CHAPTER 436: CHAPTER 5: A CONVERSATION BETWEEN MEN

Inside the Chaoyang Branch of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the head of the branch, Yu Gang, was waiting for a senior researcher from the renowned multinational biotech company, Mengshan Company.

His desk was covered with documents about the visitor.

"Zhou Ziang? A Chinese, yet at just twenty-two years old he became a senior researcher at Mengshan Company. It’s a shame that such a good talent has been easily taken by the Americans. Ah, the domestic talent drain has been too severe in recent years," For formal work meetings, Yu Gang always arranged them in the branch’s meeting room.

He arrived a bit early, and the other party had not yet arrived.

The appointed time came, and the door of the meeting room was just opened.

Yu Gang’s way of observing people was different from others; he liked to look from feet to head. Although such a way of sizing up people often offended them, he couldn’t break this old habit.

First into his view was a pair of immaculate white leather shoes, which remained so clean even after a stroll on China’s streets, likely indicating a penchant for cleanliness, with the shoelaces neither too tight nor too loose.

A plain white tee with no logo paired with linen-colored casual pants.

In his hands, he carried a black leather notebook clipped with a domestic Hero brand fountain pen. Such an outfit didn’t seem like that of a senior researcher here for important discussions, but more like a college student entering a classroom, very casual.

Finally, Yu Gang saw the visitor clearly, a man about the same indoor temperature. The indoor temperature was around 26 to 28 degrees Celsius, just comfortable enough for the human body.

The first impression the Mr. Zhou gave to Yu Gang was just so.

Not too sharp, not too timid, lacking the excessive politeness of the Chinese when meeting, nor the physical enthusiasm of foreigners upon meeting, Zhou Ziang was the first to extend his hand, "Director Yu, hello."

"Heh heh, Researcher Zhou, please have a seat. It’s such a hot day, and you’ve had to make a special trip here, my apologies," Yu Gang stood up and shook hands with Zhou Ziang, and from each other’s eyes, they both sensed a hint of admiration.

The two started with small talk, not delving straight into today’s main topic, "I heard that Researcher Zhou has been back in the country lately, in charge of the China-US Government’s public cooperative project. I heard it’s about the comprehensive quality of the citizens. How far has it progressed now?"

Yu Gang offered Zhou Ziang a cup of tea and started chatting about seemingly trivial matters with a friendly smile.

This cooperation between the two countries spanned several departments, including public health, science, education, culture, health, and even national security. Initially, Yu Gang was not very supportive of this project. He believed that the comprehensive quality of the Chinese, including physical and cultural aspects, should still be assessed by the Chinese themselves, rather than by a half-American citizen with a green card.

"We’re still only in the first phase. The sampling survey targeting middle and high school students has ended, and a preliminary data report has already been produced," Zhou Ziang took the water, the cup was slightly hot, so he held it in his hands, gently swaying it, casually brushing past Yu Gang’s inquiry.

"Oh, I heard the sampling chose Sacred Heart Middle School. Sacred Heart has been in the news quite a bit over the past year. Does choosing Sacred Heart Middle School have anything to do with those news stories?" Yu Gang’s daily life was routine, but he often paid attention to social news, remembering incidents that had happened in recent months.

One was about a student who became a vegetable using new types of steroidal drugs (Wang Ke). Another was that this year, the Sacred Heart Girls’ Basketball Team had an impressive performance, winning the league championship, and the Holy Heart High School Men’s Basketball Team also defended their high school league championship.

"Indeed, there is some relation. Regarding the student who became a vegetable, my colleague might personally sponsor her to go to the United States for treatment. As for the middle and high school championships, I specifically took blood samples from the championship-winning teams’ players and discovered a very interesting phenomenon."

At this moment, Zhou Ziang, now finding the tea cool enough, leisurely began to drink.

Yu Gang’s curiosity was piqued, but knowing Zhou Ziang was expecting his follow-up question, he didn’t rush to inquire, just waited for Zhou Ziang to continue speaking.

"Several students had lower levels of lactic acid in their bodies compared to the average person, and that was key to their winning the games," Zhou Ziang was also surprised by this analysis result, especially the team captains and a player named Zhang Yiyi, who had the lowest levels of lactic acid.