Bai Jinyan raised his hand and gently brushed Qiao Huaiyao’s cheek with his fingertips, “Sitting for long periods is already uncomfortable, and now you’re like this. If I’m not careful, will you bear the pain without saying anything?”
Qiao Huaiyao might not think that discomfort was a big deal, but the more he downplayed it, the more Bai Jinyan felt the need to arrange everything meticulously.
“This is lemon water, made together with the one from this morning.”
Bai Jinyan placed the thermos on the table. Since the lab didn’t have the means to make fresh lemon water, he had prepared it ahead of time and brought it along.
Bai Jinyan leaned in to kiss him and said, “I’ll come to pick you up at noon.”
Qiao Huaiyao smiled, his eyes curving with delight, “Alright, take care on the road.”
Bai Jinyan ruffled his hair, “If you feel really uncomfortable, call me, okay?”
“Got it, brother,” Qiao Huaiyao replied earnestly.
After Bai Jinyan left, Qiao Huaiyao opened his previous experiment records and took the handwritten part to the machine.
He filled in the latter half of the content based on the current state inside and finally added the time.
Though the 72 hours weren’t up yet, the operating machine was already showing preliminary results.
The next steps involved continuous refinement to make this initial result more apparent.
Qiao Huaiyao immersed himself in the experiment, writing down over ten pages without leaving the machine.
When he reached the last blank page in his notebook, he paused, jotted down a few words to finish it off, and then turned to get a new one.
As he opened the drawer, he thought for a moment and took out his phone.
Qiao Huaiyao: [I want to register for the joint exam.]
Qiu Shufeng: [?!! Okay! Why did you suddenly decide to register?]
Qiu Shufeng, though surprised, didn’t forget to ask, [Won’t registering for the joint exam affect your experiment?]
Qiao Huaiyao: [No. The first phase is almost complete.]
Qiu Shufeng: [???]
How long has it been since you applied for the lab?! Others haven’t even finished writing their reports, and you’re already wrapping up?
Qiu Shufeng’s mind was buzzing when he saw this message, [I don’t even know what to say other than to express my admiration. But this is good. The second phase will take some time to apply for, so you can check out the international lab.]
That’s the international lab, where the world’s top chemists work.
Even though you might not meet any professors or even the lab staff, you can still see those high-end experimental machines.
Some safety measures aren’t that strict, and you can even touch certain things with your hands.
Qiu Shufeng signed up just to see it, and he’s been burning the midnight oil studying for this exam.
[Hey Study god, since you’re signing up now, does that mean you haven’t found a teammate yet? How about me?]
Qiu Shufeng recommended himself. During the written exam, everyone takes their own test, but the practical exam pairs two students together. Some students are so keen to go to the international lab that they’re willing to spend a lot of money to team up with those who excel in lab work just for the exam.
Qiao Huaiyao: [Sure.]
Qiu Shufeng: [Study god! I swear I’m gonna bow down to you today!]
Qiao Huaiyao: [Don’t. I’ve already asked Wang Zhan.]
Qiu Shufeng: [No, no, come on, let it be me! I’m way better than that idi*t Wang Zhan. I’ll assassinate him right now.]
[Alright, it’s settled then. When I sign us up later, I’ll register us as a team.]
Qiao Huaiyao: [Okay.]
Qiu Shufeng had been worried that his high written scores wouldn’t compensate for his poor lab grades, making it hard to secure a spot in the joint exam.
The spots are clearly listed, and before finalizing the quotas, there’s a fixed score threshold. If many surpass the threshold, then they rank everyone from highest to lowest and select a fixed number of students.
However, since the joint exam’s inception, the spots have never been fully filled due to the high score requirement.
Everyone can memorize theory, but the practical exams test unfamiliar experiments. During the exam, students usually face new challenges, relying on their basic lab skills to scrape through.
As a result, the scores aren’t usually high.
Typically, if there are thirty spots, ten might get in purely on exam scores, which is considered very good. The remaining spots are allocated based on students’ regular performance and teacher recommendations. If there are still vacancies, they go to students from other schools.
Favoring students from their own school makes sense, but being a Qing University student alone isn’t enough. Comprehensive evaluation is necessary.
With Qiao Huaiyao as a partner, Qiu Shufeng happily began preparing for the trip abroad. When the genius performs, scoring high is effortless.
Qiu Shufeng had absolute faith in Qiao Huaiyao’s academic abilities.
After signing up, Qiao Huaiyao resumed recording the experiment.
The joint exam and the departure date for studying abroad are close together. The entire department mobilized, with only half a day allotted for grading the exams.
Qiao Huaiyao calculated the time. If he participates in the joint exam, he can go abroad with the school team afterward. If he doesn’t take the exam, even if his experiment is submitted and can’t proceed to the next step, he still has to stay at Qing University and wait.
Comparatively, Qiao Huaiyao felt that participating in the joint exam would make better use of his time.
‘Beep beep’
‘Beep beep’
…
The experiment machine’s alert was gentle.
Qiao Huaiyao got up, knowing it was the scheduled time. He made some adjustments in the options, and after a moment, the machine resumed operation.
He picked up a new notebook and continued writing from the second page. He set aside the extracted substances and placed a new beaker inside.
Looking at the countdown on the machine, he exhaled deeply. The results of the first phase of the experiment were enough to make Meng Zhen cease her proud public relations campaign.
Qiao Huaiyao absentmindedly tapped his notebook with his fingertips, pondering… what kind of gift should he prepare for Bai Jinyan to celebrate?
The experiment machine beeped again, signaling the start of the next phase. His train of thought was interrupted, and he refocused on the experiment.
As the weather turned colder, Qing University, located by the sea, saw temperatures drop below zero in early December. Several days of heavy snow made it feel like deep winter, with many people already wearing down jackets.
Bai Jinyan’s filming was completed, and the next project was yet to be decided, so he was constantly busy with various engagements. In addition to work, he had to balance his end-of-term lab reports, leaving little time to rest.
Despite his busy schedule, he still managed to return to Qing University after finishing work each day.
Qiao Huaiyao spent all his time in the lab. The experiment progressed rapidly, and he submitted the second experiment content along with the first phase results.
On the day of the exam, Qiao Huaiyao sat in his seat. Bai Jinyan’s flight was today, and by his calculations, he should have already reached the airport.
Due to the clash between the exam and Bai Jinyan’s flight time, Qiao Huaiyao couldn’t see him off.
Qiao Huaiyao: [Brother, have you reached the airport yet? Cat tilting head emoji]
Bai Jinyan: [I’m in the waiting lounge.] He sent a photo of the lounge and a sticker. [Why are you up so early today?]
Qiao Huaiyao hadn’t told Bai Jinyan about signing up for the exam. Though Qiu Shufeng and the others had Bai Jinyan’s contact, they wouldn’t proactively chat with him. Usually, when Bai Jinyan contacted them, it was to ask about Qiao Huaiyao.
If Bai Jinyan didn’t reach out, Qiu Shufeng and the others stayed quietly in his friend list without initiating any conversations, fearing him even on their phones. They were much less active than in the small dorm group chat.
Naturally, they wouldn’t inform Bai Jinyan about Qiao Huaiyao signing up for the exam.
Qiao Huaiyao thought for a moment and typed: [I got up early to do some work in the lab.]
As he was texting, the teacher entered, carrying a stack of papers.
Qiao Huaiyao: [Brother, I have something to do here. I’ll talk to you later. Remember to message me when you land.]
Bai Jinyan didn’t ask much more. [Okay] he replied.
The joint exam participants couldn’t fit into a single large classroom. Almost the entire chemistry department was present. Regardless of their year, even senior students already working with advisors were taking the joint exam. The chance to visit an international lab was rare, so naturally, everyone wanted to take part.
In the horizontally arranged rows, each desk seated two people, one on the left and one on the right, at the far ends of the desk. Separated by the width of eight seats, Qiu Shufeng was conveniently placed to Qiao Huaiyao’s right. He leaned over the desk from a distance and said, “Study god, I’m so nervous.”
Despite having studied for so long and prepared for the lab exam, he was worried his performance in the written test would drag him down. Historically, nobody had scored poorly in the written test; it was the hands-on lab work that usually lowered scores. If he did poorly, he would be the first in Qing University’s history to do so, which added to his pressure.
Qiao Huaiyao set down his phone and said calmly, “How did you do in your last exam when you were also nervous?”
“Needless to say, I passed with high scores,” Qiu Shufeng replied, his chin lifted proudly. The exam had a high failure rate, but he passed on his first try, so he had reason to be confident.
Qiao Huaiyao twirled his pen and turned to look at him leisurely.
Qiu Shufeng paused. Right, he had been nervous before but still passed with high marks, so why was he worried now?
Suddenly, he felt much less anxious.
The teacher handed out the test papers.
As usual, Qiao Huaiyao skimmed through the entire test before beginning. The written portion was much simpler than the previous exam. The examiners likely knew the main focus was on the lab work, and with limited grading time, they hadn’t included very difficult questions. This made grading easier and prevented large blank sections that would look bad if others reviewed the test later.
Given the tight schedule and many questions, most students began writing furiously as soon as they received their papers, even before the teacher announced the start.
In contrast, Qiao Huaiyao, who started writing the latest, seemed somewhat out of place.
This exam didn’t allow for early submission to ensure fairness. They didn’t want students submitting early, remembering answers, and then secretly sharing them with others outside. Unlike the previous exam, which had no definitive answers, this one covered material from the first three years, so students could find answers in their books if they didn’t know them.
The sound of pages flipping echoed through the room, interspersed with teachers’ reminders to “focus on your own work and avoid talking.”
The large classroom had teachers seated in the front and back rows, with four others patrolling the aisles. When they passed Qiao Huaiyao, many would stop to observe for a moment before moving on.
Unhurriedly, Qiao Huaiyao finished his paper, which was filled with basic questions. Nonetheless, he reviewed his answers once more.
When the bell signaled the end of the exam, he set down his pen.