29: Chapter 29 Report

The next morning, back in the familiar laboratory, Chen Youhua took a deep breath, and his tense nerves strangely relaxed.

This was his familiar battlefield, and it made him feel more grounded than the smell of firecrackers and smoke in the small town.

He didn't immediately rush to his lab bench; instead, as if performing a ritual, he first placed his backpack neatly in the corner.

His gaze swept over his area.

The sample labels he had carefully applied before the year-end were still clear, and the instruments were polished to a shine, clearly the result of Senior Student Wang Zhe's maintenance during the holiday.

The project progress was stuck at a stage that required grinding: culturing different cell lines on custom chips, processing, imaging, data analysis...

The process was tedious, but the path was clear; all that remained was time and patience.

Understanding this, he decided to stand pat for the moment.

Turning around, he walked straight to the public experimental area.

Wang Zhe was staring at the microscope screen with a furrowed brow, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the keyboard, with a half-eaten cold bun sitting beside him.

“Senior Brother, Happy New Year,” Chen Youhua's voice broke the silence of the area.

Wang Zhe looked up abruptly, his glasses sliding to the tip of his nose.

“Eh? Youhua? You're back so early? Weren't you supposed to return on the fifth?”

He raised his hand to check his watch.

“It's not even nine o'clock!”

“Nothing much was happening at home, so I came back early to check on things.”

Chen Youhua's tone was flat as his eyes fell on the screen.

“Data collection not going well?”

“Don't even get me started!”

Wang Zhe scratched his hair irritably.

“It's this damn Nematode neural calcium imaging; the drift control is always just a bit off. I've been struggling with it all morning.

New Year? The only time I wasn't in the lab was New Year's Eve. On the first day of the New Year, the boss called me back to handle emergency samples. It's like I didn't even have a holiday!”

He spoke complainingly, but there was little real resentment in his eyes, mostly just the everyday resignation of a lab rat.

“Do you need help checking the parameter settings or sample fixation?” Chen Youhua asked.

“Maybe later, let me try adjusting it a bit more.”

Wang Zhe waved his hand, his attention returning to the screen.

“By the way, how is your Micro-topography project going? You looked pretty exhausted before the break.”

“The basic process has been validated; I'm in the data accumulation phase,” Chen Youhua said briefly.

“Alright, let me know if you need a hand anytime.”

Wang Zhe didn't look up, his attention completely captivated by the light spots on the screen.

Chen Youhua nodded and walked toward Senior Student Li Wei, who was checking a reagent list at her computer.

Hearing footsteps, Li Wei looked up and saw him, a gentle smile immediately appearing on her face.

“Xiao Chen is back? You look much better than you did before the break! Are your parents doing well?”

“They are all well, thank you for asking, Senior Sister.”

Chen Youhua nodded slightly, noticing an exquisitely packaged small red tin box by Li Wei's hand.

“Did you have a good rest over the New Year, Senior Sister?”

“I took three days off, went out with my parents, and had a few good meals. I've finally recharged.”

Li Wei smiled and patted the small tin box.

“Here, these are hometown snacks my mom insisted on packing. Want to try some? They're very sweet.”

She opened the box without waiting for an answer, revealing neatly arranged Sesame crispy candy inside.

Chen Youhua hesitated for a moment before taking a piece.

“Thank you, Senior Sister.”

The sweet, nutty aroma of sesame melted in his mouth; it was an unfamiliar taste of the New Year.

“That's more like it. You young people shouldn't always be so tense.”

Li Wei watched him eat with satisfaction, her eyes carrying a hint of curiosity.

“Xiao Chen, I feel like you've... changed a bit after this trip? ”

“Before, when I talked to you, your eyes were always glued to the lab bench or your notes. Now you actually know how to ask us how our New Year went?”

She winked mischievously. “Be honest, did you find a girlfriend over the holiday? Did some girl reform you?”

Wang Zhe let out a snort of laughter from the microscope, clearly eavesdropping.

A rare look of embarrassment appeared on Chen Youhua's face, but he quickly regained his composure.

“It's nothing like that. I just... felt I was too closed off before.”

He skillfully shifted the topic.

“Senior Sister, weren't you revising your paper on Membrane protein transport for submission before the break? Which journal did you decide on?”

Seeing him avoid the question, Li Wei didn't press further and followed his lead.

“Yes, I'm revising it based on the reviewers' comments. The target is still Cell Reports. I hope for better luck this time.

What about you? Once your project data is out and you have some preliminary conclusions, you should start thinking about the paper's framework. Even though it's a practice project, there's a good chance of publishing in a decent Tier 2 journal.” Her tone was encouraging.

“Yes, I'm considering it.”

Chen Youhua responded, though in his heart he was calculating a different path.

After chatting for a few more minutes about submission strategies and journal selection, Chen Youhua estimated the time was about right.

“I'm going to find Teacher Zhang to report on my progress.” He stood up to take his leave.

“Go ahead, the boss is in today,” Li Wei reminded him. “I expect he's waiting for you too.”

He knocked on the door of Professor Zhang's office. Inside, it was as meticulously tidy as ever, with only a pot of pothos on the windowsill adding a bit of life.

Zhang Zhenhua was facing his computer screen. Seeing Chen Youhua enter, he gestured for him to sit.

“Teacher Zhang, Happy New Year.”

“Yes, you're back. Is everything well at home?” Professor Zhang took off his glasses and rubbed his brow, looking somewhat tired himself.

“Everything is well.”

Chen Youhua reported concisely.

“The Micro-topography project is currently progressing smoothly, mainly focusing on repeated experiments to accumulate data.

Preliminary observations indicate that specific Micro-groove structures can indeed significantly affect the cytoskeletal arrangement and migration efficiency of the target cell lines. The data trends show a high degree of consistency with the expected model.

It is estimated that basic data collection will be completed in another two to three weeks, after which analysis can begin and preliminary conclusions can be formed. This will provide some micro-mechanism data support for the team's broader direction in the Directional migration of cell clusters.”

Professor Zhang listened casually, his finger lightly tapping the desk.

In his eyes, Chen Youhua's project was indeed just a small assignment for a junior graduate student to practice and become familiar with the entire scientific research process; its difficulty and significance were within controllable limits.

He was more concerned about the person.

“The progress is fine; just proceed as planned.”

Professor Zhang nodded, then changed the subject.

“What are your plans after the project is finished? This project's cycle isn't very long.”

Chen Youhua was well-prepared, his tone steady.

“This project has indeed consumed a lot of energy, especially during the early exploration phase.

After it ends, I want to adjust my pace slightly.

On one hand, I feel that my knowledge system, especially in Mathematical modeling and Information processing and analysis, still has significant gaps. I want to spend some time systematically organizing and studying those areas.

On the other hand, if there's any place where I can assist with the projects of other seniors in the lab, I'm very willing to participate and learn different techniques.”

He skillfully packaged his rest as recharging and collaborative learning, avoiding any direct mention of the shockingly ambitious goal of strong Artificial Intelligence.

Professor Zhang's sharp gaze lingered on Chen Youhua's face for a few seconds, seemingly evaluating the truth of his words.

After a moment, he put his glasses back on.

“Yes, recognizing gaps in your knowledge is a good thing.

Mathematics and data processing capabilities are becoming increasingly important for modern biological research.

Wanting to learn is good, but pay attention to your methods; don't bite off more than you can chew. As for helping with other projects...”

He paused.

“Wang Zhe might need help with some Dynamic imaging analysis; you can communicate with him.

Remember to balance work and rest. Don't just crawl out of the Micro-topography project only to dive headfirst into another pit and exhaust yourself. True rest is necessary.”

“I understand, thank you for the reminder, Teacher.” Chen Youhua stood up.

Leaving the office, Chen Youhua didn't immediately return to his lab bench.

He walked to the tea room and poured himself a glass of warm water.

Through the glass door, he could see Wang Zhe still struggling with the microscope in the public experimental area, while Li Wei was tapping on her keyboard with a slight frown at her computer screen.

The sunlight from the window shone in at an angle, casting long patches of light on the clean floor.

Holding his water glass, he slowly walked back to his corner.

The air was filled with the scents of disinfectant, culture media, and a faint, lingering sweetness of sesame candy.

He set down his water glass and didn't immediately start the instruments that had been waiting for so long. He just sat quietly for a while, his gaze falling on the backpack in the corner which contained several brand-new introductory books on mathematics and programming.

Then, he reached out and steadily flipped the switch for his microscope's illumination lamp.

A soft light came on, illuminating his calm and purposeful eyes.

It's another day full of hope.