88: Chapter 88 The Navier-Stokes Equation and a Little Interlude

Inside Chen Youhua's study, papers and literature on computer screens intertwined into a dense forest of mathematics.

The only sounds in the air were the rustling of a pen tip crossing paper and the rhythmic clicking of his mouse as he flipped through electronic documents.

He had been immersed here for several days, his goal clear and grand.

The Navier-Stokes Equation (N-S Equation).

This was by no means a momentary impulse.

The N-S Equation describes the fundamental laws of fluid motion—how air lifts a wing, how blood courses through vessels, how storms rage across the ocean... Its solution is the key to understanding the myriad flows of this world.

It is extremely difficult, recognized by the mathematical community as one of the Mount Everests of the field.

But as Chen Youhua's fingertips traced those complex symbols, his gaze remained exceptionally calm.

Was it hard?

Indeed.

But compared to the massive mathematical model he had to build when birthing the electronic life enlightenment—a state of primordial chaos with no predecessors' footsteps to follow—this was at least a journey with signposts and fellow travelers.

More importantly, its solution could tangibly propel fields like aerospace, biofluid mechanics, and weather forecasting... countless domains vital to the progress of human civilization.

He needed to rely on himself, on the system; he needed it to accelerate humanity once again.

...

Zhang Weijie felt like a rusted machine, every joint stiff and heavy.

Since the day he left Professor Sun Liren's office, he hadn't had a full night's sleep.

Dark circles stubbornly occupied the space under his eyes, and his hair was as messy as if it had been swept by a typhoon.

In the laboratory, facing his familiar petri dishes and centrifuges, he simply couldn't muster any energy.

His fingers operated mechanically, but his mind was like a runaway horse, crashing into that name time and again.

Chen Youhua.

On what grounds?!

He had toiled for over a decade!

From a green graduate student to a middle-aged backbone with fine lines creeping around the corners of his eyes.

The laboratory was his battlefield; the lab bench was his position.

He remembered every light left on late at night, the soreness in his wrists from repeating tedious steps countless times, and the near-obsessive rigor when collecting data.

A few papers?

Those were merely bricks condensed from the sweat of countless days and nights by him and his team, marked with experimental conditions and data.

Stacked together, they barely occupied a small spot on the wall of academic journals, earning him Professor Sun's trust and the title of a core member.

He knew he wasn't some genius; he had no world-shaking inspirations. His only weapons were diligence and reliability.

But what about Chen Youhua?

A guy whose name seemed out of place even in the biological circles!

A paper in the field of information technology?

What does that stuff have to do with life sciences?

Just based on a Bio-mechanical Fusion Prosthetic that sounded like a sci-fi novel title, he lightly walked away with two billion?!

Zhang Weijie had fought for over a decade, and all the project funds he had handled combined wouldn't even cover the pocket change!

That money, those resources—funding that could have supported countless people like him who were doing solid basic research.

Just dumped like that on a whimsical layman?

Why should Chen Youhua be able to ascend to the heavens in one step, standing on the shoulders of masons like them to pluck the unreachable stars?

Resentment was like a poisonous vine, entwining his heart, each beat bringing a sharp prick of pain.

Anger was like smoldering charcoal, roasting in his chest, making his mouth dry and leaving him restless.

He could even imagine Chen Youhua in a brand-new, luxurious laboratory, high-spiritedly giving directions.

That image made his eyes ache with resentment.

...

"Knock, knock, knock."

The knocking abruptly tore through the tranquility of the mathematical world.

Chen Youhua's brow furrowed imperceptibly. Without looking away from his manuscript, he simply spoke in a deep voice.

"Enter."

Wang Zhe leaned half his body in, an undetectable hint of helplessness on his face.

"Brother Hua, someone's outside looking for you, specifically by name."

"Who?"

Chen Youhua finally looked up, his interrupted thoughts causing a trace of annoyance in his tone.

"Don't know,"

Wang Zhe shook his head.

"Looks unfamiliar, doesn't seem like a regular on this floor, but he said he's here for you."

Chen Youhua put down his pen, sighed silently, and stood up.

His research was at a critical point; this kind of mysterious interruption was most vexing.

He walked out of the core laboratory area to the outer reception area.

A figure was standing there, particularly conspicuous.

The visitor wore a Researcher's white coat that had been washed until it was somewhat pale, topped with a mess of hair that looked as if it had never been graced by a comb.

Behind thick glasses, a pair of eyes struggled to hide a complex emotion, scanning the laboratory's brand-new equipment and the busy Researchers with a sharp, somewhat neurotic gaze.

Chen Youhua walked over, his tone flat.

"May I ask who you are? What can I do for you?"

The man seemed startled and snapped his gaze back. A forced smile appeared on his face, the corners of his mouth twitching stiffly.

"Professor Chen, it's a pleasure.

I'm Zhang Weijie, from... the lab on the third floor of this building.

I saw you've started a new project here with quite a bit of fanfare, so I came over specifically to take a look and say hello."

He tremblingly extended a hand, his movements somewhat awkward.

Chen Youhua glanced at the extended hand but didn't take it, only nodding slightly.

"Researcher Zhang, hello.

Our staff here is already full; we aren't hiring for the time being."

He directly addressed the other's likely intention, his tone devoid of any fluctuations.

The smile on Zhang Weijie's face froze instantly. His extended hand awkwardly retracted, his fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of his white coat.

The slight warmth in his eyes faded rapidly, replaced by a layer of coldness, and his tone hardened as well.

"Professor Chen misunderstands; I'm not here to look for a job."

He paused, as if to emphasize his status.

"I am a backbone member of our laboratory. We're... neighboring labs, after all. We'll be seeing each other around, so I wanted to get acquainted ahead of time so we can... look out for each other in the future."

He said those last few words slowly, with an indiscernible implication.

"Oh."

Chen Youhua responded, looking at him with a calm gaze, as if he were looking at a piece of experimental equipment that had nothing to do with him.

"Now that the greetings are done and you've seen the lab...

Is there anything else? If not, I'm heading back."

As he spoke, he made a move to turn around.

Zhang Weijie's face darkened completely. The forced calm cracked, revealing a hint of uncontrollable distortion.

He took a deep breath, raising his voice slightly with the earnest tone of an experienced senior:

"Professor Chen, it's good for young people to have drive, but sometimes... you also need to know the rules!"

He leaned half a step forward, his thick glasses almost touching Chen Youhua.

"If you take steps too fast and too large, it's easy to trip! There are some... fields you shouldn't touch. If you insist on touching them, be careful not to take a big fall! When that happens, no one will be able to help you up!"

He stared dead at Chen Youhua, uttering each word with deliberate weight.

Without even waiting for the last word to land, Chen Youhua turned around directly.

He left Zhang Weijie with a decisive back, with only a flat sentence devoid of emotion drifting back.

"Absurd."

Zhang Weijie froze in place, his face turning various shades of blue and white, his teeth grinding audibly.

He stomped his foot hard and turned to leave quickly, the hem of his white coat catching a gust of wind that knocked over an inconspicuous trash can by the door with a harsh clang.

Inside the laboratory door, Chen Youhua had already sat back down at his desk, as if the brief, gunpowder-filled confrontation had never occurred.

He picked up his pen and paper once more, returning to those symbols representing the mysteries of fluids, back to a world of pure logic and the unknown.

To him, the noise outside was merely an inconsequential breeze blowing past the halls of mathematics.