CHAPTER 393: CHAPTER 393: THE STRUGGLE FOR TALENT

In an instant, Ji You slipped away without a trace.

Director Wang watched the direction Ji You escaped towards and cursed with a laugh: "Little rascal, the money you get from Old Wang is not that easy to take."

Ji You knew nothing about this.

After running onto the stage, Ji You immediately joined the large group and started moving and lifting things alongside the assistants of the two professors, especially helping with the calibration of various equipment, which really broadened her horizons.

She thought that handling and testing these materials only needed operating knowledge, but she realized mastering this required knowing much more.

Thus, Ji You’s heart settled even more, meticulously following everyone in learning with a humble and willing attitude.

Beside her, Professor Ye Hong occasionally glanced at Ji You unintentionally, observing her earnest and diligent work, his furrowed brows gradually relaxed a bit, thinking although she was still somewhat impatient, she was indeed worth cultivating.

Professor Jiang Yulan watched every move of Ji You and nodded slightly to herself, feeling that this child could indeed achieve something in the future as long as she focused her mind on the discipline of materials.

Then, the formal research activities began.

Different from what Ji You imagined, she thought it would definitely involve lots of discussions and individual expression of viewpoints, but initially, Professor Ye Hong, the eldest and most senior, pointed at a pile of materials in front of him and started assigning tasks to his own and Professor Jiang’s assistants: "You three, handle the Snow Juice as I just described. You three, use the same method on the Ice Crystal Stone. As for you three, process..."

Professor Jiang Yulan said with a smile: "Let’s all work hard together."

The assistants replied: "Yes."

Ji You watched this scene quietly, she also received a new task, which was to assist the two professors.

That’s right.

Two professors.

In the midst, a small episode occurred.

Both Professor Ye Hong and Professor Jiang Yulan wanted Ji You to assist them, and neither would yield, making it very difficult for Ji You, and the final decision was that Ji You would serve as an assistant for both professors.

Thus—

Throughout the symposium, Ji You became the busiest person; she almost didn’t stop to breathe, not even having a moment to sip water, being kept very busy by the orders of both professors.

...

Time quietly slipped away, both onstage and offstage; the audience stayed silent, all diligently taking notes.

Only at six in the afternoon, when the stellar light no longer reached Lanyue Star, did this rigorous symposium finally come to an end.

But—

A slight regret for both professors was that the method adopted by Ji You applied only to Snow Juice, a type of adhesive, and didn’t work on other raw materials like Ice Crystal Stone or Dragon Bamboo.

However, what made both professors very pleased was that several reasons why Snow Juice could still be valuable despite being damaged had been identified.

This was indeed a reason to rejoice.

After the two professors announced the end, Ji You also breathed a huge sigh of relief; any continuation and she would have been exhaustd. If not for her resilient spirit and the support of Xiao You backstage, Ji You wouldn’t have been able to manage assisting both professors simultaneously.

As the meeting dispersed, Ji You was ready to slip away, but her movement was noticed by Jiang Yulan, who smiled faintly at Ji You and beckoned: "Student Ji You, come here for a moment."

Ji You turned her head and squeezed out a smile, "Professor Jiang, hello, is there anything else you need?"

Professor Jiang Yulan squinted her eyes, "You performed very well today. I heard that you haven’t been attending lectures directly but have been studying on your own? That won’t do. My lab just happens to need a handyman; would you like to come over? You are very talented; what you lack is the basics. Although I am teaching seniors now, I have also taught several batches of freshmen. Moreover, if you come to my lab, you can start with the basics. There are also many seniors in the lab; if you have any questions, you can ask them or me for advice."

Ji You widened her eyes: "!!!"

Is this—

being taken as a disciple by a high-ranking Material Master of the Alliance? Although it’s just to be a handyman, being able to enter Professor Jiang’s lab means even sweeping the floors would offer many learning opportunities for students.

To be honest, Ji You was truly tempted. Of course, she wasn’t thinking for herself, but for Xiao You. This opportunity, if it could be given to Xiao You, would be greatly beneficial for Xiao You’s future growth.

Just as Ji You was about to nod her head, a cold snort suddenly came from beside her, and when she looked up, she found Professor Ye Hong.

Professor Ye Hong gave Professor Jiang Yulan a cold glance and then looking at Ji You, said sarcastically, "You want to go to a high-end lab without a good foundation; isn’t this putting the cart before the horse?"

After speaking, Ye Hong coldly told Jiang Yulan, "Jiang Yulan, don’t lead astray the young."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yulan knew this old guy was going to interfere, and her tone also became a bit displeased, "How am I leading astray? She can start with the basics in my lab. Not only that, she can also get early exposure to various aspects of material sciences, and as long as she is capable, she can even participate."

"Hmph!"

Ye Hong snorted coldly and mocked, "Starting with the basics? Jiang Yulan, you know the situation of your own lab. How many chances will she actually have to learn the basics? Who will teach her? You? Your students? Do you guys even have the time? Early knowledge of material sciences without a foundation is merely pulling up the seedlings to help them grow."

Continuing, Ye Hong’s tone turned even colder, "And you want her to participate in the experiments? With her level of ability? No foundation, just relying on talent, how long can that sustain her?"

"Materials science is a field with no shortcuts; it’s only through diligence, hard work, and steady progress that one can walk the correct path," Ye Hong said, looking at Ji You and added, "I have seen the few assignments you submitted to me; none have scored full marks on the basics. Think about why that is for yourself."

Ji You: "???"

Her basics were marked down?

How come she didn’t know about it?

Or—

Is the reality really as Professor Ye Hong said, that her basics are really poor, and each homework assignment she made was won simply through her talent?

Seeing the expression on Ji You’s face, Ye Hong probably guessed what she was thinking, snorted through his nostrils, and said, "Whether this is the case or not, you’ll know in the future. I won’t deter you from going to Jiang Yulan’s lab, nor will I invite you to join my lab. In my view, you indeed have the ability, but you’re not yet ready to stand alone."

Upon hearing this, Ji You’s brows slightly furrowed.

Ye Hong frowned, and uncharacteristically added another sentence, "At this stage, your task is to attend classes and solidify your basics. Joining Jiang Yulan’s lab would be more detrimental than beneficial to you; decide wisely for yourself."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yulan became even more displeased, "You old man, what are you talking about? You don’t have to repeatedly put me down to persuade her. Do you really think I don’t know your plan? You’re afraid that if Ji You really follows me, you’ll lose the chance to mentor her. And—if Ji You follows me, I naturally won’t waste her talent; I will definitely nurture her well."

With this statement, Ye Hong’s stance stiffened slightly, and his face became a bit uneasy, but he still gave a heavy cold snort, "It’s her decision to make; I won’t argue with you."

Dropping the conversation, Ye Hong immediately turned and left.

Yet—

His steps seemed somewhat hurried...