is it just you here? Where’s Brother Bai?”
Qiao Huaiyao replied, “He’s in the bathroom.”
“Right… I’m forgetful.” Lu Lu didn’t ask any more questions and said, “I’ll go find the director first to discuss tomorrow’s scenes.”
Qiao Huaiyao nodded, “Sure.”
Lu Lu’s interruption inadvertently helped Qiao Huaiyao regain his composure. He turned around, picked up a bathrobe and a towel, and headed to the bathroom to bring them to Bai Jinyan.
The rain scene was extensive, and the actors’ makeup took a lot of time. After shooting the rain scene, their makeup would be ruined, and it would be a hassle to redo it. It was also getting late, and it was possible that even if their makeup was redone, they wouldn’t be able to continue shooting in the dark. In addition, the actors couldn’t endure being soaked in the rain for too long. Therefore, they had only filmed this one scene today and would take a break.
After Bai Jinyan got into the car, he instinctively reached out to embrace the person next to him but found only empty space. He ended up holding Qiao Huaiyao’s hand.
He raised an eyebrow and turned to look at the person who had moved to the door. Qiao Huaiyao, with his hand firmly held, seemed not to notice, neither pulling away nor resisting, allowing Bai Jinyan to hold his hand.
Bai Jinyan chuckled and looked at the blush spreading behind Qiao Huaiyao’s ear, moving closer. He came up behind Qiao Huaiyao, reached out to fasten his seatbelt, and lightly kissed his earlobe.
“Why are you hiding?” The warmth of his words was too close, causing Qiao Huaiyao to instinctively shift away but ending up closer to Bai Jinyan’s chest.
Bai Jinyan hugged Qiao Huaiyao, looking at his blushing face. He teased him, “If you don’t want to watch this time, we won’t, but next time…”
Qiao Huaiyao suddenly raised his eyes and, embarrassed, said, “Brother!”
Bai Jinyan had a smile on his face and quickly held Qiao Huaiyao’s wrist, hugging him gently and earnestly soothing him, “Alright, I won’t tease you anymore.”
Qiao Huaiyao’s lips pursed, and he wanted to say something, but the intermittent kisses prevented him from speaking. The words he wanted to say vanished in the intimacy of the kisses.
Bai Jinyan pinched his earlobe with his finger, absentmindedly asking, “What do you want to eat tonight?”
Qiao Huaiyao blinked, “Anything, I’ll go with your choice.”
He didn’t have much of an appetite and couldn’t think of anything specific he wanted to eat.
Bai Jinyan thought for a moment, excluding the restaurants they had recently visited, “How about going to that French restaurant we used to go to?”
It had been a while since they had French food.
Qiao Huaiyao nodded and said, “Okay.”
The days of intensive lectures continued for several days, and the enthusiasm for the first-week exams gradually subsided. Laboratory classes filled with equipment began, and the classrooms were not big enough to accommodate all the students in the department. Even when divided into two groups, they still had to share two classrooms for each class.
Qiao Huaiyao stood in front of an experiment table, wearing the white lab coat provided by the school with only a thin shirt underneath.
He lowered his gaze and looked at the row of lab equipment in front of him, along with the raw materials the teacher had prepared in advance. He could probably guess what experiment they were going to do this time.
In his previous life, he had rushed through classes and hadn’t participated in many courses. Now, slowing down and taking some ordinary classes felt good.
The teacher explained the experiment for this session while demonstrating it to the students. The laboratory tables were divided into two rows, with a total capacity for eight people to conduct experiments. There was a corridor in the middle for the teacher to check the students’ progress.
Wang Zhan looked at the teacher and then at the equipment on his desk. “This is probably the most complex experiment we’ve done since the start of the school year.”
Qiu Shufeng asked him, “What about the previous lab class?”
Wang Zhan gave him a look. “That one was mostly theoretical. There was very little hands-on work. Now, it’s clear that we have more hands-on tasks.”
Qiu Shufeng shrugged and didn’t say much. He turned to Qiao Huaiyao and asked, “Study God, have you decided on which sports event to sign up for at the upcoming sports meet?”
In college, many students had weak physical fitness, and without the pressure of physical education classes like in high school, many skipped those classes entirely. As a result, there were very few participants in the fall sports meet.
Qiu Shufeng had motivated his acquaintances to sign up for various events and had even given away some of his allocated slots. However, they still fell short.
As the class monitor, he was responsible for this matter. When he reported the numbers to the counselor, the counselor had insisted that each student should participate in at least one event, whether they volunteered or not. Everyone had to join.
For a well-rounded development, physical fitness was crucial. Participating in a sports meet was also a form of exercise.
After the counselor’s announcement, more students had volunteered to sign up for events.
There were many options like rope skipping, long jump, and high jump that were simpler compared to the 1,000 and 800-meter runs. They didn’t require exceptional performance, just a try to see how well they could do.
However, the 800 meters was different. No matter how good or bad your performance was, running it would leave you exhausted and breathless.
In these matters, Qiu Shufeng naturally leaned towards Qiao Huaiyao and sent him messages urging him to make a choice. Qiao Huaiyao had just said there was no rush and that he would decide after the others had chosen.
Now that most of the students had registered for events, Qiu Shufeng asked, “The remaining events are the 1,000 meters and relay.”
He had signed up for an event himself, thinking that if Qiao Huaiyao didn’t want to run, he would give up his slot.
“Study God, I’ve signed up for rope skipping,” Wang Zhan interjected. “I can also run the 1,000 meters, and we can swap.”
Qiu Shufeng immediately said, “No way, I’ve saved a slot for the Study God.”
Trying to snatch it? Are you trying to outrun me, you bootlicker?!
Yu Luofan pushed up his glasses, which he had specially worn for the experiment, and said, “The student union is responsible for maintaining discipline at the event. Study God can join me. You can be listed as a disciplinary supervisor and won’t need to sign up for an event.”
Qiu Shufeng asked, “???”
How can you guys say such icy things with those 37-degree mouths?
Qiao Huaiyao listened to the three of them bickering, speaking in low voices, and stood awkwardly in front of the table without making any big movements. The argument was both intense and calm, and the mix of emotions was just right.
Qiao Huaiyao calmly said, “No need to trouble yourselves; I’ll sign up for the 1,000 meters.”
He had no strong aversion to any of the events. Although he wasn’t a specialist, he had some experience with each of the sports. With everyone else having signed up, he would choose whatever event was left.
Qiu Shufeng blinked and said, “That’s also fine.”
He thought that Qiao Huaiyao, given his previous performance during military training, should also be good at sports.
At that time, many students had completed the run, but there was a difference between being able to run and wanting to run.
Qiu Shufeng didn’t expect Qiao Huaiyao to agree so easily. On the podium, the teacher gave him a glance and asked, “Qiu Shufeng, are you done chatting?”
Qiu Shufeng was taken aback. “Uh… Teacher.”
“That was quite a lively chat. I have a question for you, and if you can’t answer it, you’ll stand outside.” The teacher held a piece of chalk and pointed to the blackboard. “Let’s talk about it. I mentioned earlier, how much should AIX7 be added?”
Qiu Shufeng: “…”
I’m going out right now.
Qiao Huaiyao whispered, “0.5 milligrams.”
Qiu Shufeng unconsciously repeated the sentence.
The teacher raised an eyebrow. “Alright, you actually know. Come and take a look at the blackboard; we’ll continue.”
Qiu Shufeng breathed a sigh of relief, but the nervous feeling he used to have when called upon to answer questions in high school returned.
He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said, “Study God, I…”
Qiao Huaiyao cut to the chase, “Don’t bow.”
Qiu Shufeng looked disappointed.
Yu Luofan grabbed him by the collar and pulled him over. “Pay attention to the lecture and don’t disturb Study God Qiao’s learning.”
Qiu Shufeng fell silent.
The teacher explained the entire experimental procedure in great detail, from start to finish, even going through the use of tweezers and other minor details. Not a single detail, big or small, was missed.
After finishing the explanation, the teacher said, “Alright, you have three hours to start working with the experimental equipment in front of you.”
As they were packing up their things, the teacher added, “Study God Qiao and I, as well as your senior student, will be walking around the classroom. If you encounter any problems, raise your hand for help, and we’ll come over.”
“Remember, if you’re unclear about anything, don’t proceed blindly to avoid any irreparable consequences.”
“Some senior students ignored the teacher’s instructions in the past, performed well academically, and destroyed a small experiment. The table had a burn mark, and they were immediately expelled from the school. This was still a fortunate outcome; it could have led to legal trouble.”
Experiments could be dangerous and were not to be taken lightly. The teacher had explained the potential consequences in advance to ensure that some students didn’t take it lightly, as had happened with a student before. If students had issues, the teachers would also be held accountable, and it could tarnish their work history, making them more cautious.
After the teacher finished speaking, she stepped down from the podium and moved between the desks.
Qiu Shufeng was dumbfounded, completely unsure of where to put his hands. “Was that lecture so fast? I was chatting.”
He had been talking to Study God Qiao, not paying attention to the lecture.
He thought there was another half an hour of lecture to go, but it was already over?
Wang Zhan teasingly said, “It’s not that the teacher spoke quickly; you just weren’t listening.”
Qiu Shufeng thought Wang Zhan had a point. He looked serious and nodded before asking, “Did you understand it after listening? I’ll do it together with you.”
Wang Zhan: “…”
If you chat like this, it won’t be fun.
The lecture had gone on for two hours, and it was impossible for anyone to remember every detail clearly.
The teacher was walking around below, clearly aware that the students wouldn’t remember everything. Good memory was one thing, but being able to remember every single detail down to the smallest measurement was impossible.
“It’s your fault for chatting with Study God ; now I’m confused.” Qiu Shufeng was at a loss about where to put his hands.
Qiu Shufeng coughed and said, “Study God…”
Then he realized that Qiao Huaiyao had already picked up a measuring cup and was preparing to start the experiment.
“Huh?” Qiu Shufeng was momentarily surprised. “Study God, did you understand it?”
Qiao Huaiyao replied calmly, “Yes.”
It was a simple little experiment, and the previous classes had covered the basics and allowed students to complete partially finished experiments. This class marked the first time students would be working independently on an experiment, so it was unlikely to be too difficult.
If each student got stuck on their questions, the teacher and her assistant would be overwhelmed trying to answer them all.
Qiu Shufeng laughed and said, “Alright, Study God, I’ll follow your lead and work together with you.”
Qiao Huaiyao replied, “Let’s start with the preliminary preparation.”
“Sure!” Qiu Shufeng began the experiment cheerfully.
He said they would work together, but when it came time to measure out materials, it was challenging to estimate the exact amount just by looking at it. So, Qiao Huaiyao would announce, “Three milligrams each of A-2 and S-7.”
“Use a dropper for VA9…”
“Quantitative measurement of BU5.”
…
Qiao Huaiyao would first mention what they needed to use next and then go get it, giving Qiu Shufeng ample time to react.
Qiu Shufeng just didn’t know the data.
After Qiao Huaiyao spoke, he quickly found the materials to be used and began weighing them. Wang Zhan and Yu Luofan were further away, but Qiu Shufeng was on the left side of Qiao Huaiyao, where he could clearly observe.
Wang Zhan: “Qiu Shufeng, move your big head a bit; you’re blocking Study God.”
Qiu Shufeng was about to respond, but when he saw the teacher approaching, he immediately kept quiet and nudged Qiao Huaiyao.
Wang Zhan: “??”
Qiao Huaiyao didn’t notice the small interactions between them and continued the experiment methodically. Wang Zhan also grabbed a beaker.
Qiao Huaiyao said, “Add an equal amount of hydrogen peroxide.”
The other three followed his instructions.
Qiao Huaiyao adjusted a special table used for experimental measurements. “Let it sit for three minutes.”
Qiu Shufeng and the others put the equipment down in unison.
The teacher glanced over, and while the actions weren’t particularly uniform, compared to the other tables and the progress of each student, this table of four students was doing quite well. There was a bit of space between the tables, and two people could stand side by side behind the student at the front.
She approached and walked through from behind, looking at the experiment on the table. The color that gradually appeared was nearly identical to what she had done earlier.
The teacher nodded and didn’t spend too much time at this table. She moved on to the next one. “Did you put Be-23 in the wrong place? The color is too dark! I told you to ask the teacher if you don’t know something, don’t do it blindly!”
“Redo it!”
The teacher continued scolding several rows, knocking on tables with a small stick. Qiu Shufeng shrank his neck, feeling that if it weren’t for Study God at their table, he would have received a scolding too.
Perhaps because of the reprimand, the previously quiet classroom became completely silent. Only the sound of glass hitting against glass could be heard, a normally light sound that wasn’t easy to notice but seemed particularly loud in the silence.
The teacher waved the small stick to find the source of the sound. “Why is there still clinking? Didn’t you raise your hand high enough and maintain the distance!”
…
Qiao Huaiyao continued the experiment systematically. Until the final step, where the solution was set aside and they had to wait for crystals to form, the experiment would be considered complete.
Qiu Shufeng followed suit and set down the beaker. He stretched lazily. “Phew, we’re done.”
In laboratory classes, once you finished the experiment and the teacher confirmed it, you could leave early.
Qiu Shufeng stared at the beaker, waiting for changes. He couldn’t help but ask, “Study God, will you still go to the film set after class today?”
Qiao Huaiyao replied, “Yes.”
Qiu Shufeng nodded and thought that Study God must be waiting for something or preparing something else, so he was using the time wisely.
Although he didn’t know what Qiao Huaiyao was doing, he watched intently.
When Yu Luofan and the others finished their experiments and noticed what was happening at this table, they all gathered to watch. Wang Zhan even went so far as to lean on Qiu Shufeng’s back.
The items on the table were all materials needed for the current experiment. Qiao Huaiyao used what was available and, after simple preparation, took out a regular A4 sheet of paper.
He dipped a glass rod into the transparent solution and carefully drew on the paper.
Strangely, the solution didn’t wet the paper. The color didn’t change from the original white, unlike when you drew on regular paper with water, which would leave wet marks and a darker color that was immediately visible.
Qiao Huaiyao continued drawing until the last stroke, finishing it with the glass rod and placing it down. The paper remained as white as it had been.
After completing this, Qiao Huaiyao folded the paper in half.
“Study God?” Qiu Shufeng scratched his head. He couldn’t judge what Qiao Huaiyao was doing with his limited knowledge of chemistry. But whenever someone other than Qiao Huaiyao did something like this, he suspected that the experiment might be too difficult, and they were just fooling around for stress relief.
Once he finished, Qiao Huaiyao put the paper away and took out a blank one, writing down all the materials that had just been used.